Dessert – Page 3

Pear & Almond Galette

Published on November 27, 2013November 26, 2013 by T.W.O.Leave a comment

Galette’s are a quick and easy alternative to making a pie or tart. It doesn’t require a special pan or master technic. Check out how to make this pear & almond galette.

Ingredients

*Flaky Crust:

-2 cups flour
-¾ cup shortening (T.W.O. uses butter flavor)
– 2-3 Tablespoons sugar
– 5-6 Tablespoons cold water
-1 egg white
*Please note this recipe usually makes two pie crusts, so adjust accordingly based on the size you want your galette

Filling:

– 7 ounces almond paste
– 5 Comice Pears, peeled & sliced
– ¼ cup granulated sugar
– 2 Tablespoons cinnamon
– 2 Tablespoons nutmeg
– 2 Tablespoons cornstarch

Preheat oven to 425ᴼF. In a bowl mix the flour, shortening, sugar and cold water. T.W.O. uses a pastry blender to mix the dough together until you form it into a ball. Set aside.

In a bowl, carefully mix the sliced pears, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and cornstarch. Be careful not to break the pears while mixing.

To roll out the dough, make sure your surface is floured so that the dough doesn’t stick to your countertop or mat. Using your rolling pin, roll the dough out evenly in a circular shape. With the assistance of a spatula, move the rolled out dough into the oiled or “PAM’ed” baking pan or cookie sheet. Next, add the almond paste to the center of the dough. You want to make sure the clumps of paste are distributed evenly, leaving a 1 inch border around the edge of the circle. Next add the pear mixture on top of the almond paste.

Using a knife, cut ½ thick strips along the edge of the dough. Next, take each strip and fold over to make a crust. Each strip should be crisscross. Brush the crust with the egg white and sprinkle sugar on top.

Bake the galette for about 35 minutes or until the fruit mixture is bubbling. Check the crust at 15 minutes and if the pie crust is getting brown, cover with foil. Remove the galette and let it sit for 15 minutes before serving. If you don’t plan to eat the galette right away, T.W.O. suggests warming it up prior to eating. Add a scoop of ice cream and you have yourself a gourmet dessert!!!

Happy Baking!!

Pumpkin Coffee Cake

Published on November 19, 2013November 17, 2013 by T.W.O.4 Comments

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies, Pumpkin Pie, Pumpkin Pancakes, Pumpkin Greek Yogurt…why not add Pumpkin Coffee Cake to the mix? T.W.O. just did that. Check out this savory coffee cake recipe that tastes like the holiday season in every bite! It’s a moist cake that can be enjoyed for breakfast, a snack and even dessert!

Crumb Layer
– ½ cup sugar
– 2 teaspoon cinnamon
– ½ teaspoon nutmeg
– 1 stick unsalted butter, melted
– 1 ½ cups unbleached flour
– Confectioner’s sugar (optional, to sprinkle on top of the cake when done)

Cake Layer
– 1 ½ cups unbleached flour
– 2 teaspoons baking powder
– ½ teaspoon baking soda
-1 teaspoon cinnamon
– 1 teaspoon nutmeg
– 1 teaspoon cloves
– 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
-1 cup sugar
– 2 eggs
-1 Tablespoon vanilla
-½ cup sour cream
– ¾ cups Libby’s canned pumpkin

Preheat oven to 350ᴼF.

To Make the Crumb Topping:

Combine sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg in a bowl. Slowly add the melted butter and flour into the mixture. Mix well and set aside.

To Make the Cake:

Cream the butter, sugar in a bowl. (T.W.O. uses a KitchenAid mixer!) Add the eggs, pumpkin, vanilla and sour cream. Make sure all the ingredients are mixed well before adding in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Once combined, get ready to assemble!

Pour the cake batter into a greased 9” round pan (or a spring-form pan, which makes for a better presentation of the cake!). Make sure the batter is evenly distributed. Add the crumble to the top of the batter and bake for 45 minutes or until a butter knife comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool for 15 minutes before taking it out of the pan.

