Gourmet Cookie Bouquets Recipe Blog

Archive for the ‘Desserts’ Category

If you love cookies as much as the Cookie Monster, consider adding them to pies. Make a cookie pie crust and you’ll have a delicious bottom layer for your next dessert. You can make a cookie pie crust with just about any type of cookies. Favorites that work well are Oreos, chocolate chip cookies, and ginger snaps. And, of course, bakers have always loved the graham cracker which is much more a cookie than a cracker.

Sure, you could run out to the store and make a pie crust with store bought cookies of any variety. But the cookie purist will want to try their hand at making the actual cookies that will become the pie crust. This recipe is very easy. All you have to do after you bake the cookies is let them cool. Then crush them up in a food processor or by hand and add melted butter. Fill the bottom of a pie plate with the mixture.

Chocolate Cookie Crumb Wafers

From thriftyfun.com

Makes 50 to 60 1 3/4-inch wafers. Note that thinner sliced cookies obviously produce more.

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 3/4 sticks unsalted butter, slightly softened

3 tablespoons whole milk

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions:

Combine the flour, cocoa, sugar, salt, and baking soda in the bowl of a food processor and pulse several times to mix thoroughly. Cut the butter into about 12 chunks and add them to the bowl. Pulse several times. Combine the milk and vanilla in a small cup. With the processor running, add the milk mixture and continue to process until the mixture clumps around the blade or the sides of the bowl. Transfer the dough to a large bowl or a cutting board and knead a few times to make sure it is evenly blended.

Form the dough into a log about 14" long and 1 3/4" in diameter. Wrap the log in wax paper or foil and refrigerate until firm, at least one hour, or until needed.

Position the racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Line the baking sheets with parchment paper.

Cut the log of dough into slices a scant 1/4" thick (If you're trying to emulate the store-bought wafers, slice as thin as you can - about 1/8" thick - and watch the baking time carefully, as it might be less.) and place them 1" apart on the lined sheets (gourmet cookies WILL spread).

Bake, rotating the baking sheet from top to bottom and back to front about halfway through baking, for a total of 12 to 15 minutes. The cookies will puff up and deflate; they are done about 1 1/2 minutes after they deflate.

Cool the cookies on the baking sheets on racks, or slide the parchment onto racks to cool completely. These cookies may be stored in an airtight container for up to two weeks or be frozen for up to two months.

Note: These cookies should crisp as they cool. If they don't, you're not baking them long enough, in which case, return them to the oven to reheat and bake a little longer, then cool again.

More Pie Tips:

• Buttermilk Pie
• Pineapple Chiffon Pie
• Apple and Oatmeal Pie
• Banana and Raspberry Pie
• Banana Coconut Cream Pie

Dessert pizzas can be a fun surprise addition to the end of a meal or as a bring-along to a potluck dinner or church supper. They are so easy to make that you’ll wonder why you didn’t start making dessert pizzas sooner. And you can be really creative with the toppings so you never have to make the same dessert pizza twice!

Basically, a dessert pizza looks like a savory pizza, but it is made with a cookie crust. You can use refrigerated cookie dough or you can make your own sugar cookie dough and press it down onto a pizza pan. Toppings can be anything from apples to strawberries to kiwis and grapes. Blueberries and raspberries when they are in season are a wonderful choice.

The “sauce” for the dessert pizza is really cream cheese. Just spread it over the cookie dough when it comes out of the oven and then add your toppings. You do have to wait until the cookie is baked and cooled before adding your sauce and toppings, unlike a real pizza.

Here are some recipes for these pizza gourmet desserts:

Fruit Pizza

Courtesy of whatscookingamerica.com

Ingredients:

• 1 (20-ounce) package refrigerated cookie dough
• 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or other flavoring (almond, orange, or lemon)
• Fresh blueberries, banana slices, mandarin orange sections,
• seedless grapes, strawberry halves, kiwi fruit slices, (or any other fruit you want), well drained
• 1/2 cup orange, peach, or apricot preserves
• 1 tablespoon water

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Line an ungreased 14-inch pizza pan with cookie dough cut in 1/8-inch slices, overlapping slightly. Bake 12 minutes or until light brown; remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.

In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla extract or other flavoring; spread over cookie crust. Arrange fruit over cream cheese layer in any design you want (use your imagination).

In a small saucepan over very low heat, make a glaze by heating preserves and water. Brush glaze over fruit, making sure to cover the fruit that will turn dark. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Makes 8 to 10 servings.

Homemade Apple Pizza

Courtesy of tammysrecipes.com

A soft homemade pizza crust with a cream cheese spread and apple slices, topped with a crumb topping

Yield: 12-16 slices

Ingredients:

Pizza Crust:

• 1 cup warm water (112-115 degrees F)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 3 cups flour
• 1 tablespoon dry yeast

Apple topping:

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 large cooking apples, peeled and sliced thinly
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• Cream cheese spread:
• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Crumb topping:

• 1/3 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup soft butter
• 1/3 cup quick oats

Instructions:

1. Making the crust: First, combine water, salt, sugar, and oil in a small bowl. Whisk together flour and yeast in a large bowl. Add wet ingredients and knead into a smooth dough, adding additional flour if needed. Knead for about 5 minutes, cover dough with a towel, and then set aside to rest while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

2. Making the apple topping: Whisk together the flour, sugar, and cinnamon in a medium-sized saucepan. Add butter and apples, and heat over medium heat, stirring frequently, until mixture comes to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer just until apples are tender. Set aside to cool.

3. Make the cream cheese spread by combining the cream cheese, sugar, lemon juice, and nutmeg in a bowl and beating until smooth. Set aside.

4. Combine crumb topping ingredients until mixed and crumbly.

5. Punch down dough from step 1, and spread onto a greased 16-inch round pizza pan, or onto pan(s) of your choice. Gently spread cream cheese over dough with a knife or spatula. Pour apple mixture evenly over cream cheese. Sprinkle with crumb topping.

6. Cover pizza and let set in a warm place for about 15-20 minutes. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and bake pizza in the center of the oven for 25-30 minutes, until done.

Here's another great apple recipe now that fall is on its way!  This is one of my favorites to bring to get togethers.  The tart flavor of the apples goes so well with the chocolate and peanuts from the snickers!  Throw it all together with some whipped topping and caramel and you have a delicious gourmet dessert that will disappear before your eyes!

Ingredients:

• 6 (2 1/4 ounce) Snickers candy bars, chill and chop
• 6 apples, cored and chopped into bite sized pieces (Granny Smith and or or Red Delicious)
• 1 (12 ounce) containers Cool Whip
• 1 (5 ounce) boxes instant vanilla pudding (unprepared)

Optional Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup caramel ice cream topping or 1/2 cup caramel apple dip
• 1/2 cup chopped peanuts, sprinkled on top

Directions:

1. Mix cool whip and dry pudding mix together.
2. Chop apples and chilled Snickers.
3. Mix together.
4. Heat caramel sauce a bit in the microwave- just enough to drizzle.
5. Sprinkle peanuts on top.
6. Chill for at least an hour before serving.

Yum! So you love caramel? Check out this recipe for Caramel Nut Candy Bars!

Apple season is around the corner! There are ways to make a caramel apple even more delicious - and here is one!  Wrap your gourmet caramel apples in a campfire s'more!  Mini marshmallows, graham cracker pieces and drizzled chocolate takes your apple from "yum" to "Wow!"

Ingredients:

• 6 Granny Smith apples
• 6 wooden sticks
• 1 (14 ounce) package individually wrapped caramels, unwrapped
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows
• 1 1/2 cups crushed graham crackers
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips