Chocolate Sheet Cake

This is a wonderful recipe from the beloved Pioneer Woman. If you haven't seen her website you should check it out. I got this recipe from her cookbook, which is just beautiful.
Cake:
2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter
4 heaping Tablespoons cocoa powder

1. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, and salt. Stir together and set aside.
2. In another bowl, mix the buttermilk, eggs, vanilla and baking soda. Mix with a fork and set aside.
3. Then, in a medium saucepan, melt the butter and add the cocoa and then whisk together to combine.
4. Meanwhile bring 1 cup water to a boil.
5. When the butter is melted, pour the boiling water in the pan. Allow to bubble for a moment, then turn off the heat.
6. Pour the chocolate mixture into the flour mixture.
7. Stir together for a moment to cool the chocolate, then pour in the egg mixture.
8. Stir together until smooth, then pour into an un-greased jelly roll pan (rimmed baking sheet) and bake for 20 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

Icing:
1 3/4 sticks butter
4 heaping Tablespoons cocoa powder
6 Tablespoons milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 pound powdered sugar
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans

1. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat.
2. Add the cocoa powder and stir until smooth.
3. Add the milk and vanilla.
4. Add powdered sugar, stir together
5. Dump in the chopped pecans and stir until well combined.
6. Immediately after removing the cake from the oven, pour the warm icing over the top. You'll want to avoid doing much spreading, so try to distribute it evenly as you pour.

This cake is completely delicious, and it is great for large groups of people. I took this to a church "friendship dinner" with 3 other families and it was plenty for all of us, and I brought home leftovers. Although, I wouldn't recommend bringing home the leftovers. :) I think we all saw how much butter is in this cake. :)

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Delicious Cream Cheese Frosting

How cute are these? I made them for Valentine's Day, and here's how:

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 fluid ounce red food coloring
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease two 12 cup muffin pans or line with 20 paper baking cups.
2. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Mix in the eggs, buttermilk, red food coloring and vanilla. Stir in the baking soda and vinegar. Combine the flour, cocoa powder and salt; stir into the batter just until blended. Spoon the batter into the prepared cups, dividing evenly.
3. Bake in the preheated oven until the tops spring back when lightly pressed, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool in the pan set over a wire rack.
   

Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. In a medium bowl, cream together the cream cheese and butter until creamy. Mix in the vanilla, then gradually stir in the confectioners' sugar. I stored this in the fridge until I was ready to use it so that it was a little stiffer when I piped it onto my cupcakes. Delicious!

Peanut Butter Fudge

Mmmmm. We Neals devour this peanut butter fudge. This is a recipe that Jared's mom makes perfectly every year...and I think I've finally mastered after a lot of fudge-making lessons from Mama Rosemary....

2 sticks of butter
1 can evaporated milk
5 cups white sugar (use a good pure cane sugar such as domino or c&h, if you don't, your fudge might turn out grainy)
2 cups (1 package) butterscotch chips
1 1/2 cups crunchy peanut butter
pinch of salt
1/2 tsp vanilla

Melt butter in your saucepan. Add sugar and canned milk. Bring to a boil, boil approximately 15 minutes. Test in cold water (get a small bowl of cold water, drizzle some of the hot mixture into it. If you can pinch it together into a soft/firm ball and it stays, then you are good.) Remove from heat and add p.b.,salt, butterscotch chips and vanilla. Pour into a 13X9 pan lined with parchment paper (enough that it is hanging over the edge about 3 inches. Once cool (several hours) pull the fudge out by the parchment paper and cut into desired sized pieces. Store in an airtight container. so yummy.

Lemon Meringue Pie

This is another of my grandmother's recipes that my mom makes every year.

1 graham cracker crust (I usually buy one, but if your feeling ambitious...)

Mix together and stir till smooth:

1 can sweetened condensed milk

2 egg yolks

2 Tbsp sugar

1/2 c fresh squeezed lemon juice

Pour into graham cracker crust.

For the meringue:

Beat 3 egg whites on high. As the eggs begin to set up, slowly add 1/4 c sugar. Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Carefully smooth meringue over the pie filling and then pat it with a knife or spatula to raise peaks all over the top.

Bake in a 300 degree oven until top is golden brown (at least 1/2 hour). Cool on a rack and let set up in the fridge. The colder it is served, the better it will taste. 

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

I found this recipe a couple of years back. It is my absolute favorite recipe for chocolate frosting.

1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 pinch salt
1 1/2 (1 ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate, melted
1 1/2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
In small bowl mix at medium speed, sugar, butter (softened), and salt until light and fluffy. Add melted chocolate, milk and vanilla extract, beating until well blended.
This recipe makes enough for a 13x9 cake. If you are making a layer cake with it, you will probably want to double it.