Is it done yet? Sure is!!!!

Grab yourself some coffee, tea or even a glass of vino to enjoy this delectable, seasonal dessert!

Cheers

The Pumpkin Pie

Published on November 12, 2013November 10, 2013 by twinswithoriginalityLeave a comment

Pumpkin Pie. It is as important (maybe a little more!) than the turkey for T.W.O.’s family Thanksgiving feast. With Thanksgiving around the corner, T.W.O. decided to bake this delicious dessert a few weeks before the big day to get our and your mouths watering! You won’t be disappointed!

Ingredients

Flaky Crust:

-2 cups flour
-¾ cup shortening (T.W.O. uses butter flavor)
-2-3 Tablespoons sugar
-5-6 Tablespoons cold water

*Depending on the size of your pans or how thick you want your crust, you might want to double the crust recipe. T.W.O. uses 9 inch pie pans.

Pumpkin Filling:

-1 ½ cups sugar
-1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
-1 teaspoon ground ginger
-1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
-4 large eggs
-1 can (29 oz) Libby’s 100% Pure Pumpkin
-2 cans (12 fl. Oz., each) evaporated milk

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a bowl mix the flour, shortening, sugar and cold water. T.W.O. uses a pastry blender to mix the dough together, forming into a ball.

Once the dough ball is formed, let’s get ready to roll it out! Make sure your surface is floured so that the dough doesn’t stick to your countertop or mat. Split the dough in half to make the 2 piecrusts. Using your rolling pin, roll the dough out evenly in a circular shape. With the assistance of a spatula, move the rolled out dough into the oiled or “PAM’ed”pie dish. Pinch the crust tops with your fingers to make a stylish pattern. Repeat for second pie dough.

Now for the pumpkin filling. Mix sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves in small bowl (T.W.O. uses a KitchenAid). Beat eggs in a large bowl. Stir in pumpkin and sugar-spice mixture. Gradually stir in evaporated milk.

Pour into pie shells.

Bake in oven for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees; bake 40-50 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for about 1-2 hours. Serve immediately or refrigerate.

Happy Baking!

*T.W.O. makes a foil ring to cover the crusts so that it does not burn.

Pumpkin Bread + Roaring Treat

Published on October 31, 2013October 31, 2013 by T.W.O.1 Comment

Breakfast. Lunch. Dinner. Dessert – doesn’t matter what time of day you eat Pumpkin Bread. It is good, warm, cold or in some cases frozen! Find out how to make T.W.O.’s delicious pumpkin bread recipe below. In honor of Halloween, there is a special bonus recipe included in the post. Scroll down to get a T.W.O. Trick or Treat!

Ingredients:

– 3 cups sugar
– 1 cup vegetable oil
– 2/3 cup water
– 4 eggs
– 2 cups canned pumpkin (T.W.O. always adds two extra spoonfuls in the dough)
– 3 ½ cups unbleached flour
– 2 teaspoons baking soda
– 1 teaspoon baking powder
– 1 Tablespoon nutmeg
– 1 Tablespoon cinnamon
– 1 teaspoon cloves

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using a mixer (T.W.O. uses a KitchenAid), cream sugar and oil together until it becomes a little fluffy. Add eggs, pumpkin and water. Once everything is mixed well, slowly add the flour, soda, and powder. Make sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl so that the wet and dry ingredients are combined. Next, add in nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves. Place batter into greased pans and put in the oven for about 1.5 hours or until down.

A T.W.O. Trick or Treat!!

Since Halloween is today, T.W.O. decided to dress up their pumpkin bread. That’s right, food can play dress up too! This year, T.W.O. went with the “tiger” theme. Let’s see how this recipe roars! Thanks to T.W.O.’s brother for the vision of combining t.w.o. favorite ingredients…pumpkin and brownie!

The main ingredient to make this tiger pumpkin bread is brownie mix. Follow the directions on the box and set the brownie batter aside. Make the pumpkin bread batter as given above, but instead of pouring all the pumpkin bread batter into the pan, you are going to want to make layers with the brownie batter.

