Sweets

Easter Sweets: Butterfinger Panna Cotta with Easter Egg Nests

by liz · Mar 2, 2019

One of my favorite Easter sweets is panna cotta, or Italian “cooked cream.” It’s an eggless custard that is silky-smooth and so easy to make. In fact, David Lebovitz writes that if it takes you more than 5 minutes to put it together, you’re doing something wrong. If you haven’t yet tried to make custard, crème brulée or flan, panna cotta is the recipe to try first.

Our easy version for Easter, Butterfinger Panna Cotta Nests, uses items you already have in your pantry, since it replaces the cream with evaporated milk. That also lowers the fat and increases the nutrients! This dish has to be made in advance so it can set in the refrigerator, leaving you free on the day of the meal to entertain or cook other dishes. Putting the ingredients together and warming them in a pan are a snap, and the shredded coconut egg nests on top are perfect for a pretty Easter table.

Panna cotta is also an extremely versatile recipe. You can experiment and make your own version by adding lemon or orange zest, almond extract or even spices like saffron, pepper or rosemary. Here are some panna cotta recipes we love using chocolate and amaretto, as well as pumpkin spice and chocolate pistachio.

Happy Easter!

Butterfinger Panna Cotta Nests from Meals.com

Ingredients for 4 servings:

PANNA COTTA

3 tablespoons water
1 envelope (7 grams) unflavored gelatin
1 can (12 fluid ounces) Evaporated Milk
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup crushed BUTTERFINGER BITES Candy

NESTS

1 cup shredded sweetened coconut
4 drops green liquid food coloring
2 drops yellow liquid food coloring
BUTTERFINGER NestEggs

Directions:

FOR PANNA COTTA:
GREASE four 6-ounce or six 4-ounce ramekins or custard cups.

PLACE water in a small bowl; add gelatin and let stand to soften.

PLACE evaporated milk, sugar and vanilla extract in a small saucepan. Heat over medium heat, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes or until sugar is dissolved. Turn off heat. Add gelatin mixture; stir gently to dissolve gelatin.

POUR into prepared ramekins; sprinkle with crushed Butterfinger.

REFRIGERATE for 2 hours or until panna cottas are firm.

FOR NESTS:
PLACE coconut in a resealable bag. Add green and yellow food coloring; seal bag and shake to thoroughly mix. If necessary, add 1 to 2 teaspoons of water to help color mix.

TOP panna cottas with coconut “grass”; top with 1 to 2 unwrapped Nestlé NestEggs.

Butterfinger Panna Cotta with Easter Egg Nests

Author: Meals.com

Recipe type: Dessert

Serves: 4

Scrumptious Italian dessert with chocolate for spring or Easter!

Ingredients

PANNA COTTA:
3 tablespoons water
1 envelope (7 grams) unflavored gelatin
1 can (12 fluid ounces) Evaporated Milk
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
⅓ cup crushed BUTTERFINGER BITES Candy
NESTS:
1 cup shredded sweetened coconut
4 drops green liquid food coloring
2 drops yellow liquid food coloring
BUTTERFINGER NestEggs

Instructions

FOR PANNA COTTA:
GREASE four 6-ounce or six 4-ounce ramekins or custard cups.
PLACE water in a small bowl; add gelatin and let stand to soften.
PLACE evaporated milk, sugar and vanilla extract in a small saucepan. Heat over medium heat, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes or until sugar is dissolved. Turn off heat. Add gelatin mixture; stir gently to dissolve gelatin.
POUR into prepared ramekins; sprinkle with crushed Butterfinger.
REFRIGERATE for 2 hours or until panna cottas are firm.
FOR NESTS:
PLACE coconut in a resealable bag. Add green and yellow food coloring; seal bag and shake to thoroughly mix. If necessary, add 1 to 2 teaspoons of water to help color mix.
TOP panna cottas with coconut “grass”; top with 1 to 2 unwrapped Nestlé NestEggs.

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Top Ten Easter Sweets Recipes

by liz · Mar 1, 2019

1. Egg-Ceptional Easter Nests

Get ready for the Easter Bunny’s visit with this unforgettable treat shown above. Nestled in delicious butterscotch or chocolate nests, the unforgettable taste of these elegantly wrapped candy eggs will leave kids hopping for more.

