Recipes

Desserts and Drinks Inspired by The Golden Girls

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Bubbly Gergen Flergen

Rose’s Drink: Bubbly Gergen Flergen

Recipe credit Cozymeal

Ingredients

  • 1 oz gin
  • 1 barspoon of berry jam, such as lingonberry or raspberry
  • ½ oz fresh lemon juice
  • 2 oz sparkling wine
  • Soda water, to top
  • Swedish Fish gummy candy, for garnish

Directions

  1. In a shaker, muddle the jam with lemon juice.
  2. Add the gin and ice, then shake well.
  3. Strain the mixture into glasses and top with sparkling wine and soda water.
  4. Garnish with a few Swedish Fish candy.
Vodka and Black Underwear

Dorothy’s Drink: Vodka and Black Underwear

Recipe adapted from The Golden Girls Cookbook - Cheesecake & Cocktails by Christopher Styler

Ingredients

  • 1 oz Sambuca
  • 1 oz Black vodka
  • A few dashes vanilla extract
  • Lemon slices to garnish

Directions

  1. Fill a cocktail shaker 2/3 full of ice.
  2. Pour in the vodka and sambuca, then add the vanilla extract.
  3. Shake vigorously and then strain into coupes.
  4. Place the lemon slices over the coupe edges and serve.
The Sicilian Boss

Sophia’s Drink: The Sicilian Boss

Recipe by Gavan Knox

Ingredients

  • ½ oz Campari
  • ½ oz vermouth
  • 3/4 oz gin
  • 1 oz soda water
  • a slice of lemon, for garnish

Directions

  1. Fill a cocktail shaker ¾ full ice and combine all the ingredients, except for soda water.
  2. Shake vigorously.
  3. Pour into a tumbler glass, top with soda water and garnish with lemon slice.
Jumpy Virgin Seltzer

Blanche’s Drink: Jumpy Virgin Seltzer

Recipe by Gavan Knox

Ingredients

  • 1 cup hot tea (I find a flavour like a Lemon Pekoe works great)
  • ¾ cup fine sugar
  • 2 cups soda water
  • 2 cups ginger ale
  • Ice, to fill your glasses
  • Slices of lemon, for garnish
  • Fresh mint leaves, for garnish

Directions

  1. Prepare your tea, making it extra strong, by using 3 times more tea than usual and steep it for 5-6 minutes.
  2. In a medium bowl add in the fine sugar. Pour in the hot tea and whisk until the sugar is dissolved*.
  3. Fill a large jug with ice, the add in half the tea syrup, the soda water and ginger ale. Stir gently to combine.
  4. Serve in highball glasses garnished with lemon slices and fresh mint.
  5. You can adjust the final taste of the drink by adding more tea syrup or soda water to personal taste.

*You can chill this tea syrup in an airtight container for up to a week

Double Fudge Amaretto Ricotta Cheesecake

Sophia’s Dessert: Double Fudge Amaretto Ricotta Cheesecake

Recipe credit The Golden Girls Cookbook- Cheesecake & Cocktails, Christopher Styler

Ingredients

Cheesecake

  • 6 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped

Topping

  • 1 cup mascarpone cheese
  • 2 Tablespoons fine sugar
  • Pinch salt

To finish

  • 10 crunchy amaretti cookies, crumbled
  • 2/3 cup heavy/ whipping cream
  • 16ox cream cheese, softened to room temperature
  • ¾ cup fine sugar
  • ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa
  • 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 4 large eggs, room temperature
  • 15oz ricotta cheese, (smooth is possible)
  • 2 Tablespoons Amaretto, or other almond liqueur

