Recipes By Samantha Seneviratne
147 recipes found
Salted Caramel Peanut Brownie Bars
With a chewy chocolate chunk-studded base and heaps of gooey peanut-laden caramel, these bars are part candy bar and part brownie with cookielike edges. Super-rich and satisfying, a little piece is all you need. A candy or deep-fry thermometer is an inexpensive and useful tool worth investing in to achieve a caramel that is neither too hard nor too soft.
Fresh Strawberry Pie
This pie is a celebration of perfectly ripe, summertime strawberries. Only two cups of the berries are cooked down into a quick jam, which holds the rest of the fruit together for a delightfully fresh pie. With a crunchy shortbread crust and a cloud of freshly whipped cream, it’s reminiscent of strawberry shortcake — but maybe even better.
Boston Cream Pie
An American classic, Boston cream pie isn't a pie at all. Its base is an old-fashioned hot milk cake, a downy-soft, buttery yellow cake. How you whip the eggs and the sugar is critical, as the tiny air bubbles they produce add lift to the finished product. This traditional version is best the day it's made, but will hold up in the fridge for a couple of days. You may just notice a slight change in texture. Slathered with homemade vanilla custard and a chocolate glaze, it hits all the right notes, but it would be just as lovely served with in-season berries or layered with chocolate or coffee custard instead of vanilla. Make it as is, or go rogue. Either way, it’s sure to please.
Spinach and Pea Fritters
As a vegetable-forward weeknight meal, these spinach fritters have it all: sweet peas, gooey cheese and crispy bits. Made from thawed, frozen peas and spinach, the work is minimal. If you’d like to use fresh peas and spinach, you’ll need to quickly blanch and drain them first. Fresh mozzarella adds a pleasant creaminess, but goat cheese or feta would work, too. Serve these over quinoa or rice, or top with a poached or fried egg for brunch.
Hawaiian Buns
Pineapple juice and a bit of sugar give these soft, golden buns a slight sweetness that makes them irresistible: They're as nice with butter and jam as they are hugging a burger or a turkey sandwich. Keep an eye on the dough rather than the clock when assessing the rise. The additional sugar, eggs and butter can slow things down. Give the yeast plenty of time to work, and you’ll be handsomely rewarded with light, pillowy rolls.
Mango and Sticky Rice Popsicles
These pops are ice-cold versions of mango sticky rice, a beloved Thai dessert. Glutinous rice (also called sweet rice or sticky rice) can be found in Asian markets, and it requires a special cooking method: Soak it overnight, then steam it. You can cook about 1/2 cup uncooked sticky rice to yield the 1 cup cooked rice needed for this recipe, or you can simply buy a side of cooked sticky rice from your local Thai restaurant. Don’t be tempted to use any other kind of rice here; sticky rice’s signature chew is a big part of this popsicle’s appeal.
Tres Leches Bread Pudding
Pastel de tres leches, a traditional Latin American dessert, consists of a basic sponge cake doused in three types of milk: condensed, evaporated and whole milk or cream. Inspired by the classic cake, this bread pudding transforms those three milks into a rich custard that gets absorbed by buttery cubes of brioche. As it bakes in a water bath, it becomes golden and toasty on the top and soft and pillowy on the bottom. Serve it at any temperature with a dollop of whipped cream and a drizzle of condensed milk. If you have any leftovers, eat them for breakfast topped with a little Greek yogurt and some fresh fruit.
Raspberry and Cream Éclairs
A pretty-in-pink version of the classic favorite, these éclairs are filled with a raspberry cream made with fresh and freeze-dried raspberries for concentrated flavor and a rosy hue. Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods carry freeze-dried raspberries, as do many online stores, but you can leave them out if you can’t find them — the cream will be less intense, but still tasty. These éclairs are a labor of love, best enjoyed the day they’re created.
Peach-Raspberry Ice Cream Cake
Adults swoon and children squeal at the prospect of ice cream cake. This from-scratch version, with layers of peach-studded ice cream, raspberries and tender butter cake, will delight both those contingents. The ice cream here does not require an ice cream maker; it's made by folding freshly whipped cream into a mixture of chopped peaches, peach preserves and evaporated milk. It is deliberately less sweet than other no-churn ice cream recipes you'll see, to avoid overwhelming the delicate peach flavor. But if you prefer, you can use store-bought ice cream in place of the cream mixture here. Omit the evaporated milk and heavy cream; instead, combine the chopped peaches with the peach preserves and salt, then fold into two pints of softened good-quality vanilla ice cream. It will be richer, but a little messier to assemble.
Olive Oil Cake
This simple, lemon-scented olive oil cake is an elegant treat all by itself or topped with whipped cream, fruit or ice cream. The olive oil contributes a pleasant fruity flavor while keeping the cake moister for longer than butter ever could. Make sure your olive oil tastes delicious and fresh. If you wouldn’t eat it on a salad, it won’t be good in your cake.
Peanut Butter Balls
Depending on where you live, these chocolate and peanut-butter confections are known as either peanut butter balls or buckeyes. In the Midwest, they are known as buckeyes because they look like the nut of a buckeye tree, thanks to an exposed circle of peanut butter that's left after they're dipped in chocolate. Be sure to start with a good-quality peanut butter, and don’t skimp on the salt. Those small touches carry a lot of impact.
Baked Carrot Cake Doughnuts
Lightly spiced and crowned with a tangy cream cheese glaze, these doughnuts are, quite simply, carrot cake baked into doughnut-shaped molds for a cuter, handheld form. (The batter could also be baked in greased mini-muffin or standard muffin tins; adjust the cooking time accordingly and bake until golden.) The floral sweetness of the golden raisins works well with the earthy carrots, but feel free to swap in your favorite chopped nuts instead. These come together in minutes without a mixer, and can be on your table within an hour. Like most doughnuts, they’re best enjoyed the day they’re made.
