Apples in a Bag

** Recipe from Salad in a Jar **

* 1 sm. apple
* 1 packet of sweetener (i.e. Splenda), or a spoonful of sugar
* 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
* 1/4 tsp. cornstarch
* 1 Tbl. water
* small handful of raisins, optional

Peel or don’t peel apple, core and slice or dice. Place in freezer-quality plastic zippered bag along with remaining ingredients. Seal bag and shake well to mix ingredients.  Reopen bag just a touch to vent. Microwave on high for 2 minutes– longer if you use a big apple.  Carefully (it will be HOT and steamy) open bag and pour over plain or cinnamon-sugar pita chips, flour tortilla chips, oatmeal or ice cream.

Cinnamon Bun Ice Cream - NO Machine!!

** Recipe from Kevin & Amanda **


* 2 c. heavy cream
* 1 (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
* 3 Tbl. butter, melted
* 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
* 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Whip heavy cream to stiff peaks in large bowl. Whisk sweetened condensed milk, butter, cinnamon, and vanilla in large bowl. Mix well. Fold in whipped cream.  Pour into a 2-qt. container and cover. Freeze 6 hrs. or until firm. Store in freezer.

Strawberry Cheesecake Salad

** Recipe from Time For Supper! **

* 12 oz. whipped topping
* 1 small package of cheesecake pudding (powder)
* 3 (6 oz) strawberry yogurts (I use Yoplait)
* 1 lb. fresh strawberries, sliced
* 3 bananas, sliced (add just before serving or they brown)
* miniature marshmallows (add just before serving)

Thaw whipped topping.  In a large salad bowl, stir together topping, yogurts, and pudding powder. Let this set up in fridge for at least an hour before serving. Wash and slice strawberries. You can add strawberries to salad or wait to add them with sliced bananas and marshmallows just before serving. Keep refrigerated.

Cherry Squares

** Recipe from Pretty Kitten's Kitchen **

* 1 c. (2 sticks) butter, softened
* 2 c. sugar
* 4 eggs
* 3 c. flour
* 1/2 tsp. almond extract
* 1 tsp. vanilla
* 1 lg. can cherry pie filling

Heat oven to 375.  Cream butter and sugar together until very light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, then beat in extracts. Gradually mix in flour until well incorporated.  Spread 3/4 of  batter in bottom of a 9x13" pan lined with parchment paper. Scoop cherry pie filling over batter in pan.
Drop remaining batter by spoonfuls over cherries.  Bake 45 min. Let cool completely before slicing and serving.

Coconut Crunch Cookie-Candy

** Recipe from blackjack bake house **

* 1 c. shredded sweetened coconut
* 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
* 2 Tbl. sweet rice flour (see note)
* 1/4 tsp. baking powder
* 1/2 c. butter, cold, cut into small cubes
* 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
* 1/2 c. confectioners' sugar
* 1/3 c. light brown sugar
* 1 Tbl. water
* 1 tsp. vanilla
* 1/2 c. chopped pecans
* 1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips (or bittersweet, white, vanilla, cherry, etc.)

Preheat oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with foil.  In large bowl, whisk together both flours, baking powder and coconut.  With mixer on low, add butter & beat for about 1 min. Turn mixer on med-low and beat until butter is well blended with dry ingredients & mixture is starting to cream together, about 1-2 min.  Add confectioners' sugar, brown sugar, salt, water & vanilla. Beat just until everything is combined and forms a very soft cookie dough. Stir in chopped pecans.  Drop large spoonfuls of dough evenly across prepared baking sheet. Pat dough out until it forms a 9x13 rectangle.  Bake about 20-22 min, rotating sheet halfway through bake time. Cookie should be golden brown & have just stopped bubbling.  Place pan on cooling rack. Immediately sprinkle chocolate chips evenly across surface. Allow to sit about 3 min. With spatula, smooth melted chocolate across surface of cookie.  Allow cookie to cool completely on pan. When cool, peel cookie from foil and break into pieces.

