dessert Archives - Wild Blueberries

Naturally-Colored Wild Blueberry Buttercream Frosting

I grew up on homemade birthday cakes that my mom made. She liked to pipe roses with trailing leaves and create renderings of our favorite cartoon characters—all with pastry bags of brightly-colored frosting.

Now that I’m a mom, I’ve continued the tradition of home-baked cakes with one important tweak: I’ve swapped out the standard bottles of food dyes with natural colors. After all, there’s growing concern that fake food dyes may not be good for health, especially for children. And there are so many brilliant hues you can find right in nature.

The intense, natural color of Wild Blueberries lends itself perfectly to tinting frosting. That color is thanks to the anthyocyanins in the berries, pigments that make Wild Blueberries so deeply blue and also give them their powerful antioxidant protection. Did you know that Wild Blueberries have twice the antioxidants as their tame, cultivated cousins?

This frosting recipe is a classic buttercream. The only way to get frosting that stands up to piping and holds its shape is with butter and a smidge of organic shortening, so it’s a sweet splurge for sure! But the recipe also uses a full cup of frozen fresh Wild Blueberries. I decided to cook up a thick, syrupy berry mash and use the whole fruit instead of just straining out the juice. I love the tiny purple flecks and bits of berries swirled through the frosting. And Wild Blueberries’ sweet-tart taste gives this frosting a great flavor too.

Because you’re using frozen Wild Blueberries, available in the freezer section along with the other frozen fruit, you can make this frosting recipe year round to top your favorite cake, cupcake and cookie recipes for birthdays, holidays, and other special occasions. And feel free to add even more frozen Wild Blueberries to the top of your treats to give them an added pop of color and flavor.

Dessert for Breakfast: Wild Blueberry Banana Split Smoothie Bowl

Ice cream is by far my favorite dessert. It’s the perfect blend of cold, creamy and delicious. I have often said if I could have one food wish it would be to eat as much ice cream as I wanted (French fries, too, but that’s a whole different story)!

Since I don’t recommend ice cream consumption on a daily basis, I love looking for ice-cream-like substitutes. Blended banana ice cream is one. Have you tried that yet? It’s super easy. You just blend frozen bananas with your high powered blender and voila, you have ice cream. I don’t always have frozen bananas on hand so it helps to plan ahead.

Smoothie bowls are another way to “ice cream” deliciousness. A smoothie bowl is super simple too. You just whip up your favorite smoothie combination (making sure to keep it thick) and eat it with a spoon out of a bowl, rather than slurping it up through a straw. An added benefit of a smoothie bowl is that you can add lots of fun toppings.

This Wild Blueberry Banana Split Smoothie Bowl is my take on the beloved favorite. Believe it or not, the banana split was invented over 100 years ago! Walgreens pharmacy in Chicago is credited with spreading the popularity of the now legendary banana split (as well as the malted milkshake and a few other ice cream treasures). Back in the 1920’s, your local drug stores also had soda fountains, serving ice cream and milkshakes while you waited to pick up your prescriptions. Once they started serving the banana split sundae, it quickly became a hit across all of their Illinois stores, and eventually nationwide, making the banana split a household name.

What I love about my Wild Blueberry Banana Split Smoothie Bowl is that it’s creamy and decadent, just like the real thing. It’s also super cold, thanks to the frozen Wild Blueberries and my keep-the-bananas-in-the-fridge trick. Wild Blueberries are frozen within 24 hours of harvest, when their flavor and antioxidant goodness are at their peak. Wild Blueberries contain less water than regular blueberries so when frozen, they maintain their shape, color, flavor and nutritional value. This makes for a potent dose of antioxidant power with every bite!

To keep this dessert nice and thick, I blend the frozen fresh Wild Blueberries with chocolate hazelnut butter and just a little bit of almond milk. The creamy, chocolatey, nutty flavored base pairs perfectly with the cold bananas and fresh berries. Instead of a chocolate syrup topping I opt for cacao nibs. The nibs provide a healthy hit of chocolate taste (and some crunch) in each bite.

