Desserts on Bruce loves to cook

Carrot cake

Thu, 18 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This is my favourite cake. Cover it in a light cream cheese icing with a hint of lemon, and serve at room temperature. Also makes a great breakfast with tea.

Bienenstich

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This is one of our cherished family recipes. It’s a light, sweet dessert, that serves well with coffee or tea.

This is a Rille Family Recipe! Oma Rille’s sister, Erika, used to make this cake for each family gathering and it was always a family favourite. It was almost not a Rille Family gathering without Bienenstich. I had asked my Great Auntie Erika for this recipe a few times and she replied that she thought she had already given it to me. Then one day, I received a letter from Great Auntie Erika; she had written out the recipe and on the bottom of the recipe had written, “Good Luck, Happy Baking, Enjoy. Auntie Erika. Love you. Tell me how you made out.” Auntie Erika passed away before I ever had a chance to make the recipe and let her know how delicious it was! Now I try to make Bienenstich for Rille Family gatherings or events. I’m going to write out the recipe in the format of Auntie Erika’s letter.

Butter tarts

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This is a sweet and tasty treat, a cherished family recipe from the 1950s.

Grandma Rempel (Ann’s Mom) always used to make butter tarts and coconut jam tarts and this was her recipe. Back in the day, the tart shells were homemade, but as convenience became more convenient, the tarts went to the store-bought type.

Candied pecans

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

A sweet little treat! It’s a great snack to put out for a get-together or before dinner.

Ingredients

½ cup sugar
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp salt
1 egg white
2 tsp cold water
5 cups whole pecans

Method

Heat the oven to 110°C (225°F).

Chocolate chip cookie for one

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Ever want a quick snack and have a stocked pantry? This single cookie can serve 2 modestly, or 1 decadently. It’s based on a recipe from the Savvy Cookbook, with some tuning for our pantry.

Coconut jam tarts

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This is a family recipe from the 1950s.

Grandma Rempel (Ann’s Mom) always used to make butter tarts and coconut jam tarts and this was her recipe. Back in the day, the tart shells were homemade, but as convenience became more convenient, the tarts went to the store-bought type.

Crème brûlée

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

We had a craving for crème brûlée one day, and not having anywhere to go to have it, we decided to make it at home.

Ingredients

2¼ cups (560 ml) 35% cream
1 vanilla bean, or 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
5 egg yolks
¼ cup (60 ml) sugar
¼ cup (60 ml) sugar, for the topping

Method

Heat the oven to 165°C (325°F).

Double chocolate banana bread

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

We found this one when a craving for banana bread hit. Of all the recipes we looked at, the Smitten Kitchen version stood out. It has been reliable, is pretty easy, and always fills the craving.

German platz

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

A neighbour used to make this fruity coffee cake weekly. They had a huge boxy house with two kitchens, where the second kitchen was for making desserts and canning. I always thought having a kitchen for large batch cooking was a fantastic idea.

Grandma’s yukkie salad

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

A classic ambrosia-style salad from the Rempel family.

Ingredients

1 package (85 g) lemon Jell-O
2 packages (85 g each) strawberry Jell-O
2 packages (85 g each) cherry Jell-O (optional, for larger bowls)
1 cup miniature marshmallows
1 package (250 g) cream cheese, softened
1 container Cool Whip
1 can (398 ml / 14 oz) crushed pineapple, drained
7 cups boiling water
½ cup walnuts, chopped (optional)

Method

Dissolve the lemon Jell-O in 1 cup of the boiling water and let it cool slightly. Add the marshmallows and cream cheese and beat with a mixer on low until smooth. Chill until slightly thickened.

Marshmallow squares

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

A classic no-bake holiday square: peanut butter and butterscotch (or chocolate) fudge set around mini marshmallows.

Ann never had these growing up, but a friend posted a few pictures of making these during the 2020 holiday season. I asked for the recipe she used (from Food.com) and it turns out Bruce used to have these as a childhood treat. They turned out well, brought back nostalgic memories, and will continue to be a holiday treat.

