Holstien Torte

This recipe was absolutely delicious!!! Definantly a must try! I will tell ya that it takes a whole bunch of dishes and I'm all about one bowl wonders, but I would make it again and again! It is just that good!! It was in the Goshen ward cookbook, submitted by Kaylynn Grebstad.

Recipe:
1 package of oreos, crushed
1/4 c butter, melted
2 (4 serving size) pkg. instant chocolate pudding
3 c milk (or however much your pudding boxes call for....my asked for 4.)
1 (10 oz.) pkg. Marshmallows
1 c milk
1 1/2 c whipping cream

Directions:
Set aside 1/2 cup cookie crumbs. Combine remaining crumbs and butter, then press into a 9*13 pan. Cover and chill while fixing the pudding. In a large mixing bowl, combine pudding and milk acording to the package directions. Pour over crust and chill for 2 hours or until set.

Meanwhile, in a saucepan combine marshmallows and 1 cup of milk. Cook and stir until marshmallows are melted. Let cool. In a large mixing bowl, beat whipping cream until stiff peaks form. Fold in cooled marshmallow mixture. Spoon over chocolate layer. Sprinkle the cup of reserved oreos over the top. Cover and chill for 2-24 hours.

When I melted the marshmallow, it seemed like they didn't quite melt right and there were little chunks of gelatin in it. However I didn't stir it the whole time. SO i would suggest stirring it constantly while it melts on medium low heat. If you do this and there are still chunks, never fear it is still delicious and you can't tell they are then when you are eating it because of the oreos. And let me know because I'm curious if that was the problem!

SURPRISE Cookies

These are one of my most favorite cookies! Soft, chewy, chocolaty.....YUMMY!!!They are a favorite in our house. Jake gave me a Martha Stewart Cookie Cook Book for Christmas and this is one out of that book.

The Recipe:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
12 large marshmallows, cut in half horizontally

1.Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
2.In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg, milk, and vanilla, and beat until well combined. Add reserved flour mixture; mix on low speed until combined.
3.Using a tablespoon or 1 3/4-inch ice cream scoop, drop dough onto ungreased baking sheets, about 2 inches apart. Bake until cookies begin to spread and become firm, 10 to 12 minutes.
4.Remove baking sheets from oven, and place a marshmallow, cut-side down, in the center of each cookie, pressing down slightly. Return to oven, and continue baking until marshmallows begins to melt, 2 to 2 1/2 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

The Frosting Recipe:
2 cups confectioners' sugar
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions:
1.Place confectioners' sugar in a medium bowl. Whisk in butter and cocoa powder. Add milk and vanilla, and whisk until well combined.

This frosting is the best! The whole cookie......mmmmmmmm.... a must try!

Creamy Citrus Squares

The Recipe:
20 Reduced Fat NILLA Wafers, finely crushed (about 3/4 cup)
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) cold margarine
1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Neufchatel Cheese, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 Tbsp. flour
3 Tbsp. lemon zest, divided
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp. CALUMET Baking Powder
2 tsp. powdered sugar

HEAT oven to 350ºF.

LINE 8-inch square pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides. Mix wafer crumbs, 1/2 cup flour and brown sugar in medium bowl. Cut in margarine with pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse crumbs; press onto bottom of prepared pan. Bake 15 min.

MEANWHILE, beat Neufchatel and granulated sugar with mixer until well blended. Add eggs and 2 Tbsp. flour; mix well. Blend in 1 Tbsp. lemon zest, lemon juice and baking powder; pour over crust.

BAKE 25 to 28 min. or until center is set. Cool completely. Refrigerate 2 hours. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and remaining lemon zest just before serving.

Kraft Kitchens Tips:
Note from the Kraft KitchensFor a softer crust, reduce the crust baking time from 15 min. to 5 min.
Note: You should get about 1 Tbsp. zest and 2 Tbsp. juice from 1 lemon.

I baked the crust for 10 minutes and I think it turned out perfect! This was really good! I almost wish it was a little more lemony, but it was really good.....like a lemon cheese cake.

Honey Wheat Bread

I've been wanting to try a honey wheat bread recipe, but all of the recipes I found called for some ingredient that I never have on hand. So when I saw this on the the FOod Network website, I was so excited because it is stuff that I always have! And it is SOOOOOO good! And moist and soft which is another trouble I have when making anything wheat.

The Recipe:
2 1/2 cups warm water
1 package dry yeast
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 stick softened butter
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups wheat flour
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
4 cups bread machine flour

Directions:
Combine all ingredients, knead for about seven minutes or until dough is no longer wet but smooth. Let bread rise until doubled in size, punch down and shape into loaves. Let bread double in size again. Do an egg white wash on the top and it makes it look really pretty! Bake until crusty and brown on top, on 350* for about 30-34 minutes.

Gluten Free Pizza Cookie

I had a request for some gluten-free recipes, so I did some lookin on the internet and this is one that I found.


