Category Archives: Dessert

wonder bread

10 most popular recipes of 2020

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2020 is coming to an end and what a challenging year it has been, to say the least. With one terrible event after the other. Heartbreaking, confusing and dispairing come to mind.
Am I the only one feeling a sense of relief that the year is almost over?

…but also hope, hope that next year will be better. It has to be and that’s we’ll hang on to for now.

Hopefully next year we can all go back to normal,  and live our lives to the fullest. 

Meanwhile… everyone has been on social media more than ever before,  so I wanted to share the most popular recipes of 2020, to inspire everyone to keep on cooking as much as we all did this past year.
I really noticed how everyone was baking more than usual so it comes as no surprise that the two most popular recipes this year were both bread.   Here are the top ten.

10.Pollo al Ajillo, Chicken in Garlic white wine Sauce .

An oldie but a goodie, we make this at home all the time, great for company too.

9. Homemade Spelt Tortilla

Nothing beats a home made tortilla and the are so simple and freeze well.

8. Whole Spelt Pizza with Chorizo, caramelized Onions and Basil

Chorizo with caramelized onions really can’t be beat:)

7. Chocolate Dulce de Leche mini Tarts

Mini buttery pastry crusts filled with gooey caramel and chocolate, a great dessert or tea-time treat

6. Smoky Chili con Carne with Pumpkin

Smokey Chili with the addition of Pumpkin, perfect for cold evenings plus you get extra veggies.

5. Chia Seed Bread

A protein packed loaf with a great bite and super healthy. Makes great toast.

4. Steak au Poivre, Steak in a creamy green peppercorn sauce

A classic that all meat lovers enjoy. Straight forward and so delicious with a non alcoholic green peppercorn sauce.

3. Cod and Shrimp in a Lemon cream sauce

This recipe has been a favorite for years and is the easiest recipe on the blog, pretty much fool proof and still kind of fancy.

2. Everyday Spelt Bread

Our go-to Spelt bread, I receive a ton of positive reviews on this loaf, it’s so easy and perfect for everyday baking.

1. Norwegian Health Bread

This is the most popular recipe on the blog and one of my personal favorites, so healthy and full of goodness. Perfect for a fresh and healthy start in the new year.

wonder bread

I hope you enjoyed the roundup, and if you make any of the most popular recipes of 2020 be sure to leave a comment and/or pin it to Pinterest. And of course, if you do make any of these recipes, don’t forget to post on instagram and tag me #thecookingspoonblog

Tiramisu Cream Puff Christmas Tree

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Ready to impress? A dramatic tower of cream puffs filled with Tiramisu cream, held together with melted chocolate. Then finally dusted with lots of confectioners sugar.

It is not as difficult as it looks, but it does require a few steps. I like to make the cream puffs the day before assembling to divide the work. You can also make the filling the day before, whatever works for you best.

Leftover cream puffs can be frozen for up to two months.

A stunning dessert for any special occasion!

INGREDIENTS:

Cream Puffs:

  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1-1/3 cups water
  • 1 cup butter, cubed
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 4 large eggs, room temperature

FILLING:

  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1-2 tsp instant coffee granules
  • 2 tsp instant gelatine powder
  • 1 recipe pastry cream, home made or store bought (about 2 cups)


GLAZE:

  • 1/3 cup butter, cubed
  • 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp. instant coffee granules
  • 3 to 6 tablespoons hot water
  • Additional confectioners’ sugar, optional

DIRECTIONS:

In a large saucepan, bring water, milk and butter to a boil. Add flour and salt all at once and stir until a smooth ball forms. Remove from the heat; let stand for 5 minutes to cool a little. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Continue beating until mixture is smooth and shiny. Place mixture in a piping bag fitted with a large nozzle and pipe puffs onto baking sheet, about the size of a ping pong ball. You can press the tip of the puffs down with a wet finger to make them nice and round. Bake at 200C / 400F for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to wire racks. Cut a small slit in the side of each puff to allow steam to escape. Cool puffs.
For filling, Prepare creme patisserie, see below if making home made.

In a large bowl, beat cream until soft peaks form add sugar, coffee and intant gelatine powder beat until stiff. Fold in creme patisserie. Place filling in piping bag fitted with a pointed tip and pipe about 1 tablespoon into each puff.

For glaze, in a small saucepan, combine butter and chocolate. Cook and stir over low heat until melted. Remove from the heat. Using a whisk, stir in the confectioners’ sugar, vanilla and coffee granules and enough water to make desired consistency for dipping. Stir until smooth and no lumps appear.

To assemble tree: Dip the bottoms of the puffs into glaze to start building your tree. Start with four puffs in the middle and then form a circle around them That’s your first layer, now continue for the second layer by dipping puffs in chocolate and placing them on the first circle. Continue all the way up until you are at the top. Drizzle remaining glaze over the tree, dust with confectioners sugar just before serving.

Enjoy!

Creme Pattiserie:

  • 4 egg yolks
  • 1/4 cup caster sugar
  • 3 tbsp plain flour
  • 2 tsp cornflour
  • 1 1/4 cup milk

Method:

  • Beat the egg yolks and sugar for a few minutes until pale and slightly thickened.
  • Whisk in the flours.
  • Heat the milk in a saucepan until stating to boil.
  • Whisk the milk into the egg mix.
  • Put the whole lot back into the pan, stirring all the time until thick and boiling.
  • Take the pan off the heat – cover with cling-film to prevent a skin from forming.

Cheats Banoffee Pie, step by step.