Compared to a real banana split, this smoothie bowl is downright healthy. It’s low in added sugar and big on intense Wild Blueberry flavor!

How to Make a Healthy Smoothie Taste Like Dessert

Dessert for breakfast. It sounds too good to be true, right? But what if I told you that you could have apple pie, strawberry cheesecake or Wild Blueberry cobbler as your first meal of the day? When it comes to smoothies, anything is possible. With the versatility of smoothie making, you can transform your favorite desserts into your go-to morning beverage or afternoon pick-me-up.

Wild Blueberry Coconut Cream Pie Smoothie-3

How do you mimic the indulgent taste of dessert in a smoothie while keeping it healthy? There are a few tricks of the trade to make a healthy smoothie taste just like dessert.

Keep it sweet. Be sure to add enough fruit, like Wild Blueberries, which have an intense blueberry flavor, to keep your smoothie sweet enough for a sweet tooth craving. For extra natural sweetness, add dates, bananas or spices like cinnamon that enhance a sweet taste profile.
Make it rich. We love desserts because of their indulgent taste and texture. The good news is you can add rich flavor to smoothies using healthy ingredients like Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, avocado, frozen banana, soaked cashews, silken tofu, oats or canned coconut milk.
Capture the flavor. Think about the ingredients that give your favorite dessert its unique taste and add them to your smoothie! Not sure how this works?

Let’s create some dessert smoothies together and you’ll get my gist.

Apple Pie Smoothie

Apple Pie, a classic rustic dessert we all know and love. What goes into an apple pie? Apples, lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, flour and butter. How can we translate this to a smoothie using the checklist above?

Keep it sweet. Add apples! The cinnamon will also help to enhance the sweetness of the apples. If you need additional sweetness, add a date or two.
Make it rich. Add Greek yogurt or cottage cheese for a creamy, indulgent texture. Dairy-free? Try adding soaked cashews, silken tofu or oats to do the trick.
Capture the flavor. We know that apple pie gets its distinct taste from those delicious warming spices so be sure to add cinnamon and nutmeg to your smoothie!

Wild Blueberry Coconut Cream Pie Smoothie-1

Wild Blueberry Crisp Smoothie

Let’s try another one. Wild Blueberry Crisp. Who doesn’t love a fresh fruit crisp during the summer months. How do you make Wild Blueberry Crisp? Frozen Wild Blueberries, lemon, flour, oats, cinnamon, nuts, butter and sugar. Let’s translate this to smoothie speak.

Keep it sweet. Frozen fresh Wild Blueberries have a more intense blueberry flavor than regular, cultivated blueberries, imparting a delicious sweet flavor for your smoothie. Not enough for your sweet tooth? Add a little more cinnamon or a couple dates to boost sweetness.
Make it rich. Once again Greek yogurt or cottage cheese is going to give you that creamy, rich mouth feel we crave. Vegan? Try soaked cashews or silken tofu! Since oats are a staple ingredient in fruit crisp, be sure to add them for extra thickness.
Capture the flavor. Don’t forget to add those distinct ingredients like lemon zest and cinnamon and for a nutty flavor, add almonds, walnuts or pecans.

Got the hang of it yet? It’s super easy to transform your favorite desserts into healthy smoothies you can feel good about. Now here’s another one: Wild Blueberry Coconut Cream Pie Smoothie. You get all the elements of a classic dreamy coconut cream pie with a sweet Wild Blueberry twist.

Wild Blueberry Coconut Cream Pie Smoothie-2

Easy Low Sugar Easter Dessert: Wild Blueberry Fool

I had an amazing Fruit Fool a few years ago at a friend’s house. It’s one of those desserts you keep thinking about after eating it. For a dinner party or family gathering I think a Fruit Fool is a no-brainer; it’s super easy to make and a tasty treat for guests.

I love experimenting with frozen Wild Blueberries so I could not wait to try my hand at making a Wild Blueberry Fool. And if you know me, you know I had to health it up.

