sweet – Page 3 – Well Dined

28
Oct
2013

Apple Oat Muffins

categories: Recipes

Let’s start the week out with something sweet, and not even that bad for you. These muffins are mostly oats, held together by a little yogurt, and studded with chunks of delicious apples. The are unbelievably moist and spiced with cinnamon. Breakfast, dessert, whatever – these are going to get gobbled up fast.

I used braeburn apples, but any good baking apple will do. Some stores have little signs that tell you which apples are good for what.

See what I mean? There is more than 2x as much oats as there is flour.

The batter is very wet, but this is a good thing. I would dice the apples smaller next time.

My husband practically inhaled these bad boys. Seriously. Go make these. Right now. I’ll wait… Did you make them? Aren’t you glad you did?

You can invite your neighbor over for muffins and hot chocolate. I bet they’d love it.

They might even take one of the muffins you give them on an adventure to the airport. Cuz who wants to eat airport food, right? (more…)

03
Oct
2013

Blueberry Cheesecake Galette

categories: Recipes

I actually made this the same day as the shrimp galette. Two galettes in one day? Girl. Get a hold of yourself. I can’t though, I have a problem.

No seriously, I have a problem. The second pie crust in that package needed a home, though! Right? Bad foodie, using store-bought. I don’t care, don’t judge me! Oh lordy, somebody please help me.

Fresh blueberries tucked inside pie crust with a smear of sweetened cream cheese – heaven (even if it springs a leak and starts bleeding purple juice) (more…)

25
Sep
2013

Melon Pops

categories: Recipes

Here’s another quick, end of Summer post for you – melon pops! Half cantaloupe, half honeydew, all yummy.

They are made with just melon pureed with a little agave (optional). The layering looks really cute, and is easy to do, but you could do whole pops of one or the other melon. Quick, easy, healthy treats – yay!

Melon Pops
Makes 10 pops

1/4 cantaloupe, cubed
1/4 honeydew, cubed
agave, to taste (optional)

Place the honeydew cubes in a blender and puree. Add agave, if using, keeping in mind that the pops will be less sweet when frozen.

Pour the honeydew mixture into an ice pop mold, being careful not to fill more than halfway. Freeze until slushy, about an hour. (Don’t be like me and let it freeze solid, preventing the layers from sticking together – doh!)

Repeat the process with the cantaloupe, being careful when adding it to the mold not to mix the layers. Insert wooden sticks and freeze until solid.

11
Sep
2013

Vegan Chocolate Coconut Cake

categories: Recipes

This recipe I found claimed to be for vegan fudge brownies. Let’s be honest – this is not a recipe for brownies. It is, however, a delicious recipe for cake – even more delicious if you use coconut oil to give it some extra flavor. Coconut oil is just the neatest product! Good for your health, good for your skin and hair, it’s even good as a supplement for dogs! It turns from solid to liquid with a very small difference in temperature. Heat or chill for just a few seconds to achieve the different states. Of course if you don’t like coconut flavor, use a neutral tasting oil and vegan spread instead. Vegan friends and chocolate lovers in general – make this right now, you won’t be sorry!

Vegan Chocolate Coconut Cake
adapted from Southern In Law
makes 9-16 small servings

For the cake:
2 cups flour
1/3 cup cocoa
1 tbsp baking powder
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup coconut oil, liquid form
1 3/4 cup unsweetened vanilla almond breeze

For the frosting:
6 tbsp coconut oil, solid form
6 tbsp cocoa powder
2 2/3 cup icing sugar/powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
2-4 tbsp unsweetened vanilla almond milk

Preheat oven to 355°F; grease and/or line an 8×8 cake pan.

In a large bowl mix together flour, cocoa, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Add in oil and almond milk and stir until combined.

Pour brownie batter into cake pan and bake for 25-35 minutes or until cooked through and a skewer inserted removes clean.

Cool completely on a wire rack.

