I’m not sure what to say about this, I was trying to think of something clever, but I really don’t think this dessert needs any of my anecdotes or bad jokes, because IT IS THAT GOOD. A simple crust with rich and thick layer of chocolate ganache, topped with fresh fruit. The leftovers are taunting me in the fridge, but I can’t justify a slice till afternoon, I have to wait till after lunch at least for piece, don’t I? I give myself about 15 minutes.

What You’ll Need:

1 1/4 cups flour

2 tbsp. sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

7 tbsp. butter, cold

3 tbsp. water, cold

1 1/4 cups heavy cream

8-10 ounces semi-sweet chocolate (I used chips, but if you’re going to use a bar of chocolate, be sure to chop it up well)

1 tsp. vanilla (If you want, you can add peppermint, orange or any other flavored extract!)

2 eggs, beaten

What To Do:

1. In a bowl, mix together the dry ingredients, the flour, sugar and salt. Then using a fork or pastry cutter, cut the butter into the flour mixture until all that remains is small pieces of butter. I recommend cutting the stick of butter into small cubes then, adding it to the flour.

2. Next, add the cold water. I had to use more than 3 tbsp. of water, so it’s okay if you need more. Form into a ball of dough and flatten into a disk and let it refrigerate for a while, I left mine in the fridge for about 30 minutes.

3. When you’re ready, preheat the oven to 375 degrees and take out your dough.

4. Roll the dough out and make it large enough to fit a 9 or 10 inch pan. Use whatever you have, I didn’t have a tart pan, so I used a springform pan and then later just had to transfer it to a regular cake pan.

5. Bake the dough for about 15 minutes, with pie weights or dried beans on top so it doesn’t rise. Unfortunately, I had neither and it worked out fine! If you do use weights, remove them after 15 minutes and let it bake for an additional 5.

6. Set the crust aside to cool and start working on the ganache. Heat the heavy whipping cream on the stove until it is just simmering. Remove from the heat and add the chocolate and vanilla.

7. Using a whisk or a fork, stir until the ingredients are well incorporated. Whisk a small amount of the chocolate  into the beaten eggs. Transfer the tempered egg mixture back into the hot chocolate and whisk the mixture until it is smooth.

8. Pour the chocolate ganache onto your crust and bake for about 18-25 minutes, until most of the filling is set, the center can be a bit jiggly. Let it cool for about 15 minutes. (As you can see I had to transfer my dough to a cake pan, because for some reason it didn’t bake out all the way in the springform pan and came up a little small!)

9. Using a knife, cut around the edge of the chocolate where it meets the pan. Also, tap the pan slightly on counter to lift it out of the pan. Place a sheet of wax paper and another plate on top of the pan and turn it over, it should come out neatly. Then turn it over onto the plate you wish to serve it on! Here’s a finished tart, but I recommend step 10!

10. Decorate! I decided to use fresh fruit, but you can dust it with powdered sugar, cocoa, add chopped and roasted almonds or walnuts, be creative!

11. The finished product, a slice of chocolate tart with whipped cream and an almond biscuit! Et voila!

Hey gang, sorry I haven’t updated, I just started school again and with any free time I have, I’m scouring the internet for old episodes of the Simpsons, but alas, I have two easy peasy, totes yummy desserts to share with you! I’m on spring break and back at ma and pa’s. Last night was mummy’s turn to host Bunco for all the ladies in the neighborhood, so she asked me to make some desserts (almond biscuits and a chocolate tart post to follow!). I was short on time, but threw together these easy little almond biscuits! They’re a variation of Mexican Wedding/Russian Tea/Indian Party (remember the name I gave em?) biscuits and they are incredibly easy and delicious!

What You’ll Need:

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

1 1/4 cups flour

1/2 cup almonds (chopped or slivered)

1 tsp. orange extract

1 tsp. vanilla extract

powdered sugar and cocoa powder for dusting (optional, but recommended!)

What To Do:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 and prepare a cookie sheet.

2. In a bowl, cream together the butter and sugar.

3. Add in the eggs, orange and vanilla extracts and almonds.

4. Next, add the flour a little bit at a time. Roll into balls and place about 1 inch apart on a baking sheet. I made 2 dozen little cookies.

5. Bake for about 12-15 minutes.

6. Dust with powdered sugar and cocoa if your heart so desires!

Mum has been asking me to make brownie pops for so long and you know, I really shouldn’t have waited so long, because they are delicious! They are fudgy, chocolate goodness AND they’re portable. The process is a bit long, but the end result is worth it. We displayed them on a green styrofoam cone, the kind used in flower arrangements, so it looked like a tree for the party. You can use any brownie recipe, but I used this one! I decided to put a twist on it and add some orange extract and candied orange peels for some more flavor.

