Mar 052012
 
I served this at Cooking Club and the ladies were so impressed by the easy, yet delectable presentation that they wanted to start with dessert. This is such a quick and easy recipe to whip up for any occasion, yet it will look like you spent hours preparing for your guests. You can modify it for those special dietary needs (see below).
Ingredients:
1 pkg (18.25 oz/510 g) devil’s food cake mix (plus ingredients to make cake)
1 pkg (8 oz/250 g) cream cheese, softened
1 cup (250 mL) powdered sugar
1 tbsp (15 mL) finely grated orange zest
1 container (8 oz/1 L) frozen whipped topping, thawed
1/4 cup (50 mL) seedless raspberry jam, divided
1 cup (250 mL) raspberries (optional)
 You can substitute Neufchatel for the cream cheese to cut the fat; to lower the sugar and calories, feel free to use Stevia instead of powdered sugar and sugar free jam. Also, feel free to substitute strawberries or blueberries if you prefer.
Directions:
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease and flour Torte Pans; set aside. Prepare cake mix according to package directions; divide batter equally between pans. Bake 18-22 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in centers comes out clean. Remove from oven to cooling rack, cool 5 minutes. Remove cakes from pans; cool completely.
  2. Combine cream cheese, powdered sugar and orange zest in Classic Batter Bowl; whisk until smooth. Fold in whipped topping. Place one cake layer well-side up onto serving platter. Spread half of the filling over cake layer. Place raspberry jam in Prep Bowl. Microwave on HIGH 10-20 seconds or until warm; whisk until smooth. Drizzle half of the jam over filling. Stack remaining cake layer on top of first, well-side up; spread with remaining filling. If desired, arrange raspberries over filling; drizzle with remaining jam.

Yield: 16 servings

Nutrients per serving: Calories 340, Total Fat 18 g, Saturated Fat 8 g, Cholesterol 55 mg, Carbohydrate 39 g, Protein 4 g, Sodium 310 mg, Fiber less than 1 g

Dec 092011
 

 These truffles make a beautiful recipe to serve during any special occasion. They also make a wonderful gift (think teachers!). These truffles are so quick and easy yet they look like you had to take a culinary class to learn to make them. Truffles are a chocolate lovers delight!

Creme de menthe cookie truffles

 

Ingredients:

15 creme-filled chocolate-mint sandwich cookies
2 oz cream cheese, softened
1 pkg crème de menthe chocolate candies, unwrapped (about 28 candies total)
1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate morsels

 

Directions:

  1. Break cookies in half and place into Manual Food Processor; cover and pump handle to form very fine crumbs. Add cream cheese; process until dough forms. Using level Small Scoop, scoop cookie mixture onto Medium Sheet Pan lined with Parchment Paper; roll into balls.
  2. In Small Micro-Cooker®, microwave chocolate candies, uncovered, on HIGH 1-1 1/2 minutes or until melted, stirring every 30 seconds. Cool slightly. Dip truffles into chocolate; place onto pan. Let stand 5 minutes or until chocolate is set.
  3. In (1-cup/250-mL) Prep Bowl, microwave chocolate morsels, uncovered, on HIGH 30-60 seconds or until melted, stirring every 15 seconds. Spoon chocolate into small resealable plastic bag; trim corner of bag and drizzle chocolate over truffles. Let stand 10 minutes or until chocolate is set. Store truffles in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Oct 312011
 

Ingredients

4 eggs
1 cup sugar
* teaspoon salt
9 oz bitter-sweet chocolate bar
9 oz semi-sweet chocolate bar
1 stick of butter
1 cup of chopped pecans
1 Oreo cookie crust

 

Directions

Melt both chocolate bars with butter in medium pot over medium heat.
Mix together melted chocolate, pecans, eggs, sugar and salt

Pour mixture into cookie crust and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for
30 – 35 minutes or until firm. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.
Decorate as desired.