Cheesecake

I love cheesecake enough to be very dedicated in finding the best recipe. Here it is (and even Bryan will eat it, and he claims to not like cheesecake).

Crust: I actually just use the recipe on the back of the box of graham cracker crumbs.....and I'm considering doubling it as I think cheesecake needs a hearty crust...I haven't done this yet though, try at your own risk.

Filling:
4 packages, 8 oz each, cream cheese at room temperature
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 eggs

Topping:
2 cups (16 oz) cream cheese
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Strawberry glaze:
2 TBSP cornstarch
1/4 cup water
1 jar good strawberry preserves
3 TBSP lemon juice
1 quart strawberries

Make crust according to directions, bake for a few minutes at 350. Press into the bottom and up sides of spring form pan.

For filling, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add sugar, lemon juice and vanilla; mix just until combined. Add eggs one at a time, beating on low after each addition. Spoon over crust. Bake at 350 for 50 minutes or until filling is almost set. ** put a large pan of water in with cheesecake - this helps to keep it from cracking.

Remove cheesecake and let sit for 15 minutes, but leave oven on. Meanwhile, combine sour cream, sugar, and vanilla, spread over cheesecake. Return to hot oven for 5 minutes. Cool on wire rack for 1 hour, refrigerate for at least 3 or 4, uncovered. Cover, and refrigerate for 24 hours.

For glaze:
in a saucepan, combine cornstarch and water until smooth. Add preserves and cook until jelly melts and mixture thickens (over medium heat). Remove from heat; stir in lemon juice. Cool to room temperature. Before serving, arrange strawberries on top of cheesecake, pour glaze over top.

Lime Squares with Pistachio-Graham Cracker Crust

These lime bars are very refreshing. The pistachio crust makes them different, it's a surprising combination.
Ingredients:

• For the Crust:
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus more for pan
• 2/3 cup shelled pistachios
• 1 cup (4 ounces) graham-cracker crumbs
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoons grated lime zest
• For the Filling:
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
• 1/2 cup fresh lime juice (I haven't tried non-fresh lime juice, but i can't imagine that it would change them that much....)
  

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush an 8-inch square baking dish with melted butter. Line bottom with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on two sides.
2. In a food processor, finely grind pistachios with graham-cracker crumbs, sugar, and zest. Blend in butter. Press mixture into bottom and 1 inch up sides of prepared pan. Bake until lightly browned, 8 to 12 minutes. Cool crust, 30 minutes.
3. To make the filling: In a large bowl, whisk together egg yolks and condensed milk. Add lime juice; whisk until smooth. Pour filling into cooled crust; carefully spread to edges.
4. Bake until set, about 15 minutes. Cool in pan on rack; then chill at least 1 hour before serving. Using parchment paper overhang, lift out of pan, and transfer to a cutting board. With a serrated knife, cut into 16 squares, wiping knife with a damp kitchen towel between each cut. To store in refrigerator, cover with plastic wrap.

Black-Bottom Coconut Bars

Yet another delicious recipe from Everyday Food. (I made just few tiny changes). These are pretty easy to make and are pretty impressive.

FOR CHOCOLATE BASE:

½ cup (1 stick) (salted) butter, plus more for pan

½ cup sugar

1 large egg

¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

¼ cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)

FOR COCONUT TOPPING:

2 large eggs

¾ cup sugar

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)

1 package (7 ounces) sweetened shredded coconut; ½ cup reserved for sprinkling.

1. For chocolate base: Preheat oven to 375°. Line a 9-inch square baking pan with aluminum foil, leaving a slight overhang; butter bottom and sides of foil (not overhang).
2. Place butter in a large microwave-safe bowl; melt in microwave. Add sugar and salt; whisk to combine. Whisk in egg, then cocoa and flour until smooth. Spread batter in prepared pan.
3. Bake just until sides begin to pull away from edges of pan, 10 to 12 minutes (do not overbake). Let cool slightly while preparing coconut topping. Keep oven on for topping.
4. For coconut topping: In a medium bowl, whisk eggs with sugar and vanilla. Gently mix in flour and coconut (except ½ cup reserved for sprinkling).
5. Drop mounds of mixture over chocolate base; spread and pat in gently and evenly with moistened fingers. Sprinkle with reserved ½ cup coconut.
6. Bake until golden and a toothpick inserted in center comes out with moist crumbs attached, 25 to 28 minutes. Cool completely in pan. Lift cake from pan, peel off foil, and cut into bars. Store in an airtight container.

