Yes, this is the third Sweet Bites in a row. I hope no one minds that we’re leaning heavily on the baked goods during the height of the holiday season. Come January I promise we’ll return to salads and fish dinners and other savory delights.
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But hold on to this recipe, it’s a keeper. As desserts go, it’s a bit understated. Easy to make, rustic-looking, uses ingredients you probably have on hand – all great qualities in a cake, but lacking the razzle dazzle of many frosting-laden celebration cakes. That’s okay. Let’s keep this modest, soul-satisfying cake as a little secret between you and me. 

The recipe comes from Dorie Greenspan by way of David Lebovitz, both excellent chefs with well-crafted cookbooks and lively blogs. Worth your time to check 'em out and follow!

Click on the photos to enlarge them and read the captions.

The Verdict: This modest little cake is the perfect dessert for a family meal, or an afternoon snack with a hot beverage, or as an after-school snack. Yum!

French Apple Cake
Recipe source: Dorie Greenspan by way of David Lebovitz
 
INGREDIENTS:

• ¾ cup all-purpose flour
• ¾ teaspoon baking powder
• Pinch of salt
• 4 large apples (a mix of varieties), peeled, cored, and diced in 2-inch pieces
• 2 large eggs
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons dark rum
• ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 8 tablespoons of butter, melted, and cooled to room temperature, plus extra for greasing pan
• Confectioner's sugar, for garnishing (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Heavily butter an 8- or 9-inch springform pan and place it on a baking sheet.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
• In a large bowl, beat the eggs until foamy then whisk in the sugar, then rum and vanilla. Whisk in half of the flour mixture, then gently stir in half of the melted butter.
• Stir in the remaining flour mixture, then the rest of the butter. Repeat with remaining butter and flour.
• Fold in the apple cubes until they’re well-coated with the batter and scrape them into the prepared cake pan and smooth the top a little with a spatula.
• Bake for about 55-65 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, or with just a few moist crumbs.
• Let the cake cool for 5 minutes, then run a knife around the edge to loosen the cake from the pan and carefully remove the sides of the cake pan, making sure no apples are stuck to it.
• If desired, dust with confectioner's sugar before serving.

Storage: The cake will keep for up to three days covered. Since the top is very moist, it’s best to store it under a cake dome or overturned bowl. Or you can keep it out uncovered for a day and it will be fine if serving the next day.

Do you like baked goods? Chocolate? How about booze? Cool, cool. This little recipe wraps ‘em all up with a bow and serves 'em on a pretty platter guaranteed to spark a smile. And a desire for seconds.
 
The Occasion: Bourbon Ball Brownies make an excellent addition to the sweets table at a holiday party or after-work potluck – they’re vegan-friendly, gluten-free, and damn delicious to boot.   

Good decision. The dense, rich, boozy brownies hit the spot as a satisfying grown-up treat. 

​What Makes it Special? I haven't found too many vegan and gluten-free recipes that taste just as delicious as their regular, fully-loaded versions. This is the exception to that rule. 

​Kitchen Tips: Many brownie recipes work well when frozen ahead of time. This one not so much. We made a batch the day before serving, kept it covered at room temp, and it was perfect. The leftovers held up in excellent condition for about 4 days.
 
We find it helpful to line the baking pan with aluminum foil or parchment paper so the cake can be lifted out of the pan easily and without breaking. 

We've made them with and without pecans to garnish the top, and prefer them with the nuts. It not only looks nice, it also provides valuable information about what's inside. (Nut flour, pecan flour is inside.)  Click on the photos to enlarge them and read the captions.

The Verdict: These boozy brownies were a hit! Deep, dark and delicious, although it helps if you like the taste of bourbon to begin with. The accommodations for dietary restrictions were not really noticeable – these brownies tasted just like a “regular” pan of baked goods. That is to say, damn delicious!

