Crisps and Cobblers
Peach Cobbler
Eileen Eash, Carlsbad, NM
June S. Groff, Denver, PA
Sharon Wantland
Menomonee Falls, WI
Makes 10 servings
Prep. Time: 30 minutes
Cooking/Baking Time: 60–70 minutes
8 cups sliced fresh, or frozen, peaches
1 stick (½ cup) butter, softened
¾ cup sugar
1 cup flour
cinnamon (¼ tsp.)-sugar (½ tsp.)
1. Place peaches in ungreased 9 × 13 baking dish.
2. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar together, either with a spoon or an electric mixer.
3. Add flour and mix well. Sprinkle over peaches.
4. Top with cinnamon-sugar mix.
5. Bake at 325˚ for 60–70 minutes, or until top is golden brown.
6. Serve warm with milk or ice cream, if you wish.
Nutty Peach Crisp
Pat Chase, Fairbank, IA
Dorothy A. Shank, Sterling, IL
Vera Campbell, Dayton, VA
Carol Lenz, Little Chute, WI
Makes 12–16 servings
Prep. Time: 5–10 minutes
Cooking/Baking Time: 1 hour
Standing Time: 15 minutes
29-oz. can peach slices and syrup
18¼-oz. pkg. dry cake mix (butter brickle, yellow, or butter pecan)
1 cup flaked coconut
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
1 stick (½ cup) butter, melted
1. Layer ingredients as listed in an ungreased 9 × 13 baking dish.
2. Bake at 325˚ for 55–60 minutes, or until golden brown.
3. Allow to stand for 15 minutes before serving.
4. Serve warm with milk, whipped cream, or ice cream, if you wish.
A Tip —
I always keep 1-cup measuring cups in my sugar and flour canisters. That way I can reach in and measure what I need from that one cup.
Jeanne Allen, Rye, CO
Makes 6 servings
Prep. Time: 15–30 minutes
Cooking/Baking Time: 35–45 minutes
10⅔ Tbsp. (⅔ cup) butter, softened
¾ cup brown, or granulated, sugar
1½ cups flour
1 cup dry quick oats
1 can cherry pie filling, or flavor of your choice
extra butter, optional
whipped topping or cream, optional
1. In a large mixing bowl, mix all ingredients together except cherry pie filling, extra butter, and topping.
2. Reserve 1½ cups of the crumbs for topping.
3. Line an ungreased 9 × 9 baking pan with remaining crumbs.
4. Spoon cherry pie filling over top of crumbs.
5. Top with reserved crumbs.
6. Dot with extra butter, if you wish.
7. Bake at 350˚ for 40–45 minutes, or until golden brown.
8. Serve warm or cold, with whipped topping or cream, if you wish.
Edy’s Easy Cherry Cobbler
Carolyn Spohn, Shawnee, KS
Makes 4–6 servings
Prep. Time: 15 minutes
Cooking/Baking Time: 30 minutes
15-oz. can red tart cherries
1 cup sugar, divided
1 cup buttermilk baking mix
½ cup milk
1. Drain juice from cherries into glass measuring cup. Add ½ cup sugar and heat in microwave until sugar is dissolved.
2. In a small mixing bowl, combine baking mix with remaining ½ cup sugar and ½ cup milk. Mix until all ingredients are moistened.
3. Spray 9 × 9 baking pan with non-stick cooking spray. Spread biscuit mixture in bottom.
4. Spread cherries evenly over this.
5. Carefully pour juice and sugar mixture over top.
6. Bake at 350˚ for 25–30 minutes, or until lightly browned. The cobbler is finished when a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. (The crust will rise to the top, and the cherries and their syrup will be underneath.)
Deep Dish Fruity Delight
Carol Eveleth, Wellman, IA
Bernice Hubers, Demotte, IN
Jean A. Shaner, York, PA
Carol L. Stroh, Akron, New York
Moreen Weaver, Bath, NY
Patricia S. Echard
Singers Glen, VA
Mary Lynn Miller, Reinholds, PA
Makes 15 servings
Prep. Time: 10 minutes
Cooking/Baking Time: 30–40 minutes
20-oz. can crushed pineapple, drained
21-oz. can cherry pie, apple pie, or blueberry pie filling
18¼-oz. box yellow cake, or angel food cake, mix
1 stick (½ cup) butter, melted
½–1 cup chopped nuts
1. Heat oven to 350˚. Grease a 9 × 13 baking pan.
2. Spread pineapple over bottom of pan.
3. Top with pie filling.
4. Sprinkle dry cake mix over fruit.
5. Drizzle melted butter over cake mix.
6. Top with nuts.
7. Bake at 350˚ for 30–35 minutes, or until well browned.
Variation: Add 1 cup flaked or grated coconut to Step 6 if you wish.
— Moreen Weaver, Bath, NY
Darla Sathre
Baxter, MN
Makes 12 servings
Prep. Time: 15 minutes
Cooking/Baking Time: 25–30 minutes
21-oz. can blueberry pie filling
21-oz. can raspberry pie filling
18¼-oz. pkg. white cake mix
½ cup chopped walnuts
1 stick (½ cup) butter, melted
1. Combine pie fillings in a lightly greased 9 × 13 baking pan.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine dry cake mix, walnuts, and butter. Sprinkle over pie filling.
3. Bake at 375˚ for 25–30 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve warm or cold.
Blackberry Cobbler
Virginia R. Bender
Dover, DE
Makes 6 servings
Prep. Time: 15 minutes
Cooking/Baking Time: 40 minutes
½ cup sugar
1 cup flour
½ cup milk
1 tsp. baking powder
2 cups blackberries
1. Mix sugar, flour, milk, and baking powder together in a medium-sized mixing bowl until well blended.
2. Pour into a lightly greased 9 × 9 baking dish.
3. Spoon fresh or frozen blackberries over top.
4. Bake at 350˚ for 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Crust will rise to the top.
5. Serve warm.
A Tip —
To clean Pyrex and stainless steel containers, take them outside and spray with oven cleaner. Let stand for an hour. Bring them back in and wash in hot soapy water.
Grandma’s Apple Crisp
Louise Bodziony
Sunrise Beach, MO
Shelley Burns
Elverson, PA
Ruth Ann Penner
Hillsboro, KS
Darla Sathre, Baxter, MN
Makes 9 servings
Prep. Time: 20 minutes
Cooking/Baking Time: 40 minutes
6–8 apples
1 cup dry quick oats
¾ cup brown sugar
½ cup flour
½ tsp. cinnamon, optional
1 stick (½ cup) butter
1. Peel, core, and slice apples. Place in buttered 8" or 9" square baking pan.
2. In a mixing bowl, stir together dry oats, brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon if you wish.
3. Cut in butter with 2 knives or a pastry cutter until small crumbs form.
4. Sprinkle crumb topping over apples.
5. Bake at 350˚ for 40 minutes, or until lightly browned.
Variation: You can use pears, apricots, peaches, or rhubarb instead of apples.
— Ruth Ann Penner
Hillsboro, KS
— Darla Sathre
Baxter, MN
Puddings
Rhonda Freed, Croghan, NY
Makes 8–10 servings
Prep. Time: 15 minutes
Cooking/Baking Time: 25 minutes
Chilling Time: 2–4 hours
8 cups whole milk, divided
¾ cup cornstarch
1¼ cups sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1. In a 3- or 4-qt. microwave-safe bowl, heat 6 cups milk in microwave on High until scalded, approximately 8–10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, blend remaining milk, the cornstarch, sugar, and eggs in blender until smooth.
3. Whisk blended ingredients into scalded milk.
4. Microwave on High for 5 minutes. Remove carefully with potholders and mix with whisk.
5. Microwave on High for 4 minutes and stir. Decrease cooking time by a minute each time until the pudding is a bit thinner than you want. (It will continue to thicken as it cools.)
6. Remove from microwave. Stir in vanilla.
7. While still hot, cover with plastic wrap, pressing plastic against the surface of the pudding to prevent a skin from forming.
I am at least the fourth generation (that I know of and remember) to make this recipe. My mom adapted it for the microwave, which saves standing and stirring over a double boiler on a hot stovetop!
Variation: Pour the finished pudding into popsicle molds. Freeze for Pudding Pops.
Grape-Nut Pudding
Esther J. Mast, Lancaster, PA
Makes 4–6 servings
Prep. Time: 10 minutes
Chilling Time: 8–10 hours, or overnight, optional
1 box instant vanilla pudding
2 cups skim milk
1 cup Grape-Nuts cereal
3 cups miniature marshmallows, optional
8-oz. container frozen whipped topping, thawed
1. Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl.
2. Chill in refrigerator for 8–10 hours or overnight to allow Grape-Nuts to soften. Or if you prefer a crunchier texture, serve as soon as thickened.
Crumbs for Pudding
Wafi Brandt, Manheim, PA
Makes 8–10 servings
Prep. Time: 5 minutes
Cooking/Baking Time: 30–45 minutes
1 cup flour
1 cup coconut
1 cup chopped pecans
1 stick (½ cup) butter, melted
⅓ cup brown sugar
1. Mix all ingredients together in a 9 × 13 pan.
2. Bake at 350˚ until brown. Stir every 15 minutes.
3. Sprinkle on pudding or ice cream.
Nadine L. Martinitz, Salina, KS
Makes 8 servings
Prep. Time: 20 minutes
Cooking/Baking Time: 40–45 minutes
Standing/Cooling Time: 30 minutes–2 hours
1½ cups sugar, divided
6 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 cups milk
1. In a heavy saucepan over low heat, cook and stir ¾ cup sugar just until melted and golden. Stir frequently to prevent burning.
2. Divide caramelized sugar into eight 6-oz. custard cups. Tilt each cup after you’ve poured in the sugar to coat bottom of cup. Let stand for 10 minutes.
3. In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs, vanilla, milk, and remaining sugar until combined but not foamy. Divide among the eight custard cups, pouring over caramelized sugar.
4. Place the cups in two 8" square baking pans. Pour boiling water in pans to a depth of 1".
5. Bake at 350˚ for 40–45 minutes, or until a knife inserted in center of custards comes out clean. Remove cups from pans to cool on wire racks.
6. To unmold, run a knife around rim of cup and invert custard onto dessert plate.
7. Serve warm or chilled.
Quick Chocolate Pudding
Shirley Thieszen
North Newton, KS
Makes 4 servings
Prep. Time: 5 minutes
Cooking/Baking Time: 10–15 minutes
⅓ cup sugar
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
2 Tbsp. dry cocoa powder (not hot chocolate mix)
2 cups milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1 Tbsp. butter, optional
1. Place sugar, cornstarch, dry cocoa, and milk in a 1-qt. saucepan.
2. Cook over low heat until thickened, stirring constantly.
3. Stir in vanilla, and butter if you wish.
4. Serve warm or cold.
Tapioca Pudding
Laura Irene Shirk
Womelsdorf, PA
Makes 6 servings
Prep. Time: 20 minutes
Cooking/Baking Time: 10–15 minutes
Cooling Time: 3–4 hours
⅔ cup sugar
6 Tbsp. granulated tapioca
5½ cups milk
2 eggs, well beaten
2 tsp. vanilla
ground cinnamon, optional
1. In a large mixing bowl, mix sugar, granulated tapioca, milk, and eggs with a hand-held mixer, until well blended.
2. Pour into large saucepan. Let stand for 15 minutes.
3. Cook on medium high heat, stirring constantly until mixture comes to a full boil.
4. Remove from heat. Mixture will thicken as it cools.
5. When cooled slightly, gently stir in vanilla. Stir occasionally until beginning to thicken.
6. Place in refrigerator and chill until firm.
7. If you wish, sprinkle with cinnamon just before serving.
Karla Baer
North Lima, OH
Makes 6–8 servings
Prep. Time: 10 minutes
Cooking/Baking Time: 15–20 minutes
Chilling Time: 3–4 hours
3–4 fresh oranges
1 cup sugar, divided
1 qt. water
½ cup granulated tapioca
¼ tsp. salt, optional
1 small can frozen orange juice concentrate
1. Several hours before preparing tapioca, peel oranges. Cut into small pieces. Sprinkle with 3 Tbsp. sugar. Chill.
2. Pour water and tapioca into medium-sized saucepan. Cook over medium/medium-high heat until tapioca is clear, about 15 minutes. Stir frequently.
3. Stir remaining sugar, salt if you wish, orange juice concentrate, and chilled oranges into tapioca.
4. When well blended, pour into a serving dish.
5. Cover and chill until firm.
Strawberry Dessert
Glenda Weaver
Manheim, PA
Joyce Nolt
Richland, PA
Makes 6–8 servings
Prep. Time: 4 minutes
Cooking/Baking Time: 15 minutes
Chilling Time: 4–8 hours
4 cups water
⅔ cup granulated tapioca
1–1½ cups sugar, according to your taste preferences
2 qts. crushed strawberries
8-oz. container frozen whipped topping, thawed
1. Place water and tapioca in a large saucepan. Stir. Bring to a boil.
2. Cook until mixture is clear and slightly thickened.
3. Stir in sugar.
4. Cool.
5. Add crushed strawberries, mixing well.
6. Fold in whipped topping.
7. Refrigerate until thoroughly chilled and thickened.
Peach Tapioca Dessert
Sharon Shank
Bridgewater, VA
Makes 12 servings
Prep. Time: 15 minutes
Cooking/Baking Time: 10–15 minutes
Chilling Time: 2–3 hours
2 qts. water
¾ cup minute tapioca
12-oz. can frozen orange juice concentrate
1 cup sugar
½ tsp. salt
2 qts. sliced peaches, fresh or frozen
1½–2 cups bananas and/or grapes, optional
1. In a large saucepan, cook water and tapioca together, stirring constantly, until tapioca softens and becomes clear.
2. Remove from heat and stir in the orange juice, sugar, and salt.
3. Mix together well until the sugar is dissolved.
4. Stir in the peaches, and the bananas and grapes if you wish.
5. Refrigerate. Stir after 1 hour to make sure the fruit is well distributed throughout the tapioca as it gels.
Doris Ranck
Gap, PA
Makes 5 servings
Prep. Time: 5 minutes
Cooking/Baking Time: 10 minutes
Cooling Time: 1 hour
1 qt. rhubarb
1 cup water
1 Tbsp. minute tapioca
.3-oz. pkg. strawberry gelatin
¾ cup sugar
1. Cut rhubarb into thin slices. Place in a medium-sized saucepan.
2. Add water and minute tapioca.
3. Cook until rhubarb is soft. Remove from heat.
4. Stir in gelatin and sugar.
5. Allow to cool and thicken before serving.
Berry Delight
Willard E. Roth
Elkhart, IN
Makes 4 servings
Prep. Time: 10 minutes
Chilling Time: 2–3 hours
3½-oz. pkg. instant vanilla pudding
1½ cups 2% milk
1 cup vanilla yogurt
¼ tsp. almond extract
4 cups fresh berries, sliced
1. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk pudding with milk.
