Vanilla is the finest of the flavors
November 14, 2013 2:17 AM Subscribe
I like vanilla, caramel, butterscotch, brown sugar -- what are some reasonably easy-but-delicious desserts I can make that allow for multiple servings over a few days/a week and aren't too troublesome/weird to make, ie., not creme brulee?
Not interested much in chocolate, and definitely not interested in desserts that feature fruit.
I've made blondies a few times, and they were good. Sometimes we buy ice cream, but I'm looking for more ideas.
I'm looking for 'family dessert' type things so not fancy-dinner desserts, but if there happens to be overlap on something that would actually be nice as long as its not too onerous and doesn't require a hand torch and water bath and will provide dessert for more than a single day.
Thanks folks.
Not interested much in chocolate, and definitely not interested in desserts that feature fruit.
I've made blondies a few times, and they were good. Sometimes we buy ice cream, but I'm looking for more ideas.
I'm looking for 'family dessert' type things so not fancy-dinner desserts, but if there happens to be overlap on something that would actually be nice as long as its not too onerous and doesn't require a hand torch and water bath and will provide dessert for more than a single day.
Thanks folks.
Best answer: Here is the smitten kitchen's description of brown butter brown sugar cookies:
Because they’re not the prettiest cookie and they’d never be an easy sell on a table full of frosted and snowflake-shaped and red, green and white stacked jam filled, chocolate coated cookie compatriots. ... They’re all flavor and fragrance, the kinds of things you need make yourself to really understand: nutty browned butter, dark brown sugar, a pinch of salt, a splash of vanilla and a tumble in coarse raw sugar. They’re spectacularly easy to make for all that you get out of them, which is, in short, heaven in an unforgettable 1 1/2-inch by 1/4-inch disc.
Pics and recipe here (sorry can't link)
http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2008/12/brown-butter-brown-sugar-shorties/
posted by third rail at 3:26 AM on November 14, 2013 [3 favorites]
Because they’re not the prettiest cookie and they’d never be an easy sell on a table full of frosted and snowflake-shaped and red, green and white stacked jam filled, chocolate coated cookie compatriots. ... They’re all flavor and fragrance, the kinds of things you need make yourself to really understand: nutty browned butter, dark brown sugar, a pinch of salt, a splash of vanilla and a tumble in coarse raw sugar. They’re spectacularly easy to make for all that you get out of them, which is, in short, heaven in an unforgettable 1 1/2-inch by 1/4-inch disc.
Pics and recipe here (sorry can't link)
http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2008/12/brown-butter-brown-sugar-shorties/
posted by third rail at 3:26 AM on November 14, 2013 [3 favorites]
Sticky toffee pudding. Keeps well in the fridge for later microwaving and serving with extra thick cream.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 4:00 AM on November 14, 2013 [4 favorites]
posted by EndsOfInvention at 4:00 AM on November 14, 2013 [4 favorites]
If you google a recipe for "Leche Flan", it is EASY, and so yummy.
posted by shazzam! at 4:06 AM on November 14, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by shazzam! at 4:06 AM on November 14, 2013 [1 favorite]
I would totally make a big batch of butterscotch pudding.
posted by Pizzarina Sbarro at 4:14 AM on November 14, 2013
posted by Pizzarina Sbarro at 4:14 AM on November 14, 2013
What you want is Tarte au Sucre (Sugar pie):
My Grandmothers recipe:
2 C Brown Sugar
1C heavy cream
2 Eggs
4 T flour
Butter the size of an egg
Melt butter and mix with sugar.
Add cream then eggs Mix thoroughly.
Add fluor sprinkling over the top and stir in periodically.
Put into pie crust.
Bake in a hot oven but turn down to warm once pie has gone in.
(In practice I put the pie in at 400 and then turn down to 350)
Cook until middle doesn't jiggle too much.
(I don't know what to translate this as, other than you'll just know if you're poking at it about 45 minutes in the oven but can take more without going bad.)
It will puff up and then collapse back down once it cools, slice and enjoy.
posted by koolkat at 4:27 AM on November 14, 2013 [4 favorites]
My Grandmothers recipe:
2 C Brown Sugar
1C heavy cream
2 Eggs
4 T flour
Butter the size of an egg
Melt butter and mix with sugar.
