DESSERTS – Page 42 – Chasing MY Life WHEREVER it Leads ME

HOMEMADE DING DONGS, HO~HO’S or what we like to call CHOCOLATE HEAVENS

CHOCOLATE HEAVENS
3 squares unsweetened chocolate

1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 Jumbo eggs
1 cup whole milk

1/2 cup apple juice

2 teaspoons orange juice
2 cups flour

1 jar marshmallow cream

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1 bag milk chocolate chips

Heat oven to 325 degrees.
Generously grease a 9×13 pan.
Melt the chocolate in the microwave. Then add 1/2 cup of the sugar, the cinnamon and 1/2 cup of the apple juice, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Cool.
Mix the baking soda into 2 teaspoons of orange juice.
In a large mixing bowl cream the butter with 1 cup sugar. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each.
Alternate the milk and flour, sifting the flour into the cream mixture and blend until smooth.
Add the baking soda mixture and blend well.
Add the cooled chocolate mixture and blend well.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
Level pan by dropping on counter top to remove air bubbles.
Bake until springy 55-60 minutes.
Cool thoroughly and then invert onto platter.
Cut into desired shapes and sizes.
Slice each in half.
Spread marshmallow cream over bottom half and replace tops.
In a small sauce pan melt chocolate.
Whisk in heavy cream and heat until thickened.
Pour over tops of cakes.
Cool.

RUM RAISIN CARROT CAKE with CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

CAKE
2 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 cup packed golden brown sugar
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cup butter, softened
3 Jumbo eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup golden rum*
3 cups grated carrots
8 ounce can crushed pineapple, drained well
1 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Pour rum over raisins and set aside for at least an hour.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease and flour 2-9 inch cake pans.
In a large bowl sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and sugars.
In another bowl cream together the butter, brown sugar, vanilla and 1 egg. Add additional eggs and beat until well creamed.
Add dry ingredients gradually until well blended.
Add carrots, pineapple and walnuts until well blended.
Drain raisins and fold in last.
Pour batter into prepared pans.
Bake 1 hour or until toothpick comes out clean.
Cool 10 minutes.
Invert cakes onto rack and cool completely.

*As an option you could soak the raisins in orange juice instead and then substitute 1 teaspoon maple flavoring for the rum.

FROSTING
16 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
juice of 1 lemon
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 cups powdered sugar

In a medium bowl beat cream cheese and butter until smooth.
Add lemon juice and vanilla. Beat until blended.
Add powdered sugar gradually until well blended and smooth.
Ice first layer and then add 2nd cake top and ice again including sides of cake.
Refrigerate 1 hour to set icing before serving.

This recipe is also great as cupcakes.

CREAM CHEESE PEPPERMINT COOKIES

Out of my grams archive I found this awesome little recipe that would be perfect for baby or bridal showers. Grams notes on the side suggested using food color to alter the cookies for the appropriate event. I also highly recommend keeping these cookies refrigerated as they will melt! Next time I will go a step farther and freeze them for an hour and then quick dip them in melted almond bark.

Using extracts you can also change the flavor to just about anything you wanted. I’m curious what a blackberry almond combo would be like.

CREAM CHEESE PEPPERMINT COOKIES

8 ounces cream cheese softened
1/2 cup crisco shortening
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
1/2 teaspoon orange extract
8-9+ cups powdered sugar

Line your baking sheet with wax paper.
Using a stand mixer cream together the shortening and cream cheese.
Add extracts and beat until smooth.
Gradually add powdered sugar until dough is soft and elastic.
Roll into small balls.
Use a fork to hash mark the top and slightly flatten each cookie,
Cover and chill overnight.

I filled a few of the hash marks with some hot fudge I made recently and the guys loved them.

BERRY SHORTCAKES

Baking Partners are making Berry Shortcakes this month. Perfect timing for the 4th of July Holiday and the warm summer days. Reeni from Cinnamon Spice & Everything Nice suggested this recipe from David Lee of King Arthur Flour for his biscuits. This recipe was absolutely perfect! I added a few blueberries to the shortcake portions and they made it more flavorful and colorful too. I also used heart and start shaped cutters to make the shortcakes more festive. I served it for company and received many compliments.

for fruit:

2 pints of your favorite berries (blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, etc…) I used a combination of mashed strawberries and blueberries.

