Caramel Apple Toffee Dip

 This delicious dip gets rave reviews wherever it goes. 

Ingredients: 

1 8oz package of cream cheese (room temperature)

2/3 cup packed light brown sugar

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 8oz package of Heath English Toffee Bits

caramel sauce or caramel apple dip in a tub or homemade caramel

4 Granny Smith apples

Directions:

1. Beat cream cheese, sugar, cinnamon and vanilla in a mixing bowl.

2. Fold in half the bag of toffee bits, reserving 1/4 cup for later.

3. Transfer to serving bowl, pour caramel layer on top, then add toffee bits as a garnish.

4. Store in fridge until ready to serve with sliced apples.

Rick's Nutella Hot Fudge Sundaes

This may look simple, but trust me . . . you'll thank me later.

Ingredients:

Super Premium Vanilla Ice Cream (Costco)

Nutella

Whipped cream

Directions:

1. Add one large scoop of vanilla ice cream and 1/4 cup of Nutella in a bowl.

2. Melt it in the microwave for 30 seconds.

3. Stir and add 15 more seconds if needed.

4. Drizzle hot fudge down the sides of your fancy thrift store ice cream dish, add ice cream, and top with whipped cream. 

Mini Raspberry Chocolate Mousse Cups

These take about 40 minutes plus 2 hours chilling time.

Ingredients

Chocolate Cups

1 (12 oz) bag of Guittard milk chocolate chips

12-18 aluminum foil mini cupcake liners from Walmart.

Raspberry Purée

5 oz raspberries (fresh or frozen)

1/4 cup sugar

Chocolate Raspberry Filling

7 oz of white melting chips

1 1/4 cup cold whipping cream

Topping

Fresh raspberries

Powdered sugar

Directions

1. Pour 2/3 of your milk chocolate chips into your double boiler, with the water simmering below. Once melted, take the pan off the heat and add the final 1/3 of the milk chocolate chips, stirring until smooth.

2. Fill each mini foil liner about one third of the way full and rotate it to coat all sides. You may have to use your finger to help, but watch out, it's hot.  Pour any excess back and scrape the top edges to create a smooth top. Place chocolate-coated liners upside down on a parchment paper covered baking sheet.

3. Refrigerate cups for at least 25 minutes, or until the chocolate hardens.  This step can be done up to two days ahead of time and kept refrigerated until ready to use.

4. Prepare raspberry purée by combining raspberries and sugar in a small saucepan and bringing them to a boil.  Simmer 5-10 minutes and remove from heat. Sieve to remove the seeds and set aside.

5. Prepare chocolate raspberry filling. Place white melting chocolate in double boiler and melt over simmering water. Add raspberry purée and stir to combine.

6. Whip cream until stiff peaks form. Fold 1/3 of the cream into the chocolate mixture until incorporated.

7. Fold chocolate mixture into remaining whipped cream.

8. Assemble the cups by tearing off the foil liner to reveal the chocolate cup. Fill cups with raspberry chocolate filling. Refrigerate at least 2 hours or until set.

9. Just before serving, top each cup with fresh raspberries and dust with powdered sugar.



Adapted from Home Cooking Adventure

Fruit Ice Cream (Donvier)

To make delicious ice cream in the larger Donvier hand churn mixer, here's the recipe we always use:

strawberry ice cream

2 cups berries
1 cup milk
1 cup whipping cream
3/4 cup sugar

In a blender, combine berries, milk, cream and sugar. Puree. Makes about 1Qt.  Serve immediately, or put in a container in the freezer if you like firmer ice cream.

Dixie's Chocolate Ice Cream Roll

10 eggs
1 ½ c. sugar
1 t. baking powder
¼ t. salt
½ C. flour
½ C. cocoa
2 t. vanilla

Separate yolks and whites.
Beat yolks and add dry ingredients and vanilla.
Fold into stiff egg whites.
Bake on greased and floured wax paper or parchment on greased jellyroll pan or cookie sheet for about 25 – 30 min.
Roll up in slightly wet towel and place in fridge.
After cooled, spread whipped cream or ice cream, roll up and place in fridge or freezer.

This was delivered to neighbors each Christmas and maybe was even mailed to a missionary child in the field!

Marshmallow Caramel Corn

1 cube butter
1 c brown sugar
33 large marshmallows

Melt together and pour over air popped corn.  Enjoy!

