9 delicious dessert recipes

Canada has resisted the rest of the world by keeping these butter tarts secret. The recipe is quite simple, which means you can prepare a batch even if you are not a pastry chef. To add some variety, add nuts or raisins to the mixture. You may want to consider doubling the recipe, as these bites are sure to be eaten quickly.

Ingredients

• Pie dough (enough to fill 16 individual muffin cups)
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 brown sugar
• 1 pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup corn syrup
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Preparation

1. Prepare the muffin cups by rolling out the pie crust and cutting into 4-inch circles (about); place the crust circles in muffin cups; keep in the refrigerator until ready to fill.
2. In a small bowl, place raisins and cover with warm tap water; let stand on the counter for 30 minutes.
3. In a large bowl, using a wooden spoon, combine the soft butter, brown sugar, salt and corn syrup; mix well until the sugar is dissolved and the butter creamed.
4. Add the egg and vanilla and mix well.
5. Drain the raisins.
6. Collect the pie shells and divide the raisins evenly in all the shells, then divide the butter mixture in all the tarts.
7. Bake in 400°F oven for 15-20 minutes; garnish will be lightly golden, but bubbly.
8. Bake for 20 minutes for firm tarts, adding an extra minute or two if desired.
9. Let the cooked butter tarts cool in the pans for 10 minutes after removing them from the oven, then remove them and place them on racks until they are completely cooled.

Creams have existed in England since the Middle Ages. Although today’s lemon creams have a thicker texture than traditional drinks and require a tablespoon to eat. This classic dish is perfect for those who like a little sour touch with their sweets.

Lemon cream has begun to make its way across the Atlantic Ocean, but if you’re eager to try this tangy dessert, you’ll only need three ingredients to make it. If you have lemons, thick cream and sugar in your kitchen, you can and should make this recipe.

Ingredients

• 600 ml double cream
• 140g powedered sugar
• 2 large lemons (juice and zest)
• 1 large lemon (zest for finishing during service)

Preparation

1. Put the double cream in a large saucepan with the sugar. Slowly bring to a boil and simmer for 3 minutes.
2. Remove from heat, add juice and lemon zest and whisk well.
3. Pour into 6 ramekins and refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours. Sprinkle with lemon zest before serving with shortbread.

This Middle Eastern approach to shortbread will make you wish you hadn’t discovered it sooner. Although Maamul is made all year round, it is particularly popular after Lent and Ramadan (the first observed by Christians and the second by Muslims), two periods marked by fasting. It is also popular with the Jewish community, who eat the treat during Purim’s holidays.

Maamouls can be filled with a variety of ingredients, including date paste and nuts. Sawsan Abu Farha, a food blogger, says: “The secret of a great maamoul is a good recipe with a delicate balance of ingredients to obtain a cookie that melts in the mouth while keeping its shape without crumbling”.

Ingredients

• 200 g very fine semolina
• 150 g flour
• 100 g butter
• 60 g icing sugar
• ½ teaspoon of yeast
• 1 pinch of salt
• ≅ 100 ml orange blossom water

Preparation

1. Pour the semolina and flour into a bowl. Add the yeast.
2. Pour in the icing sugar and butter at room temperature. Mix it all together.
3. Pour in the orange blossom water gradually (approximately 75 ml; it depends on the absorption of the flour and semolina). It is necessary to obtain a smooth, non-sticky dough.
4. Cover the dough and place in a cool place for about 30 minutes.
5. Take a ball of dough in which you dig the center and place 1 teaspoon of Turkish halva.
6. Close the ball.
7. Take the maamoul moulds and place the ball of dough in them. Tap the work table to remove the dough easily.
8. Place as you go on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper.
9. Preheat the oven to 180°C and bake for about 25 minutes (check the baking, the dough should remain pale).
10. When out of the oven, gently place on a rack and sprinkle with icing sugar.
11. Store in an airtight box.

For generations, halo-halo has been one of the Philippines’ best-kept secrets, but in recent years it has taken over New York City. The beauty of halo-halo is that it can be just about anything you want it to be. The basic recipe requires chip ice and evaporated milk, and from there, there is no limit but your imagination. Common ingredients are fruit, jelly and ice cream. For the rest, if you like, put it in.

Halo-halo is simple and highly customizable, making it a perfect option for summer evenings. Install a bar with halo-halo filling and even the most demanding can make a dessert they like.