Neapolitan strips

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This is a recipe from our childhood: a three-layer icebox cookie, chocolate, vanilla, and cherry, chilled in a log and sliced.

Ann made this recipe with an elementary school friend, Shannon Donselaar. This was our favourite treat.

Oliebollen

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

These are a sort of deep-fried doughnut. Various western European cultures make a variant of these around the holidays, and some call them a New Year’s cookie.

Ingredients

3–4 cups flour
1 cup white sugar
3 heaping tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
up to 1 tsp cinnamon (optional; more is overpowering)
2 eggs
2–2½ cups milk, enough to make a thick, scoopable batter
1 cup raisins
3 small apples (or 2 large), diced
canola or similar oil, for frying
icing sugar, to roll in

Method

Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in a bowl. Add the eggs, then stir in the milk until the batter is thick and scoopable. Fold in the raisins and apples. Mix only until combined.

Our favourite chocolate chip cookies

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

What else is there to say! Once we found this recipe, it became our family favourite. You can use vanilla, chocolate, or butterscotch pudding depending on the type of cookie you’re craving, and mix up the chips for even more variety.

Peach (or any fruit) crisp

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This is a classic summer treat, with peaches from the Okanagan.

Fruit filling

2 cans peaches in juice (398 ml / 14 oz each), drained with the juice reserved
100 g white sugar (½ cup), or to taste
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon peach schnapps (optional)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon lemon juice
¼ teaspoon salt

Whisk the reserved juice, sugar, cornstarch, schnapps, cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon juice, and salt together in a cold saucepan until no lumps of cornstarch remain. Bring to a simmer over medium-low, stirring, until the sauce turns glossy and thick enough to coat a spoon. Stir in the peaches and set aside to cool.

Peanut butter Nanaimo bars

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

A Nanaimo bar with a peanut butter middle layer in place of the custard. A family recipe, checked against a Food Network version.

Cookie base

½ cup unsalted butter
¼ cup sugar
⅓ cup cocoa
1 large egg, beaten
1¾ cups graham cracker crumbs
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
½ cup blanched almonds, finely chopped

Line a 20 cm (8 in) square pan with aluminum foil, leaving long flaps hanging over each edge.

Rocky road brownies

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Fudgy brownies swirled with a toasted marshmallow meringue, from the assistant pastry chef at Tiny Lou’s in Atlanta’s Hotel Clermont.

This recipe is an original from the Assistant Pastry Chef at Tiny Lou’s located inside the Hotel Clermont, Atlanta, Georgia. Dad & I have each stayed at Hotel Clermont individually and together. On our first trip together (January 2020), we ate at Tiny Lou’s 6 times! On one of our first nights, the waitress handed us a free dessert to take back up to our room. We were not sure what it was, but Dad loved it. So the next day we asked at the restaurant what it was that they had given us, and they replied that the Assistant Pastry Chef was playing around with a new recipe and it was a rocky road brownie. The next night we had dinner at Tiny Lou’s, they sent us up with 2 more brownies. We thanked the staff and let them know we really enjoyed the treats, and on the final day, the staff provided us with the rocky road brownie recipe written out and 4 more brownies to take with us.

Sweet potato pie

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

We watched Alton Brown make this on Food TV, then had to try it for ourselves, and loved it!

Ingredients

540 g (1 lb 3 oz) sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1¼ cups plain yogurt
¾ cup dark brown sugar, packed
½ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp nutmeg
5 egg yolks
pinch of salt
one 23 cm (9 in) deep-dish frozen pie shell
1 cup pecans, chopped and toasted
1 tbsp maple syrup

Method

Steam the sweet potatoes until fork-tender, about 20 minutes. Mash with a potato masher.

Toblerone shortbread

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

One of our favourite family Christmas traditions! Shortbread balls, each hiding a piece of Toblerone.

