Ingredients :
2 T. butter
1/2 c. brown sugar, packed
1 can (1 lb.) apricot halves, drained
8 to 10 maraschino cherries, halved
1/3 c. butter
3/4 c. granulated sugar
1/4 c. Hershey's cocoa
Dash of cinnamon
2 eggs
1-3/4 c. sifted cake flour
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 c. milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla
Preparation :
Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a heavy frying pan or 9-inch square pan.
Add brown sugar, then arrange the apricot halves all over the bottom of pan on the brown sugar, placing cherry halves between.
Set aside while preparing the cake. For cake: cream the 1/3 cup butter, granulated sugar, cocoa and cinnamon; add eggs, beaten very little, and whip the mixture vigorously.
Then add the flour and baking soda, sifted together, alternately with the milk. Add vanilla and pour batter into the pan over the fruit. Bake in a 350~. Oven 35 to 40 minutes.
Turn out immediately. Serve warm.
Ingredients :
12 oz. semisweet chocolate chips (2 c.)
2 T. butter
3/4 c. flour
2 ts. vanilla extract
1 (14-oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
2 c. chopped pecans
Preparation :
1. Preheat oven to 350~. In a 2-quart glass bowl, cook chocolate with butter in a microwave oven on High 1 to 2 minutes or until melted and smooth when stirred. Mix in flour until well blended. Add vanilla and sweetened condensed milk and mix well. Stir in pecans.
2. Drop dough by tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto 2 greased and foil-lined cookie sheets. Bake 9 to 10 minutes (cookies will be dull on top and soft). Let cookies cool on baking sheets. Carefully remove from foil. Makes 45 cookies.
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WHITE CHOCOLATE MOUSSE WITH RED RASPBERRY COULIS
Ingredients :
For the Raspberry Sauce:
Two 10-oz. pkg. frozen raspberries in syrup
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 c. sugar
2 T. cornstarch
1/2 c. cold water
1 T. Grand Marnier or other liqueur (optional)
For the Mousse:
1 tsp. unflavored gelatin
1/4 c. water
1/4 c. milk
5 oz. white chocolate (such as Tobler, Lindt or Bakers), broken up
1-1/2 c. heavy whipping cream .
Preparation :
For the raspberry sauce, combine undrained berries and lemon juice in processor or blender; puree. Strain, pressing with back of spoon. Add sugar, cornstarch, water and liqueur; blend well. Place in saucepan over medium heat; bring to boil, stirring frequently. Reduce heat and continue stirring 1 minute. Remove from heat and allow to cool until ready to use.
For the mousse, in a glass measuring cup, sprinkle gelatin over cold water and allow mixture to soften for 1 to 2 minutes. Cook on high (100 percent power) for 20 seconds to 40 seconds and allow to stand for 2 minutes or until granules are completely dissolved. (Alternatively, place cup
in a bowl of hot water and stir until completely dissolved.)
In a small saucepan, bring milk to the simmering point. Remove from heat and add white chocolate. Stir occasionally until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Blend gelatin into chocolate mixture and refrigerate until slightly thickened but not gelled, about 10 minutes. Whip cream until stiff and peaks hold their shape. Fold
white chocolate mixture into whipped cream, Beginning with raspberry sauce, alternate layers of mousse with raspberry sauce into four tall parfait glasses. Refrigerate one to two hours. To serve, garnish with partially frozen whole berries, or fresh if available. Makes 4 servings.
Chocolate Toffee Icebox Cake
Ingredients :
Serving Size : 14
9 ounces Chocolate wafer cookies -- about 44
cookies
2 cups Heavy cream
2 tablespoons Powdered sugar
1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
2 small Instant vanilla pudding
2 cups Half & half
4 Toffee bars; chopped -- about
1-1/4 cups
Powdered sugar (opt)
Chocolate heart candy (opt)
Edible flowers (opt)
Preparation :
No baking required....just assemble with love.
Sandwich vanilla pudding and crushed toffee bars between a chocolate cookie crust and smother it all with cream
frosting. Cupid extra: chocolate hearts.
Line a 9x5" loaf pan with plastic wrap to overhang sides and ends by 2". Use 20 cookies to line bottom and sides of pan, overlapping slightly; set remaining cookies aside. In medium-size bowl with electric mixer at high speed, beat 1 cup cream, 1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla until stiff peaks form; set aside. In large bowl with mixer at medium speed, beat pudding mix and half-and-half until smooth. Using rubber spatula, gently but thoroughly fold in whipped cream and chopped toffee bars. Spread one third of pudding mixture over cookies in bottom of loaf pan; layer 8 of reserved cookies on top. Repeat layers twice, using half of remaining pudding mixture for each and ending with final 8 cookies on top. Cover pan with plastic wrap; refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight until set. At serving time, remove and discard top sheet of plastic wrap. Place serving plate, facedown, over loaf pan; invert pan onto plate. Lift pan from cake; remove and discard
remaining plastic wrap. In medium-size bowl with mixer at high speed, beat remaining 1 cup cream, 1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar,and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla until stiff; using spatula, swirl decoratively over cake. If desired, decorate with chocolate hearts and edible flowers; sprinkle lightly with additional confectioners' sugar.