Category: Desserts

Chocolate · Desserts · Super Bowl Recipes

Super Bowl Pie Bars

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This Southern delight is perfect for a finger dessert since we like to have desserts that we can just pick up every time we walk by the table, as to not miss any of the great commercials that will be played on Sunday. When I saw these, I knew that it would be one of our desserts this weekend.

Makes 2 dozen

Crust

3 cups graham-cracker crumbs

1/2 cup butter, melted

1/3 cup sugar

1 large egg white, lightly beaten

Filling

1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup light corn syrup

1/2 cup dark corn syrup

1/4 cup butter, melted

3 large eggs

1 1/2 teas vanilla

1/4 teas salt

2 cups chopped pecans

1 (12 oz) bag mini-semisweet chocolate morsels

Preheat oven to 350. Line a 13×9″ baking pan with heavy duty aluminum foil. Spray the foil with nonstick baking spray with flour.

In a medium bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, sugar and egg white, stirring until well combined. Press crumb mixture into the bottom of prepared pan. Bake for 10 min; let cool completely.

In a large bowl, combine brown sugar and both corn syrups. Add melted butter, eggs, vanilla and salt. Whisk until well combined. Stir in pecans and chocolate morsels. Spoon mixture over prepared crust. Bake for 35-40 min or until middle is set.

Chocolate · Desserts

Chocolate-Caramel Banana Ice Cream Pie

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2015-01-15 10.21.04

The flavor of caramel-chocolate & banana is one of the all time favorite flavor combinations. Taken from the new Food Net Work magazine, this will become a permanent recipe in my dessert folder.

Crust

8 chocolate graham cracker sheets

5 tables unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 tables sugar

1 tables vanilla extract (1 tables, not teas)

Filling

4 oz milk chocolate, chopped

2 (14 oz) cartons vanilla ice cream, softened

2 bananas, thinly sliced

3/4 cup dulce de leche or caramel sauce

Glaze

2 tables heavy whipping cream

2 oz milk chocolate, chopped

1 tables light corn syrup

Make the crust; preheat oven to 350. Pulse the graham crackers, butter, sugar and vanilla in food processor until fine crumbs form. Press evenly into the bottom and up the sides of a 9″ pie plate. Bake until firm, about 15 min. Remove from oven and let cool completely.

Filling: Put the chocolate and 1/4 cup ice cream in a microwavable bowl and microwave in 30 sec intervals, stirring, until the mixture is almost melted. whisk until smooth. Beat the remaining ice cream in a large bowl with mixer until fluffy, but not melted. About 3 min. Beat in the chocolate mixture. Freeze until firm about 1 hour.

Meanwhile, arrange the banana slices in the pie crust. Spread the caramel or dulce de leche over the bananas and freeze until cold, about 30 min. Scoop the ice cream over the bananas and caramel and smooth with rubber spatula. Freeze until very firm, about 4 hours.

Glaze: Bring the heavy cream to a simmer in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Remove from the heat and whisk in the chocolate and corn syrup until melted and smooth. Let cool, whisking occasionally, until spreadable, about 15 min. Slowly pour the glaze over the ice cream, return to freezer until set. Let the pie soften 10 minutes at room temperature before slicing.

Cakes · Chocolate · Desserts

Hazelnut Chocolate Cake

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I guess you can tell that I’m in my cake mode. I get in cookie mode, pie modes and now cake. I have one piece left of the Tuxedo cake and am saving it for tonight to eat during The Good Wife. But this cake, (once again, thank you Paula Deen) well…I will be making it Tues so I can watch Adventures of Laura and have cake.

1 1/4 cups butter, softened

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1 tables vanilla

5 large eggs

2 1/2 cups flour

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa

1 1/2 teas baking soda

1 teas baking powder

1/4 salt

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

1/2 cup sour cream

Chocolate-Hazelnut Frosting

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup butter, softened (1 stick)

1 1/2 cups chocolate-hazelnut spread (such as Nutella)

1/2 cup sour cream

5 cups powdered sugar

Cake:

Preheat oven to 350. Spray 3 (9″) cake pans with Pam. Coat with flour if you are not using the Pam with flour.

In a large bowl, beat butter, sugars and vanilla with mixer on medium speed until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour and next 4 ingredients. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture, beating just until all is combined. Stir in sour cream. Spoon batter evenly into cake pans. Bake for 15 to 20 min, or until cake tests done. Let cool in pans for 10 min and remove from pans onto wire racks.

