Cooking for the Masses

For when you have to Cater for More than Just Family

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!

So, how am I going to turn my old favorite dessert recipes into crockpot dessert recipes? I chose three of my family's favorite desserts to make this year in my crockpot in order to free up my oven space and stove top for other dishes. Let's see how we can put my crockpot to work!

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.

If you like a crunchy topping, you can heat the ingredients for the crunchy topping in a sauce pan and add to the dessert just before serving. My recipe is a little more like a cross between an apple crisp and a bread pudding.

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!

Add a bit more fun by using some candy sprinkles to the topping. You can decorate with Reese's Pieces or other peanut butter and chocolate candy. Even peanut butter cups cut into bite size pieces would be a nice touch. Just be sure when you plan the cooking time that you plan to have the dessert done just before you want to serve it so the brownies are 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!

You shouldn't have to spend your holiday shuffling food all over your kitchen! Leave your main dishes alone to cook in peace and quiet and turn to your trusty crockpot for the answer to your struggles. Rather than having to sacrifice your favorite holiday treats for lack of room in your oven, put your crockpot to work for you. Re-creating your old favorite dessert recipes into new crockpot dessert recipes will save you time and stress, and will get everything on the table as planned... hot, bubbly, and delicious! Sounds good to me!

Try your hand at some new crockpot dessert recipes for the holidays to turn your routine desserts into something spectacular and delicious. Get Your family hooked on slowcooker cooking with tasty treats on your holiday buffet.

Tags: cooking, crock pot, crock pot holiday recipes, crockpot cooking, crockpot dessert recipes, Dessert Recipes, food, Food Recipes, holidays, home, slow cooker recipes, slowcooker dessert recipes

This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 4th, 2011 at 9:09 am and is filed under Food Recipes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.