Bourbon Ball Brownies
Recipe inspiration: Tasting Table
 
INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cups gluten free and vegan vanilla wafers or sugar cookies
• 1 cup pecans
• ½ cup bourbon
• ½ cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
• ½ cup confectioners' sugar
• ¼ cup light corn syrup
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• Halved pecans to decorate brownies (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

• Heat the oven to 350°. Spread the pecans onto a baking sheet and bake until lightly toasted, 8 to 10 minutes. Let the nuts cool, then finely chop and set aside.
• Line an 8×8-inch pan with tin foil with extra hanging over the sides (this makes for easy removal and slicing) and spray with a non-stick cooking spray.
• Add the cookies to the bowl of a food processor, and pulse until finely crushed or finely crush them using a hammer and a plastic bag.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine the chopped pecans, bourbon, cookie crumbs, cocoa powder, confectioners' sugar, baking powder and the corn syrup. Stir until smooth.
• Spread batter evenly in the pan and bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes (depending upon how done you want the brownie edges to be).
• Cool in the pan for 10 minutes and then remove the tin foil with the brownies and continue to let the brownies cool.  Once cool, cut into desired sized pieces.

It’s only mid-December, and if you’re like me you still have some holiday baking on your To Do list. If so, bookmark this page, you’ll want to keep this one handy.

The Occasion: Perfect for an office party, a church social, a holiday potluck, a post-caroling dessert buffet, treats for Santa, or a Christmas Day snack before cleaning up all the wrapping paper. The Gingerbread Brownies with Eggnog Frosting are also perfect for non-holiday munching opportunities, but I’ll admit, the eggnog does signal December, Christmas, and special edition lattes at Starbux. You can always fiddle with the frosting recipe when eggnog is unavailable, or just get a move on so you can enjoy it during the festive holiday season that we’re in right now. 

The Recipe: Ilise made these ginger-brownies for our annual holiday open house last weekend and a test batch a few months earlier. Yumm-o was the verdict on both occasions! The recipe comes from Carlsbad Cravings, a food blog that delivers “extraordinary flavors out of everyday ingredients,” and we thank them for it. Good stuff indeed. 

Also special – you can make the brownie ahead of time and freeze for up to two months. Thaw and frost them the day before you plan to serve (or the day of, if you prefer). 

Serve With: This versatile dessert pairs well with a range of beverages – milk, coffee, red wine, or my personal favorite – a small sip of aged tawny port. Click on the photos to enlarge them and read the captions.

The Verdict: The verdict is … Guilty! Guilty of stealing my heart AND my taste buds with this spicy, satisfying bar cookie with the flavorful frosting. Like most brownies, these are very easy to make despite a lengthy list of ingredients. Personally I think these brownies would be delicious any time of year, but there’s no denying that gingerbread flavors seem right at home during the holidays. Enjoy!

Gingerbread Brownies with Eggnog Frosting
Recipe source: Carlsbad Cravings

INGREDIENTS:

Chocolate:

• 4 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter

Bowl One:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon EACH ground ginger, ground nutmeg, salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Bowl Two:

• 2 eggs
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/3 cup molasses
• 3 tablespoons crystallized ginger finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Eggnog Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
• 2 1/4 cups powdered sugar, divided
• 4 oz. softened cream cheese cut into 8 pieces
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2-3 Tablespoons eggnog

Garnish:

• Cinnamon

DIRECTIONS:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
• Line a 9x13 with foil with a large piece of foil so it overhangs lengthwise (so you can pick up the brownies by the foil edges later). Grease with butter or spray with nonstick cooking spray with flour. Set aside.
• Melt butter in a small bowl in the microwave. Add chopped chocolate and set aside for approximately 5 minutes then whisk together until chocolate is melted and smooth.
• Meanwhile, whisk all of Bowl One ingredients together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
• Whisk all of Bowl Two ingredients in a large bowl. Whisk in melted chocolate/butter mixture until incorporated. Stir in flour mixture with a rubber spatula just until combined. Transfer batter to prepared pan and spread into an even layer.
• Bake at 325 degrees F until toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, 25 to 30 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking.
• Let brownies cool completely in pan on wire rack. Using foil overhang, lift brownies out of pan.

Eggnog Cream Cheese Frosting:

• Make frosting when brownies are completely cool and ready to frost. Beat butter and 1 1/4 cups sugar with handled mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Increase speed to medium-high and add cream cheese, 1 piece at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition.
• Add vanilla, nutmeg, and eggnog and beat to combine. Beat in remaining 1 cup powdered sugar. Add additional eggnog, if needed, a teaspoon at a time to reach desired consistency. Evenly spread frosting over cooled brownies and lightly sprinkle with ground cinnamon.
• Brownies can be stored in an airtight container on the counter for 2 days, then refrigerated.