HOT FUDGE SAUCE

I have made this hot fudge sauce so many times over the years that I'm pretty sure I could do it blindfolded and with one hand tied behind my back! What I love about this sauce is that it is so reminiscent of my mothers old fashioned Hershey's chocolate fudge, but in a liquid form! This stuff is so very good! Usually when I make it, I will pour the leftovers into small mason jars to pass along to someone else as a treat. I've given it out as Christmas gifts many times as well. It goes together in a snap. If you are having last minute company and need a fast dessert to pull out - this is it! And if you are prone to baking, you probably already have the ingredients in  your pantry to make it. I warn you though, it's addicting! Whip this up the next time your family is over for dinner and you'll have them begging you to make more! And I dare you not to lick the spoon after you've stirred it! 

HOT FUDGE SAUCE

1 stick butter

6 Tablespoons cocoa powder

pinch of salt

1 cup white sugar

6 ounces evaporated milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

DIRECTIONS

Combine butter, cocoa powder, salt, sugar, and evaporated milk in medium saucepan over med heat. Still until well combined. Bring to a boil and cook for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Blend with immersion blender or give it a whir in your stand blender for a minute or two (don't skip this step! It will give you a silky smooth texture to your sauce!) Pour into your serving container and serve immediately, while it's still piping hot, over GOOD ice cream - like Blue Bell. Have the recipe ready to share. 

ENJOY! Have a sunshiny day! 😊

 

MOLTEN CHOCOLATE LAVA CAKES

The weather here in MO has been gorgeous all week, so hubby and I decided to grill out last night. Dinner time for us coincided with our youngest daughter and her husband's return from spending Christmas week in IA, so we invited them to come over and join us. Since their 1st anniversary is today, I made these last night as a special celebration treat for them. They received thumbs up all around, so that was the green light I needed to put them on here for you all to try.  WARNING: These are very rich! I expected the inside to be a thinner consistency. It was very ooey, gooey, yummy though. Served these with vanilla ice cream, as a dollop of whipped cream just wouldn't have been enough! SUPER easy to make though. Went together in a snap! And the bake time is only about 12 - 14 min, so quick and easy dessert. Most lava cakes are made with bakers chocolate. This recipe calls for chocolate chips. That enticed me to try it, as most cooks already have chocolate chips in the pantry.

MOLTEN CHOCOLATE LAVA CAKES

1/4 sticks unsalted butter
Granulated sugar (for the ramekins)

1 stick unsalted butter
6 oz semisweet chocolate chips
3 eggs
3 egg yolks
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar (plus a little more for dusting)
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup flour
6 ramekins

Preheat oven to 425. Soften the 1/4 stick of butter and coat the inside of your ramekins with it. Sprinkle granulated sugar inside each ramekin, turning to coat all sides of it with the sugar. Set those aside.

Put the remaining stick of butter and the chocolate chips in a large mixing bowl. Set the bowl on top of a saucepan filled with 1" of boiling water. Be sure that the bowl is not touching the water. Gently stir the butter and chocolate together until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Remove from the heat.
In separate mixing bowl combine the eggs, egg yolks, powdered sugar and vanilla. Beat until it doubles in size and gets very thick and pale colored.
Gently and slowly mix the melted chocolate into the egg mixture. Temper it first, so the eggs don't start to "cook." Once the chocolate is combined with the eggs, gently stir in the flour. Whisk to combine. Divide the batter among the prepared ramekins. Arrange the ramekins on a baking sheet and bake in preheated oven for 14 - 15 minutes. Remove the cakes from the oven and let rest for 3 - 4 minutes.
Remove the cakes from the ramekins and arrange them on individual serving plates. Dust with powdered sugar. Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream and a hot cup of coffee!

