Fruit Tart with Pastry Cream

Creamy, fruity, and fresh, Fruit Tart with Pastry Cream is fruit pie’s elegant cousin! A crisp shell, dreamy filling, and colorful produce make for a beautiful addition to your dessert table. Plus, it is easily adapted to be dairy-free!

The fruit makes it pretty, but I’m in it for the pastry cream.

Crème Pâtissière

If you are a Great British Baking Show devotee like I am, you already know what creme pat, or pastry cream, is all about. But even if you are a fan, have you had pastry cream? Friend, it is the stuff of dreams.

Pastry cream is one of many variations of custard. Traditionally, a custard is made of milk and eggs. For savory dishes like quiche, the custard is plain. But for desserts, sugar and vanilla are added.

Sweet custard versions include eggs, milk, sugar, and vanilla but vary in flavor and consistency. Some popular ones include

• crème anglaise: thin and pourable like a sauce
• crème diplomate: thickened with flour or cornstarch and whipped cream
• crème mousseline: thickened with flour or cornstarch and additional butter
• crème pâtissière: thickened with flour or cornstarch and used as a filling

Many of the desserts we know and love have custard at the heart of them. Things like crème brûlée, filled eclairs, flan, ice cream, pudding, and English trifle all involve some type of custard.

In this fruit tart, the creme pat is the plush filling on which the fresh fruit rests. The combination of crisp tart crust, rich pastry cream, and refreshing fruit is just about perfect. It's so delicious!

Looking for a cake-y version of this? I got you! Try Fruit Dome Cake.

Lessons Learned

• Make your life easier by dividing the work into multiple days. Prepare the tart shell and the pastry cream a day ahead. Leave assembly for the day you are going to serve the tart.
• To make the crust and the pastry cream dairy-free, you know what to do. Replace the butter with margarine or vegan butter.
• If you are serving this at a big family dinner or holiday meal, allow the artistic moody teenager or that person who *always* wants to help assemble this for you, preferably out of your way. Have the tart, pastry cream, and fruit ready for them and let them be your kitchen serf.

Hat Tips

Many thanks to House of Nash Eats for the French fruit tart recipe and to Smitten Kitchen for the tart crust recipe.

Fruit Tart with Pastry Cream

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• Author: Betty
• Prep Time: 40 minutes
• Chill Time: 3 hours or overnight
• Cook Time: 50 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes plus chilling

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

Crust:

• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• ¼ tsp salt
• ⅓ cup powdered sugar
• 9 Tbsp butter, cut into pieces
• 1 egg

Pastry Cream:

• 1 can (13.5 oz) full-fat coconut milk
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 3 Tbsp cornstarch
• ¼ tsp salt
• 5 egg yolks
• 4 Tbsp butter, cut into small pieces
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Fruit Topping:

• Blackberries
• Grapes, cut in half
• Kiwi, peeled and sliced
• Mango, peeled and sliced
• Strawberries, sliced

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Instructions

1. Make the dough for the crust by stirring together the flour, salt, and powdered sugar. Cut in the butter pieces using a food processor, pastry cutter, two knives, or rub in with your fingers. The butter should be the size of peas. Beat the egg and pour it in, a little at a time, stirring it together with the flour mixture. Mix until the dough starts to clump together. Lightly knead the dough to make sure there are no dry areas of dough. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.
2. Roll out the chilled dough on a lightly floured flat surface until it is 11 or 12 inches in diameter. Carefully place it in a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Trim the excess dough so that it hangs over by ½ inch. Fold the excess dough inward along the sides so that the sides are double thickness. Dock the dough all over with a fork. Place it in the freezer for 30 minutes before baking. Alternatively, place it in the fridge overnight.
3. Blind bake the crust by heating the oven to 350F/177C. Move the oven rack to the center position. Line the crust with foil or parchment paper. Place pie weights or dried beans in a single layer on the foil to prevent the dough from puffing up. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and the pie weights. Return the crust to the oven for another 10-ish minutes or until it is golden brown. Remove and let cool before filling.
4. Make the pastry cream by pouring the coconut milk and ¼ cup of the sugar into a medium saucepan and bringing it to a simmer over medium-high heat. Stir together the remaining ¼ cup sugar, cornstarch, salt, and egg yolks in a medium bowl until combined.
5. Once the milk is simmering, take 1 cup of the hot milk and slowly pour it into the bowl with the egg mixture whisking constantly. This will temper the eggs and prevent them from curdling. Now you can pour the egg mixture into the saucepan and turn down the heat to medium. Whisk constantly as the mixture heats up and thickens. Allow to cook until you see a few lazy bubbles rise to the surface.
6. Remove the pan from the heat. Throw in a few butter pieces and whisk until they melt. Add the rest of the butter and the vanilla and whisk together until the butter is melted. Transfer to a clean bowl and place plastic wrap directly on top of the pastry cream so that a thin skin does not form as it cools. Place it in the fridge and allow to chill for 3 hours or overnight.
7. Assemble the tart by spreading the cold pastry cream into the tart shell. Arrange the fruit pieces in a decorative pattern. Or not.

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Grapefruit, Lime, and Tequila Pie

It’s so light, tangy, and refreshing! Grapefruit, Lime, and Tequila Pie is a creamy dessert that combines citrus juice and zest with the most popular spirit of Mexico.

If you think this sounds like a cocktail, you’re right.

Paloma Cocktail

The Paloma is a tequila-based cocktail that is easy to make and easy to drink. It only has a handful of ingredients. One of those is a grapefruit soda such as Fever Tree, Fresca, Jarritos, or Squirt.

Tequila + grapefruit soda + lime juice = a delicious, fizzy, and refreshing drinkie!

