Dessert exchange 10-29-09

We had another fun dessert exchange. As always we ate a lot and enjoyed some great (sorry to scare you Tia) conversation. We got a lot of great recipes.

Apple Cake

1/2 cup margarine

2 cup sugar

2 eggs

3 cup shredded apples

2 cup flour

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. soda

1/4 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup chopped nuts

Cream margarine, sugar, eggs. Add apples and mix well. Add dry ingredients & mix. Pour into greased 9 by 13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 min. Drizzle each piece with caramel, dollop with whip cream.

submitted by Heather Bailey

Frightfully Easy Ghost Cookies

12 oz. vanilla flavored candy coating, cut into pieces. I used almond wafers from the bulk at winco.

1 package Nutter Butter cookies

64 miniature chocolate chips.

Microwave chocolate in 30 second intervals, stir in between each interval until smooth and melted. Line cookie sheets with wax sheets. With a fork dip nutter butters into chocolate. Tap side of bowl to get excess chocolate off. Lay flat, coated side up, on wax paper-lined cookie sheets. Place 2 chocolate chips in coating to form eyes. Let stand about 10 minutes until set.

Submitted by Maja McMinn

Itsy Bitsy Spiderwebs Cupcakes

1 box(es) Betty Crocker Super Moist German Chocolate cake mix, prepared
1/3 cup(s) grade-A dark maple syrup
1/2 cup(s) pumpkin pie filling
1 tub(s) Duncan Hines Classic Dark-Chocolate Fudge frosting
2 cup(s) white-chocolate chips

To Make the Cupcakes: Place paper liners in a muffin pan, then fill each liner two-thirds full with prepared cake mix. Bake at 350°F for 15 to 20 minutes, then set aside until cool. Repeat process until you've baked 24 cupcakes.
Transfer frosting into a bowl, microwave for 10 seconds, and stir; repeat until thin enough to pour. Dip cupcake upside down into frosting, submerging the top but not touching liner to frosting. Let excess drip off before turning upright. Continue until all cupcakes are glazed.
To Make the Cake Topper: Microwave white-chocolate chips in a bowl for 30 seconds and stir. Continue to microwave in 20-second intervals until almost melted. Stir again until chocolate is completely melted. Pour inside a freezer bag with one tip snipped off to create a piping sleeve.
Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Slide spiderweb template underneath paper. To make each web, use piping sleeve to trace white chocolate along design, making sure to connect all lines. Repeat process until you've created 24 toppers. Chill them in refrigerator for 10 minutes. Then, using a spatula, remove webs carefully from parchment and position one on each cupcake.

Submitted by Karin Dance

Lemon Tartlets

Tart Shells

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 egg white

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour

Filling

2 eggs

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 T. butter or margarine melted and cooled

1 large lemon

powdered sugar (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray mini muffin pan with nonstick spray. In mixing bowl beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg whited; blend well. Add flour; mix just until well blended. Using small scoop, drop level scoops of dough into muffin cups. Press dough into cups with well floured Mini tart shaper.

2. For filling, lightly whisk eggs in Small batter bowl. Whisk in sugar and butter. Zest lemon using Lemon zestor. Finely chop zest to measure 2 teaspoons. Add zest and 3 T. lemon juice to bowl; mix well. Pour filling evenly into tart shells.

3. Bake 20-22 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Remove pan to cooling rack. Cool 5 minutes. Carefully remove tartlets from muffin pan. Cool completely. Store in tightly covered container in refrigerator. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving if desired. Serves 24.

Submitted by Wendy Jaglowski

Pumpkin Bread

3 cups canned pumpkin puree

1 1/2 cups vegetable oil or applesauce

4 cups sugar

6 eggs

4 3/4 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp groung cinnamon, ground nutmeg, and ground cloves(1 1/2 tsp of each)

*Add 2 cups chocolate chips and some on top of each loaf if you like.

Preheat oven 350. Grease and flour 3 large loaf pans. In a large mixing bowl, mix the pumpkin, oil, sugar, and eggs. In another bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. Stir in Pumpkin mixture until well blended. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. Bake in preheated oven for 45 min to 1 hour.