CHOCOLATE & VANILLA DELIGHT

This dessert is a classic. I've seen it with lemon pudding, chocolate pudding and now here it is with two kinds of pudding, chocolate AND vanilla. It tends to be a bit on the heavy side, so serve it with a lighter meal, or else cut smaller portions. I made this in a prepared graham cracker pie crust, but next time will make it in a 9 x 13 cake pan. The prepared crust was convenient, but it made 8 very large slices of pie - not bad if you're a dessert lover! But I tried to "skinny" this down a bit, and putting it in a smaller pan, didn't help the calorie count much. 1/8 of the pie was 294 calories. If you make it in a 9 x 13 pan and cut it into 16 pieces, the calories drop to 147 - that's a lot more acceptable, especially if you're trying to watch your weight. If you're not dieting, feel free to make the full fat version! ;-)

CHOCOLATE & VANILLA DELIGHT

1 prepared graham cracker pie crust

1 (8 oz) pkg light cream cheese

1 cup powdered sugar

1 (16 oz) light Cool Whip, thawed

1 (3 1/2 oz) pkg sugar free, instant chocolate pudding

1 (3 1/2 oz) pkg sugar free, instant vanilla pudding

3 cups cold 2% (or skim) milk (divided)

Chopped pecans

Mix cream cheese and powdered sugar until creamy. Stir in 1/2 of the 16 oz Cool Whip. Spread evenly in bottom of crust. In separate bowl, combine 1 1/2 cups milk with chocolate pudding mix. Beat with whisk until combined. Let sit until thickened. Then spread evenly over cream cheese mixture. Again, in separate bowl, combine, remaining 1 1/2 cups milk with vanilla pudding mix. Beat with whisk until combined. Let sit until thickened. Spread evenly over chocolate pudding. Spread remaining Cool Whip over vanilla pudding. Sprinkle with chopped pecans. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Makes 8 servings if using prepared Graham cracker crust.

Makes 16 servings (with fewer calories) if you use a 9 x 13 pan and make your own graham cracker crust.

MINI CHOCOLATE SOUFFLES WITH CREME ANGLAISE

A few years ago my daughter Sarah found a recipe and asked if I would make it for her birthday dessert. Birthdays are a BIG DEAL in our home! The birthday person always gets their favorite dinner, favorite dessert and many times we'll have extended family or other company in for dinner, with lots of presents and celebrating! When I agreed to making Sarah's dessert, I didn't realize it was a souffle! When I read the recipe, I was a bit apprehensive. But after it was done, I thought it was one of the easiest recipes I'd ever made! So tender, light and delicious! And the raspberries with the chocolate.... WOW!! The flavors just POP in your mouth! The batter for these souffles is all mixed in the blender! How easy is that?! You have GOT to try this one! The best part is, you can mix these up ahead of time and then just pop them in the oven when you sit down to dinner!

MINI CHOCOLATE SOUFFLES w/ CREME ANGLAISE

1 Tblsp soft butter
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup water1 Tblsp espresso powder (I sub. instant coffee granules)
3 oz. bittersweet chocolate + 3 oz. milk chocolate
1/2 cup heavy cream
6 eggs
1 tsp. rum flavoring
12 oz. cream cheese, cut into chunks
Preheat oven to 375.
1. Coat 6 mini souffle dishes with butter (any oven safe, 8 oz glass bowl, will work). Using 1/4 cup of the sugar, distributing among the 6 dishes, sprinkle evenly with sugar.
2. Put remaining 1/2 cup sugar, bittersweet chocolate, milk chocolate and water together in microwave safe bowl and heat for 2 minutes. Remove and whisk to combine.
3. Break the eggs into a blender, add the heavy cream and the rum flavoring. Blend until eggs and cream are thoroughly mixed.
4. With the blender running, scrape in the melted chocolate slowly. Add the cream cheese chunks one at a time. When batter is completely mixed, blend on high speed for a few seconds to make sure any leftover chunks of cream cheese don't get missed.
5. Pour the batter to 3/4 full, distributing evenly among the 6 dishes.
6. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.
Remove from oven, sprinkle with powdered sugar or serve with mixed berries (raspberries, blueberries and strawberries) drizzle with creme anglaise and serve warm!


CREME ANGLAISE
(I usually double this - YES, it's THAT good!)

