Creamy chocolate dessert

Crust:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup powdered sugar
6 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into small pieces
1/4 cup finely chopped pecans
Cooking spray

Filling:
1 cup powdered sugar
1 block cream cheese
1 8oz tub whipped cream
3 cups milk
2 small packages chocolate instant pudding mix
Unsweetened cocoa (optional)

Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 325°.
2. To prepare crust, lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and 1/4 cup sugar in a food processor; pulse 2 times or until combined. Add butter; pulse 10 times or until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in pecans. Firmly press mixture into bottom of a 13 x 9–inch baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 325° for 20 minutes or until crust is lightly browned. Cool completely.
3. To prepare filling, place 1 cup sugar and cream cheese in a medium bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until fluffy. Fold in half of whipped topping. Spread cream cheese mixture on cooled crust. Cover loosely; refrigerate 1 hour.
4. Combine milk and pudding mix in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed for 2 minutes. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour or until pudding is set. Spread the pudding mixture over cream cheese layer. Spread remaining half of thawed whipped topping over pudding layer. Cover and chill for 30 minutes. Sprinkle with cocoa, if desired. Cut into 15 pieces.

Blueberry pecan cake

cooking spray
2 sticks butter, soft
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 1/3 cup buttermilk
1 tbsp grated orange rind
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
3 tsp vanilla
1 tsp almond extract
1/2 tsp baking soda
3 cups flour
2 cups blueberries
2/3 cup pecans, chopped
powdered sugar

Mix together all ingredients for cake down to the blueberries, until smooth. Slowly fold in blueberries and pecans until well mixed. Bake on 350 degrees for 35ish minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. Sprinkle cake with powdered sugar when removed from oven.

Creamy fruit salad

1 large can mixed fruit
1 can pineapple (can be chunks or bits)
1 can mandarin oranges
bananas, sliced (we did 3)
apples, chopped (we did 2)
1 small box vanilla pudding
1 1/2 cups milk
3 oz orange juice concentrate
3/4 cup sour cream

Open and drain fruit. In a large bowl, mix together the milk, pudding, sour cream, and oj concentrate. Pour drained fruit into mixture and stir well. Chill until ready to serve.

Double chocolate cake

I box of chocolate cake mix (I used Devil's Food)
1 small box chocolate pudding
2 cups sour cream
4 eggs
1 cup water
3/4 cup applesauce
1/2 cups chocolate chips

Mix all ingredients, down to the chips, in a large mixing bowl until smooth. Pour in chocolate chips, stirring thoroughly.
Pour batter into greased 9x13 inch pan/stone. Bake on 350 degrees for 45ish minutes, or until fork stuck into the middle comes out clean.
Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream.

Baked rice pudding

4 cups water
2 cups long grain rice
3 cups milk
3/4 cups sugar
1 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon

Put water and rice in a pot on the stove. Cook on medium heat until almost all water is gone. Mix in milk, sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Pour mixture into 9x9 inch baking pan/stone. Bake on 350 degrees, stirring frequently, until mixture is thick. Sprinkle a little more cinnamon on top; serve warm.

Quick pumpkin pie

15 oz can of pumpkin
14 oz can of sweetened condensed milk
2 eggs
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
pie crusts

Mix together all ingredients for pie. Pour into pie crusts and bake on 375 degrees for about an hour.

Brownies

8 squares of unsweetened baking chocolate
3 sticks butter
4 cups sugar
6 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)

Spray 9x13 inch pan with cooking spray.
Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Microwave butter and chocolate squares for 30 second intervals until they're melted together.
Mix other ingredients into chocolate mixture. Stir thoroughly.
Pour batter into pan/stone and bake for 35-40 minutes, or unitl toothpick stuck in the middle comes out clean.

M&M cookie bars

1 1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup sugar
1 cup butter, melted
1 tbsp vanilla
2 eggs
3 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 cups m&ms

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Beat together all ingredients (except the m&ms) until smooth. Stir in candy. Spread into a 13x9 inch baking pan/stone. Bake 20-30 minutes, or until slightly browned around the edges.

Pumpkin Pie

3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 3/4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 (12-ounce) can evaporated low-fat milk
2 large egg whites
1 large egg
1 (15-ounce) can unsweetened pumpkin (or you can use what you made after Halloween :)
Pie crust

Position oven rack to lowest position.
Preheat oven to 425°.
To prepare filling, combine first 6 ingredients in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add pumpkin, and stir with a whisk until smooth.
Pour pumpkin mixture into the crust. Place pie plate on a baking sheet. Place baking sheet on lowest oven rack. Bake at 425° for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350° (do not remove pie from oven); bake an additional 50 minutes or until almost set. Cool completely on wire rack.

Sweet potato pie

2 pounds sweet potatoes (about 5 medium)
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup 2% reduced-fat milk
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
Pie crust

Preheat oven to 375°.
Pierce sweet potatoes several times with a fork. Place sweet potatoes on a baking sheet. Bake at 375° for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until tender. Cool slightly. Peel and discard skins. Place the pulp in a medium bowl, and mash. Add 3/4 cup brown sugar and the next 8 ingredients (through eggs) to pulp. Beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended.
Pour sweet potato mixture into pie crust. Bake at 375° for 55 minutes or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean. Cool pie completely on a wire rack.