Andrea’s Sugar Cookie Fruit Tarts

Crust: I picked up a sugar cookie mix (Betty Crocker) and mixed it according to the "rolling out" cookie instructions. I rolled about a 1 1/2 inch ball out of the dough and pressed into a *muffin tin. Bake for 8 minutes. Remove as soon as possible without breaking the shells. You could also use premade dough or your favorite sugar cookie recipe. Depends on how easy you want to do it!

*I'd recommend using cupcake liners. Mine had a hard time coming out well.

Filling: 1 8oz pkg. cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup sour cream
2 T orange juice
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 c powdered sugar

Whip this all together and then drop into the tart shells
Topping: Sliced fruit/berries. I used blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, kiwis
Microwave 1/2 Cup apricot preserves plus 1 T water until runny and brush over fruit.

A couple of tips... make sure you cool the tart shells all the way or they will break when you try to take them out.  Also be sure to not make the dough too thick on the bottom or they will really puff up when you back them.  Mine did that the first time.  I also use a small cup when I take them out of the oven and push it into the tart a little to make the space for the filling a little bigger. One last thing is to be sure your cream cheese isn't cold or it won't blend well and you will have chunks in it.  I learned all of this the hard way.  oops.  You might know all these tips already, but I am not really a baker so it was a learning process.  Enjoy them!

Addiction

This is my take on the sweet Chex Mix so aptly named, Addiction. It is highly adjustable, so experiment away. By the by, this makes a ton - so you'll have enough to share with friends and neighbors.

3 sticks butter
2 C. sugar
2 C. karo syrup (light corn syrup)

Boil for 3 minutes and pour over:

1 large box Rice (or Corn Chex)
1 large box Golden Grahams (or Life cereal)
3-4 C. Coconut
3 C. Sliced Almonds
1/2 bag or so of broken pretzel pieces

Stir until cereal mixture is coated with sugar mixture. Spread onto parchment paper to cool.

Dixie's Traditional Christmas Ice Cream Roll

10 eggs

1 ½ cup sugar

1 tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

2 tsp vanilla

½ cup flour

½ cup cocoa

Separate egg whites, beat until stiff peaks. 
 Beat egg yolks and add dry ingredients. 
Fold into stiff egg white and bake in greased pan with parchment paper greased and floured.
Roll up in damp towel after taken from oven and cool in fridge or freezer. 
Cut up ice cream and add to roll, leaving room at one end to start rolling.
Spread roll back up and freeze again before serving.

3 Ingredient Mints

Alli Louthain

3 oz cream cheese
1/2 tsp peppermint extract
3 cups powder sugar

1-blend the cream cheese and mint
2-gradually add sugar
3-add food coloring if desired
4-I pinched off small amounts and rolled them into balls the size of a pea. I have seen people use cool shaped molds...either way you set them out overnight to dry and enjoy!

No Bake Reese's Peanut Butter Bars

* Sorry, I don't remember where online I found this recipe. But I've tried it, and it skyrocketed to the top of my husband's favorite treats list.


1 1/2 C graham cracker crumbs
1 lb (3 1/2 C) powdered sugar
1 1/2 C creamy peanut butter
1 C (2 sticks) real butter, melted
1 12oz bag chocolate chips (milk, semi-sweet, or dark, you pick!)
2 tsp shortening

In a large mixing bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, powdered sugar and peanut butter and butter and beat until combined.  Press into a parchment (or waxed paper or foil) lined 9x13 pan.

Place chocolate chips and shortening in a microwave safe bowl and heat in 30 second intervals, stirring after each one, until melted and smooth.  Pour chocolate over peanut butter mixture and spread out evenly.  Place pan in the fridge just until chocolate is set and then cut into bars.  Tip:  If the bars chill until the chocolate is too hard to easily cut, use a sharp knife and score the cuts first, then gently cut through.  Can be stored in the fridge or at room temp.  They will stay firmer if stored in the fridge.

Leslie's Tuxedo Brownies

1 pkg. brownie mix (plus ingredients to make the cake like brownies)

6 oz white chocolate chips

2 Tbsp milk

1 (8oz) pkg. cream cheese

¼ C powdered sugar

1 (8oz) container cool whip

Strawberries, sliced

Directions:

Prepare brownie mix following the cake like directions. Spray mini muffin pan with non-stick spray. Fill each cup 2/3 full. Bake @ 325۫ for approximately 12-13 minutes or until the edges are set. 15-17 minutes for regular muffin pans. Remove and immediately press tops of brownies in (there's a pampered chef tool actually called a presser). Cool in pan for 15 minutes. Gently remove and cool completely.

