Tag: no bake

Categories
Dessert Snack

The Sweet Granada’s avalanche bark truly rocks

Avalanche bark has a great texture, with crunchy rice cereal, fluffy marshmallows and chocolate chunks, along with the flavor of peanut butter.
Avalanche bark has a great texture, with crunchy rice cereal, fluffy marshmallows and chocolate chunks, along with the flavor of peanut butter.

I used to love field trips as a kid—visiting the Wichita Art Museum, the Kansas Cosmosphere, the zoo, the Kansas State Fair, etc.

It was always an adventure in a new place, and I’m the type of person who enjoys learning something new whenever possible.

As an adult, you don’t seem to get to do field trips as often, so when Joey told me we were going to go to Emporia to visit his new friend Kim, owner of The Sweet Granada: A Chocolate Cafe, he didn’t have to do any convincing for me to jump in the car.

Joey recently met Kim through a small business group, and she invited us to come hang out for a bit and see her operation.

Guys.

There. Was. Chocolate. Everywhere.

It was amazing.

When you walk in, you’re hit with a smell wall of deliciousness, and you immediately want to empty your entire bank account into their till when you see the display cases full of every kind of chocolate-y treat you can imagine. I was, almost quite literally, a kid in a candy shop.

We had a great visit with Kim, got a full tour of their operation, and she even sent me home with a recipe to share with all of you for a treat they make at the shop.

This stuff is not only easy to make but delicious, too. It’s a perfect treat for the upcoming holiday snack table. The only alterations I made was to pare this recipe down, since Kim is used to making everything in bulk.

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Avalanche Bark

Avalanche bark has a great texture, with crunchy rice cereal, fluffy marshmallows and chocolate chunks, along with the flavor of peanut butter.
Course Dessert
Keyword chocolate, crisp rice cereal, marshmallows, no bake, peanut butter, Sweet Granada

Ingredients

  • 22 ounces white chocolate or vanilla almond bark
  • 1 1/2 cups plus 3 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
  • 1/2 cup mini marshmallows
  • 1/4 rounded cup crisp rice cereal
  • 1/2 cup chocolate chunks I used bittersweet

Instructions

  • Prepare a nine-by-13-inch baking dish by lining it with parchment paper.
  • In a microwave-safe bowl, melt the almond bark, heating 30 seconds at a time and stirring in between, until it is all melted. Stir in the peanut butter.
  • Once everything is smooth, stir in the marshmallows, cereal and chocolate chunks.
  • Spread the mixture evenly into the prepared pan. Sprinkle with a few more toppings, if desired.
  • Let the mixture cool completely on the counter or in the refrigerator and then cut into squares. Store in an airtight container.

This stuff was great. It was rich and had a fantastic texture. I had to immediately give away as much of the batch as possible to keep from eating the entire pan myself.

Plus, I had other goodies from The Sweet Granada that I needed to spend my calories on. (I highly recommend the dark chocolate pretzel caramel bar. That was my favorite.)

If you’re ever in Emporia, I highly recommend your own field trip to The Sweet Granada at 803 Commercial St. And if you can’t make it over there, get online and do your sweets shopping that way—they ship! You can find them at https://sweetgranada.com/. Locally made treats are a great gift for those hard-to-buy-for folks, or you can just let a group of experts make your holiday treats for you and save yourself some time and energy this year.

I love getting the chance to see how different small businesses do their thing around our state, and it was so fun to meet Kim and see her adorable shop and taste her delicious goodies.

That will definitely not be my last visit to The Sweet Granada. Joey just better watch out, because next time, it won’t be a field trip—it’ll be a shopping trip.

This piece first appeared in print on Nov. 4, 2021.

Spice Up Your Life is a weekly newspaper column written by Lindsey Young in south central Kansas. If you are interested in sponsoring this column, please contact us through the “Contact Lindsey” link at the top of the page.

