Christmas Sugar Cookie Bars

 

Photo source: Mom on Timeout

Christmas cookies are so special.  One of my holiday favorites was a dessert buffet covered with colorful and festive Christmas cookies.  One of my favorite childhood Christmas cooking/baking activities was making and decorating Christmas cookies.  Funny how a simple food item can conjure up so many memories.

Here is one to add to your collection.  It comes from Trish at Mom on Timeout.  Click here to go to her recipe page.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Cupcakes

 

Photo source: The Shortcut Kitchen

Interesting recipe for a cupcake that I would love to try.  Sounds like a winner!

This recipe is brought to you by The Shortcut Kitchen also known as CentsLessDeals.com.

Click here for the recipe page.

Mini Cherry Cheesecakes

 

Photo source: Everyday Cheapskate

These mini cheesecakes are the perfect dessert for parties, especially a buffet table.  They are festive and delicious!  Cheesecakes are one of my favorite things.

The recipe comes from Mary at Everyday Cheapskate.  Click here to go to the recipe page.

Toasted Coconut Pound Cake

 
             Photo source:  Little bits of.com

This pound cake looks delicious with all that toasted coconut in the cake and in the glaze makes it a great presentation.

Kelsey at littlebitsof.com lets you know what makes this recipe great and good reasons to make this cake along with the recipe and awesome instructions.  That great presentation is a good reason.

Click here to go to her recipe page.

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Cream Cheese Pound Cake

 

Photo source: The Seasoned Mom

This recipe reminds me of Sour Cream Pound Cake, my favorite pound cake that was always a good choice for a buffet style dinner for me.  Can't wait to try the Cream Cheese Pound Cake.  It may become my new favorite.

Click here to go to Blair's recipe page at The Seasoned Mom.  In addition to the recipe, she includes tips for making the pound cake with descriptive instructions, variations and serving ideas, how to make ahead, store or freeze it.  Thanks Blair!

 

Chocolate Walnut Strudel

Puff pastry has got to be one of my favorite tricks for semi-homemade cooking . . . actually, The Captain introduced me to cooking with puff pastry.

It is an awesome versatile product that can be used in so many ways.  The result is a very quick, easy and delicious dessert, like this recipe from Pepperidge Farm, that makes such a beautiful and impressive presentation.  But puff pastry is not just for desserts.

Puff pastry has become a regular on my grocery list and I will be posting more recipes from Pepperidge Farm and other sources, as well as those recipes that I create.

Click here to go to the source recipe page and check out more awesome recipes on the website.

Pecan Pie Bars With Shortbread Crust

 

Photo Source: Food Folks and Fun

These pecan pie bars would be perfect for your holiday buffet table or just to have for snacks.  If you like pecan pie, you will love these bars.  They look delicious.

Jillian always has the most delicious looking recipes.  Click here to go to Jillian's recipe source page.  Check out more of her recipes while you are there.

Puff Pastry Cream Horns

 

Cream Horns are one of my favorite desserts going way back.  We had italian bakery owners in our family, so desserts were always plentiful.  These were routinely part of the assortment of pastries.  I've never made them, but would love to.

Jillian's recipe at Food, Folks and Fun utilizes puff pastry to make the horn part of the pastry.  Sounds easy and delicious.  The puff pastry will make it so light and flaky!  Jillian is always so inventive with her recipes!

Click here to go to the recipe source page.

Coconut-Pecan German Chocolate Pie

     Photo source:  Taste of Home

Going through recipes in my collection from old cookbooks and magazines.  My files are full of these recipes. Here is a recipe for a pie that could be a contender for your holiday dessert table from Taste of Home.  I love Taste of Home!  Check out their website for lots of awesome recipes.

Doesn't it look delicious?

NOTE:  I'm not a fan of lard, so I would substitute with shortening or butter.

Originally published as Coconut-Pecan German Chocolate Pie in Taste of Home, December 2013

https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/coconut-pecan-german-chocolate-pie/


Ingredients

• 1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons cold lard
• 3 to 4 tablespoons ice water

FILLING:

• 4 ounces German sweet chocolate, chopped
• 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
• 1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
• 4 egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon McCormick® Pure Vanilla Extract
• 1 cup chopped pecans

TOPPING:

• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 cup butter, cubed
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 cup flaked coconut
• 1 teaspoon McCormick® Pure Vanilla Extract
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans

Directions

Mix flour and salt in a small bowl . . . blend lard in until crumbly.  Add ice water gradually, toss until dough holds together.  Shape into a disk and refrigerate 30 minutes or overnight wrapped in plastic wrap.

