Slow Cooker Gingerbread Pudding Cake

Slow Cooker Gingerbread Pudding Cake

From: http://www.yummly.co/recipe/Slow-Cooker-Gingerbread-Pudding-Cake-1419910?prm-v1

PREP TIME: 20 mins
COOK TIME: 2 hours 30 mins
TOTAL TIME: 2 hours 50 mins

Serves: 6 servings

INGREDIENTS

• ¼ cup butter, softened
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• ½ cup molasses
• 1 cup water
• 1¼ cups whole wheat flour (or sub all purpose)
• ¾ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg

Topping

• 6 tablespoons brown sugar
• ¾ cup hot water
• ¼ cup butter, melted

INSTRUCTIONS

With an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until combined. Add egg and beat until combined. Add vanilla, molasses and water and beat (start on low!) until combined. There might be a few flecks of butter unincorporated, but that's okay.

Add the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, salt and nutmeg and beat until combined. Pour into greased 3-4 quart slow cooker.

Sprinkle batter with brown sugar. Combine hot water and melted butter and pour over brown sugar (no stirring!).

Cover with the lid and cook on high for 2.5-3 hours. Serve warm with ice cream or whipped cream.

Carrot Cake Oatmeal Cookie Cake

From: http://amyshealthybaking.com/

Complete with cream cheese frosting, this oversized oatmeal cookie tastes just like carrot cake! It’s soft, chewy, warm, cozy, and everything a cookie should be. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days—if they last that long!

Yields: 12 slices (1 cake)

The cookie

• 1 c (98g) instant oats (measured correctly;  spoon into the measuring cup. Once it is full, level it off with a knife.)
• ¾ c (90g) whole wheat or gluten-free* flour (measured correctly)
• 1 ½ tsp (5g) baking powder
• 1 ½ tsp (3g) ground cinnamon
• ⅛ tsp (1g) salt

It’s important to measure both the oats and flour correctly, using the spoon-and-level method. If scooped from the container using the measuring cup, you’ll end up with 1.5 times as much, which will dry out your cookies and make them crumbly.

To make your own instant oats, pulse 1 cup of old-fashioned oats in a food processor 5-8 times.

Melted margarine may be substituted for the coconut oil or butter. Regardless of which is used, be sure that the egg is at room temperature before whisking it in. A cold egg added straight from the fridge would rapidly cool the fat source, resulting in small blobs of semi-solid coconut oil, butter, or margarine.

• 2 tbsp (28g) coconut oil or unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 1 tsp (5mL) vanilla extract
• ½ c (120mL) maple syrup. Honey or agave may be substituted in place of the maple syrup.

•  ¾ c (68g) grated carrots (about 2 smallish medium, peeled first)

Preheat the oven to 325°F, and lightly coat a 9”-round spring form or regular cake pan with nonstick cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the oats, flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the coconut oil, egg, and vanilla.
Stir in the maple syrup until thoroughly incorporated. Add in the flour mixture, stirring just until incorporated. Fold in the carrots.

Spread the cookie dough evenly across the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake at 325°F for 17-20 minutes. Cool completely to room temperature in the cake pan.

While the cookie bakes, prepare the frosting.

Frosting

• ½ c (120g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
• 4 oz fat-free cream cheese (half of one block)
• 1 serving (7g) fat-free, sugar-free instant cheesecake pudding mix
• 2 tbsp (3g) granulated sucralose (or other sweetener, to taste)

In a large bowl, beat the yogurt, cream cheese, pudding mix, and sucralose with an electric mixer on low speed for 2 minutes, or until thick. Chill for at least 2 hours before piping on top of the cooled cookie cake. (If chilling longer, cover the top of the bowl with plastic wrap or foil.)

* For the gluten-free flour, I used as follows: ½ c (60g) millet flour, 2 tablespoons (17g) brown rice flour, 2 tablespoons (15g) tapioca flour, and ½ tsp (1g) xanthan gum.

