Desserts

Cream butter; add sugar. Add eggs, continue beating. Add baking soda, then half flour followed by half sour cream. Beat until smooth. Repeat. Add extracts and then brandy. Pour into 2 greased loaf pans and bake at 350 for 1 hour and 15 minutes (watch) or 6 small loaves for 45-50 minutes.

Prepare and bake brownie mix according to package directions. Cool and cut into 1" pieces. Prepare pudding according to package directions. Place half the brownie pieces in large glass trifle bowl. Top with half the pudding, whipped topping, caramel topping, and toffee bits. Repeat layers. Cover and refrigerate until serving.

Prepare Custard Sauce. Coat ½ of the ladyfingers with ½ c. cherry jam; place in bottom of a crystal bowl 8 inches in diameter and 3 ½" deep, and sprinkle with ½ of the lemon rind. Sprinkel with ¼ c. sherry and ½ of the brandy. Cover with a layer of ½ of the cherries or pie filling. Allow to stand and hour or so. Pour ½ of the Custard Sauce over the top, repeat the layers of ladyfingers, cherry jam, lemon rind, sherry, brandy, cherries. Repeat the custard layer. Chill. Just before serving, top with whipped cream (I used it from the can) and maraschino cherries.

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly mist a 12 cup bundt pan with spray, the dust with some of the cake mix. Shake out excess. Place cake mix, pudding mix, sour cream, melted butter, oil, eggs, 4 T. amaretto, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for one minute. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with rubber scraper. Increase speed to medium and beat two more minutes, scraping sides again if needed. The batter should look thick and well-combined. Fold in the chocolate chips, making sure they are well distributed throughout the batter. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing it out with rubber scraper. Bake 55-60 minutes or until it just starts to pull away from the pan. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool for 20 minutes. Run a sharp knife around the edge of the cake and invert on a rack. With skewer, poke holes in the top of the cake and spoon remaining 3 T. amaretto over the cake, letting it seep down into the holes. Let cake cool completely, 20 minutes more. Place on serving platter and dust with confectioners' sugar. Cake can be frozen up to six months.

Heat oven to 350. Grease 6-cup loaf pan. Whisk eggs, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, melted chocolate, and Grand Marnier together in large mixing bowl until very smooth. Add half-and-half and mix well. Add bread and let mixture site for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour half the mixture into prepared pan. Sprinkle top with unmelted chocolate chips. Pour remaining bread mixture over chocolate chips. Bake until pudding is set in the center, about 55 minutes.

Pour milk into large bowl. Add pudding mixes. Beat with wire whisk 2 min. or until well blended. Gently stir in 1 c. Cool Whip. Place 1/2 brownie cubes in trifle bowl. Top with 1/2 each of the pudding mixture, raspberries, and Cool Whip. Repeat layers. Refrigerate 1 hour or until ready to serve.

Stir together ½ c. cream and egg yolks. In a 3-quart saucepan combine chocolate, syrup, and butter; heat until butter and chocolate are melted. Add egg mixture and cook 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Cool to room temperature. Beat remaining 1 ½ c. cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla until soft peaks form. Fold into chocolate mixture. Line a 8 ½ x 4 ½ x 2 ½ loaf pan with plastic wrap. Pour mixture into pan and refrigerate overnight. Turn loaf on to a platter, slice, and serve with sauce. Mash thawed raspberries through a strainer to remove seeds. Mix juice with corn syrup. Stir.

In a large bowl, whisk together pudding mix and milk until think and creamy, about two minutes. Fold in shopped Oreo cookies and whipped topping. Spread in pie crust and refrigerate until firm and set, at least 8 hours. Just before serving, decorate the edge of pie with cookies and drizzle with chocolate syrup.

Mix together and pour into shallow pan. Freeze. Removed from freezer and ship until light and fluffy. Scoop into individual goblets and return to freezer. Keep frozen until ready to serve.

Place cranberry sauce in food processor and pulse until smooth. Force mixture through a fine sieve to strain skins and seeds. Discard skins and seeds. Combine cream and sugar in a deep bowl and whip until it forms stiff peaks. Divide cream mixture into thirds. Gently fold cream mixture into the cranberry mixture one part at a time until fully incorporated. Spoon into bowl or chilled champagne flutes. Chill at least 2 hours.

