2008 Holiday Recipe Swap - Desserts About This Page:

[crystalloubear]

Welcome to the 2008 Holiday recipe swap. Through the Holiday season, we all like to pull out our tried and true recipes. Please post your favorite recipes for desserts. (Make sure to look for the other threads in the series for Main Dishes and Entrees and a post Starters and Salads) Feel free to include any special memories you have of the dishes or a story of how the dish became part of your family meals.

Have fun!!

[crystalloubear]

Chocolate Cheese Fudge

1/2 lb processed cheese, sliced or cubed
1 cup butter
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup chopped nuts, pecans, walnuts
2 16-ounce boxes confectioners’ sugar
1/2 cup cocoa


Directions

Spray lightly the bottom of a 9x2 inch square pan with a nonstick spray.
Using a saucepan over medium heat, melt the cheese and butter together, stirring constantly until smooth. Remove from heat and add the vanilla and nuts.
In a large bowl sift together the sugar and cocoa. Pour the cheese mixture into the sugar and cocoa mixture and stir until completely mixed. The candy will be very stiff.
Using your hands, remove candy from bowl and press evenly and firmly into pan. Because of the amount of butter in this recipe, pat the top of the candy with a paper towel to remove the excess oil. Place pan in refrigerator until candy is firm.
To serve candy, cut into squares.


I saw Paula Deen make this on TV a few years ago and thought "Wow that is too weird not to taste yummy" Anyway, I made it and it is so rich and creamy. Nobody beleived me that there was Velveta cheese in it! At first, people wouldn't even try it when I said there was cheese in it. SO I stopped telling them until after they tasted it. Now I get requests for the fudge.

[BlueCinderellaEyes]

Both Of these are from teh Wilton Site and are amazing!

Red Velvet Cocoa Cake

· 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, softened
· 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
· 1 teaspoon Madagascar Pure Vanilla Extract
· 2 eggs
· 1 ounce Red (no-taste) Icing Color
· 2 cups all-purpose flour
· 1/4 cup cocoa powder
· 1 teaspoon salt
· 1 cup buttermilk or sour milk
· 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
· 1 tablespoon white vinegar
· Cake Release
Makes: Approximately 6 cups of batter.
Instructions
Heat oven to 350°F. Grease two 8 in. round baking pans with Wilton Cake Release or vegetable pan spray. In large mixer bowl, beat butter, sugar and vanilla until creamy. Add eggs and icing color; blend well. Stir together flour, cocoa and salt; add alternately with buttermilk to batter mixture, beating until blended. Stir baking soda into vinegar; fold carefully into batter (do not beat). Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake 30-35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire rack. Cool completely.
*To sour milk, use 1 tablespoon white vinegar plus milk to equal 1 cup.

And of corse you need anamazing icing recipy so here it goes

Buttercream Icing

· 1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening
· 1/2 cup butter or margarine softened
· 1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract
· 4 cups confectioner's sugar (approximately 1 lb.) sifted
· 2 Tablespoons milk
Makes: Icing makes about 3 cups.
instructions
(Medium Consistency)
In large bowl, cream shortening and butter with electric mixer.
Add vanilla.
Gradually add sugar, one cup at a time, beating well on medium speed.
Scrape sides and bottom of bowl often.
When all sugar has been mixed in, icing will appear dry.
Add milk and beat at medium speed until light and fluffy.
Keep bowl covered with a damp cloth until ready to use.
For best results, keep icing bowl in refrigerator when not in use.
Refrigerated in an airtight container, this icing can be stored 2 weeks.
Rewhip before using.

[Tinkerbelly]

YO YUMMY! (That's what I call it)

Mix 3 bricks of Cream Cheese with a cup of brown sugar. Then, heat a cup of apple/caramel dip in the micro.
Pour over the top of the cheese mix.
Crush up Heath Bars and put on top of the heated apple/caramel dip.
Chill for a couple of hours. It's good with Granny Smith apples
and I like it with pretzels because of the salty/sweet taste.
Also, I usually can't find the apple/caramel dip in a big container, so I
use those individual ones that come package and use them all.

Toni

[HeatherD]

I have a recipe for Rum Balls that I absolutely love! My mom got it from a co-worker, but I've since discovered that it looks just like the one in the Betty Crocker cookbood . Though we didn't discover it until I was pretty much out of high school, it's become a staple for my holiday desserts ever since I started contributing something on my own.

