Wednesday Desserts

Today's Desserts consist of six yummy recipes to help you through the day, including Banana Cream Pie No-Churn Ice Cream and Fantasy Fudge. Enjoy!

MILE-HIGH MUD PIE

This is from Ree Drummond at the Food Network. For this yumminess, Ree wrote, "I went big on this ice cream pie and layered some of my favorite flavors, like coffee, chocolate and caramel. What’s not to love?!"

Active Time: 25 minutes; Total Time:25 minutes (plus 6 hours freezing); Yield: 12 slices of pie; Level: Easy

To view this online, go to https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/mile-high-mud-pie-1-11114241.

Ingredients

2 quarts (1/2 gallon) coffee ice cream, softened

2 cups chopped pecans

2 quarts (1/2 gallon) chocolate ice cream, softened

2-1/2 cups chocolate-coated toffee pieces

50 chocolate sandwich cookies

1-1/2 sticks salted butter, melted

2 quarts (1/2 gallon) vanilla ice cream, softened

2-1/2 cups chocolate shell ice cream sauce (such as Magic Shell)

Directions

Line an 8-quart bowl with plastic wrap, leaving an overhang. Tip the coffee ice cream into the bowl and smooth the surface. Sprinkle the chopped pecans on top and freeze until the ice cream is firm, at least 1 hour.

Tip the chocolate ice cream into the bowl over the pecans and smooth the surface. Sprinkle the toffee pieces on top and freeze until firm, at least 1 hour.

Meanwhile, put the sandwich cookies in a food processor and pulse into fine crumbs. Pour in the melted butter and pulse to combine. Set aside.

Once the chocolate ice cream is firm, tip the vanilla ice cream into the bowl over the toffee pieces and smooth the surface. Tip the cookie mixture on top of the vanilla ice cream; spread it evenly and press down firmly. Cover with the overhanging plastic and freeze until completely firm, at least 4 hours and up to overnight.

Turn out the pie onto a cake stand or platter lined with 4 squares of parchment so that the paper hangs over the edges of the platter. Peel off the plastic wrap from the pie and pour the chocolate shell over the ice cream to cover completely. Slide out the sheets of parchment.

Cook’s Note

For an extra-sweet treat, drizzle each slice with warm caramel sauce.

CRANBERRY-PECAN BAKED PEACHES

This also comes from the November 2014 issue of Heart Insight Magazine. It begins, “Fresh peaches are halved and baked with a tantalizing blend of dried cranberries and finely chopped pecans.” Serves 4; 2 peach halves and 2 tablespoons cranberry mixture per serving.

To view this online, go to http://heartinsight.heart.org/November-2014/Cranberry-Pecan-Baked-Peaches/.

Ingredients

Cooking spray

1-1/2 tablespoons honey

1/3 cup sweetened dried cranberries

3 tablespoons finely chopped pecans

4 medium unpeeled peaches, nectarines, or pears, halved, pitted, and skin pierced in several places with a fork

2 teaspoons light tub margarine

1/2 teaspoon grated peeled gingerroot

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Lightly spray a 9-inch pie pan with cooking spray. Pour the honey into the pan. Heat the pan in the oven for 2 minutes, or until the honey is slightly runny. Remove from the oven, tilting the pan and swirling so the honey lightly coats the bottom.

Sprinkle the cranberries and pecans in the pan. Place the peaches with the cut side down over the cranberry mixture. (Some of the mixture may not be covered.) Cover the pan with aluminum foil. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the peaches are tender.

Arrange the peaches with the cut side up on a serving plate. Stir the margarine and gingerroot into the pan juices. Spoon the cranberry mixture into the cavities in the peaches. Spoon the pan juices over all. Serve warm or at room temperature.

FANTASY FUDGE

This recipe, from My Food and Family, begins, "Delight your taste buds with this amazing Fantasy Fudge. This Fantasy Fudge is a classic marshmallow fudge that gets its chocolatey, nutty goodness from BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate and walnuts."

Prep Time: 25 minutes; Total Time: 25 minutes

To view this online, go to https://www.myfoodandfamily.com/recipe/051833/fantasy-fudge.

Ingredients

3 cups sugar

3/4 cup butter or margarine

1 small can (5 oz.) evaporated milk (about 2/3 cup) (Do not use sweetened condensed milk.)

3 pkg. (4 oz. each) BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate, chopped

1 jar (7 oz.) JET-PUFFED Marshmallow Creme

1 cup chopped walnuts

1 tsp. vanilla

Directions

Line 9-inch square pan with Reynolds Wrap® Aluminum Foil, with ends of foil extending over sides. Bring sugar, butter and evaporated milk to full rolling boil in 3-qt. saucepan on medium heat, stirring constantly. Cook 4 min. or until candy thermometer reaches 234°F, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.

Add chocolate and marshmallow creme; stir until melted. Add nuts and vanilla; mix well.

Pour into prepared pan; spread to cover bottom of pan. Cool completely. Use foil handles to lift fudge from pan before cutting into 1-inch squares.

Kitchen Tips

Tip 1

Size Wise

A serving of this sweet treat is 2 squares. You'll find that a small portion goes a long way on chocolate flavor.

PUMPKIN PATCH BROWNIES

This is from Lauren Miyashiro on Delish. The recipe begins, “The sweetest pumpkin patch you ever did see.”

Total Time: 1 hour; Prep Time: 20 minutes; Level: Easy; Serves: 8 - 10.

