Desserts and Sweets
Holiday Cherry Cobbler
Colleen Heatwole
Burton, MI
Makes 5-6 servings
Prep. Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 2½-3½ hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 4-qt.
16-oz. can cherry filling (light or regular)
1 pkg. cake mix for 1 layer white, or yellow, cake
1 egg
3 Tbsp. evaporated milk
½ tsp. cinnamon
½ cup walnuts, chopped
1. Spray slow cooker with cooking spray.
2. Spread pie filling in bottom of cooker.
3. Cover. Cook on High 30 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, in a medium-sized mixing bowl mix together cake mix, egg, evaporated milk, cinnamon, and walnuts.
5. Spoon over hot pie filling. Do not stir.
6. Cover. Cook on Low 2-3 hours, or until toothpick inserted in cake layer comes out clean.
Use a special holiday kitchen tool. I use my grandmother’s 100-year-old tin cookie cutters to make sugar cookies from her recipe box. The angel and lady cutters are my favorite. They make the best “dunking” shapes.
Susan J. Heil, Strasburg, PA
Gingerbread Pudding Cake
Katrina Eberly
Wernersville, PA
Makes 6-8 servings
Prep. Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 2-2½ hours
Standing Time: 15 minutes
Ideal slow cooker size: 3-qt.
half a stick (4 Tbsp.) butter, softened
¼ cup sugar
1 egg white
1 tsp. vanilla extract
½ cup molasses
1 cup water
1¼ cups flour
¾ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
½ tsp. ground ginger
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. ground allspice
⅛ tsp. ground nutmeg
½ cup chopped pecans
6 Tbsp. brown sugar
Topping:
¾ cup hot water
5⅔ Tbsp. (⅓ cup) butter, melted
1. Spray interior of slow cooker with cooking spray.
2. In a large mixing bowl, cream 4 Tbsp. butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg white and vanilla.
3. In a separate bowl, combine molasses and water until blended.
4. In another bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and spices. Add to creamed mixture alternately with molasses mixture, beating well after each addition.
5. Fold in pecans. Spoon into slow cooker. Sprinkle with brown sugar
6. In a small bowl, combine hot water and 5⅔ Tbsp. butter. Pour over batter. Do not stir.
7. Cover. Cook on High 2-2½ hours, or until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean.
8. Turn off cooker. Let stand 15 minutes. Serve cake warm.
Note from Tester:
I used blackstrap molasses, and the flavor didn’t overpower the cake.
At the end of our Christmas meal we serve chocolate cake. I write “Happy Birthday, Jesus” on it in yellow frosting. I use extra frosting to make a hay bed for a small baby figurine to rest on. We have one candle for each grandchild to blow out after we sing Happy Birthday to Baby Jesus. Usually amid laughter, we relight some accidentally blown-out candles.
Anne Townsend, Albuquerque, NM
Christmas Apple Date Pudding
Colleen Heatwole
Burton, MI
Makes 8 servings
Prep. Time: 30 minutes
Cooking Time: 3-4 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 2-qt.
4-5 apples, peeled, cored, and diced
½ cup sugar
½ cup chopped dates
½ cup toasted, chopped pecans
1 Tbsp. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
⅛ tsp. salt
½ tsp. cinnamon
2 Tbsp. melted butter
1 beaten egg
1. In a greased slow cooker, mix together apples, sugar, dates, and pecans.
2. In a separate bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Stir into apple mixture.
3. Drizzle melted butter over batter and stir.
4. Stir in egg.
5. Cover. Cook on Low 3-4 hours. Serve warm.
Date and Nut Loaf
Jean Butzer
Batavia, NY
Makes 16 servings
Prep. Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 3½-4 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: large enough to hold 2 coffee cans, or your baking insert
1½ cups boiling water
1½ cups chopped dates
1¼ cups sugar
1 egg
2 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1 Tbsp. melted butter
2½ cups flour
1 cup walnuts, chopped
2 cups hot water
1. In a large mixing bowl, pour 1½ cups boiling water over dates. Let stand 5-10 minutes.
2. Stir in sugar, egg, baking soda, salt, vanilla, and butter.
3. In a separate bowl, combine flour and nuts. Stir into date mixture and combine well.
4. Pour into 2 greased 11½-oz. coffee cans, or one 8-cup baking insert.
5. If using coffee cans, cover with foil and tie securely with kitchen twine. If using baking insert, cover with its lid.
6. Place cans or insert on rack in slow cooker. (If you don’t have a rack, use rubber jar rings instead.)
7. Pour 2 cups hot water around cans or insert, up to half their/its height.
8. Cover slow cooker tightly. Cook on High 3½-4 hours. Insert toothpick into loaves of bread to see if it comes out clean. If it does, the bread is finished. If it doesn’t, allow to cook 30 more minutes. Check again to see if bread is done. If not, continue cooking in 30-minute intervals.
9. When bread is finished, remove cans or insert from cooker. Let bread stand in coffee cans or baking insert for 10 minutes. Turn out onto cooling rack.
10. When thoroughly cooled, slice. Spread with butter, cream cheese, or peanut butter.
Banana Loaf
Sue Hamilton, Minooka, IL
Makes 6-8 servings
Prep. Time: 5-10 minutes • Cooking Time: 2-2½ hours
Ideal slow cooker size: large enough to hold 2-lb. coffee can upright, or a baking insert
3 very ripe bananas
1 stick (8 Tbsp.) butter, softened
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup sugar
1 cup flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1. Combine all ingredients in an electric mixing bowl. Beat 2 minutes, or until well blended. Pour into well greased 2-lb. coffee can or baking insert.
2. Place can or insert in slow cooker. Cover can with 6 layers of paper towels between cooker lid and bread. Or cover with baking insert lid.
3. Cover cooker. Bake on High 2-2½ hours, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 15 minutes before removing from pan.
Slow-Cooker Spoon Peaches
Jeanette Oberholtzer
Manheim, PA
Makes 6 servings
Prep. Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 6-8 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 1½-qt.
