The Beauty of Spring – Carrot Cake Whoopie Pies

What encouragement from God as we move through these challenging days! Hope coming up against fear; love and care for one another, binding us together. And often, this can take place in the simplest of ways. Sometimes a group of our Sisters prepares a surprise treat in the middle of a hard day. The sharing of time, generosity, and love in the form of delicious food reminds us of this essential truth: God is Victor over all—He is with us in all circumstances!

Here’s a delicious and fun treat for your family.

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The Beauty of Spring - Carrot Cake Whoopie Pies
SERVINGS
12whoopie pies
CHANGE SERVING SIZE
whoopie pies
COOK TIME
10minutes
PREP TIME
40minutes
READY IN
50minutes

Ingredients

Instructions

Pie Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper
  2. Whisk flour and dry ingredients together and set aside.
  3. In an electric mixer, with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Blend in vanilla.
  4. Gradually add dry ingredients until just combined; fold in grated carrots.
  5. Using a tablespoon, scoop out 12 generous “balls” onto a baking sheet. With dampened fingers dipped in brown sugar, gently flatten,
Frosting Instructions
  1. Beat together butter and cream cheese until smooth
  2. Add powdered sugar and beat until creamy and lump-free
  3. Add vanilla, coconut and coconut flavoring and salt
  4. When the cookies have cooled, match up sizes and fill with frosting!

Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta with Mango Puree

Birthdays are joyous occasions, and with so many Sisters in the Convent, there are bound to be several birthday celebrations each month. This is especially true with what we refer to as “big birthdays”, birthdays that mark a new decade in the life of a sister. Over the weekend, we celebrated the 70th birthday of one of our sisters with a beautiful dinner for all. The meal ended with one of our most favorite desserts: Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta. While not a traditional birthday cake, this was no less festive as it also featured a delicious mango puree.

Dense, creamy and with minimal ingredients you most likely already have in your kitchen, this is a great way to mark special occasions this summer. Served chilled with fresh berries, this may well become a favorite with you and your guests!

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Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta with Mango Puree
SERVINGS
6-8servings
CHANGE SERVING SIZE
servings
COOK TIME
15mins, plus chilling time (overnight/6hours)
PREP TIME
15mins
READY IN
30mins, plus chilling time

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Place the cream in a saucepan and scrape out the seeds of the vanilla bean with a knife, adding the seeds to the cream.
  2. Add the sugar and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally.
  3. In a separate bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over the milk and let stand until the gelatin softens, about 5 minutes.
  4. Pour the gelatin mixture into the cream and vanilla bean mixture and stir until dissolved.
  5. Add the yogurt and stir to thoroughly incorporate.
  6. Pour evenly into six to eight ramekin and cover with plastic wrap. Chill for 6 hours or overnight for the panna cotta to set.
  7. As this is chilling, prepare the mango puree by combining the fruit, sugar, lemon juice and salt in a blender or food processor. Chill in a bowl until panna cotta is ready to serve.

To Serve
Note: There are several ways to serve this dessert. As shown, we chose to chill the panna cotta at an angle and serve in a clear water goblet for a pleasing visual effect. For the more ambitious, panna cotta can be served inverted on a plate, similar to flan. Below are two methods of serving this dessert--both are equally impressive!

Inverted Method

  1. Once the panna cotta has set, place each ramekin in warm water--the water should be halfway up the sides of the ramekin.
  2. Once this has been in the water bath 1-2 minutes, put your serving plate on top of the ramekin and invert the panna cotta onto the plate.
  3. Spoon the puree over the top and garnish with fruit and fresh mint as desired.

Angled Method

  1. Before making the panna cotta, prepare the glasses you will be serving in, tilting them securely at an angle on a tray. An egg carton works well for this.
  2. When pouring panna cotta mixture, use a funnel and gently fill the tilted glasses to the desired height.
  3. Carefully transfer the tray into the refrigerator, taking care not to bump or jostle the tray, as this will leave a milky residue on the side of the glass.
  4. When fully set (6 hours or overnight) stand the glasses upright and pipe in the mango puree. Piping helps control the puree and keep it from smearing on the glass.
  5. Garnish with fruit or mint and serve.

Graham Cracker Apple Crisp with Homemade Salted Caramel Sauce

Many years ago, we had a cookbook from Maine that had the most extraordinary apple pie recipe. It had a layer of crushed graham crackers and caramel sauce underneath the apples. We lost that cookbook in the move to our new kitchen, but every fall when the apples are being harvested I think back to this recipe. This year, I decided to re-create it in an apple crisp. It sure took less time than making a pie, but the flavor combination was there. 
 
