If you want a fast, easy, somewhat “healthy” dessert, then this recipe is for you! A granita is a semi-frozen dessert from Sicily that typically is composed of sugar, water, and flavors. Three ingredients, no cooking! And if you somehow find yourself with 3 pounds of strawberries, this is a good way to use some of them up!
Strawberry Granita Somewhat adapted from Delicious Living
Serves 4
1 pound of strawberries (hulled)
3/4 cup powdered sugar
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Put the strawberries in your food processor or blender and puree completely. Strain in a sieve or strainer into a bowl to remove seeds. Mix in lemon juice and sugar.
Pour into a shallow dish (mixture should not deeper than one inch) and put in the freezer for about an hour.
After an hour, take a fork and scrape the mixture so it’s fluffy. Then put back into the freezer for another hour or so (until frozen) and then scrape again.
Consider yourself warned – the next few posts just might be recipes all about strawberries! I am currently obsessed with strawberries and I’m dying for them to be ready at our local apple orchard where you can pick your own. For now I have to settle for the ones from the grocery store. Last Friday, John and I went over to my cousin Roxanne and her husband Dan’s house and I volunteered to bring dessert. Dan loves dessert. I thought these cupcakes would be the perfect thing to bring. They turned out really well! We thought the frosting tasted a lot like strawberry ice cream.
I added some chopped strawberries to the frosting, which changed the texture of the frosting. If you do add chopped strawberries, make sure you dry them well and you will probably need to add extra powdered sugar to stiffen up the frosting. As you will see, my frosting looks more runny than the picture with the original recipe. It still tasted great though.
Cupcakes 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoons salt
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 tablespoons melted butter
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup milk
Frosting 6 tablespoons butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
2 tablespoons milk or cream
Strawberry jam (I used Smuckers Strawberry Spreadable Fruit)
Directions Make the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin pan with paper or foil muffin cups. Mix together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt and set aside. In another bowl, beat the eggs, sugar, and vanilla with an electric beater until thick and smooth (about 3 minutes). Add the butter and oil and mix well. Slowly add the milk and dry ingredients. Fill the muffin cups about 2/3 full with the batter.
Bake for 20-23 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool slightly then transfer to rack to cool completely.
Make the frosting: Beat softened butter with electric mixer until smooth. Slowly add the powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt. Beat until smooth then add the milk or cream and beat until fluffy. Mix in the strawberry jam (I used about 3 tablespoons but add as much or little as you like). Optional: finely chop a few strawberries and mix in! Or you could slice and add on top!
So, it’s been a while since my last post! It’s not that I haven’t been cooking, it’s just that I finished graduate school last week, so I was busy with finals! I’ve actually been cooking more than normal, I just haven’t had time to write. Last weekend, I hosted a bridal shower for my brother-in-law’s fiance, Sarah, and then also hosted Mother’s Day breakfast for the in-laws the next day. So, I don’t think I will be entertaining for quite a while!
John and I had a little get-together at our house yesterday with friends to celebrate my graduation. We had burgers, veggies, chips and chocolate chip cookies. And for dessert: CREAM PUFF CAKE! I got this recipe from my grandma, who is a wonderful cook, and the party was a great excuse to make it. Cream puffs are always a hit, and it’s just way easier to make them in cake form.
Note: my grandma’s recipe calls for Cool Whip, but I prefer real whipped cream. So, if you don’t feel like making real whipped cream (but you should, because it’s so much better!), go ahead and substitute a tub of Cool Whip. You can refrigerate any leftovers for a day or so (although you probably won’t have any leftovers!).
Cream Puff Cake Adapted from Grandma Jurek, serves approx 15
Cake:
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
1 cup water
1 cup flour
4 eggs
Spray bottom of 9×13 pan with cooking spray. Melt butter with the water in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil. Add flour. Stir vigorously with a wooden spoon or spatula until dough forms a ball. Remove from heat. Let cool slightly for 1-2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well between each addition. Stir until dough is completely combined. It should be smooth and light yellow-colored. Spoon dough into prepared pan and smooth out to coat pan evenly. Bake for 30 minutes or until puffed and golden brown and no longer wet on the inside. Cool before topping.
Topping:
1 package vanilla pudding
3 cups cold milk (or whatever the pudding box calls for)
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
Chocolate syrup, for serving (optional) Recommended: Guittard Dark Chocolate syrup
Prepare the vanilla pudding according to package directions. Once set, spread onto cooled cake. Beat the whipping cream, sugar, and vanilla together until soft peaks form. Spread on top of pudding. An offset spatula works great for this. Cut cake into 15 pieces. Top with chocolate syrup. Enjoy! (Believe me, you will!)
Try not to open the oven while the cake is baking. You will get a cream puff steam facial.
The finished cakes. They look like a cream puff mountain landscape.
Making the pudding in the Kitchen Aid mixer. Best wedding gift ever - thanks, Jeff!
The finished whipped cream.
Ta-da! The finished product! Make sure you get a piece before it's all gone!
I found this recipe on the Smitten Kitchen and just had to try it. Chocolate and caramel: what’s not to love? I have made a recipe similar to this in the past (with a cookie crust), which I will have to write about some other time. I omitted the optional nut topping from the original recipe; I thought that it might be good topped with toasted coconut (think: Girl Scout Samoa cookies).
The original recipe calls for saltine or matzo crackers, but while standing in line at the deli at Kowalski’s, I found some water crackers (Minnesota Flats brand) that looked like they’d be perfect.
About 40 saltine crackers or one package of water crackers
1 cup unsalted butter, cut into a few large pieces
1 cup packed light brown sugar
A big pinch of sea salt
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
1 cup toasted coconut (optional – see below)
1 cup toasted chopped almonds, pecans, walnuts or a nut of your choice (optional)
Extra sea salt for sprinkling (optional)
Line a 11×17 rimmed baking sheet with foil, then top with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spread out the crackers into a single layer onto the prepared pan. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the brown sugar. When the mixture comes to a boil, stir and cook for 3 minutes. Take the mixture off the heat, then add a pinch of sea salt and the vanilla (I used the vanilla my grandma brought me back from Mexico – thanks, Grandma!). Pour the caramel quickly onto the crackers, then spread evenly onto crackers with a spatula. Bake the crackers for 15 minutes (caramel will bubble) and make sure to keep an eye on it so it doesn’t burn. If it starts to brown too quickly, turn the heat down. Once you remove the crackers from the oven, immediately cover with chocolate chips. Let sit for 5 minutes so the chocolate can melt, then spread the chocolate evenly over the caramel. Top with nuts or toasted coconut. Let sit until hardened (or put in refrigerator to speed up the process). Once hardened, break into pieces and enjoy! The crack will keep for a few days.
Toasted Coconut
Spread coconut onto a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 5 minutes, toss, then bake 5 more minutes, until golden brown and toasty.
