Tag Archives: dessert

Recipe: Apple Cinnamon Snickerdoodles

4 Sep

Sadly summer is over for another year and at least here in Ottawa, the weather is already starting to cool off. The one good thing is that I didn’t feel bad about turning my oven on to make these very fall-style treats.

These cookies are chewy on the inside (thanks to the apple) and crunchy on the outside (thanks to the cinnamon sugar coating). They make a great after school snack for kiddos and a tasty breakfast for people who like to eat cookies before noon. I’m not naming any names.

Apple Cinnamon Snickerdoodles

Apple Cinnamon Snickerdoodles | baconavecbacon.com

1/2 cup hard margarine, softened*
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 medium apple, peeled and grated
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

Cream the margarine and sugar until fluffy. Beat in the egg and the vanilla. Fold in the grated apple. Sift together all the dry ingredients and gently combine with the wet ingredients.

Use a medium cookie scoop to make 1/2 inch balls of the dough and roll them well in a mixture of cinnamon and sugar. Place them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and gently press down with a fork. If you’d like you can sprinkle a bit more of the cinnamon sugar mix on each cookie.

Bake at 375 degrees for approximately 14 minutes.

 

* A note on margarine… Hard margarine is not the spreadable kind that comes in a tub. As per a previous post, I like to use Imperial brand. Soft margarine contains too much water which will result in flat cookies. You can opt to use butter but I haven’t tested this recipe with it.

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Recipe: Cheater Mille Feuilles

30 Jul

This is an old family recipe. It actually comes from my Great Aunt who originally served us this dessert during a visit to her house in the early 80s. At that time, Mille Feuilles (or Thousand Leaves or Vanilla Slice for you Englishmen) wasn’t super popular. Now you can pick up a chunk at Costco for a reasonable price. I can confirm the Costco version isn’t as good as this.

Traditional Mille Feuilles uses puff pastry whereas this shortcut version uses graham crackers. I prefer it with graham crackers because I find the puff pastry gets chewy and basically makes the filling squish out everywhere as soon as you try to cut it. Not a good scene.

On top of being super delicious and pretty impressive looking for the effort, this is a great summer dessert because you can make it ahead (in fact it’s always better the second day) and it’s no bake. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Cheater Mille Feuilles

Cheater Mille Feuilles | baconavecbacon.com

1 package graham crackers
1 large vanilla pudding and pie filling mix (I’ve used chocolate as well with good results)
250 ml (small carton) whipping cream
1 cup (plus 4 tablespoons) icing sugar
1 teaspoon butter (softened)
2 squares semi-sweet baking chocolate

Cook the pudding according to the package instructions. I do mine in the microwave. Line a 9×9 glass dish with graham crackers. They need to lay flat so nip some of the corners off if need be. Cover the crackers with the cooked pudding and leave this layer to cool in the fridge.

Once decently set, whip the cream until fluffy, adding a few tablespoons of icing sugar to sweeten. Spread carefully overtop of the pudding layer and then top with another layer of graham crackers. They don’t have to reach exactly to the edge so don’t worry about that.

Pop it back in the fridge while you mix up the icing.

In a small bowl mix the butter and the cup of icing sugar with a few tablespoons of milk – just enough for the mixture to reach a spreadable consistency. Spread carefully over top of the graham cracker layer.

Melt the chocolate and drizzle over top of the icing. To make the traditional ‘zig zag’ pattern, create four lines of chocolate and then take a knife and drag it through the chocolate, alternating directions every inch or so.

Keep refrigerated until you’re ready to eat.

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Recipe: Andes Mint Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream

14 Jul

Since my last outing with the ice cream machine went so incredibly well, I decided to make a second batch. Mr. Bacon’s favourite is mint chocolate chip so I decided to kick it up a notch and use chopped Andes mints instead of plain chocolate chips. I based my version on this recipe from Chew Out Loud.

The result got a rousing thumbs up so I hope you like it too.

Andes Mint Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream

Andes Mint Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream | baconavecbacon.com

1 cup 1% milk, chilled
3/4 cup sugar
2 cups heavy whipping cream (35%), chilled
1 1/2 teaspoons peppermint extract
2 drops green food colouring (optional)
15-20 Andes Mint chocolates, chopped

In a large bowl, whisk together the milk and sugar until the sugar has totally dissolved. Stir in the cream, peppermint and food colouring. Pour into your ice cream maker and follow the manufacturer’s instructions to freeze the batch. When finished, fold in the chocolate and place it into the freezer to firm up.

 

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Recipe: Strawberry Swirl Cheesecake Ice Cream

4 Jul

Mr. Bacon was nice enough to gift me with an ice cream maker for my birthday. Immediately I started scouring Pinterest for ice cream recipes to test out. When I found this cheesecake version from Add a Pinch I knew I had found the perfect recipe for my new machine’s maiden voyage.

However, instead of sullying it with cherry pie filling, I wanted to infuse it with another taste of summer: fresh picked strawberries from Beckwith Berries. (Picking is still good at the farm if you’re looking for something to do this weekend!)

