Dessert | onedadskitchen

The Easiest Cookies You Will Ever Make – Brownie Crinkle Cookies

When it comes to eating cookies, I have my classic favorites. I love homemade chocolate chip cookies, oatmeal raisin cookies and even just plain sugar cookies. I even venture out a little bit and enjoy the Heath bar brickle cookies for a little bit of an extra flavor. When it comes to cookies in the house Michelle and Sean are the real experts and lovers of all things cookie and Michelle is always on he lookout for a new cookie to try or make. Sometimes you want a recipe that you can put together really easily and have done fast, as was the case last week when Michelle was looking to bring some cookies into her office one day. She had used the chocolate crinkle cookie recipe in the past and really loved it and I had never seen her make it before until I was amazed at what was in it and how quickly it all came together. I had seen her make these from Martha Stewart’s recipe at Christmas time, but never like this.This recipe comes from the Best Ever Cookie Collection and uses only 4 ingredients to get it all together.

Brownie Crinkle Cookies

1 package of boxed brownie mix

1/4 cup water

1 egg

1/2 cup powdered sugar

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a cookie sheet with nonstick spray or use parchment paper or a silicon baking mat on the cookie sheet. In a large bowl, mix the dry brownie mix, water and egg together with a spoon. Mix for about 50 strokes or until the ingredients are well blended. Place the powdered sugar in a separate shallow bowl or dish. Shape the dough by rounded teaspoonfuls into balls or use a small cookie scoop to make the dough balls. Roll the balls in the sugar until they are well coated. Place the cookie balls on the prepared cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake the cookies for 10 to 12 minutes or until almost no indentation remains in the center of the cookie when it is touched lightly. Remove the cookie sheet from the oven and allow the cookies to cool on the cookie sheet for 1 to 2 minutes before removing the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

The recipe yields about 3 dozen cookies, give or take and if you ever wanted a nice brownie in cookie form this is it. It has that great chocolate flavor you get from a brownie in just a little cookie form and the powdered sugar is the perfect touch. I could see making these even just a little bit larger and putting some ice cream between them to make some awesome ice cream cookie sandwiches. I am not a milk drinker myself but Sean swears you have to have them with a cold glass of milk to finish them off. Michelle left a few at home for us and brought the rest with her to the office where they were quickly devoured and gone. This recipe gives you a great alternative way to use that box of brownie mix you have sitting in the closet if you don’t feel like having brownies and want a cookie instead.

That’s all I have for today (it’s Monday – busy work day!). Check back next time for another recipe. until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

Leave a comment

Posted by MikeG on March 2, 2015 in Cookies, Cooking, Dessert

Tags: Best Ever Cookie Collection, brownie crinkle cookies, chocolate chip cookies, chocolate crinkle cookie recipe, chocolate crinkle cookies, cookie recipes, easy brownie crinkle cookies, martha Stewart crinkle cookies, oatmeal raisin cookies

50 of Our Favorite Cake Recipes (Yep… 50!) Slideshow – Bon Appétit

01 Mar

50 of Our Favorite Cake Recipes (Yep… 50!) Slideshow – Bon Appétit.

It’s the weekend and perhaps you have some free time to do a little baking this week to make a nice dessert for Sunday dinner. You can never have too many great cake recipes to fall back. You need different cakes for different occasions, so here Bon Appetit has put together 50 of their favorite cake recipes for you to cover everything from special occasions to a simple coffee cake or pound cake and everything in between. Check it out!

Leave a comment

Posted by MikeG on March 1, 2015 in Cakes, Cooking, Cooking Websites, Dessert

Tags: 50 cake recipes, 50 favorite cake recipes, bon appetit, Bon Appetit 50 cake recipes, cake recipes, coffee cake, pound cake

Vegetarian Comfort Food – NYT Cooking

22 Feb

Vegetarian Comfort Food – NYT Cooking.

have you decided to give up meat for Lent or for part of Lent? Maybe you just want to try to eat healthier on your own or are looking to add a meatless meal day to your meal plans for healthier eating for you and your family. Whatever the reasons may be, NYT Cooking has put together some great vegetarian and vegan recipe options for everything from main dishes and desserts to side options so you can try out what interests you the most. Check it out!