Spread frosting between layers and on sides and top of cake when completely cool. Garnish with chopped hazelnuts if desired.

Frosting:

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and butter with a mixer at medium until creamy. Beat in Nutella and sour cream until combined. REduce speed to low and gradually add powdered sugar, beating until well combined and no lumps remain.

Cakes · Chocolate · Desserts

Chocolate Tuxedo Cake

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2015-01-09 16.27.07

This truly is my favorite cake. I know I say that about several cakes, but really, this time I mean it. If I knew that I could only have one piece of cake before the doctor told me I couldn’t have any cake the rest of my life, it would be this one. I made it for friends who were coming over last night after we all went out to eat. One of the friends who I won’t name but is the tallest of all my friends, was sitting there enjoying the conversation when she got up and went into the kitchen. I assumed she was going to go get another cup of coffee (yes, I am a terrible hostess, I forget to ask people if they want more coffee). When she returned to the conversation, she was standing there with her plate; she had gone and cut herself a 2nd piece of cake. One of the guys in the living room began to yell, “Trudy, this is the most awesome cake EVER!!! It is spectacular” (but in all fairness, that is Jack’s go to word.) But the layers of chocolate and vanilla cake layered with chocolate frosting and then vanilla almond frosting on the outside with the chocolate ganache on top, just tops it off. It is really easy and just makes such a great presentation.

1 Duncan Hines French Vanilla Cake mix

1 Duncan Hines Dark Chocolate cake mix

1 box of Dream whip (contains 2 envelops-use 1 envelope with each cake mix)

8 eggs

2 cups water

1 teas almond extract (for making the vanilla cake mix)

Mix the vanilla cake mix with 4 eggs, 1 package of Dream Whip and one cup of cold water, and 1 teas almond extract.  Beat for 4 minutes. Pour into 2 greased and prepared 9″ cake pans. Bake for about 25 min at preheated 350 oven or until cake tests done. Cool on wire racks.

Repeat with the chocolate cake mix. Follow same instructions as you did with the vanilla cake mix, except do not add the almond extract. Pour into 2 prepared greased 9″ cake pans and bake as directed above. Cool on wire racks.

You will notice that when using the Dream whip, the cake will bake up a little higher than without it. I like that because it makes the cake moister and looks so much higher on the cake plate.

Chocolate Frosting for between the cake layers.

1 stick butter, softened

2 cups powdered sugar

1 teas vanilla

Enough milk to get frosting to spreading consistency. About 1/4 cup…maybe a little more. Don’t add the 1/4 cup all at once, in case you don’t need all of it.

Vanilla Frosting

1 stick butter, softened

1/4 cup Crisco

2 teas almond extract

3 cups powdered sugar

Enough milk or whipping cream to make it spreading consistency (about 1/3 cup, possibly a little more). Beat all ingredients until smooth and well blended.

Chocolate ganache

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/2cup heavy whipping cream

Melt chocolate chips in the cream, stirring over low heat until chips are melted and mixture is smooth. I had to add a little more whipping cream to be able to spread over top of cake so it would drip over sides of cake.

Use one of the chocolate cake layers and place on a serving platter. Spread chocolate frosting on top, but not the side. Place one vanilla cake layer on top of chocolate frosting. Spread Vanilla frosting on sides and top of cake. When chocolate ganache is made, allow to cool so it won’t melt frosting on cake. When ganache is cool, spread on top of cake allowing it to fall down the sides of the cake. Set in fridge to allow the frostings to set. Take out at least one hour before serving.

If you want to use all 4 layers, you will need to increase the amount of frosting you make, as you will need more.

If you don’t use but the 2 layers, you can wrap the other two layers and freeze in freezer bags for a later use.

Cakes · Desserts

Paula Deen Ooey Gooey Butter Layer Cake

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The fireplace is on, and all I want to do is stay home and bake. I love the Ooey Gooey Cake that Paula gave us the recipe several years ago and when I saw this, I knew I would have to try it. It has to be scrumptious. It is from Paula, it is ooey, gooey and it has butter in it. How could it not be good?