Directions

  1. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F with a rack in centre position. Butter the sides and bottom of a 9-inch springform pan. Prepare the pan for a water bath by wrapping the bottom and sides of the pan tightly with aluminium foil. Make sure the pan can fit into a deep roasting pan.
  2. Heat the chocolate and cream in a small saucepan over a very low heat, whisking occasionally, until the chocolate is completely melted and the mixture is smooth and shiny. Remove the pan from the heat and carefully wrap a clean dish towel around the base to keep the mixture warm while you make the rest of the batter.
  3. In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese, sugar, cocoa, cornstarch and salt on medium-low speed until just creamy and lump-free, scrape down the sides of the bowl occasionally.
  4. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing at low speed until each is fully incorporated before adding the next. When all the eggs have been added, scrape down the sides of the bowl and give one final beating on low speed to combine any stray mixture.
  5. By hand, whisk in the melted chocolate mixture followed by the ricotta until thoroughly blended. Pour into your prepared cheesecake pan.
  6. Place the filled cheesecake pan into the roasting pan and place on the centre rack position. Carefully pour in enough hot water to reach about 1- 1 ½ inches up the sides of the cheesecake pan, then carefully position the whole pan assembly fully in your oven. Make sure not to get any water into the filled cheesecake pan.
  7. Reduce the oven temperature to 275 degrees F and bake for about 90 minutes - until most of the cheesecake is set and just the very centre is a little jiggly. Turn off the oven and leave the door slightly ajar (a wooden spoon helps here!)  Leave the cake to completely cool in the oven, for an hour at least.
  8. After this time remove the cake from the roasting pan bath to a cooling rack. Pour the almond liqueur over the top of the cheesecake and let cool completely. Transfer the cheesecake to your fridge and chill for a further 6 hours at least, or preferably overnight.
  9. After this time slide a knife or offset spatula around the edge of the cheesecake to separate it from the pan. Carefully remove the springform pan edge and allow the cheesecake to come to room temperature for best serving.
  10. Just before serving, make the topping by stirring all the ingredients together until just blended- be careful not to overmix or the mascarpone may split. Using an offset-spatula swirl this topping over the cheesecake, leaving a half-inch border around the cheesecake edge. Scatter the crumbled Amaretti cookies over the topping.

(*If the edges have become unsightly in separating from the springform, you can press any remaining crumbs onto the edge to help hide it)

St Olaf Friendship Cake

Rose’s Dessert: Vänskaps Kaka aka St. Olaf Friendship Cake

Recipe credit The Golden Girls Cookbook by Christopher Styler

Ingredients

  • 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup flaked almonds
  • 1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons butter, unsalted, room temperature
  • ¾ cup sugar
  • ¼ cup honey
  • 1 teaspoon almond extract
  • 4 eggs
  • ½ cup whole milk, room temperature
  • Powdered sugar, to finish

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Butter/ Grease and line a 9x5inch loaf pan.
  2. In a bowl, add the all-purpose flour, baking powder and salt, whisking to combine.
  3. Toast the almonds on a baking sheet in the preheated oven until very pale golden in colour, about 8 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside until needed.
  4. In the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment, beat the butter until creamy. Add in the sugar and beat until pale and fluffy, occasionally scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl.
  5. Add in the honey and almond extract, beating until well blended.
  6. Add in the eggs, one at a time, beating well to incorporate and scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
  7. On a low speed, add half the dry flour mixture and beat until about half blended. At this point add in the milk and continue to beat. When just a few streaks of flour remain, scrape the bottom and sides of bowl, and add in the remaining half of the dry flour mixture. Mix until no streaks of flour remain.
  8. Scrape the batter into your prepared loaf pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Sprinkle over the toasted, flaked almonds to top evenly.
  9. Bake for 45-50 minutes until the top is golden brown and a skewer comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool, in the pan, on a rack for 20 minutes.
  10. After its time turn the loaf cake out of its pan and allow to cool completely. Preferably overnight.
  11. To serve dust generously with powdered sugar, slice and enjoy!
Classic New York Cheesecake

Dorothy’s Dessert: Brooklyn Cheesecake

Recipe credit King Arthur Baking Company

Ingredients

Crust

  • ½ cup cake flour
  • 6 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided
  • ¾ teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon table salt
  • 3 tablespoons melted butter
  • 3 large eggs, separated
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar

Filling

  • 32 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup cornstarch
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 2 large eggs, at room temperature
  • ¾ cup whipping cream, at room temperature

Directions

To make the crust

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9″ round springform pan or deep 9″ round removable-bottom pan. (This cake is very tall, and requires an extra-deep pan- it should be at least 2 3/4″ deep). Wrap the bottom and sides of the pan with aluminium foil, preferably a single sheet
  2. Place the flour, 2 tablespoons of the sugar, the baking powder, salt, vegetable oil or butter, 3 egg yolks, and vanilla into a large mixing bowl. Beat until well combined; the mixture will be stiff and somewhat crumbly
  3. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar until they’re frothy. Add the remaining 4 tablespoons of sugar gradually, beating all the while, until the mixture is stiff and glossy
  4. Working in thirds, mix the beaten egg whites into the batter. Take care to keep the batter light; mix gently, don’t beat. You may find at the end there are still some tiny lumps in the batter; that’s fine
  5. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for about 15 minutes, until the cake has risen, is barely beginning to brown, and a toothpick or thin paring knife inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave the oven on
  6. Remove the cake from the oven, and immediately loosen the edges with a knife or thin spatula. Allow it to cool in the pan while you make the filling. (It’ll settle and shrink a bit as it cools; that’s OK.)

