Samoa Cupcakes

1 box Devil’s Food cake mix
1 box chocolate fudge instant pudding
4 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup milk
1 cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using a stand mixer, combine all ingredients. Beat for about two minutes. Place slightly less than a 1/4 of a cup of batter into each cupcake liner. Bake for 18-20 minutes.

*mini cupcakes, a less than a tablespoon of batter per liner, bake 8 to 10 minutes.  Check with a toothpick

Salted Caramel Buttercream
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
4 oz. (1/2 block) cream cheese
1/2 cup good quality salted caramel sauce
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups powdered sugar

Allow butter to set out at room temperature about 15 minutes (you can gather your other ingredients in the mean time). 

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter until smooth. Add cream cheese and continue to beat until fully smooth and well incorporated.
While slowly mixing, pour in caramel sauce (should not be warm). Add vanilla.
Continue slowly mixing and add powdered sugar, one cup at a time, allowing the sugar to blend a bit before adding each additional cup.
Scrap down the sides of the bowl and then blend the frosting an additional 30 seconds or so. The frosting should be fluffy, and all ingredients fully incorporated.

Frost cupcakes or cake.

Drizzle frosted cupcakes with the leftover salted caramel sauce, then top with toasted coconut.

Almond Squares

1 cup butter
3/4 cup white sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup almond paste
1 teaspoon almond extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 ounces sliced almonds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream butter in a large mixing bowl; gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Add egg yolk (reserve egg white), almond paste, and flavoring; beat until well blended. Stir in flour.

Spread mixture in a 13 x 9 x 2 inch baking pan. Beat egg white (at room temperature) until foamy; brush over entire surface of dough, and sprinkle with almonds. Bake for 35 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool thoroughly, and cut into 2 inch squares. Store in airtight containers.

Coconut Macaroons

2/3 cup all-purpose flour
5 1/2 cups flaked coconut
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, coconut and salt. Stir in the sweetened condensed milk and vanilla using your hands until well blended. Use an ice cream scoop to drop dough onto the prepared cookie sheets. Cookies should be a little smaller than a golf ball.

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, until coconut is toasted.

Key Lime Pie Tarts

1 23 oz jar Private Selection Key Lime Filling (found at Smith's)

2 eggs

1/2 C sweetened condensed milk

1 pre-made graham cracker crust

whipped cream

lime zest

12 foil cupcake liners

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Fill muffin pan with 12 foil liners. Divide the graham cracker pie crust among baking cups. Press to bottom and slightly up sides of cup. Beat together key lime fruit filling, sweetened condensed milk, and eggs until well mixed. Fill the cups to the top. Bake 25 minutes. Top with piped whipped cream and lime zest.

Landon's Famous Chocolate Chip Cookies

3/4 cup Crisco® Butter Flavor All-Vegetable Shortening
1 1/4 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 3/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 C chocolate chips

Heat oven to 375ºF.

Combine shortening, brown sugar, milk and vanilla in large bowl. Beat at medium speed of electric mixer until well blended. Beat in egg. Combine flour, salt and baking soda. Mix into shortening mixture until just blended. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts.

Drop by rounded measuring tablespoonfuls 3 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheet.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes for chewy cookies, or 11 to 13 minutes for crisp cookies. Cool 2 minutes on baking sheet on a cooling rack. Remove cookies to rack to cool completely.

Momma's Pumpkin Pie

4 eggs, slightly beaten
29 oz pumpkin
1 1/2 C sugar
1 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 C brown sugar
2 13 oz evaporated milk
2 9 inch unbaked pie crusts

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Combine filling ingredients in order given; divide evenly into pie shells.  Bake 15 minutes at 425, then reduce temperature to 350 degrees and continue baking for another 45 minutes.  Cool.  Serve with whipped cream.

Cheating Apple Streusel Pie

2 cans apple pie filling

Refrigerated pie crust

1⁄3 cup granulated sugar

1⁄4 cup firmly packed light or dark brown sugar

1⁄2 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1⁄2 teaspoon ground ginger

1⁄2 teaspoon kosher or coarse salt

8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Preheat to 375.  Empty cans into a bowl, and add a whole lot of cinnamon.  Mix it up.
Make the streusel topping: Combine the 1⁄3 cup of granulated sugar, the brown sugar, 1⁄2 cup plus 2 tablespoons of flour, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, the ginger, and salt in a food processor and give it a good whirl. Add the pieces of butter and pulse until the butter is incorporated and the mixture is crumbly. Do not overprocess; you don’t want a paste. Set the streusel topping aside.
Unroll pie crust and press into pan.  Pinch crust edge decoratively.  Add filling.  Top with streusel mix.
Bake for 40 to 45 minutes.