Melt white chocolate with milk on stove; cool slightly. Transfer mixture to bowl. Add powdered sugar and cream cheese. Mix with electric mixer until smooth. Fold in cool whip. Pour into brownie cups. Place one strawberry slice or a single raspberry on each brownie cup. Sprinkle powdered sugar over cups.

Andes Mint Cookies

We had these cookies at church of all places and they became a new favorite in my book. Right up there with the best chocolate chip cookie in the world. Try it!

Ingredients:
3/4 cup butter
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
2 TB water
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3 (4.5 ounces) packages chocolate covered thin mints (I used Andes mints)

Directions:
In a saucepan over medium heat, cook the sugar, butter and water, stirring occasionally until melted. Remove from heat, stir in the chocolate chips until melted and set aside to cool for 10 minutes.
Pour the chocolate mixture into a large bowl, and beat in the eggs, one at a time. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt, stir into the chocolate mixture. Cover and refrigerate dough for at least 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 350. Grease cookie sheets. Roll cookie dough into walnut sized balls and place 2” inches apart onto cookie sheets.
Bake 8-10 minutes. Don’t over bake. When cookies come out of the oven, press one mint into the top of each cookie and let sit for 1 minute. When the mint is softened, swirl with the back of a spoon.

Courtesy of Jocelyn, photo credit here

Grasshopper Pie

This one is verbatim from Mel's Kitchen Cafe. My favorite thing is the cool Andes mint curls. It takes it up a notch to a professional level. That and the syrup swirls on the plate make it look gourmet, even if you use the cheapest ice cream. I also poured some homemade hot fudge in between the ice cream layers and loved that addition.

I love making ice cream cake because it is super easy, yet impressive and popular. And it costs A TON less than buying one. So give it a whirl, bust out that springform pan!

*Serves 8

Crust:
2 cups finely crushed chocolate cookie crumbs (i.e. chocolate teddy grahams, chocolate graham crackers, Nabisco famous wafers, etc.)
5 tablespoons butter, melted

Pie:
1 quart green mint chocolate chip ice cream
1 quart chocolate ice cream

Garnish:
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
10 rectangle Andes mints

Combine the crushed cookie crumbs and the butter together in a medium bowl until the cookie crumbs are well-moistened and the mixture looks and feels like wet sand. Press the crumbs into a 9- or 10-inch springform pan and refrigerate or freeze until set (about 30 minutes).

While the crust is in the refrigerator, take out the mint chocolate chip ice cream and let it sit at room temperature for 15-ish minutes to soften up a bit. Scoop the softened ice cream into a medium bowl (you can use the same one as the cookie crumbs, if you like!) and stir the ice cream until it is smooth. You don’t want it overly melted here – just try to stir it all up so it is easy spreadable but is still cold and icy. Spread the ice cream over the cookie crust in an even layer. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze until firm, at least an hour.

Follow the same step above with the chocolate ice cream and spread it on top of the mint chocolate chip ice cream (make sure the mint ice cream is thoroughly frozen so the layers don’t mix). Once the chocolate ice cream has been spread evenly, again cover with plastic wrap and freeze for 1-2 hours (or tightly covered up to a three days).

When you are ready to serve the pie, whip the heavy cream into stiff peaks with the powdered sugar. To make the Andes mint curls, microwave one mint for five seconds on 20 or 30% power (this was adequate in my microwave but keep in mind that each microwave can cook hotter or cooler so test accordingly). Hold the mint nestled in a paper towel with one long thin edge exposed above the top of the paper towel. Take a vegetable peeler and gently shave off curls from the long, thin edge. Repeat this process until you have the desired amount of curls to garnish with (I shaved the curls early in the day and kept them on a plate in the freezer until I was ready to use them).

Unmold the grasshopper pie from the springform pan and pile the whipped cream on top of the ice cream. Spread in large dollops over the top of the pie. Sprinkle with the curls. Cut the pie into slices and serve immediately. If you are planning to have leftovers, serve the whipped cream on each piece separately instead of the whole pie, as the whipped cream doesn’t fare as well being frozen on top of the pie for a long period of time.

Laurie's Fresh Peach Pie

My good friend Laurie has tweaked and tested until she arrived at the perfect peach pie. Enjoy!

