Dessert

Apple cider baked donuts with whisky butter

Coated in whisky butter and cinnamon sugar, these apple cider baked donuts have become a staple on our fall table

I’m wasting no time here telling you why it has been a while since I last posted a recipe. Time is such commodity these days. Although I have lots of recipes saved to be developed and published here, I’m choosing to skip them all and go straight to this apple cider baked donuts recipe. I made them yesterday and I needed to share the recipe right away before fall is over! Go make them. You can thank me later.

These apple cider baked donuts are somewhat dense and very muffin-like but once you coat them with the whisky+butter mix they become a little heavier with a moister crumb. Apple, cinnamon, spice and boozy butter taste all over.  They taste and look like they’re straight from a bakery but with the ‘booze’ benefits.

Jump to Recipe

The trick to these apple cider baked donuts is to flavor and moist them with the whisky butter – I used Crown Royal salted caramel whisky for even more flavor. It locks in the moist and brings these light but full of spice donuts to another level. But, if you are not into booze in your donuts, the whisky can be replaced for maple syrup, honey or nothing at all. Butter with a pinch of salt will do!  

These couldn’t be easier to make– and less messy than fried donuts! Here are some notes about the recipe:

  • As mentioned, you can replace the “booze” for maple syrup, honey, or simply use the melted butter with a pinch of salt.
  • You can use regular apple cider but I recommend using a hard cider. The fermentation in the hard cider reacts with the baking powder creating a creamier but fluffy donut batter. There are a lot of hard ciders out there, but I like the semi-sweet and deep flavor of Samuels Smith’s Cider. Plus, I sip on whatever is left after mixing the batter. Win win!

Apple cider baked donuts with whisky butter

Coated in whisky butter and cinnamon sugar, these apple cider baked donuts have become a staple on our fall table.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Cook Time 1 hour
Course brunch
Cuisine American
Servings 12 donuts

Equipment

  • four 6-cavity donut pans and piping bag (or large zip-close bag with a corner snipped off)

Ingredients
  

  • 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg
  • 2 tsp lemon zest
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/3 cup hard apple cider or regular apple cider (see above)
  • 1/4 cup buttermilk or plain yogurt
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup broen sugar
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 4 ounces unsalted butter (1 stick)

For the whisky butter

  • 2 ounces unsalted melted butter (1/2 stick)
  • 2 tbsp Crown Royal Salted caramel or whatever whisky you have available

Cinnamon sugar coating

  • 1 cup granulated sugar mixed with 1 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray four 6-cavity donut pans with nonstick baking spray (be generous.)
  • In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and lemon zest. Whisk it all together.
  • In a liquid measure cup, combine the cider, buttermilk or yogurt and vanilla.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment combine the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Mix on high until fluffy. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl.
  • Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well between each addition. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl again and again.
  • With the mixer on low, add a little bit of the flour mixture and then half of the cider mixture. Continue alternating between the two until the batter is combined. Remove the bowl from the stand mixer and, using a spatula, fold the batter a few times to make sure the ingredients are well distributed.
  • Transfer the batter to a piping bag or a large zip-close bag with a corner snipped off, and pipe into two of the donut pans. If you don't have two (just like me) bake one tray at a time but make sure you re-spray the pan with non-sticking baking spray.
  • Bake until the cake just springs back when gently touched, 15 to 20 minutes.
  • While the donuts bake, mix the melted butter and whisky. Reserve.
  • Turn the donuts out onto a cooling rack; immediately brush with whisky butter, then dip in the cinnamon sugar both sides.
Keyword brunch, fall

Grapefruit marmalade crepes with whipped citrus ricotta

I don’t know about you, but we don’t do a whole lot for Mother’s Day. As in, I refuse to go out to brunch, lunch, dinner or whatever because we have learned that lesson the hard way. It’s CHAOS!

Call me a Mother’s Day party pooper but I’m all in for “at-home-Mother’s Day” and I won’t be mad if starts with crepes…with these grapefruit marmalade crepes with citrus whipped ricotta ‘specifically’!