** Note: I'm always looking for a reason to use sweet rice flour, but if you don't have it on hand, I believe cornstarch can be used in its place.

GF Doughnuts

** Recipe from  Gluten Free Cooking School **

* 1 c. warm water
* 2 envelopes active dry yeast (1.5 Tbsp)
* 1 c. Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Flour
* 2/3 c. sugar
* 2/3 c. butter, softened (dairy free butter substitutes like Vegan Buttery Sticks or coconut oil would work)
* 3 large eggs
* 2 tsp. vanilla extract
* 1 tsp. salt
* 3.5 c. Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Flour
* 2 tsp. xanthan gum
* 1/2 gallon of oil (for frying)

Add yeast to the warm water & proof for 5 min. Stir in 1 c. flour, cover bowl with plastic wrap, and let it sit for 30 min. Whisk together sugar, butter, eggs, vanilla, and salt & add it to yeast/flour mix. Add in remaining 3.5 c. of flour & xanthan gum. Mix dough together for several minutes. Dough should be somewhat thick but still soft, not thick enough that you think “this is going to be easy to roll out”, but more like “this dough may be a bit too soft to work with”.  Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let sit in a warm spot for 2 hrs. Then put it in refrigerator for at least 3 hrs, (but up to 16 hours).  Roll out dough to 3/8″ thick. Use a 3″ round cookie/biscuit cutter to cut out doughnut, and then a 1″ hole (or thereabouts) in the middle of each with a floured knife. Re-roll scraps and continue as above until you’ve used all the dough. Let doughnuts rise in a warm place for an hr. Do not cover them – the exterior needs to dry out slightly.  Pour oil into a large deep skillet (or stock pot) and heat it to 375. (If you start oil after doughnuts have risen for 45 min, everything should be ready at the same time.) Carefully drop a few doughnuts into hot oil, being careful not to crowd. When one side has browned nicely (doesn’t take long) flip doughnut over and cook until other side has browned as well. Cut one of the first doughnuts in two to make sure they are completely cooked and adjust your oil temperature as needed.  When doughnuts come out of oil, lay them on a cooling rack or paper towels to drain. Once they’ve cooled just a little bit, roll them in vanilla glaze & set them on a cooling rack.

yield: about 1 1/2 doz.

Vanilla Almond Glaze
* 1 c. confectioner’s sugar
* 2–3 Tbl. water
* 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
* 1/4 tsp. almond extract
Just stir briskly until all of the ingredients are combined. Make more as needed.

Healthified Mini Chocolate Cheesecakes

** Recipe from Better at Home **
Cheesecakes:
* 12 thin chocolate wafer cookies (from 9-oz package), crushed (2/3 c.)
* 12 oz. low-fat cream cheese, softened
* 2/3 c. sugar
* 2 tsp. vanilla
* 1/4 c. unsweetened baking cocoa
* 1 whole egg
* 1 egg white
* 1 oz. bittersweet or semisweet baking chocolate, melted
Topping:
* 1/3 c. fat-free hot fudge topping
* Fresh raspberries, if desired

Heat oven to 325. Place foil baking cups in a regular-size muffin tin. With back of spoon, firmly press slightly less than 1 Tbl. cookie crumbs in bottom of each foil cup. In large bowl, beat cream cheese with electric mixer on med. speed until creamy. Beat in sugar & vanilla until fluffy. Beat in cocoa. Beat in whole egg and egg white until well blended. Stir in melted chocolate. Divide cheese mixture evenly among crumb-lined foil cups. Bake 28-32 min, or until set. Cool in pan on cooling rack 15 min. Remove cheesecakes from pan; cool 15 min. longer. Refrigerate about 1 hr. or until chilled. To serve, carefully remove foil baking cups. Spread fudge topping on cheesecakes. Garnish with raspberries. Store cheesecakes covered in refrigerator.