Categories
Dessert

Ice cream cake is ‘fried’ and true recipe

Fried ice cream cake features cinnamon and toasted cornflakes to mimic the flavors of the classic Mexican dessert.
Fried ice cream cake features cinnamon and toasted cornflakes to mimic the flavors of the classic Mexican dessert.

One of our family traditions is that when one of us has a birthday, it’s that person’s job to choose a dinner spot to celebrate. 

A few years ago, I chose a favorite Mexican restaurant my parents hadn’t been to yet, and I really wanted them to give it a try. Part of the bargain, though, was they couldn’t tell the waitstaff it was my birthday, because the tradition there, along with gifting you dessert, was to sing to you and make you wear a sombrero.

What I didn’t know was the tradition also included smearing your face with whipped cream.

My folks agreed to keep it to themselves, and we sat down to eat.

Unfortunately, we ran into my parents-in-law, who are wonderful folks and I love dearly, but they ratted me out, so I ended up with a full face of whipped cream. My parents thought it was as hilarious as they did. Thanks, guys.

I was thinking about that story this week when I found a recipe for a great Mexican-inspired dessert, fried ice cream, and wanted to give it a try.

The recipe I made comes from the blog “Cheese Curd in Paradise” by Ashley Lecker. You can find the original at https://cheesecurdinparadise.com/fried-ice-cream-cake/. I added vanilla and doubled the cinnamon in my version.

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Fried Ice Cream Cake

Fried ice cream cake features cinnamon and toasted cornflakes to mimic the flavors of the classic Mexican dessert.
Course Dessert
Keyword cornflakes, fried ice cream, honey, ice cream, vanilla

Ingredients

  • 8 cups corn flakes
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1.5 quart vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt
  • 8 ounces whipped topping thawed (I used fat free)
  • 2 rounded teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • honey for serving

Instructions

  • Set the ice cream out for about 30 minutes to let it soften.
  • Pour the cornflakes into a plastic bag and crush them with a rolling pin or meat mallet.
  • In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat and then add the sugar and crushed corn flakes, stirring to evenly distribute the ingredients. Keep stirring and let the cornflakes get a little toasted, about three minutes. Once the cornflakes are golden brown, put about one-third of them into the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish and spread them evenly across the bottom.
  • In a large mixing bowl, beat together the ice cream, whipped topping, cinnamon and vanilla by hand or with a hand mixer until all the ingredients are well incorporated.
  • Pour the ice cream mixture over the cornflakes in the baking dish and spread it to an even layer.
  • Top the ice cream evenly with the rest of the cornflakes.
  • Cover the baking dish and place in the freezer over night or until the ice cream firms up.
  • To serve, cut it into squares and drizzle each piece with honey.

I actually halved this recipe, because without being able to share this with other people, I didn’t want to have an entire pan of this in my freezer. It halves nicely into an 8-inch square pan.

And the flavors were perfect to remind me of traditional fried ice cream. The cinnamon and vanilla flavors were a perfect combination with the crispy, toasted cornflakes.

We enjoyed this over the course of the week as our after-dinner dessert, and lucky for me, my birthday is far, far away, so Joey didn’t make me wear any weird hats or sneak attack me with whipped cream.

Of course, depending on how long we’re stuck at home together, anything could happen.

This piece first appeared in print on April 16, 2020.

Spice Up Your Life is a weekly newspaper column written by Lindsey Young in south central Kansas. If you are interested in sponsoring this column, please contact us through the “Contact Lindsey” link at the top of the page.

Categories
Dessert

You’ll be head over ‘peels’ for lemon truffles

Easy lemon truffles come together quickly with just a few ingredients, including a cake mix.
Easy lemon truffles come together quickly with just a few ingredients, including a cake mix.

When I write about recipes every week, I normally tell you about my friends and family, who step in as guinea pigs to try all of my concoctions.

And normally, I tell you how they really liked it or about the lack of leftovers after I present them with a plate of something new.