Ann & Bruce first had these cookies made by Linda, a coworker at Discover Software. We loved them and have been making them every holiday season since.

Triple-layered double pumpkin cheesecake

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Three layers over a graham crust: a baked pumpkin cheesecake, a set cream cheese mousse, and whipped cream on top.

Crust

Graham crumbs, enough to cover the bottom of your pan (or half graham and half chocolate or Oreo crumbs)
¼ cup butter, melted
A sprinkle of cinnamon

Heat the oven to 150°C (300°F).

Unbaked cookies

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

These are a classic no-bake chocolate oat cookie from our childhood.

These cookies Grandma Rempel (Ann’s Mom) used to make all the time! These were such a treat for me and Teresa. So easy to make and so nostalgic.

Welsh cakes

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This is a classic family recipe for Welsh cakes, sweet griddle cakes studded with currants. They are dense, sweet, and filling.

Grandpa Rempel had a Welsh background. This recipe was given by his family, yet it has been Grandma Rempel and Ann who continue to make this recipe. They are great on their own, topped with cream cheese icing, or warmed and served with butter. Gluten-free flour can be substituted for the all-purpose flour and they still taste the same!

White Rock cheesecake

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

An unbaked, whipped cheesecake on a graham crust, set overnight in the fridge.

Originally from Afterthoughts Dessert Restaurant back from Ann’s working days.

Crust

graham crumbs, enough to cover the bottom of the pan (or half graham and half Oreo crumbs)
¼ cup butter, melted
a sprinkle of cinnamon

Heat the oven to 150°C (300°F).

Almond chocolate cake

Sat, 09 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This is a lovely, light, chocolate cake.

Mechanic

The beaten eggs and sugar are the only leavening: no flour, no baking powder. Beat until the mixture has tripled in volume and gone very pale; this is what lifts the cake. Ground almonds give it structure and a dense, fudgy crumb. Don’t overbake: the skewer test fails here. You want the crust firm and the interior still moist.

Never-fail chocolate cake

Sat, 09 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This is the chocolate cake of my childhood, but using a more nuanced technique.

Mechanic

About 1:3.6 cocoa to flour by weight (75 g to 270 g). The fat combination (butter for flavour, oil for lasting moisture) outperforms either alone. One-bowl method: wet into dry. The batter is intentionally thin. Bake to touch, not skewer.

Crisp topping

Fri, 01 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This is a tasty topping for fruit, crisp casseroles, and other desserts.

Mechanic

The topping works as a top crust, a bottom crust, or both. Cold fat is what creates the crumbly, sandy texture; cut it in until the mixture clumps when pressed but stays loose otherwise. This v2 uses 60 g butter + 20 g neutral oil instead of all butter, which slightly reduces richness and keeps the oats crisping evenly. Sugar is high (130 g, more than the oats and flour combined), which is what caramelizes and crisps the top; use less when the fruit is already sweet.

Fruit crisp (individual)

Fri, 17 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Sometimes you just want a small portion of crisp. For science, of course.

Ingredients

Filling

500 g (3 cups) fresh or frozen berries or stone fruit
50 g granulated sugar (¼ cup)
2 teaspoons cornstarch (use 1½ tablespoons for a thicker filling)
10 ml lemon juice (2 teaspoons)
pinch of salt
½ teaspoon vanilla extract (for stone fruit and berry combinations)

Topping

45 g old-fashioned rolled oats (½ cup)
60 g salted butter, melted (¼ cup)
50 g brown sugar (¼ cup)
30 g all-purpose flour (¼ cup)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon cinnamon

Method

Heat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Grease 4 ramekins.

Rice pudding

Sat, 01 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Sweet, soft, and comfort in a bowl. Great with fruit or ice cream.

Mechanic

Adding the beaten egg early lets it temper gradually as the mixture heats, producing a smooth, custardy texture rather than scrambled flecks. Target about 70°C; the egg starts to curdle above about 80°C.