Dazzling Desserts for the Holidays

Posted December 21, 2010

CHOCOLATE. PECANS. PUMPKIN. MARSHMALLOWS. These are the ingredients that say “Happy Holidays.” Holidays are for sharing special moments and making memories around the dinner table or at a holiday party. So treat yourself. Or treat your friends and neighbors. We wish you a joyous holiday season and hope that it’s one filled with wonder and wonderful holiday goodies.  

And remember, you can share a personal recipe with us at any time. We would love to feature it on Seethegood.com. And if you have a special story to share about the recipes, please let us know that as well.

Send recipes and accompanying stories to: editor@seethegood.com.

Robert Minnetto – Florida

CHOCOLATE CHIP PUMPKIN COOKIES

1 cup shortening or butter
2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1-15 oz. can pumpkin puree
4 cups all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons baking soda
1½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon, ground
1 pinch nutmeg, ground
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease cookie sheets. Cream together the shortening and white sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs. Stir in vanilla and pumpkin. Separately combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Stir into the pumpkin mixture. Add chocolate chips and walnuts. Drop by teaspoons onto the cookie sheets. Bake 12 to15 minutes until edges begin to brown. Remove, cool for a few minutes, and enjoy!

Jennifer Edwards – Georgia

DOUGHNUT BREAD PUDDING WITH BUTTER RUM SAUCE

Bread Pudding:
2 dozen doughnuts
1-14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
2 cans fruit cocktail, not drained
1-9 oz. box raisins
2 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Sauce:
1 stick butter
1 box confectioners sugar
Rum or rum flavoring, to taste

Cube doughnuts into a large mixing bowl. Add all ingredients over doughnuts and let soak for 5 minutes until most of the mixture is absorbed. Place in a 13 x 9 pan and bake at 350 degrees for about an hour or until center is gelled.

For sauce, melt butter in a pan. Slowly add sugar and rum. Cook until it is bubbly. Pour over hot bread pudding and enjoy! 

Deborah Caldwell – South Carolina

GRANDMA SOULE'S CRY BABY COOKIES

This is a favorite from my childhood. My grandma always seemed to have them on hand. I have made them for my grandchildren since they could eat cookies, and they love them too.

4½ cups plain flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ginger
2/3 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1 cup mild molasses or cane syrup
1 egg, beaten
1 cup milk
1 cup raisins, chopped
½ cup pecans, chunky and chopped
½ cup apricots, dried and chopped

Combine flour, salt, baking soda, cloves, cinnamon, and ginger. Blend shortening. Stir in raisins. Add sugar, molasses, egg, and milk. Mix well by hand; drop onto greased and floured cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes. Yields: 5 dozen. 

Stephanie Voland – Illinois

PUMPKIN CRUMB COFFEE CAKE

Topping:
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ cup dark brown sugar, packed
1½ teaspoons cinnamon
½ teaspoons pumpkin spice
6 tablespoons butter, unsalted, cold, and cut into pieces
1 cup oats
Pinch of salt

Cake:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons ginger, ground
½ teaspoon nutmeg
1/3 cup vegetable oil
¾ cup applesauce, unsweetened
1-15 oz. can pumpkin
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1½ cups sugar
½ cup dark brown sugar, packed
2 large eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten

For topping: Stir together flour, brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Add butter and combine with fingertips until mixture is crumbly. Refrigerate while making batter.

For cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 9 x 13 inch cake pan. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. In a large bowl, whisk together oil, applesauce, pumpkin, vanilla, and both sugars until well mixed. Whisk in eggs. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture and stir until combined. Do not over mix. Pour batter into cake pan and spread evenly. Sprinkle with reserved topping. Bake cake for 45 to 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Allow to cool in pan on a wire rack at least 20 minutes.

Melinda Uebel – Florida

CARAMEL FILLED CHOCOLATE COOKIES

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
¾ cup cocoa
1 cup chopped nuts
1 tablespoon sugar
48 Rolo candies

Beat butter until creamy. Gradually add sugars and beat well. Add eggs and vanilla, and beat well. Combine flour, baking soda, and cocoa. Gradually add butter mixture, beating well. Stir in ½ cup nuts. Cover and chill at least 2 hours. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Combine remaining ½ cup nuts with the one tablespoon of sugar. Divide the dough into 4 parts. Work with one part at a time leaving the rest in the refrigerator. Divide each part into 12 pieces. Quickly press each piece of dough around a Rolo candy. Roll into a ball. Dip one side in sugar.

Place sugar side up 2 inches apart on baking sheets. Bake for 8 minutes. Let cool 1 minute. Move to wire rack. Cool completely.