But I have to admit this week that of the three family members I tried this out on—my sister, brother-in-law and two-year-old niece—I was only successful with two-thirds of the crowd.

The adults loved the lemon-based dessert I brought for a shared meal.

My niece, on the other hand, was not impressed. She was a lot happier with the store-bought cookies I brought as a backup, though, so she forgave my after-dinner failure.

Regardless of not pleasing the toddler palate, I still decided to share this recipe with you this week, which comes from the blog “Premeditated Leftovers.” You can find it at https://premeditatedleftovers.com/recipes-cooking-tips/easy-lemon-truffle-recipe/. I added a bit more lemon juice and zest in my version.

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Easy Lemon Truffles

Course Dessert
Keyword cake mix, lemon, truffle

Ingredients

  • 1 lemon cake mix
  • 7 tablespoons butter melted
  • juice of one lemon
  • zest of one lemon
  • 3/4 cup sugar divided

Instructions

  • In a mixing bowl, combine the cake mix, butter, lemon juice, lemon zest and 1/2 cup sugar until everything is well incorporated.
  • Place the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar in a small bowl.
  • Roll the dough mixture into about one-inch balls and then roll them in the bowl of sugar.
  • Store the finished truffles in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about an hour to set up before serving.

I would argue that these weren’t overly sweet or sour—they were just in the middle—and I was glad I added just a bit of extra lemon to cut the sweetness.

I will also warn you that this doesn’t make a lot of truffles. I got around a dozen and a half out of mine, so if you’re looking for more volume, I highly recommend doubling this one.

And, if you’re planning on supplying treats for children, I can tell you from my experience that this may not be a good go-to recipe. Apparently, it’s more well-suited for adult tastebuds, and if it would hurt your feelings to watch a toddler screw up their face in disgust after trying your cooking, beware of sharing this one with anyone still in diapers.

In the end, though, this recipe was a slam dunk with my sister and brother-in-law, and they even requested that I leave the leftovers behind when I went home.

If I had to guess, that was half because they enjoyed them, and half because they knew they wouldn’t have to share.

This piece first appeared in print on March 5, 2020.

Spice Up Your Life is a weekly newspaper column written by Lindsey Young in south central Kansas. If you are interested in sponsoring this column, please contact us through the “Contact Lindsey” link at the top of the page.

Categories
Dessert Uncategorized

Candy bar cheesecake brings king-sized flavor

If you're in a hurry, a no bake toffee cheesecake pie comes together quickly and is a crowd pleaser.
If you’re in a hurry, a no bake toffee cheesecake pie comes together quickly and is a crowd pleaser.

We have a yearly tradition of getting together with our friends for the first round of the NFL playoffs. We eat, yell at the TV and have a good time.

It’s one of the few times during the year we all set aside to spend time together.

This year, we decided to wait for our party until this past weekend, when the Chiefs would be playing for a spot in the Super Bowl, and as is common knowledge by now, we were not disappointed.

Our basement was full of a big group of friends, and Joey even borrowed a second television so that we had great sight lights for everyone in the room. We had a pretty nice spread on our snack table, of course.

I made a new kind of cookie bar I was excited about and decided I’d just take a photo of them for my column after the game was over. Surely there would be leftovers, right?

Yeah. There were not.

So my plan to give you an idea for a great Super Bowl snack kind of backfired on me, since they were clearly such a great football snack that I couldn’t keep even one to photograph, so I’ll be making them again in the near future to get a good photo to share, but I’m going to give you another idea instead that, thank goodness, I did manage to photograph before it all disappeared.

This recipe comes from the blog “Together as Family.” You can find it at https://togetherasfamily.com/toffee-cheesecake-pie. I added extra vanilla in my version.