⅓ cup sugar
½ cup brown sugar
¾ cup buttermilk baking mix
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1 Tbsp. butter, melted
half a 12-oz. can evaporated milk
2 cups mashed peaches, fresh, frozen, or canned (if canned, drain slightly)
¾ tsp. cinnamon
1. Combine sugar, brown sugar, and baking mix in a good-sized mixing bowl.
2. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix well.
3. Add butter and milk. Mix well.
4. Add peaches and cinnamon. Mix well. Pour into greased slow cooker.
5. Cover. Cook on Low 6-8 hours.
Serving suggestion: Serve warm with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
Note:
This is a great warm dessert for a cold winter evening.
Zesty Pears
Barbara Walker, Sturgis, SD
Makes 6 servings
Prep. Time: 15 minutes • Cooking Time: 4-6 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 2- to 3-qt.
6 fresh pears
½ cup raisins
¼ cup brown sugar
1 tsp. grated lemon peel
¼ cup brandy
½ cup sauterne wine
½ cup macaroon crumbs
sour cream, optional
1. Peel and core pears. Cut into thin slices and place in bowl.
2. In a separate small bowl, combine raisins, sugar, and lemon peel. Layer alternately with pear slices in slow cooker.
3. Pour brandy and wine over top.
4. Cover. Cook on Low 4-6 hours.
5. Spoon into serving dishes. Cool. Sprinkle with macaroons. Serve plain or topped with sour cream.
Cranberry Sauce with Red Wine and Oranges
Donna Treloar
Muncie, IN
Makes 3-4 servings
Prep. Time: 5-10 minutes
Cooking Time: 2-2½ hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 2-qt.
12-oz. bag fresh cranberries, rinsed
1½ cups sugar
1 cup dry red wine
1 cinnamon stick
grated zest of one orange, then cut orange in half
4 whole cloves
1. Combine cranberries, sugar, wine, cinnamon, and zest in slow cooker.
2. Place 2 cloves in each orange half. Push down into cranberry mixture.
3. Cover. Cook on High 2-2½ hours, or until cranberries have popped. Turn off cooker.
4. Discard cinnamon stick and orange halves with cloves.
5. Remove lid and let Sauce cool to room temperature.
Serving suggestion: Serve chilled or at room temperature over ice cream or pound cake.
Apple Cranberry Compote
Charlotte Shaffer
East Earl, PA
Makes 8 servings
Prep. Time: 15-20 minutes
Cooking Time: 3-4 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 3- to 4-qt.
6 apples, peeled and sliced
1 cup fresh cranberries
1 cup sugar
½ tsp. grated orange peel
½ cup water
¼ cup port wine
sour cream
1. Combine apples and cranberries in slow cooker. Sprinkle evenly with sugar. Stir in orange peel, water, and wine.
2. Cover. Cook on Low 3-4 hours.
3. Serve with dollops of sour cream on individual servings.
Warmed Spiced Fruit
Susan Segraves
Lansdale, PA
Makes 6-8 servings
Prep. Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 2 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 6-qt.
3 Golden Delicious, or Granny Smith, apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
3 pears, peeled, cored, and sliced
11-oz. can mandarin oranges, drained
1 cup fresh cranberries, rinsed, and coarsely chopped
¼ cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. ground ginger
⅛ tsp. ground cloves
1 cup apple, white grape, or cranberry juice
1. Layer fruit in order given in slow cooker.
2. In a medium-sized bowl, stir together brown sugar, cornstarch, and spices. Slowly stir in juice. Pour over fruit.
3. Cover. Cook on High 2 hours. Serve warm or chilled.
Note from Tester:
Cranberries were out of season when I tested the recipe, so I used 1 cup craisins instead. Excellent results!
Fruit Compote
Janet Batdorf
Harrisburg, PA
Makes 5 servings
Prep. Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 6 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 5-qt.
1 qt. canned peach slices with juice
1 cup dried apricots
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup water
1 tsp. grated orange peel
⅓ cup orange juice
½ tsp. grated lemon peel
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
16-oz. can pitted dark sweet cherries, drained
1. Combine peaches with their juice, apricots, brown sugar, water, orange peel, orange juice, lemon peel, and lemon juice in slow cooker.
2. Cover. Cook on Low 6 hours.
3. Fifteen minutes before end of cooking time, stir in cherries. Cover. Cook 15 more minutes.
Serving suggestion: Serve over ice cream or pound cake, or alongside a plate of cookies.
Festive Fruit Compote
Maryann Markano
Wilmington, DE
Makes 10-12 servings
Prep. Time: 10-15 minutes
Cooking Time: 3-8 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 4- to 5-qt.
1 lb. dried prunes
1⅓ cups dried apricots
13½-oz. can pineapple chunks, undrained
16-oz. can pitted dark sweet cherries, undrained
¼ cup dry white wine
2 cups water
1. Place all ingredients in slow cooker.
2. Cover. Cook on Low 7-8 hours or on High 3-4 hours.
3. Serve warm.
Note:
You can substitute other dried fruits in place of the prunes and apricots.
Fruit Dessert Topping
Lavina Hochstedler
Grand Blanc, MI
Makes 6 cups
Prep. Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 3½-4¾ hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 3½-qt.
3 tart apples, peeled and sliced
3 pears, peeled and sliced
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
½ cup packed brown sugar
½ cup maple syrup
half a stick (4 Tbsp.) butter, melted
½ cup chopped pecans
¼ cup raisins
2 cinnamon sticks
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
2 Tbsp. cold water
1. Toss apples and pears in lemon juice in slow cooker.
2. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, maple syrup, and butter. Pour over fruit.
3. Stir in pecans, raisins, and cinnamon sticks.
4. Cover. Cook on Low 3-4 hours.
5. In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and water until smooth. Gradually stir into slow cooker.
6. Cover. Cook on High 30-40 minutes, or until fruit thickens.
7. Discard cinnamon sticks.
Serving suggestion: Serve over pound cake or ice cream.
Note:
We also like this served along with pancakes or an egg casserole. We always use Fruit Topping for our breakfasts at church camp.
Wagon Master Apple-Cherry Sauce
Sharon Timpe
Mequon, WI
Makes 12-15 servings
Prep. Time: 5-10 minutes
Cooking Time: 3-4 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 3½-qt.