Recipe Tips:
We recommend using 1/3-less-fat cream cheese. When testing the recipe with fat-free cream cheese, we found the cheesecakes to have poor texture and a bland flavor. If you choose to try fat-free cream cheese, we suggest using 4 ounces fat-free cream cheese and 8 ounces 1/3-less-fat cream cheese.

If fudge topping is too thick to spread, place in small microwavable bowl and microwave on High for 15 to 30 seconds or until spreadable. Stir before spreading.



Nutrition Information:
1 Serving (1 Serving)Calories 200(Calories from Fat 80);Total Fat 9g(Saturated Fat 5g,Trans Fat 0g);Cholesterol 40mg;Sodium 180mg;Total Carbohydrate 25g(Dietary Fiber 1g,Sugars 18g);Protein 4g;Percent Daily Value*:Vitamin A 6%;Vitamin C 0%;Calcium 4%;Iron 4%;Exchanges:1 Starch;0 Fruit;1/2 Other Carbohydrate;0 Skim Milk;0 Low-Fat Milk;0 Milk;0 Vegetable;0 Very Lean Meat;0 Lean Meat;0 High-Fat Meat;2 Fat;Carbohydrate Choices:1 1/2;

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Pumpkin Pie Pudding

** Recipe from Health Through Nature **

* 4 large eggs                                              

* 1 15 oz. can pumpkin                               

* 1/2 c. coconut milk or heavy cream    

* 1/2 tsp. salt                                              

* 3/4 tsp. stevia powder                             

* 2 tsp. cinnamon

* 3/4 tsp. ground ginger

* 2 tsp. cinnamon
* 3/4 tsp. ground ginger
* 1/2 tsp. cloves
* 1 tsp. vanilla extract
* 1/4 cup crushed pecans
  
Heat oven to 350.  Grease a pie pan.  Beat egg in med. bowl; beat in pumpkin and coconut milk/cream.  Add salt, stevia, spices, and vanilla.  Pour mixture into pie pan and bake for 30-40 min.  Place on cooling rack and refrigerate until chilled.  Sprinkle crushed pecans on top of pudding.

Un-Fried Ice Cream

** Recipe from Recipe Addiction **

 

* 1 gallon vanilla ice cream (might not need the whole gallon)

* 1 c. butter

* 1 1/2 c. brown sugar

* 1 c. shredded coconut

* 1/4 tsp. cinnamon

* 1 (8 oz.) pkg. sliced almonds

* 3 1/2 c. crushed Rice Chex

Crush cereal in food processor or in a plastic bag.  Remove your ice cream from freezer.  Can either slice it in the container and scoop it out, or squeeze the whole container on to a cutting board and slice it that way.  Melt butter and sugar together over medium heat and bring to a boil. Boil mixture for 1 min. Remove from heat & immediately add coconut, almonds, cereal & cinnamon. Press half of mixture into a 9x13" pan. (Glass works best if you have it.)  Cover mixture with the sliced ice cream and smooth over the edges so it covers the entire mixture. Cover the ice cream with the rest of the coconut mixture. Cover with saran wrap and then tin foil to prevent freezer burn and freeze. Serve once it has had some time to harden up.

Frosty Orange Creme Layered Dessert

 

** Recipe from Kraft **

* 2 c. orange sherbet, softened

* 1 pkg.  (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened

* 1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk

* 1/2 c.  orange juice

* 1 tub (8 oz.) whipped topping, thawed

LINE 9x5" loaf pan with foil. Spread sherbet onto bottom of prepared pan to form even layer. Freeze 10 min. Meanwhile beat cream cheese in large bowl with mixer until creamy. Gradually add condensed milk and juice, beating until blended. Whisk in whipped topping; spread over sherbet in pan. FREEZE 3 hours. To unmold, invert pan onto plate; remove foil.

