Archive for Dessert for One!
Lets Make Whoopie!
One of the desserts I made for my Thanksgiving Dinner was Pumpkin Whoopie Pies! Whoopie pies are kind of a big deal in the North East. They consist of a chocolate cake like cookie arranged in sandwiches with a creaming whipped vanilla filling. OMG Delish! Since it was Thanksgiving, it seemed only appropriate to make Pumpkin flavored Whoopie Pies!
I’ve never made Whoopie Pies before, so I decided to stick with a recipe, which you can check out by clicking here. (FYI- I don’t like baking with apple sauce, so I substituted in sour cream!) The recipe was super easy and uber tasty. To make the dessert a bit more festive, I baked the pies in my pumpkin cake pan from Wilton (got it at Joanne Fabric after Halloween 50% off! awesome!) The pies were filled with a cream cheese filling which I piped in with a fancy piping tip. Once they were assembled, I finished them with green white chocolate leaves on top (a simple chocolate leaf mold will do!) which I attached with a little frosting. Didn’t these little handheld treats come out adorable?!?! They were a big hit at Thanksgiving, not only because of how cute they are, but because of how tasty they were! I will so make these again! I kind of can’t wait!
Happy Baking!
-Kristy
A Trip to Fair Oaks Pharmacy and Soda Fountain!
One of the last activities I did with my parents during their recent visit here in LA was to go to the Fair Oaks Pharmacy and Soda Fountain in South Pasadena. This traditional and historic soda fountain was most well know in the 1920’s and 30’s when it was a very popular rest stop at the west end point of Route 66. It was restored in the 1990’s and serves traditional ice cream sundae’s and treats. I believe I have elaborated already on my love of ice cream, so was a total highlight for me!
I positively love Old Fashion Ice Cream Soda’s, so that was an obvious choice for me to order. I opted for the chocolate Ice Cream Soda, as I always do, and truly enjoyed every sip of it. It was a throw back to childhood for me. This is what I would order on every trip I took to Friendly’s with my friends or family, and it simply makes me so happy. There is really 
nothing uber spectacular about ice cream soda’s, but they are just one of those classic desserts that’s always satisfying!
Although my mother opted out of ice cream, my father went all out! He ordered a traditional hot fudge sundae, with mocha crunch ice cream and added melted marshmallow! This sundae was humongous! You can see in the picture that it had to be served on a plate in order to catch all the delightfully dripping fudge and marshmallow! Of course I had to take a bite and it was tasty and delish! Mmm… ice cream is such a happy thing!
We ate, we shopped, we reminisced and left with our sweet tooth satisfied! I love trying historical places such as these, so If anyone out there knows any other great ice cream hot spots in LA.. or anywhere in the US, please send it my way! I am always game for ice cream tasting!
Happy Baking and Ice Cream Sundae Making!
-Kristy
Pie Recipe, Round Three!
Today’s Pie Recipe is for the Mini Ice Cream Sundae Pie. Out of all the pies I made for the Pillsbury Bake-Off Monthly Challenge, this one was, by far, the most adorable. Its this little dessert, that fits in the palm of your hand, made out of cookies, ice cream and chocolate… really whats more adorable than that! Like I’ve said before, I like my desserts to both look good and taste good… and this one meets both of those criteria easily!
Before I give you the recipe I submitted to Pillsbury, here are a couple tips and options for creating these mini pies. I used Chocolate Chip Cookie dough to create my crust, but you could really use any kind of cookie dough… sugar 
would probably be delish, so might a ginger or chocolate cookie doughs. I also opted to stick with vanilla ice cream for the filling, but again you can substitute any flavor you like. I kept my toppings minimal, adding just whipped cream and sprinkles, but of course there are many options! Lastly, I think this recipe is a simple and great way to bring ice cream to a party or event, or even a great way to always have dessert in the freezer and have it in moderation for the little ones in your life. Overall… its one recipe with many options and advantages!
Anyways, I babled long enough so here is the recipe! I would love to hear if any of you readers have any tips or suggestions or other creative ways to use this recipe!
Mini Ice Cream Sundae Pie
Ingredients:
- 1 pkg. Pillsbury Ready to Bake Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, 24ct.
- Vanilla Ice Cream
- Magic Shell Ice Cream Topping
- Whipped Cream
- Your Favorite Ice Cream Sundae Toppings
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 12-count cupcake tin with foil liners. Roll 2 ready-made dough cookies into one, and then press the dough ball into bottom and up sides of each cupcake cup using your fingers or spoon to create your mini piecrust. Repeat for all 12 cupcake cups. Bake for 10 minutes, remove pan from oven and use a spoon to reshape cookies into the crust form if the cookie has risen significantly during baking. Return pan to oven to bake for an additional 3 to 5 minutes. Remove shells from oven and let cool completely in the pan.
- 30 minutes prior to serving, remove ice cream from freezer to soften. 15 minutes prior to serving, add approximately 1 heaping tablespoon scoop of ice cream into each cookie piecrust. Be sure crust is full and ice cream is level with the top of the cookie piecrust. Add Magic Shell sauce to cover top of all 12 mini pies, and return to freezer for 10 minutes to allow sauce to harden.
- When ready to serve, remove the mini pies from the cupcake pan, top with whipped cream and your favorite Ice Cream Sundae Toppings. Enjoy!
Happy Baking!
-Kristy
Baked Peaches are Perfection!
Last night I was craving some kind of big, sweet and delicious dessert (really.. are you surprised?!?) but I also wanted something lower in calories as I have been indulging in the sweets quite a bit this week. I was already in my pj’s, the thoughts of making something big or going out for dessert were not quite appealing. So the challenge… a dessert that’s simple, quick to make , won’t go straight to my hips and is suitable for one. The first thing that came to mind was a baked fruit dish. It’s quick, easy, can be made for one and can be somewhat healthy and low in calories.
Into the fridge I go and see my options; yellow peaches, white peaches, white nectarines, yellow apples and green apples. I again opt for the white peaches… I have been craving them the way a pregnant lady craves pickles. I washed and cut the peach into slices and tossed them in a teaspoon of splenda and a half teaspoon of ginger (I am seriously in love the ginger peach combo… its a must try!) I put the peaches in a mini, 3 inch round cake dish and made a quick topping of crushed almonds, a tablespoon of flour, a half teaspoon of splenda and a tablespoon of butter, cut in cubes. Tossed the ingredients for the topping then topped the peaches with the mixture. Into the over it went at 375 for 15 minutes, then turned my oven up to broil for an additional 2 minutes to brown and crisp the top.
I was pleasantly surprised with its turn out! It was delightful! The flavors melded well, and it was a perfect portion just for me. The dish totally fulfilled my need for something sweet, without over-indulging and millions of calories. Next time, I would probably cut the amount of butter in half as there was just a bit too much for my taste… also it will cut the cals even more. This little dessert could be recreated in so many ways… pears… apples with walnuts and brown sugar… mmm my mouth is watering already! I am sure this little dish will come in handy with fall and apple season being just days away!
Happy Baking!
-KM