1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla
4 egg yolks
2 Tblsp butter

In a saucepan over med-high heat, combine cream, 1/4 sugar, whisk. In a bowl, whisk together egg yolks, 1/4 cup sugar. When cream mixture comes to just a boil, remove from heat, whisk a small amount of hot cream into egg yolks, stir, then whisk in a bit more until the temp of the eggs gradually rises to meet the temp of the hot cream. This is called 'tempering' the eggs. If you do it too quickly you will 'cook' the eggs and ruin your sauce. So just a couple small drizzles at a time, until the eggs are warmed. Then pour warmed egg yolks into hot cream and whisk until smooth. Return this mixture to med high heat and cook, stirring constantly until mixture coats the back of a metal spoon. Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla. Serve warm over mini chocolate souffles and assorted berries.

TURTLE SUNDAE PUFFS

I made these for dessert, for a banquet, that I catered this past weekend. I wanted to go with a "lighter" dessert, rather than cheesecake, pie or cake. Everyone loved these. The funny thing is, they were SO easy to do. I made homemade hot fudge and homemade caramel sauce to top the Turtle ones with. Then my precious daughter in law, Monica, made homemade fruit compote, as a second choice.
The puffs are made with simple puff pastry. Super quick and fun. And who doesn't like ice cream?!

*Side note* Both the hot fudge and the caramel sauce, make tremendous edible gifts. Why not make a double batch and plan to give some away as a pick-me-up, to someone who needs it? You can bottle the sauces individually in mason jelly jars. Deliver it with a carton of nice, vanilla ice cream and watch their faces light up!

TURTLE SUNDAE PUFFS

Vegetable cooking spray
1 (17.3 oz.) package Pepperidge Farm® Puff Pastry Sheets (2 sheets)
Vanilla Ice Cream
Hot Fudge Sauce - recipe follows
Caramel Sauce
Chopped pecans or walnuts

Thaw the pastry at room temperature for 40 minutes or until it’s easy to handle. Spray 12 (2 1/2-inch) muffin pan cups with cooking spray. Heat the oven to 375°F.

Unfold the pastry sheets, one at a time, on a lightly floured surface. Roll the sheet into a 12 x 9-inch rectangle. Cut into 12 (3-inch) squares. A pizza cutter works really well, to cut the squares. Use a small rolling pin to further press each piece into a 5" square. Prick each one with a fork, several times. Press squares into the prepared muffin pan cups.

Bake for 10 minutes or until golden. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Using a small knife, cut a small slit in the puffed center and gently push down. Remove pastry cups from pan and cool completely.

Fill each pastry cup with a scoop of ice cream, drizzle with hot fudge sauce, and hot caramel sauce. Sprinkle with chopped nuts.

HOT FUDGE SAUCE

3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup Hershey's cocoa
1/2 cup evaporated milk (I used heavy whipping cream)
1/3 cup light corn syrup
1/2 stick butter
1 tsp. vanilla

Stir together sugar and cocoa in small saucepan; blend in milk and corn syrup. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture boils; boil and stir 1 minute. Remove from heat; stir in butter and vanilla. Serve warm. Mmm!

This is the Fruit compote sundae that we served, as a second choice. My daughter in law, Monica made the fruit for these. You can find the recipe on her blog. I think the group was about half and half on the choices. This one was like berry pie ala mode!

You can see how large I roll out each individual pastry section. They really overlap in the pan, but they puff right up and bake up nicely in the oven.
Here it is step by step in pics so you can get a better idea how it all works.