2. Stir in yogurt and almond flavoring.
3. Layer ⅓ of pudding into glass serving bowl. Top with half the berries.
4. Top with half the remaining pudding. Top with remaining berries.
5. Spoon remaining pudding on top.
6. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
A Tip —
Some really good dishes can be very easy to make. Learn to enjoy the pleasure of simple foods.
Strawberry Yogurt Dessert
Joyce Shackelford
Green Bay, WI
Makes 8–10 servings
Prep. Time: 10 minutes
Chilling Time: 2–3 hours
14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk
6-oz. container strawberry yogurt
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
8-oz. container frozen whipped topping, thawed
4 cups sliced fresh strawberries
1. In a large bowl, combine milk, yogurt, and lemon juice.
2. Fold in whipped topping and berries.
3. Chill until ready to serve.
Tips:
1. To prevent the berries from getting soggy, prepare this 2–3 hours before serving.
2. This is also delicious using peach yogurt and fresh peaches—or a combination using whatever fresh fruit is in season.
Carol Hershey, Jonestown, PA
Makes 12 servings
Prep. Time: 5 minutes
Cooking/Baking Time: 15 minutes
Cooling Time: 30–60 minutes
3-oz. pkg. vanilla pudding, regular not instant
3-oz. pkg. orange, or lemon, tapioca pudding, regular, not instant
13-oz. can mandarin oranges, juice reserved
20-oz. can pineapple chunks, juice reserved
2–3 bananas, sliced
1. Drain juice from canned fruits into large measuring cup, and add water to make 3 cups.
2. Cook puddings together according to package directions with juice/water mixture until thickened and bubbly.
3. Cool slightly and add fruit.
Tip: If you can’t find either orange or lemon tapioca, and use vanilla tapioca instead, add 1 heaping Tbsp. orange juice concentrate to Step 2.
Buttermilk-Plus Salad
Carla J. Elliott, Phoenix, AZ
Sharon Swartz Lambert
Harrisonburg, VA
Makes 8–10 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Chilling Time: 30 minutes–2 hours
3-oz. pkg. instant vanilla pudding
1 cup buttermilk
8-oz. container whipped topping, thawed
2 11-oz. cans mandarin oranges, drained
half a pkg. ribbon cookies with chocolate stripes, crushed
1. Combine pudding mix and buttermilk in a medium-sized mixing bowl.
2. Refrigerate until about 30 minutes before serving.
3. Fold in whipped topping, oranges, and crushed cookies.
4. Garnish with whole cookies.
Variation: Instead of the cookies, stir one 15-oz. can pineapple tidbits, drained, into mixture in Step 3. Drop Step 4.
— Sharon Swartz Lambert
Harrisonburg, VA
Tips:
1. For additional flavor and texture, add grated coconut, and/or miniature marshmallows, in the amounts you wish, in Step 3.
2. Make this the same day you plan to serve it. And it’s best to add the cookies 30–60 minutes before serving the salad.
Cookies ’n Cream Fluff
Ruth Hofstetter
Versailles, MO
Makes 6 servings
Prep. Time: 5–10 minutes
2 cups cold milk
3-oz. pkg. instant vanilla pudding mix
8-oz. carton frozen whipped topping, thawed
15 chocolate cream-filled sandwich cookies, broken into chunks
additional broken cookies, optional
1. In a bowl, whisk milk and pudding mix for 2 minutes, or until slightly thickened.
2. Fold in whipped topping and cookies.
3. Spoon into dessert dishes.
4. When ready to serve, top with additional cookies if you wish.
Vera Martin
East Earl, PA
Norma Greiser
Clarksville, MI
Michelle High
Fredericksburg, PA
Makes 20 servings
Prep. Time: 15 minutes
Freezing Time: 4–6 hours
21-oz. can strawberry, raspberry, or cherry pie filling
14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk
20-oz. can crushed pineapple, drained
32 ozs. frozen whipped topping, thawed
1. Stir pie filling, milk, and drained pineapple together in a large mixing bowl.
2. Fold in whipped topping.
3. Spread into 9 × 13 baking pan.
4. Cover and freeze for 4–6 hours.
5. When partly frozen cut into squares.
6. Thaw slightly before serving.
Variation: Instead of spreading into a long baking pan and freezing the dessert, spoon it into a serving bowl and chill 3–4 hours before serving.
— Michelle High
Fredericksburg, PA
Snicker Apple Salad
Jennifer Archer
Kalona, IA
Makes 10–12 servings
Prep Time: 15–20 minutes
3-oz. pkg. instant vanilla pudding
1 cup milk
8-oz. container whipped topping, thawed
6 apples, peeled or unpeeled, diced
6 Snicker bars, diced or broken
1. Mix pudding with milk in a large mixing bowl.
2. Fold in whipped topping.
3. Fold in chopped apples and Snickers.
4. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Cranberry Mallow Dessert
Louise Bodziony
Sunrise Beach, MO
Makes 6–8 servings
Prep. Time: 10 minutes
16-oz. can whole berry cranberry sauce
2 cups miniature marshmallows
8-oz. can crushed pineapple, drained
1 tsp. lemon juice
2 cups frozen whipped topping, thawed
1. In a large bowl, combine cranberry sauce, marshmallows, pineapple, and lemon juice.
2. Fold in whipped topping.
3. Transfer to a serving dish. Cover and refrigerate until serving.
Becky Frey
Lebanon, PA
Makes 8 servings
Prep. Time: 20 minutes
Cooking/Baking Time: 1½–2 hours
2 qts. milk
1 cup uncooked minute rice
dash of salt
½–1 cup sugar, depending on your taste preferences
1 tsp. vanilla
cinnamon, optional
1. Heat milk in a saucepan, or in the microwave until scalding.
2. Meanwhile, put rice in a small saucepan. Add salt and cover with water.
3. Cover pan. Bring rice to a boil. Turn off burner. Keep pan covered.
4. Let rice stand until it absorbs water, about 5 minutes.
5. Stir sugar into rice until well blended.
6. Stir rice into scalded milk.
7. Place in 3½–4-qt. lightly greased casserole dish.
8. Bake at 350˚ until light brown crust appears, about 30–45 minutes.
9. Skim off crust. Stir in vanilla.
10. Continue baking until a dark crust appears, about another 60–75 minutes.
11. Remove from oven and skim off crust. Cool.
12. Serve plain, or sprinkle with cinnamon.
Tips:
1. If pudding seems too thin, just bake longer after skimming off second crust. But the rice will continue to absorb liquid as it cools, so don’t over-bake.
2. If you use lower fat milk, a crust will form, but it won’t brown.
3. This recipe can easily be doubled. You’ll likely have to bake it longer for the same results.
Festive Fruit and Rice
Sarah Miller
Harrisonburg, VA
Makes 8–10 servings
Prep. Time: 10 minutes
Cooking/Baking Time: 20 minutes
Chilling Time: 1–2 hours
2 cups water
1 cup long-grain rice, uncooked
1 cup raisins
3 bananas, sliced
8-oz. container frozen whipped topping, thawed
1. Bring water to a boil in a medium-sized saucepan.
2. Stir in rice.
3. Cover and simmer 14 minutes. (Stir after 7 minutes of cooking, but don’t lift the lid otherwise!)
4. Remove from heat. Fluff rice with fork. Cover and let stand 3–4 minutes.
5. Cool rice until chilled.
6. An hour before serving, stir in raisins and bananas.
7. Fold in whipped topping.
8. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Landis Pineapple Bread Pudding
Barbara Forrester Landis
Lititz, PA
Makes 8 servings
Prep. Time: 10–15 minutes
Cooking/Baking Time: 1 hour
¾ stick (6 Tbsp.) butter, softened and divided
1 cup sugar
4 eggs
5 slices sturdy bread
20-oz. can crushed pineapple, drained
1. Preheat oven to 350˚.
2. In a large mixing bowl, cream together half a stick (4 Tbsp.) butter and sugar.
3. Slightly beat eggs and stir into creamed mixture.
4. Butter bread slices. Tear or cut into cubes.
5. Fold buttered cubed bread and drained pineapple into creamy mixture.
6. Pour into a buttered 2-qt.casserole.
7. Bake at 350˚ for one hour.
8. Allow to stand for 10 minutes before serving. It’s great served with a dollop of whipped cream on top of each serving!
Easy Brownies
Donna Klaassen
Whitewater, KS
Makes 36 brownies
Prep. Time: 15 minutes
Cooking/Baking Time: 25–30 minutes
1 stick butter (½ cup), softened
1 cup sugar
4 eggs
1 cup flour
1 can chocolate syrup
½ cup chopped walnuts, optional
1. With an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar together in a medium-sized mixing bowl.
2. Add eggs one at a time and beat after each addition.
3. Stir in flour, blending well.
4. Stir in chocolate syrup, blending well.
5. If you wish, stir in nuts.
6. Pour into a lightly greased 9" square baking pan.
7. Bake at 350˚ for 25–30 minutes.
8. When cooled, cut into squares with a plastic knife. (A plastic knife won’t drag crumbs while cutting.)
Pecan Puffs
Mary Ann Bowman
East Earl, PA
Suzanne Nobrega, Duxbury, MA
Jean H. Robinson
Cinnaminson, NJ
Stacy Stoltzfus, Grantham, PA
Makes 30 puffs
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Baking Time: 10–15 minutes
1 stick (½ cup) butter, softened
2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
1 tsp. vanilla, optional
1 cup flour
1 cup pecans, finely chopped
½ cup confectioners, or granulated, sugar, optional
¾ cup shredded coconut, optional
1. Cream butter with a mixer. Add sugar, and vanilla if you wish, and continue creaming until smooth.
2. Stir in flour and nuts until well mixed.
3. Using a teaspoon, break off a piece of dough and roll into a small ball. Place on greased baking sheet. Continue with rest of dough.
4. Bake at 350˚ for 10–15 minutes. Watch carefully so they don’t burn.
5. If you wish, when cookies are finished baking, roll one-at-a-time in confectioners sugar, granulated sugar, or in shredded coconut, while still warm. Allow to cool without touching other cookies.
Dina’s Shortbread
Chris Kaczynski
Schenectady, NY
Makes 5–6 dozen cookies
Prep. Time: 30 minutes
Cooking/Baking Time: 20 minutes
4 sticks (1 lb.) butter, softened
1 cup confectioners sugar
3 cups sifted flour
¾ cup cornstarch
1. Preheat oven to 350˚.
2. Cream the butter with an electric mixer. Add the sugar gradually. Blend well but don’t overwork.
3. Gradually add flour and cornstarch.
4. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board. Pat out to a ¼" thickness. Do not roll out.
5. Using a cookie cutter or a glass, cut in 1½" circles. Prick each with a fork.
6. Place on baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes, or until top is a pale golden color.
A Tip —
Measure carefully especially when baking. When you have mastered the basics don’t be afraid to create.
Devil’s Food Cookies
Greensboro, NC
Makes 4 dozen cookies
Prep. Time: 15 minutes
Cooking/Baking Time: 10–13 minutes
18¼-oz. box devil’s food cake mix
2 eggs
2 Tbsp. butter, softened
6 Tbsp. water
½ cup miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips
1. In large bowl, beat together cake mix, eggs, butter, and water. The batter will be thick.
2. Stir in chocolate chips.
3. Drop by tablespoonfuls 2" apart onto greased baking sheets.
4. Bake at 350˚ for 10–13 minutes, or until just baked. Cool 2 minutes before moving to wire racks for further cooling.
German Chocolate Cake-Mix Cookies
Monica Yoder, Millersburg, OH
Makes 3 dozen cookies
Prep. Time: 15 minutes
Cooking/Baking Time: 7–9 minutes
18¼-oz. box German chocolate cake mix
½ cup oil
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup semisweet mini chocolate chips
½ cup dry oatmeal, quick or rolled
1. Combine all ingredients in the order listed in a large mixing bowl.
2. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls, 2" apart, onto ungreased baking sheet.
3. Bake at 350˚ for 7–9 minutes, until just baked.
Gooey Butter Cookies
Kaye Taylor
Florissant, MO
Carol Sherwood
Batavia, NY
Makes 3–4 dozen cookies
Prep. Time: 20 minutes
Cooling Time: 30 minutes
Cooking/Baking Time: 12 minutes
1 stick (½ cup) butter, softened
8-oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 tsp. vanilla
1 egg
18¼-oz. box yellow cake mix
1. Beat butter, cream cheese, vanilla, and egg with an electric mixer until fluffy.
2. Add cake mix until well blended.
3. Refrigerate 30 minutes.
4. Break off dough by teaspoonfuls. Shape into small balls. Roll in confectioners sugar. Place on ungreased cookies sheet.
5. Bake at 350˚ for 12 minutes.
Variation: Instead of a yellow cake mix, use an 18¼-oz. box of moist chocolate cake mix. You’ll have Chocolate Gooey Butter Cookies!
— Carol Sherwood
Batavia, NY
Kay Taylor
Florissant, MO
Arleta Petersheim
Haven, KS
Lena Sheaffer
Port Matilda, PA
Makes 5–6 dozen cookies
Prep. Time: 15 minutes
Cooking/Baking Time: 10–12 minutes
18¼-oz. box lemon cake mix
1 egg
8-oz. carton frozen whipped topping, thawed
confectioners sugar
1. Combine cake mix, egg, and whipped topping in an electric mixer bowl.
2. Beat on medium speed until blended. Batter will be very sticky.
3. Drop by teaspoonfuls into confectioners sugar. Roll lightly to coat. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Keep cookies about an inch apart, so they don’t spread into each other.
4. Bake at 350˚ for 10–12 minutes, or until lightly browned.
Lemon Crisp Cookies
Diane Eby
Holtwood, PA
Makes 3 dozen cookies
Prep. Time: 15 minutes
Cooking/Baking Time: 10–12 minutes
1 stick (½ cup) butter, melted
1 cup crispy rice cereal
18¼-oz. box lemon cake mix
1 egg
1. Mix all ingredients together in a large mixing bowl.
2. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets. Keep an inch between cookies so they don’t spread into each other.
