Cream Cheese Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 cup margarine
• 1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 1/2 cups flour

Directions:

1. Cream margarine and cream cheese, then add the sugar, egg yolk, and vanilla, and flour last.
2. I like to chill dough over night or at least several hours.
3. Roll out chilled dough and cut in desired shapes with your favorite cookie cutters.
4. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes.
5. Ice and decorate.

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Strawberry Cream Cake

Ingredients:

Cake

• 1 1/4 cups cake flour (5 ounces)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon table salt
• 1 cup sugar (7 ounces)
• 5 large eggs, room temperature (2 whole and 3 separated)
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
• 2 tablespoons water
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Strawberry Filling

• 2 lbs fresh strawberries, washed, dried, and stemmed (medium or large, about 2 quarts)
• 4 -6 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons kirsch or 2 tablespoons cherry flavored liqueur
• 1 pinch table salt

Whipped Cream

• 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/2 cup sugar (3 1/2 ounces)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon table salt
• 2 cups heavy cream

Directions:

FOR THE CAKE:

1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Grease and flour round 9 by 2-inch cake pan (pan must be at least 2" high!) or 9-inch springform pan and line with parchment paper.
3. Whisk flour, baking powder, salt, and all but 3 tablespoons sugar in mixing bowl.
4. Whisk in 2 whole eggs and 3 yolks (reserving whites), butter, water, and vanilla; whisk until smooth.
5. In clean bowl of standing mixer fitted with whisk attachment, beat remaining 3 egg whites at medium-low speed until frothy, 1 to 2 minutes.
6. With machine running, gradually add remaining 3 tablespoons sugar, increase speed to medium-high, and beat until soft peaks form, 60 to 90 seconds.
7. Stir one-third of whites into batter to lighten; add remaining whites and gently fold into batter until no white streaks remain.
8. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake until toothpick or wooden skewer inserted into center of cake comes out clean, 30 to 40 minutes.
9. Cool in pan 10 minutes, then invert cake onto greased wire rack; peel off and discard parchment.
10. Invert cake again; cool completely, about 2 hours.

FOR THE STRAWBERRY FILLING:

1. Halve 24 of best-looking berries and reserve.
2. Quarter remaining berries; toss with 4 to 6 tablespoons sugar (depending on sweetness of berries) in medium bowl and let sit 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
3. Strain juices from berries and reserve (you should have about 1/2 cup).
4. In workbowl of food processor fitted with metal blade, give macerated berries five 1-second pulses (you should have about 1 1/2 cups).
5. In small saucepan over medium-high heat, simmer reserved juices and Kirsch until syrupy and reduced to about 3 tablespoons, 3 to 5 minutes.
6. Pour reduced syrup over macerated berries, add pinch of salt, and toss to combine.
7. Set aside until cake is cooled.

FOR THE WHIPPED CREAM:

1. When cake has cooled, place cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, and salt in bowl of standing mixer fitted with whisk attachment.
2. Whisk at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes, scraping down bowl with rubber spatula as needed.
3. Reduce speed to low and add heavy cream in slow, steady stream; when almost fully combined, increase speed to medium-high and beat until mixture holds stiff peaks, 2 to 2 1/2 minutes more, scraping bowl as needed (you should have about 4 1/2 cups).

TO ASSEMBLE THE CAKE:

1. Using large serrated knife, slice cake into three even layers.
2. Place bottom layer on cardboard round or cake plate and arrange ring of 20 strawberry halves, cut sides down and stem ends facing out, around perimeter of cake layer.
3. Pour 1/2 of pureed berry mixture (about 3/4 cup) in center, then spread to cover any exposed cake.
4. Gently spread about one-third of whipped cream (about 1 1/2 cups) over berry layer, leaving 1/2-inch border from edge.
5. Place middle cake layer on top and press down gently (whipped cream layer should become flush with cake edge).
6. Repeat with 20 additional strawberry halves, remaining berry mixture, and half of remaining whipped cream; gently press last cake layer on top.
7. Spread remaining whipped cream over top; decorate with remaining cut strawberries.
8. Serve, or chill for up to 4 hours.

