Summer to Fall via Dessert on Our Back Deck

When an idea pops in my head for a yummy meal, I have to make it right away to see if it's as good in reality as in theory. The idea this time was for something that would encompass both the end of summer and the coming of Fall. I love these two seasons and love that they can both be represented in one dish. The combination? Mango sorbet with fresh nectarines and dragonfruit with big molasses cookies to dip it in.  So so good.
I rarely make dessert, but Cam was a huge fan of this one, as was my sweet tooth.

The local dragonfruit are in abundance at our neighborhood farmer's market right now.

It's so hot here right now that I froze the molasses cookies after baking to make them crunchier and easier to dip into the sorbet. If you bake the cookies ahead of time, you have a dessert that would only take a minute or two to put together.

 In the few minutes it took to snap these photos, the heat turned my sorbet into soup.

{all photos Copyright Amanda Marshall}

Molasses Cookies for Dipping:

*Recipe adapted from All Recipes*

2 1/4 C Flour

2 Teaspoons Ground Ginger

1 Teaspoon Baking Soda

3/4 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon

1 Teaspoon Nutmeg

1/4 Teaspoon Salt

3/4 Cup Butter

1 Cup Sugar

1 Egg

1 Teaspoon Water

1/3 Cup Molasses

Preheat oven to 350 Degrees. Stir together flour, spices & salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in the egg, then the water and molasses. Fold in the flour mixture.  Roll the dough into walnut sized pieces and roll them each in a small bowl of white sugar before placing on the cookie sheet. Bake for about 10 minutes or until lightly browned and soft in the middle. 

Serve hot or freeze for later with mango sorbet & freshly sliced nectarine & dragonfruit or your favorite summer fruit. Enjoy!