Monday Desserts

It's Monday, time to get the week started. What better way than with six yummy dessert recipes, includng Ice Cream Oreo Taco Bowls and an Apricot Kolache. Enjoy!

VEGAN BITE-SIZED GINGER CUPCAKES

This is from Vegetarian Times website. The recipe begins, "Baking is my favorite holiday pastime, and it has only become more enjoyable since I made the decision to go vegan. With so many clever ingredient substitutions at my disposal, I feel like a magician in the kitchen.

"I’ve made vegan cookies, brownies, and pies, but had yet to try my hand the crown jewel of vegan baked goods: the cupcake. So when I decided to veganize VT‘s recipe for Bite-Sized Ginger Cupcakes, I consulted with VT food editor Mary Margaret Chappell for some expert advice.

"I used Earth Balance margarine instead of butter, and raw turbinado sugar instead of white sugar, which isn’t always vegan. In place of the egg, I opted for 1/4 cup of pureed tofu, and Mary Margaret recommended I also add a pinch of baking powder for extra leavening power. For the buttermilk, I used 1/2 cup soymilk plus a tablespoon of vinegar. I used vegan cream cheese instead of regular cream cheese, maple syrup instead of honey, and decided to make my own candied ginger using some fresh ginger I had on hand.

"The end result was such a success! The cupcake itself was moist and decadent without being too sweet, and the citrus-infused frosting was a welcome contrast. The ginger topping brings out the flavor even more, so, even though it is optional, I suggest using it to make these cupcakes truly exceptional.

"These tiny treats are perfectly sized for holiday indulgence without the guilt. Plus, veganizing them was a breeze with Mary Margaret’s help! I’ll definitely be making them again."

Makes 24 mini cupcakes

To view this yumminess online, click here.

Ingredients

Cupcakes

1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup unsulphured molasses

5 Tbs. vegan margarine

1/2 cup soymilk 1 Tbs lemon juice or vinegar

1/4 cup pureed silken tofu

1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1-1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. ground ginger

1/2 tsp. unsweetened cocoa

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

Topping

4 oz. vegan cream cheese

2 Tbs. maple syrup or agave nectar

1/2 tsp. grated orange zest

2 tsp. finely chopped crystallized ginger, optional

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat 2 12-cup mini-muffin pans with cooking spray.

To make Cupcakes: Combine sugar, molasses, and margarine in saucepan. Heat over medium-low heat 3 to 4 minutes, or until margarine is melted and mixture is smooth. Remove from heat, and cool 15 minutes.

Whisk together soymilk, lemon juice, and tofu in bowl. Whisk in molasses mixture.

Whisk together flour, cinnamon, ginger, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in separate bowl. Whisk buttermilk mixture into flour mixture.

Fill muffin cups to within 1/8 inch of rims. Bake 12 minutes, or until Cupcakes are puffed and set. Cool in pan 10 minutes, then turn out onto wire rack.

To make Topping: Whip cream cheese, maple syrup, and orange zest with fork in bowl until smooth. Dollop 1 tsp. Topping onto each Cupcake, and sprinkle with crystallized ginger, if using.

LEMON CHEESECAKE TART

This is from Yossy Arefi in The New York Times cooking enewsletter. For this recipe, Yossy wrote, "With a simple, pat-in-the-pan crust and a thin layer of light, lemon-scented cream cheese, this cheesecake tart is a lot easier to make than you might imagine. The base can be baked right away, with no chilling required, and the custardy filling relies upon little more than tangy cream cheese, lemon zest and juice, sugar and eggs. It’s the perfect dessert for a winter or early spring gathering, when there might not be much fresh fruit around but you’re in the mood for a bright dessert."

Time: 1-1/4 hours, plus cooling; Yield: 1 (9-inch) tart

To view this online, go to https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1023858-lemon-cheesecake-tart.

Ingredients

For the Crust

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar

1/2 teaspoon fine salt

Finely grated zest of 1 lemon

10 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes, plus more for greasing the pan

1 egg yolk

For the Filling

16 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature

1/2 cup granulated sugar

Finely grated zest of 2 lemons plus 1/4 cup freshly squeezed juice

Pinch fine salt

2 large eggs

Preparation

Heat oven to 375 degrees.

