Granny Annie's Rocky Road Fudge

(from Josi Kilpak's book- Rocky Road)

4 1/2 cups sugar
1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk
3 1/2 cups mini marshmallows, divided (2 cups frozen, 1 1 /2 cups at room temperature)
1 stick butter, cut into tablespoon size pieces
3 1/2 cups (21) ounces chocolate, such as choco chips or chopped candy bars (half milk chocolate, half semisweet chocolate makes a great cobo)
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup nuts (any type, but peanuts are traditional)

Put 2 cups of mini marshmallows in freezer. Butter a 9x13 inch pan.

In 4-qt saucepan (or larger- mixture will triple in size once it begins to boil) on medium heat, combine sugar and evaportaed milk. Bring to a boil and boil for 7 minutes (to soft ball stage), stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Allow to cool 3 minutes. Do not stir mixture after removing it from heat or crystallization will occur.

While the sugar-milk mixture cools, mix together 1 1/2 cups mini marshmallows, butter, chocolate, and vanilla in large bowl.

Pour sugar-milk mixture in bowl with chocolate-butter mixture (do not stir before pouring in sugar-milk mixture and do not scrap pan). Mix until smooth. Add nuts and pre-frozen marshmellows. Mix till combined. Pour mixture into prepared pan; smooth top. Allow to cool completely before cutting into 1-inch squares.

*Freezes well when wrapped tightly in plastic wrap. Thaw before eating.

Raspberry Crumb Breakfast Bars

Adapted from Baked: New Frontiers in Baking


For the crust and crumb:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 1/4 cups rolled oats
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces

For the raspberry filling:
1/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 pound raspberries, fresh or frozen
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Make the crust and crumb: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9-by-13-inch glass or light-colored metal baking pan. Put a long piece of parchment paper in the bottom of the pan, letting the parchment extend up the two short sides of the pan and overhang slightly on both ends. (This will make it easy to remove the bars from the pan after they have baked.) Butter the parchment.

Put the flour, brown sugar, oats, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon in a food processor. Pulse in short bursts until combined. Add the butter and pulse until loose crumbs form.
Reserve 1 1/2 cup of the mixture and set aside. (Note: The book suggests you reserve one cup only. My gut told me that was too little, and I upped it. I wanted to make sure the top of the raspberries were mostly covered, at least for packing purposes, and was glad I had changed it.) Pour the rest of the mixture into the prepared pan and use your hans or the back of a large wooden spoon to push the crust into an even layer at the bottom of the pan. The crust should touch the sides of the pan. Bake until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let the crust cool. Keep the oven on while you make the raspberry filling.

Make the raspberry filling: In a medium bowl, whisk the sugar, lemon zest, cinnamon and flour together. Add the raspberries, lemon juice and butter and use your hands to toss gently until the raspberries are evenly coated.

Assemble and bake the bars: Spread the raspberry filling evenly on top of the cooled crust. Sprinkle the reserved crust mixture evenly on top of the filling.

Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, rotating the pan every 15 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the filling starts to bubble around the edges.

Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, then cut into squares and serve. The bars can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to two days.

Chewy Chocolate Cookies

• 1 ¼ cups butter or 1 ¼ cups margarine , softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ¾ cup cocoa
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 cups peanut butter chips (12 oz. pkg.) or 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (12 oz. pkg.)

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°.
2. In large mixer bowl; cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
3. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well.
4. Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt; gradually blend into creamed mixture. Stir in peanut butter or chocolate chips.
5. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8-9 minutes. (Do not overbake; cookies will be soft. They will puff while baking and flatten while cooling.).
6. Cool slightly; remove from cookie sheet onto wire rack. Cool completely.

We added frosting and made them oreo style! Yum

Read more: http://www.food.com/recipe/chewy-chocolate-cookies-5049#ixzz1lMBBbnHk

Dark Chocolate Christmas Temptation Cookies

Prep Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes

Cook Time: 7 minutes

Approximate Time: 1 hour, 22 minutes

Yield: about 3 dozen

Rich dark chocolate paired with Candy Cane Kiss candies, softened and swirled on top. These cookies are a heavenly little bite of Christmas.