Does this sound like another drink called the Salty Dog? Well, you certainly know your grapefruit cocktails. Yes, swap out the tequila for vodka and you’ve got yourself a Salty Dog.

Like many things in life, the Paloma has a murky past. It most definitely has its origins in Mexico from one of the areas that produce tequila: Jalisco and parts of Guanajuato, Tamaulipas, Nayarit, and Michoacán. The drink most likely was born during the mid-1950s when grapefruit soda became a popular mixer for tequila.

It is one of my favorite cocktails because it is uncomplicated and delicious!

All the flavors of the Paloma cocktail are poured into this pie. Are you puzzled as to how this works? I will explain.

Fruit Curd

Fruit curd is well-known and popular with scone eaters like myself. But for the rest of you, fruit curds are a sweet topping made from juice, zest, egg yolks, sugar, and butter. The ingredients are cooked at low heat until the mixture thickens, then placed in the fridge to cool and thicken further.

The most popular fruit curd is lemon curd. It is delicious on scones, of course, but it also forms the base of lemon meringue pie and other desserts. Curd is also made from other fruits like berries, mango, and passion fruit. I especially like it made from citrus fruits such as lime, orange, and grapefruit.

In this pie, grapefruit curd contains both grapefruit and lime juices and zest. Plus tequila!

Lessons Learned

• Don’t be afraid of the saltine cracker crust. Think of it like the salted rim on a cocktail: essential.
• Be careful not to burn your curd. Medium heat and constant whisking will help prevent anything from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
• If you are on high blood pressure medicine or calcium channel blockers, this might not be the pie for you. Grapefruit juice can interact with those medicines, so please check with your doctor.

Hat Tips

Many thanks to Baking a Moment for the Paloma pie recipe inspiration and to The View from Great Island for the grapefruit gingersnap pie recipe and detailed curd-making instructions.

Grapefruit, Lime, and Tequila Pie

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• Author: Betty
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Chill Time: 4 hours or overnight
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Total Time: 50 minutes plus chilling

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

Crust:

• 60 saltine crackers (2 cups crushed)
• 3 Tbsp granulated sugar
• ½ cup butter, melted

Filling:

• 1 ½ cup granulated sugar
• ¼ cup cornstarch
• ¼ tsp kosher salt
• 4 large egg yolks
• 1 ¾ cup ruby red grapefruit juice
• ¼ cup tequila
• ½ Tbsp grapefruit zest
• ½ Tbsp lime zest
• 6 Tbsp butter, cut into small pieces

Whipped Cream:

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 3 Tbsp powdered sugar

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Triple Flavor Slab Pie

I won’t mince words. Triple Flavor Slab Pie is a lot of work. You are essentially making three pies at the same time.

But the result is spectacular and so worth it!

Basically, it is a slab pie divided into sections: apple, pecan, and pumpkin.

Slab Pies

A slab pie is a pie baked on a sheet pan. Technically it is baked on a half-sheet pan, one that measures 13 x 18 inches. Flat, rimmed, and constructed of heavy gauge aluminum or sheet steel, sheet pans are great for easy weeknight dinners like this one and even a holiday dinner.

But! A pie baked on a sheet pan? Really?

Yes. Similar to sheet cakes, slab pies are perfect for when you have a carload of people coming over for dinner, a church potluck, or an office holiday party. They feed a crowd.

A traditional 9-inch pie contains between 8 and 12 slices (there is always that person who wants “just a sliver”). Slab pies, however, yield anywhere from 24 to 30 pieces depending on how you cut them.

Tips for Baking Slab Pies

There are a few musts when putting together a big pie like this one.

• Make your crust. I recommend you make your pie dough because it tastes so much better than store-bought. But, if you have crust issues, I understand. If using packaged pie dough, you will need two boxes and will be using three of the four doughs.
• Blind bake the crust before filling it. You certainly don’t want a soggy bottom after all your hard work. Prebake the crust for 15 to 20 minutes, let cool, then fill.
• Making a multi-flavor slab pie like this one? Choose fillings that have a similar bake time.
• Partially cook fruit fillings. Certain fruits release a lot of juice when baked, resulting in a watery filling. Precook the fruit part way to avoid too much liquid.
• Line your oven with foil. Because these pies are shallower than a normal pie, there may be some spillage and overflow from fillings. Laying down aluminum foil will save you from oven clean-up later and prevent your kitchen from smelling like a tire fire.

Pie Choices

When it comes to Thanksgiving, the most popular pie flavor varies depending on where in the nation you live. For those in the western U.S., pumpkin is definitely the fave. But as you travel east, the preference changes from pumpkin to pecan, and then to apple.

My family enjoys all three pies, any time of the year. I sneak in a rogue flavor every once in a while, but normally I stick to the big three for holidays that are heavy on tradition. The great thing about this triple-flavor slab pie? You get all three flavors in one giant pie!

Lessons Learned

• Planning ahead is key for success! Components of this pie can be made in advance. I recommend preparing the pie dough and apple filling a day ahead.
• Are you tempted to skip sauteeing the apples? It will save a step, but you will regret it once the apples release their juices and run into the other flavors. But you are an adult, so do what you want.
• If lattice is not your thing, keep the dough for the top of the apple pie in one piece. Remember to cut steam vents in the top before baking.

Hat Tips

Many thanks to Macheesmo for the Thanksgiving tri-pie inspiration, Pioneer Woman for the pecan pie filling recipe, NYT Cooking for the apple pie filling recipe, and Libby’s for their famous pumpkin pie recipe.