Frozen key lime pie

1 9 inch graham cracker crust
1 14oz can sweetened condensed milk
1 6oz can frozen limeade
2 cups whipping cream
green food coloring

In a medium bowl, mix together the condensed milk, limeade, and whipping cream. Add a few drops (I did 5) of green food coloring. Pour into pie crust and freeze until you're ready to serve.

Ice cream bread

So easy, so yummy (and that's a quote from the kids)

3 cups flour
4 cups vanilla ice cream (you can try other flavors. Vanilla was all I had)
assorted ice cream toppings

Mix together ice cream and flour. Place in loaf pan and bake on 350 degrees for 45ish minutes, until a fork inserted in the center comes out clean. Slice and serve with drizzled toppings.

S'more ice cream treats

graham crackers, halved

hot fudge sauce

mini marshmallows

chocolate ice cream



Place crackers in bottom of pan. Pour hot fudge sauce over crackers. Sprinkle with marshmallows. Cover with a thick layer of ice cream. Drizzle more hot fudge sauce over ice cream layer. Freeze overnight.

Applesauce cookies

1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup applesauce
2 1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1 cup raisins (optional)
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix all ingredients together. Place dough in heaping spoonfuls on baking pan/stone.
Bake 12ish minutes, until cookies are SLIGHTLY browned at the edges.

Red Velvet Cake

I know it's not Christmas time yet, but this was requested. Enjoy!

1 2/3 cup sugar
4 tbsp shortening
1 egg white
1 egg
3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa
1 oz bottle of red food coloring
2 1/4 cup flour
1 tsp salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 1/4 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp white vinegar
1 tsp baking soda
2 tubs of cream cheese frosting, mixed with 1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Coat 2 9 inch cake pans in cooking spray.
Beat the sugar and shortening at medium speed of a mixer 5 minutes or until well-blended. Add egg white and egg; beat well. Combine cocoa and food coloring in a small bowl; stir well with a whisk. Add to sugar mixture; mix well.
Lightly spoon 2 1/4 cups flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine with salt. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Add vanilla; mix well. Combine vinegar and baking soda in a small bowl; add to batter, mixing well.
Pour batter into prepared pans. Sharply tap pans once on counter to remove air bubbles. Bake at 350° for 28 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes; remove from pans. Cool completely on wire racks.
Ice with cream cheese frosting. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Nutter butter pie

1 bag of Nutter Butter minis (set aside about 6-8)
2 tbsp butter, melted
2 cups milk
1 large box chocolate pudding
1 banana, sliced
2 cups whip cream


Place cookies in food processor; process until finely crushed. Add butter; process until well blended. Press crumb mixture firmly onto bottom and up side of 9-inch pie plate.
POUR milk into medium bowl. Add dry pudding mix. Beat with wire whisk 2 min. or until well blended. (Mixture will be thick.) Spoon 2 cups of the pudding mixture into crust; top with bananas. Gently stir whipped topping into remaining pudding mixture; spread over bananas.
Put set aside cookies on top, in any pattern you desire, as decoration.
Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving.

Peanut butter oatmeal cookies

1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) butter, soft
2 cups brown sugar
2/3 cup sugar
4 eggs
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
5 cups oatmeal
1 package peanut butter chips

Heat oven to 350°F.
Beat butter, brown sugar and sugar in bowl until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Combine flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon; add to butter mixture, beating well. Stir in oats, and peanut butter chips (batter will be stiff). Drop by rounded teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned.

Pineapple ice cream sandwiches

This was sent to me this morning from my stepmom and it sounded so good, we made it this afternoon. Simple, great way to get the kids to help out and easy ingredients to have on hand pretty much all the time. We made a double batch and used 1 1/2 boxes of graham crackers. Great thing to make ahead for summer snack times!

1- 16 oz container whipped topping, thawed
1- 20 oz can crushed pineapple, drained
1- 3.4 oz package instant vanilla pudding
36 graham cracker squares

In a large bowl, beat together the thawed whipped topping, crushed pineapple and vanilla pudding mix for 2 minutes. Spread pineapple mixture 1/2 inch think between two graham crackers. Wrap gently in plastic and freeze for 2 hours.

Peanut butter surprises

1 cup butter, soft
1 cup crunchy peanut butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup peanut butter cups, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream all ingredients together, saving peanut butter cups for last. Stir those in with a scraper. Drop by spoonful on baking sheets. Bake for 15ish minutes, or until LIGHTLY browned.

Strawberry whipped sensation

This is a Cool Whip brand recipe. For once, I didn't have to change a whole lot. I did, however, substitute fat free versions of the ingredients.

2 cups strawberries, chopped
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 8oz tub whipped cream
10 chocolate cookies, chopped

Line loaf pan with plastic wrap or aluminum foil to where it's hanging generously over the sides. (You'll later need it to help cover the top)
Mix together whipped cream, condensed milk, chopped strawberries, and lemon juice.
Pour into waiting pan.
In a large zip top bag, crush cookies until they are finely crumbled. Sprinkle on top of panned mixture. Take ends of plastic wrap or aluminum foil and cover the top, lightly pressing cookies into whipped mixture.
Freeze overnight, or at least 4 hours.
To serve, invert over plate. Remove paper. Can cover outside with layer of whipped cream, but we opted not to. Also, can top with sliced strawberries.
Store leftovers in freezer.