Chocolate Marquesa

Klein's Bakery, at the end of our block, is a lovely Venezuelan bakery. Recently, we tried their Chocolate Marquesa which is a well-known Venezuelan dessert. I knew that I had to make this sweet treat. I found several versions of this dessert online. The common element is Maria cookies, which are slightly sweet crisp cookies that soften and become cake-like in this recipe.

This icebox cake is a great for summertime because there is no heat involved. Although it takes a little bit of time to pull the dessert together before it spends the night in the refrigerator, it is worth it. Chocolate marquesa takes the form of the container that it is made in. If you use a springform pan, you can remove the cake to make a nice presentation. Or, make individual servings in small glasses.

Chocolate Marquesa 

• 1 1/2 cup butter
• 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 cup cocoa powder
• 1 package Maria cookies
• 1/2 cup chocolate milk

Cream the butter with an electric mixer for 20 minutes. Continue beating while slowly adding the sweetened condensed milk. Then add in the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla. Add the cocoa powder and mix until well-blended. Place a thin layer of the cream mixture in a 9-inch round pan. Dip Maria cookies in the chocolate milk to just moisten and layer the Maria cookies on top of the cream layer. Repeat alternating cream and cookies layer until done, ending with a cream layer. Refrigerate overnight. Enjoy!

Coffee Pizzelles

Pizzelles are Italian waffle cookies. When we were kids, pizzelles often showed up at family parties. Usually, the pizzelles were vanilla or anise. Since I have my own pizzelle maker, I have been experimenting with other flavors. This coffee pizzelle might be my favorite one yet. I found that the coffee flavor is strong, so kids might not like this flavor as much as adults.

Coffee Pizzelles 

• 3 eggs, room temperature
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled
• 3 Tbsp. instant coffee dissolved in 1 Tbsp. water
• 1 3/4 cup flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder

In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs and sugar. Add the cooled butter and coffee. Sift in the flour and baking powder into the egg mixture. The batter should be stiff enough to drop by spoon. 

Heat up the electric pizzelle iron. Drop a teaspoon of batter onto each grid pattern and close the pizzelle iron. The pizzelles will be ready in about one minute. Remove the pizzelle with tongs and allow to cool on a flat surface for flat pizzelles or immediately shape. Repeat with the rest of the batter. Dust the pizzelles with powdered sugar. Enjoy!

Peach Butter Cream Pie

In the summertime, a cool dessert always appeals to me. This pie does not require baking and is served cool, so it is a perfect summer treat. Similar to a cheesecake, this pie does not actually use cream cheese. The butter cream layer is a bit like a layer of frosting in the pie.

When I made this recipe, I used nectarines instead of peaches, but it worked out well. MDS liked the pie and suggested making it with blueberries, which I might try soon. Graham cracker crusts are easy to make. And when you make your own crust, you could add some ground nuts to the ground graham crackers for a nuanced flavor. Give this pie a try for a cool summer dessert.

Peach Butter Cream Pie 

• Graham cracker crust
• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 cups confectioners sugar
• 2 eggs, separated
• 1/2 tsp. almond extract
• 3 large peaches, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 cup whipping cream, whipped

Cream butter until light; gradually add sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Beat in egg yolks and extract. Beat egg whites until stiff; fold into butter mix. Spread in the pie shell. Top with peaches. Cover with cream. Chill for several hours. Enjoy!