Davick Jennifer - Slow cooker desserts: oh so easy, oh so delicious!

SLOW COOKER

DESSERTS

Oh So Easy, Oh So Delicious!

ROXANNE WYSS

AND

KATHY MOORE

PHOTOGRAPHS BY JENNIFER DAVICK

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We dedicate this book to
our friendship,
for friendship is such a sweet part of life.

Our cherished friendship began in a test kitchen more than thirty years ago.
We have been business colleagues and friends ever since,
and what a blessing that has been!

Who doesnt love dessert? Some of us crave a piece of decadent cheesecake or a big slice of chocolate cake, while others cannot resist a bowl of warm, sweet fruit cobbler. The captivating aroma of cinnamon and those drips and drizzles of chocolate and caramel are tempting, and you know you just have to have a bite, a spoonful, or a bowl of satisfying goodness.

Slow Cooker Desserts captures the best of dessertsthose special treats that transform meals into extraordinary celebrationsand bakes them to perfection, slowly, in a slow cooker.

In a slow cooker? Yes, in that familiar slow cooker!

Almost everyone owns a slow cooker, and today, many people own more than one. Most folks wouldnt think of making a pot of chili, soup, or stew on a cold winter day without one. You cannot attend a party without dipping a chip into a slow cooker full of spicy Mexican cheese dip. The flavor of the food cooked in the slow cooker is wonderful, and for all of the busy cooks in the world (and that includes us), the slow cooker offers unsurpassed convenience and ease.

Now, we have captured the scrumptious flavors and easy preparation and sweetened the deal. The results are the best desserts you can imagine. Bake a fantastic cake, cheesecake, bread pudding, cobbler, or crisp in your slow cooker. You can simmer the finest fruit dessert, heat the most luscious fondue, or effortlessly melt the chocolate for decadent candies, all using that favorite slow cooker you already own. The best part is that all of these desserts are prepared in the slow cooker, not because that preparation method would be a plausible option, but instead, because the slow, even heat and moist environment makes the ideal cooking method and gives you the best flavor.

SLOW COOKER BRANDS AND TYPES

The recipes in this book were tested in a slow cooker with a stoneware bowl or vessel set in a heating base. In this design, the heat wraps around the sides of the stoneware. The recipes were not tested in multi-pots or appliances that are designed to cook at various settings, such as simmer, stew, and deep-fry, as well as slow cooking.

The particular brand does not matter, so you can use that Crock-Pot slow cookeror any other brand you might have. We understand that many people call the slow cooker by that common trade name. In fact, we started our career in the test kitchen of Rival Manufacturing Companythe company that started the slow cooker craze by introducing the Crock-Pot slow cooker. Today, there are many brands of slow cookers to choose from, and you can use the brand you prefer.

WHAT SIZE AND SHAPE OF SLOW COOKER?

In Slow Cooker Desserts, you will find a recipe for any size and shape of slow cooker you might own.

Each recipe gives a suggested size of slow cooker to use. If you wish to use another size of slow cooker, you can do so. However, do not overfill the slow cooker, and be sure the lid rests flat on the slow cooker. If you use a larger slow cooker than specified in the recipe, leaving the slow cooker less than half full, you may need to reduce the cooking time, and you should definitely check the dessert as it cooks to avoid burning or overcooking.

COOKING IN THE SLOW COOKER

Spray the slow cooker with nonstick spray to make cleanup easier. When baking in a springform pan, there is no need to spray the slow cooker first with nonstick spray. Put the ingredients in the slow cooker and put the lid on the vessel.

The recipes list which heat setting to use, low or high, to cook or bake the dessert. Cook for the time and at the heat setting recommended in the recipe. Check the baking progress at the minimum cooking time listed. The recipes give tips so you can check to be sure they are done; if the dessert is not quite done, place the lid back on the slow cooker, continue cooking on the listed heat setting, and test again in 15 to 30 minutes.

One convenient aspect of slow cooking, even when slow cooking a dessert, is that you are free to do other tasks or run errands while the slow cooker does its magic. Another bonus is that timing is not as exact as when baking in an ovenbaking in the oven for an extra minute or two may cause overbrowning, but not so with the slow cooker. Follow the recommended times, but if the phone or doorbell rings while the slow cooker is running, an extra 5 or 10 minutes will not ruin your efforts.

Slow cookers do not have a thermostatso the actual temperature will vary with the brand, size, and shape of the cooker, the electrical voltage, and even the stoneware. After a use or two, you will be more familiar with your slow cooker and will know if the treats you bake in your slow cooker are usually done at the minimum or maximum time listed.

We have observed a change in slow cookers over the yearsoriginally, they were very slow. Even on the high setting, the appliance cooked very slowly. If you are lucky enough to have a slow cooker that is ten to fifteen years old or older, you can slow cook the most delicious chicken or stew you could imagineand you will never hear the lid jiggle from steam or see the liquids boil. If you have a slow cooker purchased more recently, in the last ten years or so, you are probably used to hearing that lid jiggle from steameven on low. While we love the first slow cookers (and yes, some of our nostalgic favorites are pictured ), they are now quite rare. Their slow heat is just not suited to baking the cakes or cheesecakes in springform pans like we do in this book. We tested the recipes in slow cookers that are newer and hotter than their antique counterparts, and for the best results, we recommend that you use the newer, hotter models for these recipes.

BAKING A CAKE OR CHEESECAKE