Homemade Oreos

Homemade Oreos

1 (18.25 ounce) package dark chocolate

cake mix

1 (18.25 ounce) package low calorie

chocolate cake mix

4 eggs

2/3 cup vegetable oil

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese,

softened

2 cups confectioners' sugar

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly grease cookie sheets.

In a medium bowl, stir together the dark and light chocolate cake mix. Add the eggs and oil, mix until well blended. Roll dough into 2 inch balls, and place them onto the prepared cookie sheet. Flatten the balls slightly with the back of a spoon.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven, until firm. Let cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before removing to cool on wire racks. To make the filling, beat the cream cheese and confectioner' sugar together until smooth. Spread between two cooled cookies. Makes about two dozen.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Cream Cheese Frosting

2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup butter, softened

2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a medium bowl, cream together the cream cheese and butter until creamy. Mix in the vanilla, then gradually stir in the confectioners' sugar. Store in the refrigerator.

Sharlyn’s Peach Cobbler

Sharlyn’s Peach Cobbler

1 package yellow cake mix

1 can peach pie filling

1 stick butter

Put pie filling in bottom of 9x9 pan, cover with cake mix and drizzle melted butter on top.  Bake for 1 hour at 350º.  Let cool 45 minutes.

Tiger-striped Brownies

Tiger-striped Brownies

1 oz semisweet chocolate

1 oz unsweetened chocolate

1 Tbsp unsalted butter           

⅓ C smooth peanut butter

2 Tbsp vegetable oil

½ C firmly packed brown sugar

½ C sugar

2 large eggs, at room temp

1 ½ tsp vanilla

¾ C flour

¼ tsp salt

Preheat oven to 325º and butter an 8-inch square pan.  In a microwave, melt chocolate and butter on high for 1-2 minutes.  Stir the mixture halfway through.  Set the mixture aside to cool to room temp. 

In medium sized bowl, beat together peanut butter and oil until combined.  Add the sugars and continue beating until the mixture is light and fluffy.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each.  Mix in vanilla and then flour and salt until just combined.

In a small bowl, stir ⅓ cup of the batter with the melted chocolate.  Scrape the remaining batter into the pan and spread evenly.  Spoon the chocolate mixture over the batter.  Using a knife, make a zigzag through the layers to create a marbled effect.  Bake for 30-35 minutes or until toothpick comes out almost clean.  Cool brownies in pan, then cut them into bars.

Makes about 16 bars.

Crepes

Crepes

3 C flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
3 tsp salt
3 3/4 C milk
3 eggs
3 Tbsp melted butter

Mix ingredients together, then fry up!

Pineapple-Cherry Cobbler

Pineapple-Cherry Cobbler

1 (20 oz) can crushed pineapple

1 (21 oz) can cherry pie filling

1 package yellow cake mix

1 stick butter

1 cup chopped nuts

Preheat oven to 350º.  Grease 9x13 pan.  Spread pineapple with syrup evenly in pan. Spoon pie filling evenly over pineapple.  Sprinkle dry cake mix evenly over fuits, then sprinkle chopped nuts over all.  Slice chilled butter into thin strips, then put strips evenly over other ingredients.  Bake 50 minutes or until golden.  Serve warm.

Double Layer Pumpkin Cheesecake

Double Layer Pumpkin Cheesecake


2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 (9 inch) prepared graham cracker crust
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 pinch ground cloves
1 pinch ground nutmeg
1/2 cup frozen whipped topping, thawed


Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Blend in eggs one at a time. Remove 1 cup of batter and spread into bottom of crust; set aside. Add pumpkin, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg to the remaining batter and stir gently until well blended. Carefully spread over the batter in the crust. Bake in preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until center is almost set. Allow to cool, then refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight. Cover with whipped topping before serving.

Brownie Minis

Brownie Minis

1 box of brownie mix, plus water, eggs, oil that it calls for

Rolos or Reese's Peanut Butter Cup minis

Mini muffin tins

Mix up the brownies as directed on the box. Spray the muffin tins with cooking spray, making sure to coat the sides as well as the bottoms. Fill each cup in the tins about two-thirds ful with brownie mix. Bake at temperature given in brownie instructions for about 8 minutes, then push a Rolo or a Reese's Cup into the center of each brownie. Bake another 8 to 10 minutes (check for doneness with a toothpick). Let cool, pop them out and enjoy!