V's Chocolate Chip Cookies

There is nothing better in this world than a good chocolate chip cookie. Seriously. Nothing cheers me up better than cookie. I have been perfecting this recipe for years. Hope you like it!

2 1/4 cups flour (I get the best results when I spoon in to the measuring cup, and then level it off )
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
a dash to 1/8 tsp cinnamon (i like about 2 shakes out of the container)
1/2 cup (1 stick) of butter, hand softened
1/2 cup shortening (i like to use butter flavored crisco. I'm not a huge fan of shortening, but it just gives ccc's the best shape retention and texture. And I've found that if I use the crisco sticks, it freaks me out less. I think i just don't like digging it out of a vat.)
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 large eggs
1 3/4 cups (or just a little less than a 12 oz package) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional) (I love them with pecans) (jared devours these with pecans) (no pressure) (they are still pretty great without pecans).

Combine the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Beat butter, shortening, sugars, and vanilla extract until creamy. Add eggs, beat well. Add your dry ingredients mixture to this about a 1/2 a cup at a time. Stir in the chocolate chips and the nuts if you want them.
Drop by heaping teaspoons full onto baking sheets.
You don't want to over-bake these. 7-9 minutes at 375 is about all you need. You can tell they are ready to come out, when they have lost their shine. Let them cool on wire racks.

Brownie Trifle

This dessert is always impressive, and it feeds quite a few people with pretty minimal effort.

1 package brownie mix ( 13X9 inch pan size)
2 1/2 cups cold milk
2 packages (3.4 oz) instant chocolate pudding mix
1 12 oz carton cool whip
3 Heath candy bars, chopped

Bake brownies, using directions for cake-like brownies. Cool completely.
Beat the milk and pudding mixes on low speed for 2 minutes. Fold in whipped topping. Cut the brownies into 1 in cubes; place half in the bottom of your trifle bowl. Cover with half of the pudding mixture. Repeat layers. Sprinkle with chopped heath.

Eclair Cake

This dessert is so yummy. But in my opinion, anything with pudding, cool whip and chocolate is delicious.

Cake:
1 box (1lb) graham crackers
2 (3 1/4 oz) boxes instant French vanilla pudding
3 1/2 cups milk
1 (8oz) container frozen whipped topping

Frosting:
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup cocoa
3 T butter, softened
3 T milk
2 tsp light corn syrup
2 tsp vanilla extract

Spray pam in the bottom of a 13X9 pan. Line the whole bottom with graham crackers. (you don't crush them, just sort of lay them in the bottom to cover the bottom of the dish). Beat pudding with milk at medium speed for 2 minutes. Fold in whipped topping. Pour half the pudding mixture over graham crackers. Place another layer of graham crackers over pudding mixture. Pour remaining half of pudding mixture over graham crackers. Place another layer of graham crackers on top of pudding mixture.

For frosting, blend together sugar and cocoa. Add butter and milk, mixing well. Add corn syrup and vanilla. Stir until creamy. Cover last layer of graham crackers with frosting. This dessert tastes best if you can chill it for 24 hours.

Lemon Sour Cream Pie

This is my favorite lemon pie ever. It is amazing. I've not made a better homemade one yet.

Bake pie crust:
1. Combine 1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbes, 1/4 cup sugar and 5 TBSP melted butter, press into 9 inch pie pan, bake at 350 for 6 minutes.

For Pie:
1 cup white sugar
3 TBSP cornstarch
1 cup milk
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 egg yolks beaten
1/4 cup butter
1 TBSP lemon zest
1 cup sour cream

Directions:
In a medium saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch. Stir in milk, lemon juice, egg yolks. Cook over medium heat until thick, whisking constantly. Remove from heat and stir in butter or margarine and lemon peel. Cool Slightly. Fold in sour cream. Spread filling in baked crust. Refridgerate for 2 hours until set. Store in the refridgerater.

Oreo Peanut Butter Truffles

36 Oreo Cookies (1 package)
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
12 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips

Take out 16 cookies and finely crush them, set aside. Chop the remaining oreo's. Combine the chopped Oreo's with the peanut butter. Roll the pb and oreo mixture into 1-inch balls. This can be kind of tricky on account of peanut butter being one of the stickiest substances on earth. I find that I have rinse my hands about every 3-4 balls rolled. And actually, it is quite helpful to keep your hands a little wet. Ok, after the balls are rolled, the need to be frozen until solid. Melt chocolate. Dip the frozen balls into the melted chocolate to coat. Then, roll them in the finely crushed oreo's to coat. Put on wax paper. Refrigerate 30 minutes before eating. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.
I got this recipe about 6 years ago off of the back of an oreo package. It is seriously one of the best things I have ever eaten. I mean, oreo's, pb and chocolate, you can't really go wrong with that combination of goodness. My friend Lindsay raised a good question after trying one yesterday. She said, "why have I never had anything like this before?" My answer to her is, "I don't know Lindsay, but now that you have, today is the first day of the rest of your life." Well, not really... but they are pretty great.

Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Batter:
cream together:
1 1/2 cups butter
3 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups sour cream
1 tsp vanilla

combine and add to above:
3 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
Spoon half of the batter into a well greased bundt pan.

Filling:
combine
3/4 cup pecans, very coarsly chopped or halved.
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 tsps cinnamon

Sprinkle the filling mixture over the first half of batter in the bundt pan.
Spoon remaining batter over the top of the filling.
Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour 15 minutes or until toothpick comes clean.

German Chocolate Cake

Cake:
here's my opinion on home made cake....it's good if you have the time and want to make something a little more special, but after making numerous home made cakes, i will probably just use the box cakes from now on. Home made cakes are just a little better, but box cakes are good enough for me.
If you are feeling motivated, here is the recipe for the home made version of German chocolate cake....
1 Bar (4 oz) Bakers German Sweet Chocolate
1/2 cup boiling water
1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
4 egg yolks, unbeaten
2 1/2 cups cake flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla
4 egg whites stiffly beaten
Melt the chocolate in boiling water. Set aside to cool. Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add egg yolks one at a time beating well. Add cool chocolate mix and vanilla. Sift flour and other dry ingredients into the mixture. Add the buttermilk and beat until smooth. Fold in egg whites. Divide batter into 3 9 inch round pans ( i only use two because that's all i have, but they get pretty full and you may have to leave a little batter out), bottoms greased and floured. Bake 350 for 30-40 minutes.

Frosting
This is the part that really makes this cake, it is delicious!
1 cup sugar
1 cup evaporated milk
3 egg yolks
1 1/2 cup shortening
Cook and stir on medium heat until mixture boils. Remove from heat and add:
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups coconut
1 1/3 cups pecans

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Bars

I got this recipe through my mother in law. It's kind of a family staple at get-togethers now.

MIX:
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup butter
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
ADD:
3 cups instant oats
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup chocolate chips

Press into ungreased jelly roll pan, bakeat 350 for 15-17 minutes. When cooled, combine 1 cup powdered sugar and 1 1/2 TB water, and drizzle over cooled cookies.

**DO NOT overbake these. Watch them carefully as cooking times vary. For some reason they are not good if they are too brown.

Fruit Pizza

So, I got this great recipe from my friend, Kim. It's not like any other fruit pizza recipe you've used before, the crust is the secret. I made it yesterday, and it was delicious. Jared's parents were here and his mom couldn't stop talking about how wonderful it was! Thanks Kim for the yummy recipe!

1 yellow cake mix
4 Tbsp. butter, melted, or really soft
1 C chopped pecans
4 Tbsp water
4 Tbsp brown sugar
2 eggs

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Spread mixture into greased jelly roll pan or large cookie sheet with sides. Bake at 375 for 15 minutes. Let crust cool completely.

Frosting:
Mix well and top with seasonal fruits and pecans.
16 - 24 oz cream cheese (when Kim made it for us, she used 24oz and it was good, but b/c i don't love cream cheese, i prefer a little less, so i used 16 oz and it was plenty for me)
1 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla

The Very Best Cinnamon Rolls Ever

I don't mean to brag, but these really are the Very Best Cinnamon Rolls Ever. Enjoy!


Dough:
1 cup warm milk (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
2 eggs, room temperature
1/3 cup margarine, melted
4 1/2 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup white sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons bread machine yeast

Insides
1 cup brown sugar, packed
2 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1/3 cup butter, softened

Frosting (this is the best part)
1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS

1. Place ingredients in the pan of the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select dough cycle; press Start. I actually do mine without a bread maker and just mix the ingredients in my kitchen aid with the dough hook, then just let it rise under a towel.
2. After the dough has doubled in size turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, cover and let rest for 10 minutes. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon.
3. Roll dough into a 16x21 inch rectangle. Spread dough with 1/3 cup butter and sprinkle evenly with sugar/cinnamon mixture. Roll up dough and cut into 12 rolls. Place rolls in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking pan. Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees .
4. Bake rolls in preheated oven until golden brown, about 15 minutes. While rolls are baking, beat together cream cheese, 1/4 cup butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla extract and salt. Spread frosting on warm rolls before serving.