6 Desserts Friends Will DEMAND the Recipes For
From a totally different type of cookie to a new spin on a classic ice-cream topping, these are the sweets that will make you feel like a rock star at every party.
By Lynn Andriani
Cookies That Turn a Pantry Staple into Something Brand New
Honey is a common enough ingredient, but burnt honey? Not so much. Yet, as this recipe from Ruby Tandoh's
Crumb: A Baking Book shows, when you cook the sweetener for a few minutes, it darkens, sizzles and takes on a far mellower, toastier flavor, with its intense sweetness subdued. Mix it with an almond- and dried fruit-spiked dough, bake it and then brush with melted dark chocolate and you've got one ridiculously delicious cookie that tastes a bit like toffee, but with bright floral notes, too.
Get the recipe: Rose and Burnt Honey Florentines
The Ice-Cream Topper with a Surprise Add-In
Walnuts and maple syrup make a classic, sweet-and-nutty topping that can take any ice cream, from vanilla to cinnamon, to a new level. But we're pretty sure you've never had it like this. In their new book,
Big Gay Ice Cream, Bryan Petroff and Douglas Quint introduce a brilliant ingredient to the mix: whiskey. It brings a warm, toasty, honey-like flavor to the sauce that will make you want to spoon it over lots more than just ice cream (for starters: pound cake!).
Get the recipe: Whiskey Walnuts
Photo: AnnaPustynnikova/iStock/Thinkstock
The Richest, Gooiest Chocolate Squares Ever
Meet your new favorite way to bake dense, fudgy brownies: using a slow cooker. The device's low-and-slow heat is perfect for turning out a rich, lava-cake-like treat. Lining the cooker with aluminum foil, so the edges don't burn, is key, as is placing a sheet of parchment paper on the bottom, so you can easily lift out the finished brownies for cutting and serving. As if all this isn't enough, when you see the ingredients list, you'll
really be hooked (it calls for just six ingredients).
Get the recipe: Slow-Cooker Brownies
Photo: Annabelle Breakey for Gluten-Free Baking
A Cake That Gives a Beloved Pairing a Run for Its Money
We'll never stop loving the creamy, salty, sweet duo of peanut butter and chocolate; but lately, we're smitten with the combination of cherries and chocolate. Bitter dark chocolate gets a lift from the tart fruit, and this flourless cake does a marvelous job of showcasing just how tasty the two can be together. You bake the cake in a springform pan set in a water bath, which protects it from the oven's direct heat and prevents it from cracking.
Get the recipe: Chocolate-Cherry Torte
A Dreamy Frozen Treat
The showstopping presentation of this dessert is guaranteed to grab anyone's interest, but it's the combination of sweet, rich and tart flavors that will make them swoon. You start by cutting off the pointed end of a lemon, so it can stand upright; then, spoon out the flesh and juice. Once the shells are empty, you fill each one with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and top it with a sparkling lemonade made from lemon juice, lemon zest, honey and seltzer. The result: a decadent, Creamsicle-like treat that's a little fizzy, too.
Get the recipe: Lemon Drop Floats
Photo: Christopher Testani
A Smooth Pudding They'll Love Even More Than the Original
Intense flavor, silky texture and a "yippee-this-is-all-mine!" individual portion are the things we adore about chocolate pudding. And then we met this brilliant recipe, which uses avocado, of all things, to bump up the creaminess factor and give it extra richness, along with healthy fat, potassium and vitamin K.
Get the recipe: Chocolate Avocado Pudding
Published 05/06/2015