The great news about this recipe is that it is super easy to make. The batter can be made up to one day ahead of time. Even better news: the crepes cook and taste better the longer the batter sits. Which means you (or the kids, and/or the significant other) can do most of the recipe prep ahead of time, including whipping up the ricotta.

Although I used grapefruit marmalade for the filling, you can make these crepes with your favorite marmalade or jam. The grapefruit zest and juice in the whipped ricotta can be replaced for any other citrus.

Here it is the quick video for the steps on how to make these grapefruit marmalade crepes with whipped citrus ricotta.

Happy Mother’s Day to all the mamas out there. May our day be filled with love and deliciousness!

Grapefruit marmalade crepes with whipped citrus ricotta

These easy grapefruit crepes are served with a dollop of whipped citrus ricotta. They are just as perfect for breakfast or brunch as they are for dessert!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Course Breakfast, brunch, Dessert
Servings 4

Ingredients
  

For the crepe

  • 3 eggs
  • 2 tbsp melted butter
  • 1 1/4 cup milk
  • 1/4 cup powder sugar
  • 1 1/3 cup flour
  • pinch of salt
  • Grapefruit marmalade (I used Trader Joes) or any jam/jelly of your choice

For the whipped citrus ricotta

  • 2 cups whole fat ricotta (16 ounces)
  • 1/2 cup powder sugar
  • 1 tbsp grapefruit zest
  • 1/2 tbsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup grapefruit juice

Instructions
 

For the crepes

  • Combine all crepe ingredients in a blender. Process until smooth. Chill for at least 1 hour.
  • Heat an 8-inch nonstick crepe pan or skillet over medium heat. Coat pan lightly with butter or cooking spray. Pour about 3 tablespoons batter into pan; quickly tilt pan in all directions so batter covers pan with a thin film. Cook about 2 minutes. Carefully lift the edge of the crepe with a spatula to test for doneness. Turn crepe when it can be shaken loose from the pan and the underside is lightly browned; cook 1 minute or until center is set.
  • Place crepes on a plate and let it cool completely. Stack crepes between single layers of wax paper to prevent sticking.

For the whipped citrus ricotta

  • Combine the ingredients listed for the whipped citrus ricotta in the bowl of a food processor. Process for 10 to 15 seconds until smooth. Refrigerate until it is time to assemble and serve the crepes.

Assembling the crepes

  • Place 1 crepe on a small dessert plate; spread a thin layer of marmalade over each crepe. Fold each into a triangle. Top each serving with a dollop of the  whipped citrus ricotta. Sprinkle crepes evenly with powdered sugar. Garnish with grapefruit slices and mint sprigs, if desired.
Keyword citrus, crepes

Lemon bars

I choose salty over sweet most of the times, but I love a not overly sweet dessert. And these lemon bars are just that! They are zesty, slightly sweet, and so easy to make that even a non-baker like me can handle it.

But before I jump into the recipe let me tell you that the crust is like a buttery shortbread cookie that made me think twice about dumping the lemon filling over it! It looked perfectly fine as it was—I’m a sucker for shortbread!

The lemon filling is everything I love in a dessert. It’s tart, creamy, and has the right balance of sweet. And it was made with fresher than fresh lemons from our tree. It doesn’t get better than that!

Now, there’s a couple of things I’ve learned while making this lemon bar recipe. Don’t over bake the crust. Make sure it’s baked just enough to hold the filling without becoming a mess. Also, the bars need to cool completely and then chill in the refrigerator for a few hours before you cut into them.  This is to ensure that they won’t go all over the place—resist the urge to spoon a corner “just to try it”. It’s not worthy of the filling leakage and the tongue burn.

Categories

White chocolate ginger snap truffles

It’s that time of year when everyone struts their baking stuff for the holiday parties. But not even the simplest cookie recipe can prevent me of an epic cookie fail. And I’ll be put in baker’s purgatory if I dare to make a batch of cookies from one of Betty’s cookie mixes.