Preheat oven to 400°. 

Roll dough to a 1/8-in.-thick circle on a lightly floured surface.  Transfer dough to a 9-in. pie plate. Trim pastry to 1/2 in. beyond rim of plate and flute edge. Line unpricked pastry with a double thickness of foil and fill with pie weights, dried beans or uncooked rice.

Bake 11-13 minutes or until bottom is lightly browned. Remove foil and weights . . . bake 6-8 minutes longer or until light brown. Cool on a wire rack. 

Reduce oven setting to 350°.

Melt chocolates in a large bowl in the microwave and stir until smooth. Cool slightly. Whisk in milk, egg yolks and vanilla until well blended.  Stir in pecans. Pour into crust. 

Bake 16-19 minutes or until set. 

Cool 1 hour on a wire rack.

Meanwhile . . . combine brown sugar, cream and butter in a small heavy saucepan.  On medium heat, bring to a boil, while stirring to dissolve sugar. Remove from heat.

Whisk a small amount of hot mixture into egg yolks in a small bowl.  Return all to pan and whisk constantly, cook 2-3 minutes or until mixture thickens and a thermometer reads 160°. Remove from heat. Stir in coconut and vanilla; cool 10 minutes.

Pour over filling; sprinkle with pecans. Refrigerate 4 hours or until cold. 


Yield: 8 servings.

Pecan Pie Cheesecake

 

Cheesecake is my go-to dessert for any special celebration.  This Pecan Pie Cheesecake may become my new favorite cheesecake version.

Description from Maria's Mixing Bowl:

"Rich, creamy, and packed with warm fall flavors, this Pecan Pie Cheesecake is the ultimate dessert. With a cinnamon graham cracker crust, velvety cheesecake center, and gooey pecan topping, it’s perfect for holidays, gatherings, or anytime you’re craving something indulgent."

Click here to go to the recipe at Maria's Mixing Bowl.  Subscribe to her newsletter for more great recipes.

Caramel Apple Crumble Pie

Anything with caramel and apples gets my attention!  

The only think I would change is using lard, I just think it is way too unhealthy.  I would replace it with Crisco.

This recipe has been in my recipe collection for decades that I got from a newspaper or magazine.

Enjoy!

Ingredients

½ cup Rolled oats
¼ cup Brown sugar
¼ cup All-purpose flour
¼ cup TENDERFLAKE® Lard, cubed
½ tsp Cinnamon
½ tsp Nutmeg
Pinch of salt
1 can Apple Pie Filling
1/3 cup Ready prepared caramel sauce
1 TENDERFLAKE® Perfect Pastry for a 9-inch (23 cm) pie shell



Ingredients for Pie Shell:

2 cups Cake and pastry flour OR
1¾ cups All-purpose flour
¾ tsp Salt
¾ cup TENDERFLAKE® Lard
4 to 6 tbsp Cold water



Directions

PREHEAT oven to 400°F (200°C).

PREPARE pastry shell following these easy steps:

MIX together flour and salt.

CUT in lard with pastry blender or two knives until mixture resembles coarse oatmeal. Gradually add water to mixture. Add only enough water to make dough cling together.

GATHER into a ball and divide into two portions.

ROLL out each portion on lightly floured surface. If dough is sticking, chill ½ hour.

TRANSFER dough to pie plate. Trim and flute shells or crust.

COMBINE the oats, ¼ cup brown sugar, flour and TENDERFLAKE® Lard in a mixing bowl. Work the ingredients by hand until a rough crumble is achieved. Set aside.

GENTLY fold ¼ cup brown sugar and spices into apple pie filling. Pour the apple mixture into pie shell and spread evenly.

DRIZZLE caramel sauce over the pie filling. Top with the oat crumble mixture.

BAKE in preheated oven for 20 minutes. 

Lower oven temperature to 375°F(190°C) and continue baking for 25 to 30 minutes or until the top is bubbling and golden brown. 

Allow to cool and serve.

Source:  Maple Leaf Foods Inc. 

National Cheesecake Day

PHILADELPHIA Classic Cheesecake

Happy National Cheesecake Day!

