Thank you so much for joining me on this Summer Treats and Eats Series! It's too hot to turn on the oven or stove so I'm going cold! This week we're talking Summer Treats that'll cool you off and satisfy your sweet tooth thanks to Julianne Bayer's Bestseller, "No-Bake Treats." Click below to get the book!
The book is stunning – beautiful pictures for every recipe. The pages are thick and sturdy , so you can use the cookbook directly in the kitchen or you can do what I like to do and make a photocopy of the recipes so I can write notes or make changes or preserve the beauty of the book.
You can lay it flat when in use so no need to prop it open with a wooden spoon, meat mallet, or your phone. (I know I'm not the only one who does that, lol.)
Tons of recipes! Some are a bit challenging – not necessarily in what you do but how you do it. If you read the “Introduction,” she says she designed the book that way as to have something for everyone. Whether you’re a novice dessert maker or have more experience, anyone can make these recipes.
My only issue is that in her edible-cookie dough recipes she doesn’t say to heat-treat your flour, and I would certainly do that as raw flour can harbor nasty germs. Heat it in the microwave, 3 rounds of 30 seconds with a stir in the middle, and that's it! All the bacteria will be eradicated and after it cools you can use it to make your edible cookie dough.
The Recipes:
Lemon Raspberry Icebox Cake by Julianne Bayer
A pretty dessert to look at, tart, sweet, and creamy.
If you decide to purchase this book you will see that the recipe suggests using a 9 inch square dish at least 2 1/2 inches tall, and although I have many 9 inch square dishes, I didn't have anything tall enough. Luckily, the entire desert fit perfectly in my 9X13.
I had to substitute graham crackers for the crust because... And I won’t say what grocery store… but when I went to open my lemon oreo's I noticed they'd already been opened. Three from each row had been taken out. Just to stay on the safe side I threw all of them away. Graham crackers were a great substitute!
It’s delicious!!!! Especially with the lemon curd I made from a simple recipe which alone is the best thing you’ve ever eaten. (See recipe below).
To buy or not buy extra raspberries? For the lemon Raspberry icebox cake… my recommendation? Buy extra raspberries. This dessert gives you a nice blank canvas to decorate however you like for any celebration and would look great topped with raspberries.
Finally – be prepared to wait to eat it… I was so excited to take my first bite that it wasn't thawed enough and in a turn of ironic events, was TOO cold to eat. Don't be like me. Have the patience to wait a little longer before enjoying. The flavor and texture benefit from being allowed to thaw enough to easily cut with a fork or spoon.
Oatmeal Cream Pie Bars
The recipe suggests using a square 9” pan, but I used 2- 8 inch round silicone pans. I knew the bars would come out clean and easily because silicone is very pliant , and I thought it was kind of clever (if I do say so myself) that oatmeal cream pie ice cream bars were in a pie shape as opposed to the rectangular shape described in the cookbook. However, no matter what shape you cut these in, or if you decide to just make this an ice cream that you scoop and not one you dip in chocolate, I promise you can't go wrong.
Also - make these bars any size you want. The recipe says it makes 8 bars, I ended up making 16 and both the hubs and I feel like the desert is so rich you could go smaller if you wanted. My only caution in going smaller is if you're dipping them in chocolate, it gives you more to dip and you might need to add chocolate to make sure they all get evenly coated. You could easily do small scoops and drop them into chocolate and make them poppable or like truffles or bonbons.
Here’s the chocolate hack that you need for this recipe… Paint instead of dip!
Think of it like this, you're taking the bars cold from the freezer and you're dipping them into chocolate that is hot. It's really difficult to have a balance between the two. The chocolate is gonna cool off and thicken really quickly every time you dip a bar into it, and it's also going to set up really quickly and not necessarily drip off into a thin layer because the temperature of the ice cream bar is so cold that the chocolate hardens almost instantly.
After a couple trials and errors, I found something that worked for me.
The ice cream is so creamy that even after being in the freezer overnight I was easily able to stick a fork into the bar to hold it stable for dipping , or should I say painting the chocolate.
If you do have popsicle sticks you can very easily insert them after you've cut the bars. If you don't, I just stuck the end of a fork in each bar and held it, then I took a mini spatula and painted the bar with the chocolate. (Example in video).
In doing this I was able to keep the chocolate fairly thin while also being able to coat it quickly, and I didn't have to reheat the chocolate because I wasn't dipping the frozen ice cream into it. The chocolate in the bowl was about to retain enough heat, which gave me enough time to paint all of the bars.
Also, I painted the chocolate in batches. I would take about four or five out at a time while the other ones stayed in the freezer, painted those, put them on a parchment lined baking sheet, stuck those in the freezer, and rotated until I got them all done.
Best Lemon Curd Recipe:
Additional Info:
Beating is usually done with a paddle attachment if you're using a mixer or using a wooden spoon and your own strength. Beating is best for heavier bases, like butter for a cake or cookie mix, or in this case when incorporating ingredients into cream cheese . It combines and adds air to the mix for a fluffier texture .
Whisking is usually done with a wire whisk or whisk attachment if you're using a mixer. It's the best way to add air to egg whites or to whip cream. For our upcoming lemon Raspberry icebox cake, both words are used often, so keep that in mind
Be prepared to use Bowls, bowls, and more bowls. Most recipes use homemade whipped cream though you can purchase ready made whipped topping (which will save you a step and a bowl). But for the most part I found that multiple bowls were just part of the process in creating these delicious desserts. Luckily, bowls are very simple to wash out as the ingredients easily dissolve with hot water.
Author's Website:
Silicone Pans for Oatmeal Cream Pie Bars:
Join us on Radiokair.com, Sundays at 3pm! We hope you enjoy the recipes and find some time this week to make something yummy! Next week we have a special guest in studio, Chef T, Executive Chef at The Veranda Steak and Seafood! Lots of info and neat recipes coming your way!