#113 :: Blueberry Pie

I'm not sure where I found this recipe several years ago, but it's been a favorite of mine since the first time I made it. It's now a staple at all my holiday meals! My granny made great chocolate pies, my mom makes great apple pies, and now I'm continuing the tradition with blueberry!

Ingredients:

• 3 pints of blueberries
• 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 1/4 c all purpose flour (for thickening)
• 1/2 c sugar
• 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
• Pats of butter to dot the top

Egg wash:

• 1 egg
• 1 Tbsp. milk

Pie Crust:

• 1 cup butter (2 sticks), cubed and chilled
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 8 to 10 tablespoons ice water

Pie Crust Directions:

Put the butter, flour, and salt in the food processor, and pulse lightly just until the mixture resembles wet sand. Add the water, 1 tablespoon at a time, pulsing briefly after each spoonful of water. Keep adding water until the dough just begins to gather into larger clumps. Transfer equal amounts of the dough into 2 resealable plastic bags and pat each into a disk. Let rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Remove 1 of the disks from the bag to a flour coated surface. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out to a 10-inch round. Gently fit the rolled dough into a 9-inch pie pan, and refrigerate while you prepare the torte ingredients. Yield: 2 (9-inch) pie crusts

Blueberry Filling Directions:

Combine blueberries, lemon juice, flour, sugar and cinnamon and stir gently until blueberries are coated. Place in the bottom crust of the pie pan. Dot the top with the butter pieces. Place the top crust on and cut small slits around the middle, then crimp the edges. Transfer pie to the refrigerator to chill until firm, about 30 minutes. Heat oven to 425.

Baking Directions:

Brush egg wash over the top crust. Place the pie on a cookie or baking sheet (some juices may bubble over, and this keeps your oven clean). Bake for 20 minutes at 425, then reduce heat to 350 and bake for 30-40 minutes or until juices are bubbling. Let cool before serving.


Makes 8 servings.

Star Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

#110 :: Pineapple Upside Down Cake

This had a good flavor, but it wasn't the pineapple upside down cake I imagined when I started baking it. It turned out more like shortcake. It didn't rise and it was very dense. Plus, my springform pan wasn't closed tightly and half of the brown sugar leaked out while baking, so I didn't get that dark brown topping like it should have. It was good (obviously, because we ate it ALL), but it's definitely a different kind of pineapple upside down cake.

Ingredients:

Topping

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
• 6 slices pineapple or 1 can (20 ounces) can of drained pineapple chunks
• maraschino cherries

Cake

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup milk (*I used 1/4 cup milk and 1/4 cup pineapple juice)
  

Directions

In a 9-inch square cake pan, melt butter; sprinkle with brown sugar. Arrange pineapple and cherries on sugar, making a design.

Make cake batter: Cream 1/2 cup butter; gradually add 1/2 cup sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add egg and beat well. Add sifted dry ingredients alternately with the milk; beat until smooth, ending with dry ingredients. Pour over pineapple design. Bake at 375° for about 35 minutes. Let cake cool for about 5 minutes before turning out onto a serving plate. Serve warm with whipped cream, if desired.

Makes 6-8 slices

Recipe from SouthernFood.About.Com

Star Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

#93 :: Pineapple Upside Down Cupcakes

I made these for the Great American Bake Sale this past weekend and everyone loved them! They were all amazed at how it tasted just like the big pineapple upside down cake. It's really the same thing, just made in cupcake size instead of full size.

Ingredients

Fruit Topping

• 1 can (20 oz.) pineapple chunks
  
• 2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted

Cupcake Batter

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temp
• 1/2 cup reserved pineapple juice or milk
• 1 egg
  

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray or grease a nonstick muffin pan.

Drain the pineapple chunks, reserving 1/2 cup juice for the batter, if desired. Place the pineapple on a double layer of paper towels to drain completely.

In a small bowl, mix together the brown sugar and melted butter. Divide evenly among the muffin pan cups. Arrange the pineapple chunks decoratively on top of the sugar mixture. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, and baking powder. With an electric mixer, mix in the butter and pineapple juice, beating for 2 minutes to make a smooth batter. Beat in the egg.