2 tablespoons sugar

for biscuits:
2 cups (8 1/2 ounces) Perfect Pastry Blend or King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour*
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons coarse sugar (I used cinnamon sugar YUM!)
1 to 1 1/4 cups heavy cream, enough to make a cohesive dough
1 to 2 tablespoons melted butter

*David called for “soft Southern flour;” that’s why we like to use our Mellow Pastry Blend, a lovely “soft” flour whose protein level falls right in between all-purpose and pastry flours, giving you the best of both worlds: tender texture, and ease of handling. If you use unbleached all-purpose flour, substitute 1/4 cup (1 3/8 ounces) cornstarch for 1/4 cup of the flour.

Sift together the flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar.
Stir in enough heavy cream to moisten the dough thoroughly. You’ll probably use about 1 cup in the summer, 1 1/4 cups in the winter, and 1 cup + 2 tablespoons at the turn of the seasons. You want to be able to gather the dough together, squeeze it, and have it hang together, without dry bits falling off.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface, and very gently pat it into an 8″ circle about 3/4″ thick.
Use a sharp biscuit cutter (we use a 2 1/4″ cutter) to cut rounds.
Dip the rounds into melted butter, and place them on a lightly greased baking sheet.
Sprinkle with coarse sugar, if desired; this is a nice touch if you’re going to use the biscuits for shortcake.
Bake the biscuits in a preheated 425°F oven for 15 to 18 minutes, till they’re golden brown.
If you have any melted butter left over, brush it on the baked biscuits.
“Serve hot!,” says David. Yield: 10 large (about 2 1/2″), ultra-tender biscuits.

To make Maine-style strawberry shortcake:

Trim and slice 1 quart fresh strawberries. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons sugar, stir, and set aside at room temperature for several hours; or refrigerate overnight.
Whip 1 cup (8 ounces) heavy cream till it barely holds its shape. Sweeten to taste with granulated sugar.
Split oven-warm biscuits in half. Top the bottom half of each with whipped cream, strawberries, more whipped cream, then the top half of the biscuit. Add a dollop of whipped cream and a slice of strawberry on top, as a garnish. Yield: 8 to 10 shortcakes.

An InLinkz Link-up

APRICOT PINEAPPLE MONKEY BREAD

APRICOT PINEAPPLE MONKEY BREAD*
BREAD
1 cup scalded milk
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup sugar
1teaspoon salt
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup rum
1/2 cup minced walnuts
2 packages dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water
2 Jumbo eggs, beaten
4 1/2 – 5 cups flour
TOPPING
20 ounce can crushed pineapple, drained well
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup light brown sugar, super firmly packed
1/2 cup apricot pineapple preserves**
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/2+ teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup golden raisins*
1/4 cup rum*

Soften the yeast in the warm water.
Stir together the sugar and cinnamon and set aside.
Soak the raisins in the rum until needed. Drain before adding to the bread.
Combine the milk, shortening, sugar and salt. Cool to lukewarm.
Add yeast to milk mixture and then the eggs, the raisins and nuts.
Add the flour. Mix to a soft dough.
Knead on a lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic. Place in a greased bowl. Turn over once, cover with a cheesecloth and let rise until double in size.
Punch down and let stand ten minutes.
Prepare the topping while the dough is standing.
Melt the butter in a saucepan.
Add the preserves, brown sugar, cinnamon and almond extract. Cook until smooth and fairly thin.
Add the pineapple (and raisins if you’re using refrigerator rolls) and heat through.
Roll into many small balls about the size of golf balls.
Grease a Bundt cake pan. (I like to use my pineapple upside down cake pan.
Arrange a layer of the balls haphazardly in the cake pan.
Dribble about half the topping loosely over them.
Arrange the other half of the dough balls.
Pour remaining sauce over top.
Allow to rise until double in size (about 1 1/4-1 1/2 hours)
Bake at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes.
Enjoy

*You can cheat and use 3 cans of refrigerator biscuits instead if you’re in a hurry. If you still want the raisins you can add them to the topping instead.
**You can use pretty much any flavor you want – I also use raspberry, peach and blackberry depending on my mood. A lot of times I combine the peach and blackberry half and half.