Leave a comment

Posted by MikeG on February 22, 2015 in Beans, Breakfast, Cakes, Cookies, Cooking, Cooking Tips, Cooking Websites, Dessert, Dinner, Fruit, One Pot Meals, Pantry, Pasta, Pizza, Potatoes, Produce, Rice, Salad, Sandwiches, Side Dishes, Snacks, Soups & Stews, Vegetables, Vegetarian

Tags: New York Times vegetarian comfort food, NYT Cooking, vegetarian comfort food, vegetarian desserts, vegetarian dish, vegetarian meals, vegetarian recipe ideas, vegetarian recipes, vegetarian side dishes

Easy as Pie… well, Cake… Easy Lemon Pound Cake

14 Feb

there are always going to be times where you wish you had some dessert around and you just don’t have anything available. Maybe it is some last-minute visitors stopping by for coffee and you just wish you had something you could put out. Or maybe you are like me and you have a teenager complaining that there are no desserts in the house and they would like something to have as a snack or dessert. At times like this you need to have an arsenal of desserts that you can put together easily, typically in under an hour and without creating a lot of fuss or mess. Sure, cookies are always an option, but for me it means dragging out a lot of ingredients, the mixer, cookie sheets and more and it means a lot of clean-up. Brownies are always a good option too, but maybe you don’t have the chocolate on hand to do them fast. it is at times like this that I often find myself turning to a trusty pound cake recipe I got from America’s Test Kitchen. it is a classic recipe, easy to put together, requires only a few ingredients and minimal clean up and produces a great and versatile dessert.

Easy Lemon Pound Cake

1 1/2 cups cake flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cups sugar

4 eggs, room temperature

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 tablespoons grated lemon zest

2 teaspoons lemon juice

16 tablespoons (2 sticks) butter, melted and hot

Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour and 8 1/2 by 4 1/2-inch loaf pan. Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together in a bowl.

Process the sugar, eggs, vanilla, lemon zest and lemon juice together in a food processor until the ingredients are combined, about 10 seconds. With the food processor running, add in the hot melted butter in a steady stream until it is incorporated. Pour the mixture from the food processor into a large bowl.

Sift the flour mixture over the egg mixture in 3 additions, whisking to combine the ingredients after each addition until only a few streaks of flour remain. Continue to whisk the batter gently until almost no lumps remain. Try not to overmix the batter. Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth out the top. Wipe any drops of batter off the sides of the pan and gently tap the pan on the counter to release any air bubbles from the batter. Bake the cake in the oven until a toothpick in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, about 50 to 60 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking process.

Let the cake cool in the loaf pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Run a small knife around the edge of the cake to loosen it from the pan, then flip the cake out onto a wire rack.Turn the cake right side up and allow it to cool completely, up to 2 hours, before serving.

What you end up with in just about an hour is a moist pound cake that is not thick and dense like many can be. The process of adding the hot butter in the food processor allows the ingredients to emulsify quickly before there is a chance of anything curdling that can make the cake dense. if you prefer not to have the lemon you can simply leave the zest and juice out and get a nice, plain pound cake or you can substitute something like orange juice and zest for an orange flavor or use some almond extract and slivered almonds for an almond pound cake. you can then serve this nicely by itself or with some ice cream, serve with berries or other fruit, or even serve it in chunks with some chocolate fondue.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day, have a Happy Valentine’s Day and enjoy your meal!

Leave a comment

Posted by MikeG on February 14, 2015 in Cakes, Cooking, Dessert

Tags: America's Test Kitchen pound cake, americas test kitchen, easy lemon pound cake, lemon pound cake, pound cake recipe

Valentine’s Day – NYT Cooking

13 Feb

Valentine’s Day – NYT Cooking.

Valentine’s Day is tomorrow and if you are still looking for some ideas of what to make for you and your special someone, the New York Times has put together a great list of recipes for your dinner, chocolate, desserts, cocktails and more so that you can have a nice romantic meal right at home. Check it out!

Leave a comment

Posted by MikeG on February 13, 2015 in Appetizers, Beef, Beverages, Cakes, Candy, Cookies, Cooking, Cooking Websites, Dessert, Dinner, Holidays, Lamb, Pasta, Pork, Potatoes, Poultry, Salad, Seafood, Side Dishes

Tags: chocolate desserts, NYT Cooking, NYT Cooking Valentine's Day, romantic dinners for two at home, Valentine's Day cocktails, Valentine's Day dinner ideas.Valentine's Day recipes, Valentine's Day meals

Romantic Dinners for Two | Epicurious.com

12 Feb

Romantic Dinners for Two | Epicurious.com.

