Desserts

Today's post has a little of this, a little of that, including Dulce de Leche Banana Pie and Bittersweet Brownie Shortbread. Enjoy!

MARASCHINO CHERRY CREAM CHEESE BROWNIES

This is from Betty Crocker, and begins, “Cream cheese, maraschino cherries and Betty Crocker™ Supreme original brownie mix create a trio of delight in this fudgy irresistible treat!”

Prep Time: 15 minutes; Total Time: 2 hours 20 minutes; Servings: 16.

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

Filling

3 oz (from 8-oz package) cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon Gold Medal™ all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons chopped maraschino cherries, drained, patted dry

1 teaspoon maraschino cherry juice

1 egg, separated, yolk reserved for brownie batter

Brownies

1 box (16 oz) Betty Crocker™ Supreme original brownie mix

Water, vegetable oil and egg called for on brownie mix box

Reserved egg yolk

Directions

Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pan). Grease bottom of 9-inch square pan with shortening or cooking spray. In small bowl, mix cream cheese and sugar with spoon until smooth. Add flour, cherries, cherry juice and egg white; mix until well blended. Set aside.

Make brownie batter as directed on box adding reserved egg yolk. Reserve 3/4 cup brownie batter; set aside. Spread remaining batter in pan. Spoon filling by tablespoonful dollops evenly onto batter, making 3 rows by 3 rows. Spoon about 1 tablespoon of the reserved brownie batter in center of each filling dollop. Draw knife through mixture in four straight lines horizontally, the vertically for swirled design.

Bake 28 to 32 minutes or until toothpick inserted 2 inches from side of pan comes out almost clean. Cool 30 minutes on cooling rack. Refrigerate at least 1 hour or until chilled. Cut into 4 rows by 4 rows. Store covered in refrigerator.

Expert Tips

Take the cream cheese out of the refrigerator about 30 minutes before stirring up the batter, allowing it to soften and warm up. Or, to quickly soften cream cheese, remove from wrapper and place on microwavable plate. Microwave uncovered on High about 10 seconds or just until softened.

To make a pinker filling, add a few drops of red gel food color when making the cream cheese filling.

Adding the extra egg yolk to the brownie batter gives structure and helps the cream cheese filling swirl throughout the brownies.

Be sure to insert toothpick in the brownie and not the cream cheese filling when testing for doneness.

To make cutting the brownies a breeze, line the baking pan with foil, allowing some to hang over edges of pan. Once the brownies are chilled, you can lift them out of the pan onto a large cutting board, peel foil away and cut into serving pieces.

DULCE DE LECHE BANANA PIE

This yummy recipe, from Old El Paso, begins, “A flaky homemade pie crust complements a caramel and banana cream filling.”

Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes; Prep Time: 20 minutes; 8 Servings; 10 Ingredients

To view this yumminess, go to https://www.oldelpaso.com/recipes/dulce-de-leche-banana-pie.

Ingredients

Crust

1 cup Gold Medal™ all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon shortening

2 to 3 tablespoons cold water

Filling

1 can (13.4 oz) dulce de leche

3 ripe medium bananas

1 cup whipping cream

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

Instructions

Heat oven to 450°F. In medium bowl, mix flour and salt. Cut in shortening, using pastry blender (or pulling 2 table knives through ingredients in opposite directions), until particles are size of small peas. Sprinkle with water, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with fork until all flour is moistened and dough almost leaves side of bowl (1 to 2 teaspoons more water can be added if necessary).

On lightly floured surface, shape dough into a ball. Flatten ball to 1/2-inch thickness, rounding and smoothing edges. With floured rolling pin, roll dough into 11-inch round, rolling from center to edge. Fold dough in half; place in 9-inch glass pie plate. Unfold; gently press in bottom and up side of plate, being careful not to stretch dough.

Fold and roll edge of dough under, even with plate; flute edge. Prick bottom and side of dough generously with fork. Bake 9 to 12 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.

Spoon contents of can of dulce de leche into center of cooled crust; gently spread to edge. Thinly slice bananas; arrange over dulce de leche.

In medium bowl, beat whipping cream and powdered sugar with electric mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form. Spread over bananas.

In small resealable freezer plastic bag, place chocolate chips and oil; seal bag. Microwave on High 30 seconds; knead bag to mix melted chips and unmelted chips. Microwave 15 to 30 seconds longer or until all chips are melted and smooth. Snip off tiny corner of bag. Pipe melted chocolate mixture over whipped cream. Store pie in refrigerator.

Expert Tips

Dulce de leche is a traditional Spanish confection made from milk. It's a popular culinary reference to rich caramel flavors. Look for canned dulce de leche in the Hispanic section of the supermarket.

BITTERSWEET BROWNIE SHORTBREAD

This comes from Melissa Clark in The New York Times cooking enewletter. Melissa wrote, "These chewy bar cookies combine two all-time favorites: crumbly, buttery shortbread and bittersweet brownies. Nut lovers can mix almonds, pecans or walnuts into the brownie batter, which gives the bars a delightful crunch. But those who prefer savoring the smooth, gooey centers of their brownies can easily leave them out. In any case, be sure not to overbake the brownies. As soon as the top sets, they’re done."

Yield: 32 bars; Time 1-1/2 hours, plus cooling

This was featured in "Everything You Don’t Know About Chocolate" (which makes for a very interesting read!), and can be viewed online at https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1020851-bittersweet-brownie-shortbread.

Ingredients

For the shortbread:

1-1/2 cups cold unsalted butter (3 sticks), cut into 1/2-inch pieces, plus more for greasing the pan

3 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1-1/4 teaspoons fine sea salt

For the brownie:

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (2-1/4 sticks)

3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped

1-1/4 cups light brown sugar

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon cocoa powder

3 large eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

3/4 cup slivered almonds, chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Flaky sea salt

Preparation

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-by-13-inch baking dish, and line with parchment paper so that there is a 2-inch overhang on the two long sides.