1 1/2 cups butter, softened

2 1/4 cups sugar

5 large eggs

1 teas vanilla

3 1/2 cups flour

1 tables baking powder

1/2 teas baking soda

1/4 teas salt

1 1/4 cups buttermilk

1 cup sour cream

Ooey Gooey Butter Filling

Cream Cheese frosting

Preheat oven to 350

Spray 3 (9″) round cake pans with nonstick baking spray with flour.

In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar with a mixer at medium speed until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla.

In another large bowl, whisk together flour and next 3 ingredients. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat just until combined after each addition; stir in sour cream. Spoon batter into prepared pans.

Bake for 18-22 min or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool in pans for 10 min. Remove from pans and let cool completely on wire racks.

Spread Ooey Gooey Butter filling between layers; cover and freeze for 1 hour. Spread cream cheese frosting on top and sides of cake.

Ooey Gooey Filling

1/2 cup butter

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup orange juice

4 large eggs

1 (8 oz) cream cheese

In the top of a double boiler, melt butter over simmering water. Remove from heat and whisk in sugar, orange juice and eggs until mixture is smooth. Return double boiler to heat and cook, whisking constantly for 10-15 min or until mixture is very thick. Remove from heat and whisk in cream cheese until smooth. Let cool for 30 min.

Spoon mixture into a medium bowl and cover with plastic wrap, pressing wrap onto surface of mixture to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or for up to 3 days.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 (8 oz) cream cheese, softened

1 tables vanilla

6 cups of powdered sugar

In a large bowl, beat butter, cream cheese and vanilla with mixer on medium speed. Gradually add powdered sugar and beat until all is smooth.

*Note-the cake layers can be made ahead of time and frozen up to 2 weeks. Wrap slightly warm cake layers in heavy duty plastic wrap and freeze in large resealable plastic bags. Let the cake layers thaw overnight in the fridge before assembling

Cakes · Desserts

Pineapple Pound Cake

Chocolate Castles2 Comments

I have to make this..it just sounds so moist and think how good it will be to put a spoonful of whipped cream over a slice.

Cake

1/2 cup Crisco

1 cup butter, softened

2 3/4 cup sugar

6 large eggs

3 cups flour

1 teas baking powder

1/4 cup half and half or (dilute 1/8 whipping cream with 1/8 cup water)

1 teas vanilla

3/4 cup crushed pineapple with juice

Cream butter, Crisco until fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time.

Sift flour and baking powder. Add to creamed mixture 1 spoonful at a time, alternately with milk.

Stir in crushed pineapple with it’s juice and vanilla. Pour into a large well greased tube or bundt pan.

Place in a cold oven and turn oven on to 325. Bake for 1 1/4 hours or until cake tests done. Remove from pan and place on wire rack to cool.

Glaze

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1/2 cup crushed pineapple

Enough water to be able to drizzle over cooled cake (I will probably use milk instead of water).

Chocolate · Cookies · Desserts

Old Fashioned Whoopie Pies

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I began making these back in the late 70’s. When Jason, my oldest son went off to A & M, I remember sending a shoebox full of these to him. Apparently lots of moms did that and they came to be known as shoebox cookies. This recipe came from a niece, who use to ask me to make them when she came over. She loved them so much, she ended up writing the recipe in my old spiral notebook that I still have today.

Combine the following in a big mixing bowl:

2 cups sugar

1 cup Crisco (I used 1/2 cup Crisco and 1 stick butter)

2 eggs, room temp

1 cup buttermilk

2 teas vanilla

4 cups flour

1 cup unsweetened cocoa

2 teas salt

2 teas baking soda dissolved in 1 cup hot water.

Mix all ingredients above until thoroughly mixed well. Drop by tables onto baking sheet. (I didn’t grease mine as it is coated, if you are not using a coated sheet of parchment paper, I would lightly grease the baking sheet.)

Bake at 400 for about 8-10 min. Cookies have a cake like consistency so when almost completely firm to the touch, take out. Do not over bake.

Cook on paper towels or cookie racks and make frosting.

Beat 2 egg whites which are at room temp; add 4 tables flour, 2 teas vanilla and 2 cups powdered sugar.

Mix well and add 4 table milk, 1 cup Crisco (once again, I used 1/2 cup Crisco and 1/2 cup butter) and 2 cups more powdered sugar.

When cookies are completely cool, frost the bottom of a cookie and top with a 2nd cookie, making them a Whoopie Pie.