Teresa Wallace – Alabama

PRALINE GRAHAMS

1 package graham crackers
¾ cup butter or margarine
½ cup sugar
1 cup pecans, chopped

Separate each cracker into 4 sections. Arrange in a jelly-roll pan with edges touching. Melt butter in saucepan and stir in sugar and pecans.

Bring to a boil and cook 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Spread mixture evenly over crackers. Bake at 300 degrees for 12 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool on wax paper. Yields: 3½ dozen.

Jeanette Touchton – Mississippi

WHITE CHRISTMAS FUDGE

6 oz. cream cheese, softened
16 oz. sugar, powdered
1½ teaspoon vanilla
12 oz. white chocolate baking bar, melted
1 cup pecans, chopped and toasted

Beat cream cheese at medium speed until fluffy and gradually add sugar. Add vanilla and melted white chocolate, stirring until blended. Stir in pecans. Spread into a buttered 8-inch square dish. Store in refrigerator. Cut into small squares before serving.

Stefanie Wilcockson – Illinois

FOURNIE'S HOLIDAY PARTY MIX

1¼ cup honey nut toasted oat cereal
1¼ cup crispy corn cereal squares
½ cup peanuts, salted or dry roasted
¼ cup almonds, slivered
¼ cup peanut brittle or nut clusters, crushed
4 oz. candy-coated peanut butter pieces
5 oz. mini pretzels
6 oz. white chocolate chips
1½ tablespoons vegetable oil

In a large bowl, mix together the cereal, peanuts, almonds, brittle, candy-coated peanut butter pieces, and pretzels. Set aside. In a microwave-safe bowl, heat the white chocolate chips and oil for 45 seconds to 1 minute. Stir and place back in the microwave for 5 to 10 seconds. Remove and stir until smooth. Pour into cereal mixture and toss well to combine. Spread on 2 large wax or parchment paper-covered baking sheets. Allow mix to cool for 1 hour. Break apart and store in an airtight 3-quart container.

Darla Graham – Missouri

APPLE BREAD

3 cups apples, diced small
½ cup pecans, chopped
3 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
3 eggs, beaten
1½ teaspoon vanilla
1 1/3 cup oil

Mix all dry ingredients together in large bowl. Add apples and pecans. Blend in beaten eggs and vanilla.  Mix together well. Add oil last. The batter will be heavy and gooey. If mixture is not wet, add a little more oil. Bake in greased and floured* 2 loaf pans or 5 mini pans. Bake 45 to 60 minutes at 350 degrees until top is crusty and/or until done.
*Instead of using flour to dust the pan, you can use sugar.

Pam O'Gwynn – Alabama

GRANNA'S MISSISSIPPI MUD 

Cake:
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
½ cup cocoa
2 sticks butter
1½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
1½ cups walnuts
1 package miniature marshmallows
Pinch of salt

Icing:
1 stick of butter
½ teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup milk
1/3 cup cocoa
1 lb. confectioner’s sugar

For cake: Melt butter and cocoa in a double boiler. Pour into bowl. Add eggs, sugar, flour, and salt. Mix well by hand. Add walnuts and vanilla. Pour into a greased and floured 9 x 13 inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from oven. Cover cake with small marshmallows. Put back into the oven for marshmallows to melt, about 5 to 10 minutes. Remove and let cool. Add icing.

Icing: Melt butter and cocoa together on stove. Add vanilla, milk, and sugar and mix well. Spread over cake. Icing will spread better if warm. Let cake stand for 5 to 6 hours before eating.

Pam Hatt – Florida

DORIS' CHEESECAKE

Crust:
1½ cups of graham cracker crumbs
2 tablespoons sugar
¼ cup butter, melted

Mix and press into a pie pan.

Note: You can use a pre-made graham cracker crust

Middle:
1½-8 oz. packages of cream cheese, softened
2 eggs
½ cup sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla

Mix all ingredients with an electric mixer and pour onto crust. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove and cool completely on a wire rack. Sprinkle a thick layer of cinnamon onto the cheesecake.

Top:
7/8-16 oz. container of sour cream
2 tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla

Mix and spread over cooled and cinnamon-sprinkled pie. Bake for 3 minutes at 375 degrees. Chill in refrigerator for a minimum of 4 hours.

Christy Wethington – Tennessee

SANTA’S WHISKERS

1 cup margarine
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2½ cups all-purpose flour
¾ cups candied cherries, finely chopped
½ cup pecans, chopped
¾ cup coconut, flaked

Cream margarine and sugar; add milk, vanilla, flour, cherries, and pecans. Mix thoroughly. Shape into roll. Roll in coconut. Wrap and chill. Slice and bake at 375 degrees for 11 to12 minutes until lightly browned around the edges.

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