Dessert
3901 recipes found
Nectarine and Blueberry Galette
The charm of a galette, a casual open-faced tart, is in its imperfections. It's O.K. if the fruit juices leak a little, and there is no fussy crust-crimping for those who find that part of pie-making frustrating. The often-overlooked nectarine is such a perfect summer fruit. It has all the honeyed sweetness of a peach, minus that fuzzy skin, plus a little hit of tartness, and it pairs beautifully with dark, sweet blueberries. The sugar here is given in a range: Use the smaller amount if your fruit is particularly sweet, the larger amount if it’s tart.
Original Plum Torte
The Times published Marian Burros’s recipe for Plum Torte every September from 1983 until 1989, when the editors determined that enough was enough. The recipe was to be printed for the last time that year. “To counter anticipated protests,” Ms. Burros wrote a few years later, “the recipe was printed in larger type than usual with a broken-line border around it to encourage clipping.” It didn’t help. The paper was flooded with angry letters. “The appearance of the recipe, like the torte itself, is bittersweet,” wrote a reader in Tarrytown, N.Y. “Summer is leaving, fall is coming. That's what your annual recipe is all about. Don't be grumpy about it.” We are not! And we pledge that every year, as summer gives way to fall, we will make sure that the recipe is easily available to one and all. The original 1983 recipe called for 1 cup sugar; the 1989 version reduced that to 3/4 cup. We give both options below. Here are five ways to adapt the torte.
Edna Lewis’s Peach Cobbler
This delicious cobbler, which features pie crust instead of a biscuit or cake topping, is designed to let the incandescent flavor of summer peaches shine, and it’s best made when they are in season. Edna Lewis, the cookbook author and chef from Virginia whose books are considered definitive in the Southern culinary canon, often suggested a lattice top for it, with bits of raw dough tucked into the filling before baking. Those bits cook into tender dumplings while thickening the fruit juice. Serve the result warm with ice cream or whipped cream, or all by itself.
Blackberry Corn Cobbler
This cobbler substitutes fresh, juicy kernels and corn milk for traditional heavy cream, taking advantage of the sweetness of seasonal corn and adding texture to a buttery crust. Grating two large ears of corn should produce enough liquid for the topping, but, if not, you can grate a third ear, or add cream or milk. The rich, crumbly crust also gets some of its moisture from the filling, which is extra syrupy from the mashed blackberries. Serve the cobbler warm with a splash of heavy cream, a dollop of coconut yogurt, or a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Finishing it all off with a drizzle of dark rum, while not necessary, is especially sweet.
Pastelitos (Guava and Cream Cheese Pastries)
In Havana — and in Cuban neighborhoods across the U.S. — pastry shops make many types of cakes and cookies, but the best-sellers are always the pastels and pastelitos, flaky pastries filled with meat, cheese, coconut custard or guava jam. According to “Paladares: Recipes from the Private Restaurants, Home Kitchens, and Streets of Cuba” by Anya von Bremzen (Abrams, 2017), the shape of the pastel correlates with the filling: Triangular pastels are filled with guava paste and cheese, while rectangular ones are filled with just guava. Versailles, a Cuban restaurant in Miami, follows this rule, but at home, just make them rectangular, and add a swipe of cream cheese if desired. You can find guava paste in bricks at Latin American grocers, or swap in about 1/2 cup jam or preserves for a nontraditional take.
Summer Berry Buckle
Softer and more fruit-filled than a coffeecake, but with a higher percentage of buttery batter than a cobbler, buckles are harder to classify than they are to make. This one is tender, moist and filled with sweet summer berries. But feel free to substitute any other juicy fruit that you like: peaches, nectarines, figs, plums or pineapple. If your fruit is very sweet (figs, pineapple), reduce the sugar by a couple of tablespoons, while tart fruit (plums or tart blackberries) may need an extra tablespoon. Buckles are best eaten on the same day they are baked. But since they come together so quickly, you don’t have to plan ahead.
Lane Cake
This version of the classic Southern cake takes all of fruitcake’s best elements — bourbon-soaked dried fruit, toasty pecans and shredded coconut — and weaves them into a rich, custardy filling set between three layers of tender vanilla cake. It’s a special occasion dessert and a nightcap, all rolled into one. Acetate strips (see Tip) are useful for holding the layers in place while assembling, but if finding them is too much of a bother, use parchment or follow the instructions to assemble the cake without the strips. The flavor of this cake improves with time, so allow a few hours — or even a few days — before slicing and enjoying.
