Sweet Five-Ingredient Recipes
Most of the dessert recipes in my Five-Ingredient Mystery series are easy to make and have five ingredients or fewer. On this page, you'll find a sample of those recipes. Scroll down for the recipes.
Nutty Buttery Mini Muffins
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Lemon Macaroons
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Crumbly Nut Rounds
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Apple Crisp
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Fast Chocolate Fondue
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Tarte Tatin
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NUTTY BUTTERY MINI MUFFINS
Photo by Kim Davis
Though this is a mini muffin recipe, you can use it to make full size muffins, but you'll have to bake them longer. Test that they're done as described below.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
¾ cup light brown sugar, packed down
½ cup flour
1 cup chopped pecans
2/3 cup melted butter
2 beaten eggs
Grease and flour 18-24 mini muffin cups or line them with paper muffin liners. (The cups for small muffins vary in size and that’s why the number of muffins varies. And you can use full size muffin pans.)
Beat the melted butter and eggs together. In a separate bowl, mix the sugar, flour, and pecans. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, pour the wet egg and butter mix into the well, and stir just enough to combine everything.
Spoon the mixture into muffin cups. The cups should be 2/3 full. If you have some unused cups in your muffin pan, put a teaspoon of water in the empty cups.
Baking can take from 15-25 minutes, depending on the size of the muffins, and will take longer for full size muffins. They’re done when a toothpick inserted into them comes out clean. Cool them on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes.
Yield: 18-24 mini muffins or 12 full size muffins
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
¾ cup light brown sugar, packed down
½ cup flour
1 cup chopped pecans
2/3 cup melted butter
2 beaten eggs
Grease and flour 18-24 mini muffin cups or line them with paper muffin liners. (The cups for small muffins vary in size and that’s why the number of muffins varies. And you can use full size muffin pans.)
Beat the melted butter and eggs together. In a separate bowl, mix the sugar, flour, and pecans. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, pour the wet egg and butter mix into the well, and stir just enough to combine everything.
Spoon the mixture into muffin cups. The cups should be 2/3 full. If you have some unused cups in your muffin pan, put a teaspoon of water in the empty cups.
Baking can take from 15-25 minutes, depending on the size of the muffins, and will take longer for full size muffins. They’re done when a toothpick inserted into them comes out clean. Cool them on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes.
Yield: 18-24 mini muffins or 12 full size muffins
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Kim Davis illustrated the steps in making the muffins on her blog, Cinnamon and Sugar and a Little Bit of Murder.
See her video of making the muffins on YouTube. |
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LEMON MACAROONS
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Macaroons are one of the easiest treats to bake--only five ingredients and no rolling pin needed. This recipe calls for whole eggs and produces golden nuggets with a twist of lemon, a little less sweet than most macaroons.
Ingredients 2 eggs 1/3 cup sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 tablespoon of grated lemon zest 1 7-ounce bag of shredded sweetened coconut Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Beat the eggs in a bowl. Add sugar slowly while stirring. Mix in the vanilla and lemon zest. Fold the coconut into the mixture. Break apart any large lumps. The mixture should look moist and glossy. |
This recipe appeared in the first Five-Ingredient Mystery, By Cook or by Crook. My sleuth Val follows a hunch, visits an elderly woman, and comes away with an important clue and a recipe for these golden macaroons: Mrs. Z's E-Z Macaroons.
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Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper for easy cleanup or use nonstick cookie sheets.
Drop heaping teaspoons of the mixture onto the sheet, spacing them an inch and a half apart.
Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until the edges and some coconut shreds turn light brown. The center of each macaroon should still be soft.
Remove the cookies when they’re cool and start eating. Like most cookies, you can freeze these between layers of wax paper and take one or two out of the freezer for a quick snack.
Yield: 30-36 cookies
Drop heaping teaspoons of the mixture onto the sheet, spacing them an inch and a half apart.
Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until the edges and some coconut shreds turn light brown. The center of each macaroon should still be soft.
Remove the cookies when they’re cool and start eating. Like most cookies, you can freeze these between layers of wax paper and take one or two out of the freezer for a quick snack.