One of my favorite cookbooks is from Kraft Philadelphia Cream Cheese which is loaded with all types of cheesecake and other cream cheese delicacies.  The Classic, pictured above from their website, is the mother of all cheesecakes.  The link includes a video for this delicious and easy cheesecake.

Anyway, the cookbook is the most used in my collection and includes the cheesecake I make most often . . . Chocolate Chip Cheesecake.

Click here for all of the cheesecake recipes on my blog.


Here is a list of cheesecake links you can get lost in searching for your perfect cheesecake:

AllRecipes.com Cheesecake Recipes

Taste of Home Top 10 Cheesecake Recipes

Southern Living To-Die-For Cheesecakes

Food Network Cheesecake Ideas

Kraft Recipes Cheesecakes

Martha Stewart - Our Favorite Cheesecake Recipes

Simply Recipes Perfect Cheesecake

The Cheesecake Factory Original Cheesecake Recipe (copycat)

Reddiwip Cheesecake Recipes

The 91 Most Delish Cheesecake Recipes

BBC Good Food Cheesecake Recipes Collection

Epicurious Cheesecake Recipes

Betty Crocker Cheesecake Recipes

Moms Who Think Cheesecake Recipes

Coconut Cream Cheese Pie

Both The Captain and I are big fans of desserts that include cream cheese . . . we are definitely making the pie this week!  

This recipe from Kraft.com is quick and easy . . . only 15 minute prep time!  

Please note the substitutions at the end of the recipe for flavor variations, how to make a lower fat version and how to toast coconut.

Ingredients:

48 vanilla wafers, finely crushed (about 1-1/2 cups)

1/4 cup butter, melted

1-1/4 cups BAKER'S ANGEL FLAKE Coconut, divided

1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, divided

2 pkg. (3.4 oz. each) JELL-O Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding (see substitutes at the end of recipe)

2 cups plus 1 Tbsp. cold milk, divided

2 cups thawed COOL WHIP LITE Whipped Topping

1 Tbsp. sugar




Directions:


Heat oven to 350º F.

Combine wafer crumbs, butter and 1/4 cup coconut. 

Press into bottom of 9-inch pie plate. 

Bake 10 minutes. 

Cool.

Microwave cream cheese in bowl on HIGH 10 seconds or just until softened.  Stir until creamy. 

Beat pudding mixes and 2 cups milk in large bowl with whisk for 2 minutes. 

Add half the cream cheese and mix well. Stir in 3/4 cup of the remaining coconut and 1 cup COOL WHIP.  Pour into crust.

Add sugar and remaining milk to remaining cream cheese and mix well. Stir in remaining COOL WHIP and spread over pie. 

Refrigerate 3 hours. 

Toast remaining coconut.
Sprinkle toasted coconut over pie just before serving.




Substitutions:

Prepare using 

JELL-O Coconut Cream Flavor Instant Pudding 
. . . or . . . 
JELL-O SIMPLY GOOD Vanilla Bean Flavor Pudding

For a lower fat version, substitute low fat or no fat milk and cream cheese.  I have used them in many recipes and can barely notice the difference.



How to Toast Coconut:

Spread BAKER'S ANGEL FLAKE Coconut evenly in shallow baking pan. 

Bake at 350°F for 7 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring frequently. 

Or, spread in microwave pie plate. 

Microwave on HIGH 3 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring every minute. 

Watch carefully as coconut can easily burn!



Recipe and Photo Source

Triple-Layered Strawberry Cake

If you love strawberries, this is the cake for you!

The cake was very easy to make, however, it turned out to be a comedy of errors for me. 

First of all, the original recipe called for a buttercream frosting with 1 cup of finely chopped strawberries, which was way too much liquid and made the frosting way too runny. Please note the section about the frosting in the recipe.

Error #2 for me was not paying attention to what I was doing and made the cake with two pans instead of three.  If you choose to make yours two layers, make the cooking time 30 minutes.

The delicious smell of strawberries fills the air when you bake this cake!

Ingredients for cake only:

1 (18.25-ounce) package white cake mix
1 (3-ounce) package strawberry gelatin
4 large eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh strawberries
1 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup milk



Directions:

Mix all ingredients together for one minute, scrape down the sides, and beat an additional two minutes.

Pour batter into three greased and floured cake pans. Bake for 23 minutes at 350 F or until toothpick comes out clean.

Cool for 10 minutes in the pan, and then remove from the pan to cool completely.