Triple Flavor Slab Pie

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• Author: Betty
• Prep Time: 2 hours
• Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
• Total Time: 3 hours 30 minutes
• Yield: 24 to 30 slices 1x

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

Dough:

• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 ½ cups butter, frozen
• ½ cup water
• ½ cup vodka

Apple Filling:

• 6 cups Golden Delicious apples, peeled and sliced
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 2 Tbsp butter
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• ¾ tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp cornstarch

Pecan Filling:

• ⅓ cup butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• ⅓ cup light corn syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ½ tsp kosher salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 ½ cups pecans, coarsely chopped

Pumpkin Filling:

• 1 can (15 oz) pumpkin puree
• 2 eggs
• ¾ cup brown sugar, packed
• 1 Tbsp cornstarch
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground ginger
• ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 cup milk (any kind)

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Instructions

1. Make the dough by stirring the flour and salt together in a large bowl. Using a box grater, grate the frozen butter directly into the flour. Toss to coat the shredded butter with the flour. Tip in the water and vodka and stir to hydrate the dough. Use your hand to lightly knead and help the dough come together.
2. Pinch off ⅔ cup of dough and set it aside. Roll out the remaining dough on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle to fit an 18x13 rimmed sheet pan. Trim to fit the pan. Save trimmings and add to reserved dough.
3. Roll out reserved dough to ¼-inch thickness. Cut two strips approximately 13 inches by 1 inch to use as dividers. Cut the remaining dough into 1-inch strips to use as a lattice for the apple pie. You can also just leave the dough as is if you don’t want to do a lattice.
4. Preheat the oven to 425F/218C. Place the rack in the middle position.
5. Place the divider strips in the sheet pan to make three equal-sized sections and press into place. Cover each section with parchment paper and fill each with pie weights or dried beans. Be sure the beans are one layer and evenly distributed to keep the dough from puffing up, especially in the area next to the two dividers.
6. Bake for 15 minutes, then remove from the oven. Remove the beans and parchment paper, then put the pie back in the oven for another 5 to 7 minutes. Set the crust aside to cool, then lower the oven temperature to 350F/176C.
7. Make the apple filling by tossing together the apples and lemon juice. Pour into a large pan over medium heat and sauté for 5-ish minutes. Sprinkle the sugar, salt, and cinnamon over the apples and stir to combine. Sprinkle on the flour and cornstarch and stir. Continue to cook on medium heat until the apples are soft and a loose glaze has formed. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Once the filling is cool, carefully spoon it into one of the crust sections. Arrange the reserved dough strips on top to make a lattice pattern.
8. Make the pecan filling by melting the butter in a microwave-safe bowl. Tip in the brown sugar, corn syrup, vanilla, and salt then stir together. Add in the eggs and whisk until smooth. Scatter the pecans onto one of the crust sections in an even layer. Slowly pour the liquid filling over the pecans until it almost reaches the edge. You may have a few tablespoons of filling left over.
9. Make the pumpkin filling by combining the pumpkin, eggs, brown sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg in a bowl. Stir until smooth, then slowly whisk in the milk. Pour the filling into one of the crust sections until it almost reaches the edge. Again, you may have a few tablespoons of filling left.
10. Carefully move the sheet pan to the oven. It will be heavy! Bake at 350F/176C for 50 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 3 hours or more before slicing and serving.
11. There are a few ways to slice the slab. I chose to cut triangular pieces in each section and got between 8 and 10 slices per flavor. The sections could also be cut into squares or rectangles.

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Easy Rocky Road Candy

Sweet, nutty, chewy, and only four ingredients! Easy Rocky Road Candy comes together fast and satisfies any sweet tooth. It’s not just an ice cream flavor.

Versions of Rocky Road

How many of you thought Rocky Road existed only in ice cream form? Yes, me too. But, friends, we is wrong.

Rocky Road is a chocolate candy that includes different ingredients depending on who is making it. In traditional American-style Rocky Road, it is just three ingredients: chocolate, marshmallows, and walnuts (or almonds). With all the lumps and bumps on the surface, it really does look like a rocky road.

Recently, I discovered that Rocky Road exists in the UK and Australia and they each have their own very different versions. Across the Atlantic, the British include dried fruit and biscuit (cookie) pieces in theirs. And across the Pacific, the Australians tip in glacé cherries, shredded coconut, marshmallows, and peanuts.

They all sound delicious.

But for me, the chocolate marshmallow walnut trifecta of Rocky Road is nostalgic. It was one of the few ice cream flavors available at the military commissary when my brother and I were growing up. Vanilla was and still is my favorite, but Rocky Road is a close second.

This toothsome treat is nice to bring to a potluck, party, or girls' night. It disappears fast.

Lessons Learned

• Use whatever chocolate you like, dark, milk, or a combo of the two. I used Ghiradelli 60% dark.
• Don’t like walnuts? They are traditional in American-style Rocky Road candy, but other nuts would be just as delicious. Almonds, cashews, peanuts, pecans, or pistachios are all great subs.
• Whatever nut you wind up choosing, be sure to toast them first! They will taste nuttier and keep their crunch for longer.

Hat Tips

Many thanks to my mother-in-law Sue who makes a similar chocolate candy minus the marshmallows and to Recipe Tin Eats for the Rocky Road recipe inspiration.