Frozen Strawberry "Shortcake"

** Recipe from Kraft **

* 2 lb. fresh strawberries, hulled, divided

* 1/2 c. sour cream

* 1/2 c. sugar

* 1 pkg.  (12 oz.) Hawaiian rolls

* 1-1/2 c. thawed whipped topping

SLICE 4 berries; refrigerate until ready to use. Blend remaining berries, sour cream & sugar in blender until smooth. Cut each roll horizontally into 3 layers.  POUR 1/4 of berry mixture into med. freezerproof bowl; cover with layer of bread, pressing gently into berry mixture. Repeat both layers until all of bread and berry mixture is used, ending with berry mixture; cover.  FREEZE 4 hrs. or until firm. Unmold (see tip below) onto plate just before serving. Frost with whipped topping. Top with reserved sliced berries. Serve immediately.  

** Tip:  Remove dessert from freezer. Let stand at room temperature 5 min. before unmolding dessert. Or, dip bowl quickly in hot water to loosen dessert from side of bowl before unmolding.

Lemon Dream Squares

 

** Recipe from Kraft **

* 35 vanilla wafers, crushed (about 1-1/4 cups)

* 1/4 c.  butter, melted

* 2 c. frozen vanilla yogurt, softened

* 1 pkg.  (3 oz.) lemon flavor gelatin

* 2 c. thawed whipped topping

* 2-1/4 c.  mixed fresh berries (sliced strawberries, raspberries, blueberries)

MIX wafer crumbs & butter; press onto bottom of plastic wrap-lined 8" square pan.   Freeze until ready to use.  BEAT yogurt and dry gelatin mix in large bowl with mixer until well blended. Add whipped topping; mix well. Spoon over crust.  FREEZE 4 hrs. Use plastic wrap to remove dessert from pan before cutting to serve. Top with berries. 

** Substitute vanilla ice cream for frozen yogurt, and or graham cracker crumbs for vanilla wafers!

Easy Chocolate Eclair Squares

**Recipe from Kraft **

* 1 3/4 c. cold milk
* 1 pkg. (4 serving size) Jell-o Instant vanilla pudding
* 1 tub (8 oz.) whipped topping, thawed
* 22 graham crackers
* 3 Tbl. butter/margarine
* 2 sq. unsweetened baking chocolate
* 2 Tbl. cold milk
* 1 c. sifted powdered sugar

Pour 1 3/4 c. milk into lg. bowl. Add dry pudding mix. Beat w/ whisk 2 min. Gently stir in whipped topping. Layer 1/3 of grahams & 1/2 whipped topping mix into 13x9" pan, breaking crackers as necessary to fit; repeat layers. Top with remaining crackers. Microwave chocolate & butter in med. bowl on HIGH 1-1/2 min., stirring after 1 min. Stir until chocolate is completely melted. Add sugar and remaining milk; stir until well blended. Immediately spread over grahams. Refrigerate 4 hours. Store in fridge.

Almond Macaroon Torte w/ Chocolate Frosting (GF!)

** Recipe from smitten kitchen **

Almond macaroons

* Nonstick vegetable oil spray

* 2 1/2 c. slivered almonds (or an = weight of blanched, sliced or ground almonds)
* 1 c. plus 3 Tbl. sugar
* 2 large pinches kosher salt
* 2 tsp. vanilla extract or 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
* 6 large egg whites

Frosting and assembly

* 1/2 c. water

* 1/2 c. sugar

* 1/2 tsp. flavoring of your choice, (vanilla, almond or other extract)

* 20 oz. semi-sweet chocolate (61% or less is recommended) chopped/chocolate chips * 1 c. sliced almonds, toasted (at 350 for 7 -9 min. on a tray, stirring once or twice)

