Angel Food Cake with Chocolate Sauce

This is just plain easy and plain good. The ingredients can be costly, so I normally only make this if we have company coming over. My mom gave me the recipe.




Ingredients:
1 box angel food cake
1 c. ghirardelli chocolate chips--very important that it is a good quality chocolate chip, otherwise, it just won't taste the same!
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/4 c. milk
whipping cream, whipped with sugar

Directions:
Make cake mix according to directions on box. Melt chocolate chips over medium heat with sweetened condensed milk, stirring frequently. Add a little milk at a time until desired consistency. Serve with whipped cream!

Yummy Fruit Dips

These are fruit dips that we had at Christies baby shower...really really good!

Strawberry Fruit Dip
8 oz. cream cheese (softened)
1 c. cool whip (add more to get the taste you want)
3 tsp. strawberry jam (add more to make it more sweet)

Mix together with beaters and chill.

Carmel Fruit Dip
8 oz. cream cheese (softened)
1/2 c. sugar
3/4 c. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. maple extract

Mix together with beaters and chill.

Serve with strawberries, bananas, pineapple etc. you can use any fruit.

Enjoy!

Snickerdoodles

We got this recipe with a cookie sheet as a wedding gift from the Worthington family. We love it! Soft on the inside, crunchy on the outside.




Ingredients:
1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. shortening
1 1/2 c. sugar
2 eggs
2 3/4 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt

Directions:
Cream butter, shortening, and sugar. Add eggs. Mix dry ingredients together and then mix that with wet ingredients. Make into small balls and roll in 2 T. sugar and 2 tsp. cinnamon. Bake at 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

Double Layer Pumpkin Cheesecake

My friend requested I post this recipe, so here it is! Great for something a little different around the holidays--especially if you aren't a traditional pie lover like myself. I got this off Allrecipes and used the reviews of people to make it better.

Ingredients:

2 packages cream cheese, softened

1/2 c. + 2 Tbsp. white sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 eggs

1 (9 inch) prepared graham cracker crust

3/4 c. pumpkin pie filling

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Caramel Sauce

Frozen whipped topping, thawed

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Blend in eggs, one at a time. Remove 1 c. of batter and spread into bottom of crust; set aside.

Add pumpkin and cinnamon to the remaining batter and stir gently until well blended. Carefully spread over the batter in the crust. Place on cookie sheet (can add some water to the bottom of the cookie sheet to prevent the cheesecake from cracking) and bake in preheated oven for 50-55 minutes (the original recipe says 35-40 minutes, but some people were complaining that it wasn't done--I honestly don't remember how long it cooked since it's been so long since I've made it). Drizzle caramel sauce and top with whipped topping before serving.

S'mores Bars

Who's ready for camping season to get here already!?!? If you can't wait to do the official version of s'mores, here's something to tide you over. (Setting up a tent in your living room would also be helpful.)


Ingredients:

3/4 cup butter
2/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
18 whole graham crackers, crushed, about 3 cups
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 milk chocolate bars, approximately 1 1/2 ounces each
3 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows

Directions:
Heat oven to 350°. Beat butter and sugar with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Stir in crushed graham crackers, flour, and salt. Reserve 2 1/2 cups of the graham cracker mixture, and press remaining mixture over the bottom of a greased 13x9x2-inch baking pan.

Arrange chocolate bars, in a single layer, over graham cracker mixture in the pan. Sprinkle with marshmallows. Crumbled reserved 2 1/2 cups graham cracker mixture over the marshmallows. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes. Cut into bars and cool completely.
Makes about 2 dozen bars.

NOTE: DO NOT OVERBAKE! Mine are usually done within about 18 minutes or so and it will vary in your own oven. Keep a close eye on them. Allow the marshmallows to brown a little bit, but if they liquify completely, the marshmallow will carmelize into a very hard substance and the bars won't be very good! (And sometimes, inedible.)

Orange Knots

Ingredients:

12 Rhodes™ Dinner Rolls, thawed but still cold

1 medium orange rind, grated

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup butter, melted

Citrus Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tablespoon butter, melted

3 tablespoons orange juice

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Mix grated orange rind with sugar. Roll each roll into a 9-inch rope. Tie in a loose knot. Roll each knot in melted butter and then in rind/sugar mixture. Place on a large sprayed baking sheet. Cover with sprayed plastic wrap and let double in size. Remove wrap. Bake at 350°F 15-20 minutes. Remove from pan and place on cooling rack. Brush with citrus glaze while still warm.

Oreo Cookie Truffles

A lady brought these to book-club and everyone LOVED them. We all got the recipe. Yum!