Add cream then eggs Mix thoroughly.
Add fluor sprinkling over the top and stir in periodically.
Put into pie crust.
Bake in a hot oven but turn down to warm once pie has gone in.
(In practice I put the pie in at 400 and then turn down to 350)
Cook until middle doesn't jiggle too much.
(I don't know what to translate this as, other than you'll just know if you're poking at it about 45 minutes in the oven but can take more without going bad.)
It will puff up and then collapse back down once it cools, slice and enjoy.
posted by koolkat at 4:27 AM on November 14, 2013 [4 favorites]
Snickerdoodles are lovely. Even my chocoholic father will sometimes choose them over chocolate chip, especially when warm. Grandma has always used the Betty Crocker recipe. I don't know why that link emphasizes the cinnamon part, though. That's in there, but to my mind they're much more an example of fine balance in spice, sweet, and butter.
posted by Mizu at 4:27 AM on November 14, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by Mizu at 4:27 AM on November 14, 2013 [2 favorites]
I think you need some gooey butter cake in your life.
Toffee is pretty simple; the key is to heat it to the hard crack stage and take it off when it's about the color of cardboard. If toffee doesn't seem like enough of a dessert you can crumble it over ice cream or bake it into cookies.
You might also really enjoy flapjacks (the British kind, not the American) - they're like heartier, chewier oatmeal cookies. And of course you can put stuff in them, like toffee.
posted by Metroid Baby at 4:38 AM on November 14, 2013 [2 favorites]
Toffee is pretty simple; the key is to heat it to the hard crack stage and take it off when it's about the color of cardboard. If toffee doesn't seem like enough of a dessert you can crumble it over ice cream or bake it into cookies.
You might also really enjoy flapjacks (the British kind, not the American) - they're like heartier, chewier oatmeal cookies. And of course you can put stuff in them, like toffee.
posted by Metroid Baby at 4:38 AM on November 14, 2013 [2 favorites]
Rice pudding.
posted by Jahaza at 4:40 AM on November 14, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by Jahaza at 4:40 AM on November 14, 2013 [2 favorites]
You could look at a recipe for caramel pie (with nilla wafers, bananas and cool whip. The caramel is made by gently simmering a can of sweetened condensed milk). But instead of making the whole pie (wafers get soggy and bananas get brown after a day or two) make the caramel filling and then eat it in single servings. A small bowl with wafers on the bottom, a spoon or two of caramel, topped w banana and cool whip. You could also sub out ingredients - try real whipped cream, use raspberries instead of bananas, etc.
posted by bunderful at 5:09 AM on November 14, 2013
posted by bunderful at 5:09 AM on November 14, 2013
Pecan pie or chess pie might be nice. Pies are so easy!
posted by mochapickle at 5:15 AM on November 14, 2013
posted by mochapickle at 5:15 AM on November 14, 2013
Best answer: Pouding chomeur! (You can make it more brown sugary by replacing the maple syrup with plain water and adding vanilla, though I like the maple version.)
cake dough:
½ cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tbsp. Baking powder
2 cups flour
1 1/3 cup milk
Maple Sauce:
1 ½ cups maple syrup
1 ½ cups brown sugar
1½ cup 35% cream
1/3 cup butter
Preparation of dough:
In a bowl, combine the sugar and butter with an electric mixer. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until the mixture is creamy. In another bowl mix the flour and baking powder. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture alternately with milk.
Pour into a 13x9 baking dish.
Preparing the sauce:
In a large saucepan, bring all ingredients to boiling, stirring all the while. Reduce heat and simmer for two minutes. Pour over the dough.
Bake at 325 F for 35 minutes
posted by jeather at 5:26 AM on November 14, 2013 [9 favorites]
cake dough:
½ cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tbsp. Baking powder
2 cups flour
1 1/3 cup milk
Maple Sauce:
1 ½ cups maple syrup
1 ½ cups brown sugar
1½ cup 35% cream
1/3 cup butter
Preparation of dough:
In a bowl, combine the sugar and butter with an electric mixer. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until the mixture is creamy. In another bowl mix the flour and baking powder. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture alternately with milk.
Pour into a 13x9 baking dish.