Easy Rocky Road Candy

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• Author: Betty
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cooling Time: 2 hours or overnight
• Total Time: 15 minutes plus cooling

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 3 cups dark chocolate chips
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 3 cups mini marshmallows
• 1 cup toasted walnut pieces

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Instructions

1. Line an 8x8-inch pan with parchment paper and set aside.
2. Pour the chocolate chips and olive oil into a microwave-safe bowl. Zap it in the microwave for 30 seconds. Stir with the tip of a chopstick or skewer. Put back in the microwave for 30 more seconds and stir again. Repeat until the chocolate is just barely melted when stirred. It should be glossy and smooth.
3. Toss in the mini marshmallows and walnuts, then stir with a spatula until everything is coated. Pour into the prepared pan into an even layer.
4. Allow to cool and set until firm, 2 to 3 hours. Set the pan uncovered in the fridge to speed things up.
5. Once firm, cut into logs or bite-sized pieces.

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Basque Cheesecake Small Batch

Love cheesecake but don’t want 16 slices hanging around your kitchen tempting you at every turn? This Basque Cheesecake Small Batch version yields just six slices of dreaminess. Perfect for two, three, or four people, depending on willpower.

It’s not just any cheesecake, it’s Basque-style.

What is Basque Cheesecake

Most traditional cheesecake is a creamy white from top to bottom with a graham cracker crust. But Basque cheesecake is very dark brown on top, almost burnt in appearance. You’ve seen it, I’m sure, all over social media the past few years.

Sometimes it is called burnt cheesecake.

It is also known as San Sebastian cheesecake. This cheesecake was invented in the town of San Sebastian in Basque Country, an autonomous region in Spain. Chef Santiago Rivera has been making this unique style of cheesecake for 30 years.

Look how gorgeous this town is! It's now added to my list of places to visit.

Other than its tanned top, Basque cheesecake is different in other ways too. It is crustless, which isn’t revolutionary since crustless cheesecake, like crustless quiche, is a thing. But the puffy firm edges along with the sunken and lush middle is what makes it stand out in my mind.

It reminds me of chocolate lava cake, where the edges are firm and the middle is still runny. Now, with Basque cheesecake, the middle is NOT runny but just barely set. Instead of being uniform in texture like a traditional cheesecake, Basque cheesecake has both firm and gooey textures in one slice.

The ingredients are simple and few. You might even have them in your fridge right now, which makes this a dangerous proposition. Cream cheese, eggs, sugar, and heavy cream.

And that deep dark tan that makes it look like a Bain de Soleil model? It’s caused by a higher baking temperature. Basque cheesecake bakes at 400F/204C.

Lessons Learned

• Be sure the cream cheese is very soft and easily blendable with the other ingredients. You want the batter to be silky smooth before pouring it into the pan.
• Is it necessary to scrape the mixing bowl after the addition of the eggs and the flour? Absolutely yes. We want to avoid ingredients collecting in the divot of doom at the bottom of standing mixer bowls (IYKYK). Also, there is no day-ruiner like biting into a piece of cheesecake and finding an unmixed pocket of flour or a clonk of cream cheese.
• Ovens are so finicky. Some run hot and others not so much. The best way to judge when your cheesecake is ready is the same way a friend’s son chooses his girlfriends: the suntan and the jiggle.

Hat Tips

Many thanks to Bon Appetit and Recipe Tin Eats for their Basque cheesecake recipes and detailed instructions. And thanks to Andrea Hula Pareja on Unsplash for the San Sebastian photo.

Basque Cheesecake Small Batch

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• Author: Betty
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 50 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
• Yield: 6 servings 1x

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 16 oz cream cheese, softened
• ⅔ cup granulated sugar
• 3 medium eggs
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• ¾ tsp vanilla extract
• ½ tsp kosher salt
• 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour

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Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400F/204C and move the oven rack to the middle slot of the oven. Line a 9x5 loaf pan with parchment paper in a way so that the paper overhang can be used as a sling to lift out the cheesecake once it is done.
2. Plop the cream cheese and sugar in a mixing bowl and beat on medium speed with either the stand mixer paddle attachment or hand mixer for 2 minutes until no lumps remain and everything is smooth.
3. Add one egg and beat at medium speed until it is incorporated, then add the next egg and do the same. Repeat with the last egg. Use a silicone spatula to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to release any unmixed ingredients.
4. Tip in the cream, vanilla, and salt and mix for 1 minute to combine.
5. Shut off the mixer. Use a small fine-mesh sieve or sifter to dust the flour evenly over the batter. If you don’t have a sieve, use your fingertips to sprinkle the flour. Turn the mixer on and beat on low speed for a few seconds to incorporate the flour. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. Now, beat the batter at medium speed for 15 seconds or so. The batter should be velvety smooth and luscious looking.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake at 400F/204C for 50-ish minutes. Your bake time may vary, plus or minus five minutes. The color you are looking for is a deep, glossy brown (not black and not burnt!). The center area of the cheesecake should still be jiggly with about the same tension and wobble as a bowl of set jello.
7. Remove it from the oven and let cool on a wire rack. The cheesecake will be puffy at first but deflates and looks sunken in a matter of minutes. Allow to cool for at least one hour before slicing. Peel away the parchment and slice into 6 wedges. Cut the wedges straight across for rectangular slices or at an angle if you want triangular slices.
8. This can be made a day ahead. Cover and store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

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Best S'mores Bars with Fluffernutter

It’s always a good time for s’mores but not always a good time for a campfire (hello, Southern California wildfire season). Best S’mores Bars with Fluffernutter are baked in the oven, no open flames needed. Plus, fluffernutter!

Fluffernutter

You either grew up eating fluffernutter sandwiches or you didn’t. I didn’t and the thought of them slightly makes my teeth ache. White bread + marshmallow fluff (aka marshmallow creme) + peanut butter = cavities. Just kidding, I meant, fluffernutter sandwiches.