To make the filling:

  1. Place 8 oz of the cream cheese, 1/3 cup of the sugar, and the cornstarch in a mixing bowl. Mix on low speed until smooth
  2. Add the remaining cream cheese 8 oz at a time, beating on low speed until smooth
  3. Slowly beat in the remaining 1 1/3 cups sugar, and the vanilla extract
  4. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition
  5. Add the cream, beating just until blended
  6. Spoon the batter over the cake in the pan. (The filling will expand and rise, so make sure you don’t fill the pan right to the brim)
  7. Place the pan into a larger pan, or roasting pan, and fill the larger pan with enough hot water to come 1″ up the sides of the springform pan. Place both pans on a lower-middle rack of your oven
  8. Bake the cheesecake for 75 to 90 minutes, until the cake is just barely beginning to turn golden around the edges, and the top appears set. The centre will still look jiggly; that’s fine.
  9. Turn the oven off and open the door until slightly ajar. Allow the cheesecake to cool like this for at least another hour. After this time remove the cake from the water bath and oven. Allow it to cool on a rack at room temperature, undisturbed, for 2 to 3 hours, until it’s no longer warm to the touch
  10. Refrigerate the cake, covered, until you’re ready to serve it
  11. Serve and enjoy!
Chocolate Pecan Pie

Blanche’s Dessert: Chocolate Pecan Pie

*credit Sally McKenny from Sally’s Baking Addiction

Ingredients

Pie Crust (makes 2 no. 9-inch crusts)

  • 2 ½ cups (all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
  • 2/3 cup vegetable shortening, chilled
  • ½ cup ice cold water

Filling

  • 2 ½ cups pecans
  • 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 3 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 cup dark corn syrup
  • ½ cup packed dark brown sugar
  • ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
  • 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

To make the pie crust

  1. Whisk the flour and salt together in a large bowl.
  2. Add the butter and shortening. Using a pastry cutter or two forks, cut the butter and shortening into the mixture until it resembles coarse meal (pea-sized bits with a few larger bits of fat is OK)
  3. Measure ½ cup (f water in a cup. Add ice. Stir it around. From that, measure 1/2 cup (120ml) of water, since the ice has melted a bit. Drizzle the cold water in, 1 Tablespoon at a time, and stir with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon after every Tablespoon has been added. Stop adding water when the dough begins to form large clumps
  4. Transfer the pie dough to a floured work surface. Using floured hands, fold the dough into itself until the flour is fully incorporated into the fats. The dough should come together easily and should not feel overly sticky. Avoid overworking the dough. If it feels a bit too dry or crumbly, dip your fingers in the ice water and then continue bringing dough together with your hands. If it feels too sticky, sprinkle on more flour and then continue bringing dough together with your hands. Form it into a ball. Use a sharp knife to cut it in half. Gently flatten each half into 1-inch-thick discs using your hands
  5. Wrap each tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 5 days.
  6. After the dough has chilled for at least 2 hours, you can roll it out. This recipe only needs one dough disc so the other can be frozen for later
  7. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F
  8.  On a floured work surface, roll out one of the discs of chilled dough. Turn the dough about a quarter turn after every few rolls until you have a circle 12 inches in diameter. Carefully place the dough into a 9-inch pie dish. Tuck it in with your fingers, making sure it is smooth. Flute or crimp the pie crust edges. (NOTE: No need to pre-bake the crust.)

To make the filling

  1. Spread pecans evenly inside pie crust and sprinkle the chocolate chips evenly on top. Set aside
  2. Whisk the eggs, corn syrup, brown sugar, melted butter, vanilla, salt, and cinnamon together in a large bowl. Once completely combined and thick, pour evenly over pecans and chocolate chips
  3. Bake the pie for 40-50 minutes, or until the top is lightly browned. After the first 20 minutes of bake time
  4. Remove finished pie from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool completely. The pie filling will set as it cools.
  5. Allow to cool fully before serving.