CHOCOLATE or CARAMEL PECAN FONDUE

Have you ever done fondue? If you haven't, you are missing out!! It is an absolute BLAST!
We usually do it once a year with our family - my oldest daughter, Sarah, requests it for her birthday dinner. Usually we do all 3 courses, cheese, meat and chocolate or caramel (or both!)
Tonight we skipped the cheese fondue, and I made a couple of sides instead. Fondue is served in stages. You set out the cheese fondue, the bread chunks, the veggies, etc... then when all have had their fill of the cheese, you clear the table of all that, and bring out the preheated oil in an electric fry pot, raw meat, and several dipping sauces. When all have had their fill of that, you clear the table again and bring out the dessert fondue, fresh fruits, pretzels, pound cake, etc... It's not a "hurry up" type dinner. It's a sit and talk and laugh and spend time together type meal. This would be a lot of fun to do with a group of young married couples or college age singles even. Everybody could bring something to contribute to the fondue. That would ease the expense on the hostess. You can pick up fondue pots for next to nothing in your local Goodwill stores. Some of them are kept warm by a simple tea light candle. I use those kinds for the dessert fondues that don't require a lot of heat to keep them warm. But the pot we use to fry our meat, has an electric cord. You could also make up a dessert fondue platter and set it out at a fellowship or dinner in your home. People could casually come and go and get their dessert as they wish. It's just so unique and SO much fun! Not to mention YUMMY!! Promise me you'll put this on your "to do" list soon!

CARAMEL PECAN FONDUE (this one is our all time favorite!!)

*IF you have any leftovers, refrigerate them and use it as topping for your ice cream!* Mmm! Talk about YUMMO! Rachel Ray has nothing on this one! haha

2 cups sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 stick unsalted butter
1 tsp. Rum flavoring
3/4 cup chopped pecans

Dippers: Bananas (the best!), apples, pears, frozen twinkies, brownies, pound cake, angel food cake... all cut in chunks - use your imagination

In a medium heavy bottom sauce pan, combine the sugar with the corn syrup & water. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar dissolves (about 10 min). Increase the heat to med-high and simmer, brushing down the insides of the pan occasionally with a wet pastry brush. I keep a bowl of water with the brush in it, near the saucepan to do this. I do it several times throughout the cooking process. Cook until the syrup starts to turn golden. Gently swirl the pan and continue to simmer until a deep amber color forms - about 40 minutes total time. Remove from heat. Carefully stir in cream and butter, a little at a time, until melted and combined. Return to heat, bring to simmer. Remove from heat and stir in rum flavoring and chopped pecans. Let sit for 30 minutes stirring occasionally. Pour into heatproof serving bowl or fondue pot set over low heat and serve with dippers.

* This can be made ahead of time and refrigerated. Rewarm gently over low heat.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

CHOCOLATE FONDUE

2 Tblsp sugar
1 cup heavy cream
4 oz bittersweet chocolate
4 oz milk chocolate
1 Tblsp butter

Dippers: Apples, oranges, pears, bananas, strawberries, cherries, marshmallows, pretzel rods, frozen cheesecake chunks, etc...

In a microwave safe bowl, mix the sugar, heavy cream, chocolate and butter together and microwave for 1 - 2 minutes, depending on the power of your microwave. Remove bowl from microwave and give it a quick whisk, making sure chocolate is melted and completely combined. Transfer to fondue pot with a flame underneath to keep warm. Serve with your favorite dippers.

*Can be made ahead and refrigerated. Can also use the leftovers as ice cream topping. Or..... top your ice cream with both fondues and have a turtle sundae!

Shhhh don't tell anyone this isn't WW friendly! This was a special occasion! ;-)

TEXAS SHEET CAKE

I'm sure most of you have either had this, or made it at one time or another. But for those of you who aren't as fortunate (haha) you simply must give this a try sometime! It's super easy to make and goes over REALLY well at any function. I like it because, not only does it taste good, but it serves 32 or more. So it's a good economical choice when you are feeding a crowd. And you probably have most of the ingredients in your pantry, right now.

I like to do the top half nuts (chopped pecans) and half plain, to please everyone. The icing tastes like a thin fudge, it's so yummy with a tall glass of cold milk! Definitely not on WW, but a nice treat once in a while.

TEXAS SHEET CAKE

In a mixing bowl, combine the following, and set aside:

2 c. flour
2 c. sugar
2 eggs
1/2 c. sour cream
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder

In a saucepan over med-high heat, combine the following and bring to a boil:

2 sticks butter or margarine
1 c. water
2 Tblsp. cocoa, heaping

While hot, add to flour mixture above. Cream will with mixer. Pour into greased and floured jelly roll pan (or cookie sheet with tall sides). Bake 20 min at 350. Frost while still warm.

