Best Toffee Ever

My sister is an amazing cook. She usually takes to the Filet Mignon and prime rib and leaves me with the side dishes and desert but this recipe is a tradition for her every Christmas time. Its a family recipe that she has down to a T. Co-workers lovingly nicknamed this crunchy caramely goodness "crack". Try it.. you'll be addicted.. don't say I didn't warn you....

Best Toffee Ever - "Crack"

Ingredients
2 cups butter
2 cups white sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 T. water
1 t. almond or vanilla extract ( I prefer almond)
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup finely chopped almonds or pecans.

Directions
1. Before preparing toffee I grind up small 1 c. finely chopped almonds or pecans. Also grind in blender 1 cup choc chips (use the mini semi sweet, they break up better). First sprinkle large flat cookie sheet with ground nuts, then over that sprinkle ground chocolate.
1.In a large heavy bottomed saucepan, combine the butter, sugar water, salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring until the butter is melted. Allow to come to a boil, and cook until the mixture becomes a dark amber color (color of brown paper bag), as soon as the toffee turns this color (happens fast) add extract, continue stirring and remove from heat.
3. Pour it out onto the prepared baking sheet (toffee recipe will fill half of cookie sheet so I plan on making two batches to fill full cookie sheet). Immediately rinse out pan with hot water while you let toffee stand for 1 minute, then sprinkle on remaining choc chips. When shiny spread over toffee with knife and sprinkle on remaining nuts.
4. Finish cleaning out saucepan and repeat steps 2-3.
5.Place the toffee in the refrigerator (or outside on your deck like I do) to chill until set. Break into pieces, and store in an airtight container. (ziploc bags work fine). Enjoy!

Pumpkin Sheet Cake

About the time the temperature drops and pumpkins start popping up everywhere I get the craving for this cake. It is my all time favorite fall cake. It is so simple and quick to make and has a super moist texture. Even people who aren't usually pumpkin fans ask me to make this cake. Try it out and let me know what you think...

Pumpkin Sheet Cake

Cake

2 cups (16 oz) canned pumpkin
2 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs Slightly beaten
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt

Frosting

1 pkg (3 oz) cream cheese, softened
5 TBS butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla
1 3/4 cups powdered sugar
3-4 tsp milk
chopped nuts (optional)

In a mixing bowl, beat pumpkin, sugar and oil together. Add eggs; mix well. Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; add pumpkin mixture and beat until well blended. Pour into a greased sheet cake pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until cake tests done. (do not over bake). Cool. For frosting, beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla in mixing bowl until smooth. Gradually add sugar; mix well. Add milk until frosting reaches desired spreading consistency. Frost cake. Sprinkle with nuts.

Peach Pie Filling/ Topping

I know that there are a few late peaches still hanging around so I had to get this in before the season was completely over. This recipe comes to you from Sister 3 who lives in the heart of the land of peaches in Utahs Fruit Way. It is super easy to make and is a great filling for pie, cobbler or crisp (my favorite) or just put a little (or a lot) on ice cream and enjoy the sweet delicious goodness.

Peach Pie Filling/ Topping

Peel and cut up 3 cups fresh peaches (set aside)

In medium saucepan mix together 1 cup sugar and 5 TBS cornstarch. Add 1 cup water. Cook over medium heat stirring constantly. Boil until thick; turn off heat
Add 1/4 cup butter stirring until melted. Add 1/4 cup lemon juice and stir well- It will be thick.
Stir in prepared peaches just until coated.

Pour into baked pie crust or graham cracker crust, use for cobbler or crisp or serve warm over vanilla ice cream. Best if used within first day.

Lemon Meringue Pie

Alright Jenn, this one's for you...

A month or so ago our ladies church group had a pie night. It was a very tasty night. I took two pies, one of which was Lemon Meringue , one of my all time favorites. After making this one you may see why people always say "easy as pie!" Yeah it's an easy one...

Lemon Meringue Pie

9- inch baked pie shell

Filling

1 1/2 cups sugar
1/3 cup plus 1 TBS corn starch
1/2 cups water
3 egg yolks, slightly beaten
3 TBS butter
1/2 cup lemon juice from fresh lemon
zest of one lemon (about 1 TBS)
2 drops yellow food coloring (optional)

Prepare and bake pie shell.