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No Bake Toffee Cheesecake Pie

If you're in a hurry, a no bake toffee cheesecake pie comes together quickly and is a crowd pleaser.
Course Dessert
Keyword candy bar, cheesecake, no bake, toffee

Ingredients

  • 9- inch prepared graham cracker crust regular or chocolate
  • 8 ounces cream cheese softened (I used fat free)
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 8 ounces frozen whipped topping thawed
  • 8 ounce bag of chocolate toffee bits OR 6 Heath bars chopped

Instructions

  • In a large bowl, beat together the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until it’s smooth.
  • Beat in the whipped topping, and then fold in the toffee pieces, saving a handful to sprinkle on the top.
  • Spread the mixture into the prepared crust and top with the remaining toffee pieces.
  • Cover the pie and refrigerate for six to eight hours or overnight. (For some reason, I never realized that the plastic insert in a pre-made graham cracker crust is meant to be flipped over and used as a domed lid for the fridge, so I was pretty excited about finding that out.) Slice and serve. Refrigerate any leftovers.

When you slice this pie, you may want to opt for smaller pieces, as it’s pretty rich, and a little goes a long way. Plus, if you’re hosting a big party, it will let everyone sample more goodies.

I shared this pie with friends awhile back for a different gathering, and it was a big hit. It was also a nice respite from having to deal with the oven for a bit. That’s one thing I often don’t like about baking right before company comes over—heating up the house more than necessary.

When the Super Bowl comes around in February, I think I’ll plan on some more cookie bars, and this pie might make another appearance on our snack table as well.

One thing I’ve learned as a Chiefs fan is that you may not always be happy after every game, but as long as you have a paper plate full of something delicious, you can get over it pretty quickly.

Go Chiefs!

This piece first appeared in print on Jan. 23, 2020.

Spice Up Your Life is a weekly newspaper column written by Lindsey Young in south central Kansas. If you are interested in sponsoring this column, please contact us through the “Contact Lindsey” link at the top of the page.

Categories
Dessert

No-bake pie is better chocolate than never

A small piece is the perfect serving size for this rich, chocolaty pie.
A small piece is the perfect serving size for this rich, chocolaty pie.

We recently had a get-together with my mom’s side of the family. As always, we had an amazing spread of way too much food and had lots of fun catching up.

I volunteered to bring a few pies for dessert, and my family is used to being guinea pigs when it comes to me trying out new recipes.

One of the pies I made was this week’s recipe—a no-bake chocolate truffle pie that was super easy to make. When I pulled it out of my Tupperware container, my cousin’s little girl gasped and immediately grabbed me around my middle.

She could barely wait to finish her lunch before diving into a piece of pie. If you’re wondering, Miss Avery gave it two thumbs up.

I found this recipe on the website “Kitch Me.” You can find it at http://www.kitchme.com/recipes/no-bake-chocolate-truffle-pie-5-ingredients. I added ingredients to make a homemade whipped cream to top it and used a graham cracker crust instead of the chocolate crust the recipe called for.

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No-Bake Chocolate Truffle Pie

A small piece is the perfect serving size for this rich, chocolaty pie.
Course Dessert
Keyword chocolate chips, graham cracker crust, no bake, truffle, whipped cream

Ingredients

  • 12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 2 cups heavy whipping cream divided
  • 1/4 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 9- inch pre-made graham cracker or chocolate cookie crumb pie crust
  • about 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

  • Combine the chocolate chips (save a few to decorate the top of the pie, if you like) and 3/4 cup cream to a microwave-safe bowl, and microwave 30 seconds at a time, stirring in between each time, until the mixture is smooth.
  • Set it aside and let the chocolate cool to room temperature.
  • Once the mixture is cooled, mix in the sugar and vanilla.
  • In another bowl, whip another 3/4 cup of cream until stiff peaks form, and then beat in the chocolate, a little at a time, until it’s all fully combined.
  • Spread the filling out evenly into the pie crust and refrigerate at least eight hours. Before serving, whip the remaining cream, one tablespoon powdered sugar and one teaspoon vanilla together until stiff peaks form. If the cream is not sweet enough, whip in a bit more sugar until it’s where you like it.
  • Top the pie with the whipped cream and some chocolate chips or chocolate shavings.
  • Refrigerate any leftovers.

