Dessert

Rob’s Walnut Date Bars

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Submitted by Rob Anning

  • 1 1/4 cups flour, sifted
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • ½ cup butter, softened
  • ½ cup coconut flakes
  • 1 ½ pounds toasted walnuts
  • 1 8oz package of date pieces
  • 3/4 cup coconut flakes
  • 2 cans sweetened condensed milk

Preheat oven to 350’.
Combine flour, brown sugar, and butter.  Mix to fine crumbs.  Stir in ½ cup coconut flakes.  Press into bottom of 10X14 pan.  ( 9X13 should work, too.)  Bake for 12 – 15 minutes (until edges start to brown).  Combine walnuts, dates, remaining coconut, and sweetened condensed milk.  Spread on crust.  Bake 20 minutes (until golden brown).
Let cool.

Notes

  • I use a 10X14 stoneware pan.  9X13 should not alter the recipe.  A glass or metal pan should be fine also – but I would grease it first.
  • I find they’re easiest to cut with a pizza cutter.

Guinness Chocolate Cake

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Submitted by Rob Anning

Use a Duncan Hines Devil’s Food cake mix. Follow the directions for pound cake using chocolate fudge pudding mix and substitute Guinness for all the water. Bake as directed.

Cool. Frost with Guinness Frosting (below). Sprinkle with chocolate jimmies.

Guinness Frosting

Beat together:

  • 3 (8 oz. each ) packages of cream cheese
  • Slightly less than ½ cup granulated sugar
  • ½ cup powdered sugar
  • 5 Tablespoons Guinness

Fold in:

8oz Cool Whip, Extra Creamy

Gran Marnier Melt-In-Your-Mouth Cake

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Submitted by Rob Anning

  • 1 box yellow cake mix
  • 1 package vanilla instant pudding mix
  • 4 eggs
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/2 cup orange juice
  • 1/2 cup Gran Marnier liqueur
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1/4 cup orange juice
  • 1/4 cup Gran Marnier liqueur
  • 1 1/2 cups fresh raspberries (or strawberries)
  • 1 Tablespoon orange rind

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, oil, orange juice and Gran Marnier.
2. Beat well for 10 minutes.
3. Pour into lightly greased bundt pan.
4. Bake at 350 for 45- 60 minutes until done.
5. Let stand 10 minutes.
6. Turn out of pan.
7. While cake is baking, boil sugar, butter, orange juice and Gran Marnier for roughly 5 minutes.
8. Pour over cake while cake is still warm.
9. To serve, top each slice with fresh raspberries and a sprinkle of orange peel.

Gran Marnier Frosting

  • 8 Tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter,
    cut into pieces
  • 2 3/4 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1 large egg yolk [can be omitted if you are
    concerned about     egg safety]
  • 6 to 8 Tablespoons Gran Marnier, or more as needed (I would use 4 and supplement with milk)

1. Put the butter in a large mixing bowl. Add the confectioners’ sugar
and salt. Beat well with an electric mixer. Add the egg yolk, then
slowly add 6 tablespoons of the Gran Marnier. Continue to beat the
frosting until it is smooth, thick, and pliable, 3 minutes. Add more
Gran Marnier if needed; it usually takes at least 8 tablespoons. This
frosting must be thick.
2. Frost the cake generously with a swirl design. Allow the frosting to
firm for 30 minutes, then lift the cake to a serving platter.

Freaking Delicious Brownie Pudding

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Submitted by Nancy Gross, who got it from www.allrecipes.com where it was attributed to Anne Strawberry, who adapted it from Ina Garten (whew!)

  • 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, plus extra for buttering the dishes (that is the reduced amount- the original calls for 1 stick for the half recipe)
  • 2 eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 3/8 cup good cocoa powder
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Vanilla ice cream, for serving

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Lightly butter 6 ramekins or mini pie tins. Melt the butter and set aside to cool.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the eggs and sugar on medium-high speed for 5 to 10 minutes, until very thick and light yellow. Meanwhile, sift the cocoa powder and flour together and set aside.

When the egg and sugar mixture is ready, reduce the speed to low and add the vanilla and the cocoa powder and flour mixture. Mix only until combined. With mixer still on low, slowly pour in the cooled butter and mix again just until combined.

Pour the brownie mixture into the prepared dishes and place it in a larger baking pan. Place pan in oven. Add enough of the hottest tap water to the pan to come halfway up the sides of the dishes and bake for about 30 minutes- until the edges look done but the center is still a little soft. The center will appear very under-baked; this dessert is between a brownie and a pudding.

Cool and serve with ice cream.

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread

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From Cooking Light

  • ¾ cup sugar
  • 3 Tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup applesauce
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
  • 1 ¼ teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 ½ cups finely shredded zucchini (about 1 medium)
  • ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips (The mini ones work great.)

Preheat oven to 350°.