Ingredients

• 6 tablespoons of halo-halo mixture, divided into 3 parts 2 tablespoons
• 2 tablespoons macapuno (young grated coconut in a tin)
• 2 tablespoons kaong (palm nuts)
• 2 tablespoons coconut nata (coconut gel)
• 2 tablespoons grated fresh cantaloupe
• Crushed or grated ice
• 1/2 cup evaporated milk
• Vanilla or mango ice cream

Preparation

1. In a large glass, place the first 5 ingredients.
2. Cover with enough ice to fill the glass.
3. Pour the evaporated milk over the ice.
4. Top with a scoop of ice cream.

Nordic cuisine is not limited to IKEA Swedish meatballs. This Finnish porridge is so tasty that you may eat it for breakfast instead of saving it for dessert. Vispipuuro is mainly composed of semolina and cranberries. This fruit-filled dessert is quick and easy to prepare; try it if you want something light and sweet to follow a heavy meal.

Ingredients

• 1 litre of water
  300 ml cranberries
  150 ml sugar
  1/4 teaspoon salt
  200 ml semolina

Preparation

1. Bring the water to a boil in a saucepan.
2. Crush the cranberries and add them to the pan with the sugar and salt.
3. Boil for about 10 minutes.
4. Filter the liquid and return it to the pan.
5. Add the semolina, mix well and cook over low heat for another 15 minutes.
6. Allow to cool. When the mixture is cooled, pour it into a mixing bowl and whisk it with a hand mixer until it is light.
7. Serve with sugar and milk.

Are you tired of ordinary vanilla ice cream? Treat your taste buds with tartufo. There are many ways to enjoy this Italian treat and each combination is better than the previous one. If you want to keep it traditional, put a cherry in a scoop of chocolate ice cream and coat it with a hard chocolate shell. If you want to improve it a little, you can exchange the chocolate ice cream for strawberry ice cream or any flavour of your choice. It’s much easier to do than it seems – what are you waiting for?

Ingredients

• 1 pint of Ciao Bella hazelnut biscotti gelato
• 5 Italian sour cherries with Brandy (amarena), drained
• 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate, chopped or in chips
• 3/4 cup thick cream
• 1/2 cup roasted, peeled and ground hazelnuts

Preparation

1. At least one day before serving, shape the gelato into balls by placing 5 squares of plastic wrap on a counter and placing a portion of the ice in the centre of each.
2. Gather the film around each of the balls and twist them to wrap them.
3. Mould each one into a ball (the shape does not have to be perfect), unpack and push a cherry into each centre. Repacking.
4. Place the meatballs on a baking sheet and freeze for at least 6 hours, rounding the shape for the first hour. Remove the plastic wrap from the balls after about 2 hours.
5. For ganache coating, melt the chocolate in the top of a double boiler and add 1/2 cup of thick cream, whisking until smooth.
6. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely (do not refrigerate). The mixture should be about 70 degrees and will be quite thick.
7. Line a baking sheet with waxed paper. Working with one bale at a time, dip into the ganache to coat it. Sprinkle immediately with a few hazelnuts.
8. Freeze for 2 hours to harden, then store in the freezer in a covered container until ready to serve.
9. To serve, heat the other 1/4 cup of thick cream and whisk into the remaining ganache.
10. Add the remaining hazelnuts. Serve as a sauce for tartufos.

There is nothing like a good old-fashioned, southern-style meal. Apparently one of Southern Living’s most popular recipes, hummingbird cake is a staple food in the southern United States. Although a cake made of pineapple, banana and cream cheese may not be unanimously accepted, the mix of flavours is actually great.

There are many ways to make a hummingbird cake and the recipes range from very easy to very complex. No matter what variant you try, hummingbird cake is so delicious it will fly out of your kitchen.