FROSTING

1 stick butter or margarine
6 Tblsp. milk
2 Tblsp. cocoa

Bring to a boil. Remove from heat and add all at once:

1 box powdered sugar (4 cups)
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. chopped nuts

Stir until well combined. Pour over warm cake and spread evenly to edges.

PUPPY CHOW

Now here's a classic that's been around for a very long time. It's super easy, and what a fun little treat to bag up in cute little snowman bags and stick in your Christmas goody boxes! I usually have to make 2 batches of this when I mix it up - one for home and one for giving! It disappears fast - especially when the gang's all here!

PUPPY CHOW

9 cups Corn Chex®, Rice Chex®, Wheat Chex® or Chocolate Chex® cereal (or combination)
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
½ cup peanut butter
1/4 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 ½ cups powdered sugar

Directions
1. Into large bowl, measure cereal; set aside.
2. In 1-quart microwaveable bowl, microwave chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter uncovered on High 1 minute; stir. Microwave about 30 seconds longer or until mixture can be stirred smooth. Stir in vanilla. Pour mixture over cereal, stirring until evenly coated. Pour into 2-gallon resealable food-storage plastic bag.
3. Add powdered sugar. Seal bag; shake until well coated. Spread on waxed paper to cool. Store in airtight container in refrigerator.

CHOCOLATE CHERRY CHEWIES

Here's another one from my daughter in law, Monica. She created these last weekend. They had the youth group over to their house for food, after they raked lawns for our Sr citizens. My daughter Sarah brought one over to me, and said, "These were so good, I just knew you would want to put the recipe on your blog!" She was right! They are so moist, and chewy. And I LOVE the cherries in them! It might look like a brownie in the pic, but I broke the cookie in half, so you could see the cherries inside. THANKS Monica! This one's a keeper!

CHOCOLATE CHERRY CHEWIES

1/3 cup veg. shortening

1/3 cup butter (softened)

1 cup white sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp. almond extract

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 cups flour

2/3 cup baking cocoa

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 whole jar Maraschino cherries, drained and roughly chopped

Mix first 6 ingredients until blended and smooth. Combine thoroughly with dry ingredients Fold in cherries at the end. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheet. (I used parchment paper on baking stones) Bake at 350 until tops of cookies begin to look cracked. Let stand on baking sheet 5 min., then remove to rack to cool.

Note: If uncertain about whether or not they're done, take them out on the "under" side of done. They'll be chewy and gooey with the consistency of a soft brownie!! YUM

Enjoy!

CHOCOLATE CHIP OREO COOKIES

My TREMENDOUS thanks to Jenny at the Picky Palate, for this one! I'm always on the lookout for new treats and snacks to make for our college kids. They travel home on the weekends and back to school on Sunday nights. This is another one I whipped up for them this weekend. They couldn't wait to start nibbling on them though, and were digging them out of the baggie before they were even out the door! They LOVED them! If I keep this up, they are going to get used to it! hehe *Next time I make them though, I'll keep the oreo chunks a bit bigger*

1 stick softened butter
6 Tablespoons sugar
6 Tablespoons brown sugar
1 egg
½ teaspoon vanilla
1 ¼ Cup flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
8 broken pieces Oreo Cookies
1 Cup chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cream butter, and sugars until well combined. Add egg and vanilla until mixed well.

2. Place flour, baking soda and salt into a large bowl, stir to combine. Slowly add dry ingredients to wet ingredients then stir in oreos and chocolate chips until just combined.

3. With a medium cookie scoop, scoop onto a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet. Bake for 7-9 minutes or until cooked, but still soft. Let cool on baking sheet for 3 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

SNICKERS PIE

I apologize once again for a horrible picture. We had company for dinner and I can't spend very much time playing with angles and lighting when people are waiting to be served! LOL
This pie is really yummy, but also very rich. It's the kind that you cut in small pieces - LOL.
If you love Snickers, this will be a favorite of yours! Super easy to put together. I should have let mine chill a little longer, but everyone begged me to get it out and serve it! LOL That's why it looks a bit "soft" on the sides. This is definitely a keeper.

