Chia Pudding

I try to avoid sweets lately. So I decided to make a light dessert with no added sugar. I had some fruits and chia seeds. I thought why I have never tried chia pudding and here we are! I hope you enjoy:)

Note:This recipe is for 6 to 8 cups of puddings

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup of chia seeds
• 1 cup of yogurt
• 250 ml almond/coconut milk
• Honey/mollasses
• Strawberries(optional)
• Banana (optional)
• Shredded coconut(optional)
• 1/2 cup of water

Preparation

Soak Chia seeds in water and wait about 30 minutes. Take a large bowl add yogurt, almond milk and chia seeds and refrigerate one night. Next day, put some of it in a smaller bowl, add some honey and stir. Serve it with some fruits and coconut. The reason of the owl shape is that I put the pudding into freezer in a silicone mold one night.

Leftover Cookie Dessert

If you have leftover cookies, this is a good way to make use of them.Unfortunately, I forgot to take picture of it, as it was gone so quickly:)

Ingredients

For the Dough

• 5-6 big chocolate chip cookies
• 1 dark chocolate bar or 1/2 cup of chocolate chips
• 1 pack of cream cheese (8 oz)
• 1/2 cup of sugar
• 1 tablespoon cocoa powder

For the Filling

• Whipping cream (8 oz)
• 1 cup of coconut

Preparation

First you need to melt the chocolate in bain mari style. To do that boil water in a pot and while it is boiling put a small sauce pan in it and put chocolate in this small pan. Boil the water until chocolate melts

To prepare the dough grind cookies in a food processor and put them in a large bowl. Add cream cheese, chocolate, sugar and cocoa powder and knead. Then with the help of a roller make a rectangle shaped spread and put it on a stretch film.

Whip cream about 10 minutes in high speed, when it gets fluffy add coconut. Spread the cream on top of the dough and with the help of stretch film roll it. Close the edges and put it in the freezer preferably on night. If you don't have that time, keep it about 4-5 hours. Enjoy!

Leftover Cookie Dessert

If you have leftover cookies, this is a good way to make use of them.Unfortunately, I forgot to take picture of it, as it was gone so quickly:)

Ingredients

For the Dough

• 5-6 big chocolate chip cookies
• 1 bar of dark chocolate or 1/2 cup of chocolate chips
• 1 pack of cream cheese (8 oz)
• 1/2 cup of sugar
• 1 tablespoon cocoa powder

For the Filling

• Whipping cream (8 oz)
• 1 cup of coconut

Preparation

First you need to melt the chocolate in bain mari style. To do that boil water in a pot and while it is boiling put a small sauce pan in it and put chocolate in this small pan. Boil the water until chocolate melts

To prepare the dough grind cookies in a food processor and put them in a large bowl. Add cream cheese, chocolate, sugar and cocoa powder and knead. Then with the help of a roller make a rectangle shaped spread and put it on a stretch film.

Whip cream about 10 minutes in high speed, when it get fluffy add coconut. Spread the cream on top of the dough and with the help of stretch film roll it. Close the edges and put it in the freezer preferably on night. If you don't have that time, keep it about 4-5 hours. Enjoy!

Leftover CakeTruffle

I had some leftover cake and cream from Brown Velvet Cake, the best way to utilize them was to make truffle. But it turned out to be a truffle cake.

Ingredients

• Any kind of plain cake (preferably with cacao)
• 1/2 lb cream cheese 
• 1/4 cup whole butter milk
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1 cup shredded coconut
• 1 cup chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup of walnuts

Preparation

Put leftover cake in a blender and blend until it is crumbled.

Put chocolate chips in a small sauce pan (I used coffee pot) and put this into a boiling water in a larger pot. 

Melt the chocolate.

Take a large bowl add sugar, buttermilk and cream cheese and beat. Then add minced walnuts, melted chocolate and crumbled cake. Knead it until all ingredients mixed well.

I did not have cupcake pan, so I used small glass containers to give them shape. Cover the container with stretch film, so it will be easier to take them out.Then put a layer of coconut, dough and coconut again. You can do as many layers you want. Then cover the top with the stretch and keep in the freezer all night. Your cake will be ready next day, enjoy!

Quince Dessert

I am excited to share this recipe. I was waiting for a long time to try it out, but it is not easy to find quince in US. Finally I found them in Middle Eastern farmers market.

Ingredients

• 4 Quinces
• 1 1/2 cups of sugar
• 2 cups of water
• Turkish clotted cream or whipped cream
• Cloves (optional)
• Couple drops of lemon juice

Preparation

Peel quines and cut them in half, don't throw away the seeds.Take a large bowl, put some cold water and lemon juice, keep the quinces in this bowl about 15 minutes. Then take a medium pot and lay quinces at the bottom, add the seeds (this gives them red color), 2 cups of water and spread sugar on top of the quinces. You can add cloves at also if you want.