Make the crust: Combine the flour, confectioners' sugar, salt and lemon zest in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade; pulse a few times to combine. Scatter the cubed butter on top, then pulse until the butter is almost completely incorporated and the mixture is sandy. Add the egg yolk and pulse until incorporated. The dough should hold together easily. If not, pulse in up to 3 teaspoons of cold water, 1 teaspoon at a time. Alternatively, you can mix the dough in a large bowl, using your fingers or a pastry blender to mix the butter into the flour.

Lightly butter a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom and press the dough mixture evenly on the bottom and up the sides of the pan using a lightly floured straight-sided measuring cup to help press the dough into the corners of the pan. (If you need to trim extra dough to make it level with the edge of the pan, reserve it to repair any cracks after the shell has baked.)

Line the tart shell with a piece of aluminum foil, making sure to tuck it into the corners and over the edges. Set the tart shell on a baking sheet and bake the shell for 25 to 30 minutes or until the dough appears dry and lightly golden. If the dough puffs up while baking, gently press it back into the pan with an offset spatula or similar tool. Turn the oven down to 350 degrees. If necessary, repair any cracks with the remaining raw dough before filling.

While the shell cools slightly, make the filling: Add the cream cheese, granulated sugar, lemon zest and salt to a large bowl. Use an electric mixer to whip the cream cheese mixture until smooth and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing until completely incorporated before adding the next, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, if needed. Add the lemon juice and mix until smooth. Tap the bowl on the counter a few times then stir a few times with a rubber spatula to release any large air bubbles.

Pour the mixture into the warm crust, smooth the top and carefully transfer the pan, still on the baking sheet, into the oven. Bake until just set around the edges and slightly wiggly in the center, 15 to 20 minutes.

Let the tart cool to room temperature, then transfer to the refrigerator to cool completely. Remove the outer ring and slice with a warm knife, wiping the knife with a towel in between cuts for the tidiest slices. Serve cold or at room temperature. This keeps well in the fridge, covered for a few days.

ICE CREAM OREO TACO BOWLS

This is from Old El Paso, and begins, "The next time you’re craving a chocolate-dipped, cookie-coated, over-the-top, ice cream-filled extravaganza of a dessert, reach for this recipe. These mini ice cream bowls are positively heavenly."

Prep Time: 25 minutes; Total Time: 1 hour; Makes 8 servings

To view this online, go to https://www.oldelpaso.com/recipes/ice-cream-oreo-taco-bowls.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1 package (8 count) Old El Paso™ Soft Tortilla Bowls

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1 teaspoon shortening

8 Oreo Chocolate Sandwich Cookies, crushed (about 1 cup)

4 cups cookies & cream ice cream

1/2 cup hot fudge sauce, warmed

8 Oreo Chocolate Sandwich Cookies, whole

Preparation

Heat oven to 375°F. Lightly brush melted butter on all sides of each tortilla bowl.

Place bowls on large cookie sheet. Bake 5 to 8 minutes or until browned on edges and firm to the touch. Cool 15 minutes.

In medium microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips and shortening uncovered on High 60 to 90 seconds or until mixture can be stirred smooth.

Place 1/2 cup of the crushed cookies on plate. Hold baked bowls by the bottom, and dip each one into melted chocolate, covering top rim of bowl. Dip and roll top rim into crushed cookies to coat. Refrigerate bowls about 10 minutes or until coating is set.

Fill each bowl with 2 scoops ice cream; drizzle with hot fudge sauce, and garnish with remaining crushed cookies sprinkled over ice cream and 1 whole cookie inserted upright into ice cream.

Expert Tips

We used cookies & cream ice cream in this recipe, but if you prefer chocolate or vanilla ice cream, feel free to make a substitution.

If you like a little caramel with your chocolate, you can add a drizzle of warm caramel sauce along with the hot fudge.

Crush cookies quickly and easily by placing them in a food-storage bag and pounding gently with a meat mallet or rolling pin.

Exchanges: 1/2 Starch; 3 1/2 Other Carbohydrate; 1/2 Milk; 3-1/2 Fat

Carbohydrate Choice: 4

RED, WHITE, AND BLUE FRUIT CUPS

This recipe is from Rachael Ray at the Food Network.