3. Bake at 350˚ for 10–12 minutes.
Tip: You can substitute yellow cake mix, plus 1 Tbsp. lemon extract, for the lemon cake mix.
Lemon Squares
Mary Kathryn Yoder
Harrisonville, MO
Makes 15 servings
Prep. Time: 10 minutes
Cooking/Baking Time: 30 minutes
Cooling Time: 1–2 hours
1 box angel food cake mix
21-oz. can lemon pie filling
⅛ cup confectioners sugar
1. Mix cake mix and pie filling together with an electric mixer.
2. Pour into a lightly greased 9 × 13 baking pan.
3. Bake at 350˚ for 30 minutes. Let cool.
4. Sprinkle confectioners sugar over top.
5. Cut into bars.
Mary Kathryn Yoder
Harrisonville, MO
Makes 24 medium-sized cookies
Prep. Time: 12–15 minutes
Cooking/Baking Time: 10 minutes
18¼-oz. box cake mix of your choice
2 eggs
2 Tbsp. butter, softened
2 Tbsp. water
1. In a large mixing bowl, mix all ingredients together.
2. If you wish, stir in ½-1 cup broken nuts, or M&Ms, or shredded coconut. Or add nothing extra!
3. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets. Allow about an inch around each cookie so they don’t spread into each other.
4. Bake at 350˚ for 10 minutes.
A Tip —
A small ice cream scoop works well for making uniformly-sized cookies.
Even Easier Cake-Mix Cookies
Peggy Clark
Burrton, KS
Makes 24 medium-sized cookies
Prep. Time: 12–15 minutes
Cooking/Baking Time: 8–10 minutes
18¼-oz. box cake mix of your choice
½ cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1. With an electric mixer, mix all ingredients until blended. Scrape bowl well while mixing so all ingredients are thoroughly incorporated.
2. Using a teaspoon, drop batter by spoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet, keeping the cookies 2" apart.
3. Bake at 350˚ for 8–10 minutes.
Cherry Cream Cheese Tarts
Louise Bodziony
Sunrise Beach, MO
Makes 24 tarts
Prep. Time: 20 minutes
Chilling Time: 1 hour
Cooking/Baking Time: 20–25 minutes
3-oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 stick (½ cup) butter, softened
1 cup flour
21-oz. can cherry pie filling
1. Blend cream cheese and butter until smooth in a mixing bowl.
2. Stir in flour just until blended.
3. Chill, covered, for one hour in the fridge.
4. Shape dough into 24 1" balls. Press into ungreased mini muffin cups to make a shallow shell.
5. Spoon one tablespoon pie filling into each center.
6. Bake at 325˚ for 20–25 minutes.
7. Remove from muffin cups when they reach room temperature.
Apple Butter Cookies
Lebanon, PA
Makes 3–4 dozen cookies
Prep. Time: 30–35 minutes
Cooking/Baking Time: 13–15 minutes
6 cups flour
4 sticks (2 cups) butter
¾ cup cold water
4 tsp. vanilla
¼–½ cup apple butter
1. Place flour in a large mixing bowl. Cut butter in chunks and place in bowl with flour. Using a pastry cutter, cut butter into flour until the entire mixture resembles small peas.
2. Add water gradually, stirring as you go. Stir in vanilla.
3. When the dough forms a ball, gather it all together. Place on a lightly floured surface. Roll out very thin.
4. Cut into 2½" squares.
5. Place ½ tsp. apple butter on each square. Pull 4 corners to center and pinch tightly together.
6. Place filled cookies on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 375˚ for 13–15 minutes, or until cookies are lightly browned.
Caramel Apple Burritos
Peggy Clark
Burrton, KS
Makes 5 servings
Prep. Time: 10–15 minutes
Cooking/Baking Time: 5–7 minutes
3 large tart apples, peeled and sliced
10 caramels
5 8" flour tortillas, warmed
1. Place apple slices in a non-stick saucepan.
2. Cover and cook over medium heat for 3–4 minutes, or until tender. Reduce heat.
3. Add caramels. Cook and stir continually until caramels are melted.
4. Spoon apple mixture below the center on each tortilla. Fold sides and ends over filling.
5. Roll up. Place filled burritos on plate and serve immediately.
Apple Enchiladas
Eileen Eash
Carlsbad, NM
Makes 6 servings
Prep. Time: 15–20 minutes
Cooking/Baking Time: 20 minutes
21-oz. can apple pie filling
6 8" flour tortillas
1 tsp. cinnamon
5⅓ Tbsp. (⅓ cup) butter
½ cup maple syrup
¼ cup water
1. Divide pie filling among tortillas. Spread so the tortillas are evenly covered.
2. Sprinkle each with cinnamon.
3. Roll up. Place seam side down in a lightly greased 8" square baking dish.
4. Simmer butter, syrup, and water in saucepan for 3 minutes, stirring constantly.
5. Pour over enchiladas.
6. Bake at 350˚ for 20 minutes.
7. Serve warm with ice cream or whipped topping, if you wish.
Meredith Miller
Dover, DE
Makes 24 servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Baking Time: 20 minutes
Cooling Time: 30 minutes
2 cups flour
1¾ cups light brown sugar, divided
2½ sticks (1¼ cups) butter, divided
1¼ cup pecan halves
1 cup chocolate chips
1. Mix together flour, 1 cup brown sugar, and 1 stick butter (softened to room temperature) until crumbly. Pat firmly into a 9 × 13 glass baking pan.
2. Place pecan halves evenly over crust.
3. Heat ¾ cup brown sugar and 1½ sticks butter in a saucepan. Boil 1 minute, stirring constantly. Pour over pecan crust and bake at 325˚ for 20 minutes.
4. Sprinkle chocolate chips over hot bars immediately after removing from oven. Let set 2 minutes, then swirl chips as they melt, leaving some whole.
5. Cool and cut into bars.
Almost Snickers
Ruth Zendt
Mifflintown, PA
Makes 9 servings
Prep. Time: 10 minutes
Freezing Time: 4 hours or more
22-oz. container frozen vanilla yogurt, softened
1 cup frozen whipped topping, thawed
3-oz. box chocolate sugar-free instant pudding
¼ cup peanut butter
⅓ cup Grape-Nuts cereal
1. Mix together the first four ingredients in a large bowl.
2. Pour into an 8 × 8 or 9 × 9 pan. Sprinkle Grape-Nuts over top.
3. Cover and freeze until firm throughout.
4. Thaw slightly to cut into bars.
Tip: Choose your own flavors of yogurt and pudding.
A Tip —
To easily and cleanly crush crackers, put them in a plastic bag. Then crush them with a rolling pin.
Double Chip Bars
Joyce Nolt
Richland, PA
Makes 48 bars
Prep. Time: 20 minutes
Cooking/Baking Time: 25–30 minutes
Cooling Time: 2 hours
1 stick (½ cup) butter
1½ cups graham cracker crumbs
1 can sweetened condensed milk
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup peanut butter chips
1. Place butter in a 9 × 13 baking pan. Place in 350˚ oven until melted. Remove from oven.
2. Sprinkle crumbs over butter.
3. Pour milk evenly over crumbs.
4. Sprinkle with chips. Press down firmly.
5. Bake at 350˚ for 25–30 minutes, or until golden brown.
6. Allow to cool before cutting into bars.
Arlene M. Kopp
Lineboro, MO
LaRee Eby
Portland, OR
Makes 4 dozen bars
Prep. Time: 20 minutes
Chilling Time: 1 hour
2 sticks (1 cup) butter, melted
1 cup crunchy peanut butter
1½ cups graham cracker crumbs
3 cups confectioners sugar
12-oz. bag chocolate chips, melted
1. In a large mixing bowl, mix butter, peanut butter, graham cracker crumbs, and sugar thoroughly.
2. Pat into a greased 9 × 13 pan.
3. Spread melted chocolate on top. (To melt chips, place in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on High for 1–1½ minutes, until chips are melted when stirred.)
4. Chill for an hour and then cut into squares.
Grandma Herr’s Easy Butter Crunch
Alica Denlinger
Lancaster, PA
Makes a jelly-roll pan full
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
2 sticks (1 cup) butter
1 cup sugar
1½ cups blanched almonds, cut into sticks
6 ozs. chocolate bits
1. Melt butter in heavy skillet.
2. Stir in sugar.
3. Add almonds and cook, stirring constantly until golden brown and nuts begin to pop (about 12 minutes).
4. Spread evenly in jelly-roll pan. Sprinkle immediately with chocolate bits. As they melt, spread over mixture.
5. When cool, break into pieces.
Tip: This keeps well in the refrigerator, especially during the summer months.
This was a favorite Christmas-time recipe from my grandma. She loved to bake and spoil us with her treats!
Unbaked Peanut Butter Cookies
Vera Martin, East Earl, PA
Anita Troyer, Fairview, MI
Rebecca Meyerkorth
Wamego, KS
Jan Mast, Lancaster, PA
Rachel Olinger, Parkesburg, PA
Makes 3–4 dozen cookies
Prep. Time: 15–20 minutes
Chilling Time: 15 minutes
⅔ cup sugar
⅔ cup light corn syrup
1 cup peanut butter, plain or chunky
2½ cups Rice Krispies
2½ cups Cheerios
1½ cups chocolate chips, optional
1. Heat sugar and syrup in a saucepan until sugar is dissolved, about 2 minutes. Stir constantly. Remove from heat.
2. Mix peanut butter into hot sugar syrup.
3. Mix Rice Krispies and Cheerios together in a large mixing bowl.
4. Stir sugar-peanut butter syrup into the Cheerios and Rice Krispies mixture.
5. Drop mixture by spoonfuls onto waxed paper or press into a 9 × 13 pan.
6. If you want, melt the chocolate chips in the microwave, just until spreadable.
Place in a microwave-safe container. Microwave on High for 1–1½ minutes. Drizzle over the cookies, or spread over the pan of cookies.
7. Chill until firm, approximately 15 minutes, before serving, storing, or cutting into squares.
Variations:
1. Use ⅓ cup granulated sugar and ⅓ cup brown sugar.
2. Use all Rice Krispies and no Cheerios.
— Anita Troyer, Fairview, MI
3. Use ¾ cup chocolate chips and ¾ cup butterscotch chips.
— Rebecca Meyerkorth
Wamego, KS
— Jan Mast, Lancaster, PA
— Rachel Olinger
Parkesburg, PA
Honey-Peanut Bar Cookies
Sherry Goss Lapp
Lancaster, PA
Makes 12–16 cookies
Prep. Time: 15 minutes
Chilling Time: 1 hour
½ cup sugar
½ cup honey
½ cup peanut butter
3 cups Cheerios
½ cup salted peanuts
1. In a small heavy saucepan, combine sugar and honey. Cook and stir over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat.
2. Stir in peanut butter until blended.
3. Stir in Cheerios and peanuts. Stir to coat.
4. Spread into lightly greased 9 × 9 pan.
5. Cover and chill for 1 hour before cutting.
Homemade Granola Bars
Sandra Haverstraw
Hummelstown, PA
Makes 36 servings
Prep. Time: 10 minutes
Cooking/Baking Time: 10–12 minutes
¼ cup honey
½ cup peanut butter
2 Tbsp. butter, softened
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups granola cereal
1. Combine honey, peanut butter, butter, and vanilla in a mixing bowl.
2. Mix granola into honey mixture.
3. Spread into a greased 9" square baking pan.
4. Bake at 350˚ for 10 minutes, or until firm.
5. Remove from oven and cut into bars while still warm.
A Tip —
You can decrease the sugar in almost any cookie or bar recipe without sacrificing taste. Reduce the amount by ¼ cup to start.
Peanut Butter Cookies
Juanita Lyndaker
Croghan, NY
Stacy Stoltzfus
Grantham, PA
Joleen Albrecht
Gladstone, MI
Doris Bachman
Putnam, IL
Makes 1–1½ dozen cookies
Prep. Time: 15 minutes
Cooking/Baking Time: 10 minutes
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
additional sugar
1. Mix the first 3 ingredients together in a medium-sized mixing bowl.
2. Break dough off with a teaspoon and shape into balls.
3. Roll each ball in granulated sugar.
4. Place on greased baking sheet. Press down with a fork, making a criss-cross pattern.
5. Bake at 350˚ for 8–10 minutes, or until golden brown.
Cakes
Janet Batdorf
Harrisburg, PA
Makes 8 servings
Prep. Time: 20 minutes
Cooking/Baking Time: 20–25 minutes
1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 tsp. almond flavoring
1 stick (½ cup) butter, melted
1. Grease and flour a round 8" or 9" baking pan, or line the pan with waxed paper.
2. In a large mixing bowl, sift together flour and sugar.
3. Stir in eggs and mix.
4. Stir in flavoring and butter. Blend thoroughly
5. Pour into baking pan.Bake at 350˚ for 20–25 minutes.
Tips:
1. Sprinkle top with slivered almonds before baking.
2. Dust with confectioners sugar before serving.
Dollie’s 1916 Pound Cake
Anne Townsend
Albuquerque, NM
Makes 12–15 servings
Prep. Time: 15 minutes
Cooking/Baking Time: 50–55 minutes
2 sticks (1 cup) butter, softened
1⅔ cups sugar
½ tsp. mace
5 eggs
2 cups flour
1 tsp. vanilla, optional
1. Cream together butter, sugar, and mace with an electric mixer.
2. Add one egg at a time and beat after each addition until fully incorporated.
3. Add flour, and vanilla if you wish, and mix well.
4. Spray bundt pan with cooking spray. Spoon mixture into pan.
5. Bake at 350˚ for 50 minutes. If tester inserted in center of cake comes out clean, remove cake from oven. If it doesn’t, continue baking for several more minutes until tester comes out clean.
6. Cool about 10 minutes before removing from pan.
In about 1950, a dear elderly neighbor in Washington, D.C. made this cake for our family. She had had the recipe since 1916!
Mace, the covering on nutmeg, makes it a bit unusual, but delicious, and a pleasant aroma permeates the house as it bakes.
We usually enjoy the cake served plain, but it also serves as a good base for fruit toppings.
Tip from Tester: I served this with fresh raspberries, and everyone loved it!
