Recipes! - Desserts

Try any of these home-tested dessert recipes in your home. Also try out our recipes for appetizers, soups and salads, entrees and side dishes.

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Desserts

Amish Apple Cake

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Chop peeled cored apples in medium coarse chunks, In a large bowl, cream butter, add sugar and beat until fluffy. Add egg and blend. Combine baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add to sugar-egg mixture. Add flour, stir until just blended. Stir in apples and nuts. Pour into oiled 9X13 inch cake pan. Bake 55 minutes or until top springs back when touched lightly.

Sere with whipped cream and fresh apples slices as garnish.

Bailey's Minty Chocolate Shake

Fill blender with ice cream and add Bailey's Irish Cream, mix and serve.

Beehive Cookies

Cream butter, brown sugar, honey and lemon zest until smooth; beat in egg. Add dry ingredients in thirds, mixing well with each addition. Scrape dough onto plastic wrap; shape it into a log about 12 inches long. Chill an hour or so until firm, or up to 24 hours.

Heat oven to 350°F.

Cut log into 1/4-inch slices; place 1 inch apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with coarse sugar, if desired, lightly pressing sugar into dough.

Bake until edges are lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Cool 5 minutes on baking sheet, then transfer to a rack. Cool completely.

Makes about four dozen. Honey should not be fed to infants under one year of age.

Recipe from www.honey.com.

Caramel Corn Puffs

Put corn puffs in a large roasting pan and set aside. Place butter and syrup in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Add brown sugar and boil for 5 minutes.

Remove from heat. Very quickly add the ½ teaspoon of baking soda. The mixture will foam up.

Mix together very well. Pour hot butter mixture over corn puffs and stir well to coat. Using two baking sheets, spread corn puff mixture on both sheets and bake for 1 hour. After the first half hour, stir the corn puffs and continue baking. Let cool. Place in container with cover, or in plastic bags. Humid air will soften the puffs.

Carrot Raisin Snack Cake

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger.

In large bowl, combine the eggs or egg whites, applesauce and vanilla; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in the carrots and raisins. Spread evenly in a 13x9 inch-baking pan coated with nonstick cooking spray. Bake at 350°F for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

Cool on a wire rack. Cut into 15 pieces. Top with reduced-fat whipped topping, if desired. Makes 15 servings.

Cheesecake Bars with Ginger Topping

Preheat oven to 350° F. Beat the butter at medium speed until creamy. Gradually add brown sugar, beating well. Add flour, beating well, then stir in pecans. Set aside 1 cup flour mixture. Press remaining flour mixture into greased 13 x 9 x 2 pan. Bake at 350° F for 14-15 minutes until lightly browned. Remove from oven and set aside.

Beat cream cheese at medium speed until smooth. Gradually add sugar, beating until mixture is light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating just until blended. Stir in lemon juice and vanilla.

Pour cream cheese mixture over crust. Take reserved flour mixture and add crushed gingersnaps and ginger. Sprinkle evenly over cream cheese batter. Bake at 350° F for 25 minutes. (Mixture may not be completely set; it will become firm when chilled.) Cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours.

Cut into bars, and if desired, place in paper cupcake holders to serve. Can be made the day before and cut into bars for serving.

Sent to us by Barbara Hidding of the Bunco Club of Palatine.

Dole Golden Layer Cake

Combine undrained pineapple, whipped topping and pudding mix. Let stand 5 minutes. Cut cake lengthwise in thirds. Drizzle with liqueur. Spread one-third pudding mixture over bottom layer of cake. Top with second layer. Repeat layering, ending with pudding. Chill 30 minutes. Sprinkle with toasted, sliced almonds and garnish with pineapple slices, if desired. Serves 12.

Nutritional Information per serving (made with whole eggs): 170 calories, 0 grams fat, 0 mg. cholesterol (28mg cholesterol with whole eggs), 28 grams carbohydrate, 3 grams fiber, 190 mg. sodium, 4 grams protein.

Dream Bars

Combine butter, sugar and flour, mixing until it forms a dough. Press into a medium-sizes baking pan ( crust should be about ½ thick.) Bake for 15-20 minutes until slightly browned. Do not over bake. Meanwhile, combine the brown sugar, flour, eggs, pecans, salt, baking powder and vanilla.

Mix together well and spread over baked bottom crust. Bake until set, about 20 minutes.

When cool, sprinkle with confectioners sugar, if desired. Cut into diamonds or bars. Makes about 18 bars.

Forgotten Cookies

Preheat oven to 350 for ½ hour Beat egg whites, cream of tarter and sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in chocolate chips. Line baking pan with parchment or brown paper, drop by teaspoons on paper. Turn off oven. Place cookie sheet in oven overnight, or until cookies are hard.

Pineapple Refrigerator Torte

Add enough water to reserved pineapple juice to equal 1 cup. In small saucepan, heat to boiling and add gelatin mix. Stir until dissolved. Chill until slightly set and add drained pineapple. Fold whipped cream into gelatin mixture. Line bottom and sides of 9-inch springform pan with ladyfingers. Pour in filling. Chill 8 hours or overnight. Serves six to eight.

Pumpkin Creme' Brulee

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small saucepan, heat milk to just below boiling, bubbles will form all over the surface (scalded milk is heated to 180 to 185 degrees F).

In a medium bowl, lightly beat eggs with a wire whisk. Add pumpkin, brown sugar, butter, spice, and vanilla. Mix until well blended. Gradually whisk in hot milk. Mix well until all ingredients are combined.

