The Conversation
It’s time to think outside of the dinnertime box and start using that bunch of herbs sitting in your fridge for something a little more indulgent. Get dessert (yes, dessert) in on the fresh-from-the-garden fun with these 20 sweet recipes. From frozen treats to cookies, these desserts all benefit from having some of our fave leafy seasonings mixed right in. Each goes beyond the expected mint to create all-new experiences for your taste buds. Scroll on through to be herb-mazed.
1. Flourless Chocolate Cake With Herbes de Provence: Homemade pepita pralines and a pour of bittersweet ganache scented with herbes de Provence lend this rich cake a slightly savory finishing flourish. (via Dinex Design)
2. Tarragon and Mint Ice Cream: You don’t even need a churn to whip up this creamy four-ingredient ice cream. An alternate, coconut-milk-based recipe is also included for those who eschew dairy (though you’ll need some extra equipment to make it). (via Golubka)
3. Peach Basil Galette With Whole Wheat Almond Crust: The almost minty, anise aroma of minced basil works beautifully with sweet summer peaches and a nutty crust in this gorgeous galette. (via The Kitchen Paper)
4. Apricots and Herbed Strawberries With Angel Food Cake: Top slices of store-bought angel food cake with the tantalizing blend of grilled, honey-sweetened apricots and macerated strawberries mixed with mint and just a hint of rosemary. It’s a delightful twist on the usual strawberry shortcake. (via Chow)
5. Rosemary Shortbread Bars With Dark Chocolate: Enjoy this tasty duo of buttery, rosemary shortbread and a chocolate wafer with your next cuppa tea. (via Buttered Up)
6. Herb Beignets: Served with a schmear of garlic butter and a sprinkle of Parmesan, these are far from your ordinary New-Orleans-style beignets coated in powdered sugar. (via Jane’s Adventures in Dinner)
7. Bay Laurel Pound Cake: Turn slices of this tender pound cake upside down to reveal a surprise herbal element: Bay leaves that are baked right into the bottom. (via Family Style Food)
8. Cherry Thyme Clafoutis (Gluten-Free): Made with almond flour, this grain-free cherry clafoutis — kind a of like a large, custardy baked pancake — is terrific for breakfast or dessert. (via Veggies and Gin)
9. Apple and Rosemary Mini Pies: Adding a few pinches of rosemary to this hand pie filling offers a delightful counterpoint to the sweet, caramel-y apples. (via Kitchen Highlights)
10. Lemon Verbena Ricotta Donuts With Blackberry Sauce: After you enjoy dipping these sweet fritters into a tangy blackberry-Greek-yogurt sauce, you may just want a whole dozen for yourself. (via Mr. Aplenglow)
11. Lemon Basil Yogurt Cake: Upon first glance, it’s easy to mistake this beaut for a lime-zest-flecked cake. But lime-flavored it is not. Instead, a bumper crop of minced basil and another citrus fruit reigns supreme: lemon. (via The Woks of Life)
12. Chocolate Orange Basil Brownies: As if fudgy brownies weren’t already delicious — folding in chopped walnuts, basil and a few dashes of orange oil takes each square to the next level. (via Some the Wiser)
13. Lemon Rosemary Sorbet: Rosemary-infused syrup adds depth to every scoop of this sweet-sour sorbet. (via A Brown Table)
14. Roberta’s Parsley Cake: Bookmark this very green, food-color-free cake for St. Patrick’s Day. (via Food52)
15. Chicken and Waffles Cake: Every layer of this moist buttermilk cake, down to the fried chicken garnish, is loaded with flavor. It’s hard to say whether the maple buttercream or spicy sage caramel sauce is the real star. Guess you’ll have to be the judge of that… (via Glazed and Confused)
16. Sweet Corn Cilantro Ice Cream: Cool off with sweet corn ice cream this summer. Be sure to wait ’til fresh ears from the farm stand are at their height of sweetness. (via The Merrythought)
17. Bacon Jam Crumble Bars: These bar cookies are dangerously easy to make. Whip up a batch the next time you’re craving bacon with a side of something sweet. (via 10th Kitchen)
18. Peppermint White Chocolate Tart With Candied Mint: You can top the hazelnut crust used for this tart with any number of things, but a minty, white chocolate ganache is great place to start. (via Adventures in Cooking)
19. Fluffy Salted Thyme Dark Chocolate Chunk Cookies: If cakier chocolate chip cookies are your style, you’re in for a real treat. Between the salted chocolate and thyme, these fluffy guys have a lot of good stuff goin’ on. (via The Baking Bird)
20. Spring Citrus Thyme Tart: Fresh thyme has an almost lemony flavor of its own, which makes it the perfect pairing for the oranges and grapefruit featured atop this creamy, citrus custard. (via Oh So Sweet Baker)
Share your favorite desserts that have an herbal side with us below!
Heather Sage is a gluten-free recipe developer and freelance writer living in Orlando by way of the Silicon Valley. When she isn’t playing around with alternative flours in the kitchen, she can be found tackling DIY projects around the house or exploring her neighborhood. Check out her gluten-free recipe blog, A Sage Amalgam.