Category: Desserts

Desserts · Fruit

Lemon-Blueberry Layered Dessert

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Why does Spring conjure up thoughts of lemon? Is it the soft color of yellow that comes to our minds, or the crisp, sweet-tart flavor that lemons give us when they are used in dishes. Whatever the reason, lemons seem to just scream “SPRING” and this recipe taken from Southern Living 2005 just seemed like the perfect dessert to serve next time we have friends or family coming over for dinner. I know you must think that my house is wall to wall magazines, but Mr. Randy has cracked the whip about throwing out old magazines, so now, he tells me to just go through them and cut out the ones that I want to keep, because we have no more end tables to stack magazines on and he refuses to give up bed space or breakfast table space for magazines. This recipe was ripped out when we moved back to Texas, before he had the chance to just pick up a stack and haul them to the dumpster.

Makes 8 servings

15 lemon cookies, coarsely crushed (about 2 cups)

1 (21 oz) can blueberry pie filling

1 (8 oz) container frozen whipped topping, thawed (hum…I just can’t do that, will have to make whipped cream, just don’t care to much for Cool Whip) so will whip up 1 cup of whipping cream, using about 1/4 cup sugar added.

1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk

1 (6 oz) can frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed

Sprinkle 1 tables crushed cookies into each of 8 (8 oz) parfait glasses. (or use pretty wine glasses)*you can actually make this into a trifle if desired instead of individual servings.

Spoon 1 1/2 tables pie filing over cookies in each glass.

Spoon condensed milk and lemonade into a bowl; mix well and then add the whipped topping and stir until combined. Spoon 2 tables whipped mixture over pie filling in each glass. Repeat layers once more. Top evenly with remaining crushed cookies. Cover and chill 4 hours.

Cakes · Desserts

Strawberry Cream Cheese Cupcakes

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*2015-03-17 15.55.50

Strawberry and Cream Cheese make such a delightful Spring flavor. I am catering a luncheon for a friend tomorrow and since it is suppose to be raining all day, I wanted to end the lunch time with something that would put a “spring” in their step, so I decided to make strawberry cream cheese cupcakes with strawberry cream cheese frosting. Each lady has a little pink bag to take away, filled with the chocolate-toffee biscotti I posted a couple of days ago.

Cupcakes:

1 box of Duncan Hines Strawberry Cake mix. *This was the ingredients on the cake mix I bought, but which ever brand you use, use ingredients listed on back of box.*

*3 eggs

1 cup cold water

1/2 cup oil

Filling:

4 oz of cream cheese, softened

2 teas flour

1/3 cup sugar

1 egg

1/2 teas vanilla

Mix all filling ingredients together until well mixed.

Mix cake mix according to directions. (different brands call for different measurements, so be sure to follow the ingredients on the back of the cake mix you buy.

Fill cupcake liners about 2/3 full. Drop about 1 tables cream cheese filling in center of batter. Bake about 18 min or until cupcakes tests done. Cool on wire rack and frost with frosting given below.

Frosting:

4 cups powdered sugar

1 (8 oz) cream cheese, softened

1 stick butter, softened

Small container of frozen strawberries, thawed. Drain off some of the juice in a small container to use in frosting. You can use the strawberries for another use.

Enough of strawberry juice that you have drained off frozen strawberries to get frosting  the consistency you need to cover cupcakes. I used about probably 2 tables of juice. If it gets too thin, just add a little more powdered sugar.

Be sure cupcakes are completely cool before frosting and store in covered container in fridge.

*I bought the heavy cupcake liners that you can actually bake in. Just set them on a baking sheet and fill them according to the instructions. They make such a pretty presentation, other than just cupcake liners.

Breads · Breakfast · Chocolate · Cookies · Desserts

Chocolate Toffee Biscotti

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Am caterning a luncheon for 6 women this week and I thought I would be great to have a little edible gift for each lady to take home. When I saw these in an 2009 Paula Deen Magazine that I was looking through, this seemed to be the perfect little gift to make them.

Makes about 2 1/2 dz

6 tables butter, softened

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar (light)

2 large eggs

2 3/4 cups flour

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 teas baking soda

1/2 cup toffee bits

1/3 cup toasted and chopped slivered almonds

Preheat oven to 300. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar at medium speed with mixer until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until combined.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, cocoa and baking soda. Gradually add to butter mixture, beating until combined. Stir in toffee bits and almonds.

Shape patter into 2 (91/2×3″) logs on prepared baking sheet. Bake for 30 min. Remove from oven and let cool for 15 min. Using a serrated knife, cut dough crosswise into 3/4″ thick slices. Place slices, cut side down, on baking sheet. Bake for 15 min. Turn slices over and bake for 15 min longer. Remove from oven and cool completely on wire rack. Serve with coffee or tea or just sit and nibble on them while watching The Voice!