Yield: 30-36 cookies
TARTE TATIN
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The French tarte Tatin is similar to an upside-down apple pie. This five-ingredient recipe uses puff pastry instead of a rolled-out crust. Though it has only a few ingredients, this is the most challenging recipe in the Five-Ingredient Mysteries. 6–8 large apples peeled, cored, and quartered (A mix of Granny Smith and Honeycrisp apples works well.) 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) softened unsalted butter 2/3 cup sugar 1 frozen puff pastry sheet Equipment: a seasoned 10-inch cast iron skillet Note: To avoid excess juice in the pan when baking the tarte, cut the apples a day before to dry them out and put them in the refrigerator, lightly covered. They’ll turn brown, but they’ll do that anyway when they’re cooked. If you don’t have time for this step, put a pan or foil under the skillet when it goes into the oven to catch any drips. Slice the bottom off each apple to give it a flat base. Peel and quarter the apples lengthwise and remove the cores. Spread the butter on the bottom and sides of a seasoned 10-inch cast-iron pan and sprinkle the sugar evenly on the bottom. |
Photo by Kim Davis
This recipe comes from THE TELL-TALE TARTE. When sleuth Val serves the tarte at a book club dinner, the dessert reveals a fraud, embroiling her and her grandfather in a murder investigation.
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Arrange the apples vertically in the skillet, standing them on the flat end, in concentric circles. Pack the pieces close together so they support one another. Apples that stick up higher than the pan rim will shrink down as they’re cooked.
Prepare the pastry while the apples are cooking. Follow the directions for defrosting the puff pastry. Then roll it out on a floured surface until it is 1/8-inch thick. Put a 10-inch plate upside-down on the pastry and use a sharp knife to cut out a circle the size of the skillet’s top.
There are three stages to making the tarte Tatin:
1. Cook the apples on the stove over medium high heat, 15–25 minutes until the juice is bubbling and a deep golden or light brown color.
2. Put the skillet in the oven and bake the apples for 20 minutes at 400 degrees. (If you haven’t dried out the apples as suggested in the note below, put a piece of foil under the skillet when it goes in the oven to catch any drips.)
3. Remove the pan from the oven, lay the pastry circle over the apples, tucking it around the apples, and bake the tarte another 20 minutes at 400 degrees. Check the tarte after 15 minutes to make sure it doesn’t get too dark. The crust should be golden brown. If it still looks pale, return it to the oven, but watch it carefully because it turns brown quickly.
Move the skillet to a rack and cool it at least 10 minutes and up to 30 minutes. Put a cutting board or flat platter over the skillet. Use potholders to hold the skillet tightly against the board or platter. Turn the skillet upside-down. Add any apples sticking to the skillet to the top of the tarte.
Prepare the pastry while the apples are cooking. Follow the directions for defrosting the puff pastry. Then roll it out on a floured surface until it is 1/8-inch thick. Put a 10-inch plate upside-down on the pastry and use a sharp knife to cut out a circle the size of the skillet’s top.
There are three stages to making the tarte Tatin:
1. Cook the apples on the stove over medium high heat, 15–25 minutes until the juice is bubbling and a deep golden or light brown color.
2. Put the skillet in the oven and bake the apples for 20 minutes at 400 degrees. (If you haven’t dried out the apples as suggested in the note below, put a piece of foil under the skillet when it goes in the oven to catch any drips.)
3. Remove the pan from the oven, lay the pastry circle over the apples, tucking it around the apples, and bake the tarte another 20 minutes at 400 degrees. Check the tarte after 15 minutes to make sure it doesn’t get too dark. The crust should be golden brown. If it still looks pale, return it to the oven, but watch it carefully because it turns brown quickly.
Move the skillet to a rack and cool it at least 10 minutes and up to 30 minutes. Put a cutting board or flat platter over the skillet. Use potholders to hold the skillet tightly against the board or platter. Turn the skillet upside-down. Add any apples sticking to the skillet to the top of the tarte.
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If the tarte stands longer than 30 minutes after being baked, heat it over low heat for 1–2 minutes before turning the skillet over. Cut the tarte in wedges. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, or just eat it plain. Serves 8. Kim Davis illustrates the steps in making a tarte Tatin on her blog Cinnamon and Sugar and a Little Bit of Murder. She also shot a video of making the tarte Tatin. |
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FAST CHOCOLATE FONDUE
Recipe from FINAL FONDUE
Chocolate fondue makes an elegant dessert for a dinner party, a Valentine's Day treat, and an easy after-school snack for children.
Cut up the fruit and cake before you start making this recipe. With a microwave, the fondue is ready within minutes.
¾ cup heavy cream
12 ounces of semisweet chocolate, chopped fine
1–2 tablespoons cognac, liqueur, or rum [Optional]
Mix the cream and the chopped chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat the cream and chocolate at half-power for 2 minutes, stopping the microwave every 30 seconds to stir the mixture. Whisk in the liqueur.
