Praline Cheesecake Squares

Recipe shared with me by Holly M.

24 servings

Crust ingredients:

1 1/4 cups flour

1/2 cup melted butter

1/3 cup finely chopped pecans

1 Tbsp. powdered sugar

In a large bowl combine crust ingredients. Mix well then press into the bottom of an 8x8 baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until crust is set and light golden brown around the edges.

Cheesecake ingredients:

12 oz. softened cream cheese

2 eggs

2/3 cup sweetened condensed milk

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

In a large mixing bike beat cream cheese with an electric mixwe on low to medium speed until smooth. Add eggs; beat well. Beat in sweetened condensed milk, granulated sugar and vanilla.  Pour over baked crust. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 35 to 40 minutes until set. Cool in pan on a wire rack.

Topping ingredients:

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup whipping cream

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1 tsp. vanilla

In a medium saucepan combine brown sugar and whipping cream. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture boils; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in chopped pecans and vanilla. Pour over cheesecake. Cover and chill for 2 to 24 hours before serving. Cut into 1 1/2-2 inch squares.

*To make a regular 9x13 pan just double the recipe.

***OH HEAVEN!! I first had this yummy dessert at a baby shower that was thrown for me 7 years ago. I of course asked for the recipe from my friend. It has become the dessert that I request for Mother's Day. And just maybe I will share with those close by!

 

Key Lime Bars



Crust:
5 ounces animal crackers (about 2 1/2 cups animal crackers)
3 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
Pinch salt
4 tablespoons butter, melted

Filling:
2 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1 tbsp grated fresh lime zest (from about 2 limes)
1 can (14-ounce) sweetened condensed milk
Pinch salt
1 large egg yolk
1/2 cup fresh lime juice (from about 3-4 regular limes or 20 Key limes)

3/4 cup shredded coconut, toasted (optional)

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees, adjusting an oven rack to the middle position. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with aluminum foil, letting two opposing edges hang over at least an inch or so. Grease the foil with cooking spray.
For the crust, process the animal crackers, sugar and salt together to fine crumbs in a blender or food processor. Drizzle the melted butter over the crumbs and pulse to incorporate (or stir together in a bowl with a fork). Sprinkle the mixture into the prepared pan and press the crumbs into an even layer. Bake the crust until fragrant and golden, about 15-18 minutes.
For the filling, while crust bakes, in a medium bowl, stir the cream cheese, lime zest and salt together until combined. Whisk in the sweetened condensed milk until smooth (you can use a handheld electric mixer, if you want). Whisk in the egg yolk and lime juice until combined.
Pour the filling evenly over the crust. Bake the bars until the filling is set and the edges just slightly begin to pull away from the sides of the pan, 15-17 minutes.
Let the bars cool completely in the pan set on a wire rack, about 2 hours. Then cover the pan with foil and refrigerate until chilled, about 2 hours. Remove the bars from the pan using the foil overhang and cut into squares. Sprinkle with toasted coconut if desired.

** OH MY!! I am such a lover of Key Lime! These were so scrumptious! I do think the crust was a little too thick. I measured 2 1/2 cups of animal crackers. Next time I will try the 5 oz and see if there is a difference.
**I found this recipe on Pinterest. It came from Mel's Kitchen Cafe! One of my favorite sources!

Easy Black Bottom Cupcakes

*1 Milk Chocolate Cake Mix

         Mix up cake batter according to directions on package.

*1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

*1 egg

*1/3 cup white sugar

*1/8 teaspoon salt

*1 cup chocolate chips (can use semi-sweet or milk chocolate)

         Combine cream cheese, egg, sugar, salt and chocolate chips.

Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners. Place about 1 TBS of cream cheese mixture in each cup. Make sure there are a couple chocolate chips in each one. Fill the cup to 2/3 full with cake batter. Bake according to cupcake baking time on cake mix package. Let cool and frost with your favorite chocolate frosting!

**Do you know how kids only take cupcakes so they can eat the frosting?...Well, not with these! The kids gobbled the whole thing up! They went really fast!

**I used the Hershey Kiss Chocolate Chips because I liked having the little bit bigger chocolate chip in them. Definately making these again soon.

**I give credit to my Sister, Julianne for this recipe and also, Allrecipes. com. Julianne made some like these for a family gathering a few years back and I LOVED them. So I searched for the recipe, found the cream cheese part on Allrecipes. com and put them together.

Jello Cake

1 White Cake Mix

1 pkg. jello (4-serving size) Your favorite kind!

Dissolve Jello in 3/4 cup boiling water. Then add 1/2 cup cold water. Set aside. Mix and bake cake as directed on cake package. Cool cake for 20 minutes. Poke holes in top of cake. (I used a fork). Pour jello over cake making sure you pour it over the holes you made. Refrigerate cake for 3-4 hours. Frost with cool whip, buttercream frosting, or some other really creamy light and fluffy frosting! ENJOY!

*This cake was my Daughters Birthday Cake. She is past wanting the barbie cakes. Adding the jello in the cake made it so the kids ate the cake too and not just the frosting! It's a very light and refreshing cake.