Rum Balls
10 oz. 'Nilla Wafers
1 cup Pecans
1 cup Confectioners Sugar
3 Tbsp Karo Syrup (light or dark, I prefer light for the rum)
1/2 cup rum, brandy or sherry

Grind 'Nilla Wafers and pecans in food processor until fine. Combine all ingredients. Set dough overnight (in fridge). Roll out small balls of dough (marble size) and roll in powdered sugar.



Almond Maji
2 sticks Butter
1 cup Sugar
1 Tbsp light Karo syrup
1 Tbsp Water
5 Hershey Bars (broken into pieces)
1 cup toasted sliced Almonds (I buy a bag of sliced and don't additionally toast them)

Mix together first 4 ingredients and cook over high heat, stirring constantly, until a shade darker than light brown sugar (hard crack stage). (Experience taught my mom to let it cook, unstirred, once it started boiling - I do a combo because I'm convinced it'll burn otherwise.) Pour onto a foil lined cookie sheet. Sprinkle chocolate on top while still hot and spread over candy mixture. Sprinkle almonds over and press lightly (to adhere to chocolate). Cool in fridge and break into pieces (like peanut brittle). Store in air tight container.

[Tinkerbelly]

bump..I think this is a great post..anyone else have any more recipes they would like to share??

[BlueCinderellaEyes]

Sure I have a bunch

Easy Banana Cream Pie

1-1/4 cups HONEY MAID Graham Crumbs
2 Tbsp. butter, melted
2 medium ripe bananas, sliced
3 cups cold skim milk
2 pkg. (4-serving size each) JELL-O Vanilla Fat Free Instant Pudding
1-1/2 cups thawed COOL WHIP Light Whipped Topping, divided

COMBINE graham crumbs and butter in 9-inch pie plate. Press firmly onto bottom and up side of pie plate. Place half of the banana slices in crust; set remaining banana slices aside.
POUR milk into large bowl. Add dry pudding mixes. Beat with wire whisk 2 min. or until well blended. Gently stir in 1 cup of the whipped topping. Spoon half of the pudding mixture into crust; top with remaining banana slices. Cover with remaining pudding mixture.
REFRIGERATE 3 hours or until set. Serve topped with the remaining 1/2 cup whipped topping. Store leftover pie in refrigerator.

Diabetes friendly

[BlueCinderellaEyes]

Cheesecake Brownies

1 pkg. (440 g) brownie mix
1/4 cup applesauce
2 egg whites, divided
2 Tbsp. water
125 g (1/2 of 250-g pkg.) PHILADELPHIA Light Brick Cream Cheese Spread, softened
1/4 cup sugar
2 Tbsp. flour


PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Mix brownie mix, applesauce, one of the egg whites and water. Pour into 8-inch square baking pan sprayed with cooking spray.
MIX cream cheese spread, sugar, flour and remaining egg white until well blended. Spoon over brownie batter. Cut through batter with knife several times for marble effect.
BAKE 28 min. or until wooden toothpick inserted in centre comes out with fudgy crumbs attached. (Do not overbake). Cool in pan on wire rack. Cut into 16 (2x2-inch) pieces.

[HeatherD]

I've made that Banana Cream Pie recipe! I like it with a shortbread or sugar cookie crust, too.

[Mouseketeer]

PECAN PIE BARS
(Pecan pie takes a turn as a bar cookie, and a rich one at that)

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup butter or margarine, cut up
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup butter or margarine
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
2-1/2 cups finely chopped pecans
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine flour, sugar, and salt in large bowl; cut in 3/4 cup butter thoroughly with a pastry blender until mixture resembles very fine crumbs. Press mixture evenly into a greased 13x9 pan, using a piece of plastic wrap to press crumb mixture firmly in pan. Bake at 350 for 17 to 20 minutes or until lightly browned.

Combine brown sugar, corn syrup, and 1/2 cup butter in a saucepan; bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring gently. Remove from heat. Stir one-fourth of hot mixture into beaten eggs; add to remaining hot mixture. Stir in pecans and vanilla. Pour filling over crust. Bake at 350 for 34 to 35 minutes or until set. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack. Cut into bars.

Yield: 16 large bars.