These sandwiches are definitely a New England throwback to the mid-twentieth century. They were a marketing tool in the 1960s for the Marshmallow Fluff brand. The marshmallow fluff and peanut butter sandwich became popular to put in brown bags and lunch boxes.

Marshmallow fluff, also called marshmallow creme, is an ingredient in homemade candy, fruit dips, fillings, and frosting. I stocked up on several jars when I stumbled upon a sale not too long ago. Snacking cake with chocolate fluff and chocolate cake with mocha whip are two things I’ve made with those blue-lidded jars.

Peanut butter combined with marshmallow fluff in any kind of dessert is going to bring retro vibes, especially to those who remember fluffernutter from their childhood. There is no denying that the sweet and salty combo is tasty. The combination makes these bars extra yummy and gooey.

You will want some more.

S’mores

Yes, the dessert really does originate from a Girl Scout publication from 1927 where it was called “Some Mores.” Tramping and Trailing with the Girl Scouts was a handbook for members that guided them in how to set up camp, organize their patrols, and cook for themselves, among other things.

In reading through the handbook (see it here online), I was impressed at what these young ladies in the 1920s cooked for their meals. Biscuits from scratch, fish chowder, meat kabobs, and squaw corn were just a few things on the trail menu lineup. I noticed a dish called Komac Stew, which when I read the recipe sounds a lot like Israeli shakshuka.

There was also a recipe for planked fish that involved gutting and prepping a fish to cook on a hardwood plank over an open fire. Wow. These teen girls knew their way around a campfire.

And yes, there was the infamous recipe for Some Mores. It consisted of a marshmallow roasted over hot coals until melty. It was then sandwiched between two graham crackers and a piece of chocolate where the heat from the roasted marshmallow softened the chocolate.

The original recipe ends with a directive: “Though it tastes like ‘some more’ one is really enough.” I think I hear the sound of the original mike drop.

Amazingly, the recipe has not changed in almost a century. Somewhere along the way, the name morphed to “s’mores.” They are now a staple dessert among campers and non-campers alike.

Lessons Learned

• Use whatever chocolate you’d like in this recipe. Dark chocolate is amazing in this. This time, I used 6 bars of the 1.55 oz size of Hershey’s milk chocolate bars because that is what my local grocery store had in stock. You want enough chocolate to fill the pan in a single layer.
• I like to use Adams No-Stir Natural Peanut Butter because it is just peanuts and salt with a little palm oil as a stabilizer (otherwise, natural peanut butter is too runny). Using PB without sugar helps keep the dessert from being sicky-sweet.
• For these bars to slice nicely, they need several hours of cooling time. So plan accordingly!

Hat Tips

Many thanks to several creative s’mores bar recipes all over the internet, but especially to Pinch of Yum and their Best S’mores Bars Recipe.

Best S'mores Bars with Fluffernutter

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• Author: Betty
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Total Time: 50 minutes
• Yield: 16 bars 1x

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• ½ cup butter, softened
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• ¼ cup packed brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• ⅓ cup crushed graham crackers (about 6 small rectangles)
• 8 to 9 oz chocolate bars or pieces
• ½ cup peanut butter
• 1 jar (7 oz) marshmallow creme

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Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350F/176C. Line an 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper and set aside. Have another parchment paper of the same size ready.
2. Make the dough by creaming together the butter, sugar, and brown sugar in a mixer. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined. Tip in the flour, baking powder, salt, and graham cracker crumbs and mix until just combined.
3. Divide the dough into two equal blobs. Press one of the blobs into the parchment-lined pan until even. Use the parchment sides as handles to lift the dough out of the pan and set aside in the fridge. This will eventually be the top layer.
4. Assemble the bars by lining the pan with the second piece of parchment and press in the second blob of dough until even.  Arrange the chocolate bars on top of the dough in a single layer. Spread on the peanut butter, then layer on the marshmallow creme. Flip the top layer of dough upside down and place it on top of the marshmallow. Peel off the parchment.
5. Bake in the pre-heated oven for 30 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
6. Ideally, allow these bars to cool for at least 4 hours at room temp before cutting into 16 neat pieces that will hold together. I know, it’s hard. Cutting these while they are still warm will cause them to be a gooey mess, but you can always eat them with a spoon if you just can’t wait. Speed up the cooling process by placing them in the fridge to cool.

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Banana Cookies with Brown Butter

Sweet with a smidge of chocolate and a touch of salt, Banana Cookies with Brown Butter are so, so good! Plus, the recipe uses up those bananas on your kitchen counter that are quickly going brown in the summer heat.

Ripe Bananas

I spy with my little eye some mottled brown fruits languishing on your countertop. I’ve got them, too. Once a greenish hue, these bananas have progressed to bright and sunny yellow to dark and broody brown.

No one wants to eat them once they get past a certain point of ripeness, at least not in my house. Why do bananas go brown? It turns out they, like certain dogs in your family, are gassy.

Bananas are picked while they are unripe and green so they can be transported to grocery stores, gas stations, and Walmart Supercenters before they get too ripe. The timing needs to be right or they start to release the ethylene gas that causes them to turn yellow. We’ve all seen it when the timing is off and a shipment of too-ripe bananas hits the store.

And when the weather is warm, more ethylene is produced and released so bananas ripen quicker.

How to Keep Bananas Fresh

So, if you’ve managed to get a nice bunch of greenish-yellow bananas what’s the best way to store them?

• Allow them to ripen on a countertop to your desired level of yellow or freckly brown. Keep them away from heat and direct sunlight as these things speed up the ripening and eventual decay of these fruits.
• Once the bananas are at your favorite hue, eat them. Or place them in the fridge to slow down the ripening. The skin will continue to brown but the inside won’t do so as quickly.
• Some folks believe if you un-bunch the bananas, separating them from the main stem, they won’t go bad as quickly. I don’t know if this really slows down anything, but it does make it easier to grab one on your way out the door.