2 21-oz. cans apple pie filling
2-3 cups frozen tart red cherries
1 Tbsp. butter
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
½ tsp. ground nutmeg
⅛ tsp. ground ginger
⅛ tsp. ground cloves
1. Combine all ingredients except whipped cream in slow cooker.
2. Cover. Heat on Low 3-4 hours, or until mixture is hot and bubbly. Stir occasionally.
Serving suggestion: Serve warm over vanilla ice cream, pudding, pound cake, or shortcake biscuits. Top with whipped cream or whipped topping if you wish.
Curried Fruit
Jane Meiser
Harrisonburg, VA
Makes 8-10 servings
Prep. Time: 10 minutes
Marinating Time: 2-8 hours
Cooking Time: 8-10 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 3½- to 4-qt.
1 can peaches, cut into chunks and undrained
1 can apricots, cut into chunks and undrained
1 can pears, cut into chunks and undrained
1 large can pineapple chunks, undrained
1 can black cherries, undrained
½ cup brown sugar
1 tsp. curry powder
3-4 Tbsp. quick-cooking tapioca, depending upon how thick you’d like the finished dish to be
butter, optional
1. Combine fruit in slow cooker. Let stand without heating for at least 2 hours, or up to 8 hours, to allow flavors to blend.
2. Drain off juices.
3. Add remaining ingredients. Mix well. Top with butter chunks, if you wish.
4. Cover. Cook on Low 8-10 hours.
5. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Southwest Cranberries
Bernita Boyts
Shawnee Mission, KS
Makes 8 servings
Prep. Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 2-3 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 1½- to 2-qt.
16-oz. can whole berry cranberry sauce
10½-oz. jar jalapeño jelly
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
1. Combine all ingredients in slow cooker.
2. Cover. Cook on Low 2-3 hours.
Serving suggestion: Cool. Serve at room temperature as a side dish or as a marinade for poultry or pork.
Cranberry Applesauce
Susan Segraves
Lansdale, PA
Makes 12 servings
Prep. Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 3-8 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 4- to 5-qt.
10 cups peeled, cubed apples (about 3 lbs. Granny Smith, or McIntosh)
2 cups fresh cranberries
½ cup sugar
½ cup maple-flavored pancake syrup
⅓ cup water
½ tsp. cinnamon
¼ tsp. nutmeg
1. Mix all ingredients in slow cooker.
2. Cover. Cook on High 3-4 hours or on Low 6-8 hours.
3. In cooker, mash apples and cranberries with potato masher.
4. Reduce heat to warm. Hold in slow cooker until serving time. Or chill if you prefer until ready to serve.
Serving suggestion: Use this as is for dessert, or as a topping for ice cream or pound cake. Or serve warm as an accompaniment to a turkey dinner.
For Christmas Eve I prepare plain sugar cookies. I also put out bowls of sprinkles and frosting for the kids to use to decorate the cookies.
Michele Ruvola, Vestal, NY
Homemade Applesauce
Renita Denlinger
Denver, PA
Makes 7-8 servings
Prep. Time: 10-20 minutes
Cooking Time: 3½ hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 5- to 6-qt.
10 large apples, halved, cored, and peeled
½ tsp. cinnamon
dash of nutmeg
dash of ground cloves
1 Tbsp. water
1. Spray slow cooker with non-stick spray.
2. Put apples in slow cooker.
3. Sprinkle cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and water over apples. Stir.
4. Cover. Cook on Low 3½ hours, or until apples are soft. If you’re home and available, stir the apples after they’ve cooked for 2 hours. It’s okay to mash them up a bit as you stir.
5. Serve warm or chilled.
Note:
This makes the whole house smell wonderful.
Cranberry Baked Apples
Judi Manos
West Islip, NY
Makes 4 servings
Prep. Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 4-6 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 4- to 5-qt.
⅓ cup packed brown sugar
¼ cup dried cranberries
4 large cooking apples
½ cup cran-apple juice cocktail
¼ stick (2 Tbsp.) butter, melted
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
chopped nuts, optional
1. In a small bowl, mix brown sugar and cranberries together.
2. Core apples but leave whole. Fill centers with brown sugar and cranberry mixture.
3. Set apples upright in slow cooker. (Don’t stack them.)
4. In the same small bowl, combine cran-apple juice and butter. Pour over apples.
5. Sprinkle with cinnamon and nutmeg.
6. Cover. Cook on Low 4-6 hours.
7. To serve, spoon sauce over apples and sprinkle with nuts.
Serving suggestion: A great accompaniment to vanilla ice cream.
Note:
This was one of our favorite recipes while growing up. When it’s cooking, the house smells delicious. I’m suddenly full of memories of days gone by and a much more relaxing time. My mother passed away in October, and I re-found this recipe among her collection of favorites.
Apple Schnitz
Betty Hostetler
Allensville, PA
Makes 6-8 servings
Prep. Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 2½-6 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 3-qt.
16 oz. dried apples
3 cups water
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
1. Combine apples, water, sugar, cinnamon, and salt in slow cooker.
2. Cover. Cook on Low 6 hours, or on High 2½ hours.
3. Serve warm as a side dish with bean soup, or as filling for Half Moon Pies (see below).
4. For pie filling, remove apples from slow cooker. Mash until smooth with potato masher, or put through food mill. Cool.
4 cups flour
2 tsp. salt
4 Tbsp. shortening
¼ cold water, or more
1. Combine flour and salt in large bowl. Cut in shortening until mixture resembles small peas.
2. Add ¼ cup cold water to dough, adding more by tablespoonfuls as needed to make a soft pie dough.
3. Pinch off small pieces of dough, each about the size of a large walnut. Roll into round pieces, each about 8” in diameter.
4. Jag one half of the circle a few times with a sharp fork to create holes for the steam to escape while baking. On the other half, place a heaping tablespoon of Apple Schnitz.
5. Fold one-half of dough up over the half holding the Apple Schnitz, shaping the pie like a half moon. Press edges of dough together. Cut off remaining dough and crimp edges.
6. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes.
Note:
On a cold winter day, Mother would prepare dried beans to make soup. After the beans were soft, she added milk to the soup pot. She heated the mixture to the boiling point, then added rivels. While the beans were cooking, she cooked dried apples until they were soft. She served these Half Moon Pies as a side dish/dessert with the soup.
Caramel Apples
Becky Harder, Monument, CO
Jeanette Oberholtzer, Manheim, PA
Makes 8-10 servings
Prep. Time: 20-30 minutes • Cooking Time: 1-1½ hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 2-qt.
2 14-oz. bags of caramels
¼ cup water
8-10 medium apples
12-15 sticks, in case a few break
granulated sugar in a dish
waxed paper, lightly greased
1. Remove wrapping from caramels. Combine candies and water in slow cooker.
2. Cover. Cook on High 1-1½ hours, stirring every 5 minutes. (This is a good job for a child who’s tall enough to take the lid off and stir without steaming him/herself.)
3. Meanwhile, wash and dry apples. Insert a stick into stem end of each apple. Turn cooker to Low.
4. Dip apple into hot caramel, turning to coat entire surface. (This is definitely a task for children, if adults are nearby to help.)
5. Holding apple above cooker, scrape off excess accumulation of caramel from bottom of apple.
6. Then dip bottom of caramel-coated apple in granulated sugar to keep it from sticking. Place apple on greased waxed paper to cool.
Note:
This is a good recipe for Fall/Harvest/Halloween parties. Children won’t forget the hands-on experience of dipping their own apples. Room mothers can make the caramel mix ahead of time and bring it into the classroom. This recipe is also a fun intergenerational activity for church groups or family reunions.
In the late 1950s and early 1960s, my sister and I were rewarded with a store-bought caramel apple, only after our Saturday night baths and our Sunday school lessons had been completed. I remember that the waxed paper wrapped around each apple had colorful clowns printed on it, and they sold for less than 50¢ each.
Becky Harder
Apple Caramel Dessert
Jeanette Oberholtzer
Manheim, PA
Makes 7 servings
Prep. Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 6 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 2-qt.
½ cup apple juice
7 ozs. caramels, unwrapped
1 tsp. vanilla
⅛ tsp. ground cardamom
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
⅓ cup creamy peanut butter
2 medium apples, peeled, cored, and cut in wedges
1. Combine apple juice, caramel candies, vanilla, and spices in slow cooker.
2. Drop peanut butter, 1 Tbsp. at a time, into slow cooker. Stir well after each addition.
3. Gently stir in apple wedges.
4. Cover. Cook on Low 5 hours.
5. Stir well.
6. Cover. Then cook 1 more hour on Low.
Serving suggestion: Serve about ⅓ cup warm mixture over each slice of angel food cake, and then top each with ice cream.
Apple Crisp
Michelle Strite
Goshen, IN
Makes 6-8 servings
Prep. Time: 5-10 minutes
Cooking Time: 2-3 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 2-qt.
2 21-oz. cans apple pie filling, or
⅔ cup sugar
1¼ cups water
3 Tbsp. cornstarch
4 cups sliced, peeled apples
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. ground allspice
¾ cup uncooked quick oatmeal
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup flour
half a stick (4 Tbsp.) butter, at room temperature
1. Place pie filling in slow cooker. If not using prepared filling, combine ⅔ cup sugar, water, cornstarch, apples, cinnamon, and allspice in cooker. Stir until well mixed.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine remaining ingredients until crumbly. Sprinkle over apple filling.
3. Cover. Cook on Low 2-3 hours.
Dried Cranberry Pudding
Evelyn L. Ward
Greeley, CO
Makes 8 servings
Prep. Time: 10-15 minutes
Cooking Time: 3 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: large enough to hold your baking insert
half a stick (4 Tbsp.) butter, softened
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup molasses
1 egg
½ tsp. baking soda
½ cup hot water
1½ cups flour, divided
1 tsp. baking powder
½ cup dried cranberries
Butter Sauce:
½ cup sugar
1 Tbsp. flour
½ cup water
pinch salt
1 Tbsp. butter
2 tsp. vanilla
1. To make Pudding, cream together butter, sugar, and molasses in a good-sized mixing bowl.
2. Add egg. Beat well.
3. In a small bowl, dissolve baking soda in hot water. Stir into creamed mixture until well mixed.
4. Beat in 1 cup flour and baking powder.
5. In a small bowl, combine cranberries with ½ cup flour. Stir into batter.
6. Pour into well-greased baking insert or coffee can. Cover tightly with lid or double layer of foil.
7. Place upright on rack in slow cooker.
8. Pour boiling water into cooker, until halfway up sides of insert.
9. Cover cooker. Cook 3 hours on High.
10. Remove insert or can from cooker. Cool 2 minutes on baking rack. Run knife around edge of insert or can, and then turn upside down to unmold onto plate.
11. Serve with hot Butter Sauce.
12. To make Butter Sauce, combine sugar, flour, water, and salt in saucepan until well blended. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until thickened. Remove from heat. Stir in butter and vanilla. Serve hot with slices of Pudding.
Tips:
1. A coffee can that stands upright in your slow cooker works as a good pudding mold.
2. You can use a jar ring as a rack under the mold.
Steamed Chocolate Pudding
Evelyn L. Ward
Greeley, CO
Makes 8 servings
Prep. Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 2½ hours
Ideal slow cooker size: large enough to hold your baking insert or a coffee can standing upright
1 stick (8 Tbsp.) butter, softened
¾ cup sugar
¾ cup flour
3 Tbsp. cocoa powder
¼ tsp. salt
3 eggs
½ tsp. vanilla
¼ cup half-and-half
1. Cream together butter and sugar with electric mixer.
2. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, and salt.
3. Add alternately with eggs to creamed mixture. Beat well.
4. Add vanilla and half-and-half. Beat well.
5. Spoon into greased and floured slow cooker baking insert.* Cover tightly with lid or double layer of foil.
6. Place insert on a rack in slow cooker. Add boiling water to slow cooker, halfway up sides of insert.
7. Cover slow cooker. Cook on High 2½ hours.
8. Remove insert from cooker. Cool 2 minutes. Unmold.
Serving suggestion: Cut into wedges. Serve with frozen whipped topping, thawed, or ice cream.