Lemon-Blueberry Bars
Fresh blueberries make these lemon bars a bit sweeter than usual, and very jammy, but without compromising their essential acidity. The grated lime zest gives the curd another note of citrus complexity. But if you’d rather leave out the lime, use more lemon zest. Or try playing with orange and grapefruit zests. The filling stays pretty soft in these tender bars, so it’s best to keep them in the fridge until right before serving, then dust with powdered sugar at the last minute.
Lemon Bundt Cake
This is a big, bold lemony cake that uses the zest, juice and flesh of lemons for an extrapuckery bite. A thin layer of crackly lemon glaze coats the whole cake for a beautiful and delicious finish. Serve this cake as is, or add some berries and whipped cream to dress it up. It tastes even better the next day, so feel free to make it ahead. Since it makes use of the lemon skins, use organic or unwaxed lemons if you can.
The Crunchiest Summer Fruit Crumble
The secret to this fruit crumble is to bake the sweet, cinnamon-scented topping separately, to dry it out. Then when you pile those crumbs over a mound of juicy summer fruit, they won’t absorb as much liquid, and stay crisp and cookielike. You can make the crumbs a day ahead. But the crumble is best baked on the day you serve it, preferably while still a little warm and brimming with syrupy fruit. Make sure to taste your fruit before adding the sugar. Sweeter fruit like strawberries, cherries and blueberries need less sugar than tart plums and nectarines. A spoonful of whipped cream or ice cream makes this even better.
Blueberry Cream Popsicles
These naturally purple pops are made with a combination of simmered blueberries puréed into an easy no-churn ice cream base. You can substitute yogurt or crème fraîche for the sour cream; either will give the popsicles a subtle tang. You can use fresh or frozen berries. (Frozen berries can be thawed and used as directed in the method below. Or use them straight from the freezer, but add 2 to 4 minutes to the cook time.) The number of pops this recipe makes depends on the size and shape of the molds used. The base can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours if you need to freeze in batches; just give the mixture a stir before using.
Île Flottante With Fresh Cherries
The name of this French dessert means “floating island.” It consists of soft meringue islands set afloat on a sea of the pourable vanilla custard called crème anglaise. Traditionally it is garnished with caramel sauce and praline powder. Here the dessert is flavored with cardamom and rose water instead, drizzled with cherry syrup and topped with pistachios.
Peach Poundcake
This recipe proves that the perfect summer pound cake takes no special equipment or skill to pull off. Once you’ve prepared the peaches, this is essentially a dump-and-whisk cake. Puréed peaches (plus an extra egg yolk) keep the cake from drying out. Diced peaches add bursts of fresh fruit, and a peach glaze lends another layer of flavor. Use sweet, ripe peaches for best results, but frozen work fine here, too. If you’re looking for a spin on classic peaches and cream, serve a slice with lightly sweetened whipped cream.
No-Bake Melon Cheesecake Bars
Reminiscent of honeydew-scented Korean ice cream bars, this no-bake cheesecake leans into a fruit flavor that hasn’t had enough time in the sun: melon. Here, fresh cantaloupe purées into a smooth, fluffy pulp that sets into cheesecake, thanks to gelatin. Where the thick, salty-sweet base layer of buttery crackers will satisfy the crust lovers out there, the soft-set filling will change minds about what melon can truly do. Though the final drizzle of honey is optional, its floral taste works beautifully with the cantaloupe.
Lemon Squares
The recipe for these sweet, tart squares, adapted from the “Wellesley Cookie Exchange Cookbook” by Susan Mahnke Peery, was published in The Times in December 1990, part of a Christmas cookie roundup. But they can be made for just about any occasion, whether you’re in the holiday spirit or just craving something with a little pucker. The buttery shortbread mellows a lemon topping, as does the dusting of confectioners' sugar. Make it to cap off a weeknight dinner, or for a weekend afternoon snack, paired with a cup of tea.
M&M Cookies
These easy one-bowl cookies make the best gifts and add nostalgia to any cookie plate. But they’re also great for when you just want a really good homemade cookie as quickly as possible. This part is essential: The butter must be soft enough to whisk by hand. Use butter that’s been sitting at room temperature for a long while, even overnight or up to 24 hours. Chopping the M&M’s into rainbow shards creates a more even distribution of chocolate and candy coating throughout the dough. When these cookies bake, they will rise slightly then fall as they cool, one of the most beautiful indicators of deep chewiness.
