No cook Banana Pudding

The crust is a premade cookie. The filling is chopped fruit (premade too, I guess you could say) and no-cook, instant vanilla pudding. The topping is whipped cream. The typing up of this recipe is honestly more time-consuming than the actual making of it. I suppose I could have made my own pudding for this, but I am rationing my cartons of eggs for the double recipe of Meyer Lemon Pie that I am going to make tomorrow and that is a nonnegotiable for our Easter table (I will be sharing the recipe for that tomorrow!). Could I have made a fancy meringue too? Yes, but again I am making a pie tomorrow that warrants that amount of formality. Banana Pudding is a let your hair down dessert and I appreciate its unpretentious, approachable nature. While this pudding might be semi-homemade, don’t let the shortcuts fool you, it is truly delicious. If you have some bananas that need to be used, it is a great vehicle for that too! Also, because it does not involve a hot stove or oven, this would a great recipe for little ones to help with in the kitchen.

Ingredients:

• 1 box of Nilla Wafers

• 6-7 bananas

• 1 box of instant vanilla pudding, 5 oz size

• 1 tbsp powdered sugar

• 2 cups of heavy cream

Method:

1. Make vanilla pudding according to box’s instructions and set to the side.

2. Beat powdered sugar and whipping cream until stiff peaks form and set to the side.

3. Slice bananas to about 1/8in. thickness and set to the side.

4. Now assemble:

   In a 9x13 dish, put down a layer of Nilla Wafers cookies to cover the bottom of dish. Place half of sliced bananas on top of the cookies, cover with half of the pudding mixture, smoothing it out. Place another layer of cookies on top of the pudding, place the rest of the bananas on top, and then top with the rest of the pudding mixture. Top with the whipped cream and crumble some the remaining cookies on top for show.

   Save a couple of cookies for a low moment and stash in a safe place!

5. Place pudding into the fridge to chill for 3-4 hours.

6. Or eat it before it chills. Honestly, there are no rules for quarantine-cooking.

Pumpkin Spiced Brownies

Fact: I am holding a brownie in one hand and attempting to type with the other hand as I write this. Could this one finger, one letter at a time, typing be sped up? Yes, but that would require me to put down my brownie and that is not something that I am willing to do. Another fact: my all-time favorite favor combination is coffee and chocolate, but in truth, pumpkin and chocolate is becoming a very close second. There is something about the warmth and savory nature of the pumpkin brings out and compliments the darker notes of the chocolate to give it a more savory quality as well. Either way, I took a big bowl of these to a gathering last night and came home with crumbs! Always a good sign!

Everyone has their own ideals of what makes a perfect brownie. Some prefer a glossy, crunchy top, others a fudgier consistency. And while you can’t make everyone happy, I am thrilled to report that everyone who has tried these brownies smiles after their first bite! A slightly crisp top, with a fudgey yet fluffy and light texture, with the slightest hint of savory spice—they might be the perfect bite.

For Brownies:

• 10oz of dark chocolate

• 2 sticks of butter, softened

• 1 1/2 cups of sugar

• 2 large eggs

• 1/2 cup of pumpkin

• 1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

• 1 tbsp of pumpkin pie spice

• 1/4 tsp of espresso powder

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

2. Using a double boiler, melt 10oz of dark chocolate. Set melted chocolate to the side.

3. In a bowl add butter and sugar and mix until fluffy. Add eggs in one and time and combine, then add pumpkin and melted chocolate. Combine and set to the side.

4. In other bowl, combine flour, salt, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and espresso powder.

5. Mix dry ingredients into wet and stir together and pour into a prepared, greased and parchment-lined pan. I used 9x13 and bake for 35-40 minutes.