Your final product: sassy bread that is sure to WOW your audience! The rich gooeyness of the brownie mix and the fluffy pumpkin bread is a great combination.

Happy Baking!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Published on October 21, 2013October 21, 2013 by T.W.O.1 Comment

T.W.O. has made a ton of chocolate chip cookies in their lifetime and we discovered that throughout the years, new recipes are constantly evolving. Most recently, T.W.O. adapted this recipe that has a secret ingredient. Find out the trick to making the best chocolate chip cookie!

Ingredients:

– 2 1/4 cups unbleached flour
– 1 teaspoon baking soda
– 1 ½ teaspoons cornstarch
– 1.5 sticks unsalted butter, soften
– ¾ cups light brown sugar
– ½ cup sugar
– 1 egg + 1 egg yolk
– 3 teaspoons vanilla
– 2 cups chocolate chips

In a bowl, mix butter, sugar, brown sugar, egg and yolk together. (T.W.O. uses a KitchenAid mixer!) Once mixed well, add the flour, baking soda and the secret ingredient CORNSTARCH! After 3 minutes, slowly add in the chocolate chips. Place the dough in the refrigerator overnight or for a minimum 3 hours.

Don’t forget to taste the dough!

When you are ready to bake the cookies, take the dough out of the refrigerator. Pre-heat 350ᴼF. Let the dough sit out on the counter for about 15 minutes while the oven is pre-heating. Roll the dough into balls and place them on an oil-sprayed cookie sheet. Next, place the cookies in the oven for 10-11 minutes depending on your oven.

Once they are finished, take the cookies out of the oven. Place the baked cooked on a cooling rack and grab yourself a glass of milk and enjoy!

Happy Baking!

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Published on October 17, 2013October 15, 2013 by T.W.O.Leave a comment

Don’t throw away those brown bananas you have sitting on the counter; instead make chocolate chip banana bread! And T.W.O. did that exact thing for a Sunday afternoon project. It’s a great recipe for breakfast, a snack or even a sweet tooth craving after dinner.

Ingredients

– 2 ½ cups flour
-1 cup sugar
-3 ½ teaspoons baking powder
– 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
-¾ cups milk (or almond milk)
-1 egg
-1 cup mashed bananas, ripe (~2 to 3 medium bananas)
-2-3 cups Chocolate Chips

Preheat oven to 350º. In a mixer (T.W.O. uses a KitchenAid), cream the oil, sugar and egg. Once mixed, add the mashed bananas and milk.

Next, slowly add the flour and the baking powder. The batter should be thick, but not sticky. After about 4 minutes, stop the mixer. Slowly fold in (or on low speed in the mixer) the chocolate chips. Depending on your love for chocolate, feel free to add more or less!

Put in the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes. You know the bread is ready, when you poke the loaf with a butter knife and it comes out clean!

Happy Baking!

Chocolate-Dipped Coconut Macaroons

Published on October 1, 2013September 29, 2013 by twinswithoriginality2 Comments

Tired of making the same old cookie recipe? Need a new one in your life? Well, T.W.O. has the perfect recipe for you! Chocolate Dipped Coconut Macaroons! These cookies are so easy to make, only requires 6 ingredients and are so delicious you will find yourself going back for more!

Ingredients

-2/3 cup flour
-5 ½ cups flaked coconut
-1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
-2 teaspoons vanilla extract
-2 teaspoons of butter-flavored Crisco
-2 ½ cups chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix together flour and coconut. Add the sweetened condensed milk and vanilla and mix until all ingredients are blended. Refrigerate the dough for about 30 minutes.

Place dough (about a golf ball size) onto greased cookie sheet. Bake for about 12 minutes or until the tops of the cookies are slightly toasted.

Let cookies cool for about 45 minutes. Once cool, begin melting the chocolate by placing chocolate chips and Crisco into a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 30-45 seconds and mix until chocolate becomes smooth.