Tag: Desserts

Not your Granny’s Lemon Bars

Lemon Bars
Lemon Bars
Lemon Bars
Family Favorite Lemon Bars

I am sure you have gone to a potluck and been served old fashioned lemon bars. You know the kind with 1/4″ soggy crust and the 3/4″ tasteless custard on top. You must erase that memory from your mind and try these scrumptious lemon bars. These are the real deal and what lemon bars should taste like. The crust is a yummy, rich shortbread. The lemon custard is creamy and tangy. Treat your family to a batch of these today.

Crust Ingredients

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • ¾ cup powdered sugar
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) butter

Crust Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-inch square pan with butter. Combine flour, powdered sugar and salt. Add the butter and blend until the mixture is coarse, being careful not to overblend. Press into the pan, pushing the dough up the sides. Bake about 20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove crust from oven and lower oven temperature to 315 degrees.

Prepare Custard while crust is baking.

Custard Ingredients

  • 6 large eggs
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 1¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 3 tablespoons grated lemon zest

Custard Directions
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar until smooth. Gently stir in the lemon juice and zest, but avoid excessive whisking Fold in the ½ cup flour.
Pour the egg mixture over the hot crust and bake until the custard is set and no longer jiggles when you move the pan, 35 to 45 minutes. Cool thoroughly before cutting into bars. Dust with powdered sugar and serve.

Nani Tips

  • Do not use a smaller pan than 9-inch square, it won’t fit. If you use a different size, adjust cooking times.
  • Do not overcook
  • Do not forget to lower oven temperature

Spiced Pumpkin Bundt Cake with Citrus Glaze

Here is a great dessert recipe for your Thanksgiving Day meal. It is easy and sure to please those in the family that don’t like the traditional pumpkin pie.
Ingredients

  • 2/3 C Oil
  • 1 C Canned Pumpkin
  • 2/3 C Water
  • 1 T Pumpkin Pie Spice
  • 1 Box Moist Spice Cake Mix
  • 1 Box Moist Yellow Cake Mix

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter & flour a 12-cup bundt pan. In a large mixing bowl combine the eggs, oil, pumpkin, water and pumpkin pie spice. Beat until well blended. Add the cake mixes and stir to combine. Transfer mixture to prepared pan and bake for 50 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from pan after cooling for a few minutes.
Glaze

  • Yellow Food Coloring
  • Red Food Coloring
  • 1 Pound Powdered Sugar
  • 1/3 C Orange Juice, No Pulp
  • 3 t Orange Liqueur

Combine 2 parts yellow food coloring with 4 parts red food coloring to make orange coloring. Whisk the powdered sugar, orange juice, orange liqueur and food coloring in a saucepan on low heat for 5 minutes or until the sugar melts. If the glaze seems too dry add more water or orange juice to reach the right consistency. Drizzle glaze over cake.

Audrey’s Frozen Chocolate Dessert

Audrey"s Ice Cream Dessert
Audrey”s Ice Cream Dessert

I was recently asked to participate in a email recipe “chain letter”. I decided to try it, and it was no surprise when I only received one recipe! These things just never seem to work for me. This is the recipe that I received and although I have not tried it yet, it does indeed sound yummy! I am sure it would be a big hit with any family.

Ingredients

  • 24 ice cream sandwiches or amount needed to cover pan x 2
  • 1 large container Cool Whip
  • 1 jar hot fudge sauce
  • 2 crushed Health Bars

Directions

In 13×9 pan make two layers in this order
1. 12 ice cream sandwiches
2. Spread layer of Cool Whip
3. Sprinkle with Crushed bars
4. Drizzle hot fudge sauce
Put in freezer. Set out short time before serving to cut.

Nutella Swirl Pound Cake

Nutella Pound Cake
Nutella Pound Cake
Nutella Pound Cake[/caption]I was walking with a friend one day and she told me that she had made herself a nutella pound cake for her birthday. She was raving about how good it was. I had to have the recipe! I made the cake and it was indeed fabulous! My son-in-law, who loves Nutella, couldn’t get enough of it. Beware: This is not a low calorie recipe.

Ingredients

  • 4 large eggs, at room temp, lightly beaten
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 1/4 cups sugar
  • 1 13 ounce jar Nutella, warmed in hot water or microwave

Directions
Combine the eggs and vanilla in a small bowl and lightly beat. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Combine the butter and sugar in large mixing bowl and cream with an electric mixer on medium high until fluffy, about 3 minutes. With the mixer on medium low, pour the egg mixture into the bowl in a slow stream. Turn mixer to low speed and add flour mixture 1/2 cup at a time. After all flour is added, beat on medium speed for 30 seconds. Pour 1/3 of the batter into a greased and floured 9×5 inch loaf pan. Spread the batter and smooth with a spatula. Spread 1/2 of the Nutella over the batter and smooth. Gently smooth 1/3 of the batter over Nutella and then smooth remaining Nutella over that. Spread the remaining batter over Nutella and run a butter knife through the batter to create marbling. Bake the cake at 325 degrees for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean. Let cool for 15 minutes, then invert on wire rack and let cool completely before slicing.

