Month-of-Mini-Desserts: Black Forest Parfaits

Did you know that the new mini-dessert craze generated some great new cooking aids? Sure there are the mini-baking pans, but they also made some small serving dishes like these glasses I use in this recipe (and others), mini-spoons included!

Using those glasses, here’s what I do with leftover Nutella Cinnamon Brownies (if any are left). I created this mini-dessert in a state of desperation. We were having about 12 people to a sit-down dinner, and I wanted to have a panoply of dessert choices for them.

I wanted to make six different mini-desserts and was trying to balance chocolate and citrus, chewy and gooey, you know, the stuff you do for a dinner party. I was already making mini-cherry crisps, so I used some of my cherry mixture and layered it in liqueur glasses with some of the brownies. I was simulating a black forest cake that is one son’s favorite birthday cake. HUGE HIT! So here you go! And it couldn’t be easier or more elegant looking!

Black Forest Parfaits (serves 6 in liqueur or dessert glasses)  

1-1½ cup sweet and sour cherry pie filling (recipe below)

6 Nutella Cinnamon Brownies

Whipped cream or Greek yogurt for topping

Crumble one brownie. Put one third of crumbs in bottom of liqueur glass.

Spoon on a tea spoon of cherry pie filling.

Add another layer of crumbs and another layer of cherries.

Add last of brownie and top with whipped cream or yogurt before serving. Put a cherry on top! 

Repeat the process with the remaining brownies and cherries.

Eat with tiny spoons. 

Note: I use an iced teaspoon to add the cherries to the thin dessert glasses.

Cherry pie filling recipe:

Mix one can of cherry pie filling with one can sour cherries (drained). Thoroughly mix together.

DH'sRating: 5 Tongues Up
Nutella and cherries? How could I fail! Yes! Another 5 Tongues Up!

Month-of-Mini-Desserts: Nutella Cinnamon Brownies

A few years ago I came across a fun cookbook: Desserts 4 Today: Flavorful Desserts withJust Four Ingredients (Abigail Johnson Dodge, 2010) that included a Nutella Brownie recipe. Nutella? Only four ingredients? Nutella? Mini-brownies? Nutella? I was in!

But, you know me with my penchant for modifying recipes. I loved hers, but I decided to add my own stamp to it. Here’s my recipe that we eat all by itself, but that I also use in tomorrow’s dessert. Intrigued? Better stop back to see what I do with these leftover brownies!

Nutella Cinnamon Brownies (12 mini-muffin servings)

½ cup Nutella                                   

1 large egg                          

1 teaspoon oil                                            
5 tablespoons flour

¼ cup mini-chocolate chips

½ teaspoon cinnamon

½ cup chopped nuts (I usually use pecans or walnuts, but any will do).

Powdered sugar to dust tops (optional)

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-cup mini-muffin pan with paper or foil liners or spray with non-stick cooking spray.

Put the Nutella, egg, and oil in a medium bowl and whisk until smooth and well blended.

Add the flour and whisk until incorporated. Fold in chocolate chips and cinnamon.

Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tin (about 3/4 full) and sprinkle with the chopped nuts.

Bake until a toothpick comes out with wet, gooey crumbs, 11 to 12 minutes (longer for a chewier brownie).

Set on a rack to cool completely. Serve immediately or cover and store at room temperature for up to 3 days. Sometimes I sprinkle on powdered sugar to make them prettier.

Note: The original four ingredients were Nutella, egg, flour, and nuts.

DH’s Rating: 5 Tongues Up!
This is another one of my stand-by mini-desserts. He loves the chocolate with the slight spiciness.

Month-of-Mini-Desserts: Fond(ue) of Chocolate

Back in the day, I’m talking the 1970s here, we used to have lots of fondue parties. We began with cheese fondue for an appetizer with bread chunks and raw veggies. We moved onto the entrée with broth and/or oil bubbling away to cook meat and veggies. But, everyone knew the real fondue of the evening was dessert.

Since today is National Chocolate Fondue Day, what better mini-dessert can there be but warm chocolate to dip your fruit, cake, and pretzels into? I love the sweet/salty combos and have even converted DH to the taste! This is a man who doesn’t often like to confuse his taste buds.

There are tons of fondue recipes on the Internet. And I’ve tried my share of them. But who knows chocolate better than Ghiradelli®, so I am sharing their chocolate fondue  

recipe with you today. I didn’t even modify it; it’s that good!

Ghiradelli® Ultimate Chocolate Fondue (serves four)

1¼  cups whole milk or heavy cream

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

6 ounces Ghirardelli 70% Cacao Extra Bittersweet Chocolate baking bar, broken

or chopped into 1-inch pieces

6 ounces Ghirardelli Milk Chocolate baking bar, broken or chopped into 1-inch          pieces

2 tablespoons chocolate liqueur (optional)

In a medium saucepan, combine the milk, vanilla, and butter. Heat over medium heat until the mixture just simmers.

