quick and easy desserts

[chrysalyde]

Hello,
I'm looking for quick and easy desserts. A wise WTMer suggested to me to simplify my life as much as possible with toddlers, but my husband also enjoys having "real" desserts (he says fruit and yogurt aren't desserts, just healthy foods !). So I'm looking for some super quick delicious recipes, which take less than 10min to prepare (cooking can take longer of course).

PS I can't find instant dessert mixes like jello pudding, etc. in my part of the world, but I'm sure none of you WTMers use those chemical and artificial American specialties ! 

[ShabbyChic]

Okay here it is.  I don't make it often, but it's our "Oh my goodness folks are coming over for dinner in 20 minutes what are we going to make?!" dessert.  I also make it for our friends who aren't really going to be excited about the healthy dinner I'm about to serve them... 

Roll out a sheet of puff pastry or biscuit dough to 1/4" thick.  Not phyllo dough.  I've not found whole grain puff pastry, but I have found whole grain biscuit dough.  If you use a sheet of pastry, cut it into 9 squares (picture a tic tac toe board).

Place some fruit on it.  Canned peaches in peach/apple juice (not syrup) is always on hand here, as well as some other fruits I've put up.  Anything will do.  Sliced apples or pears from the fridge, frozen berries, get creative!  I love to open some peaches and let them marinade in their own juice with frozen cranberries while I'm making the rest of dinner.  The berries get infused with the juices and the tart berries make the peaches taste sweeter IMO.

Sprinkle some cinnamon on top of the fruit (and a little sugar if you think it's necessary; I don't).

Pinch the sides up around the fruit.

Brush it with some melted butter.

Bake at 350 for around 10 minutes or until golden brown.  It's like a mini cobbler.  Very very easy.

[RunAmokFarm]

Ooooh, SC, that sounds wonderful!!  So, with the biscuit dough, you just make it up like you would regular biscuits, but then roll it to 1/4 thickness?!  You don't add anything else to it?

I think I am going to try it tonight!   

QUICK STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE:  When I am in a hurry, I make our strawberry shortcake with biscuit dough, but add a wee bit of blond sugar (the larger granules) to the dough to make it a bit more like dessert.  I scoop larger spoonfulls and then roll them in my hand so they look rounded and not as lumpy as drop biscuits...  <grin>  Takes about 5-6 minutes to have them in the oven.

While the biscuits are cooking, I mash up either cold fresh berries, or semi-frozen ones, leaving larger chunks, because we like the bigger pieces of fruit...  Because I slightly sweetened the biscuits, I don't add sugar to the berries.

Using heavy cream with a smidge of regular milk splashed in (so it doesn't get quite as thick), I whip up some whipped cream, adding vanilla generously and just a teensy bit of blond sugar...

As soon as the biscuits are done, it can be served... though you can wait 'till they cool too!  <ha>  We like the hot biscuits and cold strawberries/whipped cream...

YUM!
J 

[chrysalyde]

Roll out a sheet of puff pastry or biscuit dough to 1/4" thick.  Not phyllo dough.  I've not found whole grain puff pastry, but I have found whole grain biscuit dough.  If you use a sheet of pastry, cut it into 9 squares (picture a tic tac toe board).



Bake at 350 for around 10 minutes or until golden brown.  It's like a mini cobbler.  Very very easy.

Is it like a pie ? I thought it looked like a pie, but then you mention a mini cobbler and I thought (with my limited American knowledge  ) that the crust is on top of the fruit in a cobbler ? Does is make individual servings or one big dessert that you cut up ? (since you say to cut up the sheet of pastry in 9 squares) I'm sorry, I just don't really picture what it is supposed to look like. Probably because I'm not sure if you are talking about something (the pastry part) that you find pre-made in stores, or if it is something you make yourself.

[chrysalyde]

Oups, sorry HB, I just saw there is a dessert section in Nutrition and Food, but I don't know how to move the thread.

I did find it weird that "recipes" was in "natural beauty", but now I get it !

[mommyjen]

Quick Fudge Brownies
1/2 cup +2 T. butter
6 T. unsweetened cooca powder
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup chopped nuts

~Grease 8x8 pan and preheat oven to 350 degrees.

~In saucepan melt butter over low heat.  Remove from heat.  Stir in cocoa powder, eggs, sugar, and vanilla.  Using a wooden spoon, beat lightly just till combined. Stir in flour and nuts.

~Spread batted in pan and bake for 30 minutes.  Cool on a wire rack.

Tips: Do not overbake these.  They are supposed to be fudgey not cakey. You can just sprinkle nuts on half of the batter instead of mixing them in.  Pleases those who do and don't like them.