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Chocolate Cream Pie

Ingredients:

• 1 2/3 cups water
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 5 tablespoons cocoa
• 1 (14 ounce) can eagle brand sweetened condensed milk
• 3 egg yolks, beaten
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 (9 inch) baked pastry shells

Directions:

1. Mix water and cornstarch and cocoa until smooth.
2. Sir in Eagle Brand milk and egg yolks.
3. Cook until thick in saucepan or microwave.
4. Stir in 2 tablespoons butter.
5. Add vanilla.
6. Cool slightly (stirring occasionally).
7. Pour into baked pie shell.
8. For meringue: Preheat oven to 400°.
9. Top with meringue and brown.
10. Or may top with whipped cream after chilling pie.

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Boston Cream Cup Cakes

Ingredients:

• 1 (18 ounce) box yellow cake mix
• egg, as called for to prepare cake mix
• oil, as called for to prepare cake mix
• water, as called for to prepare cake mix
• 1/4 cup vanilla flavor instant pudding and pie filling mix (French vanilla)
• 1 cup cold milk
• 1 (16 ounce) container dark chocolate frosting

Directions:

1. Prepare and bake cake mix according to package directions for cupcakes. Cool in pan on wire rack 10 minutes. Remove from pan to wire rack; cool completely.
2. Meanwhile, whisk together pudding mix and milk until well blended. Cover and refrigerate pudding.
3. Place pudding in pastry bag fitted with small round pastry tip.
4. Place tip inside hole at top of cupcake; gently squeeze bag to fill cupcake with pudding. Repeat with remaining cupcakes and pudding.
5. Frost tops of cupcakes making sure to cover op the hole.
6. Garnish with a half fresh strawberry fan.

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Banana Cream Cheesecake

Ingredients:

For the crust

• 20 vanilla cream-filled sandwich style cookies
• 1/4 cup margarine, melted

For the filling

• 24 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 3 eggs
• 3/4 cup mashed banana
• 1/2 cup whipping cream
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• shredded coconut, for topping (optional)

Directions:

1. Use a blender to finely chop the cookies.
2. Add margarine and blend until they are well combines.
3. Press mixture into the bottom of a 10" springform pan and smooth it out.
4. Refrigerate the crust while you make the filling.
5. Beat cream cheese with electric mixer until creamy.
6. Beat in sugar and cornstarch followed by the eggs (one at a time).
7. Beat in bananas, whipping cream, and vanilla.
8. Pour mixture into crust.
9. Place pan on a cookie sheet and bake in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes.
10. Reduce oven temperature to 200 degrees and bake an additional 75 minutes, or until center is almost set, adding coconut for last 20 minutes.
11. Allow to cool completely before removing rim of pan -- Before removing the pan, run warm water over a knife and slide a knife around the edge of the cake to separate the cake from the pan cleanly.
12. Refrigerate cheesecake, uncovered, at least 6 hours.

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Pistachio Cream Dessert

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 3/4 cup butter-flavored cracker crumbs (or grahm cracker crumbs)
• 1 cup cold milk
• 1 (3 1/2 ounce) package instant pistachio pudding mix
• 2 cups vanilla ice cream, softened
• 1 (8 ounce) carton frozen whipped topping, thawed (or whipped cream)
• 2 Heath candy bars, crushed (1.4 ounces each)

Directions:

1. In a microwave-safe 8-in. square dish, melt butter. Stir in cracker crumbs; press mixture onto bottom of dish.
2. In a bowl, whisk milk and pudding mix for 2 minutes. Whisk in the ice cream, pour over crust. Cover and freeze for 2 hours.
3. Spread with whipped topping; sprinkle with crushed candy bars.
4. Return to the freezer until firm, but remove from the freezer approx 10 minutes before serving.

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