Dark Chocolate Indulgence Cake
Sharon Wantland
Menomonee Falls, WI
Makes 8 servings
Prep. Time: 15 minutes
Cooking/Baking Time: 30 minutes
1 pkg. (6 squares) Baker’s bittersweet chocolate
1½ sticks (¾ cup) butter
4 eggs
1 cup sugar
½ cup flour
1. Heat oven to 350˚.
2. Melt butter and chocolate together. Cool and set aside.
3. In a mixing bowl, beat eggs and sugar until smooth.
4. Add chocolate and flour and stir until smooth.
5. Pour into a 9" round greased and floured pan.
6. Bake 30 minutes.
Optional Toppings: Sprinkle with confectioners sugar, or drizzle melted chocolate on top.
Jena Hammond
Traverse City, MI
Shirley Sears, Tiskilwa, IL
Janessa Hochstedler
East Earl, PA
Lori Lehman, Ephrata, PA
Naomi Ressler
Harrisonburg, VA
Makes 15–24 servings
Prep. Time: 10 minutes
Cooking/Baking Time: 35–40 minutes
18¼-oz. box chocolate fudge cake mix, or German chocolate cake mix
2 eggs
21-oz. can cherry pie filling
1 tsp. vanilla or almond extract, optional
1. Place dry cake mix, eggs, pie filling, and extract if you wish in a large mixing bowl. Stir with spoon until well blended. Batter will be rather stiff.
2. Place batter in a lightly greased 9 × 13 baking pan.
3. Bake at 350˚ for 35–40 minutes, or until tester inserted in center of cake comes out clean.
4. Serve warm or cold. Serve with a mound of whipped cream, whipped topping, or ice cream if you like. Or ice with the Chocolate Frosting below.
Variation: If you’d like more pieces, and a bar-like result rather than a piece of cake, place the batter in a 10 × 15 jelly-roll pan. Bake at 350˚ for 20–30 minutes.
Chocolate Frosting
Naomi Ressler
Harrisonburg, VA
Prep. Time: 10 minutes
5 Tbsp. butter
1 cup sugar
⅓–½ cup milk, depending upon the consistency of frosting you’d like
1 cup chocolate chips
1. Combine butter, sugar, and milk in a saucepan.
2. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil for 1 minute.
3. Remove from heat. Immediately stir in chocolate chips, stirring until the chips melt and the frosting is smooth.
4. Spread over cake.
Chocolate Chip Cake
Sharon Easter, Yuba City, CA
Makes 12–15 servings
Prep. Time: 5–10 minutes
Cooking/Baking Time: 35–45 minutes
18¼-oz. box chocolate cake mix
¼ cup oil
2 eggs
1¼ cups water
3-oz. box instant chocolate pudding mix
1 cup (6 ozs.) chocolate chips
1. Preheat oven to 350˚.
2. Lightly grease a 9 × 13 baking pan.
3. In large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients except chocolate chips. Mix well.
4. Stir in chips.
5. Pour batter into prepared pan.
6. Bake for 35–45 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
7. Serve plain, frosted, or with powdered sugar sprinkled on top.
Tip: This is a versatile cake. You can use different cake mixes, and substitute white chips if chocolate chips are not a good complement to a cake mix of another flavor. And you can choose a different flavor of pudding mix to enhance a cake mix that isn’t chocolate.
Sue Pennington
Bridgewater, VA
Makes 12–15 servings
Prep. Time: 10–15 minutes
Cooking/Baking Time: 40–45 minutes
21-oz. can apple pie filling
18¼-oz. pkg. German chocolate cake mix
3 eggs
¾ cup coarsely chopped walnuts
½ cup miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips
1. Place pie filling in blender. Cover and process until the apples are in ¼" chunks.
2. Pour into mixer bowl.
3. Add dry cake mix and eggs. Beat on medium speed for 5 minutes.
4. Pour into a greased 9 × 13 baking pan.
5. Sprinkle with nuts and chocolate chips.
6. Bake at 350˚ for 40–45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely on rack before cutting.
Cinnamon Apple Cake
Wanda Beaman
Harrisonville, MO
Makes 15 servings
Prep. Time: 15 minutes
Cooking/Baking Time: 30–40 minutes
18¼-oz. pkg. super-moist spice cake mix
21-oz. can apple pie filling
3 eggs
3 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1. Heat oven to 350˚. Grease or spray bottom only of 9 × 13 baking dish.
2. Place dry cake mix, pie filling, and eggs in a large bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat on low speed for 2 minutes. Batter will be thick.
3. Spread half of batter in prepared pan.
4. In a small bowl, stir together sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle half of mixture over batter in pan.
5. Spread remaining batter in pan.
6. Sprinkle with remaining sugar and cinnamon mixture.
7. Bake at 350˚ for 30–40 minutes, or until tester inserted in center of cake comes out clean.
8. Serve with whipped topping or ice cream, if you wish.
Spicy Apple Cake
Colleen Heatwole
Burton, MI
Makes 18–24 servings
Prep. Time: 10–15 minutes
Cooking/Baking Time: 35–40 minutes
18¼-oz. pkg. yellow cake mix
2 cups applesauce
2 eggs
1½ tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1. Preheat oven to 350˚.
2. Mix all ingredients together in large bowl.
3. Spray a 9 × 13 baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.
4. Pour batter into baking pan. Bake at 350˚ for 35–40 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
5. Cool completely before dusting with confectioners sugar, or frosting with your favorite vanilla or lemon cream icing.
Tip: If you don’t have pumpkin pie spice, you can easily make your own. For 2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice, combine 1 tsp. cinnamon, ½ tsp. ginger, ¼ tsp. cloves, and ¼ tsp. nutmeg.
Carol L. Stroh
Akron, NY
Makes 20 servings
Prep. Time: 15 minutes
Cooking/Baking Time: 40–45 minutes
18¼-oz. pkg. orange-flavored cake mix
21-oz. can peach pie filling
½ cup sour cream
2 eggs
confectioners sugar, or whipped topping
1. Heat oven to 350˚.
2. Mix dry cake mix, pie filling, sour cream, and eggs with a fork in an ungreased 9 × 13 baking pan, reaching into the corners until all ingredients are well mixed and moistened.
3. Stir batter vigorously with fork for one minute.
4. Scrape down sides with rubber spatula. Spread batter evenly in pan.
5. Bake 40–45 minutes, or until top springs back when touched lightly in center.
6. Cool.
7. Sprinkle with confectioners sugar, or spread with whipped topping just before serving.
Pear Bundt Cake
Orpha Herr
Andover, NY
Makes 16 servings
Prep. Time: 15 minutes
Cooking/Baking Time: 50–55 minutes
15¼-oz. can pears
18¼-oz. pkg. white cake mix
1 egg
2 egg whites
2 tsp. confectioners sugar
1. Remove pears from syrup to chop. Reserve syrup.
2. Place chopped pears and syrup in a mixing bowl. Add dry cake mix, 1 egg, and egg whites.
3. Beat with electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds, and then on high for 4 minutes.
4. Grease and flour a 10" bundt or fluted tube pan. Pour batter into prepared pan.
5. Bake at 350˚ for 50–55 minutes, or until tester inserted in center of cake comes out clean.
6. Cool for 15 minutes before removing from pan to cooling rack to cool completely.
7. Dust with confectioners sugar before slicing and serving.
Blueberry Swirl Cake
Lori Lehman
Ephrata, PA
Makes 15 servings
Prep. Time: 15 minutes
Cooking/Baking Time: 30–40 minutes
3-oz. pkg. cream cheese softened
18¼-oz. box white cake mix
3 eggs
3 Tbsp. water
21-oz. can blueberry pie filling
1. Beat cream cheese in a large mixing bowl until soft and creamy.
2. Stir in dry cake mix, eggs, and water. Blend well with cream cheese.
3. Pour into a greased 9 × 13 baking pan.
4. Pour blueberry pie filling over top of batter.
5. Swirl blueberries and batter with a knife by zig-zagging through batter.
6. Bake at 350˚ for 30–40 minutes, or until tester inserted in center comes out clean.
Spicy Pumpkin Cake
East Earl, PA
Makes 16 servings
Prep. Time: 20 minutes
Cooking/Baking Time: 40–45 minutes
18¼-oz. pkg. spice cake mix
½ cup water
½ cup oil
3 large eggs
half an 8-oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 cup canned pumpkin
6 squares semi-sweet baking chocolate coarsely chopped, optional
1. Preheat oven to 350˚.
2. Using an electric mixer, blend together cake mix, water, oil, and eggs.
3. Add cream cheese and pumpkin. Beat on medium speed until well blended.
4. Stir in chopped chocolate if you wish.
5. Pour into a greased bundt or 12-cup fluted tube pan.
6. Bake for 40–45 minutes, or until a tester inserted into center of cake comes out clean.
Tip: This is delicious with cream cheese frosting!
Butter Rum Cake
Cheryl Lapp, Parkesburg, PA
Makes 8–10 servings
Prep. Time: 10 minutes
Cooking/Baking Time: 40 minutes
Cooling Time: 15 minutes
18¼-oz. pkg. Plus Butter Cake mix
1 cup water
half a stick (¼ cup) butter, softened
3 eggs
2 tsp. rum extract
1 cup finely chopped pecans
1. Heat oven to 350˚.
2. Grease and flour a 10" angel food, or 12-cup fluted tube, pan.
3. In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to blend all ingredients except nuts until moistened. Then mix at the highest speed for 2 minutes.
4. Stir in nuts.
5. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake at 350˚ for 40 minutes.
6. If you wish, top with Rum Glaze (next to this recipe).
A Tip —
I substitute ½ cup of applesauce and ½ cup of oil when a recipes calls for 1 cup of oil. This makes things moist and healthier.
Rum Glaze
Prep Time: 5–10 minutes
⅓ cup sugar
5⅓ Tbsp. (⅓ cup) butter
2 Tbsp. water
2 tsp. rum extract
1. Mix all ingredients together in a saucepan.
2. Bring to boil, stirring frequently to blend and to prevent scorching.
3. After mixture boils, pour half around edge of baked cake while it’s still in the baking pan.
4. Allow to cool 5 minutes.
5. Poke top of cake at several places with a long fork. Pour remaining glaze over the cake top.
6. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan.
Marlene Fonken, Upland, CA
Esther Mast, Lancaster, PA
Peggy Clark, Burrton, KS
Makes 12 servings
Prep. Time: 5–10 minutes
Cooking/Baking Time: 35 minutes
1 box angel food cake mix
20-oz. can crushed pineapple, undrained
1 tsp. vanilla, optional
1. Mix ingredients together until well mixed.
2. Pour into either an ungreased 9 × 13 baking pan, into an ungreased tube pan, or into 2 ungreased bread pans.
3. If using a long baking pan, bake at 350˚ for 30–35 minutes. If using a tube pan, bake at 350˚ for 45 minutes.
4. If cake was baked in a tube pan, invert to cool.
Variations:
1. I bake the cake in a tube pan. I like to freeze the baked and cooled cake, and then cut it into slices when firm. I wrap the individual slices in plastic so I can serve it like ice cream to a large crowd.
— Esther Mast, Lancaster, PA
2. I bake the cake in a long pan or bread pans. I top the pieces or slices with a mound of whipped topping as I serve it.
—Marlene Fonken, Upland, CA
Cheesecake
Rhonda Freed
Croghan, NY
Makes 8 servings
Prep. Time: 15 minutes
Cooking/Baking Time: 50 minutes
Cooling Time: 15 minutes
2 8-oz. pkgs. cream cheese, softened
3 eggs
1 cup sugar, divided
2 tsp. vanilla, divided
1 cup sour cream
pie filling of your choice, optional
1. In a large mixing bowl, beat softened cream cheese, eggs, ¾ cup sugar, and 1 tsp. vanilla with electric mixer until smooth.
2. Pour into 9" glass pie plate.
3. Bake at 350˚ for 35 minutes on the second to bottom rack of oven.
4. Remove from oven and cool 15 minutes. (Do not turn the oven off.)
5. In a small bowl, beat together sour cream, ¼ cup sugar, and 1 tsp. vanilla with electric mixer.
6. Pour over top of cake.
7. Bake at 350˚ for 15 more minutes.
8. Cool completely. Store in refrigerator.
9. If you wish, top with pie filling of your choice to serve.
Blueberry Cheesecake
Betty Moore
Avon Park, FL
Makes 8 servings
Prep. Time: 10 minutes
Cooking/Baking Time: 25–30 minutes
Chilling Time: 4 hours
8-oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
½ cup sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1 graham cracker crust
21-oz. can blueberry pie filling
1. Preheat oven to 325˚.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar, and eggs. Beat with an electric mixer until fluffy.
3. Pour mixture into pie crust.
4. Bake 25–30 minutes. Cool.
5. Spread with half the blueberry pie filling. Chill 2–3 hours before serving.
6. Pass the remaining pie filling with the wedges of pie for anyone who wants to add more topping.
Variation: Use any flavor of pie filling that you wish.
Chris Kaczynski
Schenectady, NY
Makes 16 servings
Prep. Time: 15 minutes
Cooking/Baking Time: 45–50 minutes
Chilling Time: 3–4 hours
3 eggs, beaten
¾ cup sugar
3 8-oz. pkgs. cream cheese, softened
1 tsp. vanilla
24-oz. roll refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough
1. Preheat oven to 350˚.
2. Place all ingredients except cookie dough in large mixing bowl. With electric mixer, blend together until creamy. Set aside.
3. Slice cookie dough into ¼"-thick slices. Set aside 9 slices.
4. Lay remaining slices in bottom of 9 × 13 baking pan. Pat the slices together to form a solid crust.
5. Spoon in cream cheese mixture. Spread out over cookie crust.
6. Arrange the reserved 9 cookie slices on top of cream-cheese mixture.
7. Bake at 350˚ for 45–50 minutes. Allow to cool to room temperature.
8. Chill in refrigerator. When firm, cut into squares.
9. If you wish, when serving, top with whipped cream or chocolate topping.
Lemon Cheese Pie
Jere Zimmerman
Elaine Patton
West Middletown, PA
Esther Gingerich
Parnell, IA
Makes 8 servings
Prep. Time: 10 minutes
Cooling Time: 1 hour
8-oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
2 cups milk, divided
3.5-oz. box instant lemon pudding
9" graham cracker pie crust
1. In a good-sized mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until soft and creamy.
2. Add ½ cup milk and blend until smooth.
3. Add dry pudding mix and blend until smooth.
4. Blend in 1½ cups milk until well incorporated.
5. Beat slowly for 1 minute.
6. Pour into graham cracker crust.
7. Refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving.
Cream Puffs
Dorcas Alpirez
Willards, MD
Makes 8 servings
Prep. Time: 15 minutes
Cooking/Baking Time: 30 minutes
Standing Time: 5 minutes
½ cup water
half a stick (¼ cup) butter, no substitutes
½ cup all-purpose flour
2 eggs
ice cream, or prepared pudding
confectioners sugar
1. In a saucepan, bring water and butter to a boil.
2. Add flour all at once, stirring until a smooth ball forms.
3. Remove from heat. Let stand for 5 minutes.
4. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Continue beating until mixture is smooth.
5. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls, 3" apart, onto greased baking sheet.
6. Bake at 400˚ for 30–35 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove to wire racks.
7. Immediately slice tops off puffs (keep the tops) and discard soft dough from inside.
8. Fill puffs with your choice of filling. Lay tops back on. Dust with confectioners sugar, if you wish.
Pies
Grandma’s Apple Pie
Lawrence, KS
Makes 8 servings
Prep. Time: 30 minutes
Cooking/Baking Time: 45 minutes
6 cups pared and sliced apples (about 6 medium-sized tart apples; Granny Smith work well)
6-oz. can frozen 100% juice apple juice concentrate, thawed
1½ Tbsp. cornstarch
1 Tbsp. water
1 tsp. cinnamon
3 Tbsp. butter, optional
10" double pie crust, unbaked
1. Place sliced apples in saucepan with juice concentrate.
2. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and then simmer, covered, for 5 minutes.
3. In a small bowl, dissolve cornstarch in water.
4. Gently stir into the apples.
5. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 10–15 minutes. Apples will begin to soften as mixture becomes thickened. Stir occasionally so it does not scorch.
6. Gently stir in cinnamon.
7. Fill bottom pie crust with apples.
8. Dot with butter if you wish.
9. Cover with top crust. Pinch crusts together. With a sharp knife, cut 6–8 steam vents across the top crust.
10. Place pie pan on a baking sheet in case the filling cooks out. Bake at 350˚ for about 45 minutes, or until top crust is lightly browned.
Cinnamon Apple Crumb Pie
Carol Eberly, Harrisonburg, VA
Makes 6–8 servings
Prep. Time: 10–15 minutes
Cooking/Baking Time: 50–55 minutes
21-oz. can apple pie filling
9" unbaked pie crust
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
4 Tbsp. butter, divided
1½–2 cups crushed pecan shortbread cookies
1. Pour pie filling into pie crust.
2. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Dot with 1 Tbsp. butter.
3. Melt remaining butter.
4. Place cookie crumbs in a small bowl. Stir in melted butter until coarse crumbs form.
5. Sprinkle over filling.
6. Cover edges of pastry loosely with foil.
7. Bake at 450˚ for 10 minutes.
8. Reduce heat to 350˚. Remove foil. Bake for 40–45 minutes, or until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly.
9. Cool on wire rack before cutting and serving.
Sour Cream Apple Pie
Carna Reitz
Remington, VA
Makes 6–8 servings
Prep. Time: 5–10 minutes
Cooking/Baking Time: 30–40 minutes
½ cup sour cream
¼ cup sugar
1 egg
21-oz. can apple pie filling
9" unbaked pie crust
1. In a small mixing bowl, stir together sour cream, sugar, and egg. Pour into pie crust.
2. Spoon pie filling over sour cream mixture.
3. Bake at 375˚ for 30–40 minutes, or until filling is firm and crust is slightly golden on the edges.
Variations: You can substitute cherry, blueberry, or other fruit pie fillings for the apple filling.
Martha Mullet
Sugarcreek, OH
Makes 8 servings
Prep. Time: 20–25 minutes
Cooking/Baking Time: 20 minutes
pastry for 9" single-crust pie
¾ cup plus 2 tsp. sugar, divided
3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
4 cups sliced peeled fresh pears (about 4 medium-sized pears)
3 Tbsp. sliced almonds
1. Roll out pastry into a 10" circle. Fold lightly into quarters, and place on an ungreased baking sheet with sides. (The sides are important in case the pastry develops a tear and the filling leaks out while baking.)
2. In a small bowl, combine ¾ cup sugar and flour.
3. Add pears. Toss to coat.
4. Place pear mixture in center of pastry, spreading to within 2" of edges. Fold edges up and slightly crimp.
5. Sprinkle with remaining sugar.
6. Bake at 450˚ for 15 minutes, or until pears are tender.
7. Sprinkle with almonds. Bake 5 minutes longer.
8. Cool slightly before cutting into wedges.
Mom’s Fresh Fruit Pie
Stacy Stoltzfus, Grantham, PA
Jean A. Shaner, York, PA
Janet Oberholtzer, Ephrata, PA
Eunice Fisher, Clarksville, MI
Carolyn Lehman Henry
Clinton, NY
Monica ByDeley
Annville, PA
Makes 8 servings
Prep. Time: 15 minutes
Chilling Time: 4–8 hours
3–4 cups fresh fruit of your choice: berries, peaches, or a mixture of fruits
9" baked pie shell
.3-oz. pkg. strawberry gelatin (or other flavor to match the fruit)
¾–1¼ cups sugar, depending on the sweetness of the fruit
3 rounded Tbsp. cornstarch
2 cups warm water
whipped topping, optional
1. Wash and pat dry fresh fruit. Slice if necessary.
2. Arrange fruit in baked pie shell and set aside.
3. In a saucepan mix the gelatin, sugar, and cornstarch. Add 2 cups warm water. Cook and stir until thickened and clear.
4. Pour over fruit. Refrigerate several hours until set.
5. When time to serve, top with whipped topping if you wish.
Fresh Peach Pie
Jan Mast
Lancaster, PA
Makes 8 servings
Prep. Time: 15 minutes
Chilling Time: 3–5 hours
Cooking/Baking Time: 5–10 minutes
½–¾ cup sugar
2 Tbsp. clear gel
¼ cup peach-flavored gelatin*
1 cup water
1 qt. fresh peaches, peeled and sliced
9" prepared, pastry or graham cracker, crust
frozen whipped topping, thawed, optional
1. Mix the sugar, clear gel, and gelatin in a small mixing bowl. Stir in water.
2. Microwave to a full boil. Cook briefly at that heat until gel become clear.
3. Cool at room temperature for several hours.
4. Fold in peaches.
5. Spoon into baked pie shell.
6. Refrigerate 1 hour or more before serving.
7. If you wish, top with whipped topping just before serving.
* A .3-oz. box of gelatin is ⅓ cup, which you can use. I think it makes a thicker filling than is ideal.
Raspberry Custard Pie
Dayton, VA
Makes 6–8 serivngs
Prep. Time: 7–10 minutes
Cooking/Baking Time: 45–55 minutes
Cooling Time: 30 minutes
9" unbaked pie shell
3 cups fresh black raspberries
¾ cup sugar
3 Tbsp. flour
¾ cup half-and-half
½ tsp. cinnamon, optional
1. Wash berries. Dry by blotting with a paper towel. Place in pie shell.
2. Mix remaining ingredients in a small mixing bowl until smooth. Pour over berries.
3. Bake at 375˚ for 15 minutes. Turn oven back to 300˚. Bake 30–40 minutes more, or until center is set.
4. Allow to cool before slicing and serving.
Variation: Use peaches or other berries instead of raspberries.
Summertime Berry Dessert
Natalia Showalter
Mt. Solon, VA
Makes 8 servings
Prep. Time: 15 minutes
Chilling Time: 1–8 hours
half an 8-oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
¼–⅓ cup sugar
½ cup whipping cream
9" graham cracker crust
3–4 cups fresh blueberries, strawberries, huckleberries, or raspberries, washed and drained
1. In a mixing bowl, blend cream cheese and sugar until well combined and creamy.
2. Whip cream. Fold into cream cheese-sugar mixture.
3. Spread whipped cream mixture into graham crust. Chill until ready to serve.
4. Just before serving top with fresh berries.
Grandma’s Spring Rhubarb Pie
Eleya Raisn
Oxford, IA
Makes 6 servings
Prep. Time: 30 minutes
Cooking/Baking Time: 45 minutes
1 cup sugar
3 Tbsp. flour
2 egg yolks, beaten
3 cups diced rhubarb
9" unbaked pie crust
1. In a mixing bowl, stir sugar, flour, and egg yolks together until crumbly. Set aside ¾ cup of the crumbs for topping.
2. Stir cut-up rhubarb into remaining crumbs.
3. Spoon rhubarb mixture into pie shell.
4. Sprinkle reserved crumbs on top of pie filling.
5. Bake at 400˚ for 25 minutes.
6. Reduce heat to 350˚ and bake an additional 20 minutes, or until rhubarb filling is bubbling.
7. Allow to cool before slicing and serving.
A Tip —
Cooking with someone else is always more fun than cooking solo.
Trudy Kutter, Corfu, NY
Janie Canupp, Millersville, MD
Makes 6–8 minutes
Prep. Time: 15 minutes
Chilling Time: 4 or more hours
14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated)
half a 12-oz. container frozen whipped topping, thawed, plus more if you choose
½ cup key lime juice
grated lime rind, optional
9" graham cracker pie crust
2 kiwis, optional
1. In a large mixing bowl, mix condensed milk with thawed dairy topping until blended.
2. Fold in lime juice and rind and blend well.
3. Pour into crust and chill for at least 4 hours.
4. Peel kiwi and slice over pie just before serving, if you like. Add a dollop of whipped topping to the top of each piece when serving, if you wish.
A Tip —
To get the most juice from a lime or lemon, heat it in the microwave for 10 seconds, then squeeze it.
Key Lime—or Lemon—Pie
Denise Martin, Lancaster, PA
Naomi Ressler, Harrisonburg, VA
Judy DeLong, Burnt Hills, NY
Erma Martin, East Earl, PA
Jan Pembleton, Arlington, TX
Makes 8 servings
Prep. Time: 15 minutes
Cooling Time: 2 hours
.3-oz. box lime gelatin
¼ cup boiling water
2 8-oz. containers key lime yogurt
8-oz. container frozen whipped topping, thawed
9" graham cracker crust
1. In a large mixing bowl, dissolve gelatin in boiling water. Whisk in yogurt.
2. Fold in whipped topping. Pour into crust.
3. Refrigerate 2 hours.
Variations:
1. This pie is equally delicious with a reduced-fat crust, sugar-free gelatin, and non-fat yogurt and whipped topping.
— Erma Martin
East Earl, PA
2. Substitute lemon gelatin for the lime. Substitute lemon-light yogurt for the key lime. Follow all other directions above for a Lemon Pie.
— Jan Pembleton
Arlington, TX
Yogurt Pie
Sarah Miller, Harrisonburg, VA
Shirley Sears, Tiskilwa, IL
Trudy Kutter, Corfu, NY
Betty Moore, Plano, IL
Joyce Kaut, Rochester, NY
Ruth Shank, Monroe, GA
Makes 6 servings
Prep. Time: 5 minutes
Cooling Time: 5–9 hours, or overnight
¼ cup water
.3-oz. box gelatin, your choice of flavor
2 6-oz. containers yogurt, your choice of flavor
8-oz. container frozen whipped topping, thawed
9" graham cracker crust
1. Boil water. Stir in gelatin until dissolved. Allow to cool unto syrupy but not firm.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine partially-gelled gelatin, yogurt, and thawed whipped topping.
3. Pour into crust.
4. Allow to cool until firm, from 4–8 hours, or overnight.
Variation: Skip the water and gelatin. Instead use 1 pint cut-up fruit, such as strawberries or blueberries. Mix the fruit with the yogurt and thawed whipped topping. If you use canned fruit, be sure to drain it well before mixing it with the other ingredients.
— Joyce Kaut, Rochester, NY
— Ruth Shank, Monroe, GA
Cookies ’n Cream Pie
Bowmansville, PA
Makes 6–8 servings
Prep. Time: 15 minutes
Freezing Time: 6–8 hours, or overnight
1½ cups half-and-half
3.4-oz. pkg. instant vanilla, or French vanilla, pudding mix
8-oz. carton frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 cup crushed cream-filled chocolate sandwich cookies
9" chocolate crumb pie crust
1. In a mixing bowl, combine the half-and-half and dry pudding mix. Beat on medium speed for 1 minute. Let stand for 5 minutes.
2. Fold in whipped topping and crushed cookies.
3. Spoon into crust.
4. Freeze until firm, for about 6–8 hours or overnight.
5. Remove from freezer 10 minutes before serving.
Sugar-Free Double-Chocolate Cream Pie
Peggy Clark
Burrton, KS
Makes 6–8 servings
Prep. Time: 15–20 minutes
Standing/Chilling Time 30–60 minutes:
1½ cups milk, divided
3-oz. pkg. dark chocolate sugar-free pudding
8-oz. container light frozen whipped topping, thawed, divided
9" graham cracker crust
3-oz. pkg. white chocolate sugar-free pudding
1. In a small mixing bowl, mix ¾ cup milk with dark chocolate pudding mix.
2. Fold half of whipped topping into dark chocolate pudding.
3. Place dark chocolate pudding into crust.
4. In another small mixing bowl, mix remaining ¾ cup milk with white chocolate pudding mix.
5. Fold remaining whipped topping into white chocolate pudding.
6. Spoon white chocolate pudding over top of dark chocolate pudding, being careful not to mix the two.
7. Refrigerate until ready to eat.
Easy Peanut Butter Pie
Kendra Dreps, Liberty, PA
Makes 6 servings
Prep. Time: 10 minutes
Chilling Time: 2–4 hours
8-oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup confectioners sugar
8-oz. pkg. frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 graham cracker crust
peanut butter cups, chopped, optional
1. In a large mixing bowl, cream the cream cheese and peanut butter together until smooth.
2. Stir in the confectioners sugar until well incorporated.
3. Fold in the whipped topping.
4. Pile into pie crust.
5. If you wish, top with chopped peanut butter cups.
6. Refrigerate 2–4 hours before serving.
Jenny R. Unternahrer
Wayland, IA
Makes 8 servings
Prep. Time: 15 minutes
Chilling Time: 2–4 hours
9" pie crust, baked and cooled
⅓–½ cup creamy natural peanut butter
2 bananas, sliced
3-oz. pkg. sugar-free instant vanilla pudding
1¾ cups milk
1. Spread peanut butter on bottom and sides of baked pie crust. Use as much or as little as you like.
2. Layer banana slices on top of the peanut butter and around the sides of the pie shell.
3. Mix pudding and milk together according to pudding package instructions.
4. Pour pudding over bananas, covering all of them.
5. Refrigerate 2–4 hours, or until set.
Tip: If you prefer a fuller pie you can use another half package of pudding and 7 ozs. milk, adding to the milk and pudding in the recipe.
