Oh yeah, baby. I went there. Scrounging for something for dessert this evening, the only sweets I could find in the house were a couple of packages of Twinkies. Ugh. I needed more. I had a hankering for something fruity and creamy. I found most of a 6oz container of blackberries left in the fridge that needed to be eaten up very soon and I had some heavy whipping cream. Perfect! This is one of the recipes that I really didn’t measure because I just threw it together. So these measurements are approximate. This recipe makes one serving and aside from the time it takes the compote to cook, takes all of about five minutes to prepare.

Twinkies with Warm Blackberry Compote

1 package of Twinkies

Compote                                                                                                                        4oz blackberries                                                                                                                ¼ cup sugar                                                                                                                        2 tbsps water

 Topping                                                                                                                             1/3 cup heavy whipping cream                                                                                          1/8 tsp vanilla                                                                                                                     1 tbsp sugar

Make your compote by combining water sugar and berries in a pot over medium heat. Let the mixture come to a low boil stirring often. Let the mixture simmer until the juices thicken to a syrupy consistency. Set aside to cool a bit. In a small bowl, mix heavy whipping cream, vanilla, and sugar until desired consistency is reached (some people like their whipped cream a little thicker than others but be careful not to over-whip our you’ll have butter pretty quickly with this small amount). Top Twinkies with warm compote then a dollop of whipped cream and enjoy!

I’d like to take a moment to say a word about equipment here. I had the pleasure of working for a high end foodie catalog that sold kitchen appliances, tools, and sometimes food. I can say first hand, that although some products may seem outrageously priced, many have merit. For example, you probably wouldn’t want me to choose between my Scanpan set and, well, anyone or anything up to and including certain humans. The same thing goes for my Kitchenaid mixer, Wusthof and Shun knives, and my Cuisinart 7-speed hand mixer with the swiveling cord (If you’re a lefty, you might understand). In the case of this recipe, my Cuisinart hand mixer made whipping cream into whipped cream in less than 30 seconds. If you have the opportunity check out some of the better brands in kitchen tools and appliances. Like many other jobs, the right tools make all the difference.

And with that, I’ll leave you to your Twinkies and you imaginations! As always, please share your similar culinary adventures and thoughts.