Jenny

[mommyjen]

Haven't tried this, but it looks good! From, Eat Fat Lose Fat.

Easy Coconut Pudding
2 cans whole coconut milk
2 cups freeze dired coconut

Stir together and refrigerate overnight.  Pudding will be ready in the morning.

and

Coconut Pie Crust
2 cups desiccated coconut
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup melted butter or coconut oil

Preheat oven to 300.

Mix ingredients and press firmly and evenly into a buttered and floured 9-inch pie pan.

Bake for 30 minutes, or until crust is a dark golden color.  Allow to cool to room temperature.

Maybe you could put the pudding in the crust and chill it?  Or pudding for the pie filling like banana, coconut, choholate?  Pudding is very easy to make. I want to try this!

Jenny

[mexmarr]

Another idea is cookies. Always keep dough on hand.  When you make the dough, roll it into balls and freeze.  Once frozen, you can throw them in a ziplock bag, and when you want fresh baked cookies, just pull out however many you want and bake.  No need to defrost, simply allow a few extra minutes for baking.

This way you can do the work when you have extra time, and eat them with little warning.  They can cook while you are eating, and they are fresh baked every time.

Warning!    You will probably be tempted to eat them more often than you would normally eat cookies, because it is so conventient!  

[hsink]

What a great idea...I am always bending my spoons trying to scoop frozen cookie dough.....have to remember this one!!!

[mommyjen]

Another idea is cookies. Always keep dough on hand.  When you make the dough, roll it into balls and freeze.  Once frozen, you can throw them in a ziplock bag, and when you want fresh baked cookies, just pull out however many you want and bake.  No need to defrost, simply allow a few extra minutes for baking.

This way you can do the work when you have extra time, and eat them with little warning.  They can cook while you are eating, and they are fresh baked every time.

Warning!    You will probably be tempted to eat them more often than you would normally eat cookies, because it is so conventient! 

[/b]

That is exactly why I don't do this anymore!

[Julia]

I always save the last few brownies or cookies and put them in the freezer - then you can pull them all out and make a pretty tray with a nice variety of desserts on it. And a frozen brownie isn't as tempting as a warm cookie fresh out of the oven!

[westernmama]

Here is my husband and sons' favorite dessert!!  Enjoy.

Delight (any fruit)

1 pkg. crushed graham crackers
1 cube butter, melted
Mix and pat in 9 x 13.

8 oz. cream cheese
3/4 c. sugar
8 oz. tub Cool Whip
Mix and pour over crumbs.

1 1/2 - 2 quarts of fruit pie filling (peach, blueberry, cherry, etc.)
Pour on top and refrigerate until serving.

[Julia]

You could always have ice cream and put different toppings on for variety.

Fruit crisp is pretty fast.

You could make some pie crusts ahead of time, and then throw in fruit or pudding or nuts and bake. Here's one of my old unhealthy recipes - melt a giant chocolate bar - I think they are 7 ounces - and add half a tub of Cool Whip - (I cringe to write that. I think if you added cream it would be okay). That will make a chocolate pie filling and then top with the rest of the *gag**gag* Cool Whip. Okay never mind. I can't stand to reccomend Cool Whip even if it's for a quick dessert. I think that if someone makes this pie they should whip some actual cream and fold half into the chocolate and put the other half on top. It won't take that much longer and will taste delightful.

You could probably mix up the dry ingredients for cake or cookies ahead of time and throw them together at the last minute like a store-bought cake mix but without all the mystery ingredients.

[cjanderin]

Chocolate Self-Saucing Pudding
It's easy to make and the more you make it the faster it gets.  It does take 35mins to bake in the oven but there is a microwave version that is much faster - not quite sure how the ingredients are different so you may have to experiment.
If you like it then premake the dry ingredients and have them ready for when you feel like dessert.

100g butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 1/4 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp cocoa
2 cups boiling water

SAUCE
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp cornflour
1/4 cup cocoa

Beat butter, sugar, egg and vanilla together.  Sift flour, baking powder, cocoa together.  Fold into mixture.  Spoon mixture into ovenproof dish.  Sprinkle sauce mixture over.  Carefully pour boiling water over the back of a spoon onto the pudding.  Bake at 180Celcius for 35mins or until pudding springs back when lightly touched.
Serves 6.

[cjanderin]

Apricot Marshmallow

can of apricot halves
2 tsp gelatine
1/4 cup water
2 egg whites
3 tbsp sugar

Drain apricots.  Puree and set aside.  Combine gelatine and water and leave to swell for 10mins.  Dissolve over hot water and keep warm.  Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form.  Gradually pour in gelatine, beating until very thick.  Add sugar, 1 tbsp at a time, beating well until sugar dissolves.  Fold in apricot puree.  Pour into individual serving dishes and chill until set.