Submitted by Sherri Horsely

Oatmeal Cranberry White Chocolate Chunk Cookies

2/3 cup margarine, softened

2/3 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups old fashioned oats

1 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 (6oz.) bag craisins

2/3 cup white chocoate chips

Preheat oven to 375. Mix margarine and sugar until fluffy. Beat eggs into mixture, mixing well. Add oats, flour, baking soda, and salt and mix completely. Stir in craisins and chocolate chips. Drop by teaspoon full onto cookie sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Makes 2 1/2 dozen

Submitted by Janelle McMinn

Peanut Butter Munchies

Ingredients:
1 ½ c flour
½ c unsweetened cocoa powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ c butter, softened
½ c granulated sugar
½ c packed brown sugar
¼ c peanut butter
1 egg
T Tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla
¾ c sifted powdered sugar
½ c peanut butter
2 Tbsp granulated sugar

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. IN a medium mixing bowl stir together flour, cocoa powder, and baking soda; set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl beat together butter, the ½ c granulated sugar, brown sugar, and the ¼ c peanut butter with an electric mixer until combined. Add egg, milk, and vanilla; beat well. Beat in as much of the dry ingredients as you can with mixer. Stir in remaining dry ingredients by hand with a wooden spoon. Form chocolate dough into 32 balls about 1 ¼ inches in diameter. Set aside.
3. For peanut butter filling, in a medium mixing bowl combine powdered sugar and the remaining ½ c peanut butter until smooth. Shape mixture into 32 (3/4 inch) balls.
4. On a work surface, slightly flatten a chocolate dough ball and top with a peanut butter ball. Shape the chocolate dough over the peanut butter filling, completely covering the filling. Roll dough into a ball. Repeat with the remaining chocolate dough and peanut butter filling balls.
5. Place balls 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Lightly flatten with the bottom of a glass dipped in the granulated sugar.
6. Bake cookies in preheated oven for 8 minutes or until they’re just set and surface is slightly cracked. Let cookies stand for 1 minute. Transfer cookies to wire racks; cool. Makes 32 cookies.
To Store: Place in layers separated by waxed paper in an airtight container; cover. Store at room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

Cookie (dessert) exchange 9-24-09

Here is a picture of zucchini brownie, Pam's Ginger Snaps, Chocolatey carmel thumbprints, Creamy chocolate cookies, Apricot cookies, and White Chocolate Pecan drop cookies. Sorry that all of the cookies are not featured, but I got the idea to take a picture after I already ate some.

Apricot Cookies

6 cups four

1 tsp salt

1 can evaporated milk

1 pkg yeast

1/4 cup warm water

2 1/2 cups shortening

4 eggs

Make a well in the flour in a mixing bowl. Soften the yeast in the water and then add to flour. Add remaining ingredients and mix until dough comes away from the sides of the bowl. Divide into 5 balls and wrap in wax paper. Refrigerate overnight.(Note...I only refrigerated for a couple of hours) Before rolling out let dough stand at room temp for 10 minutes. Roll the dough in white sugar, not flour. Spread with jars of Apricot filling (or any other preserve). Cut into squares and then fold over 2 sides. Bake on ungreased pan for 12-15 minutes at 350 degrees. Cool on racks. Makes Lots.

Submitted by Maja McMinn

Chocolatey Caramel Thumbprints

• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup butter softened
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 2 T. milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 cup flour
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 16 vanilla caramels
• 3 T. Whipping cream
• 1 1/4 cup finely chopped pecans
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate pieces

1. Separate egg; place yolk and white in separate bowls. Cover and chill egg white until needed. In a large mixing bowl beat butter with an electric mixer for 30 seconds. Add sugar and beat well. Beat in egg yolk, milk, and vanilla.
2. In another bowl stir together the flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Add flour mixture to butter mixture and beat until well combined. Wrap the cookie dough in plastic wrap and chill about 2 hours or until easy to handle.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a cookie sheet. In a small saucepan heat and stir caramels and whipping cream over low heat until mixture is smooth. Set aside.
4. Slightly beat reserved egg white. Shape the dough into 1 inch balls. Roll the balls in egg white, then in pecans to coat. Place balls 1 in. apart on cookie sheet. Using your thumb make an indentation in the center of each cookie.
5. Bake about 10 min. or until edges are firm. Spoon melted caramel mixture into cookie centers. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool.
6. In another small saucepan heat and stir chocoate pieces and shortening over low heat until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Let cool slightly. Drizzle chocoate mixture over tops of cookies.