There will be leftover frosting. Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

CINNAMON ROLLS - CROCK POT

From: http://weekendcollective.com/

This is the perfect weekend treat! These cinnamon rolls are gooey and delicious. Put these rolls in the crock pot before running errands Saturday morning, or let them cook while you’re out and about on Sunday. You’ll come home to breakfast served hot and steaming!

Ingredients:

• 2 12 oz tubes of cinnamon rolls cut into quarters- divided
• 4 eggs
• ½ cup whipping cream
• 3 Tbsp maple syrup
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• ¼ tsp nutmeg

Directions:

Spray your crockpot with cooking spray. Place a layer of cinnamon roll pieces on the bottom. Beat the eggs, cream, maple syrup, vanilla, and spices until blended. Pour over the rolls. Place the remaining cinnamon rolls on top and spoon a packet of icing over the rolls. Cook on low for 2 ½ to 3 hours. Once finished, drizzle the rest of the icing over the rolls.

Coconut Rice Pudding {Electric Pressure Cooker Recipe}

From: peggyunderpressure.com

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 Cup Arborio Rice
• 3 Cups Coconut Milk (Unsweetened)
• 2 Cups Almond Milk (Unsweetened)
• 1 Cup Water
• 3 Cinnamon Sticks
• 1/2 Tsp Freshly Ground Cloves
• 1 Whole Vanilla Bean
• 3 Strips Orange Zest Strip
• 2 Cans Sweetened Condensed Milk

First, pour all the liquid ingredients (except the condensed milk)  into the inner pot of your pressure cooker.  Press START to turn on the heating element of the machine.

Add the spices to the mixture.  Leave the cinnamon sticks and orange zest strips whole.  Grind the cloves up so it’s a fine powder and add it in.  Using a knife, gently slice a long slit down the middle of the vanilla pod.  Scrape all the vanilla bean out over the pot and throw it in and swish it around.  Throw in the whole vanilla pod while you’re at it.

Bring the whole mixture to a light simmer so all the aromatic spices are melding and you can just smell the mixture engulfing your senses.  Okay, that sounded too cheesy, but you get the drift.

Press the CANCEL button to turn off the machine’s heating element.

Add the rice to the liquid mixture and give it a quick stir.

Close the lid down, turn it to lock it into place.  Adjust the Pressure Valve on the top to Airtight.

Program the machine to cook for 15-minutes.

Once the cooking is complete, let it drop down in pressure on its own.  Which means don’t go running up to the machine and turn the valve to Exhaust.  The pressure should drop on its own in about 10-minutes.  Once all the pressure is gone, the Float Valve will drop, allowing you to unlock and open the lid.  Press the CANCEL button to turn off the Keep Warm feature.

Pull out the cinnamon sticks, orange zest and vanilla pod and discard.

Open up the two cans of Sweetened Condensed Milk and add it all to the rice pudding.  Give everything a really good and thorough mix.  Allow it to cool slightly, then cover and place into the refrigerator to cool completely.

Rice pudding is fine if you want to serve it warm but I wanted to serve mine cold since I’m drizzling a bit of honey over it. I didn’t want the honey to melt and pool to the bottom.

Garnish with a bit of honey, sliced strawberries and blueberries.  Add a bit of orange zest and a sprinkle of ground nutmeg.  And a mint leaf will add that pop of color.

Pepper Jelly Lemon Cheesecake {Electric Pressure Cooker Recipe}

From: peggyunderpressure.com

INGREDIENTS:

For the Crust

6 Sheets of Graham Crackers

2 Cups of Macaroon Cookies

2 Tbsp Butter

For the Filling:

16oz. Cream Cheese (Room Temperature)

1/2 Cup White Sugar

2 Small Eggs

1-1/2 Tbsp. Fresh Lemon Juice

1 Tbsp. Freshly Grated Lemon Zest

1 Tsp. Vanilla Extract

1-2 Tbsp. Habanero Peppery Jelly (Depending on how potent you want it)

First, let’s form the crust.  Using a food processor, put all the graham crackers and macaroons into the machine and process the cookies until they are all crumbly.  Add the butter to the mix and process it until it’s a bit loosely clumped.  Depending on the size of your pressure cooker, you will need a spring-form baking pan.  For the 8-quart pots, I’d recommend a 7″ pan or smaller.  (I made the mistake of using an 8.5″ pan and my cheesecake was not as high and dense as I would’ve liked.)

