Dessert

I love dessert. It's my favorite part of the meal.

If you're the same way, today's post should give you a little something to check out. Will it be the Nutella Mug Cake? Maybe the Mint-Chocolate Brownies? No matter which one you decide to make, here's to a yummy end to your meal. Enjoy!

MAPLE-APPLE PIE

This comes from the infamous long-since-forgotten emailing list, and begins, “Experience a whole new apple pie taste! Just a touch of syrup adds the sweet familiar taste of maple for a flavorful new twist on a classic dessert.”

Ingredients

Double-Crust Pastry (See Below)

6 cups thinly sliced peeled tart apples, (5 medium)

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

3 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted

6 tablespoons maple-flavored syrup

Directions

Heat oven to 425°F. Make Double Crust Pastry.

Mix apples and brown sugar. Turn into pastry-lined pie plate. Drizzle with butter and 3 tablespoons of the syrup. Trim overhanging edge of pastry 1/2 inch from rim of plate. Cover with top pastry that has slits cut in it; trim overhanging edge 1 inch from rim of plate. Fold and roll top edge under lower edge, pressing on rim to seal; flute as desired.

Bake 15 minutes. Make diagonal cuts about 1 inch apart through top crust. Pour remaining syrup over top. Cover edge with 2- to 3-inch strip of aluminum foil to prevent excessive browning; remove foil during last 15 minutes of baking. Bake about 25 minutes or until crust is deep golden brown. Cool.

Double-Crust Pastry

Ingredients

2 cups Gold Medal® all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons shortening

4 to 6 tablespoons cold water

Directions

Mix flour and salt in medium bowl. Cut in shortening, using pastry blender (or pulling 2 table knives through ingredients in opposite directions), until particles are size of small peas. Sprinkle with cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with fork until all flour is moistened and pastry almost leaves side of bowl (1 to 2 teaspoons more water can be added if necessary). Gather pastry into a ball. Divide in half and shape into 2 flattened rounds on lightly floured surface. Wrap flattened rounds of pastry in plastic wrap and refrigerate about 45 minutes or until dough is firm and cold, yet pliable. This allows the shortening to become slightly firm, which helps make the baked pastry more flaky. If refrigerated longer, let pastry soften slightly before rolling.

Roll one round on lightly floured surface, using floured rolling pin, into circle 2 inches larger than upside-down 9-inch glass pie plate. Fold pastry into fourths; place in pie plate. Unfold and ease into plate, pressing firmly against bottom and side.

SWEDISH ALMOND CAKE

This is from Dorie Greenspan in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Dorie wrote, “Fika is the Swedish custom of stopping twice daily for coffee, conversation and a little something sweet; the word was created by flipping the two syllables in kaffe. Minutes after I had a fika in the Stockholm studio of the pastry chef Mia Ohrn, I started thinking about what I’d serve at my own first fika. This cake, so much easier to make than you’d guess by looking at it, has become my favorite. The recipe turns out a moist, buttery, tender cake, which would be lovely as is. But when the cake is half-baked, I cook a mixture of butter, sugar, flour and sliced almonds, spread it over the top (a homage to Sweden’s famous tosca cake), put the pan back in the oven and wait for the mixture to bubble, caramelize and create a shell that is a little chewy, a little crackly and very beautiful. It’s a perfect cake for fika, and great for brunch.”

Yield: 8 servings; Time: 1-1/4 hours, plus cooling.

This was featured in “The Perfect Cake for Your Coffee Break”, and can be viewed online at https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1020767-swedish-almond-cake.

Ingredients

For the Cake:

1/2 cup plus 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and lukewarm, plus more unmelted butter for greasing the pan

2 cups minus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the pan

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

2 large eggs, at room temperature

2/3 cup whole milk, lukewarm

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For the Topping:

7 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small chunks

3/4 cup sliced almonds

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons whole milk

Preparation

Make the cake: Center a rack in the oven, and heat it to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch springform pan (using solid, unmelted butter), and dust the interior with flour; tap out the excess. Place the pan on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.

