Brown Sugar Dip For Fruit Recipe

1 3/4 C. firmly packed brown sugar
1 C. butter
1 C. whipping cream
1 C. coarsely chopped pecans, toasted
3 lbs. pears, cored and sliced
1 1/2 lbs. red apples, cored and sliced
1 1/2 lbs. green apples, cored and sliced
1 fresh lemon, squeezed

Combine brown sugar, butter, whipping cream and pecans in a heavy saucepan. Cook over medium heat until butter melts. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking. Reduce heat and simmer 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent scorching.

Pour into chafing dish and set the heat source so that it keeps the dip warm but not simmering.

Serve with pear and apple slices or other fruit slices of your choice.

To prevent the fruit slices from turning brown, toss the fruit with a little freshly squeezed lemon juice before arranging on a serving platter.

Orange Glazed Layer Cake with Orange Butter Filling

2-1/2 C. cake flour
1-1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
2 sticks  unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus additional for the pan
2 C. granulated sugar
4 large eggs
2 t. vanilla extract
1 t. grated orange zest
1 C. whole milk

Orange Icing:
2 C. confectioners' sugar
1/2 C. water
2 T. granulated sugar
6 T. unsalted butter
4 t. grated orange zest

Orange Butter Cream Filling:
1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
1-1/4 C. confectioners' sugar
3 T. freshly squeezed orange juice
1/2 t. grated orange zest
1/2 t. vanilla extract

Position a rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter the bottoms and sides of two 9-inch-diameter cake pans with 2-inch-high sides. Line bottoms with parchment or wax paper and butter the paper.

To make the cake:
Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together onto a piece of wax paper or into a medium bowl and set aside.

Put the butter and granulated sugar in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until lightened in color and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Move the beaters around in the bowl if using a hand-held electric mixer. Stop the mixer and scrape the mixture from the sides of the bowl and from the beaters as needed throughout the mixing process. Put the eggs in a small bowl and stir them vigorously with a fork to blend the yolks and whites. Add the eggs in 3 additions, beating for 1 minute after each addition, stirring the vanilla and orange zest in with the last addition of eggs. Decrease the speed to low, and in 5 additions (3 flour, 2 milk) add the flour mixture and the milk alternately, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Let each addition of milk and flour incorporate before adding another. The batter may look curdled after the milk additions. Scrape the sides of the bowl again after the last addition of flour. The batter is ready when the final addition of flour is mixed completely into the batter and the batter is smooth. If any flour clings to the sides of the bowl, stir it into the batter. If any orange zest clings to the beaters, scrape it off and stir it into the batter.

Pour the batter into the prepared pans, dividing it evenly between the 2 pans. Use a rubber spatula to scrape all of the batter from the bowl. Smooth the top.

Bake for about 37 minutes, until the top feels firm when touched lightly and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool the cakes in their pans for 10 minutes. Use a small sharp knife to loosen the cakes from the sides of each pan. Place a wire rack on the top of each cake and invert the cakes onto it. Carefully remove the papers lining the cake bottoms and replace them loosely on each cake. Let the cake layers cool thoroughly with the top sides down. Discard the paper liners.

To make the icing:
Sift the confectioners' sugar into a large bowl. Set aside. Heat the water, granulated sugar and butter in a small saucepan over low heat until the sugar dissolves and the butter melts, stirring often. Increase the heat to medium-high and boil the mixture for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour the hot mixture over the confectioners' sugar and add the orange zest. Use a whisk to mix the glaze smooth. Refrigerate the icing until it is cool to the touch and firm enough to spread, about 1 hour.

To make the filling:
Put the butter and confectioners' sugar in a medium bowl and beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Add the orange juice, orange zest and vanilla, mixing just to blend them smoothly into the mixture. Place a serving plate over the exposed side of 1 cake layer and, using the wire rack to hold the cake in place, invert the cake onto the serving plate. The top side of the cake layer will now be up. Spread the filling over the top of the cake layer, spreading it to the edges. Invert the second layer onto a plate and slide it onto the filled layer.