Crunchy Peanut Butter Ice Cream Pie
Mary Ann Bowman
East Earl, PA
Susan Wenger
Lebanon, PA
Joanna Bear
Salisbury, MD
Makes 6–8 servings
Prep. Time: 15 minutes
Freezing Time: 4–6 hours
⅓–½ cup crunchy peanut butter
⅓–½ cup light corn syrup
2–3 cups Rice Krispies
1 qt. vanilla ice cream, slightly softened
toppings of your choice—whipped topping, broken nuts, cut-up fresh fruit, mini- M&M’s, mini-chocolate chips, or chopped peanut butter cups
1. In a mixing bowl, beat peanut butter and corn syrup together until well blended.
2. Stir in rice krispies.
3. Using a spoon, or your buttered fingers, press mixture into a 9" buttered pie pan.
4. Fill pie shell with softened ice cream.
5. Freeze 4–6 hours, or until firm.
6. When ready to serve, garnish with the toppings of your choice.
7. To make serving easier, set the filled pie plate in warm water for 1 minute before cutting the pie.
Tips from the Tester:
1. On the one pie I made, I added a layer of chocolate syrup over the crust before spooning in the vanilla ice cream. Then I drizzled more chocolate syrup on top of the ice cream.
2. For the second pie, I used chocolate ice cream. In fact, you can use any flavor of ice cream that you wish and that you find compatible with the peanut-butter-flavored crust.
Variations:
1. Instead of the corn syrup, use half a stick (¼ cup) butter and 2 Tbsp. brown sugar.
2. Instead of Rice Krispies, use 4½ cups sugar-coated cornflakes, crushed.
— Joanna Bear, Salisbury, MD
Creamy Peanut Butter Ice Cream Pie
Anita Troyer
Fairview, MI
Makes 6–8 servings
Prep. Time: 15 minutes
Freezing Time: 8 hours or overnight
4 cups (1 qt.) vanilla ice cream, softened
⅓ cup peanut butter
¾ cup frozen whipped topping, thawed
graham cracker crust
chocolate syrup
1. In a large mixing bowl, mix ice cream and peanut butter together until smooth.
2. Fold in whipped topping until well distributed.
3. Pour into crust and freeze until ready to serve.
4. Drizzle chocolate syrup over top just before serving.
Pie Crust
Christine Weaver
Reinholds, PA
Gwendolyn Chapman
Gwinn, MI
Makes 1 9" 2-crust pie
Prep. Time: 10 minutes
2½ cups flour
½ tsp. salt
¾ cup shortening
6–7 Tbsp. cold water
1. Place flour and salt in large bowl. Cut in shortening with pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal or tiny peas.
2. Add water a little at a time and mix lightly with fork until pastry holds together when pressed into a ball.
3. Divide dough into 2 balls, 1 using about ⅔ of the dough, and the other using about ⅓ of the dough.
4. Roll out larger ball of dough on floured countertop until dough is 2" larger than pie pan.
5. Lightly fold circle of dough in half. Then lightly fold in half again so that the resulting shape is a ¼ circle.
6. Lay crust into pie pan. Open up folds. Press crust loosely but firmly into the pan.
7. For a pre-baked shell, prick the bottom and sides of the dough with a sharp fork. Then bake the unfilled crust at 425˚ for 10 minutes.
If your recipe directs you to bake a filled crust, spoon or pour the filling into the crust, and then bake according to the pie recipe instructions.
A Tip —
Buy sturdy kitchen tools. Buy ones that fit well into your hands. Take care of them and they will last a very long time.
Strawberry Jello
Cynthia Morrix, Grottoes, VA
Makes 8 servings
Prep. Time: 20–30 minutes
Chilling Time: 4–6 hours
2 .3-oz. boxes wild strawberry gelatin, divided
1½ cups boiling water
2 pints frozen strawberries, thawed, juice reserved, divided
1–1½ cups cold water
8-oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 pkg. Dream Whip, or 2 cups frozen whipped topping, thawed
1. In a large mixing bowl, mix 1½ boxes dry gelatin with 1½ cups boiling water. Stir until dissolved.
2. Drain strawberry juice into a measuring cup. Set aside ½ cup for Topping. To remaining strawberry juice, add enough cold water to equal 1½ cups. Stir into hot water with dissolved gelatin.
3. Add strawberries and mix.
4. Pour into large serving bowl. Chill until firm.
Topping
1. Pour reserved half box of dry gelatin into a small saucepan. Mix with reserved ½ cup strawberry juice.
2. Cut cream cheese into small chunks. Add to mixture in saucepan. Stir over low heat until blended.
3. Let cool to room temperature.
4. Fold in Dream Whip or whipped topping.
5. Pour over gelatin mixture.
6. Cover and refrigerate for 2–3 hours or more.
My mom always makes this for my birthday!
Whipped Strawberry Jello
Ruth Ann Hoover
New Holland, PA
Makes 8–10 servings
Prep. Time: 30 minutes
Chilling Time: 3–4 hours
2 .3-oz. pkgs. strawberry gelatin
2 cups frozen strawberries
1 cup miniature marshmallows
8-oz. container frozen whipped topping, thawed
1. Mix gelatin according to package directions.
2. When gelatin begins to set, beat.
3. Fold in strawberries and marshmallows.
4. Fold in whipped topping.
5. Refrigerate until set. It’s then ready to serve.
Peach Bavarian
Erma Martin
East Earl, PA
Makes 8–10 servings
Prep. Time: 30 minutes
Chilling Time: 8 hours, or overnight
16-oz. can sliced peaches
2 .3-oz. pkgs. peach, or apricot, gelatin
½ cup sugar
2 cups boiling water
1 tsp. almond extract
8-oz. container frozen whipped topping, thawed
additional peach slices, optional
1. Drain peaches, reserving ⅔ cup juice. Chop peaches into small pieces. Set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, dissolve gelatin and sugar in boiling water.
3. Stir in reserved peach juice. Cover and chill in the fridge until slightly thickened.
4. Stir extract into whipped topping. Gently fold into gelatin mixture. Fold in peaches.
5. Pour into 6-cup mold. Cover and chill overnight.
6. Unmold when ready to serve. Garnish with additional peach slices, if you wish.
Betty K. Drescher
Quakertown, PA
Makes 8 servings
Prep. Time: 15 minutes
Cooking/Baking Time: 10 minutes
Chilling Time: 3–4 hours
¾ cup sugar
3 Tbsp. quick tapioca
1 cup boiling water
2 cups rhubarb, sliced ¼" thick
.3-oz. box strawberry gelatin
1 cup cold water
1½ cups sliced strawberries, optional
1. Combine sugar and tapioca in saucepan.
2. Stir in 1 cup boiling water. Let stand 5 minutes.
3. Bring mixture to boil.
4. Add 2 cups rhubarb. Simmer 5 minutes.
5. Remove pan from heat. Add gelatin, stirring to dissolve.
6. Stir in 1 cup cold water.
7. Chill until set, about 3–4 hours.
8. If you wish, stir in fresh strawberries after mixture sets.
Cranberry Mousse
Kathleen A. Rogge
Alexandria, IN
Makes 6–8 servings
Prep. Time: 20 minutes
Cooking/Baking Time: 5 minutes
Chilling Time: 3–4 hours
1 cup cranberry juice cocktail
.3-oz. pkg. raspberry-flavored gelatin
16-oz. can jellied cranberry sauce
1 cup heavy cream
1. In a good-sized saucepan, heat cranberry juice cocktail to boiling.
2. Stir in gelatin until dissolved.
3. Stir in cranberry sauce.
4. Chill until mixture is thickened.
5. Meanwhile, whip cream in chilled bowl until stiff peaks form. Reserve about ½ cup for garnishing mousse before serving.
6. Fold whipped cream into thickened cranberry mixture.
7. Spoon into serving dish. Chill until firm.
8. Garnish with additional whipped cream just before serving.
Lightly Lemon Fruit Salad
Dorothy A. Shank, Sterling, IL
Shirley Unternahrer Hinh
Wayland, IA
Makes 8–10 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooling Time: 4 hours or more
.6-oz. box lemon, or apricot, gelatin
20-oz. can crushed pineapple, not drained
8-oz. container whipped topping, thawed
2 cups buttermilk
1. Put gelatin and pineapple into microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on High for 3 minutes.
2. Stir. Let stand 2 minutes.
3. Fold in whipped topping.
4. Stir in buttermilk.
5. Place in a serving bowl. Cover and refrigerate until set.
We always made this recipe with apricot gelatin and called it “Mayme Lorene’s Apricot Salad.” Mayme Lorene found this recipe and learned to make it with her Grandma Unternahrer. Mom, Mayme’s grandmother, was a good cook and taught us all so much about baking, sewing, preserving … life … family. Patricia Unternahrer was a regular participant in Good Books’ cookbooks. We lost Mom this last February and miss her much.
— Shirley Unternahrer Hinh
Wayland, IA
Jeanne Allen, Rye, CO
Janie Canupp
Millersville, MD
Makes 4–6 servings
Prep. Time: 10 minutes
Cooling Time: 4 hours
20-oz. can crushed pineapple, undrained
3-oz. pkg. pistachio instant pudding
1 bag miniature marshmallows
8-oz. container frozen whipped topping, thawed
maraschino cherries, optional
1. Mix first three ingredients together in a large mixing bowl.
2. Chill until firm, about 3–4 hours.
3. Fold the whipped topping into the mixture. Place in a serving bowl.
4. Cover and return to refrigerator.
5. Garnish with maraschino cherries if you wish, just before serving.
Variation: Substitute ½ cup chopped nuts and ½ cup miniature marshmallows instead of 1 bag miniature marshmallows.
— Janie Canupp
Millersville, MD
Lemon Souffle
Susan Kasting
Jenks, OK
Makes 12 servings
Prep. Time: 20 minutes
Cooling Time: 8 hours, or overnight
2½ cups water
2 .3-oz. pkgs. lemon gelatin
1 cup sugar
2 lemons, juice and zest
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 prepared angel food cake
1. Bring water to a boil. Dissolve gelatin in boiling water.
2. Stir in sugar, lemon juice, and zest.
3. Chill just until mixture thickens.
4. Whip cream in chilled bowl until stiff peaks form.
5. Fold into thickened gelatin.
6. Break up angel food cake into 1"–2" pieces Place in large bowl.
7. Fold gelatin mixture into cake pieces.
8. Place in serving bowl, cover, and refrigerate overnight.
Refreshing Raspberry Citrus
Dale Peterson
Rapid City, SD
Marguerite Baumgartner
Versailles, MO
Makes 5 servings
Prep. Time: 10–15 minutes
Cooling Time: 4 hours
.3-oz. pkg. raspberry gelatin
1 cup boiling water
1 cup vanilla ice cream
3 Tbsp. orange juice
8¾-oz. can crushed pineapple with juice
½ cup walnuts
1. Dissolve gelatin in boiling water.
2. Pour into mixing bowl. Stir in ice cream and orange juice until dissolved.
3. Stir in pineapple and nuts.
4. When well mixed, pour into a serving dish or salad mold. Cover and refrigerate until firm.
Variations:
1. Add 1 banana, sliced, in Step 3. Drop orange juice, if you wish.
2. Use pecans instead of walnuts, if you wish.
— Marguerite Baumgartner
Versailles, MO
Orange Supreme Tapioca Pudding
Jennifer Eberly, Harrisonburg, VA
Peggy Clark, Burrton, KS
Janet Derstine, Telford, PA
Anne Nolt, Thompsontown, PA
Arlene Snyder, Millerstown, PA
Janelle Nolt, Richland, PA
Beth Shank, Wellman, IA
Makes 4–6 servings
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Chilling Time: 4 hours or more
3-oz. box instant tapioca pudding
.3-oz. box orange gelatin
3-oz. box instant vanilla pudding
2 cups hot water
15-oz. can mandarin oranges, or crushed pineapples
8-oz. container whipped topping, thawed
1. Combine dry tapioca pudding, dry gelatin, and dry pudding, along with hot water, in a medium-sized saucepan.
2. Bring to a boil. Cook over medium heat until thick and bubbly, about 3 minutes. Stir constantly.
3. Cool to room temperature.
4. Fold in mandarin oranges and whipped topping.
5. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours.
Variation: Use 2 boxes of vanilla pudding and drop the tapioca pudding.
— Anne Nolt
Thompsontown, PA
— Arlene Snyder
Millerstown, PA
— Janelle Nolt, Richland, PA
— Beth Shank, Wellman, IA
Mandarin Orange Sherbet Dessert
Lori Lehman
Ephrata, PA
Mary Ann Bowman
East Earl, PA
Makes 8 servings
Prep. Time: 2 hours
Chilling Time: 8 hours
.3-oz. pkg. orange gelatin
1 cup boiling water
1 pint orange sherbet
16-oz. can mandarin oranges, drained
1 cup whipped topping, thawed
1. Dissolve gelatin in water. Place in mixing bowl.
2. Add sherbet and oranges. Place in fridge until mixture begins to thicken, about 20 minutes.
3. Fold in whipped topping.
4. Spoon into serving dish. Cover and chill 8 hours before serving.
Variation: Instead of folding the whipped topping into the dessert, use it as a topping just before serving.
— Mary Ann Bowman
East Earl, PA
Sunshine Salad
Mary Lynn Miller
Reinhelds, PA
Makes 8–10 servings
Prep Time: 10–15 minutes
Chilling Time: 2 hours, or more
20-oz. can pineapple tidbits
11-oz. can mandarin oranges
3.4-oz. pkg. instant lemon pudding
1 cup stemmed and quartered strawberries
1 cup sliced ripe bananas
1. Drain pineapples and oranges, reserving liquid.
2. In a large bowl, combine pudding mix with reserved fruit juices.
3. Fold in pineapple, oranges, and strawberries.
4. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours.
5. Fold in bananas just before serving.
Barbara Yoder
Christiana, PA
Hazel Lightcap Propst
Oxford, PA
Carna Reitz
Remington, VA
Carolyn A. Baer
Conrath, WI
Makes 6–8 servings
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Chilling Time: 8 hours or overnight
1 cup sour cream
1 cup flaked coconut
11-oz. can mandarin oranges, drained
1 cup pineapple tidbits, drained
1 cup miniature marshmallows
2 Tbsp. chopped walnuts, optional
1 Tbsp. brown sugar, optional
1. Mix the first 5 ingredients together in a serving bowl.
2. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
3. If you wish, just before serving garnish with walnuts and brown sugar.
Variations:
Add 1 cup seedless grapes to the salad.