Ingredients

• 1 cup chopped pecans
• Vegetable cooking spray
• Parchment paper
• 3 cups of all-purpose wheat flour
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1 teaspoon of baking soda
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 cups of cut bananas (about 4 medium bananas)
• 1 can (8 ounces) pineapple in juice, crushed
• Cream cheese icing
• Filling: fresh thyme sprigs

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and cook pecans in a single layer in a shallow skillet for 6 to 8 minutes or until toasted and flavoured, stirring halfway through cooking.
2. Spray 3 round cake pans with 9 inches of vegetable spray. Line the bottom of each pan with parchment paper; spray the paper with vegetable spray.
3. Whisk together the flour and the next 5 ingredients in a large bowl. Add eggs, oil and vanilla and stir until dry ingredients are moistened. Stir in bananas, pineapple and pecans (The dough will be very thick, more like banana bread dough than cake dough.)
4. Spoon into prepared pans.
5. Bake in the oven at 350°F for 28 to 30 minutes. Let cool in the molds on a rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pans on a rack and allow to cool completely (about 30 minutes).
6. Remove the parchment paper and discard it.
7. Place 1 layer of cake on a cake rack or serving dish. Cover with a quarter of the icing.
8. Repeat the procedure once. Cover with the remaining layer of cake. Spread the remaining icing on top and sides of the cake. Garnish, if desired.

The most difficult thing about making Turkish tulumba at home is to get the perfect shape. You need a pastry bag with a star-shaped tip to get the classic look of this popular food, but even if you don’t master the shape right away, your tulumba will still be delicious. Made from fried dough, tulumba receives a layer of lemon-flavoured syrup before being served. It’s rich, sweet and decadent; what more could you ask for in a dessert?

Ingredients

Sirup

• 3 cups of sugar
• 3 1/2 cups of water
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice (juice of 1/2 lemon)

Fried dough

• 2 tablespoons of butter
• 2 tablespoons of sugar
• 2 cups of water
• 2 1/2 cups flour (all purpose, sifted)
• 3 large eggs (at room temperature)
• 3 tablespoons of semolina
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2-3 cups of vegetable oil (or the amount needed for frying)
• Filling: peanuts

Preparation

Sirup

1. In a saucepan, combine 3 cups of sugar and 3 1/2 cups of water. Bring the mixture to a boil and stir until the sugar is dissolved.
2. Reduce heat and simmer syrup gently for about 15 minutes. Add the lemon juice and simmer for another minute. Extinguish the fire and allow to cool.

Fried dough

• In a saucepan, add the butter, 2 tablespoons of sugar and 2 cups of water. Light the heat and stir continuously until the butter is melted.
• Stir in flour with a wooden spoon until a loose dough forms.
• When the dough begins to build up around the spoon, remove the pan from the heat and set it aside to cool.
• Break one egg at a time into the dough and add it with the wooden spoon.
• Add the semolina and cornstarch, mix well with the wooden spoon.
• Transfer the dough to a pastry bag with a star tip.

Fry the tulumba:

1. Pour about 3 inches of vegetable oil into a deep skillet and heat to 350°F, checking with a thermometer.
2. Once the oil is hot, press small lines of dough directly into the hot oil. Using a strainer or spoon, turn and turn the pieces over so they turn brown evenly.
3. When the tulumba are evenly golden, remove them from the oil and drain them on absorbent paper.
4. Add them to the cold syrup and let them soak in it.
5. Arrange the syrupy candies on a serving plate and pour a little extra syrup on top. You can garnish the tulumba with peanuts if you wish.

Who knew you could use soy sauce to make dessert? Sweet soy sauce is the key to mitarashi dango, a classic Japanese sweet mocha. The mixture of salty and sweet brings a unique flavour to the moki balls on skewer. Often served fresh from the grill, mitarashi dango has become a popular street food. Try to accompany this treat with a cup of green tea for brunch.

Ingredients

• 240 g Mochiko (rice flour)
• 240 g soft tofu

Sauce:

• 2 1/2 tablespoons Katakuriko (potato starch) or cornstarch
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1 cup of water

Preparation

1. In a bowl, mix the tofu and Mochiko well. The dough should not be too loose or too firm (about the firmness of an earlobe).
2. Using a tablespoon, remove the portions of dough and roll them into balls.
3. Boil the water in a large saucepan and cook the dough balls until they float. Once they float in boiling water, cook an additional 2 to 3 minutes, then remove them from the water with a strainer (or ladle) and place them on a paper-lined plate.
4. In the meantime, prepare the Mitarashi sauce. In a small saucepan, add all the ingredients for the sauce and stir. Cook until the sauce boils and keep warm.
5. Slide 3-4 dango balls on each skewer. Heat a non-stick frying pan over medium heat, place the dango skewer and cook until lightly browned.
6. Put the dango in a plate and pour the sauce to coat it.