Submitted by Tia Burns

Raspberry Danish Dessert Cake

• 1 box white cake mix
• 1 pkg raspberry Danish Dessert(Not Raspberry jello mix)
• 2 pkgs frozen raspberries ( I usually use one for 9X13 pan and 2 for cookie sheet)
• 8 oz. cream cheese softened
• 16 oz. cool whip
• 1-2 cups powdered sugar

1. Make cake mix as directed on box. (I usually use a cookie sheet when making this cake. It serves more and allows for more room for the layers.) Bake until golden brown on top (about 20-25 min for a cookie sheet at 350 deg. ) Allow cake to cool.
2. Beat together the cream cheese and powdered sugar. Once sugar in incorporated with cream cheese, add cool whip in 3 parts. Spread a thick layer of cream cheese mix on cooled cake.
3. Make Danish Dessert using the pie filling recipe on box. Add raspberries. I usually add the frozen berries while mixture is still hot and break up some of the raspberries. Let raspberry mixture cool slightly then pour mixture on top of cream cheese layer. Spread evenly over entire cake. Chill at least 3 hours and serve.

Submitted by Karin Dance

White Chocoate Pecan Drop Cookies

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt

Mix in small bowl and set aside

• 2/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup coarsely chopped pecans (toast pecans for 11-12min at 350 deg. on baking sheet)
• 2/3 cup white chocolate chips

In a large bowl cream butter and sugars until smooth. Add egg, vanilla, and beat well. Add dry ingredients, mix. Stir in pecans and chocolate. Drop by rounded tsp. on cookie sheet. Bake at 350 deg. for 10-12 min. or until golden brown. Makes 2 dozen.

Submitted by Shari Horsely

Pam's Ginger Snaps

• 3/4 cup shortening
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup light molasses
• 1 egg
• 2 cup flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp cloves
• 1 tsp ginger

Preheat oven to 375 deg. Cream sugar and molasses then egg. Combine with dry ingredients. Roll in balls and dip in sugar. Bake 6 to 10 min. They crack when done.

Submitted by Pam Hall

Creamy Chocoate Cookies

• 1 8oz. pkg cream cheese
• 1 cube butter
• 1 egg
• 1 chocoate cake mix
• 1 tsp. vannilla
• 1 cup white chocoate chips

Cream first 3 ingredients until smooth. Then add cake mix, vanilla, and chips until blended. Refrigerate for 2 hours. Form balls and roll in podered sugar. Bake at 350 deg. for 10 min. Cool and drizzle chocolate frosting on top.

Submitted by Janelle McMinn

Cake Mix Cookies

• 1 box cake mix
• 1/2 cup oil
• 2 eggs
• (1/2 cup flour if needed)
• Optional chips, nuts, frosting, ect, be creative

Bake at 350 deg for 10-12 minutes.

Submitted by Heather Bailey

Zucchini Brownies

• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 cup flour
• 1/2 cup salad oil
• 1 cup nuts
• 1 1/2 tsp soda
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 1 egg
• 2 1/2 cup grated zucchini
• 3 T. Cocoa
• Powdered sugar as needed

Cream sugar, oil, egg, and vanilla. Add remaining ingredients. Spread out on large cookie sheet. Bake 20 min. at 350 deg. or until center is cooked. Sprinkly with powdered sugar.

Submitted by Julie Sidwell

Girl Scout Thin Mint (knockoffs)

• Almond bark(chocolate)
• Peppermint candy flavoring (found in cake decorating, candy making)
• Ritz crackers

Melt bark and add peppermint. Mix well. Dip ritz in chocoate and set on wax paper. Let set. Enjoy.

Submitted by Wendy Jaglowski