Preparing the sauce:
In a large saucepan, bring all ingredients to boiling, stirring all the while. Reduce heat and simmer for two minutes. Pour over the dough.
Bake at 325 F for 35 minutes
posted by jeather at 5:26 AM on November 14, 2013 [9 favorites]
Butterscotch Pudding.
Flan
Dulce de leche cheesecake
Tres Leches
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 6:03 AM on November 14, 2013
Flan
Dulce de leche cheesecake
Tres Leches
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 6:03 AM on November 14, 2013
Have you had cajeta sauce anything?
posted by Lesser Shrew at 6:17 AM on November 14, 2013
posted by Lesser Shrew at 6:17 AM on November 14, 2013
Cupcakes! You can add extra vanilla extract to taste. Also, sour cream cookies. In both dishes, I find that nutmeg enhances the vanilla flavor, but the could just be my weirdo palate.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 6:24 AM on November 14, 2013
posted by The Underpants Monster at 6:24 AM on November 14, 2013
Condensed-milk based pies like key lime are very simple. When you mix the condensed milk and citrus juice, the condensed milk will congeal in the course of a few hours. All you have to do is mix and wait. There's probably a recipe right on the side of the milk can.
If you don't want to fuss with meringue, there are variations like using regular lemon juice and topping the pie with a can of cherry pie filling. Not exactly haute cuisine, but it meets several of your criteria. Home and garden magazines in the 50s and 60s were full of "easy" recipes like this.
posted by gimonca at 6:33 AM on November 14, 2013
If you don't want to fuss with meringue, there are variations like using regular lemon juice and topping the pie with a can of cherry pie filling. Not exactly haute cuisine, but it meets several of your criteria. Home and garden magazines in the 50s and 60s were full of "easy" recipes like this.
posted by gimonca at 6:33 AM on November 14, 2013
Tapioca! Made with a good-quality vanilla extract, it's quite nice. Also butterscotch tapioca.
posted by ottereroticist at 6:55 AM on November 14, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by ottereroticist at 6:55 AM on November 14, 2013 [1 favorite]
For easy snack-type dessert, you can't go wrong with cracker (or matzo) toffee:
Cover the a foil-lined baking sheet with saltines or matzo. Pre-heat your oven to 350.
Melt a cup of butter and a cup of brown sugar on the stovetop, stirring frequently, until boiling, and stir rapidly while boiling (a whisk is good) for about three minutes. Pour that mixture on top of the crackers, using a spatula or spreader to get maximum coverage.
Dump a bunch of butterscotch chips over the top. The Ghirardelli ones are better than Toll House, those don't melt as well. Pop in the oven for 10-15 minutes, then remove, and use your spatula or spreader to spread the now-melty chips over the crackers and sugar.
You can sprinkle other things on top of this - coarse salt is nice, nuts are nice if you like those, but it's really good as-is. Just pop it into the fridge to cool for a few hours, then break it up like toffee. Mmm.
Nice Barenaked Ladies reference, by the way.
posted by juniperesque at 7:30 AM on November 14, 2013
Cover the a foil-lined baking sheet with saltines or matzo. Pre-heat your oven to 350.
Melt a cup of butter and a cup of brown sugar on the stovetop, stirring frequently, until boiling, and stir rapidly while boiling (a whisk is good) for about three minutes. Pour that mixture on top of the crackers, using a spatula or spreader to get maximum coverage.
Dump a bunch of butterscotch chips over the top. The Ghirardelli ones are better than Toll House, those don't melt as well. Pop in the oven for 10-15 minutes, then remove, and use your spatula or spreader to spread the now-melty chips over the crackers and sugar.
You can sprinkle other things on top of this - coarse salt is nice, nuts are nice if you like those, but it's really good as-is. Just pop it into the fridge to cool for a few hours, then break it up like toffee. Mmm.
Nice Barenaked Ladies reference, by the way.
posted by juniperesque at 7:30 AM on November 14, 2013
If you want to ramp up the flavor of your blondies, add a layer of caramel in the middle: Make your favorite blondie recipe (and share it with us!!) and then follow the procedure for these Knock You Naked Brownies with caramel. Basically it's just a pack of Kraft caramels heated with milk until smooth. Bake half of your batter for 10 minutes, take out of the oven, pour on the caramel and then the remaining batter and finish baking.