Working with a mixer (use a paddle attachment, if you have one), beat the sugar and eggs together on medium-high speed until the mixture is light and slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Reduce the speed to medium, and gradually add the melted butter, followed by the milk and vanilla. (I like to pour the ingredients down the side of the bowl as the mixer is working.) Mix until the batter is smooth; it will have a lovely sheen. Decrease the speed to low, and gradually add the dry ingredients. When the flour mixture is almost fully incorporated, finish blending by stirring with a spatula. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan.

Slide the cake into the oven, and set your timer for 30 minutes.

As soon as the timer dings, start the topping (leaving the cake in the oven): In a medium saucepan, mix together all the topping ingredients. Place over medium-high heat and, stirring constantly, cook until you see a couple of bubbles around the edges. Lower the heat to medium, and cook, stirring nonstop, for 3 minutes. The mixture will thicken a little, and your spatula will leave tracks as you stir. Remove the pan from the heat.

Immediately take the cake out of the oven (leaving the oven on), and carefully pour the topping over the cake, nudging it gently with a spatula to cover the cake completely.

Return the cake to the oven, and bake for an additional 15 minutes (total baking time is about 50 minutes) or until the topping, which will bubble and seethe, is a beautiful golden brown and a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Transfer the baking sheet to a rack, and cool for 5 minutes. Carefully work a table knife between the side of the pan and the cake, gently pushing the cake away from the side (it’s a delicate job because the sticky topping isn’t yet set). Remove the sides of the pan, and let the cake come to room temperature on the base. When you’re ready to serve, lift the cake off the springform base and onto a platter.

CARAMEL APPLE BARS

This comes from the infamous long-since-forgotten emailing list, and begins, “Do you have extra apples but don’t feel like making a pie? Try this easy-to-make bar with layers of brown sugar and oats surrounding apples and melted caramel.”

Ingredients

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened

1/4 cup shortening

1 3/4 cups Gold Medal® all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

4 1/2 cups coarsely chopped peeled tart apples (3 medium)

3 tablespoons Gold Medal® all-purpose flour

1 bag (14 ounces) caramels

Directions

Heat oven to 400ºF. Mix brown sugar, butter and shortening in large bowl. Stir in 1 3/4 cups flour, the oats, salt and baking soda. Reserve 2 cups oat mixture; press remaining oat mixture in ungreased rectangular pan, 13x9x2 inches.

Toss apples and 3 tablespoons flour; spread over mixture in pan. Heat caramels over low heat, stirring occasionally, until melted; pour evenly over apples. Sprinkle with reserved oat mixture; press lightly.

Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until topping is golden brown and apples are tender. For 36 bars, cut into 6 rows by 6 rows while warm. Store covered in refrigerator.

The recipe ends with, “Did You Know...

“Rolled oats are whole oats that have been steamed and flattened.

“Quick-cooking oats differ from regular—or old-fashioned—oats in that they’re cut into pieces before being steamed and are rolled into thinner flakes.”

MINT-CHOCOLATE BROWNIES

This is from Betty Crocker, and begins, “Get a double dose of mint! Cool mint chips flavor these brownies, and a mint-chocolate glaze generously highlights the top.”

Prep Time: 15 minutes; Total Time: 2 hours 35 minutes; Servings: 16

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

Brownies

1 box (16 oz) Betty Crocker™ Supreme original brownie mix

Water, vegetable oil and egg called for on brownie mix box

2/3 cup mint-flavored chocolate chips

Mint Frosting

1 cup Betty Crocker™ Rich & Creamy vanilla frosting (from 16 oz container)

1/4 teaspoon mint extract

Betty Crocker™ green gel food color, if desired

Shiny Chocolate Glaze

1/3 cup mint-flavored chocolate chips

4 teaspoons butter

4 teaspoons corn syrup

1 teaspoon hot water

Directions

Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pan). Grease bottom of 9-inch square pan with shortening or cooking spray. Make brownie batter as directed on box. Stir in 2/3 cup chocolate chips. Spread in pan.