Spoon the batter over the fruit in the muffin pan, filling each cup three quarters full. Bake in the center of the oven for 30 minutes, or until a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Cool the cupcakes in the pan for 5 minutes, then place a wire rack on top of the muffin pan and invert the cupcakes onto the rack so that pineapple is on top. Let cool completely.



Recipe from The Best Bake Sale Ever Cookbook by Barbara Grunes

Star Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

#77 :: Fruit Tarts

I tried out this recipe for the Great American Bake Sale coming up on May 30th. These tarts turned out sooo good that I'm definitely going to make some for the sale! I'm going to try them with other fruits as well....the recipe calls for apple, which I think would be amazing....but we had raspberries right there, and that's what we tried first. Blackberry, strawberry, blueberry....so many choices, and I bet they're all dee-lish!

Ingredients

• 1 sheet puff pastry, thawed
• Sugar, for dusting
• 1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and quartered (*we used raspberries instead)
  
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• Apricot jam
• (*we added some whipped cream topping as well)
  

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Crimp seams of puff pastry together with fingertips. Dust both sides of pastry with sugar. Using a rolling pin, roll pastry in each direction to close seams. Using a sharp pizza cutter (and tracing a small plate) cut out 2 circles of pastry. (*I used a cereal bowl, pressed it onto the puff pastry like a cookie cutter, and I got 4 tarts out of 1 puff pastry sheet). Place pastry circles on a chilled sheet pan and let cool in the refrigerator for a few minutes.

Using a vegetable peeler cut wafer thin apple slices. Put apple slices in lemon-juice-spiked water. (*If you're using berries, no lemon water is needed -- it just keeps the apples from turning brown)

Flip pastry circles over on the sheet pans and poke them with a fork to provide an outlet for steam. Put parchment paper on the pan underneath the pastry circles. Sprinkle pastry with sugar and arrange apple slices on top.

Bake in the middle of the oven for 15 to 20 minutes. Poke the crust; if it feels soft it needs more time in the oven.

Microwave some apricot jam for 30 seconds. Dab (don't brush) the jam on the tarts. Cool tarts at least 4 hours and seal in a resealable plastic bag. Serve at room temperature or heat in the microwave and top with ice cream.

Makes 2 servings.

Recipe from Good Eats on Food Network

Star Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

#62 :: Chewy Brownies

We needed a sweet fix, so I looked up a recipe for chewy brownies. These babies didn't come from a boxed mix, either!


*This photos is from the website. We ate our brownies before I could get a photo. :)

Ingredients

• 1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter or margarine, melted
• 2 tablespoons water
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Baking Cocoa
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup chopped nuts (optional)
• Powdered sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 350º F. Grease 13 x 9-inch baking pan.

Combine granulated sugar, butter and water in large bowl. Stir in eggs and vanilla extract. Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt in medium bowl; stir into sugar mixture. Stir in nuts. Spread into prepared baking pan.

Bake for 18 to 25 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out slightly sticky. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Cut into bars.



Makes about 2 dozen brownies

Recipe from VeryBestBaking.com

Star Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

#59 :: Buñuelos

These are a quick, easy and delicious dessert to finish off any Mexican meal. Instead of using vanilla ice cream like the recipe called for, we used cinnamon ice cream. The cinnamon ice cream makes it feel more like a Mexican dessert to me.... {reminds me of the dessert at El Chicho's Mexican Restaurant back home in Texas}!

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 6 (8-inch) flour tortillas, whole or cut into shapes

Directions

On a plate, mix the sugar and cinnamon. In a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan, add enough oil to come halfway up the sides of the pan. Heat over medium-high heat until a deep frying thermometer, inserted in the oil, reaches 350 degrees F. (If you do not have a thermometer, test the oil with a piece of tortilla, which should sizzle when it touches the oil and should brown in about 2 to 3 minutes.) One by one, fry tortillas until golden brown. With a slotted spoon, transfer the crisps to paper towels to drain. While still warm, transfer to cinnamon-sugar mixture, turn to coat and serve.

*Cooks note: These crisps can be made ahead, sealed in cellophane bags and given as gifts!

**Cooks note: A fun way to present these crisps is to serve a couple in a bowl of vanilla bean ice cream with fresh, seasonal berries on top.

Makes 4-6 servings.

Recipe from Mexican Made Easy on Food Network

Star Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

#51 :: Chocoflan

One word sums it up. Mmmmmm! Made-from-scratch chocolate cake, with homemade flan and caramel sauce..... rich and sweet! This dessert was absolutely delicious.....and magic!

Ingredients

• 12-cup capacity Bundt pan
• Softened butter, to coat pan
• 1/4 cup cajeta or caramel sauce

For the cake:

• 10 tablespoons butter, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg, room temperature
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 1 1/4 cups buttermilk

For the flan:

• 1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk
• 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 3 eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

For garnish:

• 1/4 cup cajeta or caramel sauce
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans

Directions

Put an oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.

Coat a Bundt pan with a little butter, then coat the bottom with 1/4 cup cajeta and put it in a large roasting pan. (The roasting pan will serve as a water bath during baking.)

For the cake: Add the butter and sugar to a bowl and using an electric hand mixer or stand mixer, beat until light and fluffy, then beat in the egg. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and cocoa in a medium bowl. Beat 1/3 of the flour mixture, and 1/2 of the buttermilk into the egg mixture. Repeat, ending with the flour mixture. Blend until well incorporated.

For the flan: In a blender, combine the evaporated milk, condensed milk, cream cheese, eggs and vanilla. Blend on high for 30 seconds.

Scoop the cake batter into the prepared Bundt pan and spreading evenly. Slowly pour the flan mixture over the cake batter. Cover with foil and add about 1-inch of hot water to the roasting pan.

Carefully slide the pan into the oven, and bake 1 hour, until the surface of the cake is firm to the touch, or an inserted toothpick comes out clean. When cake is done, remove from the water bath and cool completely to room temperature, about 1 hour.

Invert a large, rimmed serving platter over the Bundt pan, grasp tightly together, giggle a little and flip over. Remove the pan and scrape any remaining cajeta from the pan onto the cake, garnish with chopped pecans and serve!

Cook's Notes: The batters may appear to mix when you pour them into the pan, but they completely separate while baking, with the flan ending up on the bottom when it's inverted. I like eating it warm, but traditionally, it is chilled 24 hours before serving.

Flan is a rich, creamy, cooked egg custard. It is often flavored with vanilla and baked in a water bath to retain its delicacy.

Cajeta is a thick and creamy spread or paste made with caramelized sugar and milk. It is used as a desert on its own or as a topping. Also known as "dolce de leche," it is sold in many supermarkets, Latin specialty markets or online. It can be substituted with a thick caramel sauce.

Makes 10 servings

Recipe from Mexican Made Easy on Food Network

Star Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

#31 :: Mango Crisp {Microwave Dessert}

Holy moly, we found a delicious microwave dessert. Yes, I said microwave! We were definitely skeptical, but it turned out to be absolutely delicious! Frozen mangos are going to become a staple in our freezer!

Ingredients:

• 5 cups ripe mangoes, peeled and thinly sliced, or mixture of sliced mangoes and apples (we used a bag of frozen mango chunks)
  
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/4 cup softened butter
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 cup flour

Directions:

Mix sliced mangoes with 1 teaspoon of the cinnamon, the nutmeg, and lemon juice. Place in a buttered 10 x 6 x 2 inch glass baking dish. Set aside. Combine butter and brown sugar until well blended. Cut in flour and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon. Mix until crumbly. Sprinkle the topping evenly over mango slices. Cook in microwave oven 9 to 11 minutes on HIGH power, rotating a half turn after 5 minutes. Serve warm or cold, with whipped topping or ice cream, if desired.


Recipe from About.com: Southern Food

Star Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

#26 :: Snickerdoodles

These are my favorite cookies!! And this is my favorite recipe to make them from. They've always come out perfect for me from this recipe.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup margarine or butter
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
• 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
  

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the margarine or butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for about 30 seconds or till softened. Add about half the flour to the margarine. Then add the 1 cup sugar, egg, vanilla, baking soda and cream of tartar. Beat till thoroughly combined, scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally. Beat in the remaining flour. Cover and chill about 1 hour or till dough is easy to handle.