6. Dust with a little powdered sugar and cinnamon and enjoy!

Spooky Good Candy Bark

I am not a big Halloween girl. Never have been, and probably won’t be until I have children of my own—I have big plans for baby poodles, maybe a scuba diver, and, let’s not forget, The Blues Brothers. There is something about Halloween that just grosses me out, maybe it’s the witches or the gory costumes. I have vivid memories of my mom’s ceramic witch bowl sitting on the kitchen table, and being unable to finish my breakfast as a child. My resistance to the kid-centric holiday was so bad one year my parents just threw in the towel and bribed me to trick-or-treat. I think they were worried that I was going to miss out on the childhood experience, and wanted me to learn to face my fears. As it turns out, an Alexander Hamilton in hand is a pretty good extrinsic motivator. All the while, I was researching how to make sure your Halloween spoils were not tampered prior to receiving them; I watched far too much news as a child. (I also took a rain jacket and umbrella everyday in elementary school!) It is no small wonder I work with anxious children, I can really identify with them.

Once my candy anxieties were quieted by ensuring the seals were not broken, the candy was the one part of Halloween I could get behind. I didn’t eat much of it, but mama loved her some Twix (still do!). I guess I should I call my parents and say thank you because this Halloween I decided to face another one of my fears: tempering chocolate. Ever since I began seeing my baking hero, Claire Saffitz, go through trial and error trying to temper chocolate on Gourmet Makes, the thought of trying it myself challenged and scared me. See also: the perfect combination for growth. Tempering chocolate basically means that you have to bring the chocolate to three different temperatures. The tempering causes an altering in the crystal formation of the chocolate, and when it dries it will be shiny and snap when broken. Don’t get any ideas about short cuts either, you cannot use a sous side, as the stirring is elemental in the tempering process. Also, if you want any chance of making a decent, homemade Peppermint Bark this coming holiday season, you too will have to temper your chocolate. This recipe used the Seed Method to temper.

So this Candy Bark accomplished three things: used up my left over Halloween candy, taught me to do something new, and served as a trial run to the main event: Peppermint Bark. Maybe I should rename this, Type A Bark?

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of crushed Snickers

• 1 cup of crushed Twix

• 1 cup of M&M’s, reserving 1/4 cup for sprinkling on the top

• 20 oz of dark chocolate

• 20 oz of white chocolate

• kosher salt for sprinkling at the end

Supplies (besides: pots/pans/and the like):

• two cooking thermometers

• make an ice bath in your kitchen sink, with no more that 2-3 inches of water

  Method:

1. Set up two double boilers, with the water temperature set to simmering.

2. Pour 2/3 of your dark chocolate into one double boiler, stirring constantly until chocolate is melted and registers 118 degrees on a thermometer.

3. Immediately take off the heat, pour in the remaining dark chocolate, and stir until melted.

4. Place into ice bath, stirring continuously, until dark chocolate registers 78 degrees. Make sure no water comes into contact with chocolate!!

5. Once dark chocolate registers 78 degrees, place back on double boiler until it reaches 87 degrees. Stirring until temperature is reached. Leave on double boiler to maintain 87 degree temperature while you start tempering the white chocolate.

6. In another double boiler, pour in 2/3 of your white chocolate, stirring until it reaches 115 degrees.

7. Take off heat immediately, and stir in remaining 1/3 of white chocolate, until melted.

8. Place white chocolate into ice bath, and stir until the thermometer registers 78 degrees. Make sure no water comes into contact with chocolate!!

9. Place white chocolate back on double boiler, and stir until it reaches 87 degrees.

10. On a small piece of parchment paper, take a small spoonful of each chocolate and place a drop of each on top of the paper.

11. Once the chocolate dries (should take 5-7 minutes), if it is tempered it will be shiny, and snap when broken. Picture below for reference!

12. On a parchment lined baking sheet, coated with nonstick spray, pour both your dark and white chocolate, and with a knife or offset spatula, create whatever design you fancy. Picture for reference below! If you just want a chocolate bark, you can stop here and freeze for 3-4 hours or overnight to set up. Break into pieces.

13. If you prefer to take it a step further, mix in the crushed Twix, Snickers, and M&Ms, until combined with chocolate.

14. Top with remaining 1/4 cup of M&Ms and sprinkle with a pinch of kosher salt.

15. Place into the freezer to harden for 3-4 hours or overnight.

16. Break into pieces for serving.

Simple, tempered chocolate swirl!

Tempered dark and white chocolate. See that shine?!

