White Chocolate Cheesecake

This is my favorite cheesecake recipe. It is rich and creamy and out of this world. Think of a mound of cheesecake with delectable chocolate crumbs topped with sour cream and drizzled with raspberry sauce. MMMM.

Crust
8 ½ oz. Pkg. Chocolate wafers, crushed (1 ¾ cup)
¼ cup margarine or butter, melted

Filling
2 (8 oz.) pkg. Cream cheese
½ cup sugar
3 eggs
12- oz. Pkg (2 cups) vanilla milk chips or vanilla flavored candy coating, cut into pieces, melted
1 cup whipping cream
2 tablespoons margarine or butter, melted
1 tsp. vanilla

Topping

Heat oven to 325. In medium bowl, combine crust ingredients; mix well. Press in bottom and up sides of 10-inch springform pan. Refrigerate.

In large bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth, gradually add sugar, beating until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add remaining filling ingredients; beat until smooth. Pour into crust lined pan.

Bake at 325 for 55 to 65 minutes or until edges are set. (To minimize cracking place shallow pan half ful of hot water on lower oven rack during baking.) Center of cheesecake will be soft. Turn oven off; let cake stand in oven for 30 min with door open at least 4 inches. Remove from oven; cool to room temp on wire rack. Remove sides of pan. Refrigerate overnight.

Top with your favorite topping.

Rocky Road Brownies

Are you hungry yet? Try these delightful brownies. They are sure to satisfy any sweet tooth that loves chocolate.

1 package of Brownie Mix
1 cup mini marshmallows
1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
½ cup salted peanuts
¼ cup caramel topping

Bake mix according to package directions. Remove from oven. Immediately sprinkle with marshmallows, chocolate chips and peanuts. Drizzle with caramel topping. Bake an additional 5 to 10 minutes or until marshmallows puff and chocolate chips are shiny.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

This cake reminds me of the many picnics that we went on as a family to the lake. Mom would pack a picnic lunch and we would be off. The gooey chocolate frosting would be all over our faces as we munched into this moist cake.

½ cup of oil
½ c. margarine
1/3/4 c. sugar
2 eggs
½ tsp. Cloves
½ tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Vanilla
½ c. sour milk (or buttermilk
2 ½ c. sifted flour
4 Tbsp. Cocoa
1 tsp. Soda
½ tsp. Cinnamon
2 c. grated zucchini

Topping
½ c. brown sugar
1 c. chocolate chips
½ c. chopped walnuts

Cream oil, margarine, sugar and eggs. Alternate sour milk and other sifted dry ingredients until blended. Add zucchini and pour the mixture into a 13x9 inch pan, top with brown sugar, nuts and chips. Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes. This is a moist cake that does not need frosting.

Monster Cookies

My mother sent me this recipe and I made this when my children were growing up. If you like a big cookie this is your recipe.

2/3 c. shortening (1/3 c. Crisco, 1/3 c. margarine)
½ c. granulated sugar
½ c. brown sugar (packed)
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla

Cream together and add:
1 ¾ c. flour
½ tsp. soda
½ tsp. salt
½ c. chopped nuts
6 oz. Pkg. Chocolate chips

For “Monster Cookies” use ¼ c. dough per cookie and put about 15-20 M&M’s on top of each ball of dough. Bake at 375 about 15-17 minutes.

Black Forest Cherry Torte

1/2 tsp almond extract
1 can (21 ounces) cherry pie filling
4 eggs, separated
1 tsp vanilla
¾ cup sugar, divided
½ cup unsifted all purpose flour
1/3 cup Hershey’s Cocoa
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
1/3 cup water
1 TBS sugar
3 cups sweetened whipped cream
Sliced almonds

Stir almond extract into pie filling; chill. Line a 15 ½ x 10 ½ x 1 inch jelly foll pan with aluminum foil; grease foil. Beat egg yolks with vanilla 2 minutes on medium speed. Gradually add ½ cup sugar; continue beating 2 minutes. Combine flour, cocoa, ¼ cup sugar, baking soda and salt; add to egg yolk mixture alternately with water on low speed. Beat egg whites with 1 Tbs. sugar until stiff peaks form; carefully fold into chocolate mixture. Spread evenly in prepared pan; bake at 375 for 14 to 16 minutes or until top springs back when lightly touched in center. Invert onto cooling rack; remove foil. Cool. Cut cake crosswise into 4 equal rectangles 3 ¾ x 10 inches. Spread one layer with ½ cup sweetened whipped cream; top with second layer. Spoon ½ cherry filling in center to within ½-inch of edge; pipe edge with cream. Top with third layer; spread with ½ cup cream. Top with fourth layer; spoon remaining cherry filling to within ½ inch of edge. Frost sides with whipped cream. Pipe top edge. Pat almonds into frosting. Chill.

Joan Olsen's Peanut Brittle Recipe

My mother loved Peanut Brittle. Here is her recipe.

Peanut Brittle

1 ½ tsp soda
1 tsp water
1 tsp vanilla
1 c. water
1 ½ c. sugar
1 c. light corn syrup
3 Tbs. butter
1 lb. shelled unroasted peanuts (raw)

Butter 2 baking sheets, each 15 ½ x 12 inches; keep warm. Combine soda, 1 tsp water and the vanilla; set aside. Combine sugar, 1 c. water and the corn syrup in large saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally to 240 degrees on a candy thermometer. Stir in butter and peanuts. Cook, stirring constantly, to 300 degrees, watch so it doesn’t burn. Immediately remove from heat; stir in soda mixture thoroughly. Pour half of candy onto each warm baking sheet and quickly spread evenly as thin as possible. Cool; break into pieces.