Category Archives: Desserts and Sweets

Cakes, cookies, bars, puddings, candies, and other succulent sweets.

Desserts and Sweets

Dark Fruit Cake

This fruit cake has evolved over the years in Mexico to suit the ingredients readily available here. Some years, I can find only raisins and dates and some dried tropical fruits. Often there’s no citron. The nuts are sometimes only a few lowly pecans and almonds supplemented with pumpkin and sunflower seeds.  But the recipe is very forgiving and will handle all sorts of substitutions and adjustments to suit ingredient availability.

  • 1 cup mixed dried fruits (apricots, papaya, peaches, mango), cut into small pieces
  • 1 cup raisins, or 1/2 cup raisins and 1/2 cup currants
  • 1 cup pitted dates
  • 1/2 cup candied citron, cut, or other candied fruit
  • 4 oz. candied cherries, green and red, chopped
  • 1-1/2 cups chopped pecans, walnuts, almonds and/or hazelnuts
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1/2 t baking soda
  • 1 t allspice
  • 1/2 t nutmeg
  • 1 t cinnamon
  • 1/2 t cloves
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 3/4 brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup molasses (or honey)
  • 1/2 cup milk

Cover mixed dried fruits, already cut, with boiling water. Let stand 2 hours. Drain. Mix and set aside the rest of the fruits and nuts. Sift together the flour, baking soda and spices. Beat the shortening with sugar. Stir in eggs, honey and milk. Add flour mixture, fruits and nuts.

Line 2 large loaf pans with foil. Fill pans and bake 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 hours at 300F. Remove from oven and cool.

Sprinkle with rum and wrap in a layer of waxed paper and then in foil. Store in fridge or cool area and sprinkle once a week with rum. Best if made at least a month, and up to 3 months, before eating.

For a vegan version, simply substitute almond or soy milk for regular milk and 1 T ground flax seeds soaked in 3 T water for 15 minutes for each egg. Use coconut oil in place of regular vegetable oil in either version for an extra taste treat.

Desserts and Sweets

Carob Nut Balls

Variations of these healthy carob-based sweets, sometimes called Bliss Balls, Power Balls, or Energy Balls, were always on the shelf by the cash register at Annie’s Health Food Store, Grand Forks, B.C. (no longer in existence). Vary the ingredients in any way you want, as long as your proportions of dry to wet allow them to hold firm without being sticky.

Carob Nut Balls

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 1/2 cup carob powder
  • 1/2 tsp. vanilla
  • 1/2 cup peanut butter
  • 1/4 cup dry milk powder
  • 3/4 cup mixed chopped walnuts, pecans, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds
  • Unsweetened coconut

Combine all ingredients except coconut, adding enough nuts and seeds to form a mixture that will stick together. Add extra milk powder if necessary. Mix well and press into balls 1 inch in diameter. Roll in coconut or additional carob powder. Store in sealed jar.

Vegan version

For a vegan version, substitute the honey for agave syrup, maple syrup, or processed dates, omit the milk powder (or use finely ground rolled oats or oat flour instead), and add a bit of coconut oil or more peanut butter if the mixture needs more moisture.

Family, by Anna (carob nut ball recipe)
Family, by Anna


Desserts and Sweets

Plum bars

Pflaumenkuchen

  • 2 T butter
  • 1 T sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1/3 cup milk
  • 1 t lemon rind
  • 1 t baking powder
  • 1/4 t salt
  • 1 cup wholewheat flour
  • 3 cup halved prune plums

Cream butter and sugar. Add egg. Stir in milk and lemon rind. Sift together baking powder, salt and flour. Combine with butter mix. Spread in a greased pan.

Cover with halved plums and bake at 325 F for 20 minutes. Cut into squares.

Desserts and Sweets

Date Squares

Also known as Matrimonial Cake, these date squares were one of Mom’s standby desserts that we all loved.

  • 1-3/4 cups rolled oats
  • 1-1/2 cups flour
  • 1 t baking powder
  • 3/4 cups brown sugar
  • 3/4 cups margarine (use 2/3 cups coconut oil instead for an easy vegan version)
  • 3/4 lb. chopped dates, pitted
  • water
  • 2 T brown sugar
  • 1 t vanilla

Mix oats, flour, baking powder, 3/4 cup brown sugar, and salt. Rub in the margarine. Press 2/3 of mix firmly into bottom of greased 8″ pan.

Boil the dates with a little water and 2 T brown sugar until soft. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.

Spread carefully on top of the oat and flour base in pan. Cover with rest of the oat and flour mix, this time pressing it only very slightly into dates.

Bake at 300 F for about 40 minutes.

Cat, by Talon
Cat, by Talon,Dec 2008 after seeing one of Kati’s drawings
Desserts and Sweets

Lemon Meringue Pie

  • 4 T cornstarch
  • 4 T flour
  • 1/2 t salt
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups boiling water
  • 1 T butter
  • few gratings lemon rind
  • 1/3 cup lemon juice
  • 4 egg yolks
  • 1 9″ baked pie crust
  • 4 egg whites
  • 8 T sugar
  • 1/4 t vanilla
  • pinch salt

In double boiler, mix cornstarch, flour, salt and sugar. Add boiling water. Cook and stir over direct heat until mixture boils. Set over hot water, cover, and cook 20 minutes. Add butter, lemon rind, lemon juice, and yolks. Cook and stir until thick. Cool.

Prepare merengue with egg whites beaten stiff with 8 T sugar, vanilla, and salt. Add 2 T of merengue to filling and fill pie shell. Spoon rest of merengue on top of pie.

Bake at 425 F about 5 minutes or until brown.

Desserts and Sweets

Chilean Corn Pudding

  • 10 cobs corn
  • 4 oz. butter
  • 2 cups milk
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 2 beaten egg whites
  • 1/2 t salt
  • extra milk, sugar and butter

Grate cobs of corn. Place in frying pan with butter. Slowly add 1 cup milk. Cook 30 minutes, stirring. Remove from heat. Add sugar and egg yolks beaten with a little milk and salt.

Beat egg whites to soft peaks and fold into mixture. Place in individual molds, sprinkle with sugar and dot with butter. Brown in hot oven.

Desserts and Sweets

Pumpkin Pie

A straightforward, standard pumpkin pie recipe with absolutely no frills. Simple goodness and a treat we always looked forward to at Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Pumpkin for pumpkin pie

  • 1-1/2 cups cooked or canned pumpkin
  • 2/3 cups brown sugar
  • 1 t cinnamon
  • 1/2 t ginger
  • 1/2 t salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 1-1/2 cups milk
  • 1/2 cup cream or evaporated milk
  • 1 unbaked pie crust

Mix together all ingredients.

Pour into pie shell and bake 10 minutes at 450F. Lower heat to 300F and bake for another 45 minutes.

Top with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, if desired.


Desserts and Sweets

Speculaas

Dutch Spice Cookies

These cookies, crisp when they come out of the oven, soften wonderfully into chewy treats when stored for a week or so. The variety that our Dutch friends introduced us to  years ago were baked in the shape of windmills.

  • 2 cups flour
  • 1/4 t salt
  • 1 t nutmeg
  • 1 t ginger
  • 1/2 t baking powder
  • 2 cups soft butter
  • 3 T sour cream
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1 T cinnamon
  • 1/2 t cloves
  • Grated rind of 1 lemon
  • 1 t unsweetened cocoa
  • 1 egg

Put flour, sugar, salt, spices, cocoa, baking powder, and lemon rind in a bowl. Mix in butter with fingers to make crumbs. Add egg and mix again. Add just enough sour cream to hold together and make a stiff but not crumbly dough that rolls easily.

Divide in half and press onto 2 cookie sheets without sides; roll 1/8″ thick. Cut dough in strips 2 x 3″ and bake at 375ºF for 15 minutes. Break one open to see if done. Do not overbake. Remove from oven and loosen with a spatula.

Store airtight. Better if aged for one week.

Dragon with Mechanical Attachments, by Talon
This is not a windmill. It is a dragon with mechanical attachments. By Talon.