In a shallow dish combine the 2 tablespoons sugar and cinnamon. Shape the dough into 1 inch balls. Roll the balls in the sugar-cinnamon mixture to coat. Place balls 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake for 10-11 minutes or till edges are lightly browned. Remove cookies; cool on wire racks.


Makes about 36 cookies.

Recipe from my Better Homes and Gardens "Cookies Cookies Cookies" Cookbook.

Star Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

#17 :: Blueberry & Pineapple Yogurt Parfait

On top of the huge dinner, we also had a dessert.....to use up some leftover ingredients we've had in the fridge. And this dessert is a healthy one!



Ingredients

• 2 cups plain yogurt
  
• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
  
• 2 tablespoons of vanilla extract
• 1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen {thawed})
  
• 1/2 cup pineapple chunks (fresh, canned or frozen {thawed})
  
• Sprinkle of cinnamon and granulated sugar
  

Directions

In a small bowl, mix the yogurt and vanilla. Sift in the confectioners' sugar.

In a serving bowl (or glass, like we used), layer the blueberries in the bottom. Cover the blueberry layer with yogurt. Then make a layer of pineapple, followed by another layer of yogurt. One last sprinkle of blueberries on top, followed by a dollop of yogurt. Sprinkle cinnamon and sugar on top (more or less, to your liking). Serve immediately, or put in the refrigerator to chill until serving.

Makes 2 servings.

Recipe from Amy & Jamie.

Star Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

#13 :: Peanut Butter Blossoms

Yesterday was leftover day. All these great meals we cooked supplied us with more than one meal. Most of it I had eaten this week for lunch, but last night we had to polish off some leftovers before they went to waste. This project isn't just about not eating fast food, it's about spending wisely on groceries and using every bit of what we buy. Nothing goes to waste!

I still baked though....Peanut Butter Blossom cookies. Since we received a ton of Hershey's Kisses in my mom's package, Jamie wanted me to make cookies with them. So, I called my mom for her recipe. These always make me feel closer to home!

Ingredients

1 3/4 cup flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) of butter (room temp.)

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

1 egg

2 Tbsp. milk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

24-36 Hershey's Kisses

Directions

In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking soda and salt. In another mixing bowl, mix the butter and peanut butter until thoroughly mixed and creamy. Add the sugar and brown sugar and mix at medium speed until fluffy. Add the egg,milk and vanilla and mix until well combined.

Add the dry ingredients gradually to the wet ingredients, mixing them in as you go. Roll the dough into 1 inch balls and place them 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes. Let them cool for about 5 minutes, then place a Hershey's Kiss in the center of each cookie. {Do this while they're warm, not hot, so the warmth will melt the kiss into place}

Makes about 36 cookies.

Recipe from My Mom.

Star Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

#9 :: Applesauce Granita with Maple Yogurt

Not only is this yummy, but it's a good low fat dessert too (for all those who started diets yesterday!). It's super simple to make, it literally only takes a few seconds! This is an Italian Ice style dessert that makes a great replacement for ice cream!

Ingredients

Granita:

• 2 cups unsweetened applesauce
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  

Sauce:

• 1/2 cup plain regular fat free yogurt (not Greek-style)
• 1 tablespoon good quality maple syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

For the Granita: In a shallow 8-inch square pan, stir the applesauce and lemon juice together and spread the mixture evenly in the pan. Place the pan in the freezer for at least 1 hour.

For the Sauce: In a bowl, combine the yogurt, maple syrup, and cinnamon. Chill the sauce until ready to serve.

Remove the granita from the freezer. With a fork, scrape the surface of the granita to gently fluff it up. Serve immediately, in dessert glasses or dishes, drizzled with yogurt sauce.

Makes 4 servings.

Recipe from Ten Dollar Dinners with Melissa d'Arabian on Food Network.

Star Rating: 4.5 out of 5