Delicious and easy to mail. Keep covered in container or freeze in bags.

Chocolate · Cookies · Desserts

Nutella Crinkle Cookies

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I got a little obsessed this Christmas with cookies. I’m usually more of a candy and pie person, but for some reason, I kept finding these different recipes that just yelled out for me to make them. When we were in Italy, I came to love Nutella anything. I would have eaten liver or seaweed if it was dipped in Nutella. This was the first recipe that I had seen for Nutella cookies, so here it is; my new favorite cookie.

1 jar (13 oz) Nutella

1/4 cup shortening

1 1/3 cups granulated sugar

2 eggs

1 teas vanilla

3 cups flour

2 teas baking powder

1/2 teas salt

1/3 cup milk

2 1/2 cups hazelnuts, toasted, divided

1/2 cup powdered sugar

In a large bowl, cream the Nutella, shortening and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. About 4 minutes. Beat in the eggs and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with milk, mixing well after each addition. Fold in 1/2 cup hazelnuts. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 min or until firm.

Finely chop remaining hazelnuts. Place hazelnuts and powdered sugar in a bowl and stir to combine. Roll dough into 1″ balls and roll ion powdered sugar-nut mixture. Place 1″ apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake at 375 for 10-12 min or until set and surface is cracked. Cool for 1 min before removing from pan.

Yield: 6-7 dozen

Daily Thoughts · Desserts · Fruit · Holiday Fare

Skillet Apple Pie

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All I can say is this….it was the best apple pie we had ever had and our friends who share it said the same thing. The brown sugar-butter sauce in the bottom of the skillet under the crust just oozes the best buttery flavor and you just stand there and scrape all that sauce out with a spoon. My sister-in-law had us over for Christmas Eve breakfast, and as we were just standing there talking, she began to make this pie for their dinner, so I helped peel apples and began to read over the recipe. After taking a picture of it to bring home, I decided that afternoon that I was going to make it Christmas day for our dinner. I am so glad I did.

Ingredients:

1 large iron skillet

2 pounds of Granny Smith apples

2 pounds of Braeburn apples

1 tables flour

2 teas cinnamon

3/4 cup granulated sugar (I used all light brown)

1/2 cup butter

1 cup firmly brown sugar

1 (14 oz) package refrigerated pie crusts (I used Betty Crocker box pie crust mix that you add water and roll out, I love the flakiness of this brand instead of the refrigerated ones)

2 tables granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 350. Peel apples and cut into 1/2″ slices. Toss apples with cinnamon, flour and the 3/4 cup sugar (be it granulated or brown sugar, your choice, but use the brown, it is so good). Set aside.

Melt butter in a 10″ cast iron over medium heat; add the 1 cup of brown sugar and cook, stirring constantly until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and place 1 piecrust in skillet over brown sugar mixture. Spoon apples onto crust and top with remaining crust. Sprinkle the 2 tables granulated sugar over the piecrust and cut 4 to 5 slits in top pie crust to allow steam to escape.

Bake at 350 for 1 hour to 1 hr and 10 min or until golden brown and bubbly.* (sometimes it might be necessary to place strips of aluminum foil around edges of pie crust to prevent over browning) I placed the skillet on a sheet of aluminum foil before placing in oven to avoid spills going over bottom of oven. Cool on a wire rack for about 30 min before serving with ice cream.

Chocolate · Desserts

Chocolate Creme Pie

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Ok, Eric, here it is….my mother’s chocolate pie we have been making for over 50 years. My son-in-law just called for my chocolate pie recipe and I discovered I had never posted the recipe. This is an old fashioned chocolate cream pie that is always a crowd pleaser, topped with whipping cream, you cannot find a better dessert to serve to family or friends. Very simple, very traditional and very very good.

2 1/2 cups milk

1 cup sugar

5 tables unsweetened cocoa

3 egg yolks

1/4 cup flour

1/2 teas salt

2 table butter

1 teas vanilla

Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan.  Using a whisk, whisk all ingredients until egg yolks are broken up and turn heat under pan. Continue to whisk continually while cooking until the flour, cocoa and eggs are totally blended and all lumps are gone. Continue to stir until mixture begins to bubble and thicken. When it is thick, remove from heat and add 1 teas vanilla and 2 tables butter. Stir until butter is melted and combined. Pour into cooled baked pie shell.  Before serving, top with whipped cream.