Secks in a Pan

Sex in a Pan. 
Ok seriously if that name is supposed to make this dish more appealing, really you could just call it creamcheeseandchocolateandpuddingandcoolwhipandpecansandbutter in a pan and that would make it sound really appealing to me. But, no. It has to be sex in a pan... ok then.

Ingredients:

* 1 cup flour
* 1/2 cup butter or margarine
* 3/4 cup chopped pecans
* 1 (8oz) package cream cheese, softened
* 1 cup confectioners' sugar
* 1 tub whipped topping, 32 ounces
* 1 package (4oz) vanilla instant pudding
* 1 package (4oz) chocolate instant pudding
* 3 cups cold milk, divided
* 1 square semisweet chocolate, shaved, or mini semisweet chocolate chips

Preparation:
Combine flour, butter and pecans and press into a 9x13x2-inch baking pan. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes. Cool in pan on rack.

Combine cream cheese and confectioners' sugar and spread over pecan mixture. Spread half of the whipped topping over the cream cheese layer.

Mix package of vanilla pudding using 1-1/2 cups of milk. Spoon evenly over the whipped topping; spread until layer is even. Mix package of chocolate pudding using remaining 1-1/2 cups milk. Spread on top of vanilla pudding. Spread remaining whipped topping on top and sprinkle with shaved semisweet chocolate or mini chocolate chips.

Death by Chocolate

 (I saw this on a cooking channel)

Ingredients:
Chocolate cake ( use a mix if you want) ( I suppose you could use brownies too)
Kahlua 
chocolate pudding (probably at least two packages)
cool whip
crushed skor bars
A trifle bowl or some other pretty glass bowl.

First you bake the cake in a rectangle pan so its all one layer. After it has cooled a little, you pour some kahlua on top of it. I forget how much exactly but I am guessing 1/2 a cup or more. (You could also use amaretto.) Let that sit over night, to soak all up and let the alcohol evaporate a little so it's not too mushy.
Cut up the cake (or brownies) into squares, and with your hands take about a third of the cake/brownies out of the pan and crumble them up a little into the bottom of the trifle bowl. Next layer enough chocolate pudding to cover the cake, and then do the same with the cool whip. Sprinkle some crushed up skor bars on the cool whip, and start the layering again... Cake, pudding, coolwhip, skor bars... until you run out and hopefully you have filled the bowl up. :)
You could decorate the top with shaved chocolate, or just more skor bars, or you could pipe some coolwhip on top to make it really fancy.

Or you could just get a spoon and go hide in the closet with the bowl and eat it all!!

Enjoy

Chocolate Swirl Cookies, a drop cookie with a twist

Chocolate Swirls

1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 package (3 oz/85 grams) cream cheese, softened
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups all purpose four
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips, melted and slightly cooled

Heat oven to 350. In large mixing bowl, combine sugars, butter, cream cheese, egg and vanilla. Beat at medium speed of electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add four, baking powder and salt. Beat at low speed until soft dough forms. Fold melted chips into dough until lightly marbled. Do not overmix.

Drop dough by heaping teaspoons 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Cool completely before storing.

Almond Coconut Bars

We make this every year at Christmastime and they are among the first things to go.

2 cups oreo cookie crumbs
1/2 butter or margarine, melted
1/4 cup sugar

Filling:
2 cups flaked coconut
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup chopped almonds

Topping:
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1 cup milk chocolate chips

Heat oven to 350. In a medium mixing bowl, combine cookie crumbs, butter and sugar. Press evenly into an ungreased 11x7 inch baking pan to form base.Bake for 10 minutes, and cool completely.
In a second bowl, combine filling ingredients. Spread filling evenly over base. Bake for an additional 18-20 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. (filling will set as it cools) Cool completely.

In a medium mixing bowl melt chips at 50% power for 2-5 minutes stirring after every minute. Spread melted chips evenly over bars. Chill until set before cutting into bars. Store in the refrigerator. Freezes well.

Orange Marmalade Cake

Gorgeous summery cake. Mmmm
3 cups sifted cake flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
9 TBSP butter, softened
2 cups sugar, divided
1 TBSP grated orange rind
1 TBSP vanilla extract
4 large egg whites
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
1 cup low fat milk
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
1-12 ounce jar marmalade melted and cooled
1/4 cup low fat sour cream
1 1/2 cups lower fat cool whip

Pre Heat oven to 350.
Coat 2-9 inch round cake pans with cooking spray, and line the bottoms of the pans with waxed paper. Lightly spoon sifted cake flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine flour, baking soda and salt stirring with a whisk. Place butter in a large bowl, and beat with a mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy ( about 2 minutes) Gradually add 1 3/4 cups of the sugar, 1 TBSP at a time beating until well blended. Beat in orange rind and vanilla. Add egg whites, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Combine buttermilk and milk. Add flour mixture and buttermilk mixture alternately to butter mixture beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Pour batter into pans; Sharply tap the pans once on the counter to remove the air bubbles. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pans 20 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pans. Cool completely on wire rack.
Combine juice and 1/4 cup sugar; stir until sugar dissolves. Pierce cake liberally with a wooden pick. Slowly drizzle juice mixture over cake layers.
Carefully place one layer on a plate. Spread with 1/3 cup marmalade. Top with remaining layer; spread remaining marmalade on top of cake. Fold sour cream into Cool Whip. Spread over sides of cake. Cover and chill at least 2 hours.

