Recipes: Craving Sweets

1/2 Cake Mix Recipe

Need 12 Cupcakes not 24 or 1- 8 inch cake here's my 1/2 a cake mix recipe:  

• 1 & 3/4 C + 1/2 T   Cake mix or use scales
• 2   eggs
• 1/2 C   Milk, if chocolate sub. 2 - 1/2 T Hot H2O + 1 t instant coffee for part of the milk
• 1/3 C     oil

  French Silk Chocolate Pie

1          can  Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk

2          1 oz. Sq  unsweetened chocolate

1/4      t  salt

1/4      C  hot water -- or coffee

1/2      t  vanilla

1/2      pt.  whipping cream whipped (just before using)

1          pie crust -- baked & cooled

1          12 oz. pkg  Cool Whip® -- Thawed

1/4      C  semisweet chocolate chips -- optional  melted

1/2      C  nuts -- optional toasted

 1/2     C  coconut -- optional toasted

• Bake pie crust as directed
• In the top of a double boiler heat eagle brand, chocolate, and salt stirring constantly till thick
• Add water or coffee slowly. stir till blended.  stir occasionally till thick
• Cool to room temp. Stir in vanilla
• Optional: With brush paint melted chocolate on the bottom of the crust, sprinkle with nuts and /or coconut
• Beat cream till stiff peaks form and fold into choco.  mixture.  Pour into baked and cooled pie crust.
• Top with Cool Whip refrigerate till cold

Black Magic Chocolate Cake

1 3/4  C  flour
2    C   sugar
1/2  C  cocoa
2  t  baking soda

1  t   baking powder

1/2 t   salt

2   whole  eggs

1  C    buttermilk -- (or sour milk)

1/2  C   oil

1  C   coffee -- boiling (or water)

1   t  vanilla

Cream Cheese Frosting  (I usually increase the frosting recipe by 1/2)

• preheat oven to 350*
• in large bowl combine first 6 ingredients
• add remaining ingredients beat well for 2 minutes
• pour into three 8" (for a tall cake) or 9" prepared pans
• bake 35 to 40 minutes

• cool ten minutes and remove from pans
• cool completely

• frost with chocolate cream cheese frosting

Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

8  oz    cream cheese -- softened

1/2 C   butter or margarine -- softened

16  oz  powdered sugar

1 t       vanilla

1/2  C  cocoa

• Mix all ingredients together and beat well at medium speed with blender until well blended

• if too thick add 1 tablespoon milk spread on completely cooled cake

Whoopie Pies: I doubled the recipe and got 10 small and 8 large pies.

Ingredients

• 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
• 4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick)
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup natural cocoa powder, such as Hershey's or Scharffen Berger
• 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

• 3/4 teaspoons fine salt
• 18 large marshmallows, (the minis will work but a little more trouble)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicon baking sheet.
2. Put the unsweetened and semisweet chocolates and butter in a medium microwave-safe bowl; heat at 75 percent power until softened, about 2 minutes. Stir, and continue to microwave until completely melted, about 2 minutes more. (Alternatively, put the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl. Bring a saucepan filled with an inch or so of water to a very slow simmer; set the bowl over, but not touching the water, and stir occasionally until melted and smooth.)
3. Whisk the sugar, eggs and vanilla into the chocolate mixture until smooth.
4. Sift the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt into another bowl. Gradually whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until moistened. Switch to a rubber spatula and finish folding the batter together; take care not to over-mix.
5. Use a ice cream scoop for a consistent size drop of batter or spoon to drop a heaping tablespoon of batter onto the prepared pan. Space them about 1-inch apart. Bake until the cookies spring back when lightly touched, about 6 minutes for the smaller and 9 for the larger.
6. Cool the cookies slightly. Transfer half of the cookies to a rack. Turn the remaining cookies on the pan over, so they lay flat side up. Place a marshmallow on top of each flipped cookie and return pan to the oven. Cook just until the marshmallow begins to soften and puff, about 3 minutes. Cool marshmallow topped cookies slightly, about 2 minutes. Top with the remaining cookies, pressing lightly to make sandwiches. Cool whoopee pies completely on wire racks. Serve.  Store in tightly sealed container for up to 1 week.
7. Note:  Do not use the cream cheese, marshmallow cream filling recipe for this or just marshmallow cream It doesn't work buy marshmallows...

