Slow-Cooked Sweets

Create a sweet-tooth bonanza in your slow cooker with delicious cakes, puddings, and candies.

15 Minutes or Less to Prep • Editor’s Favorite

Mocha Pudding Cake

1⅓ cups sugar

1 cup all-purpose flour

½ cup butter, melted

4 large eggs, lightly beaten

⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa

¼ cup chopped pecans, toasted

2 teaspoons instant coffee granules

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Vanilla ice cream (optional)

• Stir together all ingredients except ice cream in a large bowl. Pour into a lightly greased 3-quart slow cooker.

• Cover and cook on LOW 2 to 2½ hours or until set around the edges but still soft in the center. Let stand, covered, 30 minutes. Serve warm with ice cream, if desired. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Slow-Cooker Size: 3-quart

Prep: 8 minutes

Cook: 2 hours, 30 minutes

Other: 30 minutes

Simply Chocolate

For a traditional chocolate pudding cake, just omit the cinnamon and coffee granules.

Here’s the ultimate rich and fudgy dessert—part cake and part pudding!

Comfort Food

Cookie-Crusted Rhubarb-Cherry Dessert

1½ cups firmly packed light brown sugar

⅓ cup all-purpose flour

2 (16-ounce) packages frozen cut rhubarb

2 (14.5-ounce) cans pitted tart cherries, drained

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon butter

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups coarsely chopped shortbread cookies

• Stir together sugar and flour in a 4-quart slow cooker. Add rhubarb, cherries, and lemon juice, tossing to coat.

• Cover and cook on LOW 5 hours. Stir in butter and vanilla. Sprinkle each serving with coarsely chopped cookies. Makes 8 servings.

Slow-Cooker Size: 4-quart

Prep: 5 minutes

Cook: 5 hours

Cookie Crunch

We used plain shortbread cookies, but you can use the variety with pecans if you’d like.

This recipe gives a cookie twist to a traditional crisp.

Editor’s Favorite • Kids Love It!

Apple Crisp

8 large Granny Smith apples, peeled and sliced (about 4 pounds)

1½ cups all-purpose baking mix, divided

1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar, divided

2 teaspoons lemon juice

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

5 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces and divided

Vanilla ice cream

• Combine apples, ½ cup baking mix, ½ cup brown sugar, lemon juice, and next 3 ingredients, tossing to coat. Add 3 tablespoons butter. Spoon into a lightly greased 5-quart slow cooker.

• Combine remaining 1 cup baking mix and remaining ½ cup brown sugar; cut in remaining 2 tablespoons butter with a pastry blender until crumbly. Sprinkle evenly over apple mixture.

• Cover and cook on LOW 7½ hours or until apples are tender and topping is golden. Serve with ice cream. Makes 6 servings.

Slow-Cooker Size: 5-quart

Prep: 30 minutes

Cook: 7 hours, 30 minutes

Apple Picker

The type of apples used in an apple crisp or pie can make or break the dessert. Use an all-purpose or cooking apple, such as Granny Smith, Fuji, Braeburn, or other handpicked apples straight from your local orchard.

Comfort Food • 15 Minutes or Less to Prep

Peaches ‘n’ Cream Tapioca

4 cups fresh or frozen peach slices (about 2 pounds)

3 tablespoons uncooked quick-cooking tapioca

¾ cup firmly packed brown sugar

⅛ teaspoon salt

⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 cup heavy whipping cream

½ cup peach nectar

2 cups granola

• Stir together first 7 ingredients in a 3½-quart slow cooker.

• Cover and cook on LOW 4 hours. Stir well; spoon into dessert dishes, and top evenly with granola. Makes 8 servings.

Slow-Cooker Size: 3½-quart

Prep: 6 minutes

Cook: 4 hours

Peachy Keen

Fresh peaches are best. If you use frozen ones, just rinse off any ice crystals; there’s no need to thaw them for this recipe.

Granola gives this homey dessert a crunch similar to a peach crisp.