The result is probably my favourite recipe all year. This stuff is frozen gold. Enjoy!

Strawberry Swirl Cheesecake Ice Cream

StrawberrySwirlCheeseCakeIceCream

2 cups heavy whipping cream (35%)
1 cup milk (I used 1%)
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 block cream cheese, cut into large pieces
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
a pinch of salt
1 cup strawberry sauce

In a large saucepan on medium high heat, combine the cream, milk sugar and cream cheese. Use a whisk to stir the mixture continuously until the sugar has dissolved and the cream cheese has combined with the cream and milk. Remove from the heat and add the vanilla and salt. Chill in an airtight container overnight.

The next day, add the mixture to your ice cream maker and follow the manufacturer’s instructions to make the ice cream. Remove the batch from the machine while the ice cream is still the consistency of soft serve. Scoop it back into your airtight container and before placing it into freezer to fully harden, gently fold in 1 cup of strawberry sauce. Don’t overmix or you won’t get the swirl effect.

 

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Recipe: Traditional Apple Crisp

10 Feb

When I do make apple crisp, I inevitably make a second one as soon as the first is done because it’s so good and seems to go so quickly. Something magical happens when the warm, tart apples and crispy and sweet oat topping combines with melting vanilla ice cream.

This is an adaptation of a recipe from the ‘All New Purity Cookbook’ originally printed in 1967. It’s a classic Canadian cookbook and reprints are readily available. Check it out if you’re looking for a how-to for basic comfort foods.

Traditional Apple Crisp

Traditional Apple Crisp | baconavecbacon.com

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
3/4 cup butter
4 Large McIntosh apples, peeled and sliced

In a large bowl, add the flour, oats, brown sugar and cinnamon and mix thoroughly. Using a pastry blender, cut in the butter until the texture becomes crumbly. Prepare the apples and place them in a greased 9″ glass pie dish. Pour the crumble evenly over the top and place in a 350 degree oven for 40 minutes.

Let sit for 10 minutes before serving with ice cream. And maybe a drizzle of maple syrup or caramel sauce.

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Recipe: Chocolate & Peanut Butter Snack Cake

27 Jan

What goes together better than peanut butter and chocolate? If you answered nothing, you are correct. This cake is no exception. It’s dense and rich but not overly sweet. It is necessary to pair this with a big glass of milk because the peanut butter layer is quite sticky!

The recipe I used for this is from here and it’s supposed to be like a brand of snack cakes available in the Eastern US. I can’t vouch for accuracy having never enjoyed a TastyCake but I can confirm the tastyness!

The next time I try this, I might cheat and make the base with a yellow cake mix and blend the peanut butter with some marshmallow fluff to make it a bit sweeter and less dense.

Chocolate & Peanut Butter Snack Cake

Chocolate Peanut Butter Snack Cake | baconavecbacon.com

4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 cups flour
1 cup milk
2 teaspoons melted butter
1 bag milk chocolate chips
2 cups creamy peanut butter

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 9×13 pan.

In the microwave warm the milk and the butter until melted and set aside to cool.

In a large bowl, mix the eggs, vanilla, salt, sugar, baking powder and flour. Add the milk and stir until smooth. Pour the batter into the floured pan and bake for approximately 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Immediately spread the peanut butter over top of the cake. As it melts it’ll become easier to move around. Once spread, put the cake into the fridge until the peanut butter sets.

Once the PB layer is set, in a microwaveable bowl, melt the chocolate chips. Pour over top of the peanut butter layer and spread carefully. Place the cake back into the fridge until the chocolate layer sets.

When you’re ready to eat the cake, let it come to room temperature before cutting, otherwise the chocolate will crack.

 

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Recipe: Microwave Caramels – Two Ways

21 Dec

Those who are dedicated Pinterest surfers like I am have likely noticed the slew of microwave caramel recipes floating around. These are my versions and they’re so tasty, I’ll never go back to slaving over a pot with a candy thermometer again. Because the recipe calls for basically half a can of sweetened condensed milk, I decided to make two batches: one apple cider & cinnamon, and the other salted whisky flavour. Waste not want not, right?

This recipe is so quick and simple and makes such a great neighbour or hostess gift. I hope you’ll agree!

Microwave Caramels Two Ways

Apple Cider Caramels | baconavecbacon.com

For both versions you’ll need:
1/4 cup of butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk (Eagle Brand)
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla

For the apple cider and cinnamon version add all the ingredients to a large microwave safe bowl as well as:

1 packet of Lynch hot apple cider mix
1 teaspoon cinnamon

 Heat on high for 6-8 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes and pour into a well greased 8×8 or 9×9 pan. Dust the top with a bit more cinnamon and let cool in the fridge before slicing. 