Graham Cracker Crust:

1 ½ C finely crushed graham crackers (about 20 squares)
1/3 C butter, melted
1/3 C sugar
Heat oven to 350°. Mix all ingredients. Press into bottom and slightly up sides of 2 pie pans. (Or one 9x13 pan.) Bake for 8 minutes, until light brown. Cool completely.

Cream Cheese Layer:

8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 C heavy cream
1/3 C sour cream
1 C powdered sugar

dash of vanilla
Beat cream cheese until smooth. Add remaining ingredients, beat until thick and creamy, about 3-4 minutes. Spread mixture over cooled crust.

Peach Layer:

6-8 ripe peaches
2 t sugar

juice of 1 lime
Peel and slice peaches into a bowl. Add lime juice and sugar. Toss well, making sure to completely coat the peaches with lime juice so peaches won't brown. Drain excess liquid off of peach slices. Pile peaches equally onto both pies. Best if served immediately, but will keep in fridge for 1 day.

Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Torte

Oh my. Oh my. Please do yourself a favor and make this once before the summer ends. But invite friends over, because it is so rich, it is hard to eat with just two adults (my kids found the lemon too tart so didn't put much of a dent in it).

Ingredients:

1 package (16 oz) pound cake (plus ingredients to make cake)
1 large lemon
3/4 cup boiling water
1 (6oz) pkg. lemon jello
1 (8oz) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup cold milk
1 (12 oz) container cool whip, thawed
1 (3.4oz) cheesecake instant pudding and pie filling
1 kiwi, peeled, sliced and cut in half
1 cup blueberries
lemon slices and fresh mint (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 400. Line jellyroll pan with a 13-inch piece of parchment paper. Prepare cake mix, pour into pan, spreading evenly. Bake 15-18 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Using edges of paper, carefully lift cake onto cooling rack. Cool completely.

2. Zest lemon and set aside. Juice lemon (1/4 cup of juice). Pour boiling water into small bowl. Add jello and 2 Tbl. of juice. Reserve remaining juice for cream cheese mixture. Stir until jello is dissolved.

3. Invert cooled cake onto a cutting board and remove paper. Prick cake at 1/2 inch intervals using a fork. Using a pastry brush, brush cake evenly wiht all but 2 Tbl of jello mixture. Trim 1/4 inch around edge of cake; discard edges. Cut cake crosswise into 3 equal layers.

4. In big bowl, combine cream cheese and remaining 2 Tbl lemon juice. Whisk until smooth. Add milk; whisk until smooth. Spoon whipped topping over cream cheese mixture (do not mix). Sprinkle with pudding mix; mix well until smooth. Mixture will be thick.

5. Place 1 cake layer on oval cake platter. Use an open star decorator tip on plastic bag or piping tool. Pipe a straight border around edge of cake layer. Scoop four large spoonfuls of filling down the center; spread evenly to border. Top with second cake layer. Repeat filling as above. For third layer, pipe a decorative border around edge. Spread any remaining filling down center.

6. Arrange kiwi slices on top of cake. Add blueberries to reserved jello mixture; mix gently. (If jello mixture has set, microwave about 10 seconds or until softened). Spoon blueberries over the top of cake; sprinkle with reserved zest. Garnish with lemon slices and mint leaves, if desired.

Thanks Pampered Chef! Your'e the best.

Chocolate Mousse Eggs

Yield: 6-8 servings

8 ounces / 225g bittersweet chocolate (no more than 60% cacao), chopped

3/4 stick / 3 oz / 75g unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces

3 large eggs, separated

1/4th cup sugar

1 cup / 200g very cold heavy or whipping cream

2 ounces / 60g white chocolate shavings

12 empty eggshells

1. In a large bowl, set over a saucepan of simmering water, melt the chocolate and butter and stir until smooth. Remove from the saucepan and switch off the heat.
2. In the same saucepan (now with the heat turned off), set a small bowl and beat yolks and sugar with your electric mixer until thick enough to form a ribbon that takes a few seconds to dissolve — this will take about two to four minutes to achieve. Whisk yolks into chocolate mixture.
3. In the bowl of a KitchenAid, beat the egg whites until they just hold soft peaks. Remove from bowl and set aside.
4. In the bowl, whip up the cream until it just holds stiff peaks.
5. Fold the whipped cream and beaten whites into the chocolate mixture, gently but thoroughly. Transfer to 8 (4 ounce) ramekins (or hollowed out egg shells) and sprinkle with the white chocolate shavings. Let the mousse set in the fridge for about an hour before serving.
   Note: The mousse will keep for up to two days in the refrigerator.

