Sticky Buns

These are the easiest sticky buns ever! And they are oh so tasty! This is a must try recipe! We put them together on the eve of every holiday and enjoy them in the morning. I originally found them on the Food Network website but have since found similar recipes in various other places. I have always stuck to the original Paula Deen recipe I started with though. I usually try to use whole pecans but the recipe calls for chopped pecans so you can use whatever you have on hand. I used chopped for the one pictured because that is what the kids prefer. This cannot get any easier. I have even had the kids put it together!

Ingredients

• 16 to 18 unbaked frozen dinner rolls
• 1 (3-ounce) package regular butterscotch pudding mix, not instant
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 cup pecans, chopped
• 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, melted

Directions

The night before place frozen rolls in well greased Bundt pan. Sprinkle dry pudding mix over rolls. Sprinkle brown sugar over pudding mix. Sprinkle chopped pecans over brown sugar. Pour melted butter over all. To prevent the dough from forming a hard crust while its rising overnight, cover with a damp towel or tightly wrap with plastic wrap. Let rise overnight at room temperature, about 8 to 10 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Bake in oven for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Turn pan over onto a serving platter to remove. Serve by pulling apart chunks with forks.

Whoopie Pies

This wonderful little pies were easy to make and fun to assemble. The sandwich part lies somewhere between a cookie and a cake or brownie and the inside is marshmallow of course! My only complaint is that the recipe said I would end up with 18 sandwiches and I only got 12. I suppose I could have made them slightly smaller but the marshmallow to sandwich ratio seems prefect as is so I think that had I made the cookies any smaller there would have been to much marshmallow and too little sandwich. Next time I intend to double the batter. I may also do some experimenting next time too. Right after the pie is assembled and the marshmallow is still soft it would be fun to roll the sides in candy cane bits, graham cracker bits, nuts or whatever else strikes your fancy. I followed the recipe exactly, though some of the comments posted said they had used all semisweet chocolate rather than a combo so that is an option too. My one word of advice is to stir this one by hand. I generally like to use my Kitchenaid for everything but for this I resisted. Some of the reviewers mentioned that their cookies ended up flat and hard rather than fluffy and soft, this in combination with the recipe saying "take care not to over-mix" told me to skip the mixer and make sure my pies ended up fluffy. These truly do only take a minute to mix anyways so the mixer really is unnecessary. This recipe is from the Food Network website.

Ingredients

• 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
• 4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick)
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup natural cocoa powder, such as Hershey's or Scharffen Berger
• 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoons fine salt
• 18 large marshmallows, (not minis)

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicon baking sheet.

Put the unsweetened and semisweet chocolates and butter in a medium microwave-safe bowl; heat at 75 percent power until softened, about 2 minutes. Stir, and continue to microwave until completely melted, about 2 minutes more. (Alternatively, put the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl. Bring a saucepan filled with an inch or so of water to a very slow simmer; set the bowl over, but not touching the water, and stir occasionally until melted and smooth.)

Whisk the sugar, eggs and vanilla into the chocolate mixture until smooth.

Sift the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt into another bowl. Gradually whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until moistened. Switch to a rubber spatula and finish folding the batter together; take care not to over-mix.

Use a small cookie scoop or spoon to drop a heaping tablespoon of batter onto the prepared pan. Repeat to make 36 cookies, spacing them about 1-inch apart. Bake until the cookies spring back when lightly touched, about 6 minutes.

Cool the cookies slightly. Transfer half of the cookies to a rack. Turn the remaining cookies on the pan over, so they lay flat side up. Place a marshmallow on top of each flipped cookie and return pan to the oven. Cook just until the marshmallow begins to soften and puff, about 3 minutes. Cool marshmallow topped cookies slightly, about 2 minutes. Top with the remaining cookies, pressing lightly to make sandwiches. Cool whoopee pies completely on wire racks. Serve.

Store in tightly sealed container for up to 1 week.

Peaches 'N' Cream Pie

This pie was super simple to make and turned out absolutely delicious! I even used frozen peaches and refrigerated pie crust. Everyone should whip one of these things up! I found the recipe on the Taste of Home website. I followed the recipe as it is written.