Lemon Bars



1 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup white sugar

2 cups all-purpose flour

4 eggs

1 1/2 cups white sugar

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 lemons, juiced

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a medium bowl, blend together softened butter, 2 cups flour and 1/2 cup sugar. Press into the bottom of an ungreased 9x13 inch pan.
3. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until firm and golden. In another bowl, whisk together the remaining 1 1/2 cups sugar and 1/4 cup flour. Whisk in the eggs and lemon juice. Pour over the baked crust.
4. Bake for an additional 20 minutes in the preheated oven. The bars will firm up as they cool. For a festive tray, make another pan using limes instead of lemons and adding a drop of green food coloring to give a very pale green. After both pans have cooled, cut into uniform 2 inch squares and arrange in a checker board fashion.

**OH MY! These are SOOOO Good! One of my good friends shared this recipe with me. Thank you Alison for sharing! This recipe is quick and easy! I dare you to eat just one! So glad I was able to share these ones or I would have eaten the whole tray.

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Chocolate Malt Icecream Cookie Cake

This is the cake Karissa chose for her birthday cake!  Oh YUMM!  Very Rich! Will cure any chocolate cravings you may be having!  This is also a Betty Crocker Recipe.

1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker® double chocolate chunk cookie mix

2/3 cup chocolate-flavor malted milk powder

1/3 cup vegetable oil

2 tablespoons water

1 egg

1/2 cup hot fudge topping

1 cup crushed chocolate-covered malted milk balls

2 cups vanilla ice cream, softened

2 cups chocolate ice cream, softened

1 cup frozen whipped topping, thawed

Heat oven to 350°F. Lightly spray 10-inch springform pan with cooking spray. Or line 9-inch square baking pan with foil, leaving about 2 inches of the foil overhanging sides of pan; lightly spray with cooking spray.

In large bowl, stir cookie mix, 1/3 cup of the malted milk powder, oil, water and egg until soft dough forms. Press 1/2 of dough into bottom of pan. Bake 12 to 13 minutes or until set. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, press remaining 1/2 of the dough into 10-inch circle on large ungreased cookie sheet. After removing cookie crust in springform or 9-inch pan from oven, bake dough on cookie sheet 12 to 13 minutes or until set. Cool 5 minutes; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool 15 minutes.

Spread hot fudge topping over crust in springform or 9-inch pan. In medium bowl, break apart large cookie until crumbly. Stir in crushed malted milk balls. Sprinkle 1/2 of the crumbled cookie mixture over hot fudge; press lightly.

In large bowl, combine both softened ice creams and remaining 1/3 cup malted milk powder until well blended. Spread ice cream mixture over crumbs in pan. Gently spread whipped topping over ice cream. Sprinkle with remaining crumb mixture. Cover with foil. Freeze at least 5 hours or until firm. To serve, remove sides of springform pan or lift dessert using foil out of 9-inch pan. Let stand 5 minutes. Use hot wet knife to cut into wedges or squares. Store covered in freezer.

**When grocery shopping for the ingredients, the store was out of the cookie mix. I made up my Double Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe.  I replaced the white chocolate chips with baking chunks of milk chocolate. Only make half of the cookie recipe if making it for the icecream cake.

Brownies



2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/3 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon salt
8 large eggs
4 cups sugar
1 pound ( 4 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 cups coarsley chopped walnuts (optional)
2 cups ( 12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
2. Lightly grease and flour a 17 by 12 by 1-inch baking pan (I use a 12" X 18 "X 1" pan) and set aside. (I line pan with parchment paper then spray with cooking spray)
3. Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, and salt in a bowl and stir to mix.
4. Cream together the eggs, sugar, butter and vanilla in a separate bowl until well blended.
5. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix just until all the dry ingredients are moistened. Do not over mix.
6. Fold in the walnuts and chocolate chips and stir to blend. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan.
7. Bake 35 to 40 minutes, until the brownies are firm to touch. They will be slightly soft in the center when tested with a toothpick. Remove from the oven and cool about 40 minutes before cutting.
*I found this recipe on Skip to My Lou.  Since then I have seen it on two other blogs.  When a recipe calls for that much butter and chocolate....it has to be good!  And it is!  Oh MAN!  You need a full glass of ice cold milk with these BROWNIES!

Easy Strawberry Cheesecake

1 package cream cheese

1/3 cup powder sugar

2 cups thawed cool whip

1 graham cracker crust

1 lb carton of strawberries, washed and sliced

strawberry glaze or strawberry flavored Junket made up

Beat cream cheese and powder sugar then fold in cool whip.  Spread cream cheese mixture in the bottom of the graham cracker crust.  Stir together strawberries and glaze then pour strawberries over the cream cheese layer.  Let chill for a few hours then ENJOY!

*I love cheesecake and this is a quick, no fuss recipe!  When I had my first baby and my mom was staying with us helping me out, she made this yummy dessert.  It has been one of my favorites since.

*I really like homemade graham cracker crusts.  Here is the recipe I use for the crust.