YUM!!

Earthquake Cake

Like an upside down German chocolate cake!

1 package German chocolate cake mix without pudding
1 cup flaked coconut
1 cup chopped walnuts
4 cups icing sugar
2 TBSP unsweetened cocoa powder
5 TBSP coke or pepsi
1 cup butter
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese

Prepare cake mix as directed on Package. Lightly grease bottom and sides of 9x13 inch pan. Sprinkle coconut and nuts over bottom of pan. Pour cake mix over top. Combine 1/2 cup melted butter, cream cheese and 2 cups icing sugar. Beat until smooth. Spoon over cake batter.
Bake at 350 for about 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. let cake cool before frosting.
To make frosting: Combine cocoa, cola and 1/2 cup butter in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat until mixture boils, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Pour mixture over remaining icing sugar. Beat until smooth. Spread icing over cake.
* If you like a thicker icing, add more icing sugar.

Simply Marvelous Dahling....

Mar'ous Cookies

Cream together:

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs, beaten
4 oz Hershey's chocolate, melted
1 tsp vanilla

In another bowl mix:

2 cups flour
2 1/2 cups oatmeal
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
12 oz chocolate chips
1 cup chopped nuts

Add too creamed mixture. Bake at 350 for 12 minutes.

Sand Art Brownies

These are great as gifts, but also this is one yummy brownie recipe!!

5/8 cup all purpose flour
3/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup all purpose flour
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
2/3 cup white sugar
1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup vanilla baking chips
1/2 cup walnuts

Mix the 5/8 cup of flour with salt. In a wide mouthed quart or liter sized jar layer the in ingredients in the order given starting with the four and salt and ending with the walnuts.

Attach a tag to the jar with the following directions.

Pre-heat oven to 350. Grease a 9x9 inch pan. Pour contents of jar into a large bowl and mix well. Stir in one tsp vanilla, 2/3 cup vegetable oil and 3 eggs. Beat until just combined. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

YUM! Needs no icing.

Snickers Cheesecake

 A favorite birthday request in our house. I love cheesecake. With the exception of the long baking time, it's fast and easy to prepare.



2 cups oreo crumbs (or graham wafer crumbs)
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 bricks cream cheese
1 cup sugar
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2/3 cup whipping cream
6 snickers bars, chopped up
4 ounces semi sweet chocolate
1/2 cup whipping cream

Mix oreo crumbs, 1/2 cup butter, and 1/4 cup sugar together. Press into a spring form pan and chill.
Beat together the cream cheese and 1 cup sugar until smooth. Add vanilla, eggs, and 2/3 cup whipping cream. Beat until smooth.
Spread 1/2 of the chopped up snickers bars (3) onto the chilled crust. Pour cream cheese mixture on top, and add the rest of the chopped up snickers bars on top. Bake for approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes at 325. It will look a bit jiggly in the middle still.
Let it cool a bit. Melt the chocolate and 1/2 cup whipping cream in the microwave and pour over the cheese cake. Let cool completely and remove spring form sides

Classic almond buttery goodness made with CRACKERS?!!?

Classic almond squares.
 Sometimes we change it up a bit by topping it with chocolate chips after it has baked and smearing them around when they melt, and sometimes we put both chocolate and marshmallows on top after it has baked for a while, then pop it back in the oven to melt a little.

1 cup butter
Graham wafers (or saltines)
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup shaved almonds

Cover a greased cookie sheet with one layer of graham wafers breaking some to fit if necessary. Melt butter in a saucepan , stir in sugar and cook on LOW for 5 minutes. Pour over graham wafers and sprinkle with almonds.
Bake at 375 for 7 minutes. Turn off the over and open the door. The wafers tend to float up on the sugar mixture so press them down and rearrange as flat as possible before it cools. Leave in the oven to cool, about 45 minutes. remove and cut into bars.

Caramel Apple Cream Cheese and Skor bits = yummeh!!

Recently I had to improvise because I was at a cottage and didn't have a nice shallow dish to serve this in, so I spread it on an aluminum pizza pan and used a spatula to shape it into a circle in the middle and arranged the apples around the outside. It looked like a sunflower :)

I think from now on I might just arrange it like this.

