Occasionally I make a special homemade dessert. Here are my favorite recipes.
Berry Shortcake
Estimated Cost (8 servings) $6.00
Lemon Pound Cake:
1 cup butter
1 and 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs
2 cups flour
1/3 cup milk
zest of one lemon
Cream together the butter and sugar. Beat in the eggs. Beat in the flour alternately with the milk, just until moist. Pour into a buttered loaf pan, and bake in a preheated 350 oven 65-70 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of cake comes out clean. Cool and slice.
Topping:
2-3 cups berries (strawberry, blueberry, raspberry, etc.)
2 Tbsp. sugar
salt
1 cup whipping cream
Slice berries (if using strawberries). Sprinkle berries with 1 Tbsp. sugar and a pinch of salt. Let berries sit for thirty minutes. Whip cream with 1 Tbsp. sugar. Assemble dessert by laying a slice of cake on a dish, heaping with berries and juice, and topping with whipped sweetened cream.
Tiramisu Cupcakes
Estimated Cost (12 servings) $7.00
12 chocolate or vanilla cupcakes (from a boxed cake mix, bake in large muffin tins)
1 cup strong coffee or espresso
2 cups heavy whipping cream
8 oz. cream cheese*
1/2 cup confectionery sugar
Small bar of your favorite solid chocolate
Poke holes all the way down in the cakes, 2 or 3 times with a fork, and drizzle them each with about one Tbsp. of very strong coffee - unsweetened. In a mixing bowl, whip two cups of whipping cream until stiff peak stage. Set aside.
In another mixing bowl, cream together cream cheese and powdered sugar. Fold in the whipped cream, until blended, but still lofty. Bag icing into a decorator bag (or sealable bag with one corner snipped off), and pipe on to each cupcake. Grate a small bit dark chocolate over each cupcake.
*optional: use 4 oz. mascarpone cheese and 4 oz. cream cheese
Quick Fresh Blueberry Pie
Estimated Cost (8 servings) $5.00
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
4 cups fresh blueberries
pastry for a 9 inch double crust pie
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Mix first four ingredients, and sprinkle over blueberries. Line pie dish with one pie crust. Pour berry mixture into the crust; cover with top crust, latticing if desired. Bake pie on lower shelf of oven for about 50 minutes, or until crust is golden brown (cover edges with foil if starting to overbrown). If desired, sprinkle with sugar when hot from the oven.
Soft Gingersnap Cookies
Estimated Cost (48 cookies) under $5.00
2 cups flour
1 Tbsp. ground ginger
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground allspice
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup molasses
additional sugar
Blend flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, and salt into a mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, beat butter and sugar until creamy. Beat in the egg, and molasses. Gradually add the flour mixture until a soft dough forms.
Roll into 1 inch balls, and roll each ball in sugar. Place 2 inches apart on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake in preheated 350 about 10 minutes until done.
Zucchini Carrot Bread
Estimated Cost (8-10 slices) under $5.00
1 cup flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup grated zucchini
1/2 cup grated carrot
1/4 cup chopped walnuts*
Blend dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, beat eggs. Mix in sugar and oil. Add zucchini and carrot to egg mixture. Add dry ingredients, mixing well. Stir in nuts. Pour into 1 ungreased loaf pans, and bake in a preheated 350 oven for 55 to 60 minutes, until done.
*optionally, try 1/4 cup raisins, chopped apples or sliced bananas
Berry/Oat Crumble
Estimated Cost (8 servings) $7.00 with Ice Cream
3/4 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
3 cups fresh or frozen berries*
3 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
Mix oats, whole wheat flour, brown sugar; cut in chilled butter until crumbly. Gently stir in walnuts. Mix berries with sugar, flour and salt; place in a 8x8 baking dish. Top with oat mixture. Bake in a preheated 400 oven 30-40 minutes, until golden. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.
*blueberries and raspberries work well, but try other fruits ie: chopped apples
Easy Fresh Peach Cobbler
Estimated Cost (8 servings) $7.00 with Ice Cream
1 stick butter, melted
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup milk
2 tsp. vanilla extract
4 peaches, peeled and sliced thin
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. allspice
Pour melted butter into an 8x8 pan. In a bowl combine the sugars, flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir in the milk and vanilla. Pour this batter over the melted butter. Arrange the peace slices over the batter, and sprinkle with the spices. Bake in a preheated 375 oven 30 minutes, until golden. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.
Raspberry Crepes
Estimated Cost (3 servings) under $2.00
3 eggs
3/4 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. milk
2 Tbsp. melted butter, plus more for cooking with
Raspberry Syrup (also works with various jams and jellies)
Whisk the eggs, flour, salt, milk and 2 Tbsp. butter until smooth. Cook the crepes in a hot skillet, greased lightly with butter as needed; pour about 1/4c. batter on the hot skillet, tilting the skillet so the batter spreads itself over the floor of the pan.
Cook over med/high heat until the middle begins to slightly rise and the crepe is slightly browned on the bottom. Flip it, and cook until golden and done. To serve, spread with a very small amount of fruit syrup or jam/jelly, and roll up.
This recipe is so simple, that my eleven year old son makes it regularly. The hardest part is keeping all the crepes from being eaten before they are all ready to be served! My mom used to keep warm them on a cookie cheet or ovensafe dish, in a hot (but turned off) oven under a large upturned stovepot.