Banana Marshmallow - omit apricots and replace with mashed banana.

[SarahK]

This is my favorite quick dessert standby:

Bucket of Ice cream and Hardening chocolate topping.

[healthyinOhio]

A quick dessert for your toddler would be a frozen banana.  My daughter loves these plain.

Peanut Butter Satin

1/2 Cup Peanut Butter
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup honey
1 tsp. Vanilla
3 eggs

Cream peanut butter, butter, honey, and vanilla in a mixer bowl.  Add eggs 1 at a time, beating at high speed for at least 5 min. after each addition.  Serve in expensive French parfait glasses(HA HA) or use for filling in tortes.  Optional to sprinkle with chocolate shavings, or berries.


French South African Baked Bananas

6 bananas
1 cup crushed peanuts
1/2 cup orange marmalade
1/3 cup melted butter

Preheat oven to 350

Roll bananas in nuts.  Mix marmalade and butter and pour over bananas and bake for 15 min.  Serve with ice cream(optional)

[Nickole]

We have dessert every Friday night, and this week I made basically an eggnog recipe from Mercola's site.  It was really easy, and even though it is good just as the recipe instructs, we added a little honey.  It even makes a froth on top.  It is very simple and the kids loved it.  Plus, raw eggs and milk are so healthy!

http://v.mercola.com/blogs/public_blog/A-Novel-Way-to-Consume-Raw-Eggs-12367.aspx

[herbs girl]

Quick pudding dessert:

Mix

I 8 oz Cool Whip
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 can cherry (or other fruit) pie filling

Mix well.  Kids love this, usually. It is a "fluffy" pudding!!

[mommyjen]

Haven't tried this, but it looks good! From, Eat Fat Lose Fat.

Easy Coconut Pudding
2 cans whole coconut milk
2 cups freeze dired coconut

Stir together and refrigerate overnight.  Pudding will be ready in the morning.

and

Coconut Pie Crust
2 cups desiccated coconut
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup melted butter or coconut oil

Preheat oven to 300.

Mix ingredients and press firmly and evenly into a buttered and floured 9-inch pie pan.

Bake for 30 minutes, or until crust is a dark golden color.  Allow to cool to room temperature.

Maybe you could put the pudding in the crust and chill it?  Or pudding for the pie filling like banana, coconut, choholate?  Pudding is very easy to make. I want to try this!

Jenny

I tried the easy coconut pudding and it is really good!  I added a little maple syrup too.  Next time I think I will add less dried coconut, as I think it would make it more pudding like.

*edited to add that I misread the recipe to read 2 cup coconut milk instead of 2 cans.  No wonder it was too thick

[chrysalyde]

Thanks for all those good ideas ! Too bad I can't find Cool Wip here... or maybe not so bad after all ! 

Here's an easy dessert which I don't know if Americans do or not.

Take as many apples as you want servings. Core them but leave them whole and keep the skin on them. Fill the hole with either a sugar-cinnamon-butter mixture or a butter-apricot jam and bake in a hot oven for 45min or so. Each person gets one apple of course. It is so healthy, and the caramelized sugar or jam makes the skin so crunchy and chewy, while the pulp of the apple is soft and melting. Bon appétit !

[Whiterock]

Thanks for all those good ideas ! Too bad I can't find Cool Wip here... or maybe not so bad after all ! 

HOMEMADE COOL WHIP

My mom came across this somewhere.  Sorry I can't quote from which book..it's from my mom!
It is whipped cream that will stay stable for recipes, etc w/o all the nasty cool whip additives 

2 cups whipping cream
1 tsp. unflavored gelatin dissolved in 2 T. cold water.

Whip cream until barely getting stiff.  Add gelatin to cream beating at same time.

We have found to add to salads, etc it is good that way. To serve as a topping for pie, etc we like to add a little vanilla flavor and sweetner.  I'm sure you could make it to your taste.  Hope you enjoy.

[homesteadmommy]

Desserts are not my forte as I prefer to do the main course but I one quick dessert I love to make is fruit crisp.  I keep my crumbs in tupperware containers in the freezer and I can pie filling in the summer so when I need to to make a crisp it is quite literally as simple as pie.  When I canned my blueberry pie filling last summer I used unsweetened white apple and grape frozen juice concentrate for my liquid base and did not add any sugar. It was so easy and I canned lots of blueberry filling. We also use the blueberry filling over our waffles.