Spiced Pumpkin Bread with Dark Chocolate

Hello, Fall! If you’re reading this, I have probably just touched down in the Big Apple, and cannot help but reminded by Meg Ryan’s line in You’ve Got Mail, “Don’t you just love New York in the fall?” While Tom Hanks may not be asking for my address to send me a box of “newly sharpened pencils,” as he jokes in the film, I am finding my own way of enjoying the season. As my mom, sister and I are working through my grandmother’s recipes for the cookbook we are creating in her memory, we are coming across a treasure-trove of old favorites! One of them being, her Pumpkin Bread. Now I’ve never met a bread I didn’t like, but this one feels special. It’s not overly sweet, and the texture is simply divine. The taste actually lives up up the aroma while baking! I will admit, the base of this recipe is my grandmother’s, but I felt it needed a bit of a face lift. For starters, the original recipe called for a full cup of oil. That’s over 1800 calories, just in oil! So I swapped a few tablespoons of butter and some applesauce. The spice list in the original was pretty extensive, too. In order to simplify, I decided to use pumpkin pie spice seasoning, using a tablespoon, and a dash extra of cinnamon. My pumpkin pie seasoning also has ginger in it, which makes the bread a touch more spiced, than the cinnamon, cloves, allspice, and nutmeg the original recipe called for. I love falling for Autumn, and this bread can take me through the season’s flavors in a bite!

Ingredients:

3 cups of sugar

4 tbsp melted butter

3/4 cup of applesauce

1 15oz can of pumpkin 

1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice

1/4 tsp cinnamon

3 cups self rising flour

1 12 oz bag of dark chocolate chips

1 tsp salt

4 eggs

This recipe makes 2 loafs or one loaf and a dozen muffins! Or you can make all muffins too, if that’s your thing!

Method:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a large bowl combine, flour, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and salt.

3. In another large bowl beat together butter and sugar until fluffy. Crack and add in eggs in one at a time. Once combined, add in pumpkin and applesauce, and bring together.

4. Add dry ingredients in, stirring into wet in 3-4 installments.

5. Once combined, fold in dark chocolate chips.

6. Place batter into greased baking dish. If making in loaf pans, bake for 65-75 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. If making in muffin tins, bake for 25-30 minutes or until muffins spring back when touched.

Rainbow Rice Krispie Treats

They say if you follow a rainbow and you’ll find a pot of gold. And while Lucky Charms are magic and delicious (has anyone at General Mills ever thought about just selling the marshmallows from Lucky Charms separately? Call me, General Mills.) I personally believe the pot would be filled with these Rainbow Rice Krispy Treats. Why you ask? Because they combine your two favorite Saturday morning cartoon cereals into one with melted marshmallows and butter. So basically this is the stuff of your kindergartener-self dreams, or at least mine, except my hands won’t be covered in dried and peeling Elmers Glue while I eat them. Or maybe they will be, after all, I do work with kiddos all day…

Here is the recipe and it could not be simpler. Have little hands wanting to help in your kitchen? Let them measure out the ingredients and press the mixture into the pan. Have a gluten allergy? Good news! Fruity Pebbles are GF and you can buy Rice Krispies that are GF—easy peasy swaps!

Ingredients:

-5 cups of Fruity Pebbles

-3 cups of Rice Krispies

-4 tbsp of butter

-8 cups of Jet-Puffed marshmallows

-non stick cooking spray

Method:

Combine the Rice Krispies and Fruity Pebbles into a large bowl and stir to make sure there is an even distribution. Set aside. In a large pot, over low heat, melt the butter. Once melted add in your marshmallows, and stir until melted. Tip: To keep the marshmallows from sticking to your mixing utensil, spray with a nonstick cooking spray before stirring. Pour the cereal mixture into the pot, coating the cereals with the melted marshmallows. Pour out the mixture on to a parchment-lined baking sheet, that has been coated in a non-stick spray, and use the pan a guide to make the shape, and press the mixture to be the same depth as the pan. Let set for 10-15 minutes (or as long as you can stand) and then cut into squares with a knife. Fair warning: you will not be able to eat just one. Makes about 20-26 squares, depending the size you choose.