2. Strawberry Mousse Pie

Bring in the spring with this adorable Easter-themed fresh strawberry cream pie. Topped with nests of coconut and jelly beans, kids will love to help decorate.

3. Bunny Bottom Cookie Pops

Spring has sprung with these cute bunny cookie pops from Elise Strachan of My Cupcake Addiction. They are almost too cute to eat!

4. Egg-Ceptional Easter Cookies

These egg-shaped chocolate chip cookies can be festively decorated with colored frosting for a sweet Easter treat.

5. Chocolate Chip Easter Baskets

These little Easter baskets above are sure to delight everyone in your Easter celebration.

6. Toll House Easter Basket Fudge

Who wouldn’t be thrilled to discover rich, creamy fudge in his or her Easter basket? Especially if they’re colorfully decorated. So quick and easy, you can treat your little ones with all three varieties.

7. Chocolatey NestEgg Shortbread Cookies

Nestlé Crunch and raspberry jam combine to make these tasty Easter cookies shown above. Perfect for surprising that special someone.

8. Mini Spring Cheesecakes

You don’t have to search the backyard for this hidden treasure. Sandwiched between mini graham cracker crusts and topped with chocolate Easter eggs, these personal size delights are a delicious addition to springtime festivities.

9. NestEgg Macaroons

These are the perfect Easter cookies to serve on that special “hoppy” day, shown above.

10. Premier White Lemony Cheesecake

Premier white baking bars give this elegant and lemony cheesecake a smooth and creamy consistency. Try this in the Spring, Easter or a bridal shower…to rave reviews.

No-Fail Sweet Potato Pie: Southern Charm on a Plate

by liz · Dec 13, 2018

Being from the South/Midwest/Above Texas, the thought of a sweet potato pie with a pecan pie topping really appealed to me. Plus, this one even had “No Fail” in the recipe title (thanks to Rene Garza for this recipe)!

After making the Roasted Banana Cream Pie with Butterscotch Ganache (so good!) in the Nestlé Kitchens during this summer’s pie contest, I was ready for something a little easier…a little slower, with a nice Southern drawl.

Watch the video above to see how easy it is.

No-Fail Sweet Potato Pie from Meals.com

Ingredients for 8 servings:

FILLING

3/4 pound sweet potatoes (about 2 large or 3 small to medium)
1/4 cup melted butter
1 can (14 ounces) Sweetened Condensed Milk (fat free is ok)
1 teaspoon grated orange peel
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1 unbaked 9-inch pie shell or Homemade Pie Crust

TOPPING

1 large egg
2 tablespoons dark corn syrup
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon melted butter
1 cup chopped pecans

Directions:

FOR FILLING

PREHEAT oven to 375° F. Wash and wrap sweet potatoes in foil, as shown above.

BAKE for 30 to 45 minutes, depending on size. Unwrap and rinse potatoes under cold water; remove skin. Break apart in large bowl. INCREASE oven temperature to 425° F.

POUR melted butter in bowl with sweet potatoes. Beat with an electric mixer until smooth. Blend in sweetened condensed milk, grated orange peel, cinnamon, vanilla extract, nutmeg, salt and egg. Pour into unbaked pie shell.

BAKE at 425° F, as shown above, for 20 minutes. Remove from oven; reduce temperature to 350° F.

FOR TOPPING

MIX together egg, corn syrup, sugar, butter and nuts in small bowl; spread over pie.

BAKE for an additional 25 minutes or until set.

No-Fail Sweet Potato Pie: Southern Charm on a Plate

Author: Meals.com

Recipe type: Dessert

Being from the South/Midwest/Above Texas, the thought of a sweet potato pie with a pecan pie topping really appealed to me. Plus, this one even had "No Fail" in the recipe title (thanks to Rene Garza for this recipe)!