Tips:
* 1. A coffee can that stands upright inside your slow cooker serves as a good pudding mold.
2. You can use a jar ring for a rack under the can or baking insert.
Slow-Cooker Rice Pudding
Dede Peterson
Rapid City, SD
Makes 5 servings
Prep. Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 3-4 hours
Cooling Time: 2-5 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 2-qt.
1 pkg. vanilla cook-and-serve pudding mix
1 cup cooked white rice
1 cup raisins
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. vanilla
3 cups half-and-half, or milk
1. Combine ingredients in slow cooker.
2. Cover. Cook on Low 3-4 hours.
3. Serve warm, at room temperature, or chilled.
Rice Pudding
Vera Schmucker
Goshen, IN
Makes 4-6 servings
Prep. Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 2-6 hours
Chilling Time: 2-5 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 1½- to 2-qt.
2½ cups cooked rice
1½ cups evaporated, or scalded, milk
⅔ cup sugar
1 Tbsp. butter, melted
½-1 tsp. ground nutmeg
1. Combine all ingredients in lightly greased slow cooker.
2. Cover. Cook on High 2 hours, or on Low 4-6 hours.
3. Stir after first hour.
4. Cool to slightly warm or to room temperature before serving. Or chill until cold if you wish.
Serving suggestion: Serve topped with whipped cream and/or maraschino cherries, if you wish.
Chocolate Rice Pudding
Michele Ruvola
Selden, NY
Makes 4 servings
Prep. Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 2½-3½ hours
Chilling Time: 2-5 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 3-qt.
4 cups cooked white rice
¾ cup sugar
¼ cup baking cocoa powder
3 Tbsp. butter, melted
1 tsp. vanilla
2 12-oz. cans evaporated milk
1. Combine first 6 ingredients in greased slow cooker.
2. Cover. Cook on Low 2½-3½ hours, or until liquid is absorbed.
Serving suggestion: Serve warm or chilled. Top individual servings with a dollop of whipped cream, sliced toasted almonds, and/or a maraschino cherry if you wish.
Our neighborhood has a cookie exchange, and we try to surprise each other with interesting containers to take them home in. We bring as many dozen cookies (of the same kind of cookie) as there are people attending, and we go home with that many different ones.
Donna Conto, Saylorsburg, PA
Deluxe Tapioca Pudding
Michelle Showalter
Bridgewater, VA
Makes 16 servings
Prep. Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 3½ hours
Chilling Time: 4-5 hours, or longer
Ideal slow cooker size: 4-qt.
2 qts. milk
¾ cup dry small pearl tapioca
1½ cups sugar
4 eggs, beaten
2 tsp. vanilla
3-4 cups whipped cream, or frozen whipped topping, thawed
chocolate candy bar
1. Combine milk, tapioca, and sugar in slow cooker.
2. Cook on High 3 hours.
3. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, add a little hot milk mixture to beaten eggs. Stir.
4. Whisk eggs into milk mixture in slow cooker. Stir in vanilla.
5. Cover. Cook on High 20-30 minutes.
6. Cool to room temperature. Chill in refrigerator.
7. When fully chilled, beat with hand mixer to fluff Pudding.
8. Fold in whipped cream or whipped topping. Garnish with chopped candy bar.
Lemon Pudding
Jean M. Butzer
Batavia, NY
Makes 4 servings
Prep. Time: 10-15 minutes
Cooking Time: 1½-2 hours
Standing/Cooling Time: 30 minutes-3 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 3-qt.
1 cup sugar
¼ cup flour
¼ tsp. salt
1 cup buttermilk
¼ cup lemon juice
3 eggs, separated
1. Spray slow cooker with cooking spray.
2. Combine sugar, flour, and salt in a good-sized mixing bowl.
3. Make a well in the center and add buttermilk and lemon juice. Stir until smooth. Stir in egg yolks.
4. In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until stiff and able to hold a peak. Fold into batter. Pour into slow cooker.
5. Cover. Cook on High 1½-2 hours, or until top is set and pudding is brown around the edges.
6. Turn off cooker. Let stand at least 30 minutes before serving. Serve warm or cold.
Note:
This recipe is similar to an old-fashioned lemon soufflé that has been a favorite of my family for years. I use a lot of buttermilk when baking for the holiday season. This recipe helps use up any extra I might have.
Eggnog Gingersnap Custard
Sue Hamilton, Minooka, IL
Makes 4-6 servings
Prep. Time: 5 minutes • Cooking Time: 3½-4 hours
Cooling/Chilling Time: 20 minutes-4 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 3- to 4-qt.
24 small gingersnaps
4 eggs
1 qt. eggnog
1. Spray interior of slow cooker with cooking spray.
2. Lay all cookies on bottom of slow cooker.
3. In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs. Stir in eggnog.
4. Slowly pour into slow cooker. The cookies will rise in a layer to the top.
5. Cover. Cook on Low 3½-4 hours, or until Custard is set.
6. Remove cover. Let cool 20 minutes for a warm Custard, or chill 4 or more hours for a cold Custard.
Slow-Cooker Pumpkin Pie
Colleen Heatwole
Burton, MI
Makes 5-6 servings
Prep. Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 3-4 hours
Cooling Time: 2-4 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 3-qt.
15-oz. can solid-pack pumpkin
12-oz. can evaporated milk
¾ cup sugar
½ cup low-fat buttermilk baking mix
2 eggs, beaten
¼ stick (2 Tbsp.) butter, melted
1½ tsp. cinnamon
¾ tsp. ground ginger
¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
whipped topping
1. Spray slow cooker with cooking spray.
2. Mix all ingredients together in slow cooker, except whipped topping.
3. Cover. Cook on Low 3-4 hours, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
4. Allow to cool to warm, or chill, before serving with whipped topping.
Variation:
You can substitute 2½ Tbsp. pumpkin pie spice in place of cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg.
White Chocolate Bread Pudding
Linda E. Wilcox
Blythewood, SC
Makes 5-6 servings
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cooking Time: 1¾ hours
Cooling Time: 30 minutes, and then 1-2 hours
Ideal slow-cooker size: 3- to 4-qt.
½ cup dried cranberries, or dried cherries
3 Tbsp. apple cider, or brandy
3-oz. white chocolate bar
¼ stick (2 Tbsp.) butter
6 cups stale French bread, cubed, divided
4 eggs
½ cup sugar
1 cup half-and-half
1 tsp. vanilla
1. Combine dried fruit with cider or brandy in a microwave-safe bowl.
2. Microwave on High for 30 seconds. Set aside to cool (about 30 minutes).
3. Coarsely chop the chocolate. Set aside.
4. Drain the dried fruit. Set aside.
5. Spray interior of slow cooker with cooking spray.
6. Cover bottom of slow cooker with half the bread cubes.
7. Sprinkle half the chocolate and half the fruit over bread cubes.
8. Layer in remaining bread cubes. Top with a layer of remaining fruit and a layer of remaining chocolate.
9. In a bowl beat eggs with whisk. Add sugar, half-and-half, and vanilla to eggs. Mix together thoroughly.
10. Pour over bread mixture and press to make sure egg mixture covers all bread.
11. Cover and cook on High 1¾ hours.
12. Cool until warm or at room temperature.
Note:
My grandchildren love this dessert.
Apple-Nut Bread Pudding
Ruth Ann Hoover
New Holland, PA
Makes 6-8 servings
Prep. Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 3-4 hours
Cooling Time: 3-4 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 4-qt.
8 slices raisin bread, cubed
2-3 medium-sized tart apples, peeled and sliced
1 cup chopped pecans, toasted
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
½ tsp. ground nutmeg
3 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups half-and-half
¼ cup apple juice
half a stick (4 Tbsp.) butter, melted
1. Place bread cubes, apples, and pecans in greased slow cooker and mix together gently.
2. Combine sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a good-sized mixing bowl.
3. Add remaining ingredients. Mix well.
4. Pour over bread mixture. Stir gently to mix thoroughly.
5. Cover. Cook on Low 3-4 hours, or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.
6. Serve warm (but not hot) or at room temperature.
Serving suggestion: Ice cream is a great accompaniment.
Simple Bread Pudding
Melanie L. Thrower
McPherson, KS
Makes 6-8 servings
Prep. Time: 5-10 minutes
Cooking Time: 2-2½ hours
Chilling Time: 2-5 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 1½- to 2-qt.
6-8 slices of bread, cubed
2 cups milk
2 eggs
¼ cup sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla
Sauce:
6-oz. can concentrated grape juice
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
1. Place cubed bread in slow cooker.
2. In a good-sized bowl, whisk together milk, eggs, sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla. Pour over bread. Press bread down into liquid to dampen.
3. Cover. Cook on High 2-2½ hours, or until mixture is set.
4. Allow Pudding to cool to warm or to room temperature before serving. Or chill until cold.
5. Combine cornstarch and concentrated juice in saucepan. Heat until boiling, stirring constantly, until sauce is thickened. Serve drizzled over bread pudding.
Tip:
This is a fine dessert with a cold salad main dish.
Home-Style Bread Pudding
Lizzie Weaver
Ephrata, PA
Makes 4-6 servings
Prep. Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 2-3 hours
Chilling Time: 1-4 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: large enough to hold your baking insert
2 eggs, beaten
2¼ cups milk
½ tsp. cinnamon
¼ tsp. salt
½ cup brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups 1” bread cubes
½ cup raisins or dates
1. Combine all ingredients in good-sized mixing bowl. Pour into slow cooker baking insert.
2. Cover baking insert. Place on metal rack (or rubber jar rings) in bottom of slow cooker.
3. Pour ½ cup hot water into cooker around sides of insert.
4. Cover slow cooker. Cook on High 2-3 hours.
Serving suggestion: Serve Pudding warm or cold, topped with cherry pie filling and/or whipped topping if you wish.
Pineapple Upside Down Cake
Vera M. Kuhns
Harrisonburg, VA
Makes 10 servings
Prep. Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 4-5 hours
Cooling Time: 10 minutes
Ideal slow cooker size: 4-qt.
1 stick (8 Tbsp.) butter, melted
1 cup brown sugar
1 medium-sized can pineapple slices, drained, juice reserved
6-8 maraschino cherries
1 box yellow cake mix
1. Combine butter and brown sugar in well-greased slow cooker. Spread over cooker bottom.
2. Lay pineapple slices over top. Place a cherry in the center of each slice.
3. In a good-sized mixing bowl, prepare cake according to package directions, using pineapple juice for part of liquid.
4. Spoon cake batter into cooker over top fruit.
5. Cover cooker with 2 tea towels and then with its own lid. Cook on High 1 hour, and then on Low 3-4 hours.
6. Insert toothpick in center of cake. If it comes out clean, cake is finished. If it doesn’t, continue to cook in 15-minute increments, checking after each one, until pick comes out clean.
7. Allow cake to cool for 10 minutes. Then run knife around edge and invert cake onto large platter.
Make your favorite Christmas cookies and have a bag ready to send home with each guest.
Leona M Slabaugh, Apple Creek, OH
Low-Fat Apple Cake
Sue Hamilton
Minooka, IL
Makes 8 servings
Prep. Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 2½-3 hours
Cooling Time: 1 hour
Ideal slow cooker size: 3-qt.
1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. salt
4 medium-sized cooking apples, chopped
2 eggs, beaten
2 tsp. vanilla
1. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in lightly greased slow cooker.
2. Add apples, stirring gently to coat.
3. In a small bowl, combine eggs and vanilla. Add to apple mixture. Stir until just moistened.
4. Cover. Bake on High 2½-3 hours. Insert toothpick in center of Cake. If tester comes out clean, Cake is finished. If it doesn’t, continue cooking for 15-minute intervals, checking after each one with pick until it comes out clean.
Serving suggestion: Serve warm. Top with whipped topping or ice cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon.
Variation:
Stir ½ cup broken English or black walnuts, or ½ cup raisins, into Step 2.
Note:
The slow cooker is great for “baking” desserts. Your guests will be pleasantly surprised to see a cake coming from your slow cooker.
Creamy Orange Cheesecake
Jeanette Oberholtzer
Manheim, PA
Makes 10 servings
Prep. Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 2½-3 hours
Standing Time: 1-2 hours
Chilling Time: 2-4 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: large enough to hold your baking insert
Crust:
¾ cup graham cracker crumbs
2 Tbsp. sugar
3 Tbsp. melted butter
Filling:
2 8-oz. pkgs. cream cheese, at room temperature
⅔ cup sugar
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
¼ cup frozen orange juice concentrate
1 tsp. orange zest
1 Tbsp. flour
½ tsp. vanilla
1. Combine crust ingredients in a small bowl. Pat into 7”or 9” springform pan, whichever size fits into your slow cooker.
2. In a large mixing bowl, cream together cream cheese and sugar. Add eggs and yolk. Beat 3 minutes.
3. Add juice, zest, flour, and vanilla. Beat 2 more minutes.
4. Pour batter into crust. Place on rack (or jar rings) in slow cooker.
5. Cover. Cook on High 2½-3 hours. Turn off and let stand 1-2 hours, or until cool enough to remove from cooker.
6. Cool completely before removing sides of pan. Chill before serving.
Serving suggestion: Serve with thawed frozen whipped topping and fresh or mandarin orange slices.
Invest in a microplane wand. They are wonderful for zesting citrus. Freeze amounts of lemon or orange zest to use in any given recipe. Orange zest is great in blueberry muffins or sweet potato casserole. Anything that calls for lemon juice will be even better if you also add some lemon zest.
Becky Frey, Lebanon, PA
Orange Slice Cake
Steven Lantz
Denver, CO
Makes 10-12 servings
Prep. Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 2-3 hours
Cooling Time: 3-4 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 3-qt.
1 cup chopped dates
½ lb. candied orange slices, cut into thirds
½ cup chopped walnuts
1 cup flaked, unsweetened coconut
1 Tbsp. grated orange rind, optional
1¾ cups flour, divided
1 stick (8 Tbsp.) butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
½ tsp. baking soda
¼ cup buttermilk
1. In a good-sized mixing bowl, combine dates, orange slices, nuts, coconut, and orange rind if you wish.
2. Pour ¼ cup flour over mixture and stir together.
3. In a separate big bowl, cream butter and sugar together. Add eggs and beat well.
4. In a small bowl, dissolve baking soda in buttermilk.
5. Add remaining 1½ cups flour and buttermilk, in which soda has been dissolved, to creamed mixture.
6. Stir in fruit and nut mixture.
7. Pour into greased slow cooker.
8. Cover. Cook on High 2-3 hours, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
9. Allow cake to cool completely before removing from slow cooker.
Tip:
This cake is perfect with coffee in the morning or later in the day as dessert.
Note from Tester:
I chopped the dates and nuts in my food processor. I spooned them into a mixing bowl where I combined them with the other ingredients in Steps 1 and 2.
Then I continued using my food processor for Steps 3 and 5. No need to wash it in between.
I believe in saving time whenever I can.
Carrot Cake
Colleen Heatwole
Burton, MI
Makes 6-8 servings
Prep. Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 3-4 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: large enough to hold your baking insert
½ cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 Tbsp. hot water
½ cup grated raw carrots
¾ cup flour
¾ cup sugar
½ tsp. baking powder
⅛ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. ground allspice
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
⅛ tsp. ground cloves
½ cup chopped nuts
½ cup raisins, or chopped dates
2 Tbsp. flour
1. In large bowl, beat oil, eggs, and water for 1 minute.
2. Add carrots. Mix well.
3. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, allspice, cinnamon, and cloves. Add to creamed mixture.
4. Toss nuts and raisins in bowl with 2 Tbsp. flour. Add to creamed mixture. Mix well.
5. Pour into greased and floured 3-lb. shortening can or slow-cooker baking insert. Place can or baking insert in slow cooker.
6. Cover insert with its lid, or cover can with 8 paper towels, folded down over edge of slow cooker to absorb moisture. Cover paper towels with cooker lid. Cook on High 3-4 hours, or until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean.
7. Remove can or insert from cooker and allow to cool on rack for 10 minutes. Run knife around edge of cake. Invert onto serving plate.
Easy Easy Cake
Janice Muller
Derwood, MD
Makes 8-10 servings
Prep. Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 2-3 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 3½-qt.
20-oz. can crushed pineapple, undrained
21-oz. can blueberry, or cherry, pie filling
18½-oz. pkg. yellow cake mix
cinnamon
1 stick (8 Tbsp.) butter
1 cup chopped nuts
vanilla ice cream
1. Grease bottom and sides of interior of slow cooker.
2. Spread a layer of pineapple in bottom.
3. Top with a layer of blueberry pie filling.
4. Top that with a layer of dry cake mix. Be careful not to mix the layers!
5. Sprinkle with cinnamon.
6. Top with thin layers of butter chunks and nuts.
7. Cover cooker. Cook on High 2-3 hours, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
8. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.
Variation:
Substitute a pkg. of spice cake mix and apple pie filling.
Fudgy Peanut Butter Cake
Betty Moore
Plano, IL
Makes 4 servings
Prep. Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 1½ hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 2- to 3-qt.
¾ cup sugar, divided
½ cup flour
¾ tsp. baking powder
⅓ cup milk
¼ cup peanut butter
1 Tbsp. oil
½ tsp. vanilla
2 Tbsp. dry cocoa powder
1 cup boiling water
1. Butter or spray interior of slow cooker.
2. Mix ¼ cup sugar, flour, and baking powder together in a small bowl.
3. In another larger bowl, mix milk, peanut butter, oil, and vanilla together. Beat well.
4. Stir dry ingredients into milk-peanut butter mixture just until combined. Spread in buttered slow cooker.
5. In bowl, combine cocoa powder and remaining ½ cup sugar. Add water, stirring until well mixed. Pour slowly into slow cooker. Do not stir.