For gluten-free cooking, try substituting gluten-free cookies for the graham crackers and brown rice flour for the flour. I think you might be pleased.
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Graham Cracker Apple Crisp with Homemade Salted Caramel Sauce
SERVINGS
9servings
CHANGE SERVING SIZE
servings
COOK TIME
30-40mins
PREP TIME
20mins
READY IN
50-60mins

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. ​​Lightly grease 8x8” square baking dish​
  2. Filling: Toss apples together with brown sugar, cinnamon,​ flour, salt, lemon zest, lemon juice and the melted butter.
  3. Topping: Melt butter in a medium bowl and add all other topping ingredients. Mix until crumbly and evenly mixed.
  4. Sprinkle over apples and pat down lightly. Bake at 350º for about 30-40 minutes, until apples are soft​ and the filling bubbles and the crisp is golden.​​
  5. Meanwhile make Salted Caramel Sauce​: Add the sugar in an even layer over the bottom of a medium​ saucepan. Heat the sugar over medium-high heat, whisking it as it begins to melt. ​It's okay if the sugar begins to ​form clumps​-​ keep whisking and as it continues to cook, they will melt back down. Stop whisking once all of the sugar has melted, and swirl the pan occasionally while the sugar cooks.
  6. Continue cooking until the sugar has reached a deep amber color. It should look almost a reddish-brown, and have a slight toasted aroma. This is the point where caramel can go from perfect to burnt in a matter of seconds, so keep a close eye. If you are using an instant-read thermometer, it will be around 350 degrees F.​ Watch this step very carefully!​
  7. Remove the caramel from the heat and add the butter all at once. Be careful, as the caramel will bubble up when the butter is added. Whisk the butter into the caramel until it is completely melted.
  8. Slowly pour the cream into the caramel. Again, be careful because the mixture will bubble up ferociously.
  9. Whisk until all of the cream has been incorporated and you have a smooth sauce. Add the fleur de sel ​or kosher salt ​and whisk to incorporate.
  10. Set the sauce aside to cool for 10 to 15 minutes and then pour int​o jars. The sauce can be refrigerated for up to 1 month.
  11. ​Serve crisp warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and salted caramel sauce.

Coconut Cake In A Glass, Or Coconut Cream Trifle

It is a sunny, slightly warm day here on the Cape, but cold weather is on its way again soon. I’m not quite ready for spring, though,  I am still waiting for the BIG snow of the season. We did have a couple of snow falls of a couple of inches, but I would really love a good 10 to 12 inches. Snow is also great for the garden, and we are already planning what vegetable seeds to buy, along with starting another plot for a garden, so please pray that we get the big storm!

I recently had a birthday and was given one of my favorite desserts — a coconut cream trifle. I have served this in little glasses, and called it coconut cake in a glass — and it is truly divine. This recipe is a little complicated and time consuming, but I promise it is well worth the effort for any event or family gathering.

Coconut Cake in a Glass, or Coconut Cream Trifle

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Coconut Cake In A Glass, Or Coconut Cream Trifle
SERVINGS
CHANGE SERVING SIZE
COOK TIME
30mins.
PREP TIME
READY IN
40mins.

Ingredients

Instructions

First make the simple syrup:
  1. Bring water and sugar to a boil.
  2. Stir in the coconut, remove from the heat and let sit for about 30 minutes.
  3. Strain the liquid into a clean saucepan, bring to a boil and let cook until the mixture is slightly reduced, about 5 minutes.
  4. Let cool.
Then the custard:
  1. Bring milks to a simmer over low heat in a nonreactive saucepan.
  2. Whisk together the yolks, sugar, and cornstarch in a large bowl.
  3. Whisk in a small amount of the milk mixture to the egg mixture to temper the eggs, then slowly whisk in the rest until smooth.
  4. Return mixture to the pot over medium heat, and bring to a boil, whisking constantly, until thickened.
  5. Scrape mixture into a bowl, and whisk in the rum and vanilla extract. Let cool to room temperature, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold.
Now the cake:
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Generously butter and flour 2 (9″by 2″) cake pans and line bottoms with parchment paper.
  3. Whisk together the milk, egg whites, vanilla in a medium bowl.
  4. In the bowl of a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
  5. With mixer running at low speed, add the butter, one piece at a time, and continue beating until mixture resembles moist crumbs.
  6. Add all but 1/2 cup of milk mixture to crumbs and beat at medium speed until the mixture is pale and fluffy, about 1 1/2 minutes.
  7. With mixer on low speed, add remaining milk mixture, increase speed to medium and beat 30 seconds more.
  8. Scrape sides of bowl and mix for another 20 seconds.
  9. Divide batter between the 2 pans and smooth tops with a spatula.
  10. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few crumbs attached, about 22 to 24 minutes.
  11. Cool for 10 minutes on a rack, then invert onto the rack, removing the parchment. Let cool completely.
  12. Toast the 1 cup of coconut until golden for topping.
  13. Whip the 1 1/2 cups of cream, and fold 2/3 of it into the cooled custard for the filling between layers of cake, reserving the last 1/3 for the final layer of the dessert.
To assemble:
  1. Slice each cake into 2 layers, brush with the simple syrup, and then chunk up into bite size pieces.
  2. You can make these either individually in glasses, or for a crowd in a large glass bowl.
  3. Put a layer of cake pieces in the bottom of your container, then a layer of the custard mixture, continuing until your container is full, final layer being the last 1/3 of the whipped cream, and sprinkle with the toasted coconut.
  4. This is most delicious if you refrigerate it for a couple of hours so the flavors meld.