Sugar Free Frappucino

2-3    C espresso or strong coffee (you can use the cold brew coffee)

 1    1.3 oz  pkg  jello Cook and serve pudding  (you can use1.4 oz instant but the cooked stays blended better)

4       C milk

1/4   C  splenda

Make coffee, stir in splenda and allow to cool

Make pudding using 4 C milk.

Stir into Coffee

You can now either

1. Add enough milk to mix to equal 8 cups store in refrigeratoror

2. Leave in concentrated state, refrigerate and add equal parts mix and milk for individual servings.  If you chose to store in concentrated form be sure to shake the mixture well before pouring and mixing with milkNOTES :

• Use chocolate/fudge pudding with Chocolate coffees or plain coffee
• Vanilla or cheese cake pudding works well with crème brulee coffee

• Carmel pudding with choc/pecan coffee

 Butterfinger Cookies/Chocolate Covered Ritz Crackers

  1     Pound  Chocolate Almond Bark

  1     Box  Graham Crackers Or Ritz Crackers -- 72 pcs.

        Peanut Butter

• For Butterfinger cookies use Graham crackers: cut into fourths using a serrated Knife and a sawing motion. They break easily. Spread peanut butter on one and "sandwich" it with another. Makes apx. 36 "sandwiches". 
• For the Ritz cookies Spread peanut butter on one cracker and "sandwich" it with another. You should have 36 "sandwiches" 
• Melt almond bark in a double boiler, microwave, or 2 hours ahead of time place in a crock pot with a removable ceramic bowl on low heat. When the chocolate is melted remove the ceramic bowl from the heat. 
• Dip the "sandwiches" in the chocolate and place on wax paper to cool

Note:  Try sandwiching half a reg. size marshmallow  or several miniature with the peanut butter, you may have to torch the mallows to get the other side to stick or spread both sides of the "sandwich with peanut butter, before dipping into chocolate

 Chocolate Chip Treasure Cookies

1 1/2    C    Cups  Graham Cracker Crumbs

1/2       C    Flour

2          t     Baking powder

1 1/3   C    Coconut

14        oz   sweetened condensed milk

1/2      C     Oleo/Butter Flavor Crisco

2          C     Chocolate Chips

1          C     Chopped Walnuts

• Preheat oven to 375*  
• Mix crumbs, flour and powder in a small bowl

• Stir together the remaining Ingredients and mix well with above

• Drop by teaspoonful onto ungreased cookie sheet
• Bake 9-10 min  

Cinnamon Candy

2         C  Sugar

2/3     C  Karo Syrup

1/3     C  Water

1/2-1  t Cinnamon Oil -- 1/2 - 1 t

• Line cookie sheets with heavy duty tin foil shinny side up and lightly coat with Pam, dust with sifted powdered sugar
• Boil to 300* Hard crack
• Remove from Heat add red food color
• Turn on your exhaust fan over the stove if you haven't already, then, CAREFULLY with the longest handled spoon you have, and standing back as far as you can add the cinnamon flavor, stir well and Carefully. The liquid is VERY HOT and the oil fumes alonewill blister you skin, not to mention what the molton liquid would do to you skin.
• Pour into pan, dust the top with more powdered sugar, and allow to cool

Note: If you can not find the Cinnamon Oil at you grocery store check you pharmacy.  Do NOT use powder cinnamon or a liquid flavor it will not work.

Lemon Jello Cake

1 Yellow cake mix

1 pkg lemon Jello

3/4 C Oil

4 eggs

3/4 C water

Mix all ingredients together well, pour into a greased and floured tube pan. Bake at 300* for 1 hour.