SNICKERS PIE

4 king size Snickers bars
1/2 cup peanut butter
2 Tblsp heavy cream or 1/2 & 1/2
4 cups Cool Whip
1 deep dish (9") graham cracker pie crust
Additional whipped topping and chocolate syrup for garnish

In the top of a double boiler, melt together Snickers bars, peanut butter, and 1/2 & 1/2, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. Fold in Cool whip and pour into crust. Freeze for 4 - 5 hours before serving. When ready to serve, top with additional Cool whip and drizzle with Hershey's chocolate syrup. Store in refrigerator.

HOT FUDGE PUDDING CAKE

OH MY SOUL!! I am so excited that I FINALLY get to post this recipe! This is an all time family favorite around here and it is literally TO DIE FOR! The first time we had this we were at someone's house for dinner. When we walked in, the lady of the house had just taken it out of the oven, and my Honey says, "Oh man! Sorry about your cake!" Little did he know! LOL Now he says it's a religious experience!
If you like chocolate, this one will make you weep!
I tried to get a decent pic of the vanilla ice cream WITH the hot pudding still on it, but it insisted on sliding right off. That's vanilla ice cream though. Be sure to use a good QUALITY ice cream, like Bryers, to get the full affect of this dessert. None of that stuff in the plastic pail! That stuff is ice cream sacrilege! *hehe*

HOT FUDGE PUDDING CAKE

1 cup flour
2 teasp baking powder
1/2 teasp salt
3/4 cup white sugar
3 Tblsp cocoa
1 1/2 cups milk
2 Tblsp oil
1 teasp vanilla

3/4 cup brown sugar
2 Tblsp cocoa
1 cup hot water combine with 1 cup coffee (can just be leftover from that morning)

In mixing bowl, combine first 8 ingredients. Mix well with whisk and pour into sprayed 9 x 13 baking pan. The batter will be very thin. Don't worry, this will be come the "pudding." Now sprinkle the brown sugar evenly over the top of the batter. DO NOT STIR. Then evenly sprinkle the 2 Tblsp of cocoa over that. Again, DO NOT STIR. Now SLOWLY drizzle the hot water & coffee combo evenly over the top - once again DO NO STIR. Place it carefully in your oven and bake at 350 for 30 minutes. DO NOT overbake it. The pudding will be on the bottom and the "cake" part will be floating in the middle. Don't worry if it looks like it's not "done." It IS! Trust me on this. Serve it piping hot over a dish of ice cream! Prepare to enjoy NIRVANA! LOL

This is what mine looks like when it first comes out of the oven. When you first take it out, it will look like it's at the top of the pan. But as soon as you sit it on the counter, it will go POOF and sink! It's OK. Don't pass out and think it's a failure. You can see in the dead center how it looks cracked with "liquid" bubbling up in the middle - you WANT this.
The more "pudding" there is, the better it is. Although the cake part is good too!

CANDY BAR CAKE

CHOCOHOLICS REJOICE! If you love chocolate, this is the cake for you! Be sure to have a TALL glass of cold milk standing by to serve with this though. This cake is SO simple, but so yummy. I made this for my daughters birthday and we drove 2 hours to visit her at the college she attends. We had cake and ice cream in the kitchen of their dormitory. Before too long, there were more than several dorm students kind of hovering around until we invited them to sit and have a piece of cake with us! LOL

CANDY BAR CAKE

1 chocolate cake mix, prepared according to package directions.

Frost your double layer chocolate cake with chocolate icing. Line the outside edge with Kit Kat bars nestled up next to each other. You may have to trim them a bit to fit the height of the cake. Wrap a colorful, wide, fabric ribbon around it and tie it in a bow. Fill the top side of the cake with chocolate kisses, Hershey's peanut butter cups, or whatever is the favorite candy of the lucky person receiving this. I was kind of "skimpy" with the candy on top of this one, but feel free to pile it on! The more candy there is, the better the presentation!