My Favorite Dessert Recipes
On this page:
Creme Brulee, Pumpkin Roll, Rolo Pecan Caramel Candies, Peanut Chow Mein, Sugar Cookies, Rice Pudding, Divinity Fudge, Apple Fritters , Candied Pecans, Red Velvet Cake, Lemon Bars, Chocolate Fondue, Black Forest Cake



Creme Brulee
8 egg yolks
4 Cups heavy cream
6 tbls Sugar
2 pinch salt
2 tsp Vanilla
Beat egg yolks until slightly thickened.
Gradually add sugar and a pinch of salt.
Scald table cream and pour slowly into egg mixture,
stirring. Add vanilla and pour into baking dishes.

Set them in a pan with 1" of water and bake at 350
degrees for 45 mins to 1 hour. Test with clean knife.
Sprinkle top with raw sugar,
place under broiler to make a hard shell.
Yield: 8 servings






Pumpkin Roll
(My family loves Pumpkin Roll,
I make it at least twice
from Halloween through Christmas.

I must thank "Anne" for another fab recipe.

1 1/2 cup sugar
4 eggs
1 cup pumpkin
Beat together for three minutes.

Add:
1 cup + 2 tbs. flour
1 1/2 tsp. soda
1/2 tsp salt

Mix well, spread in a jelly roll pan or cookie sheet with
sides greased and pan lined with wax paper. Bake
at 375 degrees for 13-15 minutes. Cool one minute.
WORK FAST! Sprinkle dampened tea towel with
powdered sugar, put cake on top of sugar and peel
off wax paper and roll up. Let cool in refrigerator.

Filling:
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 tbs. soft butter or margarine
1 8 oz cream cheese (softened)

Beat all together and mix well. Unroll cooled cake.
Spread with filling. Roll back up and refrigerate.



Rolo Pecan Caramel Candies

1 package Mini Pretzels. (Honey Mustard pretzels work great, too.)
1 13-oz. package Rolo Candies  (63 pieces)
1 package Pecan Halves
Heat oven to 250.
Put one Rolo on top of each pretzel. Bake at 250 degrees for 4-5 minutes or until the candy is soft.

Remove from oven and quickly put a pecan on top of softened candy, push down and squish the chocolate into the pretzel.

Let sit out and cool for 10-15 minutes, the  put baking sheet in fridge to harden the candies.

Store in sealed container --if there's any left!!

The 'hardest part' of making this treat is taking the wrappers off the rolos. So easy, yet so good!


(Thanks to Micki Snapp for giving me this recipe!)



Peanut Chow Mein
(My mother made this when I was young.
I called them "bird's nests".)
1 pkg (6oz) Butterscotch, melted
1/2 C creamy peanut butter
1 3 oz can chow mein noodles
1 C mini marshmallows
1/2 C salted peanuts
maraschino cherries

Mix butterscotch and peanut butter.
Pour over remaining ingredients; stir until coated.
Drop by teaspoons onto a cookie sheet.
Chill until set. Top w/ cherries. Makes 48 candies.





Sugar Cookies
(This is the best recipe for cookie cutters there is!)

2/3 c shortening
3/4 c sugar
1/2 tsp. grated orange peel
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 egg
4 tsp. milk
2 c sifted flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
Cream shortening, sugar, orange peel & vanilla add egg & beat til light & fluffy stir in milk sift together dry ingredients & blend in cream mixture. Divide dough in half, chill one hour. 6-8 minutes in 350 oven.
(See more Cookie Recipes in my Cookie Exchange Website)

Rice Pudding
1/3 C Rice, uncooked
1/3 C Sugar
1 tsp Cornstarch
1/4 tsp Salt
1 1/3 C Milk
1 tbls Butter
Pinch of cinnamon
1/2 tsp Vanilla
2 Eggs

Mix sugar, cornstarch and salt.
Add milk and sugar mixture to rice.
Heat to boiling; boil 1 minute, stirring constantly.  
Remove from heat.
Stir in butter and vanilla.
Separate eggs (whites will not be used) and beat yolks.
Slowly stir about 1 cup of the hot rice mixture
into the beaten egg yolks in a bowl.

Blend with the remaining mixture in saucepan.
Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently,
just until mixture starts to bubble.
Serve warm or cold, plain or with whipped Cream.

Divinity Fudge
4 C sugar
3/4 C water
1 C light corn syrup
3 egg whites
1 tsp vanilla
Variations: chocolate (powdered), pecans, walnuts, different flavors of extracts; ie, mint, rum, lemon, almond, orange.

Add water, sugar, corn syrup together in a sauce pan.
Cook slowly, over low heat and stir until dissolved.
Allow to cook without stirring until it gets to the
hard ball stage 260 F. Meanwhile, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Remove from the heat and stir into egg whites in a stream, beating the entire time. Continue to beat until the
mixture holds its shape and "fights the mixer". Add vanilla and anything else you might want. Mix until combined. Drop from a greased teaspoon onto wax paper. Allow many hours to dry completely.