Cook it on medium heat until it boils, then lower the heat and simmer it about 2 hours until quinces get soft and red. 

It is best served with Turkish clotted cream. You can find the recipe for that here Turkish Clotted Cream. But if it is too much trouble, you can use ice cream or whipped cream as well. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Cheesecake

I wanted to try pumpkin cheesecake for long time and finally gave it a shot. In the meantime, I was curious about this delicious dessert's history and made a little research. 

Cheesecake has a long history to Ancient Greeks to Romans who named it 'Placenta' in 1st century A.D. Then it spread to Great Britain and Western Europe around 1000 A.D and US around 20th century. 

Ingredients

For the Crust

• 2 cups of crumbled crackers or oat cookies
• 1 stick (4 oz) unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons of sugar
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon

For the Filling

• 1 egg
• 2 packs of cream cheese (16 oz)
• 1/2 cup of sour cream
• 1/3 cup of whipping cream
• 1 cup of mashed pumpkins
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon flour or corn/wheat starch
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation

To make the crust I prefer to buy oat cookies and crumble them myself, but you may use crumbled crackers. Take a large bowl and mix crumbs, melted butter, sugar and cinnamon.

After mixing well, spread it on your baking pan, press really hard so it sticks to the pan. Then put it in the freezer and wait one hour.

To make mashed pumpkins, you can boil or roast it, then mash. You need 1/4 of a pumpkin approximately. In the mean time, take a large bowl and start beating eggs and sugar (I used brown sugar), then add whipping cream and continue beating.Add cream cheese, after it mixed well add sour cream first, then mashed pumpkins, lastly add vanilla extract, lemon juice, flour (I used flour because I did not have starch, but I recommend to use starch) and all the spices and beat one more time.

Take the base from freezer and add the cream filling. Bake about 15 minutes in 500F  preheated oven, then take it from the oven and lower the temperature to 300 F. Bake at this temperature about 40-45 minutes. Do not take it from the oven, just turn it off and keep it in the oven about 3 hours. It is better if you keep it in the refrigerator one day and then serve it. Enjoy!

Revani

Ingredients

For the Cake

• 3 eggs
• 1 cup of sugar
• 1 cup of sunflower/canola/vegetable oil
• 1 cup of yogurt
• 1+1/4 cup of semolina
• 1 cup of all purpose flour
• 1 dessertspoon baking powder
• coconut (optional)
• Butter 

For the Syrup

• 3 cups of sugar
• 3 cups of water
• 1/4 lemon juice

Preparation

First you need to prepare the syrup as it has to be cold when you need it. In a large pot put water and sugar and boil. After it boils add lemon juice and boil another 10 minutes. Take it from the heat and put aside. Then, take a large bowl beat eggs and sugar first and add oil and yogurt and beat again. Continue beating while adding semolina. Lastly add flour and baking powder together with the help of a strainer. 

Take a baking pan and spread butter all over it and pour the mixture. Bake it in 350-375 F preheated oven about 25 minutes. After 25 minutes stick a toothpick or fork in it, if it is clean then your cake is ready. After taking it from the oven cut it into small pieces and add lukewarm syrup with a ladle, make sure every inch of it gets the syrup. Wait couple of hours before serving it. You can serve it with coconut.Enjoy!

Hosmerim

The name of this dessert has an interesting story. A Turkish men came to home from a long military service without prior notice to his wife. His wife decided to make a dessert for him and she made up something with whatever she has at home. Then she serve to his husband and asked if he found the dessert nice. So, her question became the name of dessert she made up.  I do not know if the story is real or not, but the one thing I know that it is a delicious dessert.

Ingredients

• 1 cup of semolina
• 1 cup of milk
• 1 cup of water
• 1 1/2 cup of sugar
• 1 cup of grated fresh mozzarella
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter (5/8 stick)

Preparation

Take a pan add butter and heat it. After butter melts add semolina and cook it until it become brown. In a medium pot put water, sugar and milk and boil.

After it boils add it to semolina mixture and cook slowly by adding grated mozzarella. When mozzarella melts you can take it from the heat.

You can serve it with ice cream or Turkish clotted cream. To make Turkish clotted cream put 2 cups of half half cream in a glass pan, add a little whole milk. Put boiling water in a pot and place glass pan on the pot. Simmer it about 8-10 hours. Take it from the heat and wait until it gets cold and put it in the fridge. It should be ready next day. Enjoy!

Semolina Dessert

Ingredients

For the cookie

• 1 cup of semolina
• 1/2 cup of sugar
• 2-3 cups of all purpose flour
• 2 eggs 
• 2 sticks of unsalted butter (8 oz)
• vanilla extract
• baking powder

For the syrup

• 5 cups of water
• 4 cups of sugar
• 1/2 lemon juice

Preparation

To prepare the syrup take a large pot; add sugar and water and put it on medium heat. When it boils add lemon juice and boil 5 more minutes. We need the syrup lukewarm, so make sure you have enough time to wait before you prepare the cookie.