Now, if you haven’t been monitoring your yellow fruit as closely as you meant to and they’ve all become blotchy with brown spots, you do have some choices.

• Freeze them. Peel them, then either leave them whole or chop them into shorter sections. Place in a Ziploc bag and freeze. The frozen pieces can be thrown in smoothies, dipped in chocolate, blitzed into a version of ice cream, or eaten as is.
• Make banana bread. I think everyone found a favorite recipe for this during the pandemic lockdown, didn’t they?
• Mash them. Then, add them to your oatmeal, yogurt, or pancake batter.
• Coat with tretinoin. Just kidding, this is completely untrue. But it works on the skin of your face that is blotchy with brown spots. Talk to your dermatologist.

I found my new favorite thing to do with very ripe bananas: make cookies. These cookies are so good because of the brown butter.

Brown Butter

I know you are thinking there is a lot of brown going on in this recipe. Brown bananas, brown chocolate, and now brown butter.

What is brown butter?

It is called beurre noisette in France and is used as a multi-purpose one-ingredient sauce. Butter is cooked over low heat until the fat and milk solids separate. Once the milk solids sink to the bottom of the saucepan, it becomes a kind of sludge that continues to cook turning from toasty brown to deep amber.

The finished product is the color of hazelnuts, or noisette in French. The taste? It is nutty, caramel-y, and rich. The beautiful thing about brown butter, or beurre noisette, is it can be used in both savory and sweet dishes.

Brown butter adds a more complex flavor to dishes than butter that has merely been melted. The deep, rich taste is worth the extra step of browning. It makes these cookies phenomenal.

Lessons Learned

• No chill time is required for this cookie dough, which makes me love it even more. The dough is ready to scoop and bake immediately after mixing. Here is another cookie with minimal chill time.
• Don’t have bar chocolate? Sometimes I don’t either. Sub in ⅔ cup dark chocolate chips. Blitz them in the blender for a couple of pulses to get them into smaller pieces. Or not.
• You decide how large or small you want these treats. The original recipe calls for dividing the dough equally into 9 pieces, making for some ginormous cookies the size of a cat’s head. If you go big, don’t forget to add a few minutes to the baking time.

Hat Tips

Many thanks to Justine Snacks for the salted banana cookie recipe.

Banana Cookies with Brown Butter

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• Author: Betty
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 11 minutes
• Total Time: 31 minutes
• Yield: 35 cookies 1x

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter or vegan butter, divided use
• 1 cup white granulated sugar
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 1 medium ripe banana
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 bar (113 grams) 70% chocolate, chopped thinly into shards
• Flaky salt like Maldon for garnish

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Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375F/190C. Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper and set them aside.
2. Place ½ cup (1 stick) of the butter in a small saucepan and slowly melt over medium-low heat. It will take several minutes, but keep an eye on it and stir occasionally with a rubber spatula. Once the butter turns a golden brown and you see the milk solids drop to the bottom of the pan, remove it from the heat. Continue to stir and it will turn amber in color. Pour the brown butter, including the sludge at the bottom, into a bowl and leave it to cool.
3. Beat the other ½ cup of butter with a hand-held mixer or stand mixer with a paddle attachment for a minute or two. Tip in the cooled brown butter (and sludge), white sugar, and brown sugar. Beat on medium-low until airy and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
4. Smush the banana with a fork until it is a smooth paste. Scrape the banana into the mixer and add the vanilla extract. Mix everything together until well combined, about 2 minutes.
5. Swish together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl until combined.
6. Stop the mixer and add half of the flour mixture to the mixing bowl. Mix for a minute or two until it is incorporated. Add the remainder of the flour mixture and mix again until thoroughly combined. The dough will be light and cottony.
7. Dump in the chocolate and stir to distribute the pieces. Isn’t it such a pretty dough?
8. Use a medium cookie scoop (1 ½ tablespoon of dough) to scoop and level the dough before placing it on the prepared baking sheets. The medium scoop yields 35 cookies that are 3 inches in size. This dough spreads upon baking, so leave room for the creep. Around 7 or 8 medium cookie dough scoops fit per baking sheet.
9. Bake for 11-ish minutes or until starting to brown around the edges. The middle will look slightly underdone but it's okay. Remove the pan from the oven and thwack the bottom of it on the counter once or twice. The cookies will flatten and spread. Garnish with a pinch of flaky salt.
10. Move the parchment and cookies to a wire rack to cool for 10-ish minutes. Yes, it’s hard to wait.

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Vegan Triple Coconut Cake

Did you see the words Vegan Triple Coconut Cake and think “No thanks, I'm out” because it is 1) vegan or 2) coconut? I don’t blame you. We’ve all had our share of dry and tasteless cake that we immediately regretted eating.

Since there are no calorie refunds, I am picky about the cake I put in my mouth. It better be good and it better be worth it. I assure you this one is both, thanks to coconut milk.

Coconut Milk

When I was a kid we lived in Hawaii. I thought only tourists drank coconut milk, usually through a straw stuck into the shell. So imagine my surprise when tetra paks of it hit mainstream grocery store chains a few years ago.

Contrary to what my seven-year-old self imagined, coconut milk is not the liquid that is found inside a coconut. That translucent liquid is coconut water. And that is what those sunburned visitors drank just before they got the runs.

Coconut milk is made from grated coconut pulp that has been simmered with water to create an opaque liquid that looks like cow’s milk. Depending on the amount of water used, the resulting milk can be thick (coconut cream), thin (coconut milk), or really thin (lite coconut milk).