Recipe from The Purple Foodie

Brittany's Oreo Truffles

"I hate to give away the recipe b/c it's so easy, you won't be as impressed with my mad skills!" ~ Brittany

Ingredients

1 pkg. Oreos
8 oz. cream cheese
melting chocolates (or chocolate chips)

1. Crush the Oreos pretty fine and save 1/2 or so out of the bowl.
2. Soften the cream cheese and mix the two together until they form an ugly dough.
3. Roll them into balls and put them in the fridge for 30 minutes or so.
   
4. Melt a bag of melting chocolates (or chocolate chips, but I find the melting chips so much easier to use and you can do pretty colors!)
5. Roll the balls in the choc. and top with a few of the leftover Oreo crumbs and then put them in the *fridge until ready to serve.
   

"I find that Michael's almost always has the melting chocolates on sale, or you can use the coupon and then it's cheaper than at Meijer and they have more colors."

* I have to put them out in the cold garage or else I eat them before the party!

Amy's Baklava

These went like wildfire at our ward's Christmas party - A Night in Bethlehem. Kind of tricky to make if you've never used phyllo dough. Consider using a titch more honey to help them stick together better.

Ingredients

• 1 (16 ounce) package phyllo dough
• 1 pound chopped pecans
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ cup unsalted butter
• 1 ½ cups water
• 1 ½ cups sugar
• 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
• ¾ cup honey
  

1. Boil sugar and water until sugar is dissolved. Turn heat down and add honey and vanilla. Simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
2. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter bottom and sides of a half sheet pan.
3. Chop pecans and cinnamon in food processor. Set aside. Unroll phyllo dough. Cut as needed so it will fit in the pan. Place two sheets of dough side by side in the pan (to cover the bottom of the pan). Brush with butter. Repeat until you have 8 layers of phyllo. Sprinkle ¼ of the nut mixture on top. Top with two layers of dough (butter between the layers.) Continue layering until you have four layers of nuts. Layer the remaining dough on top, buttering between each of the layers (the top should be about 6-8 sheets thick). Brush the top layer with butter for nice browning.
4. Use a sharp knife to cut the baklava (usually into squares or diamonds.) Be careful not to cut all the way through to the bottom.
5. Bake for 45-50 minutes (until the top is a nice golden brown). Remove the baklava from the oven and immediately pour the cooled syrup over the top. Let cool, then cut through.

Decadent Chocolate and Peanut Butter Mousse Pie

I love this new food blog. This winner pie recipe is from www.mykitchencafe.blogspot.com.



Graham Cracker Crust:
12 to 14 whole graham crackers, crushed (about 1 1/2 to 2 cups crumbs)
6 tablespoons butter, melted

Dark Chocolate Layer:
¾ cup heavy cream
4 oz. semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

Peanut Butter Mousse Filling:
½ cup sugar
1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 ½ cups milk
2 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
¾ cup creamy or chunky peanut butter

Topping and Decoration:
Sweetened whipped cream
2 tablespoons crushed peanuts
3 tablespoons mini chocolate chips

Prepare the crust: Preheat the oven to 350. In a small bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs and butter, stir until well blended. Using the palm of your hand, press the moistened crumbs into the bottom and up the sides of an ungreased 9- or 10-inch pie plate. Bake in the center of the oven for 7 to 8 minutes, or until the crust turns lightly golden. Set the pie crust on a wire rack to cool completely.

Prepare the chocolate layer: In a small saucepan, heat the cream over medium heat until it just comes to a simmer. Remove the pan from the heat, add the chocolate, and stir until melted and smooth. Pour the mixture into the cooled pie crust, smoothing it over the bottom and slightly up the sides. Freeze for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the chocolate layer is firm.

Prepare the mousse: In a heavy medium-size saucepan, combine the sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Add ½ cup milk and whisk until smooth. Add the remaining milk and the egg yolks and whisk until smooth. Set the saucepan over medium-high heat and whisk constantly until the custard comes to a boil. Still whisking, boil for 1 minute until very thick. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla and peanut butter. Pour the mousse into the baked pie crust. Chill for 1 hour, or until firm. Before serving, decorate the pie with whipped cream and sprinkle with the chopped peanuts and mini chocolate chips, if desired.