Ingredients:
4 cups Rice Chex®, Corn Chex®, Chocolate Chex®, Honey Nut Chex® or Cinnamon Chex® cereal
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups miniature marshmallows
1/4 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons honey roasted peanuts
1 Betty Crocker® Fruit Roll-Ups® chewy fruit snack (any red variety), torn into pieces

Directions:
1.Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Place cereal in resealable food-storage plastic bag; seal bag and crush with rolling pin or meat mallet.
2.In large bowl, mix sugars, peanut butter, butter, egg and vanilla. Stir in crushed cereal. Spread in ungreased 12-inch pizza pan.
3.Bake 12 minutes. Sprinkle evenly with marshmallows to within 1 inch of edge. Bake 5 minutes longer or until marshmallows are light golden brown. Sprinkle chocolate chips, peanuts and fruit snack pieces over marshmallows to look like pizza toppings. Cool completely on cooling rack. Cut into 16 wedges. Store tightly covered.

This tasted good, but was WAY crispy....I'm thinkin the heat on the oven is too hot, so maybe try 350 and check it after 10 minutes. I love the idea of a cookie pizza and if you wanted to make it so it wasn't gluten free, just make a peanut butter cookie recipe, and cook it the same way.

Peanut Butter Cookies

I had a request for this recipe so here we go:

3/4 C flour
1/2 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1/4 c butter
1/4 c peanut butter
1/4 c brown sugar
1/4 c white sugar
1 egg
1/4 t vanilla

Cream butter, peanut butter and sugar. Add egg and vanilla and stir well. Add the dry ingredients and stir until blended. Roll dough into balls. Dip in sugar and place sugar side up on the cookie sheet. Press with fork. Bake at 375* for 10-13 minutes.

What I did differently: I added probably a 1/4 cup more of flour. The batch that did first, I pressed with a fork and they turned out kinda thin....still soft, but thin. (I like fat thick cookies!) So after that I actually forgot to flatten them and they turned out just the way I like. I also think that letting the dough sit for a few minutes-10 or so- helps them to bake the way I like. This recipe doesn't make a whole lot....it is out of my cooking for 2 cook book, so if you are needing a large batch, double it!

Peanut Butter Dips

Can you ever go wrong with Peanut Butter and Chocolate???!!!! I think not, so I decided to dip my peanut butter cookies in some dark chocolate and it was delish!!! Plus it gives simple peanut butter cookies a more elegant appearnance.

White Chocolate-Raspberry Cheesecake Bars

I have been eyeing these for a long time (I love that this blog is reason enough for me to try all these new recipes!) They were in the Kraft Food magazine. They were so good! Definantly a must try recipe!

Recipe:
12 OREO Cookies, finely crushed
2 Tbsp. butter, melted
3 squares BAKER'S White Chocolate, divided
2 pkg. (8 oz. each) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
1/4 cup red raspberry preserves

HEAT oven to 350ºF. Mix cookie crumbs and butter; press onto bottom of 8- or 9-inch square pan. Melt 2 chocolate squares as directed on package.

BEAT cream cheese, sugar and vanilla with mixer until blended. Add melted chocolate; mix well. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing on low speed after each just until blended. Pour over crust.

BAKE 25 to 28 min. or until center is almost set. Cool 5 min.; spread with preserves. Melt remaining chocolate square; drizzle over cheesecake. Cool cheesecake completely. Refrigerate 4 hours.

Kraft Kitchens Tips Healthy Living: Save 60 calories and 7 grams of fat per serving by preparing with Reduced Fat OREO Cookies, PHILADELPHIA Neufchatel Cheese and egg whites.

I used the Neufchatel Cheese, but made the rest the original way. I also used the Smuckers sugar free (sweetened with splenda) raspberry preserves, which is sooooo good! It has such a strong natural raspberry taste!

On the Lighter Side

Did any of you see the "commercial" the other night on Biggest Loser for the Yoplait smoothie mixes? They looked so good so I had to try one. But when I was making it, I disected it first because I was sure there was a cheaper way to make it. So what I found was about 9 little yogurt pieces and a cup or so of fruit. I put yogurt in an ice cube tray, filling them about half way and froze them. (See pic below!)

Then I just got a bag of assorted fruit and made a smoothie! I ended up using only 6 yogurt chunks.

Recipe:
6 Frozen yogurt chunks (I used vanilla yogurt, but any kind would be great)
1 cup of frozen fruit
1 Cup milk

Neely's Cookies and Cream Cake

I was sooo excited to try this recipe. All things I love put together....and you can't go wrong with oreo anythng! And it was good!

Recipe:
Cooking spray
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 large eggs, plus 1 egg yolk
1 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 cups finely crumbled chocolate sandwich cookies
Cookies and Cream Cheese Icing, recipe follows

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Spray 2 (9-inch) cake pans with cooking spray and dust with flour.