Comfort Food

Cinnamon-Raisin Bread Pudding

3 large eggs, beaten

½ cup sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 cup milk

1 cup whipping cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted

1 (1-pound) cinnamon-raisin bread loaf, cut into 1-inch cubes

½ cup chopped pecans, toasted

Whipped cream (optional)

• Whisk together first 4 ingredients in a large bowl; stir in milk, cream, vanilla, and butter. Add bread cubes and pecans, stirring gently just until bread is moistened. Cover and chill 1 hour.

• Pour bread mixture into a lightly greased 2½-quart soufflé dish; cover with aluminum foil. Pour 1 cup water into a 6-quart round slow cooker; place a wire rack to fit cooker on bottom. Set soufflé dish on rack.

• Cover and cook on HIGH 3 hours or until a sharp knife comes out clean. Cool slightly before serving. Serve warm with whipped cream, if desired. Makes 8 servings.

Slow-Cooker Size: round 6-quart

Prep: 13 minutes

Cook: 3 hours

Other: 1 hour

Test Kitchen Secret

To quickly make 1-inch bread cubes, stack bread slices and cut vertically into thirds; then cut crosswise into thirds.

A slow cooker gives this classic dessert the gentle heat it needs to cook to perfection.

15 Minutes or Less to Prep

Caramel Bread Pudding

3 large eggs

2½ cups milk

1 cup whipping cream

¾ cup sugar

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 (12-ounce) day-old French bread loaf, cut into 1-inch cubes

½ cup raisins

1 (20-ounce) bottle caramel topping (we tested with Smucker’s Caramel Sundae Syrup)

• Whisk together first 6 ingredients in a large bowl. Add bread cubes and raisins, stirring gently to blend. Cover and chill 1 hour.

• Spoon bread mixture into a lightly greased 5-quart slow cooker.

• Cover and cook on LOW 4½ hours or until set. Serve with caramel topping. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Slow-Cooker Size: 5-quart

Prep: 10 minutes

Cook: 4 hours, 30 minutes

Other: 1 hour

On Hand

If you keep a bottle of caramel topping in the pantry, you can make this recipe any time you have leftover French bread.

Caramel topping turns this simple bread pudding into something extra special.

Comfort Food

Maple-Glazed Pears

6 Bosc pears, peeled, cored, and halved (pears need to be firm but ripe)

½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar

2 tablespoons maple syrup

2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted

⅛ teaspoon ground ginger

⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Vanilla ice cream (optional)

Caramel sauce (optional)

• Place pears in a 4-quart slow cooker.

• Combine brown sugar and next 4 ingredients in a small bowl. Pour over pears.

• Cover and cook on LOW 4 hours or until pears are tender but still hold their shape. Serve warm plain or with ice cream and caramel sauce. Makes 6 servings.

Slow-Cooker Size: 4-quart

Prep: 13 minutes

Cook: 4 hours

Test Kitchen Secret

We found that Bosc pears worked best in this recipe. They tend to be drier and firmer than other varieties, which makes them perfect for the slow cooker.

Tender pears in a buttery brown sugar sauce beg for a scoop of ice cream—caramel sauce takes them over the top.

Comfort Food

Cinnamon Apples

6 medium Granny Smith apples, peeled and cut into eighths

1 tablespoon lemon juice

½ cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

½ cup chopped walnuts

½ cup maple syrup

¼ cup sweetened dried cranberries (we tested with Craisins)

¼ cup butter, melted

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

2 tablespoons water

1 tablespoon cornstarch

• Combine apples and lemon juice in a 4-quart slow cooker; toss well to coat. Add brown sugar and next 5 ingredients, combining well.

• Cover and cook on LOW 3 hours.

• Stir together water and cornstarch in a small bowl; stir into apples.

• Cover and cook on LOW 3 more hours or until apples are tender. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Slow-Cooker Size: 4-quart

Prep: 16 minutes

Cook: 6 hours

Serving Suggestion

Serve these sweet apples alone or over ice cream or pound cake.

The aroma of cinnamon scents the air as these tender apples simmer.