Grease the bottom and sides of the pan with some butter.  Pack all the crumbles into the spring-form pan and  form a nice thick crust on the bottom and about an 1-inch high up the sides.

Now, let’s make the filling.  In a stand mixer or you can use a hand mixer in a bowl.  Beat the cream cheese together with the sugar first.  Then add the rest of the ingredients to the mix and blend until smooth and creamy.  Pour the mixer into the spring-form pan over the crust.  Carefully smooth it out so it fills the pan evenly.

Now comes the pressure cooker’s part of the equation.  Pour 2-3 cups of water into the bottom of the pressure cooker’s cooking pot.  Then place a trivet into the pot.

Cover the spring-form pan with a sheet of foil over the top.  This is to prevent condensation from gathering and pooling in the center of the cheesecake later when it’s done.  Place the pan on top of the trivet inside the pressure cooker.  Some people like to make a little sling using a long sheet of foil.  This helps to lift out the pan later, but I didn’t find it necessary.

Shut the lid of the pressure cooker.  Turn and lock it into position.  Adjust the pressure valve to Airtight.  Press the Set Pressure Cook Time button and program the machine for 15-minutes.  Then press the START button.

When it’s done with the 15-minute cycle, it will beep and go to keep warm.  Allow the machine to actually drop down in the pressure naturally.  That means, don’t adjust the valve on the top to Exhaust.  Just let the pressure drop on its own, it’ll take about 10-minutes or so.

When that’s done, you can test by finally turning the valve to Exhaust.  No pressure or steam should escape.  You can now turn and unlock the lid and open it.  Press the CANCEL button to turn off the pressure cooker’s warming function.  Leave the lid open and allow the cheesecake to cool down a bit before removing the whole spring-form pan out of the machine.

The cheesecake will look super moist and the crust may look soggy, but don’t worry, it’ll all settle down and look perfect soon.  I like my cheesecake served cold, so pop it into the fridge for about an hour or two.  Then release it from the spring-form pan.  Slice and serve with some whip cream and maybe a dollup of pepper jelly.

The pepper jelly flavor should be mild but it gives a unique spicy kick to the sweet lemony flavor.  The macaroon coconut crust is delish, it’s my favorite part.  Now that I know how to make desserts in the pressure cooker, we are going to be in deep trouble!

Vietnamese Coffee Ice Cream - Candied Cacao Nibs - Espresso Caramel

From: thesplendidtable.com

From Seven Spoons, by Tara O’Brady, copyright © 2015, published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC. Photographs copyright © 2015 by Tara O’Brady.

Makes about 1 quart (1 L)

Indians make something they call espresso, but it’s unlike any espresso you’d see in Italy; it’s actually closer to a Greek frappé, a bold brew of instant coffee whipped with an enthusiastic amount of sugar, and then combined with hot water and milk.

I’ve been a longtime fan of that coffee, so when I was first introduced to the Vietnamese version, a drink with very much the same uncompromising intensity, I was sold. When I decided to freeze it, well, then I was lost.

This is my full-stop favorite ice cream. A voluptuous mix of evaporated milks and cream gets infused with ground coffee, then chilled, churned, and swirled with caramel. Easy peasy, that’s that, and you’re left with an ice cream worthy of any and all accolades.