Ingredients

FILLING
¾ pound sweet potatoes (about 2 large or 3 small to medium)
¼ cup melted butter
1 can (14 ounces) NESTLÉ LA LECHERA FAT FREE Sweetened Condensed Milk
1 teaspoon grated orange peel
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1 unbaked 9-inch pie shell or Homemade Pie Crust*
TOPPING
1 large egg
2 tablespoons dark corn syrup
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon melted butter
1 cup chopped pecans

Instructions

FOR FILLING:
PREHEAT oven to 375° F. Wash and wrap sweet potatoes in foil.
BAKE for 30 to 45 minutes, depending on size. Unwrap and rinse potatoes under cold water; remove skin. Break apart in large bowl.
INCREASE oven temperature to 425° F.
POUR melted butter in bowl with sweet potatoes. Beat with an electric mixer until smooth. Blend in sweetened condensed milk, grated orange peel, cinnamon, vanilla extract, nutmeg, salt and egg. Pour into unbaked pie shell.
BAKE at 425° F for 20 minutes. Remove from oven; reduce temperature to 350° F.
FOR TOPPING:
MIX together egg, corn syrup, sugar, butter and nuts in small bowl; spread over pie.
BAKE for an additional 25 minutes or until set.

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Homemade Eggnog Ice Cream

by liz · Dec 11, 2018

One thing I’ve learned through my attempts to cook from scratch is that I now love foods I used to hate. Asparagus, eggplant, brussels sprouts and bone marrow are just a few items on the long list of foods that taste better made by me. Another one is eggnog.

I’d only ever had pre-made store-bought eggnog before, and it was so thick with a strong and manufactured, sweet, eggy flavor. It tasted too-strong and fake, much the way Mrs. Butterworth’s maple flavored syrup compares to real maple syrup from trees in Canada or Vermont. It always made me slightly queasy.

This year, I was in such a holiday mood, that when I came across a recipe online for old-fashioned eggnog, it sounded frothy and merry and delicious. I also realized our ancestors knew how to cut the cream and make anyone love eggnog: with a lot of liquor.

Using the old-fashioned recipe, I created my eggnog with one difference. I used only Cognac and Cointreau as the potent ingredients – but I followed the same overall measurement of liquor. It took an awfully long time to whip the mixture into peaks, but I was committed. I did both sets of whipping with vigor, for an especially extended period of time. When it was ready, it was delicious…the best eggnog I’d ever tasted.

It was so airy and light, with a lovely delicate flavor. But it was a bit difficult to drink, as the froth that had been whipped so superbly now stuck to the side of the glass heroically. But I wanted that foam with the drink, much like a perfect cappuccino.

I knew what would fix this! Ice cream. Putting the whole thing in an ice cream machine would freeze the mixture while still keeping it slushy because of the alcohol. It would be the perfect homemade eggnog ice cream shake. And so I froze it. And then I ate it. And drank it. And spooned it into my coffee in the morning. And served it to everyone who came into my house. Then, we drank more. It was the perfect beginning to my holiday mornings and the perfect end to my holiday dinners.

I really do love eggnog, now just as much as my ancestors did.

Sea Salt Mania & Chocolate Dipped Caramels

by liz · Dec 11, 2018

Chocolate Dipped Caramels with Sea Salt Recipe — Photo by Meals.com

This season it seems everywhere I look, I see chocolate topped with sea salt, caramel made with fleur de sel, or salted candies of some kind. And it tastes so good; that combination of salt, sugar and chocolate! I looked through our holiday recipes, and found a really easy sea salt, chocolate and caramel version. It looked easy enough for a kid.

So I enlisted the help of a very savvy 9 year-old in the kitchen. And I was right. My Little Assistant followed the directions, melted chocolate, dipped caramels and consulted on salt-chocolate flavor combinations. We ended up with 3 kinds: dark & mint chocolate with black lava sea salt, semi-sweet chocolate with Hawaiian clay sea salt and cinnamon, and semi-sweet chocolate with bamboo sea salt and lemon zest.

They were all delicious, but the ones with lemon zest added a lovely citrus twang, and reminded me of summer. So they were my faves (shown above).

Chocolate Dipped Caramels with Sea Salt by Meals.com

Ingredients:

1 cup (6 oz.) Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels
1 teaspoon vegetable shortening
1 pkg. (5.5 oz.) about 25 pieces, soft & chewy rectangular caramels, unwrapped*
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon coarse sea salt

Directions:
LINE baking sheet with wax paper.

MICROWAVE morsels and vegetable shortening in small, uncovered, microwave-safe bowl on HIGH (100%) power for 1 minute; STIR. The morsels may retain some of their original shape. If necessary, microwave at additional 10- to 15-second intervals, stirring just until morsels are melted; cool slightly.

