Creme Caramel

Fabulous recipe. Rich, smooth and great caramel flavor,, There was not one bubble to be seen. Completely creamy and I love it!

Creme Caramel

Yield: 6 servings
 

Ingredients:

•     1/2 cup caster or fine sugar
•     2/3 cup sugar
•     1 cup milk
•     1 cup heavy cream
•     1/3 cup water
•     4 egg yolks
•     1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Special equipment: a pastry brush, 6 (4-ounce) ramekins

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Place the sugar and water in a heavy-bottomed saucepot over low heat. Let the sugar dissolve. Carefully brush the walls of the pot with a little water to prevent the sugar from crystallizing on the sides. Increase the heat to medium-high and boil until the syrup turns golden brown. Remove from the heat promptly and carefully divide the hot caramel among the 6 ramekins. Let cool for at least 2 minutes.

In a medium saucepan, bring the milk and cream to just below a boil over medium-high heat. Meanwhile, mix together the egg yolks, caster sugar, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Place the mixing bowl on top of a towel to keep it from wobbling while whisking in the hot liquid. Gently whisk 2 tablespoons of the hot milk mixture into the egg mixture. Slowly whisk in the remaining hot milk mixture 1/3 at a time, trying to prevent excess bubbles. Strain though a sieve.

Place 6 ramekins evenly spaced in a paper towel-lined baking dish to prevent the ramekins from sliding. Pour 6 ounces into each caramel-coated ramekin. Place on the extended middle rack of the oven. Carefully pour boiling water into the baking dish until 2/3 of the way up the sides of the ramekins. (Be careful not to get any water on the custard mixture.) Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and very gently slide it towards the center of the rack. Bake for about 35 minutes, or until the custards are almost fully set. Remove from the oven. Use tongs to remove the ramekins from the hot water bath. Let stand at room temperature for 5 minutes, then refrigerate until well chilled.

To serve, dip the ramekin in very hot water for 15 to 20 seconds. Run a sharp knife around the sides of the ramekin. Invert the custards onto serving plates. The caramel will pool around the inverted custards. Serve immediately.

Mom's Texas Delight

This is yummy. Sort of a pie, sort of like a pudding. It reminds me of a dessert called chocolate lush,, This is NOT your ordinary pudding dessert! It is well worth your efforts :)

Mom's Texas Delight

makes 12 servings

Ingredients:

•     1 cup frozen whipped topping, thawed
•     1 cup all-purpose flour
•     3 cups frozen whipped topping, thawed
•     1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
•     1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, room temperature
•     1 cup confectioners' sugar
•     1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
•     2 cups milk
•     1/2 cup chopped pecans
•     2 (3.5 ounce) packages instant coconut cream pudding mix

Directions:

1.     Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees F). In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, 1/2 cup pecans and melted butter or margarine. Press into the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Bake for 15 minutes in the preheated oven, then chill until cold.
2.     In a medium bowl, mix together the cream cheese and confectioners' sugar until smooth. Stir in the whipped topping. Drop spoonfuls onto the chilled crust, and spread evenly. Return to the refrigerator while you prepare the next layer.
3.     In a medium bowl, mix together the pudding mixes and milk. Yes this is half as much milk as the package states. Spread over the cream cheese layer. Chill until set.
4.     Spread remaining whipped topping over the top, and garnish with chopped pecans.

Baked Smores Bars

Cookies, good. S'mores, good. S'mores cookies, GENIUS! The concept is simple, but the results are outstanding! They taste better than smores in my opinion. For those of you who prefer the chewy cookie to the crispy cookie, this is for you. Imagine eating a smore, but instead of having a hard, crispy graham cracker on the bottom you have a chewy graham cracker flavored cookie! The bottom and top layers are basically a cookie dough with the addition of graham cracker crumbs. Hershey's bars and marshmallow creme/fluff (the kind you buy in a jar, NOT actual marshmallows) are sandwiched in between.

 

And while we're on the subject, lets talk about marshmallow fluff. What a mess! I had the hardest time getting the marshmallow creme to spread. I ended up with marshmallow webs extending from the spatula, to my fingers, to the sink. (If you have any tips, please send them my way). In the end I worked it out. And the verdict? Well worth it! These s'mores bars are sure to impress!

One more thing, these are best right out of the oven when the chocolate is still melty and gooey. They also reheat great in the microwave. Just zap 'em for about 10 - 15 seconds! Enjoy.

Baked Smores Bars

Makes 16 bars

Ingredients:

•     1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
•     1/2 cup butter, room temperature
•     1/4 cup brown sugar
•     1 1/2 cups marshmallow creme/fluff (not melted marshmallows)
•     1 large egg
•     1 tsp vanilla extract
•     1/4 tsp salt
•     3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
•     1 tsp baking powder
•     1/2 cup sugar
•     2 king-sized milk chocolate bars (e.g. Hershey’s)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan.
2. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light. Beat in egg and vanilla. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt. Add to butter mixture and mix at a low speed until combined.
3. Divide dough in half and press half of dough into an even layer on the bottom of the prepared pan. Place chocolate bars over dough. 2 king-sized Hershey’s bars should fit perfectly side by side, but break the chocolate (if necessary) to get it to fit in a single layer no more than 1/4 inch thick. Spread chocolate with marshmallow creme or fluff. Place remaining dough in a single layer on top of the fluff (most easily achieved by flattening the dough into small shingles and laying them together).
4.  Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool completely before cutting into bars.

Pineapple Delight Dessert

If you're a pineapple lover like me then you'll love this dessert. The combination of the graham cracker crust, the creamy buttery filling, and the fluffy, pineapple-studded whipped cream is seriously amazing. I remember my grandma and my mom making this all the time growing up and it was always the perfect chilled summer dessert!

Pineapple Delight Dessert

Ingredients:

•     1 14oz. can crushed pineapple
•     1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
•     2 cups graham cracker crumbs
•     1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
•     1 egg
•     1 tsp. vanilla
•     2 cups whipped cream (prepared from a small carton of whipping cream, Cool Whip, or Dream Whip)
•     1 and 1/2 cups icing sugar

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F and place rack in the centre of the oven.

In a medium bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs and 1/2 cup melted butter/margarine. Press the mixture into an 8x8" or 9x9" baking pan. Bake for 10 minutes, then cool completely on a wire rack.

In a separate bowl, mix together the 1/2 cup softened butter/margarine, icing sugar, egg, and vanilla with an electric mixer until smooth. Spread this mixture over the crust once it has completely cooled. Bake for 15 minutes, then remove and cool completely on a wire rack.

Prepare your whipped cream of choice. If using a carton of whipping cream, beat the cream in a medium bowl until it is thick and stiff. You may want to add 2 Tbsp. of white sugar and 1 tsp. vanilla extract for sweetness and flavour. Drain the juice from the canned crushed pineapple. Mix the whipped cream and pineapple together and spread evenly over top of the cooled butter filling.

Garnish the dessert with a sprinkle of graham cracker crumbs. Keep chilled and serve cold.