Coconut can be an optional ingredient.
— Carna Reitz, Remington, VA
Substitute fruit cocktail for the mandarin oranges.
Add 1 cup large-curd cottage cheese, if you wish.
— Carolyn A. Baer
Conrath, WI
Creamy Grape Salad
Nettie J. Miller
Millersburg, OH
Makes 8–10 servings
Prep Time: 20–30 minutes
Chilling Time: 1–2 hours, or more
8-oz. pkg. cream cheese, at room temperature
2 cups sour cream
½ cup brown sugar
½ tsp. vanilla
6 cups stemmed and washed seedless grapes, red or green
1. In a large mixing bowl, blend the first three ingredients together until smooth.
2. Add vanilla.
3. Fold in grapes.
4. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for 1–2 hours, or more.
Baked Cranberry Sauce
Carolyn Lehman Henry
Clinton, NY
Makes 6–8 servings
Prep. Time: 5 minutes
Cooking/Baking Time: 45 minutes
12-oz. pkg. fresh cranberries
12-oz. jar orange marmalade
¾ cup sugar
¼ cup water
1 cup chopped pecans
1. Preheat oven to 350˚.
2. In a 9 × 13 glass baking dish, combine cranberries, orange marmalade, sugar, and water.
3. Bake uncovered for 45 minutes.
4. Stir in pecans.
5. Serve warm or chilled.
A Tip —
Don’t be afraid to ask the experienced cooks in your church and community for their recipes. At age 64, I still do.
Marinated Strawberries
Glen Burnie, MD
Makes 4 servings
Prep. Time: 20–25 minutes
Chilling Time: 2 hours
3 pints fresh strawberries
½ cup superfine or granulated sugar
juice of 2 large oranges and zest of 1
⅓ cup orange-flavored liqueur
whipped topping or whipped cream, optional
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh mint leaves, optional
1. Hull strawberries and place in large bowl. If berries are large, cut in half. Do not overcrowd.
2. Sprinkle with sugar and orange zest. Add juice and liqueur. Carefully fold into berries.
3. Cover bowl. Refrigerate for about 2 hours, stirring carefully once or twice.
4. Serve chilled, topped with whipped topping or cream and mint leaves, if you wish.
Chocolate Strawberry Salad
Lucy O’Connell
Northampton, MA
Makes 8 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
2 lbs. fresh strawberries, sliced and slightly mashed
1 cup milk chocolate chips or chunks
½ cup sugar, or to taste
½ cup toasted coconut, optional
1. Combine berries, chocolate, and sugar.
2. Top with toasted coconut, if you wish.
Fruit Dip Salad
Natalia Showalter
Mt. Solon, VA
Makes 20 servings
Prep. Time: 15–20 minutes
Chilling Time: 1–2 hours
8-oz. pkg. cream cheese, at room temperature
¾ cup confectioners sugar, or to taste
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 pt. whipping cream, whipped
4 lbs. fresh grapes, strawberries, and nectarines, mixed
½ cup chopped pecan pieces, optional
1. Combine first 3 ingredients in large mixing bowl.
2. Fold in whipped cream.
3. Cut fruit into bite-sized chunks.
4. Gently stir fruit into dressing.
5. Cover and chill 1–2 hours.
6. Just before serving, stir in chopped pecans, if you wish.
Tip: If you use only grapes in this recipe, substitute brown sugar for the confectioners sugar.
Ice Cream Dessert
Violette Harris Denney
Carrollton, GA
Naomi Ressler, Harrisonburg, VA
Karla Baer, North Lima, OH
Makes 12–15 servings
Prep. Time: 20 minutes
Freezing Time: 6–8 hours, or overnight
2 stacks Oreo cookies from a 1-lb. 2-oz.-pkg.
half gallon vanilla ice cream, softened
8-oz. container frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 cup roasted peanuts
chocolate syrup to pour on top
1. Place a portion of the cookies in a zip-lock bag. Roll with a rolling pin until crushed. Place crumbled cookies in a 8 × 10 baking pan or casserole dish. Repeat until all cookies are crushed.
2. Spoon ice cream evenly over cookie crumbs, being careful not to disturb the crumbs.
3. Spread whipped topping over ice cream.
4. Sprinkle with peanuts.
5. Pour chocolate syrup over top.
6. Freeze for 6–8 hours.
Variation:
1. Set aside ¾ cup crumbs after completing Step 1.
2. In large bowl, mix rest of crumbs with softened ice cream.
3. Fold in whipped topping.
4. Spoon into 8 × 10 dish or pan. Score top of dessert into 8 serving-size pieces.
5. Sprinkle with reserved crumbs.
6. Cover. Freeze until solid.
7. Soften slightly before cutting into squares and serving.
— Naomi Ressler
Harrisonburg, VA
— Karla Baer, North Lima, OH
Tip: Keep on hand for guests and serve as needed. It will keep well in the freezer for several weeks.
Chocolate Mint Delight
Eileen Eash, Carlsbad, NM
Makes 6 servings
Prep. Time: 15 minutes
Cooling Time: 20 minutes
.3-oz. pkg. lime gelatin
1 cup boiling water
2 cups vanilla ice cream, softened
½–¾ tsp. peppermint extract, according to your taste preference
¼ cup chocolate chips
1 cup frozen whipped topping, thawed
1. In a large mixing bowl, dissolve gelatin in boiling water.
2. Stir in ice cream until melted.
3. Stir in peppermint flavoring and chocolate chips.
4. Chill about 20 minutes, or until mixture is partially set.
5. Fold in whipped topping.
6. Chill until ready to serve.
Tip from Tester: To simplify, you could substitute mint chocolate chip ice cream instead of vanilla ice cream, peppermint extract, and chocolate chips.
Gladys’ Christmas Dessert
Arlene Leaman Kliewer
Lakewood, CO
Makes 8–10 servings
Prep. Time: 5 minutes
Freezing Time: 4–5 hours or more
2-qt. box pineapple, or raspberry, sherbet, softened
10-oz. pkg. frozen raspberries with juice, thawed
2–3 bananas, mashed
½–¾ cup broken nuts, according to your taste preference
1. Mix all ingredients together in a large mixing bowl.
2. Spoon into a bowl or baking pan. Cover and freeze until firm throughout.
3. Remove from freezer to soften enough to eat partially frozen.
Patricia Howard
Green Valley, AL
Makes 6 servings
Prep. Time: 10 minutes
Cooking/Baking Time: 10 minutes
Freezing Time: 3–4 hours or more
2 cups raw cranberries
1 cup very hot water
additional water
1 cup sugar
2 cups tart apples, grated
1. In a medium-sized saucepan, cook cranberries in 1 cup partially boiling water until skins burst, about 5 minutes. Strain through a medium sieve. Discard skins.
2. Measure and add enough water to make 2 cups pulp and juice. Return to pan and cook 2 minutes.
3. Stir in sugar and simmer gently until it dissolves. Stir frequently.
4. Cool until room temperature.
5. Stir in 2 cups grated tart apples. Pour into refrigerator tray and freeze for 1–2 hours.
6. Stir. Return to freezer and continue freezing until firm.
7. To serve, place in refrigerator until partially thawed. Stir, or scratch up with fork tines before placing in serving bowl or individual dessert bowls.
Low-Fat Homemade Ice Cream
Denae Villines, Whitewater, KS
Makes 3 servings
Prep. Time: 10 minutes
Freezing Time: 4–8 hours, or overnight
3-oz. box sugar-free, fat-free instant pudding, any flavor
2 cups fat-free milk
8-oz. container frozen fat-free whipped topping, thawed
1. In a large mixing bowl, mix pudding and milk until smooth and creamy.
2. Fold in whipped topping.
3. Place in serving bowl or casserole dish.
4. Freeze for 4–8 hours, or until solid.
I think chocolate is the best!
Ice Cream
Mary Kathryn Yoder
Harrisonville, MO
Makes 10 servings
Prep. Time: 15–20 minutes
Freezing Time: 4 hours
½ gallon chocolate milk
14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk
12-oz. container frozen whipped topping, thawed
1. Mix chocolate milk and sweetened condensed milk together in a good-sized mixing bowl.
2. Stir in whipped topping until well blended.
3. Pour into serving bowl or casserole dish. Cover.
4. Freeze until firm, about 4 hours.
Sherbet Ice Cream
Sara Bucher
Lisbon Falls, ME
Makes 20–24 servings
Prep. Time: 5 minutes
Chilling Time: 60 minutes
Turning Time: 20 minutes
14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk
20-oz. chunked and/or crushed pineapple
2 liters orange soda
1. Combine milk and pineapple in a large bowl. Chill for at least 60 minutes in refrigerator. (Also chill soda in fridge.)
2. When ready to turn sherbet in the ice cream freezer, pour soda into freezer.
3. Stir in combined milk and pineapple.
4. Turn until frozen.
Hot Fudge Sauce
Sharon Wantland
Menomonee Falls, WI
Makes 4 servings
Prep. Time: 10 minutes
12-oz. pkg. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup half-and-half
1 Tbsp. butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1. Combine chocolate chips and half-and-half in an 8-cup glass microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on High for 1–1½ minutes until chips melt when stirred.
2. Cool until just-warm. Stir in butter and vanilla.
Aunt Dorothy’s Chocolate Sauce
Karen Kay Tucker
Manteca, CA
Jeanette B. Oberholtzer
Manheim, PA
Makes 3 cups
Prep. Time: 15 minutes
Cooking/Baking Time: 10 minutes
Cooling Time: 1 hour
12-oz. can evaporated milk
2 cups sugar
3 1-oz. squares unsweetened baking chocolate, broken in pieces
1 tsp. vanilla
1. Mix together evaporated milk and sugar in a 2-quart saucepan.
2. Add chocolate pieces. Heat to boiling over medium-high heat, stirring constantly since the mixture can burn easily.
3. Turn heat back to medium/medium-low to keep mixture at a low boil for five minutes. Stir continually.
4. Remove from heat. Stir in 1 tsp. vanilla.
5. Transfer chocolate sauce to a mixing bowl. Beat two minutes (not less) with an electric mixer. This is to insure a smooth sauce.
6. Cool to room temperature. Store in refrigerator in a covered container.
7. Serve over ice cream, angel food cake, or pound cake.
Praline Sauce
Vicki J. Hill
Memphis, TN
Makes 2 cups
Prep. Time: 5 minutes
Cooking/Baking Time: 5–10 minutes
Cooling Time: 30–60 minutes
½ cup packed brown sugar
½ cup light corn syrup
1 stick (½ cup) butter
½ cup chopped pecans
1 tsp. vanilla
1. In a 1-quart saucepan, combine sugar, syrup, and butter. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until mixture comes to a full boil.
2. Boil 1 minute. Remove from heat.
3. Stir in nuts and vanilla.
4. Let cool.
5. Serve over ice cream, cream puffs, pound cake, or any other dessert you’d like to enhance!
Tip: You can heat the first 3 ingredients together in a microwave-safe bowl on High for 1-minute bursts. Stir after each minute until it boils.
Esther J. Yoder
Hartville, OH
Makes about 6 cups
Prep. Time: 5–10 minutes
Cooking/Baking Time: 15 minutes
Cooling Time: 30–60 minutes
2 lbs. frozen, or fresh, blueberries
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. lemon juice
1½ cups water, divided
½ cup cornstarch
¼ cup sugar substitute
1. Mix blueberries, salt, lemon juice, and ½ cup water in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil.
2. In a small bowl, stir cornstarch into 1 cup water until smooth.
3. Immediately stir cornstarch/water into saucepan.
4. Boil for a few minutes, until sauce thickens and clears.
5. Add sugar substitute when sauce has cooled to room temperature.
6. Serve over ice cream, pound cake, angel food cake, waffles, or pancakes.
Tip from Tester: If you refrigerate the sauce, you may need to add a bit of water before serving since it thickens when cooled.
Orange Fruit Dressing
Mary Kathryn Yoder
Harrisonville, MO
Makes 2 cups
Prep. Time: 10 minutes
Cooking/Baking Time: 5 minutes
Cooling Time: 30–60 minutes
1½ cups orange juice
1½ Tbsp. lemon juice
1 cup sugar
1½ Tbsp. cornstarch
fruit of your choice
1. Mix orange juice and lemon juice together in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil.
2. Meanwhile, mix sugar and cornstarch together in a small bowl. Slowly add to boiling juice, stirring continually.
3. Cook several minutes until slightly thickened, stirring frequently.
4. Cool to room temperature, and then chill in refrigerator.
5. Pour over, or fold into, a mixture of chopped raw apples, sliced bananas, strawberries, oranges, pears, and pineapple.
Tips:
1. It only takes a small amount of the sauce to dress a small bowl of fruit.
2. The sauce freezes well.
Sauteed Apples
Barbara Sparks
Glen Burnie, MD
Makes 4–6 servings
Prep. Time: 20 minutes
Cooking/Baking Time: 20 minutes
2 Tbsp. butter
6–8 apples, peeled, sliced and cored
1 Tbsp. cinnamon
¾ cup sugar, or less
1. Melt butter in large skillet.
2. Stir in apple slices.
3. Sprinkle cinnamon and sugar over apples.
4. Cover and cook over medium heat, occasionally stirring to prevent sticking.
5. When apples are just soft they are ready to serve. Do not overcook!
6. Serve these as a topping on French toast, pancakes, or vanilla ice cream. Or serve them as a side dish to your favorite pork recipe.
Candies
Chris Kaczynski
Schenectady, NY
Makes 64 pieces
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cooling Time: 1–2 hours
8-oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 lb. confectioners sugar, sifted
12-oz. pkg. semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 tsp. vanilla
½ cup chopped walnuts, optional
1. Grease an 8 × 8 or 9 × 9 square pan.
2. In a good-sized mixing bowl, stir cream cheese and confectioners sugar together until well blended.
3. Place chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on High for 1–1½ minutes, or until chips show that they are melted when stirred.