What You’ll Need:

1 1/4 cups of flour

a pinch of salt

2 tbsp. cocoa powder

11 ounces of dark chocolate

8 ounces of butter (2 sticks)

1 tsp. instant espresso powder

1 1/2 cups of sugar

1/2 cup of brown sugar

5 eggs (at room temperature)

2 tsp. vanilla

2 tsp. orange extract (this is optional, but I added it, because I love orange and chocolate)

1 package candied orange peel (This is about 8 ounces, but this also an optional addition to the recipe)

about 40 brownie pop sticks (I made that many with this recipe, but it depends on how small or large you roll them into)

1 bag of chocolate chips (You can dip these in anything, white chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, candy melt wafers, whatever you like!)

sprinkles, chopped nuts, shredded coconut, cocoa powder, powdered sugar (these are all just topping ideas to dip in after you’ve coated the brownie balls in chocolate or candy coating)

What To Do:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 9 x 13 pan. Chop up the chocolate.

2. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and cocoa powder.

3. Melt the butter and chocolate until well combined. You can do this directly over the heat, just watch closely so the butter doesn’t burn or you can put it in a glass bowl over a pot of boiling water, if you don’t have a double broiler like me! Add the espresso powder, white sugar and brown sugar and mix well.

4. Add the eggs and vanilla, orange extract and orange peel, whisk until just combined. Try not to over mix the batter, this will keep them from getting cakey.

5. Add the flour mixture a little bit at a time to the wet ingredients. Use a spatula to fold it, rather than whisking.

6. Pour the batter into the 9 x 13 pan and bake for about 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with just a few crumbs.

7. When its done baking, let it cool for a few minutes. When you’re ready, crumble up the brownies with your hands.

8. Start rolling into balls about 1 to 1 1/2 inches. Be careful if you’re doing this right after you bake them, it’s going to be very hot!

9. You should be able to put the sticks in right away, but mine were too hot so brownie balls just sort of fell apart. I just refrigerated all of them overnight and the next morning, the sticks stayed in!

10. After you’ve put all the sticks in, melt the chocolate chips in a double broiler. When the chocolate chips are done melting, turn off the heat, but leave it on the stove. Dip each pop into the chocolate and then into sprinkles.

11. After dipping them, I recommend putting them on baking sheet lined with wax paper. These can be refrigerated until you’re ready to share them. I actually think they taste better cold!

I’m a pudding binge, I don’t know what’s going on, but since that Sticky Toffee Pudding from Thanksgiving, I can’t get enough of that good pudding. And actually, I’ve never made a proper bread pudding so I thought I’d give it a shot for the holiday party. A friend gave our family two large Panettone loaves, mum made french toast with the first one and suggested I make bread pudding with the second. Genius, its light texture, candied fruits and sweet liqueur flavor are perfect! The recipe is incredibly easy and can be made ahead of time, refrigerated and baked just before you need it. It fills a 9 x 13, 3 quart baking pan.

What You’ll Need:

1 loaf of Panettone (this is about 2 pounds)

1/2 cup of butter (1 stick)

3 eggs

1 cup of sugar

2 tsp. vanilla

1-2 tsp. cinnamon (this depends on how much you like)

1-2 tsp. cardamon (I added this and it really gave a nice flavor, I think you could also add ground cloves or ginger powder and it would be fabulous!)

1/2-1 tsp. nutmeg

salt

2 cups heavy cream

1 can evaporated milk (12 ounces)

What To Do:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut the panettone into cubes and toast in the oven for about 10-12 minutes, until they’re golden and crispy. I had to use two cookie trays for all the cubes.

2. While the bread is toasting, cook the butter in a saucepan, about 8 to 10 minutes until it turns light brown and begins to smell nutty.

3. Toss the butter with the panettone.

4. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs and sugar. Add the vanilla, cinnamon, cardamon, nutmeg and a pinch of salt. Then beat in the heavy cream and evaporated milk.

5. Pour the custard mixture over the panettone and let it sit for at least an hour. I kept it in the fridge for a few hours until I was ready to bake it. When you are ready, bake the bread pudding at 400 degrees for about 25 to 35 minutes, depending on your oven.

6. I would recommend reheating it before serving. Also, I decided to transfer the pudding to a nice trifle dish for the table!