Ingredients

• 3/4 C ( 1 1/2 Sticks) butter
• 1 1/2 C packed dark brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp water
• 2 1/4 C dark chocolate chips
• 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste
• 2 eggs
• 2 1/2 C sifted all purpose flour
• 1 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 bag Candy Cane Kiss candies

Instructions

1. Put butter, dark brown sugar and water in a large saucepan and stir over low heat until melted.
2. Add dark chocolate chips and stir until most of the chocolate chips are melted, remove from heat and continue to stir until all the chocolate is melted.
3. Add in 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste and mix well.
4. Pour into a large mixing bowl and allow to sit and cool for about 10 minutes, stirring a couple of times to help cooling.
5. Carefully measure 2 1/2 C of sifted all purpose flour into a large bowl; add in baking soda and salt - sift together
6. When the chocolate is cooler, add in one egg at a time beating each on high speed until completely blended.
7. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add in dry ingredients, don't forget to scrape the sides and bottom, until blended.
8. Chill the dough for about an hour - while it's chilling - unwrap the Candy Cane Kiss candies
9. Pre-heat the oven to 350 F
10. Roll dough into 1/2" to 1" balls and place on un-greased or parchment lined baking sheet about 1 1/2" apart.
11. Bake about 7 minutes (could be as long as 9 minutes - do NOT overbake)
12. When the cookies come out of the oven, place a Candy Cane Kiss on top of each hot cookie in the middle and let them sit about 5 minutes.
13. Using a toothpick, swirl the softened Candy Cane Kiss until you like the pattern, it will just melt down onto the cookie.
14. Remove the swirl topped cookies from the baking sheet and place them on a cooling rack in the refrigerator to set the candy.
15. Repeat with the rest of the dough and candies.
16. Serve chilled straight out of the refrigerator or at room temperature, either way - DELICIOUS!

Cherry-Almond- Chocolate Clusters

1 cup whole almonds, tasted and coarsely chopped
1/2 cup dried cherries, coarsely chopped
6 oz. dark or bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

In medium bowl toss together almonds and cherries. Line baking sheet with waxed paper.

Melt half of the chocolate in top of double boiler over slightly simmering water, on lowest possible heat setting. Stir chocolate frequently, making sure water in bottom pan does not touch top pan. Remove double boiler from heat. Stir in remaining chocolate until melted. Remove top pan and wipe water from bottom of pan; set aside. To keep chocolate at the right temp while making the clusters, repalce the simmering water in the bottom pan with warm tap water and place the pan of melted chocolate on top of the warm water.
Stir fruit-nut mixture into chocolate. Spoon heaping tablespoon-size clusters fo the chocolate mixture onto waxed paper-lined baking sheet about 1 inch apart. Refrigerate to cool and set, about 20 minutes. Store and serve at room temp.

Makes 12 clusters

each cluster 109 cal. 8g. fat, 2g fiber

Mudd Pudding

2 4oz boxes chocolate instant pudding
1 box no bake cheese cake
1 16oz. cool whip
approx 30 crushed oreo's

Mix each according to pkg directions. In large mixing bowl combine the cool whip, cheese cake batter and pudding together. In serving bowl put in some of the crushed oreoa. Add pudding mix. Top with remaining crushed oreo's. Add gummy worms to the mix for some fun!

Toffee Apple Dip

1 pkg cream cheese- softenend
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 bag toffee chips

Blend all till creamy, add 3/4 bag of chips before serving, mix well. Add 1/4 bag on top
Serve with Apples

No Bake Chocolate Cookies

2 cups sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/4 lb (1/2 cup) butter
1/4 cup cocoa
2 1/2 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup coconut
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup peanut butter

Mix sugar, milk, butter, cocoa. Boil 75 seconds. Do not over or under boil.
Remove from heat and add peanut butter,oatmeal, coconut and vanilla.
Refrigerate

Cowboy Cookies

2 cups brown sugar
4 cubes margarine (1 lb.)
4 eggs
1 cup white sugar
2 tsp vanilla
cream together and then add
4 cup flour
2 tsp baking soda
4 cups oatmeal
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt

Mix well and then add 2 cups chocolate chips. You can add nuts if you like. SPoon onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8-10 min @ 350 degree or until done

Oatmeal Cookies (Mom's)

1 cup shortening
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup sugar
2 well beaten eggs
1 t. vanilla
1 t. salt
1 t. soda
3 cups oatmeal
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup nuts

Cream shortening and sugars, add eggs and vanilla- beat well. Add oatmeal and nuts- mixz well. Shape in rolls, wrap in waxed paper and chill for 10 min. slice 1/4 in. thick. Bake @ 350 degrees for 6 minutes.

Triple Berry Cherry Pie

**from pampered chef**

1 package refrigerated pie crust (2 crusts)
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup cornstarch
1 1/2 cups sliced fresh strawberries
1 cup fresh blueberries
1 cup fresh raspberries
1 tsp. lemon zest
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 can cherry pie filling
1 egg white, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 375. Let pie crust stand @ room temp for 15 min. Combine sugar & cornstarch. Add fresh berries, lemon zest & juice. Mix gently. Fold cherry pie filling into mixture.

Gently unfold one pie crust on to lightly floured mat. Roll crust to an 11 1/2 in circle. Press dough into bottom & sides in pie plate. Brush crust with some egg white. Spoon fruit mix into crust.

