Tag: easy dessert

S’mores Rice Krispies Treats

I gotta hand this one to my son, who came up with this glorious concoction all by himself during our grocery haul on Friday! He gets it from his momma :)

I let him work out the details on his own, pick out the ingredients at the store, and then plan it out when we got home. Lets not talk about the mess! There was lots of sticky fluff everywhere, cereal all over the floor and melted chocolate drizzled in places, but he was SO PROUD of his first real success in the kitchen and I was too!

Wishing you are yours a healthy and happy s’mores with plenty of delicious treats!

 

Related Recipes:

s’mores corn flake clusters
s’mores oatmeal
s’mores cookies
s’mores chocolate toffee bark

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Brownie Toppings & Ideas


I cannot actually believe that the summer has come and gone, I’m back in the city and school has begun! Is it just me, or does summer seem to go by faster when you get older?  It just flew right past me and here I am, at my computer, back to work.

I think I’m mostly shocked because all those projects I told myself I would tackle this summer did not happen, and as productive as I’d hoped to be, I kind of just let go! I was supposed to organize all my photos, go through my emails, file paperwork, start running again, drink more water… but I suppose that what New Years Resolutions are for, and we start early here!

Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, is just a few short weeks away, which means we are approaching a pretty busy holiday season. The Jewish New Year is followed by Yom Kippur, and then shortly after by Succot, which is a foodfest of epic proportions! There are lots of festive holiday meals, and meal planning is essential to make it through.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – I’m not a big planner when it comes to holiday prep, but the High Holidays are an exception. I usually make a double batch of my honey challah, a few loaves of honey cake, mini pumpkin pies for a crowd and Levana’s chocolate mousse to stock the freezer. It’s really the only way because there are simply so many meals and no time to cook them all!

So I’m here with a great dessert hack that will take you little time but wow your guests nonetheless. It involves a cheat in the form of Duncan Hines brownie mix, and even though I’m not usually one to use a prepared cake mix, I have to admit that their brownies really take the cake – pun intended! Even my mom admitted to me recently that she is never making her own brownies again because they’ve really nailed the perfect brownie.

Of course adding your own toppings changes everything and makes it your own. My favorite combo are the tahini swirled brownies (above), which I serve topped with vanilla ice cream, raw tahini, silan and a sprinkle of shredded halva. My guests can never get enough of it!

My kids are partial to my smores brownies, so I usually make make two pans, but when I saw this brownie pan with dividers,on Amazon, I realized I could do a bunch of toppings at once! It was just a fun project and my kids loved trying all the different flavors.

Of course, since we have a peanut allergy at home, I kept all these toppings nut free, but feel free to experiment however you’d like. Peanut butter swirled brownies would be epic too!

Lets bring on the holiday prep!

Related Recipes:

Mexican hot chocolate brownies
black bean brownies

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Mexican Hot Chocolate Brownies

This may come as a surprise to some of you, but when it comes to throwing a party, I’m usually a last minute kind of person. And you know why? Because when I first think about all the food I have to make, all the people I have to invite, and all the cleaning up I’ll have to do, I just figure it’s not worth all the work. But then I start to feel guilty. And slowly but surely that Jewish guilt just ebbs its way in and at the last minute I scramble for menu ideas, put together a guest list and a couple of hours later we’re all having a good time.

I can usually put together a party menu in a jiffy but when it comes to baked goods, I’m all too guilty of passing up Duncan Hines as my own. I’m never one for store-bought mixes, and all those other one-bowl cake concoctions are not up my alley. But Duncan Hines brownies are the exception. And we all know I’m not the only one! How many more of you out there have thrown in a batch of Duncan Hines brownies at the last second and then took the credit when your guests couldn’t get enough. They’re just THAT good.

Well let me tell you something, dear readers. They can be even better! Adding some cinnamon and nibby dark chocolate gives the brownies a serious Mexican hot chocolate taste that is so decadent and dreamy. Adding the extra ingredients won’t even make you feel guilty about passing them off as your own!

So, if you’re last minute with your New Year’s Eve party (as I am in posting this recipe!), then give these brownies a try. And if you don’t want to say you made them, just say they’re BIB’S recipe!


1 year ago: fire roasted tomato rice stoup
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Peanut Butter Fudge Ice Cream Pie

Dont forget to enter our Ella’s Kitchen Giveway to win an assortment of gourmet baby food pouches! See this post for more info.

I almost dont want to give this recipe away, it’s that easy! Whenever I serve it for dessert, my guests always seem to think I’ve patchked for hours making gourmet fudge. But the secret is out. This “fake-it-gourmet” ice cream pie is as easy as, well, pie :) If you like peanut butter, you’re in for a real treat!

Since the fudge topping is super rich, I like to use Double Rainbow Vanilla Bean Ice Cream as the filling. I’ve also used their cookie dough ice cream, as well as others. I find that simple vanilla is the best way to go, but if you really want to indulge, you can also use chocolate. To really up the ante on this recipe, use dairy ice cream, but if you are serving it after a fleishig meal, I recommend So Delicious or Double Rainbow ice creams.

I use chopped viennese crunch for this recipe, but feel free to use any topping you’d like. Sprinkles, toasted coconut, chocolate or peanut butter chips and nut crunch or brittle are all good choices.

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Quick & Easy Individual Trifles


I love the look of trifles. All the neat layers and colors are a feast for the eyes. I’ve made salads, as well as desserts, in trifle bowls. The thing about it is, although it looks pretty, it’s just not that practical. When serving salads, it becomes impossible to mix, and all the vegetables start to fall over the sides. Desserts are simple enough to serve, but once you start spooning out portions, it looks less than appealing on the plate. My solution? Individual trifle bowls. I found them a few years ago at Crate and Barrel, but you can easily use margarita glasses, glass cups, or any see-through dish. You can even buy those plastic margarita glasses as an inexpensive substitute for the real thing.

There are no rules to making trifles. You can use your creativity to flavor the toppings and add exotic fruits. Brownies, chocolate cake and vanilla sponge cake are good starting points. Personally, I always fall back on the simple and classic sponge cake-vanilla pudding-whip cream-strawberry trifle.

The basic recipe for a trifle includes (in said order):

1. cake (sponge cake works well because it’s dry and can soak up the juices)
2. syrup or liquor (optional)
3. custard or pudding
4. fruit or pie filling
5. whip topping (you can flavor it with coffee, or chocolate if you’d like)
6. chopped candy bars, toasted coconut, chocolate shavings, etc. for garnish
(if you have room, repeat the layers)

A few weeks ago, I had an entire leftover French Coffee Sponge Cake (similar to a marble sponge cake but with coffee instead of chocolate) that wasn’t touched. Instead of throwing it away, I decided to whip up some mini trifles, along with a quiet game night, for just my husband and I. It took about two minutes to put together (I used ready-made pudding and the air-canister of whip topping) but it tasted like a decadent dessert.

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