Caramel Apple Dip

Fast, easy and always goes over well.

1 brick of cream cheese (a tub of spreadable cream cheese works well too) at room temperature
1 container of caramel dip (usually found in the fruit section)
Part of a bag of Skor bits (found in the baking section) or a few Skor bars crushed up.
gala or granny smith  apples

In a shallow dish, spread softened cream cheese covering the bottom of the dish. 
Now spread the caramel on top.
Sprinkle a few handfuls of the Skor Bits over top or break up the skor bars into small chunks and spread that over top.
Slice up the apples dunk then in the dip and enjoy.


If you aren't going to be serving it right away, put the sliced apples in a large ziploc bag with a few tablespoons of water and lemon juice to stop them from browning.


If you plan it right, you will run out of apples before you run out of dip and you will have to scrape the rest of the dip out of the bowl with your finger.  Take the hit for the team :)

Skor Bars

3/4 cup margarine
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 cups flour
1 can sweetened condensed milk
2 TBSP margarine
1 (300 gram) package of milk chocolate chips
1 (225 gram) package of skor toffee bits

Cream the first three ingredients until well blended and mixture comes together. Press evenly into a 9x13 inch pan. Bake at 350 for 20-25 mins until light golden. Cool on wire rack while preparing filling. Heat sweetened condensed milk and 2 TBSP margarine in a heavy sauce pan stirring constantly over medium heat for 10-15 minutes or until thickened. Spread over baked base. Bake 12-15 mins longer or until golden. Sprinkle chocolate chips evenly over top. Bake 2 minutes more until chocolate it shiny and soft. Remove from oven, spread chocolate evenly. Sprinkle skor bits on top pressing lightly into chocolate. Cool completely. Store at room temperature.

Strawberry Pretzel Salad..Dessert..whatever....

- I know it sounds weird, but trust me it's good

Ingredients – 1st layer

2 cups crushed pretzels (not too fine)
¾ cup melted butter or margarine
3 tbsp sugar

Mix together and spread into a sprayed 9 x 13 pan
Bake 8 – 10 minutes in a 400 degree oven
Cool completely

Ingredients – 2nd layer

1 – 8 ounce package of cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1 – 9 ounce container of frozen whipped topping, softened

With an electric mixer blend together cream cheese and sugar until smooth.
Fold in whipped topping
Spread on pretzel layer and refrigerate

Ingredients – 3rd layer

2 – 3 ounce packages of strawberry gelatine
2 cups boiling water
1 ½ cups fresh strawberries cut or 1 10 ounce package of frozen strawberries thawed

In a large bowl mix gelatine with boiling water and stir until all crystals are dissolved
Stir in strawberries
Refrigerate for 10 minutes
Carefully ladle gelatine over 2nd layer
Refrigerate until well set 

Margarita Pie

Ingredients:

4 large egg yolks
1 - 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1/3 cup fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons tequila ( gold )
4 teaspoons minced lime zest ( colored peel)
1 tablespoon Triple Sec
1 - 9 inch prepared graham cracker pie shell ( 6 oz )
unsweetened whipped cream, for topping
thinly sliced lime rounds, as garnish

Preheat oven to 350 F

In a large bowl, whisk together the yolks and condensed milk. Add the lime juice and whisk for 1 minute.
Whisk in the tequila, lime zest and triple sec. Pour the mixture into the pie shell. Bake until the filling is lightly but evenly set
and the edges of the shell are lightly browned, about 12 minutes. Cool to room temperature then refrigerate into; ready to serve, at least 2 hours.

To serve, cut pie into wedges and top with dollop of whipped cream and garnish with lime round.

WHITE CHOCOLATE TRUFFLE AND CHOCOLATE FUDGE LAYER CAKE

One of the most divine cakes ever. I usually make this only for special occasions simply because its takes a while to make. But it is soooo worth it. Gorgeous presentation, and tastes amazing.

Chocolate stars-
6 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 tablespoon solid vegetable shortening
Nonstick vegetable oil spray 



Cake-
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups whole milk 

Filling and frosting-
3 cups chilled whipping cream
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 pound good-quality white chocolate (such as Lindt or Baker's), finely chopped
2 teaspoons vanilla extract 
1/2 teaspoon almond extract 
4 tablespoons amaretto or other almond liqueur



For chocolate stars: 
Line baking sheet with foil. Stir chocolate and shortening in top of double boiler set over simmering water until melted and smooth. Pour onto prepared baking sheet, tilting pan to spread chocolate mixture to irregular 14x9-inch rectangle. Refrigerate until just firm, about 12 minutes. Spray assorted star-shaped cookie cutters with nonstick spray. Cut out stars. Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes. Using small offset spatula, carefully transfer stars 1 at a time to another foil-lined baking sheet. Refrigerate until ready to use. (Can be made 3 days ahead. Cover and keep refrigerated.) 