Prep Time: 10 minutes; Total Time: 10 minutes; Yield: 4 servings; Level: Easy

Maybe I should add: Yumminess level: 5 on a 5-point scale!

View this online at https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/red-white-and-blue-fruit-cups-recipe-1912009.

Ingredients

1 pint fresh strawberries

1 pint fresh blueberries

1 pint fresh blackberries

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 pint heavy whipping cream

Directions

Slice strawberries and combine in a bowl with blue and/or blackberries. Sprinkle berries with two teaspoons sugar. Whip cream until soft peaks form and sweeten with remaining sugar. Serve berries in small cups with generous spoonfuls of fresh whipped cream.

RHUBARB CRISP

This is from Mark Bittman in The New York Times cooking enewsletter. For this recipe, Mark wrote, "When you think of rhubarb you probably think of strawberry-rhubarb pie, a quintessential spring dessert, especially if it’s made by someone who makes good pies. I usually manage around one pie crust annually, so I need alternatives. Thus, when the spring’s first rhubarb shows up, I adjust the execution and produce a crisp. If rhubarb is young and fresh, you can trim it in seconds. If it has fibrous outer strings, peel them off as you would those of celery. Toss the rhubarb with orange or lemon juice and zest, and only a little sugar. (You can also substitute strawberries for some of the rhubarb if you want the classic combination.) Blend the ingredients for the crisp topping in a food processor, crumble the topping over the rhubarb mixture, and bake — it is nearly effortless and as good or better than a pie."

Time: 1 hour; Yield: 6 to 8 servings

This was featured in "Rhubarb Crisp That Stands Up to Pie," and can be viewed online at https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1013147-rhubarb-crisp.

Ingredients

6 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small pieces, plus more for greasing pan

2-1/2 to 3 pounds rhubarb, trimmed, tough strings removed, and cut into 1-1/2-inch pieces (about 5 to 6 cups)

1/4 cup white sugar

1 tablespoon orange or lemon juice

1 teaspoon orange or lemon zest

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, or to taste

Pinch salt

1/2 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup pecans

Preparation

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Grease an 8- or 9-inch square baking or gratin dish with a little butter. Toss rhubarb with white sugar, orange or lemon juice and zest, and spread in baking dish.

Put the 6 tablespoons butter in a food processor along with brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt, and pulse for about 20 or 30 seconds, until it looks like small peas and just begins to clump together. Add oats and pecans and pulse just a few times to combine.

Crumble the topping over rhubarb and bake until golden and beginning to brown, 45 to 50 minutes.

APRICOT KOLACHE

This was from Fr. Dominic Garramone (aka The Bread Monk). I first ran across his show, Breaking Bread with Fr. Dominic, years ago on PBS. The show has since left television (at least, as far as I can tell), but you can still check out his recipes and books on his website (above).

Yield: 24 kolaches

Ingredients

4-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

2 envelopes FLEISCHMANN'S RapidRise Yeast

1-1/2 teaspoons salt

1/2 cup water

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup butter or margarine

2 eggs, large

Apricot Filling (recipe follows)

Directions

In a large bowl, combine 1-1/2 cups flour, sugar, undissolved yeast and salt. Heat water, sour cream and butter until very warm (120 to 130 degrees). Gradually add to flour mixture. Beat 2 minutes at medium speed of electric mixer, scraping bowl occasionally. Add eggs and 1 cup flour; beat 2 minutes at high speed. Stir in remaining flour to make a stiff batter. Cover tightly with plastic wrap; refrigerate 2 to 24 hours.

Remove dough from refrigerator. Divide into 24 equal pieces; shape each into a ball. Cover; let rest 15 minutes. Place balls on greased baking sheets 2 inches apart. Make a deep and wide indentation on each ball by pushing outward toward edge, leaving 1/2-inch ridge around outside. Fill with 1-1/2 tablespoons Apricot Filling. Cover; let rise in warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes or until done. Remove from baking sheets; cool on wire racks.

Apricot Filling:

In a small bowl, combine 1-1/2 cups apricot preserves, 1-1/2 cups flaked, sweetened coconut and 1-1/2 cups chopped walnuts. Stir to blend.

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