Cut 2nd pie crust into 15 strips (3/4 in wide) set aside 3 strips. Twist remaining strips, lay 5 strips evenly across the filling, lay remaining 5 in opposite directions. Firmly press ends of strips onto top edge of crust. Brush with egg white. Place reserved strips end to end over crest edge. Press edge firmly to seal.

Cover edge of pie with 2/3 inches of aluminum foil . Back 55-60 minutes or until center is bubbly and crust is golden brown. Cool 3-4 hours.

Oven Caramel Corn

15 cups popcorn
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup lite corn syrup
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda

Heat oven to 200 degrees

Place all popcorn on pans. pick up ALL seeds

Heat brown sugar, butter, corn syrup and salt over medium heat (stir occasionally) until bubble around edges. Continue cooking 5 min. without stirring, remove from heat. Stir in baking soda until foamy. Pour over popcorn, toss until evenly coated- spread on 2 cookie sheets (ungreased)

Bake 1 hour, stirring every 15 min. cool completely on foil or wax paper

Chocolate Meringue Kisses

4 large egg whites, at room temp.
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa

Preheat oven to 225. Line 2 large rimmed cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Place egg whites in a clean dry bowl and beat with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until foamy. Add cream of tartar, increase speed to high and whip until mixture forms soft peaks. Gradually add granulated sugar and continue beating until whites are stiff and shiny.
In a seperate bowl, sift confectioners' sugar with cocoa to blend. Working in thirds, sprinkle cocoa mix over egg whites and gently fold in until thoroughly incorporated. Transfer to a large ziplock bag. Seal bag, pinching out excess air. Snip off a small piece of one bottom corner of bag. Pipe out meringues through hole onto cookie sheets, forming small "kisses" about 2 inches in diameter. Bake for 1 hour, until meringues are firm and dry. Turn oven off and let meringues sit in oven for 15 mintues.
Let meringues cool on sheets on wire racks, then gently peel kisses off parchment paper. Store at room temperature in an airtight container.

Per serving (2 kisses)
29 cal
0g fat
0mg chol
0g fiber
1g pro.
7g carb
9mg sod.

Chewy Butterscotch Nut Bars in a Jar

1/2 cup butterscotch chips
1/2 cup pecan pieces or coarsely chopped pecans, toasted and cooled completely
*1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup buttermilk biscuit and baking mix
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 cup buttermilk biscuit and baking mix

In 1-quart widemouth glass jar, gently layer and pack ingredients in the order listed, beginning with butterscotch chips. If there is any space left after adding the last ingredient, add more chips or pecans to fill the jar. Place lid on top. Cut an 8-inch circle of fabric to cover lid. Place fabric over lid; secure in place with ribbon or raffia. Decorate as desired.*

To toast pecans, place in a microwave-safe dish and microwave on HIGH for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring every minute. After measuring the brown sugar, crumble it between your fingers for uniform texture. Be sure to pack the brown sugar firmly in the jar to prevent the baking mix from sifting down through it. Attach a gift tag with the following recipe:Chewy Butterscotch Nut Bars:Empty contents of jar into medium bowl. Stir in 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, melted; 1 large egg; and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Press into an 8-inch square baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees F for 18 to 22 minutes or until bars are light golden brown and center is almost set.Makes 16 bars.

Apple Crisp Mix in a Jar

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup chilled butter or margarine
1 cup chopped pecans

Combine all ingredients and seal in a zip-tope or vacuum seal bag (or jar).

To give as gift, Place 2 cans apple pie filling in gift basket with the mix along with the following preparation instructions.

Apple Crisp:Spread 2 cans apple pie filling in a lightly greased 13 x 9-inch baking dish. Sprinkle topping over apples. Bake at 400 degrees F for 19 to 21 minutes or until filling bubbles and topping is golden brown. Serve warm.

A few "Mix in a Jar" recipes

(All are designed to fit into a wide mouth quart jar. All ingredients should be added to the jar in the order listed.)

More Than Chocolate Chips

2 C flour, 1 tsp. baking soda, 3/4 C brown sugar, 1/2 C white sugar, fill remaining room in the jar with M&Ms.

Additional ingredients needed to prepare: 1 C butter, 1 egg, 2 tsp. vanilla

To Prepare: Empty ingredients in jar into a large mixing bowls. Soften butter in microwave until almost melted. Lightly beat egg and add to butter, add vanilla and mix well. Pour butter mixture over cookie mix and mix well. Drop by spoonful onto cookie sheet. Bake 350 degrees 10-12 minutes.