Glaze:

1 small can frozen lemonade thawed

3/4  C Sugar

Lemon Jello Cake from Scratch

2 1/4 C Flour

1 1/2 C sugar

3 t baking powder

1/2 t salt

1 small pkg lemon jello

1/2 butter flavor Crisco

4 eggs

1 C milk
1 t vanilla

1/2 t lemon extract

1 t or T poppy seed optional

On low speed with your mixer mix the dry ingredients and the Crisco until the Crisco is in very small pieces. 

Add 1 egg at a time mixing well after each addition

Slowly add milk the flavorings

Pour into a greased and floured tube or Bundt pan bake at 300* for 1 hour

Notes:

You could use any flavor of jello

Fold in some fresh blueberries in the lemon

Symphony Brownies

1 box Pillsbury 13X9 Family size Chocolate Fudge Brownie Mix

Make according to directions. Spray 13x9 metal pan with Pam. Put half of mix in the bottom of the pan. Take three GIANT Symphony with almond and toffee chips Bars. Put two of the bars side by side in pan. cut off about a half inch of the other bar and lay it next to the other two bars. Use the part you cut off to put along the top in the empty space. Put the other half of batter over the candy bars. Bake for 31 minutes at 350.  Allow to cool, cut and dust with powdered sugar.

Superbowl Peanut Butter Cake

Ingredients

FOR THE CAKE:

½ cups Margarine Or Butter

1-⅓ cup Sugar

¼ cups Peanut Butter

1 teaspoon Vanilla

2 whole Eggs

2 cups All-purpose Flour

2 teaspoons Baking Powder

1 teaspoon Salt

1 cup Milk

FOR THE FROSTING:

Allison but Chocolate syrup on her's.

¼ cups Margarine Or Butter

¼ cups Peanut Butter

1 teaspoon Vanilla

½ teaspoons Salt

2-½ cups Powdered Sugar

3 Tablespoons Milk

Preparation Instructions

For the cake:

Preheat oven to 350F.

Cream the butter with the sugar. Add the peanut butter, vanilla, eggs and beat well.

Mix together the flour, baking powder, salt and then beat it into the creamed mixture adding it alternately with the milk.

Pour into 2 prepared 8-inch round cake pans.

Bake in the 350F oven for 35–40 minutes until just golden and a toothpick comes out clean. Take care not to over bake!

Cool on a wire rack.

For the frosting:

Cream together the margarine/butter, peanut butter, vanilla and salt. Beat well. Add powdered sugar alternately with the milk until it reaches spreading consistency. Spread on the cooled cake.

Chocolate Meringue Pie

Ingredients

• FOR THE PIE:
• 1 whole 9" Pie Crust
• 1-½ cup Sugar
• 3-½ Tablespoons All-purpose Flour
• 4-½ Tablespoons Cocoa Powder
• 1 pinch Salt
• 5  Eggs, Separated
• 1-½ cup Whole Milk
• 2 Tablespoons Butter
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• FOR THE MERINGUE:
• 1 pinch Cream Of Tartar
• 3 Tablespoons Marshmallow Creme

Preparation Instructions

For the pie:

Bake the pie shell according to the package instructions or make your own crust and bake according to the recipe. When done, set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, combine sugar, flour, cocoa powder and salt in a bowl or in the top half of a double boiler.

Separate the egg whites from the egg yolks. Set egg whites aside in a bowl for the meringue. Combine half of the milk and the egg yolks in a bowl and whisk until completely incorporated. Pour egg and milk mixture through a strainer into the dry mixture. Then pour the other half of the milk through the strainer into the mixture and stir the wet and dry ingredients together until combined.

Help me, I'm shrinking, I'm shrinking...