Prepare cake batter as directed on package, blending dry pudding mix into batter before spooning into greased and floured tube pan. Bake 30-35 minutes or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Meanwhile add boiling water to gelatin mix in medium bowl; stir 2 minutes until completely dissolved. Stir in cranberry sauce. Refrigerate 1 hour or until thickened. Cool cake in pan 10 minutes. Loosen cake from sides of pan with knife. Invert cake onto wire rack; gently remove pan and cool cake completely. Invert cake onto plate. Use a small knife to cut 1-inch wide and 1-inch deep tunnel in bottom of cake, being careful to not cut all the way through to top of cake. Remove and reserve for snacking. Pour gelatin mixture into tunnel. Refrigerate 2 hours or until gelatin mixture is firm. Invert cake onto serving plate. Mix cream cheese, sugar, and milk until blended. Drizzle over cake.

Beat the egg yolks and sugar rapidly to blend well. In a saucepan, dissolve the cornsarch in ½ c. milk. Add the rest of the milk and the vanilla and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Pour gradually into the egg mixture and blend well. Return to heat and boil, stirring constantly, 2 minutes. Cool in refrigerator until needed. Serve with Wine Jello. See recipe below.

Remove oven rack; cover with foil; grease. Heat oven to 350. Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Gradually beat in sugar and salt. Fold in chocolate chips. Drop by spoonfuls onto foil. Replace rack in oven. Shut door and turn off heat. DO NOT OPEN DOOR FOR AT LEAST 6 to 8 HOURS. I do these in the evening and let them sit overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 Cube donuts into a large bowl. Pour other ingredients on top and let soak for a few minutes. Mix all ingredients together until donuts have soaked up the liquid as much as possible (I soaked it about a half hour). Bake for about 1 hour until center has jelled.

Stir boiling water into gelatin mix in large bowl at least 2 minutes until completely dissolved. Add cranberry sauce; stir until mixed. Stir in cold water. Pour 2 c. into a 6-cup mold. Refrigerate 45 minutes or until set but not firm (it should stick to your finger). Meanwhile stir cinnamon and cloves into remaining gelatin mixture. Regrigerate 30 minutes until slightly thickened (consistency of unbeaten egg whites). Add Cool Whip; stir with wire whisk until well blended. Pour over gelatin mix in mold. Refrigerate 4 hours or until firm.

Heat oven to 350. Place one cookie, flat side down, in each of 24 paper-lined mini-muffin cups. Beat cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla with mixer until blended. Add egg; beat on low speed just until blended. Spoon over cookies. Bake 13-15 minutes or until centers are almost set. Immediately top with chocolate pieces. Cool one hour before removing from pan. Refrigerate two hours. I actually get about 26-30 of these.

Using food processor, crush Oreos until fine. Mix well with softened cream cheese. Form into 1" balls and place on wax paper-lined cookie sheet. Place in refrigerator until firm. Melt chocolate and dip balls in chocolate to cover. Using two forks works best. Add a few sprinkles on each. Place on wax-paper-lined cookie sheet until firm. I usually do 3-4, add sprinkles, then do more. Enjoy!

Place flour, salt, and butter cut into small pieces in food processor and process until like small crumbs, about 8 seconds. Pour water in through feeding tube while processing and continue until dough forms a ball, about 20 to 30 seconds. Roll out and place in pie plate, crimping edges. For filling, mix first five ingredients well; mix in pecans. Pour into prepared pie crust. Bake at 350 for 50 to 55 minutes. To keep crust from burning, cover edges with foil.

All of the ingredients should be at room temperature. Grease well and lightly flour a 9 1/4"x5 1/4"x2 3/4" loaf pan. Cream the butter and sugar. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the lemon and orange extracts. Sift 2 c. of flour with the baking powder and cinnamon. Gradually add the flour mixture to the egg mixture. Dust the currants with the remaining 1 T. flour so they do not sink to the bottom. Fold the currants into the mixture. Bake in a preheated 325 oven for 1 hour and 20 minutes or until done. Cool in pan for 10 minutes before turning out onto a rack. Slice thinly.

Heat oven to 400. Unroll pie crust; sprinkle with half the flour. Turn; sprinkle with remaining flour. Press firmly onto bottom and up side of 9-inch pie plate; flute edge. Whisk next 5 ingredients until blended. Stir in nuts; pour into crust. Sprinkle with chocolate. Bake 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350. Continue baking 30-35 minutes or until top is puffed and lightly browned. Cool completely, sprinkling with salt after 15 minutes.

