12/05/2026
Tue, 12 May at 4:10 pm
ABC Radio May 12th 2026 BUDGET SWEETS & TREATS
Rice Pudding with Variations….
1-1/2 cups cooked rice
1/4 cup dried cherries, dried pineapple, or golden raisins
2 large eggs
1-1/2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Additional Cream, optional
How To:
Place cooked rice and dried fruit of choice in a greased casserole. In a small bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, sugar and nutmeg; pour over rice.
Bake, uncovered, at 155° for 45-50 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool. Pour cream over each serving if desired. Refrigerate leftovers.
Handy Dandies: Spice it up: This recipe for rice pudding uses nutmeg for a touch of spice, but you could certainly mix in other spices to complement that addition. Consider adding cinnamon or cardamom to enhance the flavor profile, along with vanilla extract.
Go sweeter: How do you make rice pudding sweeter? Try sprinkling the top of the cooked rice pudding recipe with brown sugar, or drizzle it with honey or maple syrup.
Add dried fruit: The choice to include raisins is up to you. If you prefer another option, try dried cranberries or blueberries for a pop of fruit.
Use another milk: This recipe shows how to cook rice pudding with whole milk for a creamy texture. You could certainly use a nondairy milk option, or consider coconut milk for even more flavor.
Crispy Vanilla Cookies
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup 2% milk
Directions
In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with milk. Cover and refrigerate 15-30 minutes or until easy to handle.
Preheat oven to 170°. On a floured surface, roll out dough to 1/8-in. thickness. Cut into desired shapes using a 2-in. cookie cutter. Place 2 in. apart on greased baking sheets.
Bake 10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool completely.
Handy Dandies: Add citrus zest: Finely grate lemon or orange zest into the creamed butter and sugar to brighten the cookies and add a fragrant finish.
Swap the extract: Use almond or lemon extract instead of vanilla for a distinct flavor that pairs nicely with a crisp texture.
Sandwich with jam: For a simple, classic cookie sandwich, spread a thin layer of raspberry or apricot jam between two cookies.
Stir in warm spices: Whisk ground cardamom or nutmeg into the dry ingredients to add gentle warmth without overpowering the vanilla.
Fudge Pops
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup baking cocoa
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 cups whole milk
2 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream, whipped
Freezer pop molds or paper cups (3 ounces each) and wooden pop sticks
In a heavy saucepan, combine sugar, cocoa, cornstarch and salt. Gradually add milk. Bring to a boil over medium heat; boil and stir for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in butter and vanilla.
Transfer pudding mixture to a large mixing bowl. Let cool for 30 minutes, stirring often. Fold in whipped cream. Pour into pop molds or 3-oz. paper cups; attach lids to molds. If using cups, top with foil and insert pop sticks through foil. Freeze until firm, 3-4 hours.FYI: Do you need popsicle molds to make homemade fudge pops?
Nope! You can divide the pudding pop mix between small paper cups, cover the tops of the cups with foil and punch a popsicle stick through the foil.
Croissant Brittle Inspired by Sea Wolf bakery in Seattle
4-6 croissants
1/4 cup heavy cream
¼ cup milk of your choice
3/4 cup granulated sugar, plus more for sprinkling
1 teaspoon salt
Directions
Heat the oven to 150°C. Line 2 sheet pans with parchment or silicone mats.
Using a serrated knife, slice the croissants—horizontally, as if you were making a sandwich—into thin slices (figure 1/4- to 1/2-thick). Depending on the croissant, you should be able to get about 3 pieces out of each.
Heat the cream and milk on the stove over low heat until very warm. Turn off the heat and add the sugar and salt. Stir until the sugar has totally dissolved. Pour into a shallow bowl.
Using your hands, dip one croissant piece in the syrup and flip over to completely coat. Gently squiiiiiish the soaked piece between your fingers to squeeze out some excess. (It should still be soaked, just not dripping.) Transfer to a lined sheet pan.
One sheet pan will be for bigish pieces (roughly 5 x 3 inches). The other will be for smallish pieces (roughly 3 x 2 inches). These cook for different amounts of time, so dividing them will come in handy soon!
Repeat with the remaining croissant pieces, spreading them out on the sheet pans evenly. Sprinkle each croissant piece with a little sugar.
Bake for about 45 minutes, rotating the sheet pans halfway through: top to bottom, front to back. At the 45-minute mark, check in with the brittle. The smallish pieces are probably done—remove that sheet pan from the oven. The bigish pieces probably need another 5 to 10 minutes. The brittle is done when it is deeply browned, with the outside the color of dark caramel and the inside, honey. It shouldn’t be crispy to the touch, but fairly firm, with very little give. (Just be quick and careful when touching, since the sugar is hot.) When the brittle cools, it should be completely crisp, with no give at all. If it has cooled for 10 to 15 minutes and still feels softish to the touch, just continue to bake for another 5 minutes, then check again.
Cool on the sheet pan until you can easily remove the brittle. The easiest way to do this is slowly peel the parchment away from the brittle, not the brittle away from the parchment. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
This keeps for well over a week in an airtight container—though we don’t expect you to have it around that long.
Emma’s Brown-Sugared Apples & Cream (or Pear) ---SERVES 1
Ingredients
1 medium to large Granny Smith apple or Bartlett Pear, peeled and very thinly sliced
2 tablespoon(packed!) light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus more to sprinkle
¼ teaspoon ginger
3 tablespoon heavy cream
Directions
In a shallow bowl, toss the sliced fruit with the brown sugar, salt, and spices. Let sit for about 10 minutes, tossing once or twice, until very syrupy. Pour the cream around the perimeter and sprinkle more cinnamon on top.
Turn on the broiler after you combine the apples, brown sugar, salt, and spices—
In a broiler-safe dish. When the broiler is hot, add the cream to the sugared apples, and slide the dish under the broiler. Cook for about 5 minutes, until bubbly and browning on top.
Sprinkle more spice.
Eat. Alone, On yogurt, toast, crumpet, pancakes, cottage cheese, a toasted cheese sandwich, ice cream, etc etc etc