Desserts · Fruit

National Pie Day

Chocolate Castles3 Comments

2015-03-14 20.16.17I LOVE PIE!!! I didn’t know there was such a thing as National Pie Day but lo and behold when we were at Costco today, there was a huge sign over a kiosk announcing it and they were selling huge apple and cherry pies. So of course I had to come home to bake a cherry pie. I have fallen in love with an oil pie crust that just allows anyone who has ever been afraid of making pie crusts, to make their own, without buying the prepared pie crusts that taste so salty.

Crusts

3 cups flour

1/2 teas salt

4 teas sugar

4 tables milk

1 cup oil

Combine all ingredients. Stir into mixture is a ball and all ingredients are combined. Divide dough into 2 balls.  Place 1 of the balls of dough in a 9″ pie plate and press out with your fingers until bottom and sides of  a pie plate are covered.

Pour a can of Comstock cherry pie filling over dough. Sprinkle about 3 tables sugar over pie filling and dot with slices of butter. (about 4-5 1/2″ slices of butter.) (I used half of another can of cherries because we like a lot of fruit) But 1 can is fine, just makes a thin layer of cherries.

Roll out the other half of the dough to about the size of a 9″ plate between 2 sheets of floured wax paper. Pick up the waxed paper and turn upside down on pie filling being sure dough covers the pie filling.  Sprinkle about 2 teas sugar over top crusts. Prick with fork and place in a preheated 400 degree oven. Bake until crusts is golden brown, about 35-40 minutes.

Cakes · Desserts

Praline Cheesecake

Chocolate Castles1 Comment

Saturday, some dear friends came to visit us from California. I wanted to show them how great Southern Food is, I decided to try to cook and bake things that make the south famous. The past few days, we have had Sister Schubert rolls, SS Sausage Wraps, Swiss Steak, Breakfast Taquitos, Triple Chocolate Cake, Fresh Strawberry Pie and the best yet, the Praline Cheesecake. I thought pralines would show them a side of Texas that they had not had the chance to taste yet. Instead of just making pralines, I decided to go a step further and combine them with cheesecake. The result is just great and set the stage for taking them to our favorite Tex-Mex Restaurant. We ended up inviting several couples over to share the evening with us and so we wouldn’t be tempted to have so much cheesecake left over that would have ended up in another 5 lb weight gain for me. Everyone raved about it and two of the hubbies ended up having 2 pieces and one ask if he could take a piece home. It is so creamy and flavorful and made me realize that when I have a craving for a great cheesecake, I don’t have to go to Cheesecake Factory. I just have to go buy 5 (8 oz) packages of cream cheese and lots of whipping cream. Hum…ok, I admit, that now I understand why cheesecake cost a fortune to buy, but…in my defense, it was just so much fun to make and we did end up with a whole cheesecake, not just one piece.

2 cups crushed shortbread cookies

3 tables butter, melted

4 Pralines, crumbled

5 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, softened

1 3/4 cup sugar

2 tables flour

2 teas vanilla

4 large eggs, room temp

2 egg yolks, room temp

2/3 cup whipping cream

1 cup sour cream

1 teas lemon juice or grated lemon rind

1 ( 8 oz) container sour cream (this is in addition to the 1 cup, which will be used for topping)

1/4 cup sugar

Garnish: pralines

Combine cookie crumbs and butter. Press onto bottom and up sides of a greased 10″ springform pan. Bake in preheated 350 oven for 8 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. Sprinkle coarsely crumbled pralines over cooled crust.

Beat cream cheese at medium speed with electric mixer until creamy. Ad the 1 3/4 cup sugar, flour, 1 cup of sour cream, vanilla and beat until smooth. Add eggs and egg yolks, one at a time, beating just until yellow disappears. Stir in whipping cream and lemon rind or juice. Pour into crust. Place on a foil-lined baking sheet.

Bake at 350 on lower oven rack 10 min. Reduce oven temp to 325 and bake 1 hour and 20 min or until almost set. Cool on a wire rack 1 hour.

Stir together the 8 oz container of sour cream and sugar; spread over cheesecake. Bake at 325 for 10 minutes. Cool on wire rack again. Cover and chill 8 hours. Remove sides of pan. Garnish cheesecake with pralines and whipping cream.

Pralines: *It is best to make these on a less humid day as with any homemade candy, humid days do not give you the results you want.