What is it used for, besides annoying the barista at Starbucks? Coconut milk is an ingredient in many Southeast Asian dishes such as tom kha kai (Thai coconut soup), nasi lemak (Malaysian rice dish), and soto (Indonesian soup). Some Latin American and Caribbean cuisines use it, too.

It is super delicious when used in desserts. This cake uses coconut three ways: milk, oil, and shredded flakes. The milk adds moistness and a subtle coconut flavor without being overpowering.

Plus, it keeps this cake vegan.

Vegan Cakes

Common sense says we need eggs and dairy to make a delicious cake. We talked recently about wacky cakes, which disproves all that. It is possible to put together a cake worthy of any celebration and have it be vegan.

What makes a cake vegan? No animal products. So that means no butter, no milk, no eggs, no gelatin, and no milk chocolate.

That sounds like a buzzkill but read on.

Vegan cakes rely on

• baking soda or baking powder combined with an acid like vinegar for the lift, or leavening, that cakes need in order to be fluffy.
• vegan mayo and oils to provide fat to make the cake tender.
• water or plant-based milk to provide moisture.
• egg substitutes like ground flax seed or aquafaba.

There are many scrumptious cake recipes that just happen to also be vegan, and this is one of them.

Lessons Learned

• You will not use the whole can of coconut milk. It’s tempting to just dump the remaining few tablespoons into the cake batter, but don’t do it because the batter will be too wet. Save the tablespoons of milk for the glaze.
• Don’t overmix. Like most vegan cake recipes, you want to stir the wet and dry ingredients together until they just come together, then pour them into the pan. Your cake will be fluffier and less dense.
• Ovens vary and so do oven temperature calibrations. Start checking on the cake at 35 minutes. Depending on your oven, it may need another 5 to 10 minutes.

Hat Tips

Many thanks to Smitten Kitchen for the plush coconut cake recipe.

Vegan Triple Coconut Cake

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• Author: Betty
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 35 minutes
• Total Time: 50 minutes
• Yield: 8 slices 1x

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

Cake:

• 2 cups plus 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup liquefied coconut oil
• 1 ½ cups full- or low-fat canned unsweetened coconut milk
• 1 Tbsp white vinegar

Glaze:

• ¾ cup powdered sugar
• 2 Tbsp coconut milk (leftover from the can)
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• ½ cup toasted shredded coconut

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Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350F/176C. Prepare a 9-inch round cake pan by lining the bottom with parchment paper and greasing the sides.
2. Stir together the dry ingredients in a large bowl: flour, baking soda, salt, and sugar. Make a well in the center and pour in the wet ingredients: liquefied coconut oil, coconut milk, and vinegar. Whisk the wet and dry ingredients together just until they come together.
3. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 35 minutes or until a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Set the pan on a wire rack and allow the cake to cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Loosen the edges with a knife and peel away the parchment. Set the cake on the wire rack to cool completely.
4. Make the glaze by whisking the powdered sugar, leftover coconut milk, and vanilla together until smooth. Add more milk if needed. Pour the glaze over the top of the cooled cake. Garnish with toasted coconut.

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Eggless Sprinkle Snacking Cake with Chocolate Fluff

Looking for a cake that doesn’t require eggs? Eggless Sprinkle Snacking Cake with Chocolate Fluff comes together in one bowl, is vegan-friendly, and looks like a party. It’s a fun snack!

Snacking Cakes

What are snacking cakes? Well, any cake can be called a snack really. It might also be considered breakfast if it is your birthday week, but let’s stick to the point here.

Snacking cake is usually a one-layer cake that is baked and snacked on over the course of several days. It is not as fussy as a celebratory cake but fancier than banana bread. Some are plain, but many of them include a simple glaze, thin icing, or light frosting.

Food companies have pumped out prepackaged snacking cakes like Hostess Twinkies, Little Debbie snack cakes, and Dolly Madison zingers since I was a kid. And I may have eaten one or two of these myself after riding the bus home from junior high.

Like many things, the homemade version is cheaper and tastes better. Is it healthier? Um, maybe. At least you have some control over the ingredients included.

The good news is snacking cakes come together quickly. They are easy, uncomplicated, and made from pantry staples. These simple cakes make for a yummy mid-morning snack or after-school treat.

The square pieces are just the right size to pick up and eat as you walk around the kitchen waiting for the Nespresso to do its thing.

Don’t forget to lick your fingers before touching anything else. Marshmallow fluff is sticky.

Marshmallow Fluff

You might remember that I recently scored on several jars of marshmallow creme that were on sale. The sweet confection goes by several names like marshmallow creme, marshmallow fluff, and marshmallow spread.

I just learned that marshmallow fluff was invented over a hundred years ago in 1917 by Archibald Query of Somerville, Massachusetts. With World War I came shortages and rationing of staples like sugar, which forced Query to close his door-to-door marshmallow fluff business. He later sold the fluff formula to H. Allen Durkee and Fred L. Mower.

These two men were WWI veterans who had returned home to Massachusetts after fighting in the war in France and went into business together. After purchasing the formula, they cooked up fluff in their kitchens and sold tins of it throughout neighborhoods. It became so popular that eventually it was stocked on grocery store shelves both locally and nationally.

Marshmallow spread has old skool vibes and I figured it was the perfect thing to add to a frosting for this snacking cake.