[Luvsun]

What you will need:
1 cup of sugar
1 cup of white corn syrup
1 1/2 cups of peanut butter
8 cups of Special K cereal
Butter
6 oz. package of butterscotch chips
6 oz. package of chocolate chips

Butter a 9X13 pan
Bring to a boil 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of white corn syrup.
Remove from the stove and stir in 1 1/2 cups of peanut butter.
In a large bowl, mix the above mixture with the 8 cups of cereal.
When the cereal is all mixed in, place it in the buttered pan.
Let sit to cool.
Melt in the microwave the butterscotch chips and chocolate chips
(usually takes about 2 - 3 minutes)
Once melted, pour over the cereal mixture like frosting.

Let cool. Cut into squares.

Enjoy!

[WDWJAMBA]

Originally Posted by Luvsun

What you will need:
1 cup of sugar
1 cup of white corn syrup
1 1/2 cups of peanut butter
8 cups of Special K cereal
Butter
6 oz. package of butterscotch chips
6 oz. package of chocolate chips

Butter a 9X13 pan
Bring to a boil 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of white corn syrup.
Remove from the stove and stir in 1 1/2 cups of peanut butter.
In a large bowl, mix the above mixture with the 8 cups of cereal.
When the cereal is all mixed in, place it in the buttered pan.
Let sit to cool.
Melt in the microwave the butterscotch chips and chocolate chips
(usually takes about 2 - 3 minutes)
Once melted, pour over the cereal mixture like frosting.

Let cool. Cut into squares.

Enjoy!

I have to leave the teachers' lounge when I see these. I'd eat them all! They are yuuuuummmy!

[kat feingold]

Dont let the name throw you off they aer fab!

"Ricotta Cheese Cookies"!


For the cookies:
>
> 1 cup butter, softened
>
> 2 cups granulated sugar
>
> 1 (15 ounce) container of ricotta cheese (I use light and it tastes just
as
>
> good as regular)
>
> 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
>
> 1 teaspoon salt
>
> 1 teaspoon baking soda
>
> 4 cups all-purpose flour
>
>
>
> For the glaze:
>
> 1 cup powdered sugar
>
> Milk (undetermined amount, just add until desired consistancy)
>
> sprinkles (optional)
>
>
>
> Preheat oven to 350 F. Mix Flour, salt, and baking soda in a medium bowl
and
>
> set asside. In a separate bowl, Cream the butter, sugar, and vanilla
>
> together. Add Ricotta Cheese stir until well mixed. Slowly add flour
>
> mixture while stirring. Continue to stir mixture well until the dough
sticks
>
> together into a big ball. It will be very sticky. Drop by teaspoonfulls on
>
> an ungreased cookie sheet (refrigerate dough for 10 minbefore hand to
limit
>
> sticykness). Bake 10 minutes or until the bottoms turn golden brown (tops
>
> will not brown!). Let cool for about a minute and then transfer to wire
>
> racks to cool completely.
>
>
>
> In a small saucepan slowly stir milk into the powdered sugar until it
>
> creates a glaze thin enough to be spread over the cookies. Stir over low
>
> heat then spread over cooled cookies. Quickly top with sprinkles.
>
> If you do not want to stir over a low heat, the glaze can be made with the
>
> same ingrediants just not heated.
>
> A second glaze option is to add vanilla, and maple syrup (not pancake
syrup)
>
> to powered sugar, then thin wil a little bit of water)
>
>

[All Ears]

Tinkerbelly,
For the "Yo Yummy" is it 3 bricks of cream cheese? Just wondering. It sounds amazing!

Thanks for all the great recipes. I love trying new things. YUM!

[Casper1]

THIS IS SO YUMMY

24 nutter butter pb cookies
5 Tbsp butter, melted
1 pkg. (8 o/z) cream cheese, softened
1 cup creamy peanut butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 Tbsp. vanilla
1 tub (8o/z) cool whip, thawed, divided.
crush cookies in zip lock plastic bag with a rolling pin.
mix cookie crumbs and butter
press into bottom and up the side of 9" pie plate

mix cream cheese, pb, sugar, vanilla with elec. mixer on med. speed until well blended.
Gently stir in 11/2 cups cool whip, spoon onto crust.
Freeze for 4 hrs. or overnight until firm.
Let it syand at room temp. 30 min. for pie to slice easly..
sooo goood for any holiday.