For the salted whisky add all the original ingredients to another large microwave safe bowl as well as 2 oz. of Forty Creek whisky. If you’re not a whisky fan, this could work really well with spiced rum. Again, heat on high for 6-8 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes before pouring into a well greased pan. Sprinkle coarse sea salt over the top before refrigerating. 

Whisky Salted Caramels | baconavecbacon.com

I like to use my handy bench scraper to get nice straight clean lines when cutting the caramels.

You can either cut them into individual pieces and wrap each one separately (painful) or you can cheat like I do and cut them into about 5 long strips and wrap them in waxed paper for cutting as you eat them. Once packaged they should be kept refrigerated. Take them out of the fridge for about a half hour before serving. 

 

 

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Recipe: Quick Cheese Danish

14 Dec

Many, many moons ago I had a pretty awesome highschool history teacher. ‘Mr. Mac’ was a hulk of a man, a war veteran and totally no-nonsense. There are a lot of great Mr. Mac stories, most of them involve him disparaging disruptive students, however one day he came to class with a huge smile on his face which was definitely not the norm.

Standing at the front of the room Mr. Mac announced, “Class, I’ve discovered a new taste sensation: the danish.” He went on to talk about this awesome danish he had at the cafeteria for about five minutes. It was weird but I can definitely appreciate how discovering something new and tasty can really make your day.

This danish will certainly turn frowns upside down. In fact, I might make two of these for Christmas morning as they’re really quick to prepare and would go great with a warm mug of hot chocolate or cup of coffee. The version I made is blackberry, but this would be equally good with raspberries, lemon filling or some warm apple topping.

Quick Cheese Danish
(from Lauren’s Latest)

Quick Cheese Danish | baconavecbacon.com

1 tube Pillsbury crescent rolls (I’ve used both the regular and low fat with equal success)
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 cup fruit/filling

For the icing:
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons milk or cream
1/8 tablespoon vanilla

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

Blend the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla and flour together. Set aside. Mix together the icing ingredients and set that aside too.

Take some parchment paper and place it on a cookie sheet. Roll the crescents out on the parchment without separating them. Go over the seams and squish them together lightly if they’ve separated a bit. You should have one long strip of dough.

Spread the cheese mixture down the center in about a 2 inch strip. Place the berries (or whatever filling you’re using) on top of the cheese.

Now take a sharp knife and cut 1/2 inch strips along both sides. Fold these dough ‘arms’ over top of the filling, alternating sides so you get a bit of a braid pattern. It doesn’t have to be perfect so don’t fuss too much.

Place into the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

Remove from the oven and let cool. (This part is very very hard because you really just want to immediately shove it in your face.)

Drizzle liberally with the icing and cut into strips.

I have no idea if this keeps well because I’ve never had any leftovers to keep. It’s probably best then if you just have that second piece instead of hoping it’ll be OK tomorrow.

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Recipe: Shortcut Pumpkin Bread

26 Nov

One of the most pinned recipes on Pinterest has been the ‘two ingredient’ pumpkin muffins/cake/loaf. The recipe is basically a cake mix and a can of pumpkin. While it seems to be super popular, and I liked the concept (easy always wins in this house) I was skeptical that something without oil or eggs (read fat) could be tasty. Comments on several of the recipes seemed to agree with my hunch.

Yes, my version below takes slightly more effort than dumping a can into a cake mix but it’s sooooooo good. Super moist, spicy and when you throw on some cream cheese icing and a drizzle of caramel, pretty darned decadent.

Shortcut Pumpkin Bread


1 box spice cake mix
1 small (14-15 oz) can of pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling… just pumpkin)**
3 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Throw everything into a bowl and stir well until combined. You could get out the stand mixer and mix on medium for about 2 minutes, but that’s too much effort for something that’s ‘shortcut’. Spread the batter into a greased loaf pan and bake for 5o minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Cool the loaf on a wire rack before icing. I just used a tub of pre-made cream cheese icing, but it would be even better with homemade.

** If you only have a giant can of pumpkin, there’s a bunch of great pumpkin recipes online to use up the rest or you can put a few spoonfuls on top of your dog’s food for the week. They think it’s a great treat and it’s good for their digestion. Guinea pigs are also huge pumpkin fans!

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Recipe: Cheater Pecan Pie

5 Oct

This pecan pie recipe is so easy, it feels like cheating. But it tastes like heaven so that’s OK, right? Yes, yes it is. It’s a definite keeper and would make a great alternative dessert for Thanksgiving to serve those crazy people who hate pumpkin pie. Or who like all kinds of pie and want an excuse to have two pieces.

Cheater Pecan Pie

1 package of butterscotch pudding and pie filling (not the instant kind, the cooked kind)
1 cup corn syrup
3/4 cup evaporated milk
1 egg slightly beaten
1 cup chopped pecans
1 deep dish frozen pie shell

Blend the pudding and the corn syrup and then gradually whisk in the milk and egg. Pour the mixture into the pie shell and bake at 375 degrees for about 40 minutes or until the top is firm and just starts to crack.

Cool at least three hours and serve with a scoop of ice cream.

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