Remove from the heat and stir in the bittersweet and milk chocolates and chocolate liqueur until completely melted and smooth.

Serve over a heat source that will keep the fondue warm, but not hot.

NOTE: I serve chocolate fondue with a combination of fruits, chunks of pound cake (toasted), and pretzels (you could also dip thick potato chips). The fruits I use include: pineapple chunks, apple slices, tangelo segments, banana slices, pears, and any other fruit hanging around my house at the time. Makes this dessert almost a health food, right?

DH’s Rating: 5 Tongues Up!
I told you he’s my chocolate guy. I am the one who turned him onto salty-sweet combos. Now he loves ‘em.

Month-of-Mini-Desserts: Cherry Pie-in-a-Jar

On February 2 I shared Lemon Chiffon in these cute half pint canning jars. They make easy storage for desserts and extra cute serving dishes. I first started using canning jars for desserts when I happened upon pie-in-a-jar recipes. How clever is that? Single servings of pie that you bake in the jar. Couldn’t be easier!

Here’s a pie-in-a-jar site I happened on that went step-by-step. I followed those steps the first time, and then I noted what I needed to know that wasn’t there and changed some of her directions. Here’s how I make Pie-in-a-Jar! There’s always some in my freezer for when I need a quick dessert that looks like I spent the day in the kitchen!

Cherry Pie-in-a-Jar (makes 5 pies) 

1 can cherry pie filling

1 can sour cherries, drained

2 single pie crusts

In a medium bowl, mix the cherry pie filling and the drained sour cherries together and set aside.

If using store-bought pie crusts roll them to make them a bit larger and thinner.

Using the ring for the canning jar, cut 5 rounds from one pie crust with the lid. Repeat with the second pie crust. Save the scraps for patching. Set five rounds aside for tops.

The remaining five rounds will be the bottom crust for the pie. Fit one round into one jar, tearing off the excess and patching with it and scraps of dough until the entire inside, but below the rim, is covered with dough. Press out air pockets so the dough fits tightly against the jar.

Repeat the process with the four remaining jars.

Divide cherry pie filling among the jars.

The set-aside pie crust rounds are the tops. You can cut some into strips to make a lattice crust and/or use a small cutter to make vents in a solid top. I use the end of my funnel to cut out little circles.

Preheat oven to 375°. Place jars in a baking pan with sides so you don’t have them sliding off. Bake for at least 45 minutes (more if needed to brown the crust).

NOTE: Cover each jar with a canning lid and ring. Put in freezer to bake later. When you want to bake the frozen pies, remove the rings and lids (wash to reuse). Place spaced apart on a baking sheet with sides and put into cold oven. Turn oven to 375°. The jars will warm up as the oven does. Bake for 60 minutes (or until crusts are browned). 

DH’s Rating:

5 Tongues Up! He has had this dessert many times and has been known to ask what kind of pie (apple or cherry) is in the freezer!

Month-of-Mini-Desserts: Carrot Cake Bites

I couldn’t resist sharing this recipe with you in honor of Carrot Cake Day! This is a healthful alternative to the “real” carrot cake I adore. It is probably my favorite cake, but, oh, soooo not good for you!

Are you like me? I cannot help copying down the recipes that come across my screen each day on the Internet. When I saw this one, I knew I had to try it out! What do you think?

This vegan recipe was excerpted from Keep It Vegan (Aine Carlin, 2014). And since it uses no processed sugar, just the sugar from the fruit and carrots, it is a more healthful alternative for all of us. I found it at this site.

I am printing it as pretty much as it appeared on the site:

Carrot Cake Bites (Makes 12–14 balls)

1 small carrot, grated
1 cup medjool dates, pitted and roughly chopped
2 1/4 cups pecans
1/3 cup raisins
Grated zest of 1 clementine or orange
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 cup shredded coconut

Squeeze out any excess liquid from the grated carrot.

Place all the ingredients, apart from the coconut, into a food processor and process until the mixture comes together in a large clump, scraping down the sides of the bowl a couple of times, if necessary.

Line a plate or baking sheet with parchment paper. Take a teaspoon of the mixture, roll into a ball, and place on the parchment paper. Repeat to make 12–14 golf ball-sized spheres in total.

Put the shredded coconut into a bowl and roll each ball in the coconut to coat. Place the balls on the lined plate and refrigerate overnight.

DH’s RATING:

3½ Tongues Up. He said I tricked him that it was carrot cake. It was a fruit and veggie ball. He thought the taste was good, but it violated his definition of cake. Fair enough.