Chocolate Hazelnut Crepe Cake
Something magical happens when you layer crepes with cream to build a cake. The flavors intensify, you improve the cream to crepe ratio and there are more crispy edges. And then there is the dazzling moment when you present the ethereal cake and slice into it to reveal a whole world of fine rings. This cake, with light hazelnut crepes and rich chocolate cream, isn't difficult to make (though the first crepe in the pan is always a flop; don't get discouraged). It does take some time, though, to make and assemble. Just keep the image of the gorgeous final product in your mind as you work.
Molten Chocolate Doughnut Holes
Reminiscent of churros and chocolate, these fluffy doughnut holes are best served warm because of the molten chocolate filling. You could, of course, use a stand mixer to prepare the dough, but it’s better done by hand since the mixer will have trouble blending such a small amount. Don’t worry when you first add the butter pieces and they smear around without incorporating. The butter will be evenly distributed by the time you finish kneading the dough. Chocolate fèves or discs make easy work of filling the doughnuts, but if you can’t find them, feel free to use your favorite chips or chopped chocolate.
Everything Danish
This is the everything bagel's richer more decadent cousin. No cream cheese necessary.
Peppermint Stick Ice Cream
Making any ice cream at home is simple once you master one very important step: knowing when to stop cooking the custard. It should be thick enough to coat the back of the spoon. Test it by drawing a line with your finger. The edge of that line should stay straight for a few seconds without dripping. If you are at all nervous, keep an ice bath near the stove. That way you can plunge the pot into the water and stop the cooking quickly if it comes close to curdling. The recipe includes an optional bittersweet chocolate swirl that adds a sophisticated edge to this refreshing ice cream, but purists can feel free to leave it out.
Peach Focaccia With Thyme
This lightly sweet, slightly savory focaccia is delicious any time of day: Sprinkle the top with sugar after brushing it with melted butter and serve it alongside eggs for a special brunch. Or skip the extra sugar and add it to your next cheeseboard (it’s terrific with a sliver of salty cured meat and a wedge of hard pecorino). For cocktail hour, top it with honey and goat cheese for a lovely appetizer. But it’s really best at its simplest — devoured with your hands, straight out of the oven.
Apple Dumplings
Apple dumplings are a perfect dessert for pie-phobic bakers. All-butter pastry, rolled out and wrapped casually around a brown sugar and currant-stuffed apple, looks rustic and adorable and tastes even better. No pie plates, double crusts, or fancy crimping to worry about. And, they are already portioned perfectly. Serve them warm with scoops of vanilla ice cream or swirls of crème fraiche.
Cranberry Crumb Cake
With their pleasant tang and gorgeous color, cranberries take this brunch staple to the next level. Here, they're nestled in a sour cream cake batter that's topped with a butter crumb, and cook down to add the perfect burst of sour. You can use fresh cranberries or berries that have been frozen and thawed, but note that the cooking time will vary depending on which you use. Lastly, while cranberries make this cake especially nice for fall and winter, blueberries, raspberries or blackberries would be excellent in the summer.
Maple-Pecan Bourbon Balls
The bourbon ball was created in 1938 by Ruth Hanly Booe, a former Kentucky school teacher turned candy maker. The creamy original was whisky-spiked, covered with chocolate and topped with a pecan. Modern-day versions, like this one, are simpler to put together: Vanilla wafers, toasted pecans, cocoa powder, confectioners' sugar and bourbon are combined in a food processor, rolled into balls and dunked in melted chocolate or rolled in confectioners' sugar. Ours also includes a bit of maple syrup for added depth. Bar chocolate, as opposed to chocolate chips, works much better for enrobing candies because chocolate chips have less cocoa butter and become too thick to coat evenly when melted.
Peppermint Bark
You have two choices when it comes to peppermint bark: If you’d like your bark to be shiny and snappy at room temperature, you must temper the chocolate. The process isn’t complicated, but you’ll need an instant-read thermometer and a bit of patience. But you can also leave tempering to the professionals and make the bark without tempering: Simply microwave both chocolates until melted, assemble the bark as instructed then transfer it to the fridge to harden. You may encounter a bit of condensation and melting when you serve it, but it will still taste great. Be sure to use good-quality bar chocolate instead of chips for more reliable results and better flavor. Look for oil-based peppermint extract, as the water in alcohol-based extracts can cause the chocolate to seize.
Pecan Tassies
Pecan tassies are bite-size pecan pies disguised as cookies. With a simple crust that’s both tangy and rich, thanks to cream cheese and butter, and a not-too-sweet maple-infused pecan filling, they go down easy and by the handful.
Eggnog Crème Brûlée
A splash of bourbon and a generous grating of fresh nutmeg transform this simple custard into a holiday sensation. Make the custard in advance, but wait to caramelize the topping about 10 minutes before serving. The sugar will not hold its signature crunch if subjected to much extra time in a humid refrigerator. While it may be a single-use gadget, a kitchen torch is an inexpensive tool worth the investment. It does the best job at caramelizing the top without warming the custard, and it’s so fun to use.
Creamy Coconut Popsicles
Cream of coconut, not to be confused with coconut milk or coconut cream, is a thick syrupy confection made by blending coconut and sugar and is most often used in piña coladas. Mixed with cream, coconut milk and shredded coconut, it gives these pops that classic tropical flair. One note: Coconut milk and cream of coconut naturally separate, so be sure to stir well before measuring.