‘Dessert’ Articles at Sweetnicks, Page 2

Recipe: M&M Cookie Pie

November 11, 2015 · Narrative, Sweets

When you’re looking for a simple dessert to satisfy your sweet tooth, this M&M Cookie Pie is perfect (especially if you have leftover Halloween candy!).

Do you happen to be staring at an overflowing bag of Halloween candy too?

Raise your hand if you can relate.

Even though the kids donated a record TWELVE POUNDS of candy to the Halloween Candy Buy Back program, we still have a rather large Target-sized bag of “favorites” in our home.

Which is dangerous.

Mostly for me.

So when the kids aren’t looking, I sneak a few packages of candy into a new recipe.

Not that they mind, of course, when they get rewarded with something like this M&M Cookie Pie.

It’s quick enough that you can easily make it after dinner (only dirtying one bowl!), and with the colorful M&Ms popping through, it’s a sure-fire winner. If you happen to be looking for something a bit more demure, you can replace the M&Ms with chocolate chunks – use up those Hershey bars! I personally love the chew that the additional of oats gives this pie, and the addition of oatmeal practically makes it healthy, right??

And if you really want to gild the lily, serve it warm with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream and a drizzle of chocolate syrup over the top.

Divine.

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Recipe: Cinnamon Apple Cake {Cooking Light}

October 15, 2015 · Narrative

Delicate, tender bites of moist, delicious, apple-studded cake are yours with this recipe for Cinnamon Apple Cake.

You would think that if I had been making a recipe since 1998, consistently, year after year after year, that I would have shared it with you.

Apparently you would be wrong.

Because although I’ve found posts mentioning this Cinnamon Apple Cake, I couldn’t actually find a whole post sharing it and the recipe.

So today we are going to right some wrongs.

Starting with 1998.

Although 1998 was the year I happened to get married, it also happens to be the year I discovered this recipe in an issue of Cooking Light magazine.

Both were good things.

Originally called Jewish Apple Cake and shared with their readers as a Rosh Hashanah dessert idea, the folks at Cooking Light later renamed it to Cinnamon Apple Cake.

I have no idea why, but my guess is so people would consider it an any-occasion cake, as opposed to being just reserved for Jewish holidays.

And rightfully so.

Because no matter what the cake is called, it remains one of Cooking Light’s most popular recipes, and if you’ve had it, there’s no denying why.

It is simple to make and moist, and, perhaps of equal importance, a true marriage of Fall flavors… cinnamon and apples.

This is a cake pretty and delicious enough to serve to company … or just to use up the apples you absconded with after a recent apple picking trip.

It has made an appearance in our kitchen every Fall, at least once a year, since 1998.

Now bring it to yours.

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Top 7 Apple Recipes {Celebrate Fall}

October 6, 2015 · Narrative

Truly one of my favorite seasons, Fall is a wonderful celebration of both nature and food. Crisp air and the start of comfort food season, what more could we want? Now that we are in the throes of apple picking, how about a little inspiration on what to do with all those apples you come home with?

My kids eat apples straight from the tree. As for me? I only eat them if I’m baking with them. So this is for me, as much as it is for you.

If you follow me on Instagram or Snapchat, you might recognize these Glazed Apple Bars from last week. A tried-and-true that we’ve been making for a few years now, they taste like you’re eating apple pie from your hands. And outside of the apples, you likely have the rest of the ingredients in your kitchen already.

Grandma Ople’s Pie is for when making a pie intimidates you. This recipe could not be simpler, and it tastes delicious as is, or warmed up and topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of dulce de leche sauce from Stonewall Kitchen (which we discovered during a summer trip to Vermont).

This Caramel Apple Cheesecake is when you want to impress someone, but don’t have a lot of time. Because it LOOKS like a ton of work, but isn’t. It’s kind of amazing….

Recipe: S’mores Banana Boats

July 14, 2015 · Narrative

Simple, delicious, and summer memories all rolled into one. Let’s take a trip down memory lane and make S’mores Banana Boats.

As parents, we can get quickly caught up in grand gestures for our kids.

And when it comes right down to it, they don’t really care about any of that.

I have a friend who went with her family on a ten day trip to Alaska, including a seven day cruise. When they came back, I asked her son what his favorite part of the vacation was, and he responded, “The scrambled eggs at the Hilton.”

A hotel chain which we actually have a few miles away.

Kids and food are the same way.

They don’t care that I might take hours and hours to make an elaborate dessert that I think they’ll go crazy for.

Simple works just as well.

And so it was with these Banana Boats that we made over the weekend.

It requires little to no effort. Takes mere minutes to make. And they were completely and utterly enamored.

Isn’t that always the way?

I have a vague recollection of my Mom making these when I was a kid. You can *definitely* do them over a campfire, as is summer tradition, but if you’re like me and don’t camp, this is the next best thing.

Set up a toppings bar and have some friends over – everyone can mix and match toppings to make their own personalized banana boat and you have an easy Dessert Party with next to no work.

Delish.

Hungry for more s’mores inspiration?
These No Bake Oatmeal S’mores Cookies were a crowd favorite.
These Chocolate S’mores Cookies are not to be missed … especially if you’re lucky enough to have Joanne pipe some hearts on them.

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Recipe: Chocolate Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Bars

June 17, 2015 · Narrative

A delicious twist on the traditional Rice Krispie Bars, this Chocolate Peanut Butter version is in a league of its own.

Confession.

There are two recipes that, over the years, have become my Achilles Heel.

Barefoot Contessa’s Outrageous Oreo Brownies. Try as I might, I have given up on successfully making the recipe and shall live vicariously through others.

Because the ingredients are just too expensive to continue to waste them in my failed attempts.

And Rice Krispie Bars. As strange as that may sound. I mean, I can make a decadent Creme Brulee that will leave you looking for more, but I can’t master a traditional kid treat that EVERYBODY makes?

I don’t know. Something about the part when I’m mixing the marshmallows with the Rice Krispies.

So it should come as a big surprise that when I saw this recipe on Elise’s site, I decided to make them.

I think I was #partydrunk.

That moment pre- or post-party when you are too delirious from all the planning to really act rationally.

I was heading to the last planning session before a friend and I threw a party for 65 people. I wanted to bring something to snack on, you know, to keep us going, saw this recipe, and here we are.

Clearly I wasn’t thinking straight, given my Rice Krispie history, but somehow this one worked.

#cuethechorus

Super simple to make, you might even have the ingredients on hand. It’s the perfect thing to bring to a summer fete at a friend’s house, a block party, or a last minute planning sesh when you need brainstorm (raising my hand).

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Recipe: Tomato Soup Cake with Toasted Walnut & Cream Cheese Frosting {Campbell’s}

October 8, 2013 · Narrative, Sweets

The Campbell Soup Company has been around for 144 years.

Crazy.

And when I think about Campbell’s, I instantly think about my childhood. Because there was no better way to while away a sick day home from school than with tomato soup and grilled cheese made by my mom. I sometimes still have it, and it instantly brings me back ~~twenty~~ ~~thirty~~ thirty-five years.

My son is a sucker for chicken noodle soup, and any time we visit a restaurant, he always holds his breath as he waits to find out what the soup of the day is. And those times in between? Campbell’s Chicken Noodle Soup is perfect for home (and his lunch box), and one of his favorites because of the abundance of noodles (over 32 feet in every can! oh the fun facts we learn when we partner up with Campbell’s to spread their good word!).

Mo noodles, mo betta.

You can quote me on that.

But beyond comfort food, there is tons more that you can do with soup than just heat, add water, and eat. Like bake!

Although neither of my kids will eat Chicken Pot Pie (yet!), Campbell’s Soup is a perfect ingredient for that comfort food craving. You can visit Campbell’s site for delicious recipes and creative ways to serve and eat their soup, but my favorite way to bake with Campbell’s soup?

This recipe for Tomato Soup Cake with Toasted Walnut and Cream Cheese Frosting.

An old favorite, I’ve been making it for years. You would never guess that there is two cans of tomato soup in it, but it’s somehow just perfect. And it’s a total crowd pleaser. I have served it on Supper Club nights, and for Girls Night In, and for weeknight dinner parties when I need something simple but delicious, and no one can ever guess that all-star ingredient.

It’s warm and comforting and homey … and the frosting recipe from Emeril Lagasse just puts it over.the.top. Don’t deprive yourself of this one.