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1 box brownie mix, plus required ingredients

1 c. white chocolate chips

1 tbsp. vegetable oil

green food coloring

1 can chocolate frosting

1 c. crushed oreos

Pumpkin candies

Directions

Preheat oven to 350° and line a 9-x-13” pan with parchment paper then grease with cooking spray. Prepare brownie batter according to package instructions. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake until a toothpick has moist crumbs, 28 to 30 minutes. Let cool completely.

In a small bowl, combine white chocolate chips, vegetable oil and green food coloring. Microwave in 30-second intervals until melted. Stir until smooth then transfer to a small ziplock bag and cut the tip of one corner to pipe.

Spread chocolate frosting over the brownies, then sprinkle with crushed Oreos. Using the green chocolate, pipe vines over the surface of the brownies, then scatter pumpkin candies on top of the brownies.

Slice into squares and serve.

GINGER PUMPKIN PIE

Kathy Kingsley wrote for The Spruce Eats. She wrote, “Flavored with fresh ginger and honey, this pumpkin pie is sure to become one of your go-to holiday recipes.” Prep Time: 35 minutes; Cook Time: 50 minutes; Total Time: 85 minutes; Yield: Serves 8

Unfortunately, the old link that went with this no longer works. But this is yummy enough that I wanted to be able to post it, along with give credit to Kathy for coming up with this.

Ingredients

Pastry

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1/4 cup solid vegetable shortening

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces

3 tablespoons ice water

Pumpkin Filling

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1 16-ounce can solid-pack pumpkin

1 12-ounce can evaporated milk

1/3 cup honey

1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar

1 tablespoon finely grated peeled fresh ginger

1 teaspoon pumpkin-pie spice

1/4 teaspoon salt

Honey Whipped Cream

3/4 cup heavy or whipping cream, chilled

1 tablespoon honey

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation

Make the pastry dough: Combine the flour, sugar, vegetable shortening, and butter in a food processor and pulse on/off until the mixture forms coarse crumbs. With the motor running, add the ice water through the feed tube, and process just until the dough leaves the sides of the bowl and forms a ball.

Press the dough into a ball, then flatten it into a disc, about 1-inch thick.

On a lightly floured surface using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll the dough out into a 12-inch circle. Line a 9-inch pie pan with the dough. Turn the edges under, and crimp or flute the crust. Set the pie shell on a rimmed baking sheet.

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs until blended. Brush about teaspoon of the egg around the edge of the crust.

Add the pumpkin, milk, honey, sugar, ginger, pumpkin pie spice and salt to the eggs, and mix until well blended. Pour the filling into the pie crust.

Bake the pie for 45 to 50 minutes, or until the filling is set. If the edges become too dark during baking, carefully cover them with foil strips (see Recipe Notes). Set the pie on a wire rack to cool. If not serving right away, cover and chill.

When ready to serve, make the honey whipped cream. Put the cream into a medium bowl. Add the honey and vanilla and beat with an electric mixer until soft peaks form when the beaters are lifted. Serve the pie topped with the whipped cream.

Recipe Notes

• To make a foil collar to prevent edges of pie from browning too much, fold a 12-inch-long piece of foil into a strip with 3-inch-high sides. Stand the strip on the oven rack around the pie dish. Secure the overhang with a paper clip. The collar doesn't have to touch or cover the crust to protect it.

BANANA CREAM PIE NO-CHURN ICE CREAM

This is from Erin Jeanne McDowell in The New York Times cooking enewsletter. For this yumminess, Erin wrote, "This no-churn ice cream doesn’t require any cooking or special equipment. All you have to do is mash up some bananas and whip some heavy cream. The whipped cream mimics the air that’s incorporated into traditional ice cream when it’s churning in an ice cream machine. For the strongest flavor, use really, really ripe bananas; mushy, bruised ones with black peels will work well. Large crumbles of vanilla wafers stirred into the ice cream and sprinkled on top add crunch."

Total Time: 10 minutes, plus freezing; Yield: about 8 servings

To view this online, go to https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1020352-banana-cream-pie-no-churn-ice-cream. While you're at it, if you haven't already signed up for The New York Times cooking enewsletter, I highly recommend doing so. Great recipes (case in point), guides, and more.

Ingredients

1 pound very ripe bananas (about 3 medium bananas), peeled

1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Pinch of ground cinnamon

Pinch of fine sea salt

2-1/2 cups heavy cream

25 vanilla wafer cookies, broken into coarse pieces

Directions

In a large bowl, use a large fork or a potato masher to mash the bananas well. Add the condensed milk and mash again until the two are well combined. The mixture should be fairly smooth and only slightly lumpy.

Using a silicone spatula, stir in the vanilla, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whip attachment or a handheld mixer, whip the heavy cream to medium peaks. Add about 1/4 of the whipped cream to the banana mixture and stir with the spatula to fully combine. (This lightens the mixture, making it easier to fold in the remaining whipped cream without losing too much aeration.)

Add the remaining whipped cream in 2 to 3 additions, folding gently just to combine. Add all but 3 tablespoons of the crumbled wafer cookies to the mixture and gently fold them in until incorporated.

Pour the mixture into a 9-by-9-inch pan and spread into an even layer. Sprinkle the reserved vanilla wafers evenly on top. Cover the ice cream with plastic wrap, gently pressing the wrap into the surface of the ice cream, and transfer to the freezer.

Freeze the mixture until firm, at least 6 hours. Before serving, let the ice cream soften at room temperature for 10 minutes before scooping.

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