APPLE BLACKBERRY COBBLER

1 cup blackberries, halved
2 apples peeled and sliced thin (I use Pink Ladies)
1 cup whole milk
1 cup self-rising flour*
1/2 cup butter + 2 tablespoons, both melted separately
3/4 cup fine sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix together the fine sugar and flour.
Whisk in the milk.
Whisk in 1/2 cup melted butter.
Pour into well greased bowls or baking dish.
Distribute alternately apples and berries evenly on top of batter.
Mix 2 tablespoons melted butter with brown sugar until crumbly.
Sprinkle on tops.
Bake 45-60 minutes until golden and toothpick comes out clean.

CHOCOLATE PINEAPPLE CREAM CHEESE PASTRIES

CHOCOLATE PINEAPPLE CREAM CHEESE PASTRIES
1 package Puff Pastry Sheets (2 sheets)
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
1 egg, beaten
4 ounces Philadelphia cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1-8 ounce can crushed pineapple, well drained
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons hot water

Thaw the pastry sheets at room temperature until they’re easy to handle (about 45 minutes).
Pre-heat the oven to 375°.
Line baking sheet with silicone mat or parchment paper.
Beat together the softened cream cheese, sugar and pineapple.
Unfold pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface. Roll the pastry sheet into a 10-inch square. Cut the pastry sheet into 4 (5-inch) squares. Repeat with the remaining pastry sheet.
Spread 1 tablespoon of cream cheese mixture in the center of each pastry square.
Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of chocolate chips on top of cream cheese mixture.
Brush the edges of the pastry squares with the egg.
Fold each pastry in half over the cream cheese mixture and chocolate chips and press the edges to seal.
Place the filled pastries onto the baking sheets.
Brush the tops of the pastries with the egg.
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the pastries are golden. Let cool on the baking sheets for 2 minutes. Remove the pastries to a wire rack and let cool.
Place the remaining chocolate chips and the butter into a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on HIGH for 30 seconds or until the chocolate is starting to melt. Stir until the chocolate mixture is smooth. Stir in the confectioners’ sugar. Stir in the water, adding additional water, if necessary, until the icing is the desired consistency.
Drizzle the icing over the pastries.

LEMON CHEESECAKE SQUARES

I found this recipe in an issue of Fine Cooking, just can’t remember which one LOL. I tweaked it very little and it is one of our new favorites!

I’ve also made it using Limes, Lemons & Limes and Bloody Oranges. We liked them all, but by far, the Lemon Lime combo was our favorite.

You’ll notice in the picture with the pan that there is a very strange looking apparatus in the curd. That is an AS SEEN ON TV automatic stirrer that I picked up at Big Lots. I really thought it was going to be like so many other gadgets and go by the wayside, but I was wrong! This is the best gadget I ever indulged in. It’s battery operated and is like a second pair of hands in the kitchen. All those recipes that call for “stirring constantly”are now handled by this gadget and turn out beautifully!

LEMON CHEESECAKE SQUARES

8×8 straight edge pan
2 pieces of parchment paper 8 inches wide x 16 inches long

Alternately overlap the parchment pieces so that they cross each other and fold over all 4 sides.
Push the parchment into the edges and the corners making a straight crease.

CRUST
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Graham cracker crumbs

Using a fork add graham cracker crumbs until mixture resembles wet sand.
Press into the bottom of prepared pan.

CHEESECAKE
1 pound cream cheese, softened at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 LARGE eggs

Combine the cream cheese, sugar and lemon juice until well blended.
Add eggs, one at a time, blending well after each addition until completely smooth.
Pour into prepared pan.

CURD
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice, strained twice
1/2 cup sugar
2 LARGE eggs
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed

Whisk together the sugar, eggs and lemon juice until sugar is completely dissolved.
In a small non-reactive sauce pan cook mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly, until steaming, but not boiling. The mixture will have thickened.
Remove from heat and add butter, stirring until butter is melted.
Pour through a sieve to remove any lumps.

ASSEMBLY

Preheat oven to 325˚.

Prepare crust.

Prepare cheesecake portion.

Bake 40 minutes or until sides are slightly puffed, cake is not too jiggly and center is dry to the touch.

While baking, prepare the curd.

Remove cheesecake from oven.

Pour hot curd on top of cheesecake and lightly spread to even out.

Cool 20 minutes on rack.

