Creme Anglaise

Ingredients:

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 4 egg yolks
• 1/3 cup plus 2 Tbsp white sugar

Directions:

1. Fill a large bowl with ice. Place another bowl, big enough to hold the final product, on the ice.
   
2. In a small, heavy saucepan, heat cream and vanilla until bubbles form at edges.
3. While cream is heating, whisk together egg yolks and sugar until smooth. Slowly pour 1/2 cup of hot milk mixture into egg yolks, whisking constantly. Gradually add egg yolk mixture back to remaining milk mixture, whisking constantly. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture coats the back of a spoon.
4. Pour into the cold bowl to stop the cooking process.
5. Serve warm or cold. To reheat, place in double boiler pan and heat slowly.
   

Molten Lava Cake

Moelleux au Chocolat… A French classic that literally melts in your mouth!!! This dessert is usually made in individual ramekins, but see the serving ideas below for other possibilities.

Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 15-20 minutes

Ingredients (7 people):

8 oz. Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate (or use your favorite 70% dark chocolate bar)
8 oz. Butter (diced, room temperature)
4 Eggs
2/3 cup Granulated Sugar
1/2 cup Flour
Butter for Ramekins

How to Make It:

Preheat oven to 350°F
1. Melt chocolate on low flame in a bain-marie (double boiler). When melted, take of flame, and…
2. Stir in diced butter, until it melts.
3. In another bowl, beat eggs and sugar, until it starts to whiten.
4. Stir in melted chocolate and then the flour.
5. Butter 7 individual ramekins, and pour in chocolate batter. We used 7 oz ramekins and filled them about 1/2 full
6. Cook for about 15 minutes.
7. Tip ramekins upside down onto dessert plates and serve.
Voilà!

Tips:

You can definitely prepare your chocolate lave cake recipe ahead of time, and then bake 15 minutes before serving. I always do it this way!

In terms of buttering the ramekins: butter the bottoms first, and then butter the sides, wiping from the bottom up to the top. It helps the chocolate to rise even more.

In terms of baking time… well, it depends on how runny you want it! I like it with a super-liquid-oozing center -- so do my guests! For this, you want the top to be cooked through, but the center to be liquid. You can check with a toothpick after 15 minutes of baking.
If you don't like liquid-center chocolate desserts, just cook for a little longer, and you will have an incredibly moist chocolate cake. So, either way, you can't go wrong!

Serving Ideas:

You can, if you want, serve your chocolate lava cake recipe with a Crème Anglaise (English Cream) or a Coulis aux Framboises (Raspberry Sauce). We served ours with chocolate sauce and a dusting of powdered sugar. And honestly, everyone FALLS IN LOVE with this dessert!!! How could they not?!!!

Faux Chocolate Lava Cupcakes

Ingredients:
3/4 cup butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup water

2 1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup cocoa
3 tsp baking powder
chocolate chips

Combine butter and sugar and cream until light.
Add eggs one at a time. Add vanilla and water.
In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients.
Add to butter mixture and mix well.


Line muffin tin with cupcake cups.
Fill cupcakes 1/4 of the way with batter.
Make a well in the center and add 10-15 chocolate chips.
Cover with batter 3/4 of the way up the cup.

Bake at 350 degrees 18-20 minutes.
Cool slightly and serve warm.
These do not have a liquid center, but do have a rich gooey center.
If they cool, just pop them in the microwave for 20 seconds to reheat the chocolate.

Makes 15-18 cupcakes.

Five Pounds of Fabulous Fudge

From Shelly Hattan (courtesy of Gail Stamler, Shelly's mom)
1/2 c butter
1 can evaporated milk
4 1/2 c sugar (granulated)
10 oz. bag of marshmallows
2 oz. unsweetened chocolate
12 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
12 oz sweet baking chocolate
1 Tbs. vanilla
2 c chopped nuts

Combine butter, milk, and sugar in pan. Stir till sugar dissolves.

Cook to boil, cover. Boil 5 minutes. Remove from heat; add marshmallows, stir till melted.

Add all the chocolate, one at a time stirring until melted. Add vanilla and nuts. Pour into buttered pan. Cut when firm.

Oatmeal Waffles or Pancakes

from The Recipe Zaar
10 min | 4 min prep | 10 waffles
2 cups quick oats
1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 cups water
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 beaten egg
1 tablespoon molasses
2 tablespoons corn oil

1. Mix well together.
2. There should be no lumps.
3. Bake in a waffle iron, or like regular pancakes.
4. Variation: add 1/2 cup finely chopped apple

Carrot Cake

Cake:

2 cups sugar
1/2 cup applesauce
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 cups grated carrots

Mix sugar, applesauce, oil, and eggs. Sift together flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon. Add to first mixture and combine. Add carrots and mix well. Pour into a greased and floured pan (sheet cake, 9 x 13) and bake at 350 degrees until done, 25 to 50 minutes, depending on the pan you use. Toothpick inserted in center should come out clean. Cake should not jiggle in pan. Cool completely.

