Dessert Archives - Page 8 of 11 -

November 13, 2014

Apricot Almond Shortbread Bars

I would consider myself a fairly disciplined person when it comes to eating, but my one can’t-say-no-to type of dessert is anything with almonds. Lucky for me that Ryan loves almond desserts too. Some of our favorites are this raspberry frangipane tart, the almond cake from The Art of Simple Food, these almond cloud cookies, and of course, these Apricot Almond Shortbread Bars. I usually vary the cookies that I make each holiday season, but I almost always try to include these because I never get tired of them. With the holidays approaching, I was thinking about putting these cookies on my Christmas baking list and then I remembered I had actually made these for my son’s cello recital a few months ago and never posted the photos and recipe. I am actually thinking about making these twice in one year so considering that I hardly ever make the same dessert twice ever, that says a lot! What sets these bar cookies apart from other cookies that may look similar is the almond paste, which contributes to the splendid almond flavor and incredible chewy texture. Apricot preserves complement the almond flavor nicely although I imagine raspberry preserves would also be lovely. These are delicious slightly warm, at room temperature, and also cold. They freeze well so they can be made in advance and thawed when ready to serve.

Apricot Almond Shortbread Bars

Ingredients

¾ cup apricot preserves
1-2 tablespoons rum
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
¾ cup natural cane sugar
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ cup packed almond paste, crumbled (about 2.5 ounces)
½ cup sliced almonds, divided

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325. Butter a 9x9-inch or 7x11-inch baking pan and line with parchment paper.
In a small bowl, stir together the almond preserves and rum. Set aside.
Using a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar on high speed. Beat in the almond extract. Add the flour and salt and mix together on medium speed until flour is just incorporated. Transfer 1 cup of dough to another small bowl and add the crumbled almond paste. Use fingers to mix together until small clumps begin to form. Mix in ¼ cup sliced almonds. Put mixture in refrigerator to chill for a few minutes.
Use hands to press the remaining dough in the bottom of the prepared baking pan. Spread preserves evenly over the dough. Crumble the slightly chilled almond paste mixture over the preserves and sprinkle the remaining ¼ cup almonds on top. Press the topping lightly into the preserves.
Bake until shortbread bars start to brown and become golden, about 50 minutes. Cool for at least 1 hour before cutting into squares.

Notes

slightly adapted from Bon Appetit

link

September 25, 2014

Frozen Chocolate Banana Pops

Yes, it’s now officially the first week of Fall and I am already taking a break from Fall flavors to discuss the awesomeness of these frozen chocolate banana pops. I had been saving these cute wooden sticks from The TomKat Studio for what seems like forever and I finally decided that these frozen banana pops were worthy of their use.

Eating these take me back to carefree childhood days and I feel like I’m eating something completely indulgent, except they are actually not so bad for you since they are basically just frozen bananas wrapped in some dark chocolate. Banana pops are fun and simple to make. First, cut each peeled banana into small pieces and insert a wooden stick into each piece. (I cut the bananas into fourths and cut the tips off of the ends so that each piece had a more uniform shape.) Next, freeze the bananas for at least a couple of hours. It’s important to be patient and not skip this step. Now is when the fun begins! Melt the chocolate with a bit of coconut oil so that the chocolate becomes slightly thinned and velvety smooth. Take the frozen banana pop and quickly dip it into the melted chocolate. Allow the excess chocolate (is there such a thing as excess chocolate?!) to drip off the banana and watch it solidify into a yummy chocolate shell. If you want to add a topping, dip the chocolate covered banana into the topping before the chocolate completely solidifies. If you wait too long, the toppings will not stick, but if you dip too soon, you will have a sticky mess. Takes a little practice, but you will get it, I promise. I think I am going to go order a huge supply of these wooden sticks because from now on, we are going to be making these all of the time. I’m thinking birthday parties, playdates, family nights…. chocolate banana pops for everyone. Oooh yeah.

Frozen Chocolate Banana Pops

Serves: 16-20 pops

Ingredients

2 3.5-ounce dark chocolate bars (I used bars with 72% cacao)
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon coconut oil
4-5 bananas, cut into pieces
sprinkles, coconut, or crushed peanuts for dipping

Instructions

Insert wooden stick into each banana piece. Freeze for at least 2 hours.
Set a small glass mixing bowl over a small saucepan of simmering water and place the chocolate and coconut oil in the mixing bowl. Stir until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth. Pour the chocolate into a medium sized glass for easier dipping.
Quickly dip each frozen banana piece into the melted chocolate and allow the excess chocolate to drip off. After the excess chocolate has dripped off, but before the chocolate is completely solidified, dip the chocolate into desired topping. Serve immediately or return to freezer to serve later.

August 25, 2014

Wild Blueberry Pie with Almond Oat Crumble

Wild Blueberries make me reminisce about childhood summer vacations in Maine. I have vivid memories of hiking along the breathtaking coastline, visiting quaint little towns, devouring lobster rolls and fresh clam chowder, and picking wild blueberries. Maine is the only place where I have ever seen wild blueberries grown. They are much smaller than the blueberries commonly seen in grocery stores, but they are sweeter and have an even more intense blueberry flavor. I have not been able to find fresh wild blueberries anywhere locally so I used frozen wild blueberries here in this pie. The wild blueberries make this pie really spectacular, but you can also substitute regular blueberries if you cannot find wild. The almond crumble topping made from almond paste and oats enhances the whole blueberry experience. I make this pie every summer and dream about vacationing in Maine.

Wild Blueberry Pie with Almond Oat Crumble

Ingredients

Crust

½ cup + 2 tablespoons whole wheat pastry flour
½ cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon natural cane sugar
½ cup (8 tablespoons) of cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes
2-4 tablespoons ice water

Filling

⅔ cup natural cane sugar
¼ cup cornstarch
32 ounces fresh or frozen wild blueberries, about 7 cups
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Crumble

⅓ cup old-fashioned oats
⅓ cup all-purpose flour
4 ounces almond paste, broken into small pieces, about ¾ cup
¼ cup (4 tablespoons) chilled unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes
½ teaspoon salt
Vanilla ice cream for serving

Instructions

Crust

Add the flours, salt, and sugar to the bowl of a food processor and pulse to combine. Add the butter and pulse 10 times, or until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
While the food processor is running, gradually add the water and process until dough just comes together, no more than 30 seconds. Start with the minimum amount of water and increase if dough is too crumbly.
Form the dough into a flat circular disk and wrap with plastic wrap. Chill dough in the refrigerator for at least one hour.
On a lightly floured board, roll dough into a circle about ⅛-inch thick. Carefully transfer the crust into the pie dish and trim the overhanging dough with a knife. Crimp the edges as desired.
Chill crust in the refrigerator while preparing the filling and topping.

Filling

In a large pot, whisk together the sugar and cornstarch. With a wooden spoon, sir in the blueberries and lemon juice. Stir gently over medium heat until mixture thickens and becomes bubbly, about 12-15 minutes.
Chill filling until cool, about 1 hour.

Crumble

Add the oats, flour, almond paste, butter,and salt into the bowl of a food processor and process until the mixture begins to hold together. Transfer to a small bowl and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Assembly

Preheat the oven to 400.
Pour the blueberry filling into the chilled pie crust. Using your index finger and thumb, pinch small pieces of the almond oat crumble and sprinkle evenly over the filling.
Place pie on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until crust and topping become golden and the filling bubbles, about 45-50 minutes.
Transfer pie to a wire rack to cool completely. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Notes

adapted from Bon Appetit