White Chip Lemon Streusel Bars

(I bake these at work.)

Makes one 13x9 pan of bars.

I never liked fruity desserts growing up. Anything with strawberries, raspberries, blueberries in it was a crime. Chocolate was a MUST when it came to satisfying my sweet tooth. But after tasting these white chip lemon streusel bars, my taste buds changed their little minds. The middle layer of these bars give off the sweet taste of lemon, boxed in by layers of crunchy goodness with a dollop of white chocolate.

INGREDIENTS

1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) white chocolate chips
2/3 cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
3/4 cup chopped pecans
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil

DIRECTIONS

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 13x9 baking pan. Combine sweetened condensed milk, lemon juice and lemon peel in medium bowl; set aside. Measure out 2/3 cup white chips; set aside. Add remaining white chips to lemon mixture.

Beat butter and brown sugar until blended in large mixer bowl. Stir together flour, oats, pecans, baking powder and salt; add to butter mixture, blending well. Remove 1 2/3 cups oats mixture; set aside. Add egg to remaining mixture, blending until crumbly. Press egg/crumb mixture on bottom of prepared pan. Gently spoon lemon mixture on top, spreading evenly. Add reserved 2/3 cup white chips to reserved crumb mixture. Sprinkle over lemon layer, pressing crumbs lightly.

Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool in pan on wire rack. Enjoy! :)

Pecan Pie

This is my Grandma Betty's original recipe for pecan pie.
I made this pie as a request from one of my friends this summer. He absolutely loved it, and so I thought I would pass the recipe along to anyone else with a sweet tooth for some tasty pecan pie. :)

INGREDIENTS

2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 stick butter, melted
3/4 cup light or dark corn syrup (I use half of each)
3/4 cup pecan halves

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Beat eggs, sugar, salt, butter and corn syrup together with a rotary beater. Mix  in pecan halves (pecans will rise to the top while baking). Pour into pastry-lined pie plate. Bake 40-50 minutes or until set and nicely browned.

S'mores Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

(Taken from http://smells-like-home.com )

Makes about 12 fist-size cookies.

INGREDIENTS

2 cups + 2 tablespoons flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 sticks butter, melted and cooled

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg + 1 egg yolk

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 1/2 cups milk chocolate chips

6 graham cracker squares (broken in half)

24 mini marshmallows

1 full-size Hershey’s bar (broken into squares)

DIRECTIONS

Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl; set aside. With a hand mixer or stand mixer, mix butter and sugars until thoroughly combined. Beat in the egg, yolk, and vanilla until combined. Add dry ingredients and beat at low-speed just until combined – the batter should look a little lumpy. Stir in chocolate chips with a rubber scraper.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Lay half of the graham crackers out on the baking sheets. Top each cracker with 1 square of chocolate, then top the chocolate with two mini marshmallows. Lay the remaining graham crackers on top of the assembled s’mores.

 Sandwich the s’mores between two large spoonfuls of cookie dough and using the remaining dough to wrap around each of the s’mores.

Space the cookies at least 4 inches apart on the baking sheets. Bake for 20-24 minutes or until the tops and edges are lightly browned and the edges just lift off the pan with a spatula. (While baking, the s’mores will press down under the weight of the cookie dough and will sink further while cooling. Don’t worry if the cookies don’t end up completely covering the s’mores – it only adds to the charm here.) Transfer the baking sheets to wire racks and cool the cookies on the sheets for at least 5 minutes. Transfer the cookies to the wire racks and cool for another 5-10 minutes before serving. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Mini Oreo Cheesecakes

(Taken from http://jujugoodnews.com )

Makes about 16 cheesecakes.

These little desserts are a combination of my favorite two sweets: cheesecake and Oreos. These are perfect for any party, and go great with a cup of joe.

INGREDIENTS

22 Oreos: 16 left whole, and 6 coarsely chopped
2 8 oz. packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup sour cream
pinch of salt

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 275 F. Line 16 standard muffin tins with paper liners. Place 1 whole Oreo in the bottom of each lined cup.

Beat the cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer on medium. Gradually beat in the sugar and vanilla. Pour in the beaten eggs, a little at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Beat in the sour cream and salt. Stir in chopped cookies by hand.

Pour the batter into the prepared tins, filling each almost to the top. Bake, rotating pan halfway through, until filling is set, 22-25 minutes. Cool in the pans for about 15 minutes, on a wire rack, then transfer to a plate in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours. Enjoy! :)

Vanilla Chai Cupcakes

(Taken from www.passthesushi.com )

Makes about 12 cupcakes.

If you're a coffee drinker, you'll love these tasty little cupcakes. A hint of sweet vanilla with spicy chai makes for the perfect fall dessert.

INGREDIENTS

For the cupcakes...

1 stick butter
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 eggs
chai spice mix**
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

**How to make chai spice mix...

• 1 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp cloves
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

For the vanilla chai buttercream frosting...

2 sticks butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
remainder of the chai spice mix
1-2 tablespoons cold milk, if needed

TO MAKE CUPCAKES

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Stir spices together in a small bowl (for the chai spice mix). Cream together the butter and sugar. Add the vanilla and beat in one egg at a time. Stir in HALF the quantity of chai spice mix. Fold in the flour and buttermilk alternately and stir until combined, don’t over mix. Mix together the baking soda and vinegar and mix into the batter. Spoon into prepared cupcake cases until 3/4 full and bake 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

TO MAKE FROSTING

In a stand mixer, beat the butter until it is creamy. On low, mix in the vanilla and the rest of the chai spice mix. Carefully beat in the powdered sugar about ½ cup at a time. If the buttercream is too thick, add 1-2 tablespoons of cold milk until the desired consistency is reached. Then pipe onto cooled cupcakes with your favorite frosting tip (or just frost with a knife).

Enjoy! :)

Pumpkin Spice Whoopie Pies

(Taken from www.bettycrocker.com)

Makes about 16 whoopie pies.

I love this fall twist on a traditional Massachusetts dessert. Although they will never beat Oreos in a sandwich cookie competition, I would award these treats second place. They are soft and fluffy, and melt in your mouth in one bite.

INGREDIENTS

Cookies:
1 box spice cake
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup milk
1 egg

Filling:
1/4 cup butter, softened
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon maple extract

DIRECTIONS

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Spray cookie sheets with cooking spray. In large bowl, beat cookie ingredients with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Using a cookie scoop, drop batter 2 inches apart onto cookie sheets. With damp hands, gently smooth out dough.

Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until set. Cool 5 minutes, and then remove the cookies from cookie sheets to cooling racks. Cool completely, about 15 minutes.

In medium bowl, beat 1/4 cup butter and the cream cheese with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Gradually add powdered sugar, and beat until blended. Stir in maple extract.

For each pie, spread about 1 generous tablespoon filling on bottom of 1 cooled cookie. Top with second cookie, bottom side down. Gently press the cookies together. Enjoy! :)

No-Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake

(Taken from www.kraftrecipes.com)

Don't have an oven or a microwave? No problem. You can make this delicious pumpkin cheesecake in four easy steps.

INGREDIENTS

8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (and extra for topping)
8 oz. tub of Cool Whip, thawed
1 Honey Maid Graham pie crust

DIRECTIONS

Beat cream cheese, pumpkin, sugar and pumpkin pie spice with an electric mixer or rotary beater until well-blended. Gently stir in 2-1/2 cups of the whipped topping. Cover and refrigerate remaining whipped topping for later use. Spoon cream cheese mixture into crust.
Refrigerate 3 hours or overnight. Spread remaining whipped topping on top, and sprinkle with pumpkin pie spice if desired. Enjoy! :)