To prepare the cookie take a large bowl put sugar, butter, semolina and 1 egg. Separate egg yolk and white, and add white to the mixture. You will need the yolk later. If you do not know how to separate, you can find instructions here: Separate egg yolk and white

Knead them until they mix well.

Then add flour, baking powder and vanilla extract. Knead again. Add flour to the mixture slowly until it does not stick to your hands.

Make small round pieces and lay them over on a glass baking pan. Put some distance between them.

Press the cookies with the back of a fork to make strips. 

Then apply egg yolk on top of each cookie. This part is optional, you can bake them without applying any eggs. 

Preheat oven to 350 F and bake them about 30-40 minutes. After taking from the oven pour the lukewarm syrup on it immediately. 

Cheese Dessert

This dessert was invented in a small town in Turkey during Ottoman Empire era. It is still only produced in that little town. 

Note: You will have 30 of them with these ingredients. That could be served for 10 people.

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup of semolina
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup of all purpose flour
• 1 lb fresh mozzarella
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 dessertspoon baking powder
• 4 cups of water
• 3 cups of sugar
• 1/4 lemon juice
• Coconut (optional)

Preparation

Take a large bowl mix semolina, flour,salt and baking powder in it, then add eggs and mozzarella. 

Knead it until it becomes a soft dough. 

Take very small pieces from the dough and make small balls. as they will rise when you cook them. 

Bake them at 400 F preheated oven about 30-40 minutes, until they are roasted. 

In the mean time to prepare syrup put water and sugar in a big pot and boil. When it boils add lemon juice and put cookies in it. Boil them about 5-10 minutes.

Your dessert is ready. You can serve them with coconut or whipped cream. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Dessert

I wanted to share a pumpkin dessert recipe before the pumpkin period over. It is a traditional dessert from a small city in South-East part of Turkey.

Ingredients

• 4 lbs pumpkin
• 3 cups of sugar
• 1-2 cups of crushed walnuts

Preparation

Peel and slice pumpkins in any way you like, then lay them over a glass pan. Scatter all the sugar over the pumpkin slices. 

Wait 5-6 hours until all sugar melts and bake in a preheated oven at 375 F about 45 minutes. Check if they are cooked with the help of a fork, if they are soft enough you can take them from oven. Serve with crushed walnuts. You can add as much as walnut you want, I actually like with a lot of them.

Enjoy!

Dango

Dango is a Japanese desert made with rice flour. It has various types such as An, Mitarashi, Kinako, Nori and Goma. I will share recipe for mitarashi dango with soy sauce.

Ingredients

For the dango

• 1 1/3 cup of rice flour
• 3/4 cup of hot water

For the sauce

• 1/2 cup of sugar
• 2/3 cup of water
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 dessertspoons corn or wheat starch

Preparation

Put rice flour in a large bowl and add water slowly while kneading it. You can use a spatula at first if it is too hot to touch. Knead it until you get one piece of dough. 

Take small pieces from the dough and make small balls out of them. 

Boil water in a streamer and then cook dumplings in it about 10 minutes. 

Take them from the streamer and put them on skewers. I did not have skewer so I have used toothpick instead. 

If you like them crispy you can grill them on a frying pan about 10 minutes. 

To prepare the sauce put all the ingredients into a sauce pan and cook on medium heat. Constantly stir until it boils, after that lower the heat and cook them about ten minutes. Spread sauce over dumplings while serving. You can serve dumplings with different kinds of sauces such as chocolate, honey, strawberry...

Enjoy!

Carrot Balls with Chocolate

Ingredients

• 4-5 carrots
• 3/4 pack of Petit Beurre biscuits  (about 16 biscuits)
• 3/4 cup of sugar
• 1/2 cup of crushed walnuts
• Coconut
• 1/2 bar of dark chocolate
• 1/2 bar of milk chocolate
• 1/2 cup of whipping cream
• Water

Preparation

Grate carrots, put into a pan, add 1/2 cup of water and place pan on  medium heat. After couple of minutes add sugar and wait until carrots become very soft. 

Then add crushed walnuts and continue cooking on low heat. 

Crumble the biscuits and add them to the mixture.Cook until it gets very soft.

Take it form the heat and wait until it gets cold. In the mean time, to prepare chocolate sauce put whipping cream in a pot and boil it, when it is boiled add dark and milk chocolate in small pieces. If the sauce is very thick you can add water or milk. After chocolate melts, take it into a bowl. 

Take a piece from carrot mixture and give it a ball shape with your hands. 

Then with the help of a toothpick, You can dip them to only coconut, only chocolate or both.