DIP caramel pieces, using a fork, into melted chocolate. Shake off or scrape excess chocolate against side of bowl. Place on prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle with sea salt. Refrigerate for 15 minutes or until set.

* 25 square caramels can be substituted for the rectangular caramels.

Merry (Minty) Holiday Cookie Wreath

by liz · Dec 5, 2018

When December rolls around, I love to play holiday music, deck the halls of my little abode, and make some holiday treats. So, when I came across Jenny’s Holiday Baking video featuring this Very Merry Cookie Wreath, I wanted to try my hand at it.

I followed the recipe in the video, but made a few changes. I wanted to make my own cookie dough, because I love chocolate mint morsels during the holidays, which are sometimes hard to find. So, I dug up this Nestlé recipe to create your own flavor-infused morsels – just use peppermint extract in place of raspberry. Then, I wanted to make my cookie wreath a little healthier (that way I can eat more holiday treats!), so I used half the butter in the cookie dough and added 1 cup of chopped nuts.

Finally, I wanted to use real butter in my icing, so instead of buying something premade, I used this recipe for cinnamon butter cream frosting (from one of our Libby’s Pumpkin Pie Deconstructed bloggers), halving the recipe and replacing the cinnamon with 1 tablespoon of peppermint extract.

Putting the wreath together and decorating it was easy! I made my wreath with only 2 rows of cookies, only used half the icing to put it together and replaced the candy toppings with dried cranberries, shown above. Now, this was a minty festive holiday treat I could really feel good about.

Watch the video above to see how to make Jenny’s Very Merry Cookie Wreath step-by-step. Also included in the video are step-by-step instructions for another holiday favorite: Gingerbread Cutout Cookies.

Pumpkin Pie Deconstructed: 6 New Recipes

by liz · Nov 27, 2018

Pumpkin pie, a holiday tradition. Whether you like the classic version or a slightly more flavorful version (the addition of bourbon makes this the favorite for my family), it’s just not the holidays without a pumpkin pie of some kind.

This year, we’ve asked 6 bloggers to help us deconstruct and reinvent pumpkin pie, and create 6 totally new ways to make it. You’ve probably seen Bravo’s Top Chef where contestants are often asked to take whatever ingredients are given to them and create something delicious and spectacular out of it. I do this best with the remnants in my fridge, especially after a party. Well, we’re throwing classic pumpkin pie fixings at our bloggers, and you’re going to like what they’ve cooked up.

Or baked up in Jessica’s case, from How Sweet It Is, who created the 6-layer Pumpkin Pie Spice cake above (plus another layer cake with more chocolate!):

Cake #1 = 2 layers each of peanut butter cake, crunchy cinnamon apple cake and spiced pumpkin cake, each layer sandwiched by a layer of cinnamon sugar butter cream
Cake #2 = a center layer of pumpkin spice cheesecake, enveloped by chocolate fudge cake with the outermost layers being peanut butter cake, concealed in a thick layer of dark chocolate fudge chip frosting

Kelly from Evil Shenanigans created a lighter, elegant pumpkin dessert with the Cinnamon Crêpes with Pumpkin Mousse & Graham Crust Crumble above, something even the pickiest in-laws will love.

Or maybe you don’t especially like pumpkin pie (I know there are some of you out there), and maybe you’d like a refreshing twist like Pumpkin Pie Popsicles above from Damaris’ Kitchen Corners. These are so unique; I love how creamy they look, and also easy to make!

Another twist on the original is Knuckle Salad‘s Pumpkin Ice Cream Pizza Pie above, which Kristina re-creates from her childhood memories of ice creams shop goodies and tough love.

Looking for something delicious, crustless and gluten-free? Then, the Pumpkin Pie Rice Pudding recipe above created In Erika’s Kitchen is for you.

I don’t know about you, but I love crème brulée, and I love Julie’s (aka Mommie Cooks) Pumpkin Crème Brulée above, although I think I would have loved her pumpkin hand pies and whoopie pies too.

So this holiday season, we hope you’ll be inspired to deconstruct your own pumpkin pie and try something new. It not, there’s always the classic version…and the slightly more tipsy one too.

Recipe Links: