No Bake Chocolate Biscuit Cake

Ingredients
Makes about 10 servings

28 oz (800g) digestive biscuits, tea biscuits
1 cup (100g) nuts (walnuts, hazelnuts), toasted, slightly chopped

Chocolate Syrup
1 cup (200g) sugar
1/2 cup (60g) unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup (240 ml) water
2/3 cup (150g) butter
1 tsp vanilla extract

Chocolate Ganache
1/2 cup (120 g) whipping cream (35% fat)
4 oz (120g) bittersweet chocolate, chopped


1. Break the biscuits (cookies) into small pieces into a large bowl.
2. Heat a non-stick pan over medium high heat and toast walnuts or hazelnuts for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently to toast evenly. Add toasted nuts over the biscuits.
3. Prepare the chocolate syrup. In a medium sauce pan add sugar and cocoa powder. Stir to combine and gradually add water, while stirring to combine well. Add the butter and place over medium heat. Bring to boil for about 7-8 minutes stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add vanilla extract. Set aside to cool slightly for about 10-15 minutes.
4. Pour the syrup over the biscuits and nuts and combine well using a large spatula or spoon.
5. Transfer the mixture into a 9 inch (23 cm) non-stick round cake ware (like the one I’ve used from Delicake) or use a 9 inch (23 cm) springform pan, bottom lined with parchment paper.
6. Press well using the back of the spoon or an offset spatula.
7. Cover and refrigerate for about 30 minutes to 1 hr before preparing the chocolate ganache.
8. Prepare Chocolate Ganache. Place cream into a small saucepan and heat until just begins to boil.
9. Pour hot cream over the chopped chocolate and let sit for 1 minute. Stir until smooth.
10. Pour ganache over the chocolate biscuit cake and refrigerate to set for about 3-4 hours or overnight before serving.
11. Decorate with toasted nuts if desired, cut into slices and serve.

Marshmallow Snowmen

Marshmallow Snowmen

Ingredients:

30 Big Marshmallows
10 Candy Canes
10 Hershey Kisses (unwrapped)
Pull and Peel Twizzlers (10 strands)
30 red mini M&Ms
10 Reese’s Pieces Minis
White Icing (to act as glue)
Black Gel Icing
Clean Screwdriver (believe me, it works!)

Instructions:

1. Break the top part off the candy canes so that you are left with a straight stick. Take 3 marshmallows and stick the candy cane through each to stack them on top of each other to make the snowman body. To prevent the candy cane from squishing the marshmallows, heat up a phillips screwdriver under hot water and poke a hole through each marshmallow first. Watch the tutorial to see why this works!

2. Take one long rope of the Twizzlers and wrap between the middle and top marshmallow to create a scarf.

3. Dab just a bit of icing on a Hershey Kiss and put on the top of the top marshmallow as a hat.

4. Dab a tiny bit of icing on three red mini M&Ms and put them on the front of the marshmallows like buttons.

5. Cut one Reese’s Pieces Mini (orange) in half and with a dab of icing attach it to the top marshmallow as a nose.

6. Dab two eyes with the black gel icing.

7. You are done! If you are super creative, use pretzel sticks as arms but I don’t think it needs it.

Makes: 10 Snowmen

Harvest Moon Pie for Mabon

(Pie filling)
1 cup wild blackberries
4 sliced apples
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 cup sugar
Handful of dry sultanas (dried grapes)

(Pastry)
3/4 cup plain flour
1/4 cup butter
pinch of salt
milk

Mix the flour and salt together and then add the butter, gradually mixing by hand until crumbly. Add 2 tablespoons of water and mix well into a smooth dough. Roll out the dough to a size slightly larger than the tin. Line the tin with pastry.

Simmer the apples on the hob until they begin to soften, and then train them thoroughly through a sieve to extract the water. Once cooled, combine the blackberries and sultanas with the apples and place inside the pie. Mix the sugar and cinnamon separately, stirring well, and then sprinkle over the contents of the pie.

Cut another piece of pastry to lay across the top of the pie and seal the edges together by moistening them with a little bit of water. Cut two slits near the center, and use any excess pastry to make some decorative harvest leaves. Place these on top of your pie. Brush the pastry with milk and dust with a few pinches of sugar. Cook at 220C for 30 min, or until golden brown.

Peach Cobbler Cake

Ingredients:

1 box yellow cake mix, divided use

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 packet active dry yeast

2/3 cup warm water

2 eggs

2 (21 0z.) cans peach pie filling

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

1 cup powdered sugar

3-4 tbsp. milk

Directions:

 Preheat oven to 350F degrees.