With Valentine’s Day this weekend, you might be looking for some ideas to make a nice, romantic meal at home instead of spending time at a noisy restaurant perhaps not getting as a good of a meal as you can make on your own. Epicurious has some great ideas for a romantic dinner for two followed by some nice chocolate dessert ideas as well to cover everything you need. Get yourself a nice bottle of wine and cook at home to enjoy some quiet time with your sweetie. Check it out!

Leave a comment

Posted by MikeG on February 12, 2015 in Beef, Cooking, Cooking Websites, Dessert, Dinner, Holidays, Lamb, Pasta, Pork, Poultry, Seafood, Vegetables

Tags: cooking Valentine's Dinner at home, Epicurious romantic dinners for two, romantic dinners for two, Valentine's Day dinner ideas

Recipes to Cook with Your Cast Iron Skillet

20 Jan

Recipes to Cook with Your Cast Iron Skillet.

I love my cast iron skillets and you can never have too many recipes that make great use of them. Bon Appetit has put together 18 recipes for you that you can use for your cast iron skillet for everything from breakfast to dessert. Check it out!

Leave a comment

Posted by MikeG on January 20, 2015 in Beef, Breakfast, Cooking, Cooking Websites, Dessert, Dinner, Eggs, Equipment, One Pot Meals, Pork, Poultry, Sandwiches, Sausage

Tags: 18 cast iron skillet recipes, bon appetit, cast iron skillet, cast iron skillet recipes, cast iron skillets, recipes to cook with your cast iron skillet

A Quicker and Healthier Snack Alternative – Banana-Oat Snack Cake

09 Jan

Trying to find snacks to eat to appeal to kids and that provide something of a healthier alternative is not always an easy thing to do. Kids get turned off just by the name of something if it sounds healthier a lot the time and aren’t always willing to even give it a chance of tasting good, so it can be a challenge to find something that is better than the usual snack cakes, candy, chips, brownies, ice cream and the like. I saw this recipe recently in Bon Appetit for a banana-oat snack cake that provides a good alternative to a typical snack using some healthier choices like oats and bananas. This recipe only uses a few ingredients and can be done in under an hour to give you something quick and easy to offer as a dessert or snack after school.

Banana-Oat Snack Cake

6 tablespoons butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces, melted, plus more for the baking dish

1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 1/4 cups (packed) light brown sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 bananas, chopped

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat an 8 x 8 inch baking dish with butter and line the baking dish with parchment paper. Whisk the oats, all-purpose flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl and set it aside. Whisk the brown sugar, eggs and vanilla in another large bowl until the mixture is smooth.

Slowly stream the butter into the brown sugar mixture, whisking constantly until the mixture is well blended. Add the bananas to the dry ingredients and toss the bananas to coat them well. Stir the banana mixture into the brown sugar mixture. The resulting batter will be quite thick. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared baking dish. Place the dish in the oven and bake until the cake is golden brown and the edges start to pull away from the sides of the dish, about 35 to 40 minutes. Transfer the cake to a wire rack and let it cool completely in the dish. Cut the cake into 12 servings and serve.

The resulting cake has great flavor from that oats and bananas with a nice hint of cinnamon throughout the cake. I think it is a great snack cake and it stayed quite moist for the few days we had it around the house, making it the perfect after school snack. it also goes really well with your coffee in the morning if you are looking for something a little different for your breakfast and it certainly is a great dish that you could add to any breakfast buffet or lunch or something you can throw together easily if you have some last-minute guests drop by and want something tasty to serve over coffee.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day (we have a snow day here in our area of New York today) and enjoy your meal!

