Chocolate Chip Cheese Ball

CHOCOLATE CHIP CHEESE BALL

• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
• 3/4 cup finely chopped pecans

DIRECTIONS

1. In a medium bowl, beat together cream cheese and butter until smooth. Mix in confectioners' sugar, brown sugar and vanilla. Stir in chocolate chips. Cover, and chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
2. Shape chilled cream cheese mixture into a ball. Wrap with plastic, and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
3. Roll the cheese ball in finely chopped pecans before serving. But it can be hard to form a ball so I skipped the nuts and just put the mixture in a bowl. (I think it's better that way!)

Cake Balls

This is super easy and you can make it any kind of variety you like. I've seen yellow cake and chocolate icing and chocolate and chocolate. But being the good Southern girl I am - I LOVE red velvet cake so I thought this would be good. (Jamie - you would LOVE these!)

All you do is bake the cake mix according to directions

When it's still warm - crumble it up in a bowl and mix in a can of frosting (I used cream cheese with the red velvet!)
IMPORTANT STEP: Refrigerate the cake and frosting for about an hour before you start making balls!

I used this handy little scooper from Pampered chef to scoop balls

Melt almond bark (either vanilla or chocolate - depending on your cake) and dip balls in the bark. You could use toothpicks or a fork - but I used this egg separator and it worked GREAT!

And voila - one of the yummiest things you will ever taste!!!

Strawberry Pretzel Dessert

This is one of my favorite desserts. I crave it ALL the time!!!!!! Try it - you will LOVE!!!!


Ingredients

• 2 cups crushed pretzels
• 3/4 cup melted butter
• 3 tablespoons sugar, plus 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese
• 1 (8-ounce) container whipped topping
• 2 (3-ounce) packages strawberry gelatin dessert mix
• 2 cups boiling water
• 2 (10-ounce) packages frozen strawberries
• Whipped topping or whipped cream, to garnish

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
For the crust, mix the pretzels, butter, and 3 tablespoons of sugar. Press this mixture into a 9 by 13-inch pan and bake for 7 minutes. Set aside and allow to cool.
In a mixing bowl, beat together the cream cheese and 3/4 cup of sugar. Fold in the whipped topping, and spread over the cooled crust. Refrigerate until well chilled.
In a small bowl, dissolve the gelatin in the boiling water, and allow to cool slightly. Add the strawberries and pour over the cream cheese mixture. Refrigerate until serving time.
To serve, cut slices and serve with a dollop of whipped topping.

Chocolate Chip Pound Cake

This is a favorite around here!

Ingredients:
1 pkg dark chocolate cake mix
1 pkg instant chocolate pudding mix
1 16 oz sour cream
3 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Preaheat oven to 350. Grease a bundt pan. Mix together ingredients and pour in pan. Bake for one hour and then cool. Top with powdered sugar!

Coca Cola Cake

This is a VERY rich and sweet dessert (and not low fat in way, shape or form) but it is SO good!

Ingredients for cake:
1 cup coke
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 cup butter, softenened
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 large eggs, slightly beaten
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows

Preheat oven to 350. Combine coke and buttermilk. Beat butter at slow speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating until blended. Add eggs and vanilla/ beat at low speed until blended.
Combine flour, cocoa, and baking soda. Add to butter mixture alternately with coke mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed until blended after each addition. Stir in marshmallows. Pour batter into a greased and floured 13x9 inch pan.
Bake at 350 for 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from oven. Cool for 10 minutes.
Pour Classic Coke frosting over warm cake. (Sprinkle with toated pecans - optional)

Classic Coke Frosting (the best part)
1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup coke
3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa
1 16 oz pkg powdered sugar
1 tbsp vanilla extract

Bring first 3 ingredients to a boil in a large saucepan over medium heat, stirring until butter is melted. Remove from heat; whisk in sugar and vanilla. Use immediately.

My Mam-ma's Chocolate Pie

My sweet mam-ma made the BEST chocolate pie. We used to request it at every holiday dinner or family gathering and it was a fight to see who could eat the most. I have never tried to make it until this weekend. It tasted good but I have a long way to go on being able to make a good meringue. I don't know what the secret it is but I hope one day I can get mine to fluff up like hers always did.

Ingredients:
Pie filling: 
Frozen or refrigerated pie crust
1 3/4 cup sugar
3 tbsp cornstarch
3-4 tbsp cocoa
1 1/2 cups milk
4 egg yolks
1 tbsp vanilla
2 tbsp butter

Meringue:
4 egg whites
1/2 cup sugar
6-8 large marshmallows

Bake pie crust according to directions. Mix first 3 ingredients. Beat 4 egg yolks and save the whites. Sprinkle salt on eggs. Add milk in eggs. Add to dry and cook on stove top - stir until thick. Add vanilla and butter.
Pour in pie crust when done.

Take egg whites and beat until stiff. Take sugar and a "tad" of water and boil until it makes a syrup. Add marshmallows and melt.  Add to egg whites already beat. Add on top of pie.

Bits O Brickle Bars

These taste a little like pecan pie.  They are so good!!!! 

1 yellow cake mix
1 egg
1/3 c. butter
1 (14 oz.) Eagle Brand milk
1 c. chopped pecans
1 tsp. vanilla
1 egg
1/2 c. Heath Bits O' Brickle

Mix first 3 ingredients until crumbly. Pat into 9x13 pan. Mix the rest of the ingredients together and pour over cake. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes until golden brown. Cool and cut into squares.

Easy Sugar Cookie Macaroons

I made these for our Super Bowl Party.  I love anything coconut.  These were extremely easy to make.  And I even cheated one step to make them easier.

Ingredients:

1 package refrigerated sugar cookie dough (already in cut portions)
3 cups sweetened flaked coconut
1 4 oz bittersweet chocolate baking bar, chopped
2 tbls whipping cream

Cut cookie portion into two and roll into balls. Roll the balls in coconut and  place on a lightly greased cookie sheet.  Bake at 350 for 12-14 minutes.  Cool completely.

Combine chocolate and whipping cream in a glass bowl.  Microwave on high for 30 seconds and stir.  Spoon melted chocolate into a small ziploc bag.  Snip a hole in a corner of bag and pipe on center of half of the cookies. Top with remaining half of cookies.

(I got lazy and just used chocolate fudge frosting on the cookies and they were just as delicious!)

This will make 24 cookie sandwiches.

{Source: Christmas with Southern LIving 2005, Pg 163}