Spray 9x13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

The first thing you need to do is measure out 2 cups of the cake mix.

Put aside the leftover cake mix. We'll use that later for the crumble topping.

In a mixing bowl combine the 2 cups of cake mix, along with the flour and yeast.
Stir until combined.

Then pour in warm water and stir well.
 
Next add eggs and stir. Batter will be pretty lumpy. It will be blob like.

Spread the mixture into your prepared baking dish.

This will take you a minute to do as it is kinda stretchy because of the yeast.

Then spread both cans of pie filling on top of cake batter.

Try to spread it out as evenly as possible.

In a bowl, combine the rest of the cake mix (that you set aside earlier) with the butter. Cube the butter so it will blend easily. 

You can use a pastry cutter to combine it together or a fork or even your hands. 

It should be clumpy.

Sprinkle this topping mixture over the pie filling.

Then bake at 350F degrees for about 45-55 minutes.

Topping should appear golden brown.

Allow the cake to cool for about 10 or 15 minutes.

In a bowl, combine powdered sugar and milk.

Start with a smaller amount of milk and then add more until it gets to the desired consistency.

 Drizzle icing all over the top of cake.

Serve.

Angel Food Cake and Berry Dessert

Ingredients:
Angel Food Cake
Cool Whip
Raspberry Sherbet
Fresh Raspberries
Fresh Blue Berries
Fresh Strawberries

1. Thaw Cool Whip and Sherbet
 

2. Mix the two together 

3. Tear the Pound Cake in pieces
 
4. Layer angel food or pound cake, cream, then berries... Repeat x 3 Enjoy

Cookies & Cream Cheesecake Bars

Makes 25
Crust
18 Oreos, crushed into crumbs
2 tbsp. sugar
5 tbsp. butter, melted

Cheesecake Filling
12 oz cream cheese, softened
½ cup sugar
1 tbsp. flour
1 egg, plus 1 yolk
½ cup sour cream
1 tsp. vanilla
12 Oreos, broken into pieces

Chocolate Ganache
½ cup heavy whipping cream
2 tbsp. butter
¾ cup semi sweet chocolate chips
⅛ cup powdered sugar
6 Oreos, broken into pieces

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

2. To make the crust, mix cookie crumbs and sugar together in a medium bowl. Add melted butter and stir until completely combined.

3. Using the bottom of a glass or measuring cup, firmly press mixture into the bottom of an 8″x8″ baking dish. Bake for 10 minutes, then remove from oven and let cool.

4. To make the cheesecake filling, add sugar, cream cheese and flour to a large bowl. Using a mixer on medium-high speed, cream mixture until combined.

5. Turn mixer to low and add egg and yolk, mixing until combined. Add sour cream and vanilla and mix until combined.

6. Stir in broken cookies and pour batter on prepared crust. Bake for 35-40 minutes, then remove and let cool completely.

7. To make ganache, add cream and butter to a saucepan and heat on stove, removing just before boiling.

8. Place chocolate in a large heat-proof bowl and immediately pour cream over it. Let sit for a minute and then stir until completely combined.

9. Add powdered sugar and beat with a wire whisk until smooth. Pour over cooled cheesecake and top with remaining cookie pieces. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

10. Cut into bars and serve.

Easy Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

1 (18 ounce) boxes yellow cake mix
3 eggs ( or as called for by your cake mix)
1/3 cup oil ( or as called for by your cake mix)
 1 1/3 cups water ( or as called for by your cake mix)
1 cup dark brown sugar
1/4-1/2 cup butter
1 (20 ounce) cans sliced pineapple
 1 (8 ounce) jars maraschino cherries (optional)
halved walnuts (optional)

1. Follow instructions on cake box for making an oblong single layer cake.

2. Prepare cake batter and set aside.

3. Cut up butter in small pieces and place all over the bottom of the oblong pan specified on cake box.

4. Sprinkle brown sugar generously over the butter. Place pan on the stove (or in the oven) and heat slowly until butter and sugar melt to a liquid then remove from heat.

5. Evenly space the pineapple slices around the bottom of pan in the heated sugar and butter.

6. Place the cherries and nuts between the pineapple slices (Though the cherries and nuts look nice and taste great, they are optional).

7. Pour cake batter on top of the pineapple/cherry/nut mixture.

8. Place in oven and bake as directed on cake box.

9. As soon as cake is done place a plate over the cake and turn upside down and carefully remove pan. If you wait too long the sugar will harden and be difficult to remove.

Note: Peaches may be used in place of pineapple.