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Cheats Banoffee pie


It’s always good to have a cheats recipe or two up your sleeve, just in case you don’t have time, or simply aren’t in the mood for fuss. Especially now with the holidays around the corner, there’s plenty to do already.
Maybe someone is going to ask you to bring along a dessert at a dinner party, this would be perfect. And because I add a layer of chocolate to the base, the pie crust stays nice and crunchy and doesn’t go soggy.
This Cheats Banoffee Pie recipe is so good and very simple with just a few store cupboard ingredients. You can make my simple pastry crust recipe or make it even easier by buying a ready made crust. It’s all about as little effort as possible today.

Prep time : 30 min (if you’re making the crust, otherwise 10 min)
Cooking time : 20 min (for the pie crust)
Serves : 8
1 x 20cm/8in spring form tin

INGREDIENTS:


For the base:
• 1 x super simple pastry dough recipe or store bought ready pie crust
• 100 gr./ 3.5 oz. dark or milk chocolate (whichever you prefer) chopped
For the caramel filling:
• 1 x can 397gr./14oz. Dulce de Leche or creamy thick caramel from a jar
For the topping:
• 300ml/10fl oz. double cream
• 3 medium bananas, peeled and sliced
• 100 gr./ 3.5 oz. dark or milk chocolate (whichever you prefer)

METHOD:

1. Line the base of a 20cm/8in spring form tin with baking paper.
2. To make the base, follow the recipe for pie crust and bake accordingly. Let cool.
3. Melt the dark chocolate in the microwave at 30 second intervals, stirring in between until completely melted. Spread over the pie crust base and place in the freezer until set. This will only take 15 minutes or so.
4. For the filling, simply spread a can of dulce de leche over the chocolate.
5. Whip the cream in a bowl until soft peaks form.
6. Arrange the banana slices in neat rounds on top of the toffee. Spoon or pipe the cream on top and level. Set in the fridge for an hour.
7. Decorate with chocolate shavings or sprinkles.* see note

Note: I have a little trick for the chocolate shavings that I use all the time. Unwrap a chocolate bar and place it on a plate, flat side up. Place it in the microwave.
Set on defrost program and run for 30 to 60 seconds. Then take a vegetable peeler and shave off the curls.

Enjoy!

PS: the wonders you can do with a can of Dulce de Leche….or otherwise caramel related recipes

If you make this Cheats Banoffee Pie recipe, be sure to leave a comment! I’d love to hear from you and if you love it, pin it. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! @thecookingspoonblog or hashtag it #thecookingspoonblog

Caramel Chestnut Cream Cheese Crumble Bars.

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Chestnut cream cheese crumble bars.

Caramel Chestnut cream cheese crumble bars.

For the ultimate sweet treat, try these Chestnut cream cheese crumble bars; a sweet nutty cookie base is topped with an unctuous chestnut cream cheese mixture, some puddles of white chocolate and more lumpy crunchy crumble on top. And in case that wasn’t enough,  a caramel drizzle on top.
The nuttiness is elevated by adding toasted Pecans in the crumble. I love these as an afternoon snack with a cup of tea or as a dessert. Chestnuts are so delicious and pair very well with savoury and sweet.
They’re a breeze to make; first you toast your pecans, then to a food processor add all the dry ingredients and pulse, including the pecans, add the wet ingredients and pulse again. You spread out 2/3 of the crumble onto a cookie sheet and pre bake the base. You make the filling and spread on top, covered by the remaining crumble and bake. That easy. The caramel drizzle is added once the bars have cooled and are cut into squares. So simple, right?
Lusciously decadent but oh so good.

The ingredients are very straight forward, oats (any kind will do), flour, pecans, cream cheese, cooked chestnuts, sugar, butter and some white chocolate chips….

Prep time : 10 min

Cooking time : 30

Serves : 16

INGREDIENTS:

Crumble:

  • 2 cups / 200 gr. oats (any kind)
  • 1 cup / 120 gr. all purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup / 30 gr. toasted pecan halves
  • 2/3 cups / 140 gr. butter
  • 1/4 cup / 50 gr coconut sugar
  • 1/4 cup / 60 gr maple syrup
  • 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Filling:

  • 1 cup / 200 gr cooked chestnut drained* (see note)
  • 1 cup / 200 gr cream cheese at room temperature
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup / 60 gr maple syrup
  • 1/4 cup / 50 gr white chocolate chips (more or less)

TOP:

  • Pecans
  • 1/4 – 1/3 cup / 60-70 gr ready made caramel from jar or similar

INSTRUCTIONS:

Pre heat your oven to 350 F / 180 C. Line a 8″x 8″/ 20cmx20cm baking tin.

Toast your in pecans in a dry pan until lightly golden. Transfer to a food processor, add the flour and oats and pulse until very fine crumb. Next add the butter, sugar, maple syrup, vanilla and cinnamon. Run the processor until it comes together and when you take a bit of crumb between your thumb and index finger , it should stick together. Add a little bit of water if it’s still to crumbly.

Press 2/3 of the crumb mixture into the prepared pan and pierce with a fork a few times. Bake for 10 minutes at 350F/180 C.

Meanwhile make the filling. Wipe the food processor clean with a paper towel, and add the chestnuts. Run the processor until the chestnuts are very fine. Next add the cream cheese, vanilla and maple syrup. Process until creamy. Add the white chocolate chips and pulse just once or twice to combine. Spread the filling over the base, and top with the remainder of the crumb mixture. Scatter with some pecans. Place back into the oven and bake for 20 minutes.

Remove from oven and let cool completely. Cut into 16 squares and drizzle with the caramel.

Enjoy!

NOTE: the chestnuts usually come in a tin or in packs, either one is fine as long as they are cooked and drained. Even fresh ones cooked at home is fine too.

If you make this recipe please be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! I love hearing from you.  And please don’t forget to tag me on Instagram so I can see your creations!