December 21, 2011: Chocolate Caramel Pecan Turtle Pie Recipe

This recipe – which would make a wonderful holiday dessert – is courtesy of my dear mother-in-law, Judy. It’s special enough for Christmas dinner and the combination of ingredients will please the chocolate lovers as well as the traditional dessert lovers in your family.

Chocolate Caramel Pecan Turtle Pie

Filling:

1 14-ounce bag vanilla caramels

½ c. butter

½ c. heavy whipping cream

2 cups pecan halves, roasted

Chocolate cookie pie crust or regular pie crust, blind baked

Topping:

1/3 c. semisweet chocolate chips

2 T. butter

2 T. light corn syrup

½ t. vanilla extract

Prepared whipped cream topping

To prepare filling: add caramels, butter and cream to a heavy, medium-sized saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring often with a whisk, until caramels and butter melt. Remove from heat and whisk until completely smooth. Stir in pecans.

Pour mixture into prepared pie crust. Cover and chill three to four hours, until completely cooled and firm.

To prepare topping: stir chocolate chips and butter in a heavy, small saucepan over low heat until melted and smooth. Remove from heat and stir in cream, corn syrup and vanilla until thoroughly blended. Pour over chilled pie and chill an additional hour. Just before serving, decorate with dollops of whipped cream.

Serves 10

June 19, 2011: Easy Caramel Topped Banana Cream Pie Recipe

I don’t know but I always seem to end up with bananas that turn brown before they get eaten. I get tired of making banana bread and banana butterscotch coconut bars, so this time I decided to make a lusciously cool and light banana cream pie. It couldn’t have been any easier!

Caramel-Topped Banana Cream Pie

1 baked pie crust
3 ripe bananas
2 packages vanilla instant pudding
2 ½ cups milk
Caramel ice cream topping
Whipped cream\

Use the crust recipe of your choice to make the crust. Blind bake it and cool.
Note: You can also use a cookie crumb crust.

With a hand mixer, beat together the pudding mix and milk.

Slice 2 bananas and spread over cooled pie crust. Top with prepared pudding. Squirt whipped cream on top, drizzle with caramel topping, and use remaining banana, sliced, to decorate top of pie.

May 29, 2011: Better Than Sex Chocolate Cupcakes Recipe

This recipe is courtesy of my dear friend, Phyllis. When it comes to baking cakes and all sorts of desserts, she is truly the queen. Her desserts not only look absolutely perfect and professional, they taste like heaven!

This recipe is actually meant for a sheet cake in a 13 x 9 inch pan, but I decided to use it for cupcakes. It made a big mess, but they came out really yummy and looked good, too. In fact my niece, Kira's, comment was "Oh my God!" after she bit into one. Guess they got her seal of approval!

Better Than Sex Chocolate Cupcakes

1 box chocolate cake mix (your choice of variety)
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 12-ounce jar caramel ice cream topping
1 small container whipped topping, such as Cool Whip
3 Heath candy bars, crushed (I used a package of Heath toffee bits)

Bake cake as directed on package for cupcakes (I used one 12-cup and one 6-cup cupcake tins). Let sit for 5 minutes. With a toothpick, poke holes all over the surface of the cupcakes. Pour the sweetened condensed over the top. Next, pour the caramel topping over the top of the cupcakes (you probably won't need the whole jar). Spread over the cupcakes; periodically spoon the excess back on top. When completely cool, "frost" with whipped topping and sprinkle with candy bits.

Note: I put an additional, clean paper cup over the cupcakes before frosting them as they were very sticky! You might have to eat them with a fork...

Makes 18 cupcakes