desserts

Desserts

Texas Ruby Red Grapefruit Cake with a Hint of Mint

A citrus-kissed cake that has a gloriously soft crumb, topped with a mint-flecked glaze.

Desserts

Buttery Lemony Lace Cookies

These lace cookies contain ground almonds, by the way. I love almonds, they’re good and good for you! They’re good for your heart and packed with antioxidants and nutrients.

Desserts

Almost Flourless Chocolate Cake with Meyer Lemon Whipped Cream

This cake is only very lightly adapted from Molly Wizenberg's Winning-Hearts-and-Minds Cake -- and it gets better as it ages (or is stashed in the freezer for a bit). Serve it with powdered sugar, whipped cream, this lemon whipped cream, or nothing at all.

Desserts

Almond Butter, Dark Chocolate & Coconut Cookies

These cookies bake up gorgeously, with a crackled top and chewy interior. They are delicious as is or with a handful of dried cherries stirred in with the chocolate and coconut.

Desserts

Spiced Plum Cobbler

Plum delicious is my assessment of this easy cobbler that combines plums, spices, and a topping of buttery, cornmeal-infused batter. Perhaps it was the addition of sour cream to the batter that added to the richness of the dish, but it meant that the cobbler was great even without ice cream or a whipped cream topping. The whole dessert was easy to assemble. Warm out of the oven, spicy plums riffed off of the rich and sugary topping. The only change I would make is to add a bit of cornstarch to the sugar added to the plums. My plums were very juicy and could have benefited from a little thickener.

Desserts

Maple Walnut Cream Tart

A tart of maple-kissed whipped cream with a meringue crust, topped with candied walnuts.

Desserts

Chocolate Pomegranate Truffles

I love this recipe -- these truffles present beautifully and I love the use of pomegranate molasses with the chocolate. The chocolate has a slight fruity tang and the interiors of the truffle get almost a reddish hue from the pomegranate. The pomegranate sugar has a nice subtle tang -- I see myself using this sugar in other recipes, what a great idea! I would certainly make these again and am considering making these as gifts for the holidays!

Desserts

Lemon Tart with Olive Oil

Serves 6

Desserts

Helen Getz's Springerles

Springerles are typically made using either springerle molds or a springerle rolling pin (but you don’t have to have them, so don’t give up). After patting (or rolling) out the dough, you use the mold or springerle rolling pin to imprint the top of the dough with shapes and designs.

Desserts

Shangri-La Rice Pudding

Aptly named, one bite of hardlikearmour’s Shangri-La Pudding, transports you to another world. Fragrant coconut, fresh ginger and lemongrass gently bubble away with rich and nutty Bhutanese red rice to create a beautiful pink-hued rice pudding that is sweet up front, with spicy (ginger) and floral citrus (lemongrass) notes that linger on the palate. Although hardlikearmour suggests enjoying this at room temperature or chilled, I preferred it warm, still steaming.

Desserts

Cold Oven Pound Cake

A go-to cake for all occasions? With ingredients I always have on hand? This I had to try. I was intrigued by the unusual mixing and baking techniques. The fairly stiff batter needed some coaxing to get it distributed evenly in the pan, but once it was in, it baked up beautifully with a wonderful caramelized exterior and a moist, non-crumbly interior that has just the right amount of sweetness. Cut into chunks, it was a fabulous and sturdy dipper for chocolate fondue; when toasted, it browned without drying out and took cake to a whole new level.

Desserts

Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

The oatmeal part of the recipe comes from "Ruth's Oatmeal Crisps," winner of the 1966 Kentucky State Fair cookie contest. I added cocoa, chocolate and walnuts, and left the golden raisins and pecans on the cutting room floor. The shortening makes this a super crisp cookie. Seek out organic shortening.

Desserts

Butter-Toasted-Walnut Layer Cake

A rich, toasty, show-stopping layer cake.

Desserts

Sage-Candied Walnuts

This is the kind of adult walnut confection that should be served at your favorite cocktail bar. Don't be afraid to up the sage by half or reduce the sugar a little depending on your taste. Either way, you'll be munching on these til kingdom come. Highly addictive.

Desserts

Make-Ahead Alaska Blueberry, Lemon, and Thyme Cinnamon Rolls

The dough in this recipe is straight from a 1943 copy of 'America's Cookbook,' which belonged to my grandmother. The filling is straight from the wild blueberry patches of Alaska, but any berry will work well here. Note: wild berries tend to be a little smaller and a little juicier than those you'd buy at the market, so if you're using fresh store bought berries, you might want to add up to half a cup to one whole cup more.