·         1 (14-ounce/400 g) can evaporated milk

·         1 (14-ounce/400 g) can sweetened condensed milk

·         1 1/2 cups (355 ml) heavy cream

·         2 ounces (60 g) coffee beans, ground (see Note)

·         Seeds scraped from 1 vanilla bean, or 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

·         Generous pinch of fine-grain sea salt

·         Espresso Caramel and/or Candied Cacao Nibs (recipes follow)

Note: Grind regular or decaffinated coffee beans to a medium grind. For a milder, rounded flavor, use 2 tablespoons of instant espresso powder or 3 tablespoons instant coffee powder instead of ground beans.

Chocolate fudge can take the place of the caramel.

Combine the evaporated milk, condensed milk, cream, coffee, vanilla, and salt in a saucepan set over medium heat. Cook, whisking often, until the mixture begins to steam. Remove from the heat and let steep for 20 minutes.

Using a fine-meshed strainer or a standard strainer lined with cheesecloth or a coffee filter, strain the liquid into a bowl. Cover and chill for at least 3 hours, but preferably overnight. Freeze according to your ice cream maker’s directions.

Spoon a third of the ice cream into a lidded storage container. Smooth the top, and pour over a few tablespoons of the caramel in long stripes. With the tip of a knife, lightly marble the caramel into the ice cream. Layer in half of the remaining ice cream, splatter with more caramel, then swirl again. Repeat the layers once more, ending with a drizzle of caramel. There will be caramel left over, so cover and refrigerate it for later. Cover the ice cream and freeze for at least 6 hours. Enjoy as is or sprinkle the ice cream with Candied Cacao Nibs just before serving.

Candied Cacao Nibs

Makes approximately 1/2 cup (125 ml)

·         2 tablespoons granulated sugar

·         1/2 cup (45 g) cacao nibs

·         1/2 teaspoon unsalted butter

Note: Making the caramel and coating the cacao nibs goes fast, taking maybe 5 minutes total; be sure to have everything ready by the stove, and don’t leave the pan unattended at any point.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a wide, heavy skillet over medium heat, warm the sugar for a minute, without stirring. Scatter the cacao nibs over the sugar and leave the pan undisturbed until the sugar begins to melt. With a wooden spoon or silicone spatula, quickly stir the cacao nibs into the liquid sugar, incorporating any unmelted sugar as you go. Once most of the sugar has coated the nibs, remove the pan from the heat and quickly stir in the butter. Immediately spread the cacao nibs onto the prepared baking sheet, pressing them into an even layer with the back of the spoon or spatula. Leave to cool.

Break the cacao nibs into tiny clusters by hand. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 month.

Espresso Caramel

Makes about 2/3 cup (150 ml)

·         1/2 cup (105 g) packed dark brown sugar

·         2 tablespoons unsalted butter

·         2 tablespoons corn syrup, honey, or glucose

·         1/4 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt

·         1/4 cup (60 ml) heavy cream

·         1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon finely ground espresso beans or espresso powder

·         1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Note: Leftover caramel can be used on pound cake or plain ice cream, or stirred into a milkshake or warm milk. Any and all of these can be made all the more enticing with a share of whiskey.

In a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat, heat the brown sugar, butter, corn syrup, and salt, stirring until the butter has melted. Pour in the cream and espresso powder. Bring to a boil, whisking until the mixture is smooth and the sugar dissolves. Lower the heat and simmer, undisturbed, for 1 minute longer. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Set aside to cool, stirring occasionally. If you are making this ahead of time, cover and refrigerate until needed, then rewarm gently before using.

Grandma Harter's Rhubarb torte

Crust: 2 cups flour, 2 tbsp sugar, 1 cup butter or shortening, 2 egg yolks, pinch salt.
Mix crust ingredients with fingers and pat down in pan. Bake at 350 degrees until light brown.

Filling: 4 cups rhubarb cut up, 2 cups sugar, 4 egg yolks, 2 tbsp flour
Mix filling and place on crust and bake about 30 minutes.

Meringue: 6 egg whites
Beat the 6 egg whites, add tbsp sugar. Put on filling, brown 15 minutes or until done.