Make macaroons: Position an oven rack in the top & lower third of oven and preheat to 325. Draw two 12 x 4" rectangles, spacing 2" apart on a piece of parchment paper, then two more of the same size on a second sheet. In total, you’ll use 2 sheets of parchment paper and draw 4 rectangles. Turn each sheet of parchment over (so your ink or pencil lines don’t seep into the macaroon) & spray with nonstick spray [but first see Note below about the necessity of this] . Place almonds, 1 c. sugar & coarse salt in a food processor (you can skip the food processor, however, if you use an equivalent weight of almond meal or ground almonds, just mixing the ingredients in a bowl) with vanilla bean seeds, if using (you’ll add liquid extract in a bit) and blend until finely ground. Using electric mixer, beat egg whites in large, dry bowl with clean beaters (or a whisk attachment) until soft peaks form. Drizzle in vanilla extract (if using), then slowly add remaining 3 Tbl. sugar. Beat until stiff but not dry. Fold nut mixture into egg whites. Spread 1/4 of macaroon batter evenly within each rectangle, filling completely. Bake macaroon layers until golden & almost firm to the touch in the center, reversing sheets halfway through — takes about 23 min. Check in on yours at 23 min. and then every 5 min. thereafter if they’re not done yet. Cool macaroons on their sheets on a cooling rack.

Make frosting: Simmer 1/2 c. of water & sugar in a med. saucepan until sugar dissolves. Measure 10 Tbl. from this & either discard the rest or save it for another use. Put the 10 Tbl. syrup back in the saucepan & add flavoring of your choice. Bring the syrup back to a boil & add chocolate to saucepan. Remove from heat and let sit for one min, then stir the chocolate until smooth. This should yield a med-thick frosting, good for spreading. If yours is on the thin side, you can let it cool for 5-10 min. until it is a good spreading consistency.

Assemble torte If needed due to spreading, carefully trim your macaroon layers back to their intended rectangular sizes — a sharp knife lightly coated with oil works great!

Place one macaroon layer on a long platter. Spread 1/2 c. frosting evenly over. Top with another macaroon layer. Spread 1/2 c. frosting evenly over. Repeat 1 more time then top with last macaroon layer, flat side up. Spread remaining frosting over top and sides of torte. Press sliced almonds onto sides of torte.

Do ahead: Can be made one to two days ahead. Cover with foil tent. Store at room temperature.

Oreo Ice Cream Cake

** Recipe from I heart nap time **

* 2 rows of Oreo's
* 1/4 c. melted butter
* 2 boxes of ice cream sandwiches
* 1 jar of hershey's hot fudge
* 1 container of cool whip

Smash Oreo's in a zip lock bag and pour into bottom of 9x13" pan. Drizzle butter on top and mix with a fork. Next, layer your ice cream sandwiches on top. Spread the hot fudge on top and stick in freezer for about 20 min. Spread cool whip on top and layer with extra oreo crumbs.

Pat's Favorite Oreo Ice Cream Bars

** Recipe from The Neelys & Kraft **

* 20 OREO Cookies, chopped (about 2 c.)

* 3 Tbl. butter, melted

* 4 c. butter pecan ice cream, softened

* 1/2 c. caramel ice cream topping

* 1-1/2 c. thawed whipped topping

* 1/3 c. cocktail peanuts, chopped

COMBINE cookie pieces and butter until well blended. Press onto bottom of 9" square pan. SPREAD ice cream carefully over crust; drizzle with ice cream topping. Cover with whipped topping and nuts. FREEZE 3 hours or until firm.

Cinnamon Roll Pizza

** Recipe from Picky Palate **

* 4 Tbl. cold butter, cut into cubes, divided in half

* 1/2 c. packed brown sugar, divided in half

* 13 oz. pizza dough of choice, divided in half

* 4 Tbl. room temp. butter

* 1/2 c. packed brown sugar

* 1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon, divided in half

Icing:

* 1 c. powdered sugar

* 4-5 Tbl. heavy cream

Heat oven to 350. Spray pizza pans with cooking spray and layer each pan with 2 Tbl. butter cubes and 1/4 c. brown sugar. Gently place divided dough into pans over butter and brown sugar then spread 2 Tbl. butter over tops of dough. Layer with remaining brown sugar and cinnamon. Bake for 25-30 min. or until pizza crust is cooked through. Let cool for 10 min. or until butter and brown sugar have set. Cut into wedges.