My way around the non sense baking shenanigans that takes place in the holidays is to try new no bake treats recipes like this spicy gingersnap truffles. No bake. Very little margin for error. Deceptively easy treat. So good!

White chocolate drizzled truffles with a spicy ginger snap filling inside. So easy to make and eat. Here is the recipe.

White chocolate ginger snap truffles

Ingredients

  • 16oz ginger snaps packet
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • ½ tsp ground cloves
  • ½ tsp ground nutmeg
  • 8oz condensed milk (half of a 14oz can plus a bit more)
  • 1 1/2 cup white chocolate chips
  • 1 tbsp of coconut oil
Method
  1. Line a baking tray with parchment paper or non-stick pastry mat.
  2. In a food processor, crumbs the ginger snaps. Pour into a large mixing bowl.
  3. Gradually pour in condensed milk and mix thoroughly. If the mixture is too dry add more condense milk. Mixture should be homogeneous and sticky to the touch.
  4. Using your hands, pick up approx. 1 tablespoon of mixture and roll into a ball. Keep your hands slightly wet so mixture doesn’t stick to hands and it’s easy to roll.
  5. Place ball onto prepared tray. Repeat this process until all the mixture is finished.
  6. Melt the white chocolate chips with the coconut oil in the microwave for about 30 seconds. Remove and mix. Microwave 30 more seconds and mix. Repeat in increments of 15 seconds after that until fully melted.
  7. Drizzle melted white chocolate over the truffle balls with a spoon, doing quick horizontal swings until truffles are covered.
  8. Enjoy!

 

Pear Mint Chardonnay Sorbet

Need I say more? It’s my favorite fruit paired with wine in a dessert form. It’s delicate, refreshing and a little boozy!

It was my first time making this so I based my proportions on basic sorbet recipes. I think I could’ve used one more pear–but who knows? Maybe it’s just my pear obsession talking! I went with organic green anjou pears but any pear will do.

I kept the skin on to get the most flavor and some color out of the pears. They were so ripe that it took less than 5 minutes for them to cook.

The most labored part of this recipe was straining the ingredients. I used a super fine mesh strainer–not the best choice. It took a while and the idea of throwing it all in the blender crossed my mind. Note to self and to you: use a strainer with larger perforation.

I used a buttery and slightly citrus Chardonnay to balance the sweet–Slow Press Chardonnay 2014 found at Costco for under 12 dollars.

 When using a ice-cream maker is important to let the mixture cool down–about 45 minutes in the fridge. If you don’t have a ice-cream machine you still can make this by placing it in the freezer and steering it every so often until it’s smooth–about every 15 minutes for hours and hours and hours. You can either go get a ice-cream machine (trust me, it’s worth it!) or you can sip on the leftover wine to help you cope with the the 132 trips you’re about to make to the fridge!

Categories

Lemon Brownies with Crusty Glaze

Quick take; too many lemons in the fridge. Searched recipes on my favorite blogs. Came across this Lemon Brownies recipe from Wicked Good Kitchen. Faced my baking insecurities. Worked really hard on being precise with measurements and directions. Ended up with the truly most amazing “Best Ever” lemon brownies and a token of baking confidence in my pocket.

If you have been here before you already know I’m not a good baker. No matter how hard I try, the baking stars seem not to align for me. So I was ecstatic when this recipe turned out as one of the best things I’ve ever baked!

Well, maybe not all stars were aligned. My glaze for the brownies looked great but tasted horrible. I blame the confectioned sugar that, although not expired, tasted like plastic. It has happened to me before and, according to Google, it happened to many other people too. So I dumped the glaze and the confectioned sugar, dust off my apron and got creative.

I made this simple Brazilian “calda” (syrup):

  • All tablespoons (5 sugar/2 lemon juice/2 water)
  • Combine in a small saucer/pan and cook until transparent and thick (about 6 minutes)
  • Spread over the baked brownies and let it sit until hard (We didn’t wait but if you do know that these brownies were even better the next morning)

Once the syrup dried it formed a beautiful sugary crust with a moist layer underneath that complemented the lemon brownies so perfectly.

