Flag Cake

Flag Cake

Homemade Marshmallows

Homemade Marshmallows

Chocolate Tirimisu

Chocolate Tirimisu

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Chocolate Walnut Tart

Chocolate Walnut Tart

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Chocolate Cream Puffs

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Mint Brownies

Mint Brownies

1 c. butter

1/2 c. cocoa

2 Tbsp. honey

4 eggs

2 c. sugar

1 3/4 c. flour

1/2 Tbsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 c. chopped walnuts (*I left these out b/c I didn't have any -but it would be really good)

1 bag of Andes mint baking chips

Melt butter and mix in cocoa. Allow to cool. Add honey, eggs, sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix well. Add nuts. Pour batter into a greased 9-by-13 baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. (*mine took longer to cook) As soon as they come out of the oven pour the bag of Andes mint baking chips on top to melt. Serve.

Coconut Macaroons

Coconut Macaroons
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Easy Oreo Truffles

Easy Oreo Truffles

1 pkg. (1 lb. 2 oz.) OREO Cookies, finely crushed, divided
1 pkg. (8 oz.) Cream Cheese, softened
2 pkg. (8 squares each) BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate, melted

Mix 3 cups of the cookie crumbs and the cream cheese until well blended. Shape into 42 (1-inch) balls.
Dip balls in melted chocolate; place on waxed paper-covered baking sheet. (Any leftover melted chocolate can be stored in tightly covered container at room temperature and saved for another use.) Sprinkle with remaining cookie crumbs.
Refrigerate 1 hour or until firm. Store any leftover truffles in tightly covered container in refrigerator.

Triple Chocolate Cheesecake

Triple Chocolate Cheesecake

1 package (9 ounces) chocolate wafer cookies (*I used chocolate graham crackers)
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
4 bars (8 ounces each) cream cheese, room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs
1 cup sour cream
8 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted
Chocolate Ganache, for topping (recipe below)


Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Assemble a 9-inch springform pan with the raised side of the bottom facing down.
Crush cookies until finely ground. Add butter to moisten. Transfer to prepared pan, and press crumbs firmly and evenly into the bottom. Place pan on a rimmed baking sheet; bake 10 minutes, and set aside.
In a mixer add cream cheese, sugar, and salt; blend until smooth. With motor running, add eggs, then sour cream, and finally chocolate; blend filling until smooth, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.
Pour filling onto crust, and bake just until set, 1 hour. Turn oven off, and let cheesecake sit 1 hour in oven, without opening (this helps prevent cracking).
Run a thin knife around the edge of the pan (this helps prevent cracking, too); leave in pan, and cool completely on wire rack. Cover loosely and refrigerate, at least 6 hours or up to overnight.
Prepare Chocolate Ganache (recipe below). Unmold cheesecake. Spread ganache in center of cheesecake; let set before serving.


Chocolate Ganache

1/4 cup heavy cream
4 ounces chopped semisweet chocolate

In a small saucepan, bring cream to a boil. Remove from heat, and add chocolate. Stir until melted, then set aside until thickened, 2 to 5 minutes.

Black Bottom Cupcakes

Black Bottom Cupcakes
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Chocolate Cream Cheese Icing

4 (1 ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese

4 cups confectioners' sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons evaporated milk (I left this out so that it was stiffer)

Have all ingredients at room temperature. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or microwave oven.In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until fluffy. Pour melted chocolate into cream cheese and mix on medium speed until well blended. Add vanilla and pinch of salt. Slowly mix in the confectioners sugar.Scrape the sides of the bowl and increase mixer speed to medium-high. Slowly add evaporated milk until the frosting is spreading consistency.

Chocolate Cream Cheese Icing

4 (1 ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
4 cups confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons evaporated milk (I left this out so that it was stiffer)


Have all ingredients at room temperature. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or microwave oven.
In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until fluffy. Pour melted chocolate into cream cheese and mix on medium speed until well blended. Add vanilla and pinch of salt. Slowly mix in the confectioners sugar.
Scrape the sides of the bowl and increase mixer speed to medium-high. Slowly add evaporated milk until the frosting is spreading consistency.

Ben's Peppermint Bark

Ben's Peppermint Bark

Cream Cheese Danish

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Caramelized Apple Cheesecake with Spiced Creme Anglaise and Butterscotch Sauce

Caramelized Apple Cheesecake with Spiced Creme Anglaise and Butterscotch Sauce

4 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon unsalted butter

1 cup shortbread crumbs (about 5 1/2 ounces of cookies)

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

2 tablespoons melted unsalted butter

2 tablespoons water

1 cup peeled, cored, and thinly sliced Granny Smith apples (about 2 apples)

1 1/2 pounds cream cheese

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

3 large eggs 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg Spiced

Grease a 10-inch springform pan with 1 teaspoon of the butter.
Combine the crumbs, 2 tablespoons of the sugar, and the melted butter in the bowl of a food processor and mix on low speed until well blended. Transfer to a greased 10-inch springform pan and press evenly around the bottom. Chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
Combine the remaining 1/2 cup sugar and the water in a heavy, medium saucepan, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is dissolved. Continue cooking, swirling the pan occasionally, until the caramel is amber in color, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the remaining 4 tablespoons butter, stir, and cook over low heat until the butter is melted and evenly blended. Add the apples and stir to coat with the caramel. Cook, stirring, over medium heat until the apples are tender, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool.
Combine the cream cheese and brown sugar in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add the lemon juice, cinnamon, and nutmeg and mix well. Fold the apple-caramel mixture into the batter, and pour into the chilled pan. Bake, rotating the pan a quarter turn every 30 minutes, until golden brown and firm around the edges, but still slightly loose in the center, 1 hour and 20 minutes to 1 hour and 30 minutes.
Remove from the oven and cool for 2 hours. Cover the cheesecake and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight.
To serve, spoon a portion of the Spiced Creme Anglaise onto each serving plate, top with a slice of the cheesecake, and drizzle with the Butterscotch Sauce.

