Easy Recipes-Holiday Guide 2011-Shortcut Desserts

Hearst Magazines released  Shortcut Desserts, a new 116-page bookazine brimming with recipes for indulgent cakes, sweet and spicy pies, melt-in-your-mouth cookies, creamy puddings, flaky pastries and more, all developed and tested by the editors of Good Housekeeping, Redbook, and Country Living. These quick and easy recipes draw on convenient, pre-made ingredients and provide fool-proof strategies sure to inspire even the most timid chef to dessert greatness. On newsstands now, Shortcut Desserts costs $9.99 and can also be downloaded as a digital edition on Zinio at www.Zinio.com.

Shortcut Desserts offers advice on such topics as choosing proper mixers, pie pans, rolling pins, and cookie sheets. Plus, simple baking tricks demonstrate the best ways to measure butter, flour, sugar, and sticky syrups, so recipes turn out right every time. Finally, Shortcut Desserts reviews the best store-bought mixes and pie crusts to shorten prep time even more.

Recipes such as Chocolate Raspberry Cream Cake (pg. 12) and Vanilla Crème Brûlée (pg. 69) will satisfy your craving for a rich treat, while updated classics like Grilled Angel Food Cake (pg. 26) and Shortbread Tiramisù (pg. 73) are sure to impress hungry dinner guests. You can even get the kids involved with creative recipes like Grasshopper Cake (pg. 28), Cheesecake Lollipops (pg. 89), and Banana & Chocolate Pizza (pg. 45). Go ahead, indulge there are lots of easy recipes in here!

I chose to make the Cheesecake Lollipops for Thanksgiving and they were a big hit. They don’t look nearly as pretty as the ones in the magazine but they tasted delish! Word of warning…don’t just read the ingredients and prep time when deciding what to make. I did that and really created a mess for myself. The recipe says “30 minutes plus chilling and freezing” so I started making them at 8pm the night before Thanksgiving. Once I started making the lollipops I read at the end of step one, “refrigerate at least one hour”, then at the end of step two “freeze until firm, about 2 to 3 hours”! YIKES! Then it got worse…the end of step four states, “freeze at least 2 more hours or until serving time”. That is a minimum of 5-6 hours in the freezer and fridge. I ended up leaving them in the freezer overnight after step 2, got up at 6:30am to complete steps 3-4 and then freezing them until we left for my mom’s house at 10am and then putting them in her freezer until it was time to eat them. Lesson learned: Read the ENTIRE recipe before planning to make anything!

Shortcut Desserts

Cheesecake Lollipops

Total time: 30 minutes plus chilling and freezing (5-6 hours)

Makes 30 lollipops

1 cup cold low fat (1%) milk (I used 2%)

1 package (11.1 oz) no-bake cheesecake mix (without crust packet)

1 cup finely crushed chocolate wafrs or chocolate sandwich cookies

1 package (12 oz) chocolate chips

2 tsp vegetable shortening

Garnishes, sprinkles, crushed nuts, and/or mini chocolate chips

1. To large bowl, add milk and cheesecake mix. With electric mixer on low speed, beat until combined. Increase speed to medium and beat until thick, about 3 minutes. Stir in crushed cookies. Cover bowl and refrigerate at least 1 hour.
2. Line baking sheet with parchment. With moistened hands, roll cheesecake mixture by tablespoonful into 30 balls and place on prepared baking sheet. Insert wooden stick into each ball. Freeze until firm, about 2 to 3 hours.
3. In small saucepan on low, melt chocolate chips and shortening, stirring until smooth. Spread out sprinkles, nuts and other garnishes on parchment.
4. Remove pops from freezer. Carefully dip each pop into melted chocolate, turning to coat, then roll it in your choice of garnishes and return to baking sheet. Freeze at least 2 more hours, or until serving time.