Icing:
1 stick (1/4 pound) regular butter, softened
1 package (8 ounce) cream cheese
1 pound powdered sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla

In large bowl, cream butter and cream cheese. Add sugar and vanilla and blend. Spread on cooled carrot cake.

Fat Cyclist Cake

Fat Cyclist Cake

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cup boiling water — do not put your fingers in this water, for it is hot!
• 1 cup oatmeal — regular oatmeal, not instant, you cretin.
• 1 c. brown sugar — how come it tastes so good?
• 1 c. white sugar — I have no clever comment to add to this ingredient, unless you consider this comment clever.
• 1 stick butter — No, don’t use margarine. Use butter. Margarine is gross.
• 1 tsp baking soda — I tried brushing my teeth with baking soda. Once.
• 1/2 tsp salt — Or go crazy and put in a whole teaspoonful.
• 1 3/4 cup flour — Warning: flour may contain wheat products.
• 2 eggs — From a chicken; ostrich eggs are too big, and taste nasty.
• 1 pkg milk chocolate chips, or semi-sweet if you think you are too good for regular milk chocolate chips.

Instructions
Pour the boiling water over the oatmeal and stir. It’s best if the aforementioned pouring of boiling water over said oatmeal occurs in a bowl. Stir and let set for 10 minutes. Put the butter in about 5 minutes into this ten minutes, so it can melt.

Meanwhile…

Stir together in a different bowl:

• Flour
• Baking soda
• Salt

Once the 10 minutes has elapsed…

Stir the brown sugar and white sugar into the oatmeal mixture.

Beat the eggs in a separate bowl, then stir the eggs into the oatmeal mixture.

Mix the flour mixture into the oatmeal mixture. You should now have one mixture. If you have more than one mixture, you need to reevaluate some life choices you made in your childhood.

Stir half the chocolate chips into this mixture. Do not snitch more than 5% of the chocolate chips as you do this.

Grease and flour (or, in my house, just spray with Pam) a 9 x 13 pan. Note that this is an update. Originally I said that "you should use a 9 x 9 pan. Or an 8 x 10 pan. Or a 40 x 2 pan. Something that comes out to about 80 square inches." I was guessing. I was wrong. I regret the error. I have other regrets as well, but another time, another time.

Pour the cake batter in, then sprinkle the other half of the bag of chocolate chips on top.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes, or until the center of the cake is not a gooey mess. Let cool at least a little bit or the molten chocolate will burn the living daylights out of the roof of your mouth.

Serve warm, or at room temperature if you must. With vanilla ice cream if at all possible.

Eat.

Rejoice.

Apple Pie Party Dip

1 1/3 cups peeled, cored, and diced apple
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons apricot preserves
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

Ingredients for chips:
5 (6-inch) flour tortillas
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar

1. Combine all the dip ingredients in a bowl, then cover and refrigerate the mixture until chilled.
2. Brush the tortillas with butter, then cut them into wedges.
3. Arrange the wedges on a greased baking sheet, sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar, and bake at 350° F until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Let them cool before serving. Serves 4 to 6.

Hershey's Kiss Cookies

1 1/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup white sugar for decoration
unwrapped Hershey's kiss candies

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, cream together butter, peanut butter, 1/2 cup white sugar, and brown sugar until smooth. Beat in egg, then stir in vanilla. Gradually blend in the sifted ingredients. Shape dough into 1 inch balls. Roll in remaining sugar. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
   
3. Bake at for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven.
   
4. Remove from oven and immediately press Kiss into center of cookie. Remove from pan to wire cooling rack.
   

Craisin White Chocolate Shortbread

Thanks Charla via Naomi!

2 cups (4 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup sugar
4 cups flour
1 pkg. (6 squares) BAKER’S White Baking Chocolate, chopped (I just used a bag of White Chocolate Chips)
1-1/2 cups dried cranberries

PREHEAT oven to 350 F. Beat butter and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add flour; mix well.

STIR in chopped chocolate and cranberries. Drop rounded tablespoons of dough, 2 inches apart, onto un-greased baking sheets. Flatten each ball of dough slightly.

BAKE 10 to 14 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool 5 minutes on baking sheets. Remove to wire racks; cool completely.

Sugar Cookies

1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
1 eggs
2 Tbsp milk
2 tsp vanilla
4 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Cream sugar and butter. Add milk, vanilla and egg and cream together until smooth. In a separate bowl, combine all dry ingredients and stir well. Add to wet ingredients, making a smooth dough. Refrigerate 1 hour. On well floured surface, roll out dough to desired thickness. For soft cookies, roll thicker for crunchy cookies, roll thinner. Bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes.

