Desserts

I want something snacky!

Who hasn't said, or, at least, thought that on occasion? And what fills the bill? Dessert, of course.

To that end, here are six yummy desserts to try, including Easy No-Bake Pineapple Cheesecake and Brigadeiros. Enjoy!

DIRT DESSERT PUDDING BOWLS

This is from Old El Paso, and begins, "Dessert has never been so much fun to create or enjoy than with this classic dirt dessert—now in an easy-to-hold, edible tortilla bowl! Sweetened and oven-baked Old El Paso™ Mini Soft Tortilla Bowls make sure you don't miss a single dirt crumb. Layers of chocolate pudding, crushed sandwich cookies and gummy worm candies will delight your kids (and adults!). It's perfect for birthdays, and easy enough for an anytime dessert."

Prep Time: 20 minutes; Total Time: 40 minutes; Makes 12

To view this online, go to https://www.oldelpaso.com/recipes/dirt-dessert-pudding-bowls.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon butter, melted

1 package (12 count) Old El Paso™ Mini Soft Tortilla Bowls

1 tablespoon sugar

1 package (4-serving size) chocolate instant pudding and pie filling mix

1 1/2 cups cold milk

1/2 cup frozen (thawed) whipped topping

8 creme-filled chocolate sandwich cookies, finely crushed (about 3/4 cup)

12 gummy worm candies

Preparation

Heat oven to 375°F. Line rimmed cookie sheet with foil. Lightly brush melted butter on all sides of tortilla bowls. Sprinkle sugar on all sides of bowls. Place on cookie sheet. Bake 5 to 7 minutes or until lightly browned on edges and firm to the touch. Bowls will crisp as they cool. Remove to cooling rack to cool completely, about 10 minutes.

When ready to serve, in medium bowl, beat pudding mix and milk 2 minutes, using whisk. Fold in whipped topping. Divide pudding mixture among cooled tortilla bowls, spreading evenly.

Sprinkle 1 tablespoon crushed cookies over top of each; lightly press into pudding layer. Cut gummy worm candies in half, and insert the two ends into top of each tortilla bowl. Serve immediately. Store any remaining bowls in refrigerator.

Expert Tips

For more fun, try sprinkling green candy sprinkles or flower-shaped candy decors on tops of crushed cookies in dirt pudding.

To easily crush cookies in this dirt dessert recipe, place in resealable food-storage plastic bag, and go over with rolling pin.

Gummy worm candies can vary in size. There’s no need to cut them in half if you buy minis!

BRIGADEIROS

This is from Natalia Pereira (and adapted by Tejal Rao) on The New York Times cooking site. Tejal wrote, "The Brazilian sweets known as brigadeiros are a classic treat at birthday parties and family get-togethers, where the fudgy, chocolate-milk caramels are often rolled in sprinkles. The chef Natalia Pereira of Woodspoon in Los Angeles also makes more grownup, bittersweet brigadeiros by rolling them in cocoa powder or shredded coconut. Try her recipe, which she learned from her mother in Minas Gerais, Brazil, using either canned condensed milk or a homemade version. Either way, the candies will be tender and delicious."

Yield: About 24 pieces; Time: 1 1/2 hours, plus cooling

This was featured in "A Brazilian Treat for Home Cooks in a Hurry" (in The New York Times Magazine on February 21, 2021), and can be viewed online at https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1021918-brigadeiros.

Note: I originally read the article that this was featured in back in February, and reread it again when I was looking at this online. If you haven't read it, I highly recommend doing so.

Ingredients

For the Sweetened Condensed Milk (optional):

5 cups whole milk

1 cup granulated sugar

For the Brigadeiros:

2 teaspoons unsalted butter, plus more for greasing your hands

1-3/4 cups homemade sweetened condensed milk or 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

5 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder, sifted

Pinch of flaky sea salt

1 cup chocolate or rainbow sprinkles

Preparation

If using store-bought condensed milk, skip to Step 2. If making the sweetened condensed milk from scratch, add the milk and sugar to a large saucepan. Heat over medium-low, and simmer, stirring occasionally and scraping the sides and bottom of the pan with a spatula, for about 30 to 40 minutes. When the milk reduces to about 1 3/4 cups, thickens to a syrup texture and turns slightly yellow, it is ready.

Prepare the brigadeiros: Melt the butter in a heavy skillet over low heat. Add the condensed milk, cocoa powder and salt, and whisk until no trace of cocoa remains, about 5 minutes.

Turn the heat up to medium, and use a heatproof spatula to stir the mixture constantly until it becomes thick and shiny and pulls away from the bottom of the pan as a mass when you drag the spatula across it, about 7 minutes. If you’re not sure the mixture is ready, take 1/2 teaspoon of it and run it under cold water. When it’s cool enough to touch, squish it with your fingers — it should be the texture of a soft and fudgy caramel.

Scrape all of the mixture onto a piece of parchment paper, and let it cool down until it’s easy to handle, about 30 minutes. Lightly butter your hands, and use them to shape a scant tablespoon of the mixture into a ball or rough cube, then roll it in the sprinkles. Place each one on a paper wrapper, if you like. The brigadeiros will keep in the fridge for 1 week, or in the freezer for 1 month. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

LEMON TOFU CHEESECAKE

This recipe comes from Vegetarian Times, and begins, "This vegan dessert brings zippy citrus and creamy texture to the party."

"This lemon tofu cheesecake, originally published by Vegetarian Times in 1997, makes for an elegant vegan dessert. While you can dig in as soon as it sets, after about two hours of chill time, we find it actually tastes better the next day, after the flavors have had time to continue to develop.

"If it’s just too hot to turn on the oven, this recipe can easily be adapted to a no-bake format. Just skip the cornstarch called for in the filling. The result will be something a bit more loose and creamy."

To view this online, go to https://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/lemon-tofu-cheesecake-recipe/. Makes 8 servings

Ingredients

Crust

2 cups graham crackers

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Filling

1 pound firm tofu

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

1 tablespoon tahini or almond butter

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

2 tablespoons cornstarch dissolved in water

1 tablespoons vegan milk such as soy, rice, or almond

Preparation

Crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In medium bowl, mix cracker crumbs, syrup, and extract until crumbs are moistened. Pour into oiled 9-inch pie plate; press mixture firmly to form crust. Bake 5 minutes; let cool while preparing the filling.

Filling: In food processor or blender, combine ingredients and process until smooth, about 30 seconds.

Bake: Pour mixture into crust. Bake until top is slightly browned, about 30 minutes. Cool and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled and firm, about 2 hours.

MISSISSIPPI MUD PIE

This is from the infamous long-since-forgotten emailing list.

Ingredients

1 prepared 9-inch chocolate crumb pie crust

1 cup Powdered sugar

1 cup (6 oz.) NESTLÉ ® TOLL HOUSE ® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter or margarine, cut up

1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

2 tablespoons light corn syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup chopped nuts, divided (optional)

2 pints coffee ice cream, softened slightly, divided

1 garnish of whipped cream (optional)

Directions

Heat sugar, morsels, butter, cream & corn syrup in small, heavy-duty saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly, until butter is melted & mixture is smooth. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla extract. Cool until slightly warm.

Drizzle 1/3 cup chocolate sauce in bottom of crust; sprinkle with 1/4 cup nuts. Layer 1 pint ice cream, scooping thin slices with a large spoon; freeze for 1 hour. Repeat with 1/3 cup sauce, 1/4 cup nuts and remaining ice cream. Drizzle with remaining sauce; top with remaining nuts. Freeze for 2 hours or until firm. Top with whipped cream before serving.

FROZEN LEMON CHEESECAKE YOGURT BARS

This is from the infamous long-since-forgotten emailing list. It did state that it was from the September 1997 issue of Vegetarian Times, though I couldn't find a link for it. Makes 8 servings

Ingredients

2 cups nonfat plain yogurt

1 cup lemonade, frozen concentrate -- partially thawed

2/3 cup nonfat dry milk

1/2 cup skim milk

1/3 cup sugar

2 tablespoons lemon zest -- grated

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

Directions

In food processor or blender, combine all ingredients; process until smooth.

Fill popsicle molds or small paper cups with yogurt mixture. If using paper cups, cover each cup with aluminum foil. Insert popsicle stick into each mold or cup. freeze until mixture hardens. Carefully remove from molds or cups before serving.

EASY NO-BAKE PINEAPPLE CHEESECAKE

This is from Diana Rattray on The Spruce Eats. She wrote, "This easy pineapple cheesecake is prepared in a graham cracker crust in a springform pan. Even the crust is no-bake, which is perfect for hot summer days when you want to avoid the oven.

"The luscious pineapple cheesecake is a mixture of cream cheese, crushed pineapple, and whipped topping, and it is super easy to mix and chill in the graham cracker crust. Take this cheesecake to a cookout or potluck or make it for a weekend dessert. It will be an instant hit!"

Prep Time: 12 minutes; Cook Time: 0 minutes; Chill Time: 2 hours; Total Time: 2 hours 12 minutes; Makes 8 servings; Yield: 1 cheese cake

To view this yumminess online, go to https://www.thespruceeats.com/easy-no-bake-pineapple-cheesecake-3052567.

Ingredients

1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs

2 teaspoons granulated sugar

2 tablespoons melted butter

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted

1 (20-ounce) can crushed pineapple, well-drained

16 ounces whipped topping

Directions

Gather the ingredients.

In a medium bowl, mix the graham cracker crumbs with the granulated sugar and melted butter.

Reserve 2 tablespoons of the crumbs in a small bowl and set aside. Press the remaining crumbs into the bottom of an 8- to 9-inch springform pan. Put the crust in the refrigerator to chill while you make the filling.

In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese with the confectioners' sugar until fluffy.

Add the crushed pineapple and blend well.

Fold the whipped topping into the pineapple mixture.

Spread the filling over the chilled crust and sprinkle with the reserved graham cracker crumbs.

Cover with plastic wrap and chill thoroughly—at least 2 to 3 hours—before serving.

Slice, serve, and enjoy!

Tips

If you prefer a baked graham cracker crust, bake the crust in a preheated 350 F/180 C/Gas 4 oven for about 8 to 10 minutes. Chill before filling.

Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of finely chopped pecans to the graham cracker bottom crust mixture.

Double the crust ingredients for a thicker bottom crust.

Make sure the canned pineapple is well-drained or your filling will be thinner.

You can use fresh pineapple in place of the canned pineapple if you'd like—a 20-ounce can is equal to 10 cored slices.

If the cheesecake is still very soft after being in the fridge for 2 to 3 hours, keep chilling it until set.