Beat flour, butter, confectioner's sugar, baking powder, and vanilla together. Pat dough into 9" greased cake pan. Prick with fork. Sprinkle sugar over dough. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes. Cut into wedges while warm.

Combine sugar and water in saucepan. Cook over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Let cool slightly. Add raisins, cranberries, and apricots. Let stand at least 30 minutes. Place oranges, grapefruit, reserved juice, and pomegranate seeds in a large bowl. Add dried fruit and soaking liquid. Refrigerate until cold.

Preheat oven to 350. Prepare cake mix as directed on package, reducing water to 1/2 c. and increasing oil to 1/2 c. Add cream cheese, pumpkin, cinnamon, and ginger. Beat on medium speed until well-blended. Stir in chopped chocolate. Pour into greased 12-cup flouted tube pan. Bake 40-45 min. or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Remove from pan; cool completely on wire rack.

Bring water and 1/2 cup of the sugar to a boil in a small saucepan, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Simmer uncovered, 2 minutes and remove from heat. Lightly brush cranberries with sugar syrup, then immediately roll in sugar. Transfer to parchment paper lined tray and dry at room temperature, 2 to 3 hours. They will keep for 3 days, uncovered.

This is an eighteenth century dessert. Mix peel and juice with sugar and stir into Madeira and wine. Gradually beat in cream until it holds a soft peak. Gently spoon into parfait glasses. Make the evening before, and store in refrigerator so it can separate.

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease 12-c. tube pan. Beat all ingredients except whipped topping and chocolate in large bowl with electric mixer on low speed just until moistened. Beat on medium speed 2 min., scraping bowl occasionally. Pour into prepared pan. Bake 50-60 minutes or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; loosen from side of pan with knife or metal spatula and gently remove cake. Cool completely on wire rack. Microwave whipped topping and baking chocolate on high 1 ½ -2 minutes or until chocolate is completely melted, stirring after each minute. Drizzle over cake.

Spray 12-cup fluted tube pan with cooking spray; pour in chocolate syrup. (Make sure it's at least 12-cups by pouring 12 cups of water into it.) Beat cake mix, water, oil, and 3 eggs with mixer 2 minutes; blend in sour cream. Pour over syrup in pan. Beat cream cheese and sugar with mixer until well-blended. Add remaining eggs; mix well. Blend in evaporated milk and melted chocolate; gently spoon over cake batter in pan. Cover with foil sprayed with cooking spray, sprayed side down. Place tube pan in shallow baking pan. Add enough water to larger pan to come at least 2 inches up side of tube pan. Bake 1 hour 30 minutes, or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Refrigerate at least 2 hours. Invert cake onto plate; remove pan. Even though I used a large enough pan, this still went "over", but it was delicious anyway!

Preheat oven to 350. Heat a 9-inch round cake pan over medium heat; coat with cooking spray. (Do not use a spring-form pan.) Add brown sugar and 2 T. butter to pan, stirring until melted. Cook about one minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; arrange cranberries on top of mixture. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. Combine remaining 1/4 c. butter and granulated sugar in a large bowl; beat with electric mixe4r on high speed until fluffy. Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. In separate bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tartar with mixer and clean beaters until stiff peaks form. Fold egg whites into batter; pour batter over cranberries in cake pan. Bake 55 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.

Drain juice from 1 can dark sweet cherries and add anough water to equal 2 cups. Bring to a boil; stir into one large package cherry jello. Add 1 cup wine; add cherries; spoon into serving dishes. Chill overnight. Serve with Custard Sauce. See recipe above.

Spray 10-inch tart pan with removable bottom with cooking spray. Mix cookie crumbs and butter; press onto bottom and up side of prepared pan. Refrigerate until ready to use. Melt 2 oz. semi-sweet chocolate as directed on package. Beat pudding mix and milk in medium bowl with whisk 2 minutes (pudding will be thick). Stir in melted chocolate, then 1 c. Cool Whip until blended. Pour into crust. Refrigerate 1 ½ hours. Microwave remaining semi-sweet chocolate and Cool Whip in bowl on high 2 minutes; stirring after 2 minutes. Stir until chocolate is completely melted and mixture is well blended. Cool 10 minutes. Microwave jam in separate bowl on high 15 seconds; spread over pudding layer in crust. Cover with chocolate and Cool Whip mixture. Refrigerate 30 minutes. Remove sides of pan to serve.