Gail’s Favorite Chocolate Crunch Brownies

Brownies
Brownies
My friend, Gail, recently shared her family’s favorite brownie recipe with me. She says that she must make them for all family gatherings. You must try them, they are delicious.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 cup butter or margarine, softened
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 cup flour
  • 6 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 7 – ounce jar marshmallow creme
  • 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 1 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 3 cups crisp rice cereal

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine sugar and butter in large mixing bowl. Beat at high speed until creamy. Add the eggs beating until blended. Stir in the flour, cocoa powder, vanilla, and salt. Spoon into greased 9×13 inch baking pan. Bake for 25 minutes or until edges pull from the sides of pan. Cool in pan on wire rack. Spread with the marshmallow creme. Combine chocolate morsels and peanut butter in a 2 quart saucepan. Cook over low heat until blended, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, stir in the cereal. Spread over prepared layers. Chill, covered until set. Cut into bars and store covered in the refrigerator.

Woody’s Snicker Cake

Snicker Salad
Snicker Salad
There are no snickers in this cake, but it tastes like one big snicker. It is an old family favorite recipe that is sinful, but oh, so good! Not sure who Woody is or was, so not sure why it is called Woody’s cake. Try it at your next family gathering.

Ingredients

  • 1 pkg German chocolate cake mix
  • 1 package Kraft caramels
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1/3 cup milk
  • 3/4 cup chocolate chips
  • 3/4 cup chopped nuts (walnuts or Spanish peanuts are good)
  • 1 small package instant chocolate pudding
  • 1 small container Cool Whip

Directions
Mix cake as directed. Pour 1/2 of batter in 9×13 inch greased pan. Bake @ 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Melt caramels, butter, and milk. Pour over cake. Sprinkle chocolate chips and nuts over cake. Pour remainder of cake mix on top and bake for 20 minutes more @250 degrees, then increase temp back to 350 degrees and cook 10 minutes more. Mix pudding mix and cool whip and spread on top of cooled cake. Refrigerate cake.

Carnation’s Famous Pumpkin Pie

Pumpkin Pie
Pumpkin Pie
Here is another old recipe that I found in my Mom’s recipe box. She cut it out of a paper and glued it on a recipe card. It is the pumpkin pie recipe that she always made and hers were the best I’ve ever eaten. Your family will love this old fashioned pumpkin pie. Don’t wait for Thanksgiving to make it. It is good anytime of the year.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon allspice
  • 1/2 teaspoon cloves
  • 1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin
  • 1 2/3 cups (large can) undiluted Carnation Evaporated Milk
  • 2 eggs
  • 9-inch single crust unbaked pie shell

Directions
Mix filling ingredients until smooth. Place in unbaked pie shell. Bake @ 425 degrees for 15 minutes. Lower temperature to 350 degrees and continue baking about 35 minutes or until custard is firm.

Lincoln Del Chocolate Pie

Do you remember the Lincoln Del in Minneapolis? Apparently it first started as a bakery. At one time there were three of them, the last one closing in 2000. I remember the one on 494. They were famous for the omelets as well as their Matzo soup and desserts. Here is a recipe for their famous chocolate pie. You certainly need a stand mixer if you are going to make this one!

Ingredients

  • 1/4 pound butter
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 square (1 ounce) dark chocolate
  • 3 squares (3 ounces) semi-sweet chocolate
  • 1 Tablespoon water
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 baked pie shell
  • whipped cream
  • chocolate curls

Directions
Cream butter and sugar well; add chocolate, that has been melted with water in double boiler. Add eggs, one at a time. Beat after each one. Beat entire mixture for 20 minutes. Very important to beat long enough. Pour into pie shell. Cover with whipped cream and chocolate curls. Refrigerate.

Cream Cheese Brownies

Try these delicious brownies the next time you are looking for a treat for your family. They are delicious and will become a family favorite.

Ingredients
Brownie layer

  • 1 chocolate brownie mix
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 or 3 eggs (depending on box directions)
  • 1 teaspoon almond extract

White layer

  • 8 ounces cream cheese
  • 4 Tablespoons butter
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 Tablespoons flour
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions
Follow directions on box for cake-like brownies, adding 1 teaspoon almond extract. Spread in 9×13 inch pan. Cream butter and cream cheese. Blend in all other white layer ingredients. Zigzag cream cheese mixture through the brownie mix using a knife or fork.
Bake @ 350 degrees for 35 minutes.