In a large bowl, using a hand-held mixer, combine the flour, cocoa, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the eggs and egg yolk, 1 at a time, and beat until well mixed, then add in the melted butter and combine. Next, add the buttermilk and beat until smooth, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add in the crumbled cookies and beat until incorporated.

Pour the batter evenly into the cake pans and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, about 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool, on a rack, in the pans for 5 minutes. Turn the cakes out onto a rack and let cool completely. Frost with Cookies and Cream Cheese Icing and serve.

Cookies and Cream Cheese Icing:

1 stick butter, softened
2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 pinch salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 3/4 cups confectioners' sugar
1 1/2 cups finely crumbled chocolate sandwich cookies

(This recipe made a TON of frosting!)

In a large bowl with an electric mixer, blend the butter and cream cheese until smooth, about 3 minutes. Add the salt and vanilla. Add in the confectioners' sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, until smooth. Beat in the crumbled cookies. Frost the chocolate cookie cake when the cake has cooled.

So this is the recipe off line, but I cheated with the cake....I just got a milk chocolate cake mix and mixed the oreos in it it. I used margerine and I used fat free cream cheese. (Save calories where you can right!!) I also think that just a plain vanilla can of frosting that you buy with the oreos mixed in it would be equally as delicious.

Raspberry Whip Cream....my experiment!

I was wondering what would happen if I put whip cream and jam together. Would it fluff up like when you just whip cream?......The annswer is YES! ( This may be old news to some of you, but I had never heard of anyone doing and thought it would be a great experiment!) It is really good too! I used some raspberry jam store bought jam, so I am wondering if I would get the same result if I used the jam I made this summer. I just might have to try that next! Let me know if you have heard of this and have done...I'm just curious!

Warm Winter Lemon Cake

This recipe was out of a Kraft Foods Magazine. It was one that I have been eyeing for a while and finally made. It was really good, although when I ate it warm, I instantly got that way too much sugar taste in my mouth. However when I had some today after it had sat in the fridge all night it was sooo good! And the too much sugar taste was gone. I love lemony things becuase they just feel light....like I can eat the whole pan!

Recipe:
1 pkg. (2-layer size) yellow cake mix
2 pkg. (3.4 oz. each) JELL-O Lemon Flavor Instant Pudding
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 cups cold milk
1-1/4 cups water
2 Tbsp. powdered sugar

HEAT oven to 350ºF.

PREPARE cake batter as directed on package; pour into greased 13x9-inch baking dish.

BEAT dry pudding mixes, granulated sugar, milk and water with whisk 2 min.; pour over batter in dish. Place baking dish on baking sheet. (Baking sheet will catch any sauce that might bubble over sides of dish as dessert bakes.)

BAKE 55 min. to 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 20 min. (Sauce will thicken slightly as it cools.) Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve warm. Refrigerate leftovers

Apple Cinnomon Muffins

So this recipe is not quite your normal sweet treat, but they are sweet, delicious and a great way to start the day! This recipe came from my aunt. They are one of my all time favorite breakfasts and when I ever do actually make something for breakfast, this is usually what I make. Alyssa LOVES them! I also wanted to add that if you have any fun and different ideas for any of these recipes, please put those ideas in the comments...I love to put new twists on things!
Here is the Recipe:

1 1/2 C Flour
1/2 t salt
1/2 C sugar
1 t cinnomon
2 t baking powder
Mix those ingredients together.

1 egg beaten
1/2 c milk
1/4 c oil
Add to dry ingredients

2 smaller apples or 1 big apple peeled and grated. Mix in with the rest.

Bake at 400 degrees for 17-20 minutes.
These are so good with butter on them! Enjoy!

Chocolate Raspberry Cookies

I was watching the Paula Deen show on Food Network today and she made these cookies. I went to the store right after that and got the stuff to make them. They are easy to make and delicious! I got the Giradelhi (sp?) raspberry filled bars and I also added some dark chocolate chips. They didn't have as much raspberry flavor as I would like, so the next time I make them, I think I am going to try adding a tablespoon of raspberry preserves into the cookie dough. I haven't quite mastered making them look all pretty yet, but it is the taste that counts, right??!

Ingredients
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup lightly packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup Dutch process cocoa
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 (6-ounce) package raspberry creme filled dark chocolate baking pieces (recommended: Hershey's Premier Dark Chocolate Baking Pieces Filled With Raspberry Creme)
Raspberry Icing, recipe follows

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease baking sheets.

With an electric mixer, beat butter and sugars together at medium speed until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla, beating well.

In a small bowl, combine flour, cocoa, and baking powder; gradually add to butter mixture, beating until blended. Stir in baking pieces. Drop cookies by tablespoonfuls onto prepared baking sheets. Bake 12 to 14 minutes.

Remove to wire racks to cool. Once cool, drizzle with Raspberry Icing.

Raspberry Icing:
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon seedless raspberry preserves

In a small bowl, combine all ingredients, stirring until smooth.