What is Fool? It’s actually an English dessert that dates back to the mid-17th century. I’m not sure why it’s called Fool, but don’t let the silly name stop you from trying it. Traditionally, Fool is made with just three ingredients: sugar, fruit and whipped cream. Oftentimes the fruit is stewed, pureed, and then folded into whipped cream. It’s similar to a trifle, but without the cake layers. In England, the traditional favorite fruit for Fool is the gooseberry. Clearly they haven’t tried my Wild Blueberry version!

I knew I could make the dessert a little healthier than the traditional version, while still keeping the essence of the dessert. I didn’t want to mess with stewing my frozen Wild Blueberries. I wanted to keep the refreshing bite and intense flavor of the berries and I wanted them to stay super cold. So instead of stewing, I blended! Greek yogurt was the perfect partner for this dessert and the perfect pairing with the Wild Blueberries. What other berry can create such a gorgeous purple color?

I knew I still had to use cream, but I got away with using much less. I whipped up about 8 ounces total (and added just one tablespoon of powdered sugar). I folded the antioxidant-rich yogurt and Wild Blueberry mix into the whipped cream. It was a marriage made in Wild Blueberry heaven! The result was the perfect amount of sweetness, the intense flavor of Wild Blueberries, and a little tang from the Greek yogurt. And I used less cream and sugar than the traditional recipe.

After creating my Wild Blueberry Fool, I went out to have dinner with a few girlfriends. I told my husband and daughter that I had left dessert in the fridge. I wasn’t sure if they would find the Fool sweet enough and I didn’t mention anything about it being low sugar or “healthy.”

I knew I hit a home run when Norah texted me to say this:

I think this Wild Blueberry Fool recipe would be the perfect ending to an Easter brunch or dinner. It’s a simple dessert that delivers intense flavor with a little bit of decadence.

Easy Holiday Braided Breakfast Bread with Wild Blueberry Filling

One of my favorite traditions is to make something special for breakfast on holiday mornings. Since I don’t consider myself a skilled baker, I usually pick a treat that is relatively easy to make, yet still looks impressive. You won’t find me kneading out dough or assembling baklava, that’s for sure! The last few years I’ve made a braided breakfast bread. I like it because I can change up the filling pretty easily, but the basics are the same. If there’s one thing I’ve learned about baking, the more you attempt a recipe, the better it gets. Indeed, this Braided Breakfast Bread gets more delicious each year.

Adding Wild Blueberries to the filling is a no-brainer; they are so versatile in the kitchen. Every time I use Wild Blueberries in a recipe, the dish is elevated to a new and delicious level. What I love most is how the intense flavor of Wild Blueberries complements savory and sweet dishes alike. The fact that frozen fresh Wild Blueberries are available year-round is an added bonus!

My mom and I created this recipe together in only a few minutes. We started by mixing some almond paste with ricotta cheese. If you like marzipan, you are already familiar with almond paste. Next we folded in Wild Blueberries, which created a beautiful purple color. We spread the mixture down the center of the dough.

To keep it simple, we used pizza crust as our dough, because it’s easy and tastes delicious! Should you want to get really fancy, you could make your own almond paste and dough. However, this girl likes to keep her baking as foolproof as possible.

Once we readied the dough and the mixture was in place, we began to braid the bread. Those are my mom’s busy hands, as mine were holding the camera. After a few tucks and folds, viola! Into the oven it went.

About 16 minutes later, out came this gorgeous braided bread, bursting with cheesy, Wild Blueberry goodness!

While the bread was baking, we whipped up this gorgeous Wild Blueberry glaze. What’s the point of making a Danish style bread and not glazing it up?

This Wild Blueberry Breakfast Danish is easy to tailor to your taste. Try using different types of cheese for the filling (mascarpone or cream cheese would be lovely), or swap the almond paste with lemon curd.

I enjoy making lasting memories with my family over the holidays. Preparing this sweet bread on holiday mornings is just one of them. What are some of your family’s holiday traditions?