Grandma Harter's Sour Cream Rasin Pie

1 cup sugar
1 cup sour cream
1 cup seedless raisins
1 egg (slightly beaten)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon cloves
1 tablespoon vinegar

Mix the above ingredients and pour into a 9 inch pie shell.

Bake with double crust at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. Turn down oven to 350 degrees for 30 more minutes.

Crullers

Crullers Total Time:
1 hr 10 min
Prep:25 min
Inactive:30 min
Cook:15 min
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yield: 12 servings Level: Intermediate

Ingredients

Crullers:

1 cup water
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick)
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 eggs
Vegetable oil, for frying

Glaze:

2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup milk

Directions

Make the Crullers: Combine the water, butter, sugar, and salt in a large saucepan and bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat. Immediately remove from the heat, add all the flour at once, and stir hard with a wooden spoon until all the flour is incorporated, about 30 to 60 seconds. Return the pan to the heat and cook, stirring, to evaporate some of the moisture, about 2 minutes.

Scrape the mixture into a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or use a hand mixer or mix by hand), and mix at medium speed. With the mixer running, and adding 1 egg at a time, add 3 of the eggs, stopping after each addition to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Mix until the dough is smooth and glossy and the eggs are completely incorporated. The dough should be thick, but should fall slowly and steadily from the beaters when you lift them out of the bowl. If the dough is still clinging to the beaters, add another egg and mix until completely incorporated.

Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Using a pastry bag fitted with a star tip (use a large size, like #12), pipe the dough onto the sheet pan in rows of 2 1/2-inch rings. Freeze them for 30 minutes to make them easier to pick up.

Meanwhile, make the Glaze: Stir together the powdered sugar and milk in a small bowl.

Pour the vegetable oil into a large pot to a depth of 2 inches and heat to 325 degrees F. Working in batches, lift the dough circles off the sheet pan and carefully slip them into the oil. Fry, turning once, until lightly browned. Drain the crullers on a brown paper bag; then dip them completely in the glaze. Let the crullers cool and set before serving.

© 2014 Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved.

Russian Creme

Russian Creme

I love this dessert anytime of year.  Followiong the directions below will not result in a fast dessert, but it’s worth the wait.

If you leave out the gelatin, this becomes a sauce that you can pour over fruit, cakes and breads. You can just eat it plain. It’s that good.

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup water
1 (1/4 ounce) envelope unflavored gelatin
1 cup whipping cream
1 1/2 cups sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
sliced strawberry (garnish)
sliced blueberries (garnish)

Directions:

1 Combine sugar, water, and gelatin in small saucepan and blend well.
2 Let stand 4 to 5 minutes. (this is if you use the gelatin)
3 Place over medium heat and bring to boil, stirring constantly. (without the gelatin you only need to heat this until the sugar is dissolved.)
4 Remove from heat. (I usually let this cool enough so that it won’t cook the cream.)
5 Gradually blend in cream.
6 Combine sour cream and vanilla in medium bowl.
7 Gradually add hot sugar mixture, whisking constantly until smooth.
8 Pour into 6 or 8 wine glasses or desert dishes.
9 Cover and refrigerate 4 to 6 hours. (without the gelatin, you just need to chill the sauce.)
10 Garnish with sliced strawberries and blueberries

Dad's Chocolate Caramels

Dad's Chocolate Caramels

Yield: Approximately 3 Pounds

Preparation Time: 3 Hours

5 Ounces Unsweetened Baker’s Chocolate

2 Cups Heavy Whipping Cream
1 Cup Butter (DO NOT USE MARGARINE)
2 Cups Sugar
1 ½ Cups Corn Syrup
2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract

Prepare a shallow pan by buttering(Parchment paper works instead of the butter)

9”X12” Pan Will Produce 1/2” Caramels
11”X16” Pan Will Produce 3/8” Caramels

Combine the sugar, corn syrup, butter and 1 cup of the cream in a 12 cup sauce pan and bring to a boil stirring constantly.  Add the second cup of cream slowly.  Do not allow the boiling to stop while adding 2^nd cup of cream. 