Make the frosting: in a bowl combine coconut oil and cocoa powder. Gradually mix in icing sugar, vanilla, and add almond milk as needed to create your desired consistency.

Frost the cooled cake. Keep stored in the fridge in an airtight container and eat within 2 days. If you want to top it with some shredded coconut or slivered almonds, I bet that would be delicious.

07
Sep
2013

Raspberry Yogurt Ice Pops

categories: Recipes

After much Pinterest envy, I finally bought a popsicle mold (at the end of the summer, good job). Did you know that “popsicle” is actually a brand name that we in the US have adopted to describe all ice pops? I didn’t. It’s one of those weird things like calling all facial tissue “Kleenex”. Anyway the very first thing I wanted to try was a blackberry and yogurt recipe. But I was worried about the seeds, and then the store ended up not having any blackberries. So I bought raspberries instead. Plain Greek yogurt, sweetened with a little agave, and layered with muddled raspberries (clearly my layering skills need improvement) – simple, fresh, delicious. As far as sweets go, this is pretty good for you and I bet kids would love it!

Raspberry Yogurt Ice Pops
adapted from Real Simple
makes 10-12, depending on mold

1 3/4 cups plain full-fat Greek yogurt
6-8 tbsp agave nectar
3/4 pound raspberries (about 3 cups)

Whisk together the yogurt and 3 tbsp agave in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the blackberries and the remaining 3 tbsp agave and mash with a fork or potato masher until coarsely crushed. Taste the mixtures and add more agave as needed, keeping in mind that it will taste less sweet when frozen.

Layer the yogurt and blackberry mixtures (starting with the yogurt mixture, but don’t make as big a layer as I did), dividing evenly among 4oz paper cups or ice-pop molds. Drag a toothpick or skewer through the mixtures to create a swirl effect. Insert ice-pop sticks and freeze until firm, at least 3 hours and up to 4 days. Remove from the freezer 10 minutes before serving to soften slightly. Or dip into warm (not hot) water to release. You can unmold all of the popsicles and store them in a plastic bag in the freezer.

16
Aug
2013

Homemade Creme Fraiche and Peaches

categories: Recipes

Everybody knows that peaches and cream go well together, so it makes sense to think that peaches would also pair perfectly with creme fraiche. I recently discovered that you can make creme friache at home with just heavy cream and buttermilk – which is way cheaper than buying it! I used the thick, creamy, and tart product in not one, not two, not three, but FOUR peach recipes. So let’s dig in!

First up is a pie that I have blogged about before, but am bringing up again because it is just so freaking good. Peaches, creme fraiche, and streusel – layered into tender, flaky pie crust. Definitely one of my favorite pies ever.

Next up we have muffins made moist with the help of creme fraiche, packed with chunks of juicy peach, and with a little kick from both fresh and candied ginger. My husband LOVED these – we went through all 24 muffins in 2 weeks!

What is better in the summer than a lovely bowl of ice cream? This peach sherbet gets it’s tart creaminess from (you guessed it!) homemade creme fraiche.

It’s pretty easy to make, too, as far as ice cream goes. You do have to cook the peaches first, and then chill them. But after that it is just blend and freeze!

Last, but not least, is a white peach and lemon thyme galette served with sweetened creme fraiche. I, foolishly, did not notice that my peaches weren’t ripe before I peeled them and had to get a bit creative, poaching them in honey, lemon thyme, and white wine in order to soften them before baking.

There are many recipes to choose from here, all of them delicious. Enjoy those peaches while they last! (more…)

02
Aug
2013

Goat Cheese Ice Cream with Roasted Cherries

categories: Recipes

Goat. Cheese. Ice cream. You heard me. When I saw this recipe, I just HAD to try it. And cherries were all over the place at the farmers market, so the timing was perfect.

I used one pint of cherries, but I would have liked a higher ratio in the final product so I would recommend using 2 pints. Either way, pit, combine with sugar and cornstarch, and roast until the juices form a syrup.