Chocolate Pretzel Bites

You will need square pretzels, hershey's kisses, and M&M's. You can make lots of these at once, but they need time to cool before you serve them.




Place the pretzels on a baking sheet, unwrap the kisses, and place on top.

Place in a 300 degree oven for 3 minutes, or until chocolate is soft through the center.



Remove from oven and press an M&M into the center. Let cool 5-10 min. Transfer to plate.

For a tastier option, slice caramels into this pieces and place under Hershey's kisses before melting them. Let cool 10-15 minutes before serving.

Snickerdoodles

1 cup butter
1-1/2 cup sugar
Cream together, then add:
2 eggs (one at a time)

In a separate bowl, combine:
3 cups flour
4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Add gradually to wet ingredients and mix well.

Roll dough into balls and roll through a mixture of:
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp cinnamon

Place on ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes

Double Pie Crust

2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/4 cup cold Crisco
1 tsp salt
6-8 Tbsp ice cold water

Combine flour and salt in a bowl. Add 1 cup Crisco and cut in (with pastry cutter)until it resembles small crumbs. Add remaining Crisco and cut in until you see pea-sized clumps.

Slowly add the water--just drizzle it in--and watch closely as you work it in with the edge of a fork. It should still look dry. Grab some with your hand and squeeze. If it holds together, you have enough water. If it doesn't, or you're not sure, add a little more and mix quickly. Test again.

Place back in the refrigerator and chill for an hour.

Roll out on a lightly floured board, lifting and adding flour as needed. When it reaches the desired thinness, fold in half and place in pie plate. open it up and press it into the pan, crimping the edges with your fingers or a fork.

Prick sides and bottom and bake on 450 for 8-10 minutes. Or, fill with desired filling and bake according to filling directions.

Banana Cream Pie

1 Graham cracker crust (I'm too lazy to make mine- I always buy it)
1 box (3.4 oz) vanilla
1 cup heavy whipping cream
3/4 cup milk
2 bananas, sliced

Put milk and cream in mixing bowl.
Add vanilla pudding and whip until cream fluffs up.
Fold in bananas.
Spoon evenly into pie crust and refrigerate for 20 min.

Serve with whipped cream.

Cream Cheese Frosting

8 tTbl softened butter
1/4 cup cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt

Whip together until smooth and creamy. Frost liberally

Buttercream Frosting

1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup milk
3-4 cups powdered sugar
pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla

combine butter, milk and vanilla and beat until smooth.
Add powdered sugar and salt, beating continually.
Beat until smooth.
For thinner frosting, add more milk.
For thicker frosting, add more powdered sugar.
For chocolate frosting, add cocoa (2-3 Tbsp) to taste.

Chocolate Cake

In mixing bowl, sift together:
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 cup sugar
5 Tbsp cocoa

Add:
1 cup water
1 cup Miracle whip (trust me on this one!)
2 tsp vanilla

Mix well.
Pour into greased and lightly floured cake pan.
Bake at 350 for 30 min, or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.

Frost with buttercream frosting.

Pioneer Woman Chocolate Sheet Cake

Pioneer Woman Chocolate Sheet Cake
Combine in a mixing bowl:
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt

In a saucepan, melt:
2 sticks butter
Add 4 heaping tablespoons cocoa. Stir together.
Add 1 cup boiling water, allow mixture to boil for 30 seconds, then turn off heat. Pour over flour mixture, and stir lightly to cool.

In measuring cup, pour 1/2 cup buttermilk.
Add:
2 beaten eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
Stir buttermilk mixture into butter/chocolate mixture. Pour into sheet cake pan and bake at 350-degrees for 20 minutes.

While cake is baking, make icing:
Chop 1/2 cup pecans finely.
Melt 1 3/4 sticks butter in a saucepan.
Add 4 heaping tablespoons cocoa, stir to combine, then turn off heat.
Add:
6 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 lb minus 1/2 cup powdered sugar
Stir together.
Add pecans, stir together, and pour over warm cake.

No Bake Cookies

In large pot, combine:
1/2 butter (or margarine or Crisco)
1/2 cup milk
2 cups sugar
3 Tbsp cocoa

Stir over medium heat until mixture comes to a boil. Boil for 1 min 20 seconds (at high altitude, only boil 1 minute), stirring regularly.

Remove from heat and add:
3 cups oats
1/2 cup peanutbutter
1 tsp vanilla

Stir quickly until all ingredients are combined. Drop by teaspoon onto foil sheets or waxed paper. Allow to cool, approximately 10 minutes.