Boil, stirring constantly, until a soft ball forms in cold water.
We prefer heating it to 120 degrees C. / 248 degrees F.  It’s easier that the water method.

Remove from the heat and add chocolate and vanilla.  Stir until the chocolate is melted and mixed thoroughly.

Pour into the pan.

Allow to cool for several hours in the refrigerator or outside in winter.
Try not to let them freeze if they are put outside.  Much harder to cut.

Turn the caramels from the pan and cut into pieces.

Honey Bun Cake

Honey Bun Cake

Prep Time: 30 MinutesCook Time: 1 HourReady In: 1 Hour 45 MinutesServings: 24
"This cake tastes just like the name suggests - like a honey bun. It has been served to hundreds of people and everyone has said how much they liked it. It is a sweet cake and not for those that are watching their weight. Tastes wonderful if served with a small scoop of vanilla ice cream."
INGREDIENTS:1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix
3/4 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
1 (8 ounce) container sour cream
1 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 cups confectioners' sugar
4 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine cake mix, oil, eggs and sour cream. Stir by hand approximately 50 strokes, or until most large lumps are gone. Pour half of the batter into an ungreased 9x13 inch glass baking dish. Combine the brown sugar and cinnamon, and sprinkle over the batter in the cake pan. Spoon the other half of the batter into the cake pan, covering the brown sugar and cinnamon. Twirl the cake with a butter knife or icing knife until it looks like a honey bun (or whatever design you want to make).

3. Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Frost cake while it is still fairly hot. Serve warm.

4. To Make the frosting: In a small bowl, whisk together the confectioner's sugar, milk and vanilla until smooth.

Mini Grasshopper Pies

MINI GRASSHOPPER PIES

(from Cuisine magazine, Issue 85 February 2011, pg. 49)

Make these up do three days in advance and keep refrigerated.  Makes 24 mini pies.  Total time: 1 hour + chilling

Ingredients

For the crust, process:

30 mint fudge crème cookies (such as Nabisco Oreos)
1 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted

For the filling, steep:

2 herbal mint tea bags
1 cup heavy cream, divided

Sprinkle:

1 ¼ tsp unsweetened gelatin

3 Tbsp crème de menthe
2 egg yolks
2 Tbsp sugar

Garnish:

Chocolate shavings

 

Procedure:

Preheat oven to 350˚F.  Line mini muffin pans with liners.  Set a metal bowl over a saucepan filled with 1 inch of water for double boiler.  (Don’t let bowl touch water.)

For the crust, process cookies in a food processor until mixture holds together; add butter and pulse until paste-like.  Press 2 tsp crumb mixture into bottom and up sides of each liner.  Bake crusts 5 minutes, then cool; set aside.

For the filling, steep tea bags in ½ cup cream in prepared double boiler over medium-low heat, 15 minutes.  Squeeze cream from tea bags and discard bags.

 

Beat remaining ½ cup cream in a bowl to stiff peaks; cover and refrigerate.

Sprinkle gelatin over crème de menthe in a small bowl; set aside 5 minutes.

Whisk together egg yolks and sugar in a separate bowl; set aside.  Prepare ice water bath.

Add gelatin mixture to steeped cream in double boiler and whisk to combine.  When mixture steams, slowly whisk it into yolk mixture to temper.  Return yolk-cream mixture to double boiler and cook, whisking occasionally, until it registers 150˚F on an instant-read thermometer, 1-2 minutes.

Transfer bowl to ice water bath; whisk mixture constantly until cool and consistency of thin pudding, about 1 minute.

Fold chilled whipped cream into mint mixture a third at a time.  Transfer filling to a piping bag fitted with a small star-shaped tip.  Pipe filling into crusts, cover, and chill at least 1 hour or overnight.

Garnish with shaved chocolate.