Adorably Delicious Pies, Cakes, Puddings and much more Kris Holechek Peters Ulysses Press In loving memory of Mary Troyan (1907–2013) and Victoria Mikelonis (1910–2004) Copyright text and photographs © 2013 Kris Holechek. Copyright concept and design © 2013 Ulysses Press and its licensors. All rights reserved. Any unauthorized duplication in whole or in part or dissemination of this edition by any means (including but not limited to photocopying, electronic devices, digital versions, and the Internet) will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Published by: Ulysses Press P.O. Box 3440 Berkeley, CA 94703 www.ulyssespress.com ISBN: 978-1-61243-264-9 Library of Congress Catalog Number 2013938636 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Acquisitions editor: Kelly Reed Managing editor: Claire Chun Editor: Lauren Harrison Proofreader: Elyce Berrigan-Dunlop Index: Sayre Van Young Photography: © Kris Holechek Design and layout: what!design @ whatweb.com Distributed by Publishers Group West IMPORTANT NOTE TO READERS: This book is independently authored and published and no sponsorship or endorsement of this book by, and no affiliation with, any trademarked brands or other products mentioned or pictured within is claimed or suggested. All trademarks that appear in this book belong to their respective owners and are used here for informational purposes only. The author and publishers encourage readers to patronize the quality brands and products mentioned in this book. TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction Chapter 1: No-Bake Treats Peanut Butter Cream Cups Raw Pecan Pie Banana Cream Pie Crunch Cups Ice Cream Cake Cups Rawberry Cream Pie Chocolate Vanilla Puddin’ Cups Banana Split Bites Salty Crunchy Almond Cheesecake Grasshopper Pies Chapter 2: Cakelettes Basic Chocolate Cake Over the Rainbow Cakes Cream-Filled Carrot Cakes Almond Joy Pudding Cakes Berry Banana Trifle Strawberry Shortcakes Boston Cream Cakes Spotted Dick Marble Cakes with Hot Fudge Lemon Pudding Cakes Rustic Rhubarb Cakes Tiramisu Elvis in a Jar Apricot Almond Cake S’mores in a Jar Chapter 3: Pie and Friends Flaky Pastry Crust Strawberry Rhubarb Pies Cherry Crumble Pie Lemon Meringue Pie Peach Melba Cobbler Apple Crisp Cups Whole Plum Pie Key Lime Pie Chocolate Blueberry Crumble Chapter 4: Pastry Lemon Blueberry Scone Domes Chocolate Babka Blossoms Raspberry Matcha Muffins Snickerdoodle Pull-Aparts Date and Walnut Bread Coffee Cakes Zucchini Apple Bread Chapter 5: Odds and Ends Anise Donuts with Orange Cream Raspberry Brownie Bombs Pumpkin Crème Brûlée Classic Cheesecake Cups Baked Pineapple Pudding Cinnamon Raisin Bagel Pudding Raspberry Clafouti Chapter 6: Treats for Two Basic Vanilla Cake for Two Chocolate Cake for Two Blueberry Breakfast Muffins for Two PB Banana Cake for Two Double the Pleasure Cookie Jar Chapter 7: Mixes Brownie Mix Cranberry Quick Bread Mix Cherry Almond Scone Mix Cowgirl Cookies Mix Orange Creamsicle Cookie Mix Chapter 8: Jam on It! Apple Pie Butter Plum-berry Jam Strawberry Rhubarb Jam Orange and Apricot Marmalade Vanilla Bing Jam Chapter 9: Toppings and Fillings Buttercream Frosting Custard Sauce Creamy Custard Chocolate Ganache Hot Fudge Sauce Coconut Whipped Cream Cream Cheese Filling Orange Cream Filling Berry Sauce Peanut Butter Filling Raspberry Cream Meringue Topping Conversions Index About the Author INTRODUCTION Canning jars give me warm fuzzies. My great-grandmothers both canned, and their annual harvest was highly coveted in my family. As our family grew, it could sometimes get ugly in the competition to get a jar of Grandma M’s pickled beets or Grandma T’s pears. Canning jars are little vessels filled with love, love that keeps on giving as the jars are cycled through, year after year, batch after batch, making their way from home to home. The great thing about the jars is their versatility. They certainly house canned items, but they are also the perfect receptacles for items you want to take on the go. I love using my favorite wide-mouth pint jar to tote along a breakfast smoothie or some iced coffee on my trek to work. A little 4-ounce jar is perfect for taking hummus for a snack, and an 8-ounce jar can carry yogurt and granola for breakfast. The uses go on and on. But by far the most glorious use of the canning jar is for my most favorite of foods—dessert. The jars’ portability makes them incredibly convenient, and a perfect, single-serving treat is a beautiful thing to present to loved ones. Even if you just want portion control, it’s hard to not smile when cracking the top crust on a petite pie or scooping out a creamy mouthful of mousse. Whether you’re serving a half-dozen to a table of dinner guests or presenting a sweet little jar to a coworker, each one truly does feel like a gift. What makes these treats especially wonderful is that rather than buying some specialty dessert receptacle, the beloved canning jar can be repurposed in dozens of different ways between treats (however, it’s not advised to have too much time between treats; it makes the jars quite sad and lonely). This book is a product of my love affair with canning jar sweets, which began long ago when I first made the connection that the very same jars I submerged in my water-bath canner could also function in