Desserts

• Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
• Cracker Crust Peanut Butter Pie
• Reeses Cookies
• White Chocolate Cherry Shortbread

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Ingredients:

• 1 box yellow cake mix
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 5 TBSP melted butter
• 2 cups of chocolate chips

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 350^o
• Combine all ingredients in mixing bowl
• Spread in greased 9x9 pan and bake for 20 minutes

Cracker Crust Peanut Butter Pie

Ingredients:

• 50 Ritz Original crackers (about 4 of the short cracker stacks)
• 1 stick (4 oz.) butter, melted
• 4 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
• ¹/₂ cup peanut butter
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• ¹/₂ cup milk
• 1 container (8 oz.) Cool Whip, thawed for 4 hours in the refrigerator
• ¹/₄ cup salted peanuts (optional)
• Chocolate syrup, for serving (optional)

Instead of making your own crust, you can also buy a pre-made crust to make things easier. In that case, omit the Ritz crackers and butter.

Instructions:

• Crush the Ritz crackers. Dump the crumbs into a 9-inch glass pie plate, reserving a couple tablespoons of crumbs for garnish, and add the melted butter. Mix thoroughly and press the crumbs into the bottom and side of the pie plate to form a crust.
• In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, combine the cream cheese, peanut butter, and powdered sugar and beat on medium speed until smooth, scraping down the sides occasionally. Slowly pour in the milk and mix on low until you have a perfectly smooth slurry. With a rubber spatula, fold in the entire container of Cool Whip, which makes it fluffier than the mixer would. Pour the mixture into the crumb crust, smooth it out, and garnish the top with the reserved cracker crumbs.
• Freeze for at least 4 hours
• Take the pie out of the freezer 10-15 minutes before serving to soften a bit.
• Top with salted peanuts and chocolate syrup if desired.

Reeses Cookies

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 cup white sugar

Beat in:

• 1 egg
• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups flour

1. Roll into ball (large walnut size)
2. Roll into sugar
3. Put into small muffin pans that have been greased
4. Bake 8 minutes at 350F. Don't let them get brown
5. Take out of oven and press Reeses cups immediately into each ball
6. Let cool before removing. Put on cooling rack
7. Makes 5 dozen

 

White Chocolate Cherry Shortbread

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup drained maraschino cherries
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 cup butter, cold and cut up
• 1/2 tsp almond extract
• 12 oz. white baking chocolate, finely chopped
• 2 drops red food coloring, optional
• Sugar
• 2 tsp shortening

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 325F. Pat cherries dry with paper towels. Finely chop cherries. Pat dry again.
2. In large bowl, stir together flour and 1/2 cup sugar. Using pastry blender or 2 forks, cut in butter until mixture resembles crumbs and starts to cling. Stir in cherries, 2/3 cup white chocolate, the almond extract, and food coloring. Form mixture into a ball and knead until smooth.
3. Shape into 3/4 inch balls. Place in sugar to coat. Place on ungreased cookie sheet and flatten with the bottom of a glass.
4. Bake 10-12 minutes or until centers are set. Cool on cookie sheet 1 minute. Transfer to wire rack.
5. Melt shortening and remaining chocolate. Drizzle on cookies.