[JoyInHim]

We do this too.  For $7 I bought a one ounce scoop - used only for cookies.  It is great because they are always uniform size, and bake quickly.  Freeze the balls on a cookie sheet (10 min.) then bag to store in the freezer for future use.

Another idea is cookies. Always keep dough on hand.  When you make the dough, roll it into balls and freeze.  Once frozen, you can throw them in a ziplock bag, and when you want fresh baked cookies, just pull out however many you want and bake.  No need to defrost, simply allow a few extra minutes for baking.

This way you can do the work when you have extra time, and eat them with little warning.  They can cook while you are eating, and they are fresh baked every time.

Warning!    You will probably be tempted to eat them more often than you would normally eat cookies, because it is so conventient! 

[JoyInHim]

Instant S'Mores

Line a cookie sheet with graham crackers (cut in half), and place marshmallows on each.  Under the broiler (or hot oven), bake a minute or two until lightly brown and puffy.

Place a chocolate square and graham cracker half on each, and serve.


The other day I made instant smores for 25, in less than 6 minutes!

[herbs girl]

Thanks for all those good ideas ! Too bad I can't find Cool Wip here... or maybe not so bad after all ! 

HOMEMADE COOL WHIP

My mom came across this somewhere.  Sorry I can't quote from which book..it's from my mom!
It is whipped cream that will stay stable for recipes, etc w/o all the nasty cool whip additives 

2 cups whipping cream
1 tsp. unflavored gelatin dissolved in 2 T. cold water.

Whip cream until barely getting stiff.  Add gelatin to cream beating at same time.

We have found to add to salads, etc it is good that way. To serve as a topping for pie, etc we like to add a little vanilla flavor and sweetner.  I'm sure you could make it to your taste.  Hope you enjoy.

Heres another cool whip recipe...


Cool Whip 

equal to one 8 oz tub

2/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp  cream of tarter
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg white
1/4 cup boiling water


Put all ingredients in mixer in order given EXCEPT water. Beat for a couple minutes and then add water all at once while mixing.  Beat for 5 minutes.

I tried this a couple times.  I wonder if the unflavored gelatin would be a good stabalizer for this recipe too like the one above?

[herbalmom]

Thanks for all those good ideas ! Too bad I can't find Cool Wip here... or maybe not so bad after all ! 

HOMEMADE COOL WHIP

My mom came across this somewhere.  Sorry I can't quote from which book..it's from my mom!
It is whipped cream that will stay stable for recipes, etc w/o all the nasty cool whip additives 

2 cups whipping cream
1 tsp. unflavored gelatin dissolved in 2 T. cold water.

Whip cream until barely getting stiff.  Add gelatin to cream beating at same time.

We have found to add to salads, etc it is good that way. To serve as a topping for pie, etc we like to add a little vanilla flavor and sweetner.  I'm sure you could make it to your taste.  Hope you enjoy.

Heres another cool whip recipe...


Cool Whip 

equal to one 8 oz tub

2/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp  cream of tarter
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg white
1/4 cup boiling water


Put all ingredients in mixer in order given EXCEPT water. Beat for a couple minutes and then add water all at once while mixing.  Beat for 5 minutes.

I tried this a couple times.  I wonder if the unflavored gelatin would be a good stabalizer for this recipe too like the one above?

Thank you. This is one of a few whipped topping recipes I have ever seen that doesn't use some kind of dairy. I think softening unflavored gelatin in the water before boiling it would work well. At least it's an inexpensive recipe if it doesn't work.

Does anybody have any ideas for something to use instead of sugar? My kids can't have dairy or sugar. Thanks. Blessings ~herbalmom 

[herbs girl]

Why couldn't you use stevia? for the sugar in the Cool whip recipe? I might try it, I just ordered stevia.  I do think the Cool whip recipe that I posted could use a stabalizer like the unflavored gelatin too.

Guess Ill have to do some trial and error!!

[hedy]

My friend Harmony's Quick Fruit Turnovers

Spoon cherry or apple pie filling into flour tortillas. Fold like a burrito and fry in oil until golden brown, turning once. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Serve warm!

[mnbforever]

Chocolate- covered RITZ


1  tub  (7 oz.)  BAKER'S Real Dark Semi-Sweet Dipping Chocolate
18 RITZ Crackers

MELT chocolate as directed on package. Use fork to dip 1 of the crackers into chocolate, turning to evenly coat cracker with chocolate. Gently shake cracker over dip container to remove excess chocolate.
PLACE on wax paper-covered baking sheet. Repeat with remaining crackers and chocolate.
REFRIGERATE 30 min. or until chocolate is set. Place in airtight container with sheet of wax paper between each layer. Refrigerate up to 1 week.