GRAHAM CRACKER CRUST

1 package graham crackers finely crushes

1/4 cup sugar

3-4 Tbls butter or margarine melted

Stir together graham crackers and sugar.  Mix in melted butter completely. Press into a pie tin going up the sides too.  Bake at 300 degrees for 5-8 minutes.  Let cool before filling it.

Dessert Dessert (So good it's named twice)

12 graham crackers

1/4 cup sugar

5 Tbsp melted butter

Finely crush graham crackers. (I use my food processor to crush them, or place them in a ziplock bag and crush with rolling pin.)  Combine crushed crackers, sugar and melted butter.  Press into bottom of a 9x13 pan.

2 sm packages vanilla pudding

4 cups milk

8 oz cool whip

Mix together pudding and milk with mixer until well blended.  Add 1/2 of the cool whip and combine.  Pour over graham cracker crust.  Let sit in fridge until firm.  Top with remaing cool whip.

This recipe would be yummy with chocolate pudding or any of your favorite pudding.

**This recipe came from Jim's mom.  I can't remember the story behind the name, but that is what we all call it, Dessert Dessert.  It was called that once and it just stuck.  Such an easy and yummy dessert.  It gets requested at our house for birthday's instead of birthday cake.

IceCream Pie

1 Oreo Pie Crust

1 (1/2 gallon) container of Icecream

Whipped Topping

Caramel Sauce (or favorite sauce)

Let icecream set out on counter for 10 -15 minutes to soften.  When icecream is soft, spread it in the oreo crust.  Place in freezer and let set up for a few hours.  When ready to eat, top with whipped topping and sauce.

**We used mint chocolate chip icecream and regular chocolate chip icecream.  The regular chocolate chip icecream was our favorite.  Try your favorite flavor with your favorite sauce.

Grasshopper Fudge Cake

My cake/picture isn't near as pretty as the one from the Betty Crocker site, but, ohhhh!  This is good Stuff!

Yes, this is another Betty Crocker Recipe!  They sent me a calender at the first of the year.  This was the recipe on the March Calender and Brindley knew right away that this is what she wanted for her Birthday.



1 box white cake mix

1 1/4 cups water

1/3 cup vegetable oil

2 tsp mint extract

3 egg whites

12 drops green food coloring

2 jars (16 oz each) hot fudge topping

1 container (8 oz) frozen whipped topping, thawed

5 drops yellow food coloring

thin rectangular chocolate mints (Ande Mints) broken up

Heat oven to 350°F for shiny metal or glass pan (or 325°F for dark or nonstick pan). Spray bottom only of 13x9-inch pan with baking spray with flour.

 Make cake mix as directed on box, using water, oil, 1 1/2 teaspoons of the mint extract and the egg whites. Reserve 1 cup batter. Stir 3 drops of the green food color into reserved batter; set aside. Pour remaining batter into greased pan.  Drop green batter by generous tablespoonfuls randomly in 12 to 14 mounds onto batter in pan. Cut through batters with metal spatula or knife in S-shaped curves in one continuous motion. Turn pan 1/4 turn; repeat cutting for swirled design. Bake for 28 to 33 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Run knife around side of pan to loosen cake. Cool completely, about 1 hour. 

Carefully spread fudge topping evenly over cake. In medium bowl, stir whipped topping, remaining 1/2 teaspoon extract, remaining 9 drops green food color and the yellow food color until blended. Spread whipped topping mixture evenly over fudge. Garnish with candy pieces. Store covered in refrigerator.



Cheesecake

Crust: 1 3/4 cup graham crackers crushed
1/2 cup fine chopped pecans
1/2 tsp.cinnamon
1/2 cup melted butter

Mix together and press in bottom of springform pan

Filling: 2 (8oz) cream cheese
1 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp. almond extract
3 eggs
3 cups sour cream
pinch of salt

Beat cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, almond, and salt. Add eggs one at a time. Stir in sour cream. Bake at 200 degrees for 60-75 minutes. After bake time crack oven door and leave for one hour. Then take out cheese cake and let cool to room temperature and then refrigerate overnight.

This Recipe came from Jim's Mom.  MMMMM!  I love the pecans in the crust.  My favorite topping for Cheesecake is Raspberry!

Peach Dessert

1 large box vanilla wafers finely crushed

1 cube butter softened

1 1/2 cup sugar

6-10 cups fresh peaches, peeled and sliced

1 pint whipping cream

1/2 cup powder sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

Press 2/3 of the wafer crumbs in the bottom of a 9x13 pan.  Mix butter and sugar together and carefully layer over wafer crumbs.  Layer peaches on top of sugar.  Whip the cream with the powder sugar and vanilla.  Layer the whipped cream over the peaches.  Top with remaining wafer crumbs.  Cover and refrigerate for 6 hours before serving.

**Another way to do the crust is to mix the sugar in with the crushed wafers then add the butter to the wafers and mix throughly, then press into the bottom of the pan.  It is good either way, but I have been told by some that they prefer the sugar/butter in it's seperate layer.  I do mix it in with the wafers to save a step.

***This is another Rowley Family favorite....coming from Jim's Mom.  This recipe is one of the most requested that I have had.  DO NOT use UNRIPE peaches.  It won't be the same.  I have to admit.  UTAH peaches work the best for this.