Place first 3 ingredients in a large bowl. Beat with a mixer at low speed until well blended. Stir in applesauce.

Combine flour and next 4 ingredients (through salt), stirring well with a whisk. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture, beating just until moist. Stir in the zucchini and chocolate chips.

Spoon batter into a 9×5 inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until a the top bounces back when gentle pressure is applied. Cool in pan 10 minutes on wire rack. Then remove from pan and let cool completely on wire rack.

Makes 16 servings.

Nutrition Info:

161 calories, 29% from fat; 5.1 grams fat; 2 g protein; 27.3 gm carb. 1.4 g fiber; 27 mg cholesterol; 1.2 mg iron; 145 mg sodium; 12 mg calcium

Molasses Gingersnaps

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  • 2 ¼ cups flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ground cloves
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup packed dark brown sugar (or slightly less)
  • ¾ cup shortening
  • ¼ cup molasses (Grandma’s Robust variety works well)
  • 1 egg
  • Granulated sugar for rolling (white, colored, or a combination)

Stir together flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and salt. In a large mixer bowl, combine brown sugar, shortening, molasses and egg. Beat well. Add flour mixture and beat until well mixed.

Shape dough into 1” balls. Roll in sugar. Place 2” apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake at 375° for about 9-11 minutes. Bake longer for snappier cookies and shorter for softer ones.

Makes about 4 dozen 2-inch cookies

HINT: Rub a little shortening in the measuring cup before you measure the molasses.

Oatmeal Cookies

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  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 3 cups quick oats
  • 1 cup stuff (raisins, chocolate chips, nuts, coconut, trail mix, M&M’s, etc. or a combination)

Heat oven to 375 degrees.

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla.

Combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt.

Beat into creamed mixture. Stir in oatmeal and stuff.

Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls.

Bake 12 to 14 minutes.

Makes 4-6 dozen, depending on size.

Pumpkin Swirl Bread

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From Simply From Scratch

Filling

  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 4 ounces cream cheese — softened
  • 1 egg

Bread

  • 2 2/3 cups sugar
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 1 can pumpkin (16 ounce)
  • 4 eggs
  • 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

Heat oven to 350F degrees.

In small mixer bowl combine all filling ingredients. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until well mixed (1-2 minutes); set aside. In large mixer bowl combine 2-2/3 cups sugar, oil, water, pumpkin and 4 eggs. Beat at low speed, scraping often, until mixture is smooth (1-2 minutes).

Continue beating at medium speed, gradually adding all remaining bread ingredients and scraping bowl often, until well mixed (1-2 minutes). Place 1/4 (about 2 cups) pumpkin batter into bottom of each of 2 greased and floured 9 X 5 inch loaf pans**. Carefully spread 1/2 of the filling mixture over batter in each pan; top each with half of remaining pumpkin batter.

Pull knife or spatula through batter and filling to create swirl effect. Bake for 65-70 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans. Cool completely.

** I have had very good luck using 4-5 very small loaf pans instead.  It makes slicing, serving and gift-giving that much easier.  Reduce baking time to 45 minutes or so depending on the size of the loaves.

Texas Sheet Cake

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CAKE
  • 2 sticks butter or margarine
  • 5 tablespoons cocoa
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 2 eggs
  • ½ cup buttermilk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 375°.

In a large saucepan, heat butter, cocoa and water.

When mixture comes to a boil, remove it from heat and add the sugar, flour, soda, and salt.

Add the eggs, buttermilk and vanilla, mixing well.

Pour the batter into a jelly roll pan or cookie sheet with sides (17 ½” x 11” x 1”)

Bake for 15 minutes.

ICING
  • 5 tablespoons cocoa
  • 6 tablespoons milk
  • 1 stick butter or margarine
  • 1 box confectioners’ sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix the cocoa, milk, and butter in a saucepan and bring to a boil.

Remove from heat and astir in confectioners’ sugar and vanilla. Keep stirring until lumps go away. The icing will be a bit runny.

If you do this right, the icing and the cake should be done at about the same time.

Ice the cake immediately after removing it from the oven.

Cool and serve.

Apple Crisp

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Submitted by Sheila Henkle

  • 7 to 9  apples (about 4 lbs) Use a mixture of 2 or 3 different kinds of your choice.
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1 stick butter at room temperature
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp sugar, 1/4 tsp cinnamon & 1 tsp lemon juice to mix into apples.

Peel, core, quarter & slice apples, then mix apples with 1 tsp sugar 1/4 tsp cinnamon & 1 tsp lemon juice.  Place apples into a buttered deep dish pie pan or casserole.

Place remaining ingredients in a bowl and crumble with fingers to make topping.  Cover apples with topping.  Bake  at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Note: You can make this up to 24 hours ahead and keep in fridge.  Then bake when convenient and serve warm.  Good with ice cream.