Thanksgiving for most people in the U.S. is a time to not only give thanks, but to reflect on our history as a united country, in order to look toward a better and brighter future.
Aside from the historical value of Thanksgiving, it is also known for bountiful feasts of mashed potatoes, mac-n-cheese and turkey.
Since most of us are in a dorm, cooking and baking in general is difficult, let alone preparing an entire thanksgiving dinner, dessert and gravy included. Thus, in order to lessen the pain of not having Mama’s famous turkey dinner this Thanksgiving, here are some of my favorite dessert recipes for the big holiday.
Brownies with Ice Cream
Makes one Serving
Ingredients: 1/4 cup flour, 1/4 cup sugar, 2 Tbsp. cocoa (natural, unsweetened), a pinch of salt, a pinch of cinnamon,1/4 cup water, 2 Tbsp. canola oil or vegetable oil, one to two drops vanilla extract, and as much ice cream or whipping cream you want to serve
In a mug or bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, cocoa, salt and cinnamon. Once it's mixed, slowly pour in the water and oil. Then, add the vanilla extract. Once the mixture is a smooth blend, put it in the microwave for two minutes. Then just add ice cream and enjoy!
TIP: If you want to make multiple servings, be sure to factor this in when timing the brownie in the microwave.
Chocolate Chip Cookie
Yields one large cookie (1 serving)
Ingredients: 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted, 2 Tbsp. light brown sugar, 1/8 tspn. pure vanilla extract, a pinch of salt, 2 tspn. whole milk, 3 Tbsp. of all-purpose flour, 2 Tbsp. semi-sweet chocolate chips
Mix together the melted butter, flour, brown sugar and vanilla extract. When the mixture is a smooth brown paste, add in the salt and whole milk. When the mixture becomes a crumbly dark tan dough, add in the chocolate chips. Insert into the microwave for approximately one minute to a minute and a half.
Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Yields one to two servings
Cake: 4 Tbsp. flour, 4 1/2 Tbsp. sugar, 1/8 tspn. baking powder, 11/2 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder, 3 Tbsp. oil, 3 Tbsp. buttermilk, 1 egg, 1/2 tspn. red food coloring
Frosting: 2 Tbsp. cream cheese, 2 Tbsp. butter, 1/2 cup sugar
Mix together all of the ingredients for the cake. The batter will be a very loose liquid that is a deep red color. Put in the microwave for one minute and 30 seconds to two minutes. Do not overcook or the cake will turn out rubbery and dense. Then mix together the ingredients for the frosting. Once the frosting becomes white and fluffy, pipe it onto the red velvet cake and enjoy!
Strawberry Chocolate Pie Tart
Yields 10-12 servings
Crust: 32 (330g) Oreo cookies, 1/2 cup (110g) butter, melted
Chocolate Filling: 7 oz (200g) milk chocolate, 3.5 oz (100g) bittersweet chocolate, 7 oz (200 ml) heavy cream
Topping: 10 oz (300g) fresh strawberries, chopped nuts (almonds, pistachios, etc), optional
First crush or blend the Oreos in a blender or food processor whilst slowly adding in the butter (after the cookies have been blended for a while). When the butter has been blended, put the crushed Oreos in your pie/tart pan and press the Oreo paste against the sides and bottom of the pan until it is completely covered. Melt the chocolate in a pan on low heat so that it doesn’t burn. Then add the heavy cream (slowly) in the pan. Turn off the heat and pour the liquid chocolate into the Oreo crust. Then add strawberries and nuts as you please. Let the tart sit in the fridge for at least two hours before serving.
Pecan Pie
Ingredients: 1- 9” baked pie crust, room temperature, 1/4 cup butter, 3 eggs, 1 cup (dark) corn syrup, 1/3 cup light brown sugar, 1 Tbsp. all purpose flour,1 tsp. vanilla extract, 1-1/2 cup pecan halves or 1 cup of whole pecans
Melt the butter in the mixing bowl. Cool for a few minutes before beating in the eggs. Then add in the corn syrup, brown sugar, flour and vanilla. Next add in the pecan halves. Pour the filling into the pie crust shell, and microwave for 8-1/2 to 9 minutes.