4. Add melted chips to sugar mixture.
5. Stir in vanilla, and walnuts if you wish, mixing well.
6. Spread in prepared pan.
7. Chill in refrigerator for 1–2 hours, or until firm enough to cut into squares. Store in refrigerator.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge
Melanie Mohler
Ephrata, PA
Makes 24 pieces
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cooling Time: 2–3 hours
1 lb. white chocolate wafers
1 lb. milk chocolate wafers
18-oz. jar peanut butter
1. Melt white chocolate wafers in a microwave-safe bowl on High for 2 minutes. Stir. Microwave on High another minute. Stir. Microwave on High in 30-second intervals until chocolate is smooth when stirred. (Be sure to stir. Chocolate may retain its shape but still be melted.) Set melted white chocolate aside.
2. In a separate microwave-safe bowl, repeat same procedure with milk chocolate wafers.
3. Stir half the peanut butter into each bowl of melted chocolate.
4. Coat a 7 × 11 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
5. Pour one of the chocolates into the baking dish.
6. Pour the other melted chocolate on top.
7. Use a knife to swirl the two chocolates together into a design.
8. Refrigerate 2–3 hours, or until hard enough to cut into pieces.
Peanut Butter Fudge
Jamie Schwankl
Ephrata, PA
Makes 48 pieces
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 10 minutes
Cooling time: 2–3 hours
2 sticks (1 cup) butter
1 cup peanut butter
1 tsp. vanilla
pinch of salt
3 cups confectioners sugar
1. Melt butter in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat.
2. Turn heat to low and stir in peanut butter, vanilla, and salt. Mix with a wooden spoon until smooth.
3. Remove from heat.
4. Stir in confectioners sugar with wooden spoon.
5. Spread in a lightly greased 9 × 13 pan to cool.
6. Refrigerate 1–2 hours to harden.
7. Cut into squares.
Tip: Do not stir ingredients with a mixer.
Peanut Butter Marshmallow Fudge
York, PA
Makes 25–30 pieces
Prep Time: 7 minutes
Cooking Time: 7 minutes
Cooling Time: 2 hours
3 cups sugar
¾ cup skim milk
1 Tbsp. butter
7-oz. jar marshmallow crème
18-oz. jar peanut butter
1. Boil sugar, milk, and butter for 3 minutes in a medium-sized saucepan.
2. Remove from heat.
3. Stir in marshmallow crème and peanut butter.
4. Place in a buttered 8 × 11, or 10 × 10 pan or dish.
5. Refrigerate for 2 hours, or until firm enough to cut into pieces.
Rocky Road Fudge
Kathleen A. Rogge
Alexandria, IN
Alyssa Reitz
Remington, VA
Makes 36 pieces
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 2–5 minutes
Cooling Time: 3–4 hours
12-oz. pkg. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 or 2 cups butterscotch chips, whichever you prefer
1 cup crunchy peanut butter
1 Tbsp butter, optional
10.5-oz. pkg. mini-marshmallows
1 cup salted peanuts, or other nuts
1. Grease an 8 × 8 or 9 × 9 metal baking pan. Line with plastic wrap.
2. In 4-quart saucepan, combine chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, peanut butter, and butter if you wish. Cook over medium heat 2–3 minutes, or just until ingredients are melted, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.
3. Stir marshmallows, and nuts if you wish, into warm fudge mixture.
4. Pour into lined pan, spreading evenly.
5. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 3 hours.
6. Invert fudge onto cutting board. Remove plastic wrap. Cut into 36 pieces. If not serving right away, keep refrigerated.
A Tip —
Read the whole recipe before beginning to cook.
Leann Brown
Lancaster, PA
Makes 8 servings
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cooling Time: 1 hour
12-oz. bag of swirled chocolate chips (peanut butter, or raspberry, or caramel)
half a 9-oz. container of frozen whipped topping, thawed
half a 12-oz. bag of semi-sweet chips, or coating chocolate
2 Tbsp. paraffin wax, or Crisco
confectioners sugar, optional
crushed peanuts or almonds, optional
1. Place the swirled chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at 70% power for 30 seconds. Stir. Repeat if chips are not fully melted.
2. Set melted chips aside to cool to room temperature. Do not put in refrigerator to speed process; chocolate will get too hard again.
3. When melted chocolate reaches room temperature, mix in whipped topping. Refrigerate until chocolate stiffens.
4. Scoop out with teaspoon and form into small balls. Place on waxed-paper-lined baking sheets. Place in refrigerator.
5. Place semi-sweet chips, or coating chocolate, along with wax or Crisco, in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on High for 1½–2 minutes, or until melted.
6. Place each chocolate ball on a thin-tined fork and lower into melted chocolate. When finished, place again on waxed-paper-lined baking sheet.
7. If you wish, sprinkle with confectioners sugar or roll in crushed nuts.
8. Refrigerate if it’s summer-time; otherwise, store and serve at room temperature.
Tips:
1. If you use raspberry chips, dark chocolate is the best coating. For peanut butter and caramel chips, milk chocolate is best.
2. From the tester: Allow plenty of time to make these. They taste wonderful and deserve to look as elegant as they taste!
A Tip —
Clean up your kitchen as you go. Don’t wait until there is a mountain of dishes to do.
Peanut Butter Snowballs
Jenny R. Unternahrer
Wayland, IA
Makes 18 servings
Prep. Time: 30 minutes
Cooling Time: 1–2 hours
2 cups confectioners sugar
½ cup creamy peanut butter
¾ stick (6 Tbsp.) butter, softened
1 lb. almond bark
1. Combine sugar, peanut butter, and butter in a large mixing bowl. Mix well.
2. Use a 1" cookie scoop to dip out and roll mixture into balls. Place balls on waxed-paper-lined baking sheet.
3. Chill balls for 30 minutes, or until firm.
4. Place almond bark in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on High for 2 minutes. Stir. Microwave on High another minute. Stir. Microwave on High in 30-second intervals until chocolate is smooth when stirred.
5. Using a fork with thin tines, lower balls one-by-one into melted almond bark.
6. Place coated balls on waxed-paper-lined baking sheet to harden.
Crunchy Peanut Bark
Bridgewater, VA
Makes 10 dozen
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 5 minutes
Chilling Time: 1 hour
2 lbs. white confectionery coating
1 cup peanut butter
3 cups crispy rice cereal
2 cups dry roasted peanuts
2 cups miniature marshmallows
1. Place confectionery coating and peanut butter in a large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at 50% power about 5 minutes.
2. Stir in remaining ingredients.
3. Drop by heaping tablespoonfuls onto waxed-paper-lined baking sheet.
4. Allow to cool thoroughly before serving or storing.
Tip: White confectionery coating is found in the baking section of most grocery stores or bulk food stores. It is sometimes labeled “almond bark” or “candy coating.” It comes in blocks or disks.
Bird’s Nest Candy
Susan Tjon
Austin, TX
Makes 36 pieces
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cooling Time: 1 hour
12-oz. bag semi-sweet chocolate chips
½ cup milk chocolate chips
1 cup chopped cashews
1 cup chow mein noodles
1. Place both varieties of chocolate chips in microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on High for 1–1½ minutes. Stir. Microwave on High for 30-second intervals, until chips melt when stirred.
2. Stir in cashews and chow mein noodles. Toss until well coated.
3. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto waxed-paper-covered baking sheets.
4. Refrigerate until hardened, or allow to stand on countertop until firm.
Tip: You may substitute dark chocolate, white chocolate, or peanut butter chips for the semi-sweet chocolate chips, and use any nut of your choice.
I’ve made this using dark chocolate at Halloween. The kids think the candies look like a “ball of spiders.”
Peanut Clusters
Barbara Walker
Sturgis, SD
Makes 36–40 pieces
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cooling Time: 1 hour
half a 12-oz. pkg. chocolate chips
12-oz. pkg. peanut butter chips
12-oz. jar dry roasted peanuts
1. Place chocolate and peanut butter chips in a microwave-safe medium-sized bowl. Microwave on High for 1–1½ minutes. Stir. Continue microwaving on High for 30-second intervals, stirring after each time until chips are melted.
2. Stir in peanuts.
3. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto waxed-paper-covered baking sheets.
4. Refrigerate, or let stand on countertop, until firm.
Darla Sathre
Baxter, MN
Makes 7 dozen
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 1½ minutes
Cooling Time: 1 hour
12-oz. pkg. chocolate chips
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup Grape-Nuts cereal
1 cup shredded or grated coconut
1 cup chopped walnuts
1. Combine chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on High for 1–1½ minutes, or until chips indicate that they’re melted when stirred.
2. Add remaining ingredients and stir together quickly.
3. Drop by small spoonfuls onto waxed paper.
4. Let cool on countertop before eating or storing.
A Tip —
Use the paper from inside cereal boxes instead of waxed paper.
Peanut Butter Chews
Joanne Martin
Stevens, PA
Makes 25 pieces
Prep Time: 10–20 minutes
1 cup peanut butter, creamy or crunchy
1 cup light corn syrup
1 cup confectioners sugar
2 cups dry powdered milk
1 cup raisins, optional
1. Measure all ingredients and mix together in a large bowl.
2. Roll into 1" balls and place on a waxed-paper-lined baking sheet, or press into a greased 9 × 9 pan.
3. If using the latter method, allow to cool, and then cut into pieces.
My children loved to make this recipe by themselves at an early age because it was very easy for them. They used their—just-washed!—hands to mix it.
Toasted Pecan Cranberry Bark
Arlene Snyder
Millerstown, PA
Makes 15–20 servings
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cooking Time: 18–20 minutes
Cooling Time: 1–2 hours
1 cup pecan halves
20-oz. pkg. white chocolate chips, or candy coating
¾ cup dried cranberries
¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
1. Preheat over to 325˚.
2. Place pecans in a single layer on a baking sheet.
3. Bake 10–15 minutes until lightly toasted, stirring once. Cool.
4. Place chocolate chips or coating in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on High for 2 minutes. Stir. Microwave on High another minute. Stir. Microwave on High for 30-second intervals until chocolate is smooth when stirred.
5. Stir toasted pecans, cranberries, nutmeg, and melted chocolate together in a large mixing bowl.
6. Spread mixture ¼" thick on parchment-lined baking sheet.
7. Refrigerate until cool.
8. Break into pieces to serve or store.
Janelle Reitz, Lancaster, PA
Makes 80–85 mints
Prep Time: 40–45 minutes
3-oz. pkg. light cream cheese, softened
¼ tsp. mint flavoring
2 drops green food coloring, optional
4¼ cups confectioners sugar
super-fine granulated sugar
1. Mix cream cheese, mint flavoring, and coloring if you wish in mixer on low speed until smooth (about 30 seconds).
2. Gradually add confectioners sugar while continuing to mix on low speed.
3. Mix about 1½ minutes, or until mixture becomes very stiff.
To shape mints:
1. Dip individual flexible candy molds in superfine sugar, coating the inside.
2. Press in mint mixture.
3. Turn out onto waxed paper covered with superfine sugar.
4. Repeat until mixture is used up.
OR:
1. Shape mixture into ¾" balls (about 1 tsp.).
2. Roll each ball in superfine sugar.
3. Place on waxed-paper covered with superfine sugar.
4. Flatten slightly with thumb to form ¼" disks.
5. If you wish, press back of fork lightly on disks to form ridges.
Store finished mints in a tightly covered container in refrigerator. The mints also freeze well.
We served these mints at our wedding reception!
Cracker Candy
Anna Musser, Manheim, PA
Vicki J. Hill, Memphis, TN
Joan Brown, Warriors Mark, PA
Erma Martin, East Earl, PA
Pat Bishop, Bedminster, PA
Makes 10 servings
Prep. Time: 15 minutes
Cooking/Baking Time: 8–10 minutes
Chilling Time: 2 hours
1 cup brown sugar
2 sticks (1 cup) butter
40 or more saltines, or club crackers
¾ cup chocolate chips, or M&Ms, optional
2 cups chopped nuts, optional
1. Boil brown sugar and butter together for 2–3 minutes.
2. Line an 11 × 15 baking pan with aluminum foil.
3. Lay 40 crackers on foil.
4. Pour butter and sugar mixture over crackers.
5. Bake at 425˚ for 5 minutes.
6. If you wish, immediately sprinkle chocolate chips or M&Ms over top after the crackers are baked.
7. Let stand for a few minutes, and then spread out with knife.
8. If you wish, immediately sprinkle with nuts.
9. Cool in fridge.
10. Peel crackers off foil and break into pieces.
Sharon Easter
Yuba City, CA
Makes 20 servings
Prep. Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 10 minutes
Chilling Time: 1 hour
1 cup, or more, chopped walnuts or almonds, divided
1⅞ sticks (15 Tbsp.) butter
1½ tsp. water
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
6-oz. pkg. chocolate chips
1. Lightly grease 2 8" pie or cake pans. Sprinkle with chopped nuts. Set aside.
2. In heavy cast-iron skillet combine butter, water, and sugars. Bring slowly to a boil and cook for 5–8 minutes, stirring constantly.
3. Pour gently over nuts so as not to disturb them.
4. Sprinkle chocolate chips over top and spread as they melt.
5. Sprinkle remaining nuts on top of chocolate.
6. Put in refrigerator to harden.
7. Break up into small pieces to serve.
Graham Cracker Chews
Lynne Bandel
Arcadia, IN
Makes 8 servings
Prep. Time: 15 minutes
Baking Time: 5–7 minutes
Cooling Time: 1 hour
graham crackers
1½ sticks (¾ cup) butter
1 cup pecan pieces
1 cup brown sugar
1. Cover lightly greased baking sheet with graham crackers.
2. Melt butter in a large skillet.
3. Stir pecans into butter and brown them, stirring frequently.
4. Pour buttered nuts over graham crackers.
5. Bake at 350˚ for 5–7 minutes.
6. Allow to cool.
7. Remove from baking sheet, breaking the chews into pieces.
Peanut Butter Cups
Barb Harvey
Quarryville, PA
Makes 24 servings
Prep. Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 2 minutes
Cooling Time: 10–15 minutes
1⅓ cups graham cracker crumbs
2⅓ cups confectioners sugar
2 sticks (1 cup) butter, melted
1 cup chunky peanut butter
2 cups milk chocolate chips
1. Mix first 4 ingredients together in a good-sized mixing bowl.
2. Pat into lightly oiled 9 × 13 pan.
3. Place chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on High for 1–1½ minutes, or until chips are clearly melted when stirred. Continue microwaving on High for 30-second intervals if more time is needed to melt the chips.
4. Pour melted chocolate over peanut mixture. Spread with a knife to cover.
5. Refrigerate 10–15 minutes.
6. Cut into squares. Do not allow candy to get too cold or chocolate will crack.