Big shout out to Stacy from Wicked Good Kitchen. Thank you! I love this recipe and your blog!

Peppermint Oreo Truffles AND Bourbon Pecan Balls. NO baking required!

If you landed here before you already know that baking is just not my thing.  It should be no surprise that I’m so frigging happy about these two ‘dealicious’ (hah I can’t help it) treats that I’ll be eating and sharing with much love and joy this holiday season.  Absolutely NO baking required! Nuff said.

PEPPERMINT OREO TRUFFLES

Peppermint Oreo Truffles

Use TJs Candy Cane Joe-Joes for these truffles, but it works equally good with regular oreos. You can also throw a couple of candy canes in the food processor and use regular Oreos if you can’t find Peppermint Oreos.

You’ll need:

  • crushed to dust peppermint candy OR peppermint candy dust (@WorldMarket or Sprouts)
  • 1 package of Ghirardelli (or whatever maker you prefer)semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 1 8oz. package cream cheese (room temp)
  • 1 package Trader Joe’s Candy Cane Joe Joe’s (or 1 package of regular Oreos and 2 candy canes)

Make it:

Peppermint Oreo Truffles

In a food processor, pulse cookies until they’re finely ground. Transfer them to a small bowl, add the softened cream cheese and fully combine (I used my hands for that.)

Mixture should be sticky. Roll it into little 1″ balls. Place the rolled balls onto a piece of parchment paper and place it in the freezer for 20 minutes (just enough to harden the outside of the balls)

Melt the chocolate according to the package directions.

Remove balls from freezer and dip them in the chocolate. Transfer them back to the parchment paper. Sprinkle the candy cane dust on top to garnish and then let the chocolate set and dry. Once dry, refrigerate the truffles and serve as needed.

BURBON PECAN BALLS

Bourbon Pecan Balls

I made them for the first time yesterday and they are just heavenly. Boozy, sweet and powerful! The better the Bourbon, the better the punch!

Simply combine all ingredients and shape into 1-inch balls; roll in additional powdered sugar. Store in an airtight container up to 2 weeks.

You’ll need:

Bourbon Pecan Balls

  • 1 box vanilla wafers crushed to dust in the food processor
  • 2 tbsp of cocoa powder (I used 100% unsweetened Ghirardelli cocoa)
  • 1 cup chopped pecans
  • 3/4 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
  • 1/2 cup bourbon
  • Extra powdered sugar to roll the balls

Brazilian lemon pavê

Brazilian Pavês are delicious layered desserts, usually made with a combination of cookies or biscuits and different creams and fruits. I made this recipe for Christmas (I prepared it the day before). It was so easy and delicious. It’s important to let the dessert rest for at least 6 hours in the refrigerator. It’s even better if it can sit in the fridge overnight. Here is what you need:

  • 1 package of Maria cookies (usually found in the ethnic/Hispanic foods section of grocery stores) or shortbread cookies
  • 1 can of condensed milk 
  • 1 can of Table Cream Nestle (also know as Crema Media found in the ethnic/Hispanic section or by the condensed and evaporated milks)
  • 1 tsp. of vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup of lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp lemon zest

Mix well all the ingredients except the cookies. In a 2-quart glass casserole or 8×8″ dish, place cookies one by one and form a layer to cover the bottom of the casserole. Spread half of the cream mixture over the cookie layer. Top with another layer of cookies. Finish with a layer of the remaining cream. Refrigerate at least 6 hours. Enjoy it!

 

Coconut Milk Cream Cheese Frosting

Sometimes a mistake is a good thing.  The cream cheese frosting planned for these cupcakes just didn’t work. So we saved the first day of 2013 by:

  • Placing a can of “full fat” coconut milk (light probably wouldn’t have worked) in the freezer for 10 minutes, opening it and scooping the fat on top (NOT using the water left in the bottom of the can)
  • Whipping the solids from the coconut milk with 8oz of room temperature fat free cream cheese and 2 cups of powdered sugar.
  • Adding a tbsp. of vanilla extract

Happy New Year!