Prepare the shortbread: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or beaters, mix together flour, sugar and salt. Beat in butter on low speed until dough just comes together but is still a little crumbly. (Or pulse together ingredients in a food processor.)

Press dough into prepared pan. Prick dough all over with a fork. Bake until golden, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from oven. Raise oven temperature to 375 degrees.

As shortbread bakes, prepare the brownie: Place butter and chocolate in a large bowl. Melt in the microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring after each burst, until smooth. (Alternatively, place bowl over a pot of simmering water, and heat chocolate and butter, stirring until smooth and melted.) Whisk in sugars and cocoa powder until smooth, then whisk in eggs and vanilla.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour and sea salt. Whisk into chocolate mixture until no streaks of flour remain. Fold in nuts, if using. Spread mixture onto the warm shortbread base. Sprinkle lightly but evenly with flaky sea salt.

Bake until the top is set, the center is soft, and the edges start pulling away from the pan, 23 to 28 minutes. (A toothpick inserted into the center will come out gooey.) Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Cut into bars before serving.

YOGURT CUSTARD PIE

This is from the infamous long-since-forgotten emailing list. Yields: 8 Slices. It begins, “This quick and easy recipe is a great one to make with your children. With only a handful of ingredients, and very little preparation, this is a pie that everyone is sure to enjoy.”

Ingredients

2 eggs

1 cup plain lowfat yogurt

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup peaches, sliced

1/2 cup cherries, pitted, chopped

1 - 9 inch pie crust

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Beat eggs until well blended & whisk in yogurt & sugar. Stir peaches & cherries (or any other of your favorite fruits) into mixture & pour into pie shell. Bake for 30 minutes, until the custard sets around the edge. The inner 2-3 inches should still remain somewhat soft. Chill, slice and serve.

RHUBARB MACAROON TART

This comes from Samantha Seneviratne in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Samantha wrote, "Rhubarb makes any dessert a showstopper, but this tart has more than meets the eye. Under the fruit is a luscious vanilla custard nestled in a chewy macaroon shell. When shopping, look for rhubarb that is about 1/2- to 3/4-inch wide; any bigger and the stalks might start to fall apart in the poaching liquid before the center becomes tender, and any smaller and you’ll need to keep a close eye, since they’ll cook quickly. While the rhubarb topping is a show-stopper, freshly sliced fruit makes a great understudy if you can’t find robust pink stalks."

Yield: 8 to 10 servings; Time: 1-1/4 hours, plus cooling.

To view this online, go to https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1020982-rhubarb-macaroon-tart.

Ingredients

For the Crust:

1 (14-ounce) bag sweetened, shredded coconut (about 5 cups)

Butter, for greasing

4 large egg whites

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

For the Custard:

1-3/4 cups whole milk

1/4 cup heavy cream

4 large egg yolks

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped (or 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract)

1/2 teaspoon rose water (optional)

For the Rhubarb:

2 cups granulated sugar

1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped (or 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract)

1 3/4 pounds medium rhubarb stalks, cut into 4-inch batons

Preparation

Prepare the crust: Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Spread the coconut in an even layer on a large rimmed baking sheet and toast until deep golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes, tossing occasionally and keeping a close eye in the last 5 minutes to avoid burning. Let cool completely. Using butter, grease an 8 1/2-by-12-inch fluted rectangle or a 10-inch fluted round pan with a removable bottom. Line the bottom with parchment and grease the parchment with butter.

In a large bowl, combine the coconut, egg whites, sugar and salt; press into the prepared tart pan. Bake on a rimmed baking sheet until set, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack to cool completely.

Prepare the custard: Set a fine-mesh sieve over a medium bowl. In a separate medium bowl or a large glass measuring cup, whisk together milk, cream and egg yolks. Add sugar and cornstarch to a medium saucepan; gradually whisk in milk mixture until smooth. Add the 2 tablespoons butter and vanilla bean and seeds and cook mixture over medium heat, whisking constantly, until it has thickened and just come up to a low boil, 6 to 7 minutes. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, for another minute. Pour custard through sieve, using a spatula to scrape it through and discarding any solids. Stir rose water into custard, if using, then pour mixture into prepared crust. Let cool slightly, then cover with plastic wrap pressed against the surface of the custard and chill until firm, at least 4 hours.

Prepare the rhubarb: In a medium pot, combine sugar, 2 cups water and the vanilla bean and seeds, and bring to a boil. Simmer until the sugar dissolves, about 2 minutes. Stir in rhubarb, simmer for 1 minute, and remove from heat. Let cool completely.

Gently remove the rhubarb from the cooled pot, letting the syrup drip back into the pot. Top the chilled tart with the rhubarb in a decorative pattern. Lift the tart out of the rim to serve.

BANANA-STRAWBERRY SORBET

This comes from the infamous long-since-forgotten emailing list.

Ingredients

2 ripe bananas

2 tbsp lemon juice

1-1/2 cups frozen (unsweetened) strawberries

1/2 cups apple juice

Directions

Cut the bananas into quarter-inch slices, coat with the lemon juice, place on a cookie sheet, and freeze.

After the bananas are frozen, puree them with the remaining ingredients in the appliance of your choice (my cuisinart had to work pretty hard, but it was very entertaining for the son to watch strawberries become sorbet.)

Serve immediately in chilled cups. Leftovers don't freeze well, but they make a nice flavoring for homemade yogurt.

Lots of substitutions are possible.

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