Desserts

I want something snacky!

Who hasn't thought that occasionally? And when you're stressed, it's that much easier to want something a little snacky. With that in mind, here are six dessert recipes to help you through the day, including Chocolate Chip Cheesecake and Salted Chocolate Pudding With Whipped Sour Cream. Enjoy!

BOSTON CREAM DOUGHNUTS

This comes from Mark Bittman at The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Mark wrote, “This is a recipe for a popular riff on the classic Boston Cream Pie, with a crisp, flaky doughnut as the vessel for silky pastry cream. The only specialty tool you’ll need is a pastry bag. But you can also poke a funnel into the side of the doughnut and spoon the cream into the center of the pastry.”

Time: About 3 hours, mostly unattended; Yield: About 1 dozen

This was featured in “Time to Make the Doughnuts,” and can be viewed online at https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1017066-boston-cream-doughnuts.

Ingredients

For the Doughnuts

1 1/4 cups milk

2 1/4 teaspoons (one package) active dry yeast

2 eggs

8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, melted and cooled

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon salt

4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling out the dough

2 quarts neutral oil, for frying, plus more for the bowl

For the Glaze

1 3/4 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

For the Pastry Cream

2/3 cup sugar

2 tablespoons flour

2 tablespoons cornstarch

a pinch of salt

2 eggs

2 cups cream

2 tablespoons softened unsalted butter

2 teaspoons vanilla

Preparation

For the Doughnuts

Heat the milk until it is warm but not hot, about 90 degrees. In a large bowl, combine it with the yeast. Stir lightly, and let sit until the mixture is foamy, about 5 minutes.

Using an electric mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, beat the eggs, butter, sugar and salt into the yeast mixture. Add half of the flour (2 cups plus 2 tablespoons), and mix until combined, then mix in the rest of the flour until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Add more flour, about 2 tablespoons at a time, if the dough is too wet. If you’re using an electric mixer, the dough will probably become too thick to beat; when it does, transfer it to a floured surface, and gently knead it until smooth. Grease a large bowl with a little oil. Transfer the dough to the bowl, and cover. Let rise at room temperature until it doubles in size, about 1 hour.

Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface, and roll it to 1/2-inch thickness. Cut out the doughnuts with a doughnut cutter, concentric cookie cutters or a drinking glass and a shot glass (the larger one should be about 3 inches in diameter), flouring the cutters as you go. Reserve the doughnut holes. If you’re making filled doughnuts, don’t cut out the middle. Knead any scraps together, being careful not to overwork, and let rest for a few minutes before repeating the process.

Put the doughnuts on two floured baking sheets so that there is plenty of room between each one. Cover with a kitchen towel, and let rise in a warm place until they are slightly puffed up and delicate, about 45 minutes. If your kitchen isn’t warm, heat the oven to 200 at the beginning of this step, then turn off the heat, put the baking sheets in the oven and leave the door ajar.

About 15 minutes before the doughnuts are done rising, put the oil in a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, and heat it to 375. Meanwhile, line cooling racks, baking sheets or plates with paper towels.

Carefully add the doughnuts to the oil, a few at a time. If they’re too delicate to pick up with your fingers (they may be this way only if you rose them in the oven), use a metal spatula to pick them up and slide them into the oil. It’s O.K. if they deflate a bit; they’ll puff back up as they fry. When the bottoms are deep golden, after 45 seconds to a minute, use a slotted spoon to flip; cook until they’re deep golden all over. Doughnut holes cook faster. Transfer the doughnuts to the prepared plates or racks, and repeat with the rest of the dough, adjusting the heat as needed to keep the oil at 375.

For the Glaze

For the glaze, whisk together 1 3/4 cups powdered sugar, 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 1/4 cup milk and 1 teaspoon vanilla until smooth. Dip the tops of the doughnuts in the glaze, and let it harden on a rack.

For the Pastry Cream Filling

Combine 2/3 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons flour, 2 tablespoons cornstarch and a pinch of salt in a small saucepan. Over medium heat, whisk in 2 eggs and 2 cups cream. Continue cooking, whisking almost constantly, until the mixture just begins to boil and thickens, about 10 minutes. Adjust the heat so the mixture bubbles gently; cook until it coats the back of a spoon (when you draw your finger through this coating, the resulting line should hold its shape). Stir in 2 tablespoons softened unsalted butter and 2 teaspoons vanilla. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve, and cool to room temperature before using.