For cake: 
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter two 9-inch-diameter cake pans with 1 1/2-inch-high sides. Line bottoms with parchment paper; butter parchment. Stir unsweetened chocolate in heavy medium saucepan over low heat until melted and smooth. Cool slightly. Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat sugar and butter in large bowl until well blended. Beat in lukewarm melted unsweetened chocolate and vanilla. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, blending well after each addition. Mix in cocoa powder mixture in 3 additions, alternating with milk in 2 additions. 
Divide batter between prepared pans. Bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Cool cakes in pans on racks 10 minutes. Run knife around edge of each pan to loosen cakes. Turn cakes out onto racks and cool completely. Peel off parchment. 

For filling and frosting: 
Bring 1 cup cream and butter to simmer in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring until butter melts. Remove from heat. Add white chocolate and stir until smooth. Whisk in vanilla. Pour 1 1/2 cups white chocolate filling into small bowl; cover and freeze until cold, about 2 hours. 
Let remaining white chocolate mixture in saucepan stand at room temperature until lukewarm, about 20 minutes. 
Using electric mixer, beat remaining 2 cups cream and almond extract in large bowl until peaks form. Working in 3 batches, fold in lukewarm white chocolate mixture. Refrigerate whipped cream frosting just until medium peaks hold, folding occasionally, about 3 hours. 
Brush 2 tablespoons amaretto over top of each cake layer. Place 1 layer on platter. Spread chilled 1 1/2 cups white chocolate filling over. Top with second cake layer. Spread whipped cream frosting over top and sides of cake. Chill until cold and set, about 1 hour. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and keep refrigerated.) 
Arrange chocolate stars decoratively atop cake and serve. 

Norma Klassens Scotch Shortbread cookies

I grew up looking forward to my Mom making these every Christmas. They are pure magic.
Norma Klassen was a lady who lived down the road from us, and while she is long departed I still refer to this recipe as hers.
Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet at 300 for 20-22 minutes

Cream: 1 cup butter
1 cup Crisco shortening
Add and beat: 1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
5 cups pastry flour
Press through cookie press
Bake until they move when pushed with a finger
Cool on brown paper bags. ( or some other kind of paper that will absorb a little of the grease and keep them from getting soggy)

Skor Bars

These are TDF ( to die for)
¾ cup margarine
¾ cup packed brown sugar
1 ½ cups all purpose flour
1 can sweetened condensed milk
2 TBSP margarine
1 300 gram package of milk choc chips
1 225 gram pkg skor bits

Cream first 3 ingredients together until well blended and mixture comes together. 
Press evenly in a 9x13 inch cake pan.
Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until light golden
Cool on wire rack while preparing filling.
Heat sweetened condensed milk and 2 TBSP margarine in heavy sauce pan over medium heat stirring constantly for 10-15 minutes until thickened.
Spread over baked base
Bake 12-15 minutes longer until golden.
Sprinkle milk chocolate chips evenly over top.
Bake 2 minutes until chocolate is shiny and soft.
Remove from oven and spread chocolate evenly.
Sprinkle Skor bits on top pressing lightly into chocolate
Cool completely. If necessary chill just to set chocolate before cutting into bars. Store at room temperature.

Pecan Bar Recipe

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup white sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup butter

3 eggs
1 cup light corn syrup
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups whole pecans, toasted & tossed with 1 tbsp butter

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a 9x13 pan with foil, grease.
2. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, 1/3 cup sugar, and salt. Cut in 2/3 cup of butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the prepared pan, and press in firmly.
3. Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven.
4. While the crust is baking, prepare the filling. In a large bowl mix together the eggs, corn syrup, 1 cup total brown & white sugars, 2 tablespoons melted butter, and vanilla until smooth. Stir in the pecans. Spread the filling evenly over the crust as soon as it comes out of the oven.
5. Bake for 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until set. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack before slicing into bars.

*Note- After these cooled on a rack for about 3 hours, I put them in the freezer for 30 minutes. This made the cutting process super easy.

Divine Caramel Sauce

2 cups sugar
3/4 cup stick butter or marg.
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 cup light corn syrup
pinch of salt (omit if using salted butter)
1 tsp. vanilla

1. Heat all ingredients except vanilla to boiling in heavy Dutch oven over medium heat, stirring constantly; reduce heat slightly. Boil about 30 minutes, stirring frequently, until sugar is dissolved and mixture is caramel colored.

2. Stir in vanilla. Serve hot or warm. Store in refrigerator for up to 2 months.

*From Betty Crocker's New Cookbook, 8th Edition*