I would like to make my favorite desserts this holiday season, but I know the cooking is going to be more a task of strategy than of cooking. Juggling desserts in and out of the oven is a struggle. So, this year I've decided to develop some crockpot dessert recipes to free up my oven for the main course and avoid all the struggle of shuffling dishes around. Now my turkey can stay in the oven where it belongs!
We have three traditional desserts that we typically serve after a big holiday meal. The original recipes differ somewhat from the crockpot dessert recipes, but they are not difficult to make. Let me share with you how I've tweaked these dessert recipes to make in my crockpot instead of the oven.
Apple Betty: You always want this dessert to come out of the oven just before you serve it because when you top this hot dessert with a dollop of ice cream or whipped cream it turns heavenly! You can use similar ingredients, but I add a touch more butter. You'll cook it on LOW for about two hours, maybe a little less if the apples start to get mushy. Time it so you're serving it right after it's cooked and still nice and bubbly hot.
You can add a crunchy topping just before serving if you wish. Just mix the ingredients together in a small saucepan and heat until butter is incorporated. Sprinkle on your mixture either just before serving or after you scoop the apples into dessert bowls.
PB and Chocolate Brownies: Brownies are always yummy, but this brownie dessert tops them all with the added peanut butter! You begin with a regular brownie mix, but the dessert isn't cut into squares like normal brownies. You spoon the dessert into bowls instead of cutting them into traditional brownie squares. Serve while hot so that the added ice cream or whipped topping melts a little. Very yummy!
You can garnish this dessert a bit more with a sprinkle of Reese's Pieces or even some mini peanut butter cups. A few chocolate sprinkles is nice, too. Once again, you throw this all together to cook a few hours before you want to serve dessert and you don't have to worry about shuffling pans in and out of the oven. And, your dessert will be ready to serve, still nice and warm.
Classic Pecan Cheesecake: If you have a favorite cheesecake recipe you might as well use it. I make a graham cracker crust with some finely chopped pecans added. The filling I use is pretty classic. The tricky part of this dessert is that you'll have to make sure a 7" springform pan will fit. Usually a 5 quart or 6 quart size will work, but make sure before you begin.
You'll need to put a small rack in the bottom to hold the springform pan off the bottom. If you don't have a rack that fits, just pull a good length of aluminum foil off the roll and form a donut shape out of it to support the pan. Put that on the bottom and put your pan in. Just be sure the pan is at least an inch off the bottom. Use enough foil to get a good support. You want to cook your cheesecake on high for several hours, then shut off the heat and let it sit in there for another hour or until it's cool enough to handle. Then you'll let it cool completely on a rack on the counter before you remove the pan from the cheesecake. Because you serve cheesecake either room temperature or cold, you can actually get this prepared ahead of time. Remember to refrigerate any leftovers... like you're going to have any!
If you've been struggling year after year trying to arrange cooking times in your oven, this may be the perfect solution for you to leave your dinner cooking away in your oven undisturbed! If you don't want to sacrifice any of your favorite desserts, get out your crockpot and re-create your old dessert recipes into new crockpot dessert recipes. Who knows, you may end up with some new favorites this holiday season!
We have three traditional desserts that we typically serve after a big holiday meal. The original recipes differ somewhat from the crockpot dessert recipes, but they are not difficult to make. Let me share with you how I've tweaked these dessert recipes to make in my crockpot instead of the oven.
Apple Betty: You always want this dessert to come out of the oven just before you serve it because when you top this hot dessert with a dollop of ice cream or whipped cream it turns heavenly! You can use similar ingredients, but I add a touch more butter. You'll cook it on LOW for about two hours, maybe a little less if the apples start to get mushy. Time it so you're serving it right after it's cooked and still nice and bubbly hot.
You can add a crunchy topping just before serving if you wish. Just mix the ingredients together in a small saucepan and heat until butter is incorporated. Sprinkle on your mixture either just before serving or after you scoop the apples into dessert bowls.
PB and Chocolate Brownies: Brownies are always yummy, but this brownie dessert tops them all with the added peanut butter! You begin with a regular brownie mix, but the dessert isn't cut into squares like normal brownies. You spoon the dessert into bowls instead of cutting them into traditional brownie squares. Serve while hot so that the added ice cream or whipped topping melts a little. Very yummy!
You can garnish this dessert a bit more with a sprinkle of Reese's Pieces or even some mini peanut butter cups. A few chocolate sprinkles is nice, too. Once again, you throw this all together to cook a few hours before you want to serve dessert and you don't have to worry about shuffling pans in and out of the oven. And, your dessert will be ready to serve, still nice and warm.
Classic Pecan Cheesecake: If you have a favorite cheesecake recipe you might as well use it. I make a graham cracker crust with some finely chopped pecans added. The filling I use is pretty classic. The tricky part of this dessert is that you'll have to make sure a 7" springform pan will fit. Usually a 5 quart or 6 quart size will work, but make sure before you begin.
You'll need to put a small rack in the bottom to hold the springform pan off the bottom. If you don't have a rack that fits, just pull a good length of aluminum foil off the roll and form a donut shape out of it to support the pan. Put that on the bottom and put your pan in. Just be sure the pan is at least an inch off the bottom. Use enough foil to get a good support. You want to cook your cheesecake on high for several hours, then shut off the heat and let it sit in there for another hour or until it's cool enough to handle. Then you'll let it cool completely on a rack on the counter before you remove the pan from the cheesecake. Because you serve cheesecake either room temperature or cold, you can actually get this prepared ahead of time. Remember to refrigerate any leftovers... like you're going to have any!
If you've been struggling year after year trying to arrange cooking times in your oven, this may be the perfect solution for you to leave your dinner cooking away in your oven undisturbed! If you don't want to sacrifice any of your favorite desserts, get out your crockpot and re-create your old dessert recipes into new crockpot dessert recipes. Who knows, you may end up with some new favorites this holiday season!
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Check out these special dessert recipes for your crock pot over the holidays and you'll be hooked on crockpot cooking before you know it.
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