To fill the doughnuts with the pastry cream, insert the tip of a pastry bag filled with cream into the side of the doughnut, and squeeze. (Alternatively, poke a chopstick into the side of the doughnut, and wiggle it around to hollow out some space inside. Plunge a small funnel into the hole, spoon some filling into the funnel and use the chopstick to push it into the doughnut. If the filling clumps up toward the center of the doughnut, just press lightly on the top to distribute it evenly.)

HOMEMADE BAKLAVA

This was in the September 2009 issue of Vegetarian Times, page 55. It begins, “This classic Greek sweet may look tricky to make, but it’s as easy as a kid’s craft project. Crispy layers are produced by brushing melted butter between sheets of phyllo dough. Don’t worry about making each layer perfect—uneven ends and tears will be hidden in the final outcome.” Makes 32 servings.

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

Baklava

12 oz. pistachios, walnuts, or almonds

1/3 cup sugar

1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 16-oz. pkg. phyllo dough, thawed

10 oz. (21/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted

Honey Syrup

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup honey

Preparation

To make Baklava: Preheat oven to 350°F. Spread nuts on baking sheet, and toast in oven 6 minutes. Cool.

Pulse nuts, sugar, and cinnamon in food processor 8 to 10 times, or until finely chopped. Set aside.

Brush 13- x 9-inch metal baking pan with butter. Line with 2 phyllo sheets; brush phyllo with butter. Repeat 4 more times, or until you have 5 layers of 2 phyllo sheets each (10 sheets total). Sprinkle with one-third of nut mixture. Top with 2 phyllo sheets, brush with butter, and repeat phyllo layering 2 more times (6 sheets total). Sprinkle with one-third of nut mixture. Top with 2 phyllo sheets, brush with butter, and repeat phyllo layering 2 more times (6 sheets total). Sprinkle with remaining one-third of nut mixture. Top with 2 phyllo sheets, brush with butter, and repeat phyllo layering 2 more times (6 sheets total). Lay 1 phyllo sheet on top, brush with butter, then lay last phyllo sheet on top, and brush with butter. Chill 10 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Cut Baklava into 16 squares with knife. Cut each square into 2 triangles, or for larger dessert-size serving, leave in squares. Bake 30 to 40 minutes, or until top is golden brown.

To make Honey Syrup: Combine sugar, honey, lemon zest, and 1 cup water in small saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 15 minutes, or until slightly thickened. Remove lemon zest, and pour syrup over hot Baklava. Cool on wire rack.

To serve: recut triangles or squares with knife, and remove from pan. Store covered at room temperature.

CHOCOLATE CHIP CHEESECAKE

This is from that infamous long-since-forgotten emailing list, and begins, “Chocolate chips dot this creamy, luscious cheesecake. A winning dessert that will please the eyes as well as the tastebuds.”

Prep Time: 20 minutes; Cooking Time: 1 hour; refrigeration time: 2 hours; Serves: 14

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups chocolate sandwich cookies (about 15), crushed

2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted

1 package (12-oz) NESTLÉ ® TOLL HOUSE ® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels, divided

2 package (8-oz.) cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

2 large eggs

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

3/4 cup NESTLÉ ® Carnation ® Evaporated Milk

1/2 cup sour cream

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine cookie crumbs with butter in medium bowl until moistened; press onto bottom of ungreased 9-inch springform pan. Sprinkle with 1 cup morsels.

Beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until smooth. Beat in eggs and flour. Gradually beat in evaporated milk and sour cream. Pour over crust. Sprinkle with remainingmorsels.

Bake for 25 minutes. Cover loosely with aluminum foil. Bake for additional 30 to 40 minutes or until edge is set but center still moves slightly. Place in refrigerator immediately; refrigerate for 2 hours or until firm. Remove side of springform pan.

RAISIN OATMEAL COOKIES

This is from the infamous long-since-forgotten emailing list, though it looks like it was from a diabetic list.