Chocolate Self-Saucing Cake
This fun and easy recipe takes inspiration from the self-saucing chocolate puddings that are popular in Britain and Australia. The basic composition is a simple chocolate cake batter topped with a sauce made from sugar, cocoa powder and hot water. While the cake bakes, the sauce magically works its way down to the bottom of the pan, so you have moist chocolate cake on top and gooey sauce on the bottom. Some recipes make a dense and fudgy cake, but this one is a bit lighter, resulting in a fluffy cake with lots of chocolate sauce to spoon over the top. Serve the cake warm, scooped from the pan, with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, if you like. This is best served the day that it is made. The cake will absorb the sauce as it sits.
Basque Cheesecake
Generously burnished and with a velvety, custardy interior, this rustic, crustless cheesecake from the Basque region of northern Spain is the platonic ideal of a low-effort, high-reward dessert. The caramelized exterior evokes a toasty marshmallow, but the cake itself is not too sweet. Marti Buckley adapted this recipe from La Viña, a small bar in San Sebastián, for her cookbook, “Basque Country” (Artisan, 2018). This statement cake is achieved using only five primary ingredients. It’s baked at a higher temperature than a classic New York cheesecake and in the hot oven, the cheesecake dramatically inflates into a soufflé-like puff before sinking into itself, creating a cradle for fresh fruit, should you wish to serve it with some. But Basque cheesecake is perfect on its own, at its arguable prime the day after it’s made, enjoyed at room temperature.
Apricot Snack Cake
This simple and tender cake is prepared entirely in the food processor, with juicy apricots, fragrant vanilla and nutty almond flour, which accentuates the fruity flavor. The apricots add natural tartness to balance the rich, buttery cake, but the cake also works well with other stone fruits, like peaches, plums and nectarines. It’s an ideal recipe for using overripe fruits, if you’ve bought too many and can’t eat them fast enough. Perfect for breakfast with coffee or tea, this snacking cake is a great pick-me-up treat any time of day. For dessert, toast the slices and serve warm topped with whipped cream, ice cream or macerated fruit.
Chocolate Pumpkin Swirl Muffins
These chocolate-and-pumpkin muffins make a perfect breakfast on the go, the two flavors united by a hint of cinnamon. If you’d like to dress them up for a party, start by adding 2 tablespoons of finely chopped chocolate to the chocolate batter before scooping it into the cups and skip the sugar topping. Bake and cool the muffins, then top them with a simple cream cheese frosting: Beat together 8 ounces softened cream cheese, 4 tablespoons room-temperature unsalted butter and 1/2 cup sifted confectioners’ sugar. Spread the frosting liberally on the muffins and top with chocolate sprinkles.
Katharine Hepburn’s Brownies
Much like its author, this recipe is a no-fuss classic. It calls for just 1/4 cup of flour, which yields an incredibly rich and gooey brownie, and it's super easy to make. So easy, in fact, that baking a batch of these might just become part of your weekend routine. (Watch the video of Vaughn Vreeland making Katharine Hepburn’s brownies here.)
Sugared Shortbread
In 2012, The Times invited readers to submit their favorite cookie recipes. Amy Casey of Sparta, N.J., submitted this unusual recipe for shortbread that calls for melted butter and a little bit of rice flour (which is now relatively easy to find since it’s a popular gluten-free flour). You can mix this recipe in a bowl with a wooden spoon in about three minutes, and the rice flour gives the shortbread a sandy, singular texture that’s accentuated by the coating of granulated sugar on the top and bottom. You can substitute cornstarch for the rice flour, but you'll end up with a slightly softer crumb. Bonus: this keeps for weeks — but only if you hide it.
Cranberry-Orange Scones
Cranberries and orange are a classic sweet-tart pairing in these scones, which are quick-to-make but super satisfying. Folding the dough a few times, and using a combination of buttermilk and cream creates a flaky and tender texture that is irresistible. The glaze adds another punch of orange flavor, but it is totally optional, if you prefer a simpler scone. The scones freeze well after baking, but for the best texture, make sure to defrost them at room temperature and warm gently before serving. Feel free to swap in another citrus fruit for the orange, and just about any other dried fruit for the cranberries. Tart cherries and lime also make a great combination.
Banana Everything Cookies
Here's a treat for the vegans in your life. Adapted from the cookbook “Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar,” by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero, these cookies, which are chunky with chocolate chips, walnuts and rolled oats, are best when they are completely cooled, so their exteriors can crisp up. They do not taste strongly of banana — it's just a hint.