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Mix sugar and cornstarch in 2 quart sauce pan. Gradually stir in water. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir one minute. Gradually stir in half of the hot mixture into the egg yolks. Stir into hot mixture in sauce pan. Boil on low 1 minute. Remove from heat. Stir in butter, lemon juice, lemon zest and food coloring. Pour into pie shell.
Prepare meringue. Spoon onto hot filling. Spread over filling carefully sealing meringue to sides of pie crust to prevent shrinking or weeping. Bake 8-10 minutes or until meringue is delicate brown.(keep your eye on this part) Cool away from draft.

Meringue

3 egg whites
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
6 TBS granulated sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla

Beat egg whites and cream of tartar in medium bowl until foamy. Beat in sugar, 1 TBS at a time until stiff and glossy. Do not over beat. Fold in vanilla

White Chocolate Pumpkin Tiramisu

My sister Nina saw this original recipe created by Amy Richardson on Studio 5 KSL in SLC, Utah and decided to give it a try for our after Thanksgiving get together. Not only is it absolutely beautiful, but if you are a pumpkin lover the flavors make your mouth sing! An amazing recipe for the Fall. (She substituted pumpkin bread for the pumpkin pound cake and made her own pumpkin butter from the recipe HERE.) This recipe is super easy and delightfully delicious!


White Chocolate Pumpkin Tiramisu

Ingredients:

* 9-inch Spring form pan lined with parchment
* 1 vanilla pound cake cut in ¼ inch slices; and cut in half again
* 1 pumpkin pound cake cut in ¼ inch slices; and cut in half again
* 3 cups heavy whipping cream (2 cups for tiramisu, 1 cup reserved for serving)
* 1- 8 oz. package cream cheese at room temperature
* ¾ cup sugar
* 2 oz. white chocolate, or 7 squares of Ghirardelli vanilla bean white chocolate; melted.
* 3 tbs. prepared pumpkin butter
* ¼ cup apple cider or apple juice

Method:

Beat whipping cream and sugar until soft peaks form.
Add cream cheese until smooth.
Divide mixture in half.
To one half, add white chocolate and beat until well blended.
To the other half add the pumpkin butter and beat until well blended.

To assemble the tiramisu:

Line bottom of spring form pan with pumpkin pound cake; crowding to fit.
Brush cake with apple cider and cover with a layer of white chocolate cream.
Arrange a layer of vanilla pound cake over the cream, and top with a layer of spiced pumpkin cream.
Repeat these alternating layers, ending with pumpkin spiced cream.

Cover and chill overnight to set firm. May keep refrigerated for up to two days.

Loosen spring form and remove parchment. Smooth sides with a spatula.

Serve with whipped cream and garnish with a sprinkle of cinnamon.

Whipped Cream
Ingredients:

* 1 cup whipping cream
* ¼ cup powdered sugar
* ½ tsp. vanilla extract

Method:

Whip ingredients on high till soft peaks form.

Pumpkin Streusel Bars

Pumpkin Streusel Bars

Crust:

1/2 cup quick oats
1 1/4 cups flour
3/4 cup light brown sugar (firmly packed)
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup butter (room temp)

Combine ingredients and mix until crumbly. Reserve 1 1/2 cups of crumb mixture and press the remaining into a 13x9x2 baking pan. Bake 375 for 10 minutes.

Filling:

2 cups pumpkin (16 oz can)
2/3 cup milk
2/3 cup light brown sugar (firmly packed)
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp cinnamin
3/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground allspice

Beat filling ingredients until well blended and smooth. Spread filling over baked crust; sprinkle with remaining crumb mixture. Bake additional 25 minutes. Cool and cut into bars.

Pistachio Lush

This is quite possibly my all time favorite dessert. It is heaven by the spoonful. We make this using pistachio because it is our favorite but you can use just about any flavor of pudding that you would like. Chocolate, banana, and lemon are some of our favorite flavors. You can cut calories and sugar by using low fat cream cheese and sugar free pudding. You can also try it with different nuts, the possibilities are endless. However way you try it brace yourself for a creamy dreamy treat.

Pistachio Lush

Layer #1

1 cup flour
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Mix well and press into bottom of 9x13 pan.
Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Cool.

Layer #2

1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup whipped topping
8 oz cream cheese

Mix together until smooth.
Spread on Layer #1

Layer #3

2 (3 oz) pkgs instant pistachio pudding
2 1/2 cold milk

Mix together and let sit 5 minutes.
Spread on top of layer #2. Refrigerate until set.

Layer #4

Spread with whipped topping and sprinkle with chopped pecans
Chill and serve.