Yield: 2-1/2 dozen cookies (1 per serving)

Ingredients

6 tablespoons margarine, softened

1/4 cup fat-free sour cream

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1-1/2 cups quick-cooking oats

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 cup raisins for baking

Directions

Mix margarine, sour cream, egg, and vanilla in large bowl; mix in brown sugar. Mix in combined oats, flour, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon. Mix in raisins.

Drop dough onto greased cookie sheets, using 2 tablespoons for each cookie. Bake at 350 degrees F. until browned, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool on wire racks.

Nutritional Information Per Serving (1 cookie): Calories: 90, Fat: 2.7 g, Cholesterol: 7.1 mg, Sodium: 57 mg, Protein: 1.5 g, Carbohydrate: 15.3 g

Diabetic Exchanges: 1 Bread/Starch, 1/2 Fat

SALTED CHOCOLATE PUDDING WITH WHIPPED SOUR CREAM

This is from Alison Roman at The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Alison wrote, “A classic, old-fashioned chocolate pudding, this dessert is made a bit more interesting by layering with whipped sour cream (for a little tang) and crushed cookies of your choosing (for texture). While you can absolutely make and serve chocolate pudding in individual cups, there is something delightfully communal about sharing it from one giant vessel, which can be nearly anything you want: Mixing bowls, trifle bowls or baking dishes all work, just aim for something tall and deep so you can build as many layers as possible.”

Time: 45 minutes, plus 3 hours’ chilling

This was featured in “Desserts That Bring the Party, but Not the Fuss”, and can be viewed online at https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1020708-salted-chocolate-pudding-with-whipped-sour-cream.

Ingredients

For the Pudding:

8 ounces bittersweet chocolate (65 to 70 percent), finely chopped

3 cups heavy cream

3 cups whole milk

1/3 cup cocoa powder

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

6 large egg yolks

1/3 cup cornstarch

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)

For Assembly:

3 cups heavy cream

3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar

3 cups sour cream

12 ounces thin wafer cookies, such as gingerbread, vanilla wafers or chocolate wafers

Flaky sea salt

Preparation

Make the pudding: Place chocolate in a large bowl; set aside.

Heat heavy cream, milk, cocoa powder and 3/4 cup granulated sugar in a medium pot over medium-high, whisking constantly until the mixture comes to a bare simmer, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat.

In a large bowl, whisk together the remaining 3/4 cup granulated sugar, the egg yolks, the cornstarch, the salt and the vanilla, if using, until the mixture is lump-free and pale in color. Ladle a bit of the hot cream mixture into the egg yolks and whisk until completely blended, adding a bit more at a time until half the cream mixture is added. Transfer the yolk-cream mixture back into the pot with the remaining cream mixture.

Return the pot to medium heat and, whisking constantly, cook until the mixture has gone from thin and watery to thick and custardy, with the occasional bubble popping up, 3 to 5 minutes.

Immediately pour the mixture over the chocolate, and let sit for a minute or two, giving the bowl a shake to help the chocolate settle as it melts. Using a whisk, mix the chocolate into the cream as it melts, until you have an ultrasmooth, silky pudding. Transfer to a flat baking dish (an 8-by-8-inch pan works well) and cover the top of the pudding with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until pudding is completely set, at least 3 hours and up to 48 hours.

Assemble and serve: Using either an electric mixer on medium or a whisk and elbow grease, whisk heavy cream and confectioners’ sugar in a medium bowl until light and fluffy. (The cream should hold a gentle peak.) Whisk in sour cream.

To serve, spoon a bit of chocolate pudding into a serving vessel. This can be done in individual bowls, glasses, cups or coupes, or alternatively, one large bowl or baking dish — the choice is yours. Then spoon in an equal amount of whipped sour cream, and scatter with crumbled cookies. Repeat until the vessel is full, topping with flaky salt.

Eat immediately, so the cookies stay crunchy, or store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

LEMON SORBET

This last recipe from the infamous long-since-forgotten emailing list. Makes 8 servings.

Ingredients

1 cup water

1 cup sugar

1 cup fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon lemon zest

Directions

In a small saucepan, bring the water and the sugar to a boil, stirring the mixture to dissolve the sugar. Add the lemon juice and zest to the sugar syrup and freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.