Another thing to do is use "browned butter" or "salted caramel" in your googling for cake/cookies/desserts/etc. It's an intense flavor that works well with vanilla and you'll find some good ideas out there.
posted by CathyG at 7:47 AM on November 14, 2013 [1 favorite]
Another thing to do is use "browned butter" or "salted caramel" in your googling for cake/cookies/desserts/etc. It's an intense flavor that works well with vanilla and you'll find some good ideas out there.
posted by CathyG at 7:47 AM on November 14, 2013 [1 favorite]
Easy Extraordinary Eastern Canadian Egg Tarts (i just made that up)
2 cups brown sugar
1/3 cup melted butter or margarine (sometimes i use 1/2 cup)
1/4 tsp salt
4 eggs
3 T (yes, tablespoons) vanilla
3 T lemon juice
-Mix and put in tart shells. use a muffin tin to make 12 at a time, fill shell about 2/3 full.
-Bake 350 till filling is set. 25 min or so max.
This definitely covers the vanilla/brown sugar aspect of your question. Both tastes are present in the final product. However, the lemon juice cuts the sweetness and adds a nice bit of tart balance. These last well and are delicious and everyone loves them.
Technically, these may be more similar to butter tarts, but that is not what the old family friend who passed on this recipe called them.
And it figures it took food to get me to join this site.
posted by fourpotatoes at 8:53 AM on November 14, 2013 [7 favorites]
2 cups brown sugar
1/3 cup melted butter or margarine (sometimes i use 1/2 cup)
1/4 tsp salt
4 eggs
3 T (yes, tablespoons) vanilla
3 T lemon juice
-Mix and put in tart shells. use a muffin tin to make 12 at a time, fill shell about 2/3 full.
-Bake 350 till filling is set. 25 min or so max.
This definitely covers the vanilla/brown sugar aspect of your question. Both tastes are present in the final product. However, the lemon juice cuts the sweetness and adds a nice bit of tart balance. These last well and are delicious and everyone loves them.
Technically, these may be more similar to butter tarts, but that is not what the old family friend who passed on this recipe called them.
And it figures it took food to get me to join this site.
posted by fourpotatoes at 8:53 AM on November 14, 2013 [7 favorites]
I vouch for these butterscotch cookies, if you have an America's Test Kitchen login.
posted by freezer cake at 11:16 AM on November 14, 2013
posted by freezer cake at 11:16 AM on November 14, 2013
Buttermilk pie! The easiest pie ever, and one of the most delicious!
1/2 cup flour
3 3/4 cups sugar
1 cup butter
1 teaspoon salt
6 whole eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon vanilla
2-3 unbaked pastry shells
Combine flour, sugar, and salt. Melt butter and add with the eggs. Beat slightly. Add buttermilk. Beat. Add vanilla. Pour into unbaked shells. Bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes or until firm.
(I will admit that I pour that entire amount of filling into *one* deep-dish pie crust and bake it for about double the time until firm to make a perhaps over-large pie, but you may not wish to do that.)
posted by darchildre at 1:40 PM on November 14, 2013
1/2 cup flour
3 3/4 cups sugar
1 cup butter
1 teaspoon salt
6 whole eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon vanilla
2-3 unbaked pastry shells
Combine flour, sugar, and salt. Melt butter and add with the eggs. Beat slightly. Add buttermilk. Beat. Add vanilla. Pour into unbaked shells. Bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes or until firm.
(I will admit that I pour that entire amount of filling into *one* deep-dish pie crust and bake it for about double the time until firm to make a perhaps over-large pie, but you may not wish to do that.)
posted by darchildre at 1:40 PM on November 14, 2013
Response by poster: Wow, this is awesome. Thanks everyone. This will fuel my PMS fugue states for ages.
Special thanks to Jeather for alerting me to the existance of Pouding chomeur.
posted by A Terrible Llama at 10:15 AM on November 15, 2013
Special thanks to Jeather for alerting me to the existance of Pouding chomeur.
posted by A Terrible Llama at 10:15 AM on November 15, 2013
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by 0 answers at 2:26 AM on November 14, 2013 [1 favorite]