Pour the chocolate into a small fondue pot on a stand over a lit candle to keep it warm or serve it in an ordinary bowl and reheat if necessary at half-power for 10-20 seconds in the microwave.
Serve with your choice of fresh fruit, dried fruit, angel food or pound cake, ladyfingers, cream puffs, cookies, or marshmallows.
Serves 6. Reheat leftover fondue in the microwave at half-power, stirring every 30 seconds.
Cut up the fruit and cake before you start making this recipe. With a microwave, the fondue is ready within minutes.
¾ cup heavy cream
12 ounces of semisweet chocolate, chopped fine
1–2 tablespoons cognac, liqueur, or rum [Optional]
Mix the cream and the chopped chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat the cream and chocolate at half-power for 2 minutes, stopping the microwave every 30 seconds to stir the mixture. Whisk in the liqueur.
Pour the chocolate into a small fondue pot on a stand over a lit candle to keep it warm or serve it in an ordinary bowl and reheat if necessary at half-power for 10-20 seconds in the microwave.
Serve with your choice of fresh fruit, dried fruit, angel food or pound cake, ladyfingers, cream puffs, cookies, or marshmallows.
Serves 6. Reheat leftover fondue in the microwave at half-power, stirring every 30 seconds.
CRUMBLY NUT ROUNDS
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These cookies are sometimes called Russian Teacakes or Mexican Wedding cakes. This updated recipe corrects a discrepancy in the recipe that appeared in Scam Chowder. One stick of butter equates to 1/4 pound.
1 stick (1/4 pound) of unsalted butter, softened 1/4 cup sugar 3/4 cup coarsely ground pecans or hazelnuts 1 cup sifted cake flour (or 1 cup minus 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour) 1/2 teaspoon vanilla Optional sifted confectioner's sugar |
Recipe from SCAM CHOWDER
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Cream the butter with the sugar. Stir in the nuts.
Add the sifted flour in two batches. Stir in the vanilla and the salt (no more than 1/8 teaspoon)
Chill the dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes, covered with plastic wrap.
Shape tablespoons of dough into a 1-inch balls and place them on an ungreased cookie sheet, 2 inches apart.
Bake 15-17 minutes, until cookies are set and just beginning to brown lightly.
Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Transfer the cookies to a rack to cool further. If desired, sift confectioners sugar over the cookies.
Yields approximately 30 cookies.
Cream the butter with the sugar. Stir in the nuts.
Add the sifted flour in two batches. Stir in the vanilla and the salt (no more than 1/8 teaspoon)
Chill the dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes, covered with plastic wrap.
Shape tablespoons of dough into a 1-inch balls and place them on an ungreased cookie sheet, 2 inches apart.
Bake 15-17 minutes, until cookies are set and just beginning to brown lightly.
Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Transfer the cookies to a rack to cool further. If desired, sift confectioners sugar over the cookies.
Yields approximately 30 cookies.
EASIER-THAN-PIE APPLE CRISP
This recipe is a nut-free version of the apple crisp recipe in By Cook or by Crook.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
5 cups thinly sliced, peeled apples (about 5 medium or 3 large apples)
¾ cup flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1 cup white sugar (less if the apples are not tart or you prefer less sweet desserts)
½ cup softened (not melted) butter
Butter a shallow square baking pan (9 inches square) or a small rectangular one (7x11 or 8x10). If you use a smaller pan, increase the baking time.
Combine the flour, cinnamon, and sugar. Add butter in pieces, mixing with a fork or the fingers until the mixture is crumbly. Spread the mixture over the apples.
Bake uncovered for 45 minutes. Remove from the oven when the topping is golden brown and apple layer is bubbling.
Cool the apple crisp for at least 30 minutes before eating. Serve warm or cold. The crisp goes well with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
Serves 6-8
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
5 cups thinly sliced, peeled apples (about 5 medium or 3 large apples)
¾ cup flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1 cup white sugar (less if the apples are not tart or you prefer less sweet desserts)
½ cup softened (not melted) butter
Butter a shallow square baking pan (9 inches square) or a small rectangular one (7x11 or 8x10). If you use a smaller pan, increase the baking time.
Combine the flour, cinnamon, and sugar. Add butter in pieces, mixing with a fork or the fingers until the mixture is crumbly. Spread the mixture over the apples.
Bake uncovered for 45 minutes. Remove from the oven when the topping is golden brown and apple layer is bubbling.
Cool the apple crisp for at least 30 minutes before eating. Serve warm or cold. The crisp goes well with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
Serves 6-8