*You can find tons of recipes, entertaining tips, and more right here.

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Recipe: Super Moist Fudgy Two Layer Chocolate Cake

September 24, 2013 · Narrative

That rogue crumb is bothering me.

But this is real life.

And there are crumbs.

And delicious, fudgy, chocolate-y crumbs are probably the very best kind of crumbs there are.

For the past few years, I have volunteered to make dessert for my Dad’s birthday. Mostly because I like making desserts, and it gives me a chance to try out a new recipe. Or three.

Last years’ recipe was also a double layer chocolate cake with a buttercream filling and a chocolate ganache on the top. It was pretty amazing, but the combination of winging it and combining several recipes together. Which means it will likely never happen again.

The recipe for this one is equally delicious, but this time, it’s going to be documented. You know, so maybe we CAN make it again.

Because between my parents’ and Madeline’s affinity for ALL THINGS CHOCOLATE and ALL THE TIME, there are probably never enough occasions for chocolate.

I swear that little five-and-a-half-year-old has chocolate dreams.

Because the kids and I had spent some time down the shore on the weekend we were celebrating my Dad’s birthday, I needed the recipe to be super simple. But no less delicious. The first place I looked was my Pinterest cake board (I have found that organizing Pinterest boards in pretty specific categories makes it a whole lot easier when looking for recipes).

After reading through a handful of recipes, directions, and ingredient lists, I settled on this cake from Foodess, since, from start to finish, it would be under an hour, and the only ingredient I needed to pick up was buttermilk.

As promised, the recipe was very simple to make. And as moist as promised. Just make sure to lightly flour your pan, because my cake layers stuck to the bottom something awful, and made for a slightly lopsided cake that was fixed by applying copious amounts of chocolate frosting.

Which is not necessarily a bad thing, but also explains why that beautiful shot above is of only half the cake.

Flour the pans.

I made a chocolate version of my buttercream frosting, and spread a thin layer in between the two cake layers, and then frosted the whole cake with more of the same. I added mini chocolate chips around the perimeter of the cake, and all the resident chocoholics were happy.

And Madeline loved it enough that we had to bring home an extra piece. I’m also not sure that she has ever met something chocolate-y that she didn’t like.

So if you’re looking for a celebratory chocolate cake to make out of basic pantry ingredients, or need a cake just to celebrate the fact that you made it through a busy weekday … you could be eating this cake in just over an hour.

Go.

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Recipe: Caramel Apple Dip

February 22, 2011 · Narrative

Caramel + Apples make up a perfect dessert that you’ll find yourself making again and again.

In the interest of full disclosure, I will readily admit a few things.

I hate apples. The kids eat them like there’s no tomorrow, and I will quite happily bake with them. But raw, like from your hand? No thank you. It’s a texture thing.

I am not a fan of caramel anything. Not Snickers, no caramel-coated apples. None of it. Hate the stickiness.

So when my friend Mary said she was bringing her Caramel Apple Dip to my Valentine’s Day party last week, I figured I was safe. Cupcakes, I would be tempted by. The occasional piece of chocolate, sure. But Caramel Apple Dip? Nah. And apparently I was totally 100% unequivocally wrong.

And darn her for leaving it here at the end of the night.

The “try anything once” rule is not only for my kids, but for me as well. Because if not for that, I wouldn’t have discovered that I actually don’t mind salmon sometimes, like brussels sprouts and have embraced the world of tilapia.

So at the end of our meal, when all the dessert was put out (and there was A LOT of dessert, fancy that!), I tried an apple dunked in the dip. And another. And another. Clean eating? Not so much. But hey, I ate apples! And I stand by the statement that a little indulgence is a good thing. If you deprive yourself too much, for too long, you’ll end up caving and eating far more of that “little indulgence” than you would have in the first place.

So, if you don’t like apples. Or caramel. I don’t care. Make this. Try it. And share it. Above all else, get it out of your house before you finish off the dish by yourself. You won’t be disappointed.

Project 365
February 22, 2011, Photo #52
Nick is off from school until Thursday, and celebrated by coming to the office today. Puzzles were used to break up the monotony of the schoolwork his Mom and Grandmother forced him to do. ;)

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