Ingredients

• Pastry for double-crust pie (9 inches)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon quick-cooking tapioca
• Dash salt
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 cups sliced fresh or frozen peaches, thawed
• Additional sugar

Directions

• Line a 9-in. pie plate with bottom pastry; trim pastry even with edge of plate. In a large bowl, combine the sugar, flour, tapioca and salt. Set aside 2 tablespoons cream. Combine remaining cream with vanilla; add to the sugar mixture. Add peaches; toss to coat. Let stand for 15 minutes.
• Pour peach mixture into crust. Roll out the remaining pastry; make a lattice top crust. Seal and flute edges. Brush with reserved cream; sprinkle with additional sugar.
• Bake at 400° for 50-55 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly.Cover edges with foil during the last 30 minutes to prevent overbrowning if necessary. Cool on a wire rack. Store pie in the refrigerator. Yield: 6-8 servings.

Dark & Rich Chocolate-Cranberry Cake

As I was making this cake I was unsure of how popular it would be or even if anyone would like it at all. I made a second dessert to be on the safe side. As it turned out everyone loved the cake. It is a very rich and heavy cake though so a sliver is all anyone needs. Next time I make this cake I am going to experiment with a different kind of filling. I was thinking raspberry or mint would be really good. I found the recipe in a Women's Day magazine and it can also be found on their website. I pretty much followed the recipe. They did suggest frosting the sides of the cake first but since the chocolate is warm and melted I decided to waste less and do the top first. I had the cake on wax paper to frost it. Once the chocolate was cold and hardened I cut around the bottom of the cake with a knife to release it from the wax paper. It was super simple to transfer it to the plate because this cake is so dense and heavy.

INGREDIENTS

Cake
8 oz quality semisweet chocolate, chopped
6 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2/3 cup sugar
5 large eggs, separated, at room temperature
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cream of tartar

Cranberry Filling
2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup water

Glaze
6 oz quality semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter
1 Tbsp light corn syrup
1 Tbsp orange liqueur or dark rum

PREPARATION

1. Cake: Heat oven to 350°F. Grease sides of a 9 x 2-in. round pan or springform pan with baking spray; line bottom of pan with parchment. Melt chocolate and butter in a medium saucepan over low heat, stirring frequently until smooth and emulsified; remove from heat. Whisk in 1⁄3 cup of the sugar, the egg yolks, flour, vanilla and salt until thick and smooth.

2. In large bowl of stand mixer, beat egg whites until frothy; add cream of tartar and beat on medium speed until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in remaining 1⁄3 cup sugar. Beat on high speed until stiff yet billowy peaks form when beaters are lifted. Stir about 1 cup of the whites into the chocolate mixture to loosen, then gently fold in remaining whites until evenly blended. Spread into prepared pan.

3. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, until a pick inserted into center comes out with moist crumbs. Cool in pan on wire rack 15 minutes; invert onto small wire rack and remove parchment. Cool completely (as cake cools, the center will sink slightly).

4. Filling: While cake bakes, bring filling ingredients to a full boil in a medium saucepan; reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 15 minutes. Remove from heat and scrape mixture through a fine-mesh sieve set over a bowl; discard skins and seeds. Whisk the jelly smooth. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on surface of jelly and let cool to room temperature.

5. Spread jelly over top of cake in an even layer. Refrigerate cake (keep it on the wire rack) until jelly firms up.

6. Glaze: Combine chocolate, butter and corn syrup in small saucepan over low heat. Stir gently until completely melted and smooth. Remove from heat; stir in liqueur. Remove cake from refrigerator and place over a sheet of wax paper. Using a small metal spatula, spread sides and top of cake with a thin layer of the glaze to cover. Rewarm remaining glaze, then pour it over the top of the cake, allowing it to run off and coat the cake in an even, shiny layer (if there are any bare spots, use runoff glaze from wax paper to patch them). Refrigerate to set glaze. Transfer cake to a serving plate.

7. To serve: Let cake stand at room temperature at least 1 hour before serving. Garnish top with sugared cranberries and mint sprig, if desired.

Note: Cake can be made up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated.

Corn Casserole

I found this recipe on the Food Network website. It is Paula Dean's recipe. I chose the recipe because it looked easy and seemed to fit with my thanksgiving day meal. It was a hit! It was so simple but yet so tasty. The leftovers were even good reheated the next day! I will be making this again and again for sure! Thanks Paula!!

Ingredients

• 1 (15 1/4-ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
• 1 (14 3/4-ounce) can cream-style corn
• 1 (8-ounce) package corn muffin mix (recommended: Jiffy)
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
• 1 to 1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, stir together the 2 cans of corn, corn muffin mix, sour cream, and melted butter. Pour into a greased 9 by 13-inch casserole dish. Bake for 45 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oven and top with Cheddar. Return to oven for 5 to 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Let stand for at least 5 minutes and then serve warm.