Month-of-Mini-Desserts: Lemon Chiffon

Welcome back. I hope while you’re here you’ll go rummaging around in my past posts for recipes. I’ve been doing this Month-of-Recipes gig for a few years now. In 2012, I did a month of soup recipes; 2013, a month of chicken; and, in 2014 I posted recipes for appetizers. So go looking. I’ll bet you find some new and interesting recipes to try out.

How do I decide what my month-of-recipes will be? Each year my readers here, on Facebook, and Twitter cast a vote for the category I will post recipes for. It was a squeaker this year, but mini-desserts finally won the day.

Today’s recipe is in the extra-easy category like yesterday’s. The hardest part is waiting two hours to eat it! I’ve included a picture, but I am NOT a food photographer! (I didn’t really have to tell you that, did I?)

This time of year with my lemon tree laden, I look for ways to use them up. I found a package of lemon pudding in my pantry, and voila! A dessert was born!

Lemon Chiffon (four servings in half pint canning jars; or 8+ shot glasses)

1 ounce package lemon instant pudding

1½ cups milk

4 ounces Cool Whip (or homemade whipped cream, extra stiff)

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

zest of one lemon

graham cracker crumbs

Whisk together the pudding and milk. When smooth, add whipped cream, lemon juice, and zest. Mix thoroughly. Let sit while you prepare the canning jars.

Put a heaping tablespoon of graham cracker crumbs into bottom of each half pint canning jar. Add two heaping tablespoons of lemon mixture spreading to cover crumbs.

Layer on two tablespoons graham cracker crumbs, spreading to cover lemon mixture. Divide remaining lemon mixture among the four jars. Top with a sprinkling of graham cracker crumbs.

Cover with canning lid and ring and refrigerate for at least two hours to allow the lemon mixture to soften the crumbs. Serve in the jar for a rustic look.

NOTE: You can make this into a mini-dessert by dividing the crumbs and lemon mixture among liqueur or shot glasses.

Oops! I forgot my rating system yesterday. I use DH as my tester. Lucky guy, eh?

Tongues Up:

Yesterday’s Hot Chocolate Nuts and today’s Lemon Chiffon each got 5 Tongues Up! He’d give the Hot Chocolate Nuts more tongues if I let him because the man loves chocolate more than any other man I’ve met!

Month-of-MiniDesserts: Hot Chocolate Nuts

You won! Well, everybody who voted for mini-desserts for February’s Month-of-Recipes won. And I like to think that even if you didn’t, you still win because some great stuff is coming your way.

Interestingly, on my search for some new recipes for this month, I realized that a search for “mini-desserts” turned up two kinds of recipes: single serving and actual tiny desserts that are smaller than a usual serving. So, I am going to do both.

Also, cookies by definition are mini-desserts. Each cookies is a tiny serving. Now if you eat a dozen, I can’t help that! By the same token, cookie bars/brownies in a pan also can be mini-desserts. But you already do those. You came here for something a bit different. And, boy, do I have some that are a bit different for you this month!

I hope you have those cute shot glasses with tiny spoons and mini-muffin pans and half pint canning jars. We’ll be using those a lot!

So let’s start with something easy for a Super Bowl Sunday treat. You probably already have the ingredients, so if you need to throw something quick together for the party this evening, here you go!

I adapted a recipe from Good Housekeeping for their 2-ingredient chocolate almond clusters. We all know that dark chocolate and almonds are both on the good-for-you list, so these are practically a health food! And when I changed up the nut combo and added the red pepper flakes, well, almost a health food.

Hot Chocolate Nuts (makes 48)

8 ounces best-quality bittersweet chocolate, rough chopped

½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

½ cup roasted almonds

½ cup pecans, rough chopped

½ cup walnuts, rough chopped

NOTE: You can use any nut combo you want adding up to 1 1/2 cups.

 

Arrange 40 mini-muffin/candy paper or foil cups in mini-muffin pans (to keep from spreading) or on a large cookie sheet. Alternatively, cover the cookie sheet with parchment paper and use that for each nut cluster.

In a glass bowl, microwave half of the chocolate for about 20 seconds. Stir and heat again until all the chocolate has just melted. This will likely take up to a minute and a half. But monitor it by using 20 second intervals. You don’t want the chocolate to seize up.

After the first half of the chocolate has melted, add the remainder and stir until all the chocolate is melted. Add the red pepper flakes.

Cool chocolate for about 3 minutes and then blend in the nuts thoroughly.

Working fast, drop teaspoonfuls into your mini-muffin/candy cups or on the parchment paper.

Cool in the refrigerator for 20 minutes or more until set up. These keep refrigerated in a covered container for about a month.