Leave a comment

Posted by MikeG on January 9, 2015 in Breakfast, Brunch, Cakes, Cooking, Dessert, Fruit, Snacks

Tags: after school snack cake, banana oat cake, banana-oat snack cake, bananas, bon appetit, snack cake

A New Year, New Posts, New Stuff and a New Recipe – Peppermint Brownie Ice Cream Cake

05 Jan

I took most of last week off from blogging and doing any work so that we could spend some time together as a family and do some things around the house, including taking down all of the Christmas decorations and ornaments that were around the house. So now that Christmas and New Year’s are complete, it is time to get back to regular blogging. I did get a number of things for Christmas this year that are related to cooking, including a couple of great cookbooks that I hope to go into detail about in a future blog post. I also got a great new bread maker that I had wanted for a while and I will do a blog post about that as well as I have already used it a couple of times and I have been very happy with the results. But for now, I have lots of recipes to share as I tried out a number of things and did a bunch of cooking between Christmas and New Year’s, including stuff I made for Christmas dinner. One of the items we made for dinner that day was a special dessert based on a recipe that I found at the blog Life, Love and Sugar. It is for a very easy peppermint brownie ice cream cake that makes use of some quick ingredients so that you can easily put together a fantastic looking dessert in no time at all. The original recipe does call for use of cream cheese to help create a type of ice cream for the filling of the cake. We decided it seemed better to actually use ice cream in the cake itself so we substituted some mint chocolate chip ice cream as an alternative. The recipe that I am posting here is the one that we altered a little bit to make use of the ice cream.

Peppermint Brownie Ice Cream Cake

1 box brownie mix, plus the ingredients required for the recipe on the brownie box

1 pint mint chocolate chip ice cream

2 teaspoons peppermint extract

1 10-ounce bag Andes peppermint crunch candy

1/2 cup chocolate syrup (plus a little more for drizzling)

2 cups whipped cream (homemade whipped cream or store-bought)

For the brownies, make the brownie dough according to the instructions on the back of the box. Grease two 8-inch cake pans and line the bottoms of each pan with parchment paper to allow for easy removal of the brownies. Bake the brownies at the temperature listed on the box, reducing the baking time to about 20 minutes. When the brownies are done baking, allow them to completely cool.

For the assembly of the cake, removal of one of the brownies from the 8 inch pan and place it on a large platter, springform cake pan or cake holder. Spread half of the mint chocolate chip ice cream mixture on top of the brownie. Add the 2nd brownie layer on top of the ice cream. Cover the brownie with 1/2 a cup of chocolate syrup. Top the 2nd brownie layer with any remaining peppermint ice cream. Place the brownies with the ice cream in the freezer. Allow the ice cream cake to freeze completely, about 1 to 2 hours. When the cake is frozen remove the cake from springform pan, if using. Mix the 2 teaspoons of peppermint extract in with the 2 cups of whipped cream. Frost the ice cream cake with the whipped cream and.the top of the cake with the peppermint crunch candy. Drizzle on more chocolate syrup if desired and served.

This is one of the easiest cakes you can put together because you are really using everything pre-made other than if you decide to use homemade whipped cream or perhaps you want to use homemade ice cream instead of store-bought. We could not find a particular peppermint ice cream to use for the cake so he went with mint chocolate chip, but if you can make peppermint ice cream at home or find some of your local store it would fit perfectly. The picture I took of the cake is before we added any of the chocolate syrup, but it is really up to you if you want to add it or not. You really need to make sure that you let the cake set up in the freezer for an hour or 2 before you put the frosting on to make sure that the ice cream is nice and firm in the center. Everyone seemed to really like the cake and it was gone right away so it is certainly one worth trying again since it is so easy to do.

That is all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe. I want to thank everybody for a great 2014 as this blog hit all-time highs in the number of visits and followers for the year and I cannot thank you enough for following along and checking things out. I hope 2015 it is just as good and I will continue to work at the blog and make improvements to make things even better than before. Enjoy the rest of your day, and enjoy your meal!

Leave a comment

Posted by MikeG on January 5, 2015 in Cakes, Cooking, Dessert

Tags: brownie cake, brownie ice cream cake, Ice Cream Cake, peppermint brownie ice cream cake, peppermint ice cream cake

Best New Year’s Eve Recipes : Food Network

29 Dec

Best New Year’s Eve Recipes : Food Network.

New Year’s Eve is just two days away and if you are planning a party, big or small, Food Network has some great recipe ideas for you for appetizers, snacks, main courses, cocktails and more so you can ring in the New Year. Check it out!

I will be back with more of my own recipes once the holidays are are all over with so stay tuned for some great, exciting new things to try for the New Year. Thanks for following!