When the icing is firm enough to spread and adhere to the cake, use a thin metal spatula to spread it over the top and sides of the cake. The icing will still be pourable, and you should begin by pouring about two-thirds of the icing over the top and spreading it evenly. Then spread the remaining icing and any drips onto the sides of the cake. Refrigerate the cake, uncovered, to firm the icing; cover the cake with plastic wrap. Serve cold or let it sit at room temperature for 1 hour. The covered cake can be refrigerated up to 3 days.

Makes 12 servings.

Sweetheart Cinnamon Chip Scones Recipe

3 C. all-purpose flour
1/3 C. plus 2 tablespoons sugar, divided
2-1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
3/4 C. cold butter
1 C. buttermilk
1-2/3 C. (10-oz. pkg.) Hershey's Cinnamon Chips
2 T. butter, melted

Heat oven to 425°F.

Stir together flour, 1/3 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Cut butter into 1/2-inch slices; using fingers or pastry blender, mix butter into flour mixture until coarse crumbs form. Add buttermilk; stir with fork just until ingredients are moistened and soft dough forms. Add cinnamon chips. Gather dough into a ball, pressing gently to hold together. Turn out onto slightly floured work surface; knead briefly, about a dozen turns. Cut dough in half.

Roll or pat one piece of dough at a time into a 7-inch circle, 1/2 inch thick. Brush one circle with 1 tablespoon melted butter; sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar. Cut circle into 6 triangles. Place triangles on ungreased cookie sheet. Repeat procedure with remaining circle.

Bake 10 to 12 minutes until tops are golden. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

12 scones.

Passion Bars

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups quick cooking oats
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 3/4 cup peanut butter
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan.
2. In a large bowl, stir together the oats, flour, brown sugar, salt and baking soda. Cut in the butter to form a crumbly mixture. Reserve 1 1/2 cups of the crumbs, and pat the rest evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan. In a medium bowl, stir together the sweetened condensed milk and peanut butter. Spread evenly over the oatmeal layer. Sprinkle the chocolate chips over the peanut butter layer, then crumble the reserved crust over the top.
3. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven, until golden brown. Cool completely before cutting into bars.

Better than Sex Cake

INGREDIENTS

• 1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix
• 1 (20 ounce) can crushed pineapple with juice
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 2 (3.5 ounce) packages instant vanilla pudding mix
• 3 cups milk
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup flaked coconut, toasted
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans

DIRECTIONS

1. Prepare and bake cake mix according to box directions for a 9 x 13 inch cake pan.
2. While the cake is baking, combine pineapple with juice and 3/4 cup sugar in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat for 20 minutes until thick and syrupy, stirring occasionally. Pierce top of hot cake with fork at 1 inch intervals. Pour pineapple mixture over cake. Cool completely.
3. Beat pudding mix with milk until smooth. Spread pudding over cooled cake.
4. Whip cream until slightly thickened. Add confectioner's sugar and vanilla, and whip until soft peaks form. Spread over top of cake. Chill cake for 24 hours. Sprinkle with coconut and pecans just before serving. Refrigerate leftovers.

Shower Punch

 

1 6 oz. can frozen Orange Juice
1 6 oz. can frozen Lemonade
1 6 oz. can frozen Limeade
4 cups water
1 large Gingerale
1/2 Gallon Lime Sherbet

 

Combine juices and water.  Chill all day.  Just before serving,
place sherbet in a punchbowl and partially thaw (just until soft).

 

Add juices and Gingerale and stir.

 

(This recipe fills one punch bowl 3/4 to the top.)

Chocolate Chip Meringue Cookies

Of course, you can double the ingredients for a larger batch ;-)

Ingredients

• 2 large egg whites (room temp)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

In mixing bowl, beat egg whites on high speed with an electric mixer until they hold stiff peaks. Slowly beat in sugar. Reduce speed to low and evenly dispense vanilla. Gently fold in chocolate chips.

Drop mixture by rounded teaspoonfuls onto parchment lines baking sheets. Bake at 250 degrees F for one hour. Turn off oven, leaving cookies in oven for two hours longer.

Try chopped pecans as a substitution for the chocolate chips.

Source: Have used this recipe for about a quarter of a century and it is close to my heart. It was given to me at the wedding shower of the girl who lived across the street from me when we were little girls from her best friend who was the hostess of the shower :-)