Peppermint-Coated Pretzels

1 (16-ounce) package pretzel nuggets (we tested with Snyder’s of Hanover Sourdough Pretzel Nuggets)

2 (16-ounce) packages vanilla bark coating squares, coarsely chopped

2 cups (12-ounce package) white chocolate morsels

1 (4-ounce) package white chocolate baking bars, broken into pieces

1 (16-ounce) package hard peppermint candies, finely crushed and divided (about 2 cups)

½ teaspoon peppermint extract

• Combine first 4 ingredients in a 4-quart slow cooker.

• Cover and cook on LOW 2 hours. Stir chocolate mixture; add 1¼ cups crushed peppermint candies and peppermint extract, stirring well to coat.

• Drop pretzel mixture by heaping tablespoons onto wax paper. Sprinkle remaining ¾ cup crushed peppermint candies evenly on pieces before they set. Let stand until firm. Makes 4½ pounds or about 80 pieces.

Slow-Cooker Size: 4-quart

Prep: 34 minutes

Cook: 2 hours

Holiday Gift

These pretzels, with their festive candy coating, make great gifts around the holidays. Place the peppermints in a zip-top freezer bag, and crush with a rolling pin. Take your time when crushing the peppermints—you don’t want large pieces or fine crumbs.

Bark coating firms up this crunchy candy, and white chocolate boosts the flavor.

15 Minutes or Less to Prep

Triple Chocolate-Covered Peanut Clusters

1 (16-ounce) jar dry-roasted peanuts

1 (16-ounce) jar unsalted dry-roasted peanuts

18 (2-ounce) chocolate bark coating squares, cut in half

2 cups (12-ounce package) semisweet chocolate morsels

1 (4-ounce) package German chocolate baking squares, broken into pieces

1 (9.75-ounce) can salted whole cashews

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• Combine first 5 ingredients in a 3½- or 4-quart slow cooker.

• Cover and cook on LOW 2 hours or until melted. Stir chocolate mixture. Add cashews and vanilla, stirring well to coat cashews.

• Drop nut mixture by heaping tablespoonfuls onto wax paper. Let stand until firm. Store in an airtight container. Makes 5 pounds or about 60 clusters.

Slow-Cooker Size: 3½- or 4-quart

Prep: 15 minutes

Cook: 2 hours

Freeze It!

Clusters may be frozen up to 1 month.

Get your chocolate fix here!

Company’s Coming • 5 Ingredients or Less

Caramel Fondue

2 (14-ounce) packages caramels, unwrapped

2 (14-ounce) cans sweetened condensed milk

Apple slices

Pound cake squares

• Place caramels in a 3-quart slow cooker; stir in condensed milk.

• Cover and cook on LOW 3½ hours, stirring occasionally, until caramels melt and mixture is smooth. Serve with apple slices and pound cake squares. Makes 4½ cups or 18 servings.

Slow-Cooker Size: 3-quart

Prep: 12 minutes

Cook: 3 hours, 30 minutes

Party Plan

Keep this fondue warm in the slow cooker for easy dipping. Reheat any leftovers in the microwave, stirring at 1-minute intervals until heated through.

Make fondue the hit of the party at your next gathering.

Company’s Coming

White Chocolate-Coconut Fondue

For this supersweet fondue we preferred not-so-sweet dippers, such as fresh pineapple chunks, graham cracker sticks, cubes of buttery pound cake, and dried apricots.

1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

½ cup coconut milk

2 tablespoons light rum

6 (4-ounce) packages white chocolate baking bars, broken into large pieces

1 (8.8-ounce) container mascarpone cheese, softened

1 cup sweetened flaked coconut, toasted

½ teaspoon coconut extract

• Combine first 3 ingredients in a 3-quart slow cooker. Stir in chocolate and cheese.

• Cover and cook on LOW 1 hour. Stir until melted and smooth. Stir in toasted coconut and coconut extract. Keep warm until ready to serve. Makes 5½ cups or 22 servings.

Slow-Cooker Size: 3-quart

Prep: 11 minutes

Cook: 1 hour

Party Tip

For a fun presentation, omit the toasted coconut at the end of the cooking time; have guests dip their treats in the fondue and then roll them in toasted coconut.