5 Easy Desserts to Make Right Now

With the stay-at-home orders, most people are getting bored to the point of eating everything in sight. Unfortunately, that includes me. However, I’m not the biggest cook. Surprisingly, whenever I set my mind to cooking, it doesn’t taste that bad. My family and I have been on a snacking mode for about a month now and we literally made all of it .From Brazilian desserts to pie and cake. So, I thought it would be nice to share some of our favorite recipes. 

1. Brigadeiro (aka Brazilian homemade fudge balls)

There’s nothing more Brazilian than brigadeiro. Be it at a birthday party or when your friends come over, there’s always brigadeiro involved. This is such an easy thing to make that we made it at least three times already and we made the milk powder version too ,which is delicious. You’ll only need three ingredients: cocoa powder, butter and condensed milk. We Brazilians like rolling it up into little balls and covering them with sprinkles, but we also eat it out of the pan itself. 

• Brigadeiro recipe  –

Ingredients: 

• 1 (14oz) can sweetened condensed milk

• 4 Tbsp cocoa powder, sifted

• 2 Tbsp butter, and more for rolling balls

• A pinch of salt

• Chocolate sprinkles (or any other type of sprinkles)

Instructions:

• In a small saucepan, mix the sweetened condensed milk, cocoa powder, salt and butter.

• Bring the saucepan to the stove and heat it over medium-low heat.

• Cook it, mixing it constantly (otherwise it will burn!) until it thickens. A way to know is to run your wooden spoon (or spatula) in the middle of the mixture. If it takes a while for the mixture to move, then your brigadeiro is ready!

• Reserve, letting it cool to room temperature. 

• In a plate or bowl, spread your sprinkles.

• After the brigadeiro has cooled, grease your hands with butter and roll the brigadeiros into little balls.

• Roll the brigadeiro balls into the sprinkles and place them in paper/foil candy cups.

1. Carrot cake (Brazilian style) 

In America, carrot cakes usually come with a cream cheese frosting. However, in Brazil, we replace it with a chocolate icing. In my opinion, it makes it a lot more moist and delicious. This is a favorite of mine and it was the first dessert my grandma made me as soon as I got back home. And the verdict? It only lasted three days.

• Brazilian Carrot Cake Recipe – 

Ingredients:

• 4 large carrots (peeled and thinly sliced)

• 4 eggs

• 1 cup of cooking oil

• 2 cups of white sugar

• 2 cups of all-purpose flour

• 1 tablespoon of baking powder

• 1 tablespoon of butter or margarine

For the icing: 

• 1 cup of white sugar

• 1 cup of instant hot chocolate mix (or cocoa powder)

• ¾ cup of milk (of your choice)

• 1 tablespoon of butter or margarine

Instructions:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease 9×13 baking dish.

• Place the eggs, eggs, and oil in a blender or bowl of a food processor. Blend (or process) until the carrots are finely chopped. Pour the mixture into a mixing bowl. Stir in 2 cups of sugar until well blended. Stir in the flour and baking powder; mix until well blended. Pour the batter into the baking dish. 

• Bake in the preheated oven until the top springs back when lightly touched. (About 40 minutes) 

Chocolate icing:

•  While the cake is in the oven, make the icing by placing the butter, 1 cup of sugar, instant hot chocolate drink mix (or cocoa powder), and milk in a pan. While stirring, heat to almost boiling point over medium-high heat until the mixture thickens. 

• When the cake is done, remove it from the oven and immediately spread the icing over its top. 

• Ready to eat!

1. Canjica (Brazilian Hominy Pudding)

This Brazilian dessert is usually found around June when we hold our “Festa Junina” (June Party) where you can find an array of Brazilian desserts, savory snacks and drinks. This time of the year reminds me of country music and quadrille dancing. An important part of it is the canjica (at least in my opinion). It just pairs well with the cold June weather of Brazil as it’s sweet and warm. Honorable dessert mention: pacoca (aka less creamy peanut butter squares). And these two desserts actually go well together – some even include peanuts as garnish. 

• Canjica Recipe – 

Ingredients:

• 2 ½ cups of cooked hominy

• 1 can of sweetened condensed milk

• 1 ½ cups of full fat coconut milk

• 4 cups of whole milk

• 1 cup of shredded coconut 

• 2 cinnamon sticks 

• 1 teaspoon of ground cloves

• Crushed peanuts or cinnamon to serve (optional)

Instructions: 

• In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients.

• Cook over medium-high heat until it starts to boil. Lower the heat and let it simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it thickens to the desired consistency. Keep in mind that the pudding will continue thickening as it cools.

• Divide the pudding into individual bowls and allow it to cool before serving.

• If using peanuts or cinnamon, sprinkle then on top.

• Serve it warm or chilled. 

1. Vegan eggless chocolate mug cake

If you are lactose intolerant like me, finding lactose-free ingredients is a bit more expensive. So, whenever I’m in America, I opt for vegan ingredients instead. Sometimes I want something sweet but I’m too lazy to bake, so this recipe is perfect. Especially because it’s ready in 1 minute and 20 seconds at most. 

Recipe from noracooks.com (you can find more vegan recipes there).

• Vegan Mug Cake Recipe – 

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons of all purpose flour

• 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder

• 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar

• A pinch of salt

• ¼ teaspoon of baking powder

• 1 tablespoon of canola oil, melted coconut oil or vegan butter (I use coconut oil)

• 3 tablespoons of non-dairy milk

• ½ teaspoons of pure vanilla extract

• 2 tablespoons of dairy-free chocolate chips (sometimes I skip this one)

Instructions: 

• Add the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, salt and baking powder to a mug or whisk to combine.

• Pour in the oil, non-dairy milk and vanilla into the mug with the dry ingredients and stir well with a spoon. Sprinkle the chocolate chips on top.

• Cook in the microwave for 40 seconds. If you want it more cooked, microwave it another 10-20 seconds. (I actually microwave it from 1 minute to 1 minute and 10 seconds. It depends on your preference). 

• Serve it immediately. 

1. Dry Banana Pie

In Brazil, bananas grow everywhere, including my own backyard. Due to that, sometimes we have way more bananas than we can even eat. For that reason, we make a variety of desserts. Among them, dry banana pie and warm banana with sugar and cinnamon are two of my favorites. They’re easy to make and are super tasty. Perfect for whenever you want something sweet. 

• Dry Banana Pie  Recipe – 

Ingredients: 

• 2 cups of all purpose flour

• 2 cups of sugar

• 1 tablespoon of baking powder

• 2 eggs (beaten)

• 1 cup of milk (of your choosing)

• 5 tablespoons of butter or margarine (of your choosing)

• 10 bananas (cut horizontally)

Instructions:

• In a bowl, mix the flour, sugar and baking powder.

• Reserve. 

• Melt the butter or margarine, adding the milk and eggs. Mix it well. 

• In a greased baking tray, put a layer of the farofa (flour, sugar and baking powder), bananas, farofa, bananas, farofa, and the wet ingredients on top without mixing.  

• Bake in a preheated oven in medium-high heat for about 40 minutes until it is slightly browned. 

I hope you guys enjoy making these desserts as much as my family and I do. 

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