Place powdered sugar and cream into mixing bowl and stir until smooth. Drizzle over warm slices of pizza and serve.

Makes 8 small slices of pizza, 2 full personal pan size or 1 - 12" pizza.

Strawberries & Cream Dessert

Crust:
* 1 c. flour (use GF flour if desired)
* 1/2 c. butter, softened
* 1/2 c. chopped nuts

Dessert:
* 1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
* 2 Tbl. sugar
* 1 container (6 oz.) French vanilla yogurt
* 1/2 tsp. vanilla
* 1/4 tsp. almond extract
* 1 c. whipped topping (thawed)
* 4 c. strawberries (whole or sliced)

Drizzle: (optional)
* 2 Tbl. semisweet chocolate chips
* 1/2 tsp. canola oil

Heat oven to 350. Mix crust ingredients & spread into a 9 x 11" pan. Bake 10 min. & allow to cool completely. In lg. bowl, beat cream cheese until fluffy, about 30-60 sec. Beat in sugar until blended. Add yogurt, vanilla & almond extract; beat on low until combined. Fold in whipped topping just until blended. Spread on top of cooled crust & top with strawberries ( I added blueberries to make a 4th of July dessert!)!! If desired, microwave chocolate chips & oil for 30-45 sec; stir until smooth. Drizzle over top of dessert. Store in refrigerator.

Chocolate Pudding Layer Dessert

** Recipe from The Crafting Chicks **

Pecan Crust:
* 1 c. chopped pecans
* 1 c. flour
* 1/2 c. butter

Mix ingredients & press into a 9×13" pan. Bake at 300 for 20-25 min. Cool.

Cream Cheese Layer
* 1 tub (8 oz.) non-dairy whipped topping, thawed
* 2 blocks (8 oz. ea.) cream cheese, at room temp.
* 2 c. powdered sugar

Blend ingredients until smooth. Spread over cooled crust. Refrigerate 2 or more hrs.

Chocolate Pudding Layer

* 2 pkgs. (5.9 oz. ea.) instant chocolate pudding
* 4 c. milk
* 2 tsp. vanilla

Mix ingredients with an electric mixer on low speed until it begins to thicken. Spread on top of cream cheese layer and refrigerate overnight or for several hours. Garnish with a grated candy bar.

No-Bake S'mores Cheesecake

** Recipe from mixingbowl.com **

Cheesecake:
* 2 c. mini marshmallows
* 1/2 plus 1/4 c. milk
* 1 pkg. cream cheese, at room temp.
* 1 c. whipping cream

Crust:
* 6 Tbl. butter, melted
* 1 c. plus 2/3 c. graham cracker crumbs
* 4 Tbl. sugar

Topping:
* 1/2 c. chocolate sauce (like Hershey's)
* 1 c. graham cracker crumbs

To make the crust, combine melted butter, graham cracker crumbs and sugar in a bowl and mix until combined; press onto a bottom of a 8 or 9" spring form round pan. Melt marshmallows in milk in a saucepan over low heat. Remove from heat when marshmallows are completely melted and the mixture is smooth. In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Gradually add the melted marshmallow mixture and beat until smooth. Set aside to cool slightly (for 15-30 min).

In a large bowl, beat whipping cream until stiff (*). Gently fold the cream into the cheese-marshmallow mixture until it is completely mixed and smooth (do not over mix). Spread the mixture into graham crust. Pour chocolate sauce over top and gently spread to cover entire. Then sprinkle cup of graham crumbs to completely cover chocolate. Refrigerate over night or at least for 6 hours. Although the cake is ready to eat after 6 hours, it's best if chilled for at least 24 hours.