Ingredients:

1 bag Oreo Cookies, ground in blender or food processor (filling and all)
8 oz. softened cream cheese
1 package Almond Bark (white chocolate candy coating)
1 square of the Chocolate Bark for drizzling

Directions:
Mix ground oreos and cream cheese until well combined. Roll into 1 inch balls and place onto baking sheet or tray. Refrigerate overnight or until very firm. Melt white chocolate according to package directions. Dip balls into chocolate and place onto parchment paper to harden. Once dry, melt chocolate bark and spoon into the corner of a ziplock baggie. Snip a small corner and drizzle back and forth over the truffles. Let dry. About 30 truffles each recipe. Store in freezer or refrigerator.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

These are my fallback cookies. You know, the ones you always come back to because you make them just right every time, and you love them. People almost always ask me for this recipe when I take them places. They are so soft, and stay soft for days. (Although I have been known to eat the entire batch in less than 48 hours!)

Mix together:

2 cubes butter or margarine, softened
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar

Add:

2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix in:

2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 - 3.9 oz box chocolate Jello Instant pudding (you can use devil's food if you prefer the darker color and flavor)
12 oz chocolate chips (I use 1/2 bag chocolate chips and 1/2 bag peanut butter chips)

Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes. Makes 4-5 dozen.

Apple Dumplings, courtesy of the Pioneer Woman Cooks

So, as I've stated before, Melanie pointed me to this website, and I tried these most delicious apple dumplings, and they were so very easy and fattening and yummy. You should really read her blog, it's hilarious. And she has pictures for every step plus some, so it's great to look at, but here's just the plain ol' recipe, and of course, a picture from her website (why should I try and make a picture look better than this??? Cause it wouldn't happen!).


Ingredients:
2 Granny Smith apples
2 cans crescent rolls
2 sticks butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
cinnamon
1 small can Mountain Dew

Directions:
Peel and core apples. Cut apples into 8 slices each. Roll each apple slice in a crescent roll. Place in a 9 x 13 buttered pan. Melt butter, then add sugar and barely stir. Add vanilla, stir, and pour over apples. Pour Mountain Dew around the edges of the pan. Sprinkle with cinnamon and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Serve with ice cream, and spoon some of the sweet sauces from the pan over the top.

Link to her site (this one is the 2nd recipe down right now):
The Pioneer Woman Cooks

Banana Cream Pie

This is my grandma's recipe. It is a from-scratch french custard, and it is my favorite pie ever. But it is so easy because you make it in the microwave!

Ingredients:

Crust: either make a regular baked pie crust, or make/purchase a graham cracker pie crust.

French Custard:

1/2 cup sugar

1 Tbsp. flour (rounded)

2 Tbsp. cornstarch

1/2 tsp salt

2 cups milk

1 egg yolk

1 tsp. vanilla

Directions:

Mix together dry ingredients. Add milk and mix with whisk. Cover with waxed paper. Microwave 4-5 minutes until boiling, stopping every minute to stir it. Slightly beat the egg yolk. Add about 1/2 cup of microwaved mixture to egg yolk and mix, then add that mixture back to the bowl. Microwave one more minute. Then add vanilla. Stir. Cover with a new piece of waxed paper, pushing the wax paper down to touch the top of the custard (this will make it so the custard doesn't get a crusty top). Refrigerate for about 4 hours.

To make banana cream pie: Cut banana slices into the bottom of the crust. Fill pie with custard. Top with Cool Whip if desired.

Snickers Candy Bars

I got a little tired of looking at chicken and beans, so I decided to post something sweet and scrumptious. These take a little more effort to make than some desserts (as in time, not in the ease of making), but so worth it! Found on internet somewhere--can't remember where!

First Layer:

1 cup milk chocolate chips
1/4 cup butterscotch chips
1/4 cup peanut butter

In a small saucepan over low heat, add milk chocolate chips, butterscotch chips and peanut butter. Stir often until completely melted and smooth. Pour mixture into the bottom of a 9 x 13" baking pan lightly coated with nonstick spray. Using a spatula, spread the mixture to an even layer and place in the refrigerator until set.

Second Layer:
4 tablespoons butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup evaporated milk
1 1/2 cups marshmallow creme
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups chopped salted peanuts

In a medium heavy saucepan, melt butter over medium-high heat. Mix in sugar and evaporated milk. Once it comes to a boil, let cook 5 minutes while stirring. Remove from the heat and quickly stir in marshmallow creme, peanut butter and vanilla. Stir in peanuts. Pour over the set chocolate layer and gently spread mixture in an even layer. Place in the refrigerator until set.

Third Layer:
14 ounce package caramel cubes
1/4 cup heavy cream

Place the unwrapped caramel cubes and heavy cream in a medium saucepan. Place over low heat and stir until the mixture has completely melted and is smooth. Pour in the pan and quickly spread to an even layer. Place in the refrigerator until set.

Fourth Layer:
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1/4 cup butterscotch chips
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter

In a small saucepan over low heat, add milk chocolate chips, butterscotch chips and peanut butter. Stir often until completely melted and smooth. Pour over the third layer and spread to an even layer. Place in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour before cutting into squares.