The Mom's Cheat Sheet » dessert

Fruit Pizza

admin — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 19:13:30 +0000

This is a dessert that is easy to make, impressive, and best of all – yummy! This is great for showers, lunches, pot lucks, or just having friends over.

Fruit Pizza Crust:

1 cup butter, softened

¾ cup sugar

1 egg

2 Tbsp milk

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

1 ½ tsp vanilla

½ tsp almond extract

3 cups flour

Mix dry ingredients, then add the remaining – mix well.
Flatten the dough on a baking sheet, as if it were pizza dough.
Freeze crust for 1 hour.
Bake for 12 minutes at 375F.

Fruit Pizza Icing:

1/3 cup sugar

8 oz cream cheese

½ tsp vanilla

Mix together until blended.
Once the crust has cooled, spread icing.

Fruit Pizza toppings:

This is where it gets fun. You can use any fruit, in any proportions, and make any designs. It’s good to use a variety of colors, to make a prettier dessert. Some of my favorite fruits for this include strawberries, kiwi, blackberries, red raspberries, and blue berries.

Enjoy!

-Grace

Magic Bars – A Suprisingly Easy Dessert

admin — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 09:06:57 +0000

My husband recently attended a work Christmas party where the employees brought in baked goods and competed for a prize. Since I love to bake, we thought this would be fun to do together.

After searching through my recipes, I just couldn’t find anything I thought was suitable. I decided to look online for different recipes to try, and we came across this absolutely delicious recipe.

Although we didn’t win (we came in second, though!), I think the real prize was the leftover Magic Bars he brought home from the party. These things are amazing, and I can’t believe how easy they are to make!

Magic Bars:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1 1/3 cups sweetened flaked or shredded coconut

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (you can also mix white chocolate with milk chocolate – we did this, and they were fantastic!)

1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

1 – 14 ounce can of sweetened condensed milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and place the rack in the center of the oven. Have ready a 9 x 9 inch square baking pan or Pyrex dish.
Melt the butter and pour it into the bottom of your pan. Sprinkle the graham cracker crumbs evenly over the butter. Sprinkle the coconut over the crumbs. Sprinkle the chocolate chips over the coconut. Sprinkle the nuts over the chocolate chips. Finally, drizzle the sweetened condensed milk over all the ingredients. Do not mix the ingredients together, just layer them.
Bake in the preheated oven for about 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the squares comes out clean. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Cut into squares. Store in the refrigerator. These bars can be frozen.

Enjoy!

-Grace

Magic Bars Recipe [Joy of Baking]

Chocolate Chip Peppermint Cookies

admin — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 10:28:12 +0000

If you are looking for an easy, delicious cookie recipe for the holidays, then look no further. I made these cookies for my sister and a friend a couple of days ago, and they are absolutely wonderful! The peppermint chips add a holiday flair to the cookies, and throughout the year you can use this recipe by omitting the peppermint and adding more chocolate chips.

Chocolate Chip Peppermint Cookies:

2 ¼ cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

¾ cup white sugar

¾ cup brown sugar

2 sticks butter

1 tsp vanilla

2 large eggs

6-8 oz chocolate chips (depending on your preference)

6-8 oz Andes Peppermint Crunch Baking Chips

Preheat Oven to 375 degrees

Mix the dry ingredients – set aside.
Mix two sugars briefly. Add the softened butter and beat until pale and fluffy.
Add vanilla – mix.
Add eggs – mix.
Add the dry ingredients (1/2 cup at a time). Don’t over beat.
Add chocolate and mint chips – mix.
Place tablespoons of batter on ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake 9 minutes, or until done.

Enjoy!

-Grace

Delicious Dinner – Potato Leek Soup, and Pear Oven Pancake

admin — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 16:32:52 +0000

This really gets me in the mood for a good fall dinner. We had baked potato soup the other night, and I’m still in the mood for something along those lines. This potato leek soup looks fantastic, and the dessert is making my mouth water.

Nikki Gardner over at 5 Minutes for Moms posted this great meal idea, and I encourage you to check it out! Anything that is easy and delicious is a big hit in my home, and I can’t wait to try this one out.

A Meal for Fall [5 Minutes for Moms]

Delicious Pumpkin Cake

admin — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 10:12:37 +0000

Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and it’s time to start thinking all of that yummy food! Whether you are hosting your own dinner, or bringing a dish to your family’s home, this is the perfect dessert to include. When I first tried this cake, I was blown away. I now serve it every Thanksgiving, and my family looks forward to it each year.

Pumpkin Cake:

1 box yellow cake mix (save 1 cup)

1 egg

½ cup (1 stick) melted butter

29oz can real pumpkin

3 eggs

2 tsp cinnamon

½ cup brown sugar

Small can of evaporated milk (3 or 4 oz)

1 cup cake mix (saved from above)

¼ cup soft butter

½ cup sugar

Crushed pecans or walnuts

Mix the first three ingredients (saving the 1 cup of cake mix for later). Press into the bottom of a 9X13 inch pan or Pyrex dish.
Mix the pumkin, eggs, cinnamon, brown sugar, evaporated milk, and reserved cake mix. Pour over crumbs.
Mix the last three ingredients together for the topping. Sprinkle the topping on top, and bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees.
Serve with whipped cream and vanilla ice cream.

Enjoy!

-Grace

Is it OK to Use Dessert as a Reward?

admin — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 12:09:14 +0000

I will be upfront and admit that yes, I do use sweets a reward sometimes. Not all the time, but sometimes. Just the other day, we had a big evening ahead of us and it was important that my preschooler stayed in bed for her nap. Lately, she’s been getting up early and (through sleepy eyes) arguing that it’s time to get up. Without putting much thought into it, I explained to her that on that day, if she stayed in bed and slept well, she could have a cupcake when she woke up. And because it’s not often that I do this, it worked.

I certainly understand the argument that rewarding kids with treats is setting them up to have a similar approach later in life – which could lead to health issues. I think this makes good sense. I don’t want my daughter to learn that every time she does something good she gets ice cream or a cookie. That could become a problem for her, and the last thing I want to do to my kids is set them up for health and weight struggles down the road.

With that being said, I think it’s important to remember “moderation in everything.” I don’t reward her good behavior with sweets all the time, but every once in a while I’ll play that card. If we’re at the doctor’s office and she’s getting a shot, you’d better believe I’m going to reward her with a cookie! I think that there are certain circumstances where introducing the idea of a treat will help more than it will hurt.

I read this post on Mom Logic’s site today that got me to thinking, so I thought I’d post it and see what you think. What’s the verdict? Do you use sweets as rewards (or bribes!), and just how strict are you when it comes to this stuff?

Bad Idea: Eat Your Food, Get a Cookie [Mom Logic]