Love to cook but tired of seeing recipes that are hard to follow and outta style like your Aunt Edna's awful hair 'do? Teens Cook Dessert, from Ten Speed Press, promises delish dessert recipes that are for today's Baking Betty. Say buh-bye to kitchen confusion--the book is written in totally teen-friendly language!
By teen sisters Jill and Megan Carle—guided by mama Judy's kitchen savvy—this book serves up tons of dessert recipes perfect for the holidays. Everything from cookies, cakes, pies and even a whole section dedicated to holiday stuff (hello holiday parties!). Scope below for two recipes straight from their book.
SNOWFLAKE COOKIES
Photo Credit: Jessica Boone
We're featuring Snowflake Cookies in honor of the holidays! The girls say that the cookies are a cross between kolaches (Polish sweet buns) and thumbprint cookies. The weather outside is frightful-but these cookies are sooo delightful. Get baking, babe!
What You'll Need: Makes 9 dozen
1 cup butter
4 ounces cream cheese
1 cup sugar
1 egg yolk
½ teaspoon vanilla
2 ½ cups flour
1/3 cup raspberry jam *you can use whatever jam you like but we like raspberry the best!
Confectioners' sugar for dusting
What You'll Do:
Preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit. Place the butter and cream cheese in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer on a low speed for 2 minutes, or until smooth. Add the sugar, egg yolk, and vanilla and mix on medium speed for 2 minutes, or until fluffy.
Add the flour and mix on low speed for 1 minute, or until completely combined. Place some of the dough into a cookie press fitted with a flower design and press the cookies onto an ungreased baking sheet. (If you don't have a cookie press, roll the dough into 3/4 –inch balls). Press down the center of each cookie slightly with your finger and bake for 6 minutes.
Remove the pan from the oven and spoon a small amount of raspberry jam into the center of each cookie. (Be careful not to add too much jam or it will run over the edges of the cookie while baking). Return the pan to the oven and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the cookies are set and the edges just begin to brown.
Place the cookies on parchment or waxed paper and sprinkle with the confectioners' sugar.
PEPPERMINT ICE CREAM SANDWICHES
Photo Credit: Jessica Boone
Not in the mood for cookies as a holiday treat? Well, what's
better than peppermint ice cream? These Peppermint Ice Cream sandwiches
wrap your fave holiday ice cream in yummy brownies! It's never too cold
for ice cream!
What You'll Need: Serves 12
ICE CREAM:
3 cups half-and-half
6 egg yolks
¾ cup sugar
¾ cup crushed peppermint candies (about 30)
BROWNIES:
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate
¾ cup butter
1 ½ cups sugar
3 eggs
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
¾ cup flour
¾ teaspoon baking powder
To prepare the ice cream:
Fill a large bowl about halfway with ice cubes and add enough water to almost cover the ice.
Place the half-and-half in a large saucepan and cook over medium
heat for 5 minutes, or until it comes to a boil. Whisk together the egg
yolks and sugar in a bowl and slowly whisk in some of the hot
half-and-half to temper the eggs. Pour the eggs into the pan, add about
half of the peppermint candies, and cook over medium-low heat for 2 to
3 minutes, or until the mixture coast the back of a metal spoon. (Do
not allow the mixture to boil or the eggs will curdle).
Strain the mixture into a bowl through a fine-mesh sieve and place
the bowl in the ice water bath. Stir occasionally for 20 to 30 minutes,
or until the mixture is refrigerated for 1 hour, or until completely
chilled. Freeze in an ice-cream maker according to the manufacturer's
directions. When the ice cream is frozen, add the remaining peppermint
candies and spin for 1 minute to distribute them. Place the ice cream
in an airtight container and freeze until ready to use.
To prepare the brownies:
Preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit. Line an 11 by 17-inch baking
sheet with parchment paper and lightly butter or spray the parchment
paper and the sides of the pan.
Place the chocolate in a large microwave-safe bowl and microwave on
high heat for 1 minute, then stir. If the chocolate is not all melted,
place it back in the microwave for 15 seconds at a time, stirring after
each time, until it is completely melted. Be careful not to let the
chocolate start to bubble or it will burn and get gritty. Add the
butter and stir until it is melted. Add the sugar, eggs, and vanilla
and stir until completely incorporated. Add the flour and baking powder
and stir until just combined. Spread the batter in the prepared pan and
bake for 18 minutes, or until set in the center. Remove from the oven
and cool completely.
To assemble the ice cream sandwiches: Flip the entire sheet of
brownies onto a cutting board and cut the rectangle in half crosswise.
Place 1 half on a piece of plastic wrap large enough to wrap the entire
piece with a few inches to spare. Spread a ½-inch layer of the
peppermint ice cream on the brownie and top with the remaining brownie
half. Wrap tightly in the plastic wrap and freeze for at least 1 hour,
or until ready to serve. Remove the plastic wrap and cut into 12 ice
cream sandwiches. (The ice cream sandwiches can be wrapped individually
and frozen for up to 1 week).
TOTALLY SOLD? Check out TenSpeed.com to get your purrty paws on more yummy-tummy recipes!
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