Bake 28 to 31 minutes or until toothpick inserted 2 inches from side of pan comes out almost clean. Cool completely on cooling rack, about 1 1/2 hours.

In small bowl, stir all Frosting ingredients using spoon until well blended. Spread frosting over brownies.

In 1-quart saucepan, heat Glaze ingredients over low heat, stirring occasionally, until melted. Stir in 1/4 teaspoon hot water at a time, until mixture is thin enough to drizzle. Drizzle over frosted brownies. Refrigerate about 30 minutes or until glaze is firm. Cut into 4 rows by 4 rows.

Expert Tips

Can't find mint chocolate chips? Use semisweet chocolate chips and add 1/8 teaspoon mint extract to the brownie batter.

What a refreshing combination! For another, try using raspberry-flavored chocolate chips for the mint ones and tint the mint frosting pink.

If you like nuts, pecans are delicious in this recipe. Stir in 2/3 cup when you add chocolate chips.

FUDGY MICROWAVE MUG BROWNIES

This is from Danilo Alfaro on The Spruce Eats. Danilo wrote, "I don't know why I ever rolled my eyes (figuratively) at the idea of microwave mug brownies. I even claim in my bio that I'm no food snob, and yet my first reaction to mug brownies was 'well, bless its little heart.'

"I've since come around. As anyone knows, brownies are wonderful no matter their shape or receptacle. Furthermore, any cooking technique that saves time is one worth considering.

"Mug brownies are also a real boon to anyone who, like myself, lacks restraint. Since it's a single serving, you need not fear waking up some morning and realizing that you ate a whole 9-inch pan of brownies by yourself the night before.

"Finally, mug brownies are, by definition, prepared and served in a mug, and anything served in a mug is warming and soothing to the spirit. If you've ever enjoyed a cup of hot chocolate after being out in the snow, you know what I'm talking about. Mug brownies are merely the next step in the evolution of hot chocolate.

"Maybe someday all food will be prepared and served in mugs. What about mug mac and cheese? Or mug pizza? I'm sure someone is working on those as we speak."

You can view the recipe (with photo) online, as well as read the rest of Danilo's post about this recipe at https://www.thespruceeats.com/fudgy-microwave-mug-brownies-recipe-4129137.

Prep Time: 5 minutes; Cook Time: 2 minutes; Total Time: 7 Minutes; Makes 1 serving

Ingredients

2 tablespoons/1 ounce vegetable oil

2 tablespoons/1 ounce brewed coffee

Dash vanilla extract

1/4 cup dark brown sugar (packed)

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

Dash salt

2 tablespoons chocolate chips

Directions

Gather the ingredients.

In a mixing bowl with a spout, whisk the oil, coffee, and vanilla, until combined.

Do the same with the sugar, cocoa, and finally, the flour, one at a time, whisking until fully incorporated. Stir in the salt.

Finally, stir in the chocolate chips.

Pour the batter into a standard 12-ounce mug.

Microwave on high for 1 to 2 minutes, depending on the wattage of your microwave.

Let cool slightly before enjoying.

NUTELLA MUG CAKE

This easy yumminess is from The Spruce Eats, and begins, “This gloriously simple mug cake recipe puts you just 60 seconds away from a super indulgent dessert for Nutella lovers looking to satisfy a craving in a hurry. With ingredients you probably already have on hand, this is a perfect sweet treat for one.”

Total Time: 7 minutes; Prep: 5 minutes; Cook Time: 2 minutes; Yield: 1 Serving.

To view this yumminess online, click here.

Ingredients

1/4 cup whole milk (can also use 2 percent)

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 cup Nutella

Directions

Gather the ingredients.

Add milk, flour, and baking powder in a 12-ounce microwave-safe mug. Whisk until smooth.

Add the Nutella and stir until the batter has no lumps.

Microwave on high for about 45 to 60 seconds.

Continue microwaving slowly in 15-second intervals. Microwaves vary but what you’re looking for is to see the cake look set and dry, the edges will pull away from the side of the mug and the cake will feel springy and fluffy to the touch. It will probably take an additional 30 to 60 seconds in total.

For best results, serve immediately.