The ice cream base is made with goat cheese, cream cheese, cornstarch, milk, cream, sugar, and corn syrup. Once you have processed it with your ice cream maker – layer the ice cream and the cherries into a container, do not mix! Allow to set up in the freezer and enjoy this sophisticated ice cream. (more…)

24
Jul
2013

Fig, Mascarpone, and Goat Cheese Galette with Coconut

categories: Recipes

This rustic beauty came about by accident. I had intended to make a cherry pie, but my plans for obtaining cherries fell through. So I ended up with some pie dough and nothing else. I went to the store to see what fruit was available and found some Turkish figs. “This could definitely work,” I thought. Then I thought of a creamy smear of mascarpone underneath, and oh! What if I added in some goat cheese, too?

So I dumped a container each of goat cheese and mascarpone cheese into bowl with some honey and mixed them together. Then I got to thinking, “What about some cardamom in here?” So in it went.

I rolled out my pie dough and spread the cheese mixture over it. I only ended up using half of it, but it made a great dip for crackers and fruit so that was fine. I arranged the quartered figs over the spread and then had another thought. “You know what goes great with cardamom? Coconut!” So I dug out some sweetened coconut flakes from the pantry to sprinkle over the top. A brush of cold water and sprinkling of turbinado sugar later, and my masterpiece was ready to bake.

I threw a lot of ingredients into here, but they ended up blending perfectly. The spread sort of merged with the flaky crust to make a creamy base for the figs; and the coconut came out perfectly toasted. Bonus? My husband was out of town and I got to eat the whole thing myself! This recipe may have been an accident, but I will definitely be making it again. (more…)

09
May
2013

Moroccan Meat Pies and Afghan Pumpkin

categories: Recipes

This post got lost and forgotten somewhere, so it’s not very seasonal and I apologize. But you can look forward to making it next Fall.

And you should look forward to it. Sweet, caramelized pumpkin with spices, creamy yogurt, and tangy tomato sauce? Yes, please. This is one of my favorite Afghan dishes, called kadu bouranee.

And these delicious Moroccan inspired meat pies made with phyllo, ground beef, and spices are the perfect main to complement the pumpkin. You could also make the Afghan meat dumplings called mantu, of course, but they require a little bit more work. (more…)

25
Mar
2013

Curry Banana Ice Cream

categories: Recipes

Curry. Banana. Ice Cream. When I found this recipe, I flipped. It sounded AMAZING. One of the best truffles I’ve ever had was a curry banana flavor.

And there aren’t just plain old bananas in here, either. No – they are roasted bananas. And not only that, but roasted with brown sugar and butter. Is anyone else drooling right now?

These smell incredible when they come out of the oven, covered in sticky brown sugar goodness. You scrape all that sweet stuff into a blender with whole milk and your favorite sweet curry powder, then into the ice cream maker – simple as that. I am seriously in love with this ice cream.

I am also in love with this milkshake that I made with it, chocolate syrup, and Bailey’s. Boozy milkshake for the win!

Curry Banana Ice Cream
adapted from Scoop Adventures

3 medium-sized ripe bananas, sliced into 1/2 inch pieces
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tbsp butter, cut into small pieces
1 1/2 cups whole milk
2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 tsp coarse salt
1 tsp sweet curry powder (I used this one)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Prepare bananas and toss them with the brown sugar and butter in a small (2-quart) baking dish. Bake for 40 minutes, stirring once during baking, until the bananas are browned and cooked through.

Scrape contents of the dish (bananas and the thick sugar syrup) into a blender or food processor. Add the milk, sugar, vanilla, lemon juice, salt, and curry powder, and puree until smooth.

Chill mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator (4 hours). Pour into your ice cream maker and churn according to manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer to a plastic container, press wax paper onto surface, and freeze until firm (about 4 hours).

Tag: sweet