To assemble the cake, place one cake on a plate. Spread the strawberry buttercream frosting over the top, and place the next cake on this. Press slightly, and then spread more buttercream frosting on top of this cake. Place the third cake on top, pressing slightly. Use the remaining frosting to frost the outside of the cake.

Frost cake with your favorite cream cheese or buttercream frosting with 1/2 cup finely chopped strawberries added.  The original recipe called for 1 cup strawberries, but it made the frosting way too runny.


Source: Southern Living

Almond Danish Puff

Pastry is one of my favorite things for a quick breakfast with a cup of coffee. Almond danish is my favorite! I'll have to figure out how to sneak in some cream cheese after I've made it once.

Ingredients:

Pastry
1⁄2 cup butter, softened
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons water

Topping
1⁄2 cup butter
1 cup water
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 eggs

Creamy Almond Glaze
1 1⁄2 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1⁄2 teaspoon almond extract
1 or 2 tablespoon warm water or 1 or 2 tablespoon milk
sliced almonds

Directions:

Heat oven to 350º F.

Using pastry blender or crisscrossing 2 knives, cut 1/2 cup softened butter into 1 cup flour, until particles are size of coarse crumbs.

Sprinkle 2 tablespoons water over mixture; mix with fork.

Gather pastry into ball and divide in half.

Form each half into rectangle, 12x3 inches, about 3 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.

Heat remaining 1/2 cup butter and 1 cup water to rolling boil in 2-quart saucepan and remove from heat.

Quickly stir in almond extract and 1 cup flour.

Stir vigorously over low heat about 1 minute until mixture forms a ball and remove from heat.

Add eggs and beat until smooth. Spread half of the topping over each rectangle.

Bake about 1 hour until topping is crisp and brown and remove from pan to wire rack.

Cool completely.

Spread with Creamy Almond Glaze and sprinkle with almonds.

Creamy Almond Glaze:

Mix all ingredients until smooth and spreadable.  Glaze the Danish puff.

Source

Pecan Cobbler

This pecan cobbler will be a regular for holiday meals and/or special times on our dessert table.

Bring out the vanilla ice cream when serving this delicious cobbler!

This cobbler recipe originates from Plain Chicken, one of my favorite food blogs.

Ingredients

• 6 Tbsp butter, melted
• 1 3/4 cups sugar, divided
• 1 cup flour
• 1-1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 1/2 cup toffee bits
• 1-1/2 cups boiling water

Directions

Preheat oven to 350.

Whisk together 3/4 cup sugar, flour, baking powder, salt, milk and vanilla.

Pour melted butter into an 8x8-inch pan and pour batter over melted butter.

Combine the remaining 1 cup of sugar, the pecans, and toffee bits in a separate bowl and sprinkle evenly over the batter.

Pour boiling water slowly over top of the cobbler.

Bake until top of the cobbler looks set, about 40 to 45 minutes.




Source

Caribbean Rum Cake

Rum cake has to be one of the best cakes ever.  

This recipe comes from the King Arthur Flour website.    Click here to go to the recipe page and while you are there, check out their awesome recipes!

Hope you enjoy this special cake :)

Old-Fashioned Oatmeal Cake with Broiled Topping

Oatmeal Cake is something I have not tried, but it looks delicious!

This recipe and photo comes from the Pillsbury website.

Ingredients

Cake

• 1 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats
• 1 1/4cups boiling water 
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3 eggs
• 1 1/2cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda 
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Topping

• 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
• 3 tablespoons half-and-half or milk 
• 1 cup coconut
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts

Steps 

In small bowl, mix oats and boiling water; let stand 20 minutes. 

Preheat oven to 350°F. 

Grease 13x9-inch pan with cooking spray; lightly flour.

In large bowl, beat granulated sugar, 1 cup brown sugar and 1/2 cup butter with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy.  Scrape bowl occasionally. 

Beat in vanilla and eggs. 

Beat in oat mixture and remaining cake ingredients until well blended.  Scrape bowl occasionally. 

Spread batter evenly in pan.

Bake 35 to 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Set oven control to broil. 

In small bowl, beat 2/3 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup butter and the half-and-half with electric mixer on high speed until smooth. Stir in coconut and nuts. 

Spoon over warm cake; spread to cover.

Broil 4 to 6 inches from heat 1 to 2 minutes or until bubbly and light golden brown. Cool completely, about 1 hour.

Photo and recipe source