Cook the mixture in a double boiler over medium-low heat. Start out stirring with a whisk to make sure all of the ingredients incorporate, but then switch to a spoon and stir the mixture constantly until the mixture begins to thicken. Add butter and vanilla. Be sure to scrape the bottom of the pot gently so thickened parts don’t stick to the bottom of the pot and burn. The mixture is adequately thickened when you can see the bottom of the pot for a few seconds in the wake of your spoon when you scrape it against the pot. Then remove it from heat and let mixture cool slightly. Then pour it into the baked pie shell. Let pie cool completely before preparing meringue.

For the meringue:

Preheat oven to 400 F. Beat the reserved egg whites with a pinch of cream of tartar, using a mixer on high until they form peaks. Then, add marshmallow cream 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing after each addition.

Spoon meringue onto the pie and smooth it with a spatula. Bake pie in a 400 F oven, just for a few minutes until the meringue peaks start to brown.

Yesterday's Banana Pudding               

1 Can Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk

1 1/2 C Milk 

2 small Pkges Instant Vanilla Pudding And Pie Filling 

12 oz Cool Whip Lite® 

2 Boxes Vanilla Wafers 

8-10 Bananas sliced 

Mix Milks, pudding and cool whip Layer cookies, bananas and pudding top with additional cool whip if desired

Without Cool Whip . Sara will like this one!

Today's Banana Pudding

1  Can  Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk

2  C  Milk

4 oz/1/2  C or 1/2 a stick of cream Cheese

2 small Pkges  Instant Vanilla Pudding And Pie Filling 

1 t Orange peel

12  oz  Cool Whip Lite®

2  Boxes  Vanilla Wafers

8-10 Bananas sliced

• Mix the Eagle Brand, milk, and cream cheese, till smooth and silky.  Add pudding mix well.  Stir in Orange peel and fold in Cool Whip.  Layer cookies, bananas and pudding mixture.  Top with additional Cool Whip if desired.

The other day I made a Strawberry Trifle. This recipe was given to me by my cousin Diane Clark who lives in Savannah Ga. This is a deliciously sweet and light desert. Sorry I forgot to take a picture. The pudding recipe in this would also make a wonderful Banana Pudding.

Strawberry Trifle
1 Pkg Vanilla Instant Pudding -- sm pkg
1 C Sour Cream
1 C Milk
1 t Orange Peel -- optional
2 C Whipping Cream -- Whipped
1 Angel Food Cake -- cut into bite size pieces
2 Pts Strawberries -- sliced leave one whole for garnish

• In large mixing bowl mix pudding, sour cream, and peel. Beat at low speed, scraping bowl often until thick and well mixed 
• Fold in whipped cream 
• In a large serving bowl (a clear glass bowl makes a pretty presentation) layer 1/2 of cake, 1/3 of strawberries, 1/2 of pudding 
• Repeat, and top with remaining berries 
• Refrigerate 

Notes:

1. I  know that I have made a chocolate and a peach trifle using this recipe as a guide. Seems like I also made one using mandarin oranges as well. 
2. Dusted the cake with cocoa when I made the chocolate. 
3. Also made the chocolate pudding layers from darkest on the bottom to lightest on the top 
4. Can be made using Sugar Free pudding, Cool Whip and angel food cake.

a little too brown...but not burned

 Lemon Buttermilk Pie

  1        Stick  Oleo -- room temp.

  2        T  Lemon Juice

  2        C  Sugar

  1        t  Vanilla

  3        T  Flour

  5        Eggs -- added one at a time

  1        C  Buttermilk

  1        t.  Lemon Peel -- grated

• Mix ingredients in order given.  Beat well after each egg.  Stir in butter milk

• Pour into 9 inch unbaked pie shell.  Opt: sprinkle top of pie with grated lemon peel

• Bake at 425 for 10 min. lower heat to 325* Cook until firm, approx. 30-45 min.  Center should "jiggle" a little. DO NOT OVER BAKE.  Cover with foil, shiny side up, if the pie begins to get too brown.  I almost didn't cover mine in time.