Apple Fritters
 --a good ole 'Southern Treat!
2 cups flour
3 tsp baking powder
1 1/12 tablespoon sugar
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 egg
1 tbls melted butter
2 apples, chopped
1/4 cup confectioners sugar in a small bowl

Instructions: Mix together 1 egg, milk, butter.
In another bowl sift dry ingredients.
Hand mix wet and dry ingredients, add apples.
Drop a tablespoon into hot oil, approx. 375 degrees.

As soon as the fritter rises, turn once,
wait a minute, then remove.
Place on paper towels to drain.
Roll in powdered sugar
Makes approx. 25 fritters.



Candied Pecans
4 cups pecans pieces
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup butter
2 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Optional: Confectioners sugar

Directions:
Combine both sugars and cinnamon in a bowl with a whisk.
Melt butter in a sauce pan and add to the sugar mixture.
Stir over medium heat until melted, done when it starts to bubble.
Toss pecans into the sauce, stirring to coat them well.
Remove pecans using a slotted spoon.
Spread on wax paper, let cool.
Sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired.



Red Velvet Cake  (My son loves this.)

1/2 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 oz. red food coloring
3 Tbls (level) cocoa
2 1/2 cups flour
1 Tsp. vanilla
1 cup buttermilk
1 Tsp salt
1 Tsp baking soda
1 Tbls vinegar

Cream shortening; beat in sugar, eggs, one at a time; beat well after each addition. Make paste of the cocoa and food coloring; add to creamed mixture. Add salt, flour and vanilla alternately with buttermilk, beating well after each addition. Sprinkle soda over vinegar; pour vinegar over batter. Stir until thoroughly mixed. Bake in 3 8-inch pans or 2 9-inch pans for 30 minutes at 350°.

Let cool completely. Cover with frosting.

Frosting:
2 packages cream cheese (3 oz. each), softened
1 Tsp vanilla
2 Cups confectioners sugar
6 Tbls butter, softened

Blend all ingredients until smooth.

Lemon Bars
(My husband loves these.)

Crust:
1 cup butter
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
2 Cups flour

Lemon Layer:
4 eggs beaten
2 cups sugar
1/3 lemon juice, beat well add;
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
confectioners sugar

Mix butter, 2 cups flour and confectioners sugar. Pat into a 13x9x2-inch pan and a 350° oven for 20 minutes or until light brown. To prepare second layer, beat together eggs, lemon juice, sugar, flour and baking powder. Pour over baked crust. Return to oven and bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until liquid does not move when the pan is tipped. It should have a golden crust. Let cool slightly then sift confectioners' sugar over the top while warm, cut into bars.




Chocolate Fondue (Only about a million calories!!!)

A pint of heavy cream in a pot on the stove, medium heat. One bag of good gourmet chocolate chips. Don't use Toll House, buy the best brand of chocolate you can find. I also added Ghiradelli Coco powder. Stir constantly until melted, transfer to fondue pot.
Chocolate heaven!
Serve with fruit and pound cake.



Bake a Valentine Cake for your loved one!
This is a picture of a Black Forest Cake my son David made me in 2001, when he was 18. It was the sweetest, most delicious cake because of the love that went into it!




Black Forest Cake  (Shortcut can be to use chocolate cake mix instead of scratch.)

INGREDIENTS
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups buttermilk

1/2 cup Kirsch
1/2 cup butter
3 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 pinch salt
1 teaspoon strong brewed coffee
2 (14 ounce) cans pitted Bing cherries, drained

2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon Kirsch
1 (1 ounce) square semisweet chocolate

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line the bottoms of two 8 inch round pans with parchment paper circles. Sift together flour, cocoa, baking soda and 1 teaspoon salt. Set aside.

Cream shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Beat in flour mixture, alternating with buttermilk, until combined. Pour into 2 round 8 inch pans.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a knife inserted comes out clean. Cool completely. Remove paper from the cakes. Cut each layer in half, horizontally, making 4 layers total. Sprinkle layers with the 1/2 cup Kirsh.

In a medium bowl, cream the butter until light and fluffy. Add confectioners sugar, pinch of salt, and coffee; beat until smooth. If the consistency is too thick, add a couple teaspoons of cherry juice or milk.

Spread first layer of cake with 1/3 of the filling. Top with 1/3 of the cherries. Repeat with the remaining layers.
In a separate bowl, whip the cream to stiff peaks. Beat in 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and 1 tablespoon kirshwasser. Frost top and sides of cake. Sprinkle with chocolate curls made by using a potato peeler on semisweet baking chocolate.

My favorite thing to make for dinner is reservations !