3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup half and half

3 tables butter

1 1/4 cups coarsely chopped pecans

1 teas vanlla

In a non-stick 3 qt saucepan, cook brown sugar and next 3 ingredients over low heat. Stir constantly, until sugars dissolve; stir in pecans. Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook, stirring occasionally 6 to 8 min or until a candy thermometer registers 238 (soft ball stage). Remove from heat.

Stir in vanilla; let stand 3 min. Beat with a wooden spoon 3 min or until mixture begins to thicken. Working rapidly, drop by tablespoons onto wax paper. Let stand until firm. Makes about 1 dozen. You can make the pralines a few days ahead and keep them in an air tight container until you need them. If it is a hot day, keep them in fridge. I tended up keeping some of the praline mixture and heated it in the microwave for about 30 sec and poured it over the cheesecake, then as I served each piece, I topped it with whipped cream and placed a praline in the top of the whipped cream.

. 2015-03-08 18.11.41

Breads · Chocolate · Desserts · Fruit

Cherry Bread Pudding

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It has been 5 days since I have baked. Both Randy and I have been going through sugar withdrawals. Well…almost, we have made it several times to the donut shop and the Blue Bell aisle at the grocery store, but since I couldn’t quit coughing long enough to measure the flour and sugar correctly, we have relied on outside sources for our sugar fill. But today is a turning point. I am proud to say that I can hold the measuring cups without shaking and am able to wear my contacts to read recipes. Life is so good. When I saw this recipe in our Frisco Style Magazine which comes to the house each month, it reminded me of the bread pudding we order at Nordstroms from time to time. (we allow ourselves to have this most honored and wonderful dessert 2 times a year, birthdays and Christmas, as I am sure that it knocks our cholesterol up over 300 each time we have it).
This recipe is made with donuts and since we have found our favorite donut shop in Frisco, called Jenny’s donuts at Legacy and Lebanon, I think I might have to send Mr. Randy out in the sleet and ice to get us a dozen donuts to make this most wonderful sounding bread pudding.
*Recipe by Chef at Ace’s Ice House
1 1/2 dozen donuts
6 eggs
2 cups heavy cream
8 oz white chocolate, crumbled
8 oz dried cherries
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cup milk
1 tables vanilla
3 oz butter, sliced into thin slices.
1 tables cinnamon
1 tables nutmeg
Cherry Sauce
2 cups seedless black cherries
1 1/4 cup red port wine
1/2 cup sugar

Cut up the donuts and put them in a mixing bowl. Add the white chocolate and dried cherries. In a separate bowl, mix the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg. (Set aside about 1/4 cup of this mixture.) Add the eggs, cream, milk and vanilla to the sugar mixture. (not the 1/4 cup part). Mix thoroughly and pour over the donut mixture, making sure it is soaked. Put this mixture in a greased baking pan. Evenly place the butter slices on top and sprinkle the 1/4 sugar mixture over the top of the bread pudding. Bake in 350 preheated oven until golden brown. About 40-45 minutes. Remove from oven. Cut into squares, spreading cherry sauce evenly over the top right before serving.
Cherry Sauce:
In a medium saucepan, combine all ingredients and bring them to a boil. Reduce the heat to simmer and cook until the cherries are soft. Put the mix in the blended to puree then pour on top of serving squares.

Chocolate · Desserts · Ray High School

Chocolate Yumminess….Miles of Chocolate

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I just posted a almost flourless cake and wanted to share something that will save you time and energy. Because sometimes there is nothing that will do except chocolate, but we are either not in the mood to bake or simply don’t like to bake, here is a great little secret.
At Whole Foods there is a little gem of a chocolate dessert called Miles of Chocolate. It is gluten free and probably one of the most delectable chocolate desserts I have ever had. I have written about it before, so this is just a little reminder. It is in the bakery part of Whole Foods and you might have to ask the bakery attendant to show you where it is located. It is in the cold prepared bakery items part and is individually wrapped like a brownie. But trust me on this. It is so much better than a brownie. It is part brownie and part chocolate truffle. They are a little pricey but oh so worth it. You could buy as many as needed for each guest you are having. Serve them either straight out of the fridge or room temp on a plate with a raspberry or strawberry sauce, topped with whipped cream and your guest will think you have been in the kitchen for days. Trust me on this one. These little Miles of Chocolate are the best thing since disposable diapers. I read that they have them at Central Market also, but have not been there to see. We have bought ours at Whole Foods each time. Let me know what you think of them. If you are curious about them, just google Miles of Chocolate and see all the comments written about them. They truly are a little slice of heaven and the best chocolate dessert around. The man who introduced these to the world use to sit by me in high school, but I don’t think we ever talked. Darn, I should have paid more attention to the people sitting by me instead of what outfit I was going to wear the next day.