Beef Barley Soup

1/2 C rice, 1/2 C split peas, 1/3 C barley, 3 beef bouillon cubes, 1/3 C barley, 1/4 C dehydrated onion, pasta to the top

Additional ingredients needed to prepare: 1 can beef chunks (adding a bottle of diced tomatoes is also yummy)

Remove pasta and set aside. In a large stock pot combine 6 C water with soup mix and beef. Bring to a boil and simmer 25 minutes or until peas, rice and barley are almost tender. Add pasta and continue cooking 15 minutes more.

Fruit Crisp Topping

1 1/2 C flour, 3/4 C brown sugar, 1 C oats, 1/4 tsp. cinnamon, chopped pecans to fill jar

Additional ingredients needed to prepare: 3/4 C butter, fruit

Add fruit to a 8×8 inch baking dish (canned, fresh or frozen). Place crisp mix in large mixing bowl. Melt butter and our over mix. Toss to coat completely. Sprinkle evenly over fruit. Bake until topping is slightly brown and fruit is softened.

Double Chocolate Cookies

1 1/2 C flour, 3/4 C brown sugar, 1/2 C white sugar, 1/2 tsp. baking soda, 1/4 tsp. salt, 1/2 C cocoa, chocolate chips to fill jar

Other ingredients needed to prepare: 1/3 C butter,1 tsp. vanilla, 2 eggs

Remove chocolate chips and set aside. Place mix in large mixing bowl. Combine butter, vanilla, and eggs and mix well. Add egg mixture to mix and combine well. Add chocolate chips and mix well. Drop by spoonful onto cookie sheet. Bake 350 degrees 10 minutes or until firm around the edges but not browned.

Peaches and Cream Skillet Shortcake

recipe from Sandra Lee (Semi-Homemade)
2 pounds frozen peaches, thawed
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, divided
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, cold and cut in 1/2-inch cubes
1/4 cup sugar
1 (16.3-ounce) can biscuits (recommended: Pillsbury Grands! Southern Style Biscuits)
2 tablespoons butter or cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
In a medium bowl, combined thawed peaches, brown sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, vanilla extract and cornstarch, mix well to coat all of the peaches. Pour mixture into a cast iron skillet that has been coated in nonstick spray. Randomly place tablespoon size dollops of cream cheese on top of the peaches.

In a small bowl, combine the sugar and the remaining cinnamon. Remove biscuits from the can and separate. Dredge each biscuit in the cinnamon-sugar mixture and set aside.

Arrange biscuits over peaches. Place skillet in oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until biscuits are brown and filling is bubbly. Remove from oven; cool slightly.

Apple Streusel Cake

For the Streusel
1 cup light brown sugar
1 cup chopped almonds, pecans or walnuts
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3 tbsp butter, melted

For the cake
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup orange juice

For the glaze
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
2 1/2 tsp orange juice

Making the streusel:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 or 10 inch tube pan. To prepare stresuel, in a medium bowl combine brown sugar, apples, almonds, flour and cinnamon. Stir in melted butter

Making the cake:
In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder and baking soda; mix well. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer set on medium speed, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time; beat well after each addition. Add vanilla.

Set mixer to low; alternatly beat flour mixture and orange juice into egg mixture. Spoon half of batter into tube pan. Sprinkle with half of streusel.

Spoon the remaining batter over the streusel, spreading to make an even layer. Swirl batter with a knife to create a marble pattern.

Bake for 15 mintues. Remove cake from oven; sprinkle top with remaining streusel. Return cake to the oven; bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 30-35 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack; cool completely.

Making the glaze:
Combine confectioners' sugar and orange juice. Mix well. Turn cake out onto a serving plate; inver so streusel is on top. Drizzle glaze over cake; Serve.

Variations:
Muffins:
Alternate layers of batter and streusel mixture in a greased muffin tim, finishing with a sprinkling of streusel mixture. Shorten the baking time.

Skillet Apple Cake:
A cast-iron skillet can be used to bake the cake. Watch closely while baking as cas-iron absorbs and retains heat more efficently.

**Substitute chopped pears for the apples. Or, for a double treat, try a combination of the 2.

Summer Lemonade Ice Cream Squares

from Emily

1 pkg. Pecan Sandies
1 12oz. can pink lemonade
½ gallon vanilla ice cream, softened

Crush ¾ of the pkg. Pecan Sandies in the bottom of large cake pan. Mix the PINK Lemonade with the ice cream. If you don’t want it strong, you might only add 2/3 of the can. Then pour onto the crushed cookies, and sprinkle the remaining cookies on top. Freeze. Very refreshing and good.

Toffee Apple Dip

from Marla

1 8oz pkg cream cheese – softened
½ cup white sugar
¼ cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 bag toffee chips

Blend cream cheese, sugars and vanilla until creamy. Add ¾ bag of toffee chips right before serving.