Lessons Learned

• This is an oil-based cake, so be sure the oil you use is neutral in flavor and good quality. I chose light olive oil, but canola or vegetable oil would work, too.
• So, is it marshmallow creme or fluff? The original brand is called Marshmallow Fluff. There are other brands including the one I bought, Jet-Puffed Marshmallow Creme. You can use either one for this frosting!
• Since this recipe doesn’t have eggs, the cake gets its lift from the rainbow sprinkles. Not really. The baking soda and vinegar make bubbles that help the cake rise, so be sure your baking soda is not expired.

Hat Tips

Many thanks to Real Simple for the rainbow sprinkle snacking cake recipe and Cookies Cakes Pies Oh My for the chocolate buttercream frosting recipe inspiration.

Eggless Sprinkle Snacking Cake with Chocolate Fluff

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• Author: Betty
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 45 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour
• Yield: 9 pieces 1x

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

Cake:

• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ¾ tsp kosher salt
• 2 Tbsp rainbow sprinkles
• 1 cup cold water
• ¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon light olive oil
• 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
• 1 Tbsp white vinegar

Frosting:

• ½ cup butter, real or vegan
• 1 jar (7 oz) marshmallow creme or fluff
• ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 Tbsp milk, any kind
• More sprinkles for garnish

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Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350F/176C. Spray an 8x8-inch pan with nonstick spray or line it with parchment paper.
2. Make the cake by whisking together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and rainbow sprinkles. Pour in the water, oil, vanilla, and vinegar. Whisk together until combined, then pour the batter into the prepared pan.
3. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes. Check the cake at 40 minutes with a toothpick inserted into the center. The toothpick should come out fairly clean with a few crumbs. If not, continue baking for another 5-ish minutes.
4. Allow the cake to cool for 15 minutes while still in the pan. Then, remove parchment paper and let the cake cool on a wire rack for 1 hour before frosting it.
5. Make the frosting in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or use a handheld mixer. Start by beating the butter until it is fluffy. Plop in the marshmallow creme and beat with the butter until combined. Add the cocoa powder and vanilla and mix on low speed until it is incorporated. Dribble in the milk a little at a time while the mixer is running. Check the frosting to see if it is at your desired consistency.
6. Frost the top of the cooled cake and decorate with more sprinkles.

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Eggless Chocolate Cake with Mocha Whip

A cake made in one bowl, does not require eggs (which are ridonculous in price right now), is vegan adaptable, AND delicious? It seems too good to be true, but Eggless Chocolate Cake with Mocha Whip is the real thing. You might think it’s wacky.

Wacky Cake

You may have grown up eating wacky cake. It seems to be a potluck staple in the Midwest brought by maternal grandmas, great-aunts, and that family friend who shows up at weddings and funerals. Chocolate is the go-to flavor.

This cake is unique in that it does not contain dairy or a typically important cake ingredient, eggs. Some say that it was a cake born out of necessity during the food rationing of World War II. No butter, eggs, or milk of any kind is used yet the cake manages to be moist.

The cake gets lift and structure from ingredients like baking soda and baking powder. Butter is replaced by oil or mayo, and hot coffee adds depth of flavor. These genius grandmas knew what was up because wacky cakes are also damn delicious.

We don’t need no eggs!

And the frosting? Bring on the marshmallow creme.

Marshmallow Creme

I was on a normal grocery shopping trip a few weeks ago and did a double take. Jars of marshmallow creme were on sale for 28 cents. Yes, really.

They were not expired or even near expiration, so I considered it a sign that I must buy some. You never know when you will need a jar of marshmallow fluff.

When I posted a photo of these treasures in jars of plastic, the comment section kind of blew up. The blue-lidded tub seemed to unlock some core childhood memories for people. Who knew that we all secretly love marshmallow creme?

And the suggestions for its use were plentiful. Fluffernutter sandwiches! Fruit dip! Fudge!

I chose to use the marshmallow creme for yet another option. It also happens to start with an F.

This frosting is light and airy, with just a whiff of coffee. It is particularly delicious with egg-free chocolate cake, but I could see it on a vanilla sponge or pavlova, too.

Lessons Learned

• To make the cake vegan, sub in vegan mayo for the regular mayo. You can also sub in CocoWhip for the frozen whipped topping as I did for my dairy-free family members.
• If you don’t need or want a 9x13 cake hanging around your kitchen, it is easy enough to halve all the ingredients and bake it in an 8x8 pan (not 9x9, or it will be too thin).
• I know someone is going to wonder if they can make this gluten-free. That is asking a lot of an eggless cake, don’t you think? But if you must, try it with one-to-one GF flour and hope for the best.

Hat Tips

Many thanks to Anna Ginsberg of Cookie Madness for her one-bowl chocolate mocha cake recipe.

Eggless Chocolate Cake with Mocha Whip

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• Author: Betty
• Prep Time: 25 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Total Time: 55 minutes
• Yield: 15 servings 1x

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

Cake:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 ½ tsp baking soda
• 1 ½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 3 Tbsp light olive oil
• 1 cup hot coffee
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips

Frosting:

• ¼ cup hot water
• 1 Tbsp instant coffee granules
• 1 jar (7 oz) marshmallow creme
• 1 tub (8 oz) frozen whipped topping, thawed

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Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350F/176F. Spray a 9x13-inch pan with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
2. Make the cake by whisking together the flour, sugar, brown sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.
3. Dump in the mayo and oil. Beat with either a handheld mixer or the paddle attachment of a stand mixer until blended. Pour in the hot coffee and vanilla. Beat on low speed until completely combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
4. Tip the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center. Let the cake cool in the pan set on a wire rack.
5. Make the mocha whip by dissolving the instant coffee in the hot water. Plop in the marshmallow creme and beat on low speed until fully incorporated and uniform in color. Gently fold in the whipped topping. Spread the mocha whip over the cooled cake. Refrigerate until ready to eat.

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