Move to the refrigerator and chill 5-6 hours or overnight before serving.

PEANUT BUTTER FUDGE DROPS

PEANUT BUTTER FUDGE DROPS
2/3 cup Hot water
10 ounces Land of Lakes cocoa mix
2 cups JIF creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup light corn syrup
3 cups C&H powdered sugar, divided 2cups + 1 cup
2 cups crushed vanilla wafers
2 cups crushed ginger snaps
72 Hershey Kisses (I like the cherry cordials)

Whisk together the hot water and cocoa mix until smooth.
Add peanut butter and corn syrup. Blend until smooth.
Add 2 cups powdered sugar and stir until well blended.
Stir in cookie crumbs until well blended.
Spray wax paper with PURE (these will be sticky so don’t forget this step).
Drop heaping teaspoonfuls of dough onto the wax paper.
Place the remaining 1 cup of powdered sugar in a shallow bowl.
Roll each piece of dough into a ball and dredge in powdered sugar.
Press your thumb into the center and fill with a Hershey’s kiss.

UNION STATION COOKIES

I was searching the web for a specific copy cat recipe for a salad dressing and somehow found this great site with a ton of recipes that made my mouth water as I searched through them. Funny thing is I never found the recipe I started searching for, but I did find dozens of others including this one for Union Station Cookies that said it was sourced from St. Louis, Missouri. These were really, really good!

I did end up making a few modifications which I’ve listed in red. The changes made them a bit moister.

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 oz. Hershey bar, melted (3 regular sized bars)
12 oz. bag milk chocolate chips (half of the bag melted)
2 JUMBO eggs
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 1/4 cups Quaker oats (powdered in blender)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cup chopped nuts (Walnuts, chopped VERY fine)

Cream together butter, sugars, eggs, and vanilla.
In separate bowl mix flour, oats, salt and baking powder.
Mix creamed and dry ingredients.
Add chocolate chips, melted chocolate and nuts.
Place dough (golf-ball-size or smaller) on an ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake at 375 degrees for 8 minutes.
Makes 3 or 4 dozen.

ORANGE or LEMON BANANA NUT BREAD

ORANGE BANANA NUT BREAD or LEMON BANANA NUT BREAD
2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup crushed walnuts
1/3 cup shredded coconut
2 medium or 3 small RIPE bananas
2 eggs
6 oz. can unsweetened orange juice concentrate*
1 tablespoon butter, melted

Sift together the dry ingredients.
In a large mixing bowl blend together the orange juice concentrate, bananas and eggs.
Blend in nuts, coconut and raisins.
Add flour mixture until well mixed.
Pour into greased loaf pan.
Bake 45 minutes at 350 degrees.
Immediately top with melted butter.

*I use a large can as the small cans are getting hard to find, but using a large serrated knife, cut it in half and then make juice out of the other half. This recipe is also good if you substitute lemonade for the orange juice.

PARMESAN CHEESE BREAD

PARMESAN CHEESE BREAD
3 1/4 cups unbleached flour
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
2 teaspoons sea salt
1 1/3 cup warm water
1/2 cup freshly grated Asiago Parmesan Cheese
extra-extra virgin olive oil

Sift together the four, yeast and salt.
Stir in the water until dough forms.
Sprinkle with 1/2 the cheese.
Transfer to a well floured surface.
Knead until soft, elastic and no longer sticky (about 10 minutes). Add flour as necessary to reduce stickiness.
Knead the dough until it remains rounded and doesn’t flatten out when left to sit for a few minutes.
Arrange into a round.
Brush the surface with olive oil.
Cover loosely with a tea towel and let rise in a warm place until double in size (about 2 hours).
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Brush a 9 inch round pan with olive oil.
Put remaining cheese on a plate.
Punch down the dough and knead a few more times with fresh flour.
For rolls – divide dough into12 pieces.
Roll each piece into a ball.
Roll each ball in the cheese and then place in pan with the edges touching. 9 balls around the outside, 3 balls in the center.
Cover with a flour sack towel and allow to rise again.
Cut a small slash in the top of each ball.
Sprinkle with more Parmesan cheese.
Bake for 10 minutes and the reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees and continue to bake until golden and crispy, about 20-30 minutes more.
Serve hot or transfer to a wire rack and cool and then slice.

Category: DESSERTS