The Best Dessert Recipe of 2024 Is So Good, It Deserves a Gold Medal
There’s no baking involved!
Photographer: Morgan Glaze/Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling/Prop Stylist: Christina Daley
Best Recipes 2024: We’re back for our 2nd annual Best Recipes showdown! For 2024 we combed through our more than 55,000 recipes to find a winner in each of the following five categories of Party Food: Champion Mains, Top-Notch Apps, Winning Brunch Bites, Gold Medal Sweets, and Prize-Worthy Sides.
The 2024 Olympic Games may have dominated the airwaves this summer, but the Allrecipes team had its own medal hunt (and a sweet one!) underway. As part of this year’s Party Food-themed Best Recipes 2024 competition, the game was afoot to name the Gold Medal Sweets recipe of 2024. How was the playoff organized? From a list of 10 delicious recipes selected by Allrecipes editors from hundreds on the site (they looked for treats that were easy to assemble, appealing to a variety of dessert-lovers, and festive enough for a party), the community had a chance to vote online for their favorites this summer. It was a great list, from creative recipes like Brownie Pie, Double Layer Pumpkin Cheesecake and even Air Fryer Lemon Freezer Cookies.The top two vote-getters then went on to be whipped up and taste-tested by a pair of Olympic-quality judges at the Birmingham test kitchens. Which did they pick for the gold medal? Read on to find out!
Morgan Glaze/Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling/Prop Stylist: Christina Daley
Meet the Judges
But first, meet our all-around winning judges!
Nicole McLaughlin: McLaughlin is a senior producer and on-camera talent for Allrecipes. With more than 20 years of experience in the culinary world, she has a bachelor's in restaurant and hospitality management from the University of Alabama and a culinary arts degree from Johnson and Wales University.
Roscoe Hall: Best known for competing in season 18 of Top Chef, Allrecipes contributor Hall began his culinary journey at Chez Panisse, where he trained under the legendary Alice Waters for two years. His cooking chops have taken him all over the country where he’s worked in kitchens from Portland, Oregon to New York City.
Meet the Two Contenders
Mini No-Bake Cheesecakes: A no-bake dessert, especially when entertaining, is always a winner. These adorable mini cheesecakes from recipe developer Kathryn Hendrix start with an easy graham cracker crust. Once that sets up in the freezer, a sweet and tangy no-bake cheesecake base is added on top along with a few raspberries. You can shake up the toppings, opting for toasted nuts or chocolate shavings once the berry season comes to a close. Plus, these stand up remarkably well in the freezer, meaning you can stash a batch in there and pop them out whenever you are in need of something sweet–even if the only party is in your kitchen after the kids go to bed!
Homemade Strawberry Crumble: While this strawberry crumble from Liv Dansky is certainly nostalgic, it’s got a few unique ingredients that make it really shine. First of all, chopped walnuts are added to the crumble topping, adding a lovely textural element. Next, a bit of ground ginger is used in place of standard cinnamon, giving the crumble a spicy warmth. Last but not least, white balsamic vinegar is tossed with the strawberries which really help to accentuate their inherent sweetness. This is a must-bake during strawberry season!
Photographer: Morgan Glaze/Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling/Prop Stylist: Christina Daley
What the Judges Had to Say
Mini No-Bake Cheesecakes: McLaughlin gave this a 5-star rating: ”The crust is so perfect,” she proclaimed, adding that she also loved the tang that the sour cream added to the base. In sum, McLaughlin felt like this shortcut version tasted just like a real cheesecake. Hall loved these mini cheesecakes as well, giving them another 5-star rating! He particularly loved the crust, and thought they were well-balanced and not too sweet.
Homemade Strawberry Crumble: While McLaughlin appreciated the inventive use of the white balsamic vinegar, she felt the smell was a little overpowering. That said, she did enjoy the fresh strawberry flavor and pointed out that the crumble was “nice and juicy.” Hall said, “The crumble is banging,” but would have liked a touch more ginger to really elevate the flavor.
And the Winner Is….
Proof that good things sometimes come in small packages! Plus, they are super fun. Hendrix suggests setting these out at your next party and allowing guests (especially kids!) to DIY their own toppings. Now that’s a gold-medal idea!
Read the original article on All Recipes.