Evenly divide pumpkin mixture among 12 6-ounce custard cups. Place cups in two 9x13 inch baking pans. Place pans on oven rack and add hot tap water to the pans until the water is halfway up sides of cups.

Bake 35-40 minutes. Check after 35 minutes. Custard centers should be slightly wobbly. Remove custard from oven and allow to cool in water bath. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

Just before serving, preheat oven broiler. Sprinkle 2 teaspoons sugar on each custard. Arrange on a baking sheet and place under hot broiler. Broil until sugar melts and bubbles. Watch closely to prevent burning.

Sugar should be lightly brown and caramelized. Or hold a propane kitchen torch (also called a salamander) about 2-inches from custard tops to caramelize sugar. Serve at once. Refrigerate leftovers for up to 5 days. Serves 12.

Pumpkin Seed Crackle

This crunchy and healthful confection tastes better than peanut brittle—plus it's a whole lot easier on the teeth and has more nutritional value! Adapted from The Compleat Squash by Amy Goldman (Artisan, 2004).

Butter an 11- by 17-inch baking sheet and set aside. Toss the pumpkin seeds with vegetable oil and then transfer them to a large, heavy-bottomed skillet. Toast over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the seeds crackle and pop and become light golden, about 10 minutes. Stir in the salt. Cool on a clean baking sheet.

In a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat, mix the sugar, water and corn syrup, stirring until the sugar dissolves, about 3 minutes. Increase the heat to high and oil without stirring until the mixture registers 290F on a candy thermometer, 30 to 45 minutes.

Remove from the heat and quickly stir in the toasted pumpkin seeds and butter until just combined and the butter melts. Immediately pour the mixture onto the buttered baking sheet and spread evenly with the back of a spoon. Allow the candy to cool on a rack until hard.

Flex the baking sheet, loosen and remove the candy, break it into pieces, and store in an airtight container in a cool place or in the freezer. Makes about 2 pounds.

Smooth & Crunchy Raspberry Parfait

Prepare pudding with milk, coffee and vanilla. Divide pudding between four 10-oz stemmed glasses; then add a layer of granola cereal. Top each with whipped topping. Refrigerate.

Top with slightly thawed raspberries before serving. Serves 4.

Nutrition Facts (per serving): Calories 270 ~ carbohydrates 64 grams ~ fat 10 grams ~ calories from fat 90 ~ sodium 610 mg (without sugar-free pudding add 105 calories per serving).

Southern Corn Pudding Funnel Cake

In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs well. Mix in 2½ cups milk, then gradually beat in granulated sugar, mixing until blended.

In another medium bowl, combine flour, salt and baking powder. Gradually beat flour mixture into egg mixture, mixing until batter is smooth. (It should be thin enough to flow freely through a funnel with a ½-inch opening. If the batter is too thick, add the remaining ½ cup milk a little at a time until batter reaches the right consistency.)

Heat in a Dutch oven to 375º. Blocking the hole with your finger, fill the funnel with batter. Holding the funnel over the hot oil, unblock the opening and, using a circular movement from the center outward, let the batter flow into the hot oil to form a spiral cake about 4 inches wide.

Fry cake until golden brown, about 20 seconds. Flip it over and continue frying until the second side is golden brown, about 20 to 30 seconds longer. Remove cake to a paper-towel-lined cooling rack. Make remaining cakes the same way. Let cool slightly. Dust with confectioners' sugar. Serve immediately.

Strawberries for Dipping

Wash 1 pint of fresh strawberries; do not hull. Chill. To serve, divide berries among dessert dishes. Pass bowls of sour cream and brown sugar. Guests spoon some of each onto dessert plates and dip berries first into sour cream, then into sugar.

Also, for a buffet, serve strawberries in a large bowl, accompanied with smaller bowls of sour cream and brown sugar.

Strawberries Romanoff

Wash strawberries and sprinkle with sugar, stir gently. Chill for 2 hours. Just before serving, beat cream in chilled bowl until stiff. Gradually stir in liqueur. Fold in strawberries. Serve in sherbet dishes and top each serving with a whole strawberry. Serves 6.

Stuffed Strawberries

Slice off the tops of the berries just below the stem. Cut the tips off (1/4 inch), so that the berries will sit upright. Use a small spoon or melon ball scoop to hollow out the tops of the berries, in order to create a cavity in each one. Fill cavity of each berry with chocolate and place them upright in a baking dish. Lightly sprinkle the berries with sugar.

Bake at 400 for 10-12 minutes, until chocolate is melted. Garnish with whipped cream and cocoa.

Sent in by Arlene Burdovitch, Prospect Heights

Triple Chocolate Cake

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease, or spray with Pam, a 12 cup Bundt pan and set aside.

In a large bowl of an electric mixer, combine cake mix, pudding mix, sour cream, water, eggs and oil. Beat on medium speed for 4 minutes. Fold in chocolate chips.

Pour batter into prepared pan and bake in preheated oven until cake tests done, 50 to 60 minutes. Toothpicks may not come out completely clean because of the chocolate chips.

Cool very well (60 minutes) before removing from pan. This will surely become your and your family's favorite chocolate cake. Very moist and delicious. If stored in refrigerator, the chocolate chips will add a bit of crunch.

Alternative: Two 9-inch round pans, bake for 35 minutes, cool 20-30 minutes.

Sent to us by Eileen Brosnan, Glen Ellyn.

Velvety Black Russian Cake

Mix all ingredients together and beat about 4 minutes. Put in well-greased and floured bundt pan. Bake at 350E for 45 to 55 minutes.

Sent in by Genevieve Borek, Milwaukee, Wisc.