Several people who taste tested this pie for me said they really liked the dark chocolate flavor and were surprised when I said it was made with only semi-sweet chocolate. Letting it set overnight really developed a deep flavor.

I’d also suggest cutting this into smaller pieces, because it’s a very rich flavor, and it’s tough to eat a big piece in one sitting.

I’m guessing I’ll need to work this recipe into my regular rotation—at least when bringing pie to my little cousin. The pie was delicious, but the big hug really made it worth it.

This piece first appeared in print on April 26, 2018.

Spice Up Your Life is a weekly newspaper column written by Lindsey Young in south central Kansas. If you are interested in sponsoring this column, please contact us through the “Contact Lindsey” link at the top of the page.

Categories
Dessert

You’ll pine for this no bake cheesecake

No bake pineapple cheesecake comes together quickly for that last-minute summer get-together.
No bake pineapple cheesecake comes together quickly for that last-minute summer get-together.

It seems like barbecues and gatherings happen at a moment’s notice during the summer. As a lover of dessert, I often find that these gatherings are full of all kinds of delicious salads and entrees but are often lacking on the sweet side of the palate.

Obviously, I’ve taken it upon myself to fix this issue.

Unfortunately, making dessert quickly can sometimes be tough, so this week’s recipe is a great one to file away for a time when you need something sweet and don’t have a lot of time to make it.

And I even bought a pre-made graham cracker crust rather than making my own. I decided to

make this a true no-bake experience.

(Although you can easily make a graham cracker crust in the microwave with a glass pie plate if you want to. Just melt one-quarter cup of butter in a nine-inch glass pie plate in the

microwave. Stir in one-quarter cup of sugar and a cup of finely crushed graham crackers into the butter and then press the mixture into the pan. Microwave for about three minutes and cool before filling.)

This recipe for a no bake pineapple cheesecake came from the blog “The Shabby Creek Cottage.” You can find it at http://www.theshabbycreekcottage.com/pineapplecheesecake-in-a-jar.html.

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No Bake Pineapple Cheesecake

No bake pineapple cheesecake comes together quickly for that last-minute summer get-together.
Course Dessert
Keyword cheesecake pudding, crushed pineapple, easy dessert, graham cracker crust, no bake, summer dessert, whipped topping

Ingredients

  • 1 graham cracker pie crust
  • 2 3.4- ounce boxes cheesecake instant pudding
  • 20 ounces crushed pineapple in pineapple juice
  • 8 ounces whipped topping

Instructions

  • In a bowl, combine the instant pudding and pineapple (juice included). Mix well.
  • Fold in the whipped topping and then pour the mixture into the pie crust.
  • Smooth until it looks nice and refrigerate at least two hours or until completely set up.

If you want the pieces to come out of the pie perfectly, I’d suggest freezing the pie rather than just refrigerating it. We ended up with big, delicious globs of cheesecake on our plates rather than perfectly formed pie slices (but no one complained about that one).

This was a very refreshing dessert, and if you like pineapple, you’ll like this. I also wondered if placing just a few maraschino cherries on top wouldn’t be good, too, with its nod to pineapple upside down cake, but it doesn’t really need anything more to be absolutely perfect.

Also, if you can’t do the graham crackers, just make the filling and refrigerate it. It’s good all on its own, or you could put the filling out as a dip with graham crackers on the side if you wanted a smaller dessert option.

No matter what, you can’t go wrong with a yummy homemade dessert that you can make with almost no effort so you can go out and enjoy time with family and friends.

This piece first appeared in print on July 7, 2016.

Spice Up Your Life is a weekly newspaper column written by Lindsey Young in south central Kansas. If you are interested in sponsoring this column, please contact us through the “Contact Lindsey” link at the top of the page.

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