Cakes · Chocolate · Daily Thoughts · Desserts · Fruit

Chocolate Decadence

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Since we have friends coming in from California next week, I have been looking through different recipes to see what I will be making while they are here. This one will be the one to welcome them in Saturday evening. Isn’t it always just the best to walk in and smell chocolate? They will feel at home instantly when they sit down and share their road trip experience while spooning up this most delicious chocolate dessert. The dessert is made ahead so all you need do is serve it as all of us will have our feet up, ready to hear their road trip stories. (if they are anything like ours, I’m sure there will be some blog stories that will be written.) This is almost flourless, using just 2 tables flour..
2 (8 oz) packages semisweet chocolate baking squares
2/3 cup butter
5 large eggs
2 tables sugar
2 tables flour
Raspberry Sauce
Whipping cream
Line bottom of a 9″ springform pan with parchment paper; set pan aside.
Cook chocolate and butter in a heavy saucepan over medium-low heat until chocolate is completely melted, stirring occasionally. Beat eggs at medium speed with mixer until blended, gradually add the chocolate mixture, beating 10 minutes. Fold in sugar and flour. Pour into prepared pan.
Bake at 400 for 15 minutes. Cake will not be set in center. Cool 30 minutes. Cover loosely and chill 8 hours. Spoon about 2 1/2 Tables Raspberry sauce on each dessert plate. Place wedge of chocolate dessert on sauce. Garnish with whipped cream and a fresh raspberry.
Raspberry Sauce
2 cups fresh raspberry sauce
2 cups water
1/4 cup sugar
2 tables cornstarch
2 tables water
Combine raspberries, 2 cups water and 1/4 cup sugar in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered about 30 minutes. Press raspberry mixture through a wire mesh strainer, using the back of a spoon to squeeze out juice. Discard pulp and seeds. Return raspberry mixture to saucepan; set aside.
Combine cornstarch and 2 tables water in a small measuring cup, stir until smooth. Stir into raspberry mixture. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture comes to a boil. Cook 2 more minute; stirring. Remove from heat and cool completely.

Chocolate · Cookies · Desserts

Chocolate Chip Cookies Ah La TKbakesalot

Chocolate Castles2 Comments

Because we are still stuck at home because of the weather and I wanted to get in the kitchen and bake. What perfect weather to keep the fireplace going and get the chocolate chips out and get some cookies in the oven.
Because I have had so many friends tell me that they love my chocolate chip cookies. I thought I would post the changes I make to the recipe which is on the back of Nestle’s semi-sweet chocolate chips. I follow the recipe except for two things.
I use half butter and half Crisco shortening.
I only use 1 large egg instead of 2.
Today I used 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips and ground up with a food processor, Trader Joe’s Dark Chocolate truffle bars. The cookies are amazing.
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup Crisco shortening
3/4 cup light brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
2 teas vanilla
2 1/4 cups flour
1 teas baking soda
1/2 teas salt
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips or 1 cup chocolate chips and 1 cup of grated dark chocolate
1 cup chopped pecans (if desired)
Cream the softened butter and Crisco with both sugars. Add the egg and vanilla and mix well. Mix flour, baking soda and salt together. Beat in the flour mixture with the creamed mixture. Stir in the chocolate chips and pecans (if you are using pecans)
Bake on ungreased cookie sheets in a preheated 375 oven for 9-12 minutes depending on the size of the cookies.
I cool them on paper towels. Then I wrap in waxed paper and freeze while still just a little warm. They freeze beautifully and stay very moist. Or just keep them out and watch them disappear.

Chocolate · Cookies · Desserts

Chocolate Cookie Pudding

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Being at our daughter’s house last week, I began to look for simple desserts since my son-in-law had informed me before I got there that I was expected to make at least 3 of them while there. This one caught my eye since it would be simple, not many food items to purchase and even the 3 year old would love it. To change it up, feel free to change out the Oreo cookies for Double Delight Oreo Peanut Butter & Chocolate cookies.
1 (5.9 oz) package chocolate instant pudding mix
2 cups milk
1 (3 oz) package cream cheese, softened
1 (8 oz) container Cool Whip
16 double stuffed cream-filled chocolate Oreo cookies, crushed (about 2 cups)
1/4 cup chopped pecans (optional)
Whisk together the chocolate instant pudding mix and 2 cups milk for 2 mins. Cover pudding and chill 5 min.
Stir together cream cheese and Cool Whip; blend well.
Place 1 cup crushed cookies in an 8 cup bowl. Spread half of cream cheese mixture over crushed cookies; sprinkle with half of pecans if using. Spread all of the pudding evenly over top; spread remaining cream cheese mixture evenly over pudding. Sprinkle with remaining cookies and pecans. Chill for about 2-4 hours until ready to serve.