6. Cover. Cook on High 1½ hours, or until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean.
Serving suggestion: Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.
Note:
I take this to potlucks and it is always a hit.
Notes from Tester:
1. I was pretty sure my kids would love this, so I doubled the recipe. I cooked that larger recipe for 2 hours. The kids came back for second and third helpings!
2. This is a pretty sturdy cake. I kept one of my test cakes for over an hour before serving it, and it was just as good, if not better, than the one we ate right away.
Lemon Poppy Seed Upside-Down Cake
Jeanette Oberholtzer
Manheim, PA
Makes 8-10 servings
Prep. Time: 10-15 minutes
Cooking Time: 2-2½ hours
Cooling Time: 2 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 2-qt.
1 pkg. lemon poppy seed bread mix
1 egg
8 oz. light sour cream
½ cup water
Sauce:
1 Tbsp. butter
¾ cup water
½ cup sugar
¼ cup lemon juice
1. Combine first four ingredients until well moistened in lightly greased slow cooker.
2. Combine Sauce ingredients in small saucepan. Bring to boil. Pour boiling mixture over batter. Do not stir.
3. Cover. Cook on High 2-2½ hours, or until toothpick inserted in center of Cake comes out clean. Edges will be slightly brown. Turn heat off and leave Cake in cooker for 30 minutes with lid slightly ajar.
4. When cool enough to handle, hold a large plate over top of cooker, then invert.
5. Allow to cool before slicing.
Graham Cracker Cookies
Cassandra Ly
Carlisle, PA
Makes 8 dozen cookies
Prep. Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 1½ hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 4-qt.
12-oz. pkg. (2 cups) semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 1-oz. squares unsweetened baking chocolate, shaved
2 14-oz. cans sweetened condensed milk
3¾ cups crushed graham cracker crumbs, divided
1 cup finely chopped walnuts
1. Place chocolate in slow cooker.
2. Cover. Cook on High 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Continue to cook on Low, stirring every 15 minutes, or until chocolate is melted (about 30 minutes more).
3. Stir milk into melted chocolate.
4. Add 3 cups graham cracker crumbs, 1 cup at a time, stirring after each addition.
5. Stir in nuts. Mixture should be thick but not stiff.
6. Stir in remaining graham cracker crumbs until batter is consistency of cookie dough.
7. Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls onto lightly greased cookie sheets. Keep remaining mixture warm by covering and turning slow cooker to Warm.
8. Bake at 325° for 7-9 minutes, or until tops of cookies begin to crack. Remove from oven. Cool 1-2 minutes on rack before transferring to waxed paper.
Tip:
These cookies freeze well.
Note:
This delectable fudge-like cookie is a family favorite. The original recipe (from my maternal grandmother) was so involved and yielded so few cookies that my mom and I would get together to make a couple of batches only at Christmas-time. Adapting the recipe for a slow cooker, rather than a double boiler, allows me to prepare a double batch without help.
Chocolate Fondue
Vera Schmucker
Goshen, IN
Vicki Dinkel
Sharon Springs, KS
Makes 8-10 servings
Prep. Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 3-7 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 3½-qt.
1 Tbsp. butter
16 1-oz. chocolate candy bars with almonds, unwrapped and broken
30 large marshmallows
1⅓ cups milk, divided
angel food cake cubes; strawberries; chunks of pineapple, bananas, apples, oranges; pretzel pieces
1. Grease slow cooker with butter. Turn to High for 10 minutes.
2. Add chocolate, marshmallows, and ⅓ cup milk.
3. Cover. Turn cooker to Low. Stir after 30 minutes.
4. Continue cooking for another 30 minutes, or until mixture is melted and smooth.
5. Gradually add remaining milk.
5. Cover. Cook on Low 2-6 hours.
6. Bring cooker to table, along with angel food cake, fruit chunks, and pretzels for dipping.
Chocolate Covered Pretzels
Beth Maurer
Harrisonburg, VA
Makes 10-12 servings
Prep. Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 30-60 minutes
Ideal slow cooker size: 2-qt.
1 lb. white chocolate bark coating
2 blocks chocolate bark coating
1 bag pretzel rods
1. Chop white chocolate into small chunks. Place in slow cooker.
2. Cover. Heat on Low setting, stirring occasionally until melted, about 30 minutes. Turn off cooker.
3. Using a spoon, coat ¾ of each pretzel rod with chocolate. Place on waxed paper to cool.
4. Chop chocolate bark into small chunks. Microwave on High in a microwave-safe bowl for 1½ minutes. Stir. Microwave on High 1 more minute. Stir.
5. Microwave on High in 30-second intervals until chocolate is smooth when stirred. (Do not allow chocolate to get too hot or it will scorch.)
6. Put melted chocolate in small bag. Snip off corner of bag. Drizzle chocolate over white chocolate covered pretzels.
Tip:
These are easy to make. They also taste wonderful and are good holiday gifts when thoroughly cooled and placed in small gift bags!
Hot Fudge Sauce
Beth Nafziger, Lowville, NY
Makes 1½ cups
Prep. Time: 15 minutes
Ideal slow cooker size: 1-qt.
¾ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
half a stick (4 Tbsp.) butter
⅔ cup sugar
5-oz. can (⅔ cup) evaporated milk
1. In a small heavy saucepan melt chocolate and butter together.
2. Add sugar. Gradually stir in evaporated milk.
3. Bring mixture to a boil, and then reduce heat. Boil gently over low heat for 8 minutes, stirring frequently.
4. Remove pan from heat. Pour sauce into slow cooker.
5. Set cooker control to Warm—the ideal temperature for serving.
Serving suggestion: Use as a dipping sauce for angel food cake cubes, banana chunks, pineapple chunks, and mini-pretzels.
Note:
I have served this for many years as part of our family Christmas-Eve celebration.
Our grandchildren come to help me cut out and decorate sugar cookies during the holidays. They each have their own rolling pins—not toys, but smaller versions than mine. We began this tradition when they had to sit on our laps to help. It’s a very messy but enjoyable time!
Naomi Ressler, Harrisonburg, VA