Spiced Creme Anglaise

2 cups heavy cream

1/2 teaspoon orange zest

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg

3 large egg yolks

1/4 cup sugar

Prepare an ice bath by filling a large metal bowl with ice and water.
Combine cream, zest, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Remove from the heat.
In a medium bowl, beat the egg yolks and sugar until pale and thick, about 2 minutes. Slowly drizzle in the hot cream, whisking constantly. Return the mixture to the pan and stirring constantly, cook over medium heat until the sauce thickens and coats the back of a spoon. Place in an ice bath and stir until cool.
Cover with plastic wrap, pressing down against the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until well chilled, about 2 hours. Serve cold.
Yield: 2 cups

Butterscotch Sauce

11/2 cups sugar

1/4 cup water

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1 cup heavy cream

1/4 to 1/2 cup whole milk

Combine the sugar, water, and lemon juice in a medium, heavy saucepan and cook over medium-high heat, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Let boil without stirring until the mixture becomes a deep amber color, 3 to 4 minutes, watching closely so it doesn't burn. Remove the pan from the heat. Add the butter and swirl the pan to melt it, about 1 minute. Return to the heat and bring to a boil. Add the cream, whisk to combine, and remove from the heat. Add 1/4 cup of the milk, then add up to 1/4 cup more until the desired consistency is reached.
Cool until just warm before serving. (The sauce will thicken as it cools.)
Yield: 2 cups

Strawberry Banana Cheesecake

Strawberry Banana Cheesecake

from Stacey Unck

Mix:
2 pkg. cream cheese
1/3 cup sugar

Blend to Puree:
1 cup strawberries
1 banana

Gently stir together cream cheese mix and puree.

Fold in:
1/8 cup cool whip

Spoon into a 9 oz. graham-cracker crust. Freeze for 4 hours or overnight. Let stand for 1 hour or until cuts easily. Top with strawberry slices.

Chocolate Cupcakes with Creamy Milk Chocolate Icing

Simple Chocolate Sheet Cake

Melting the chocolate and butter in the microwave is quick and neat, but it can also be done in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan containing 2 inches of simmering water. We prefer Dutch-processed cocoa for the deeper chocolate flavor it gives the cake. The baked and cooled cake can simply be served with lightly sweetened whipped cream or topped with any frosting you like.

Makes one 9 by 13-inch cake

3/4 cup cocoa powder , preferably Dutch-processed
1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (6 1/4 ounces)
1/4 teaspoon table salt
8 ounces semisweet chocolate , chopped
12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), plus extra for baking pan
4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Coat bottom and sides of 9 by 13-inch baking pan with 1 tablespoon butter.

2. Sift together cocoa, flour, and salt in medium bowl; set aside. Heat chocolate and butter in microwave-safe bowl covered with plastic wrap 2 minutes at 50 percent power; stir until smooth. (If not fully melted, heat 1 minute longer at 50 percent power.) Whisk together eggs, sugar, and vanilla in medium bowl.

3. Whisk chocolate into egg mixture until combined. Combine buttermilk and baking soda; whisk into chocolate mixture, then whisk in dry ingredients until batter is smooth and glossy. Pour batter into prepared pan; bake until firm in center when lightly pressed and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Cool on wire rack until room temperature, at least 1 hour; serve, or ice with frosting, if desired.

To Make AheadAfter the cake(s) has cooled, it can be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and kept at room temperature for up to 1 day. Or, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, then foil, the cake(s) can be frozen for up to 1 month. Defrost at room temperature before unwrapping and frosting.

Creamy Milk Chocolate Frosting


This frosting needs about an hour to cool before it can be used, so begin making it when the cake comes out of the oven.

Makes about 2 cups
1/2 cup heavy cream
pinch table salt
1 tablespoon light corn syrup (or dark)
10 ounces milk chocolate , chopped
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), cold, cut into 8 pieces

Heat cream, salt, and corn syrup in microwave-safe measuring cup on high until simmering, about 1 minute, or bring to simmer in small saucepan over medium heat. Place chocolate in workbowl of food processor fitted with steel blade. With machine running, gradually add hot cream mixture through feed tube; process 1 minute after cream has been added. Stop machine; add confectioners´ sugar to workbowl and process to combine, about 30 seconds. With machine running, add butter through feed tube one piece at a time; process until incorporated and smooth, about 20 seconds longer. Transfer frosting to medium bowl and cool at room temperature, then whip with kitchen aid or electric handmixer until fluffy.

Donuts

Donuts

We always made these when we were little. They are so easy and really good.

1 can of refrigerator biscuits

oil for frying

powdered sugar

Use a bottle cap (caps from 2 liter bottles work well) and cut out a hole in the center of each biscuit. Fry in oil. When they come out of the oil drop them in a paper sack with powdered sugar. Shake to coat and eat warm!

Chocolate Cheesecake Flan

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Praline Carmamel Cheesecake

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Hot Peach Cheesecake

Hot Peach Cheesecake

3/4 cup flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 small pkg. cook and serve vanilla pudding (not instant)
3 tbs. margarine or butter melted
1 egg
1/2 cup milk

1 can peaches (reserve peach juice from peaches)

With a hand mixer, mix everything except the peaches and juice together until well blended and pour into a lightly greased 9" pie pan. Arrange peach slices in a fan shape around the edge on top of the mixture.

Then combine:
1/2 cup sugar
3 tbs. peach juice
8 oz. cream cheese
Mix and pour on top leaving an edge so you can see part of the peaches. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar and bake in a 350 degree oven for about 35 min. Let cool slightly and serve warm.