Orange Dream Squares (low-cal)

Ingredients:
40 LF Nila wafers, finely crushed
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 cups fat free orange sherbert, softened
2 cups milk
2 pkg vanilla Jell-O instant pudding mix
1 tub (8oz) cool whip lite whipped topping, tawed and divided

Directions:
1.Line 13x9-inch pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides of pan. Mix wafer crumbs and butter. Press firmly onto bottom of prepared pan; set aside until ready to use.
2.Add milk to dry pudding mixes in medium bowl. Beat with wire whisk 2 min. or until well blended. Gently stir in half of the whipped topping. Spoon evenly over crust. Refrigerate 10 min. Add remaining whipped topping to sherbet; stir with wire whisk until well blended. Spoon evenly over pudding layer; cover.
3.Freeze at least 3 hours or overnight. Use foil handles to remove dessert from pan before cutting into squares to serve. Store leftover dessert in freezer

Rating: A cool summer treat that is low in calories and is just the right amount of sweet.

Grandma's Carrot Cake

Ingredients:
2 cups granulated sugar
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
3 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups grated carrot
1 cup crushed pineapple (or one small can), drained
1 cup shredded coconut
1 cup chopped walnuts

icing:
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 pound powdered sugar

Directions:
cake-
1.Heat oven to 350 degrees. sift together sugar, flour, soda, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl. Stir in the oil. Add eggs one at a time mixing well after each addition. Add vanilla.
2.Place in coconut, pineapple and nuts, fold into batter. Gradually fold in carrot
3.Pour into 2 greased and floured 9-inch round pans. bake for 30 minutes.
4.While cake is cooling prepare icing

icing-
1.Beat together cream cheese and butter until smooth.
2.Blend in vanilla. Sift powdered sugar and gradually beat into the cream cheese mixture.

Rating:
some may question the addition of pineapple and coconut-but with that along with the carrot, this cake comes out super super moist and so flavorful. Even those that weren't huge fans of carrot cake really loved this cake, when I recently served it at a family members birthday party. Also the icing is always an important aspect to a good carrot cake...and this one really is creamy, not too overpowering, and of course really yummy. ;) so try it!

Chocolate w/ White Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:
1 cup butter softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 tsp baking soda
2 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 cup cocoa powder
2 cups white chocolate chips

Directions:
1.Preheat oven to 325 degrees F
2.In a large bowl beat butter, sugars, eggs and vanilla extract together untill light and fluffy.
3.Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt into a bowl and gradually add to sugar mixture until well blended
4.Mix in chocolate chips and drop by rounded teaspoonfuls on ungreased cookie sheets
5.Bake for 8-10 minutes or just until set (warning do not over cook..they will not be soft and brownie like)

Rating:
These are very yummy and tastes just like a soft brownie in the center. Using peanut butter chips or semi sweet chips instead of the white would be great as well. Make sure to press down the dough as you place it on the sheets-the cookies do not spread much.

Individual Lemon Cheesecakes

Happy belated Cinco de Mayo everyone! enjoy this cool treat:

Ingredients:
1 8oz package cream cheese
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons lemon curd
6 mini graham cracker crusts (recommended keebler)
Whipped topping (recommended cool whip)
Sugared lemon slices for garnish

Directions:
In a medium mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar with an electric mixer until creamy. Beat in the lemon curd on low speed until just combined.

Spoon the mixture into the graham cracker crusts. Place on a small baking sheet in the freezer for 10 minutes or more. Serve with a dollop of whipped topping and 1/4 of a slice of lemon that has been sprinkled with sugar.

Rating:
If you like lemons you will LOVE this creamy dessert. Perfect for parties, easy to make, and clean up was fast. You can easily substitute the lemon curd for lime, raspberry or blueberry curd, or even chocolate! Got great reviews from family members (especially those who are big lemon fans) and I was also asked to make them again for an upcoming family get together.

Vanilla Vanilla Cupcakes

recipe from Magnolia's Bakery

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

Icing:
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
5 to 8 cups confectioners sugar
1/2 cup milk
2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2.line two muffin tins with cupcake papers
3. in a small bowl cobine the flours and set aside
4.In a large bowl, on medium speed, cream the butter until smooth. add the sugar gradually and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time beating well after each addition. Add the dry ingredients in 3 parts, alternating with the milk and vanilla. With each addtion, beat unitl the ingredients are incorporated but do not overbeat. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl to make sure the ingredients are well blended. Carefully spoon the batter into the cupcake liners, filling them about three-quarters full. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cupcake comes out clean.
5.Cool the cupcakes in the tins for 15 minutes. remove from the tins and cool completely on a wire rack before icing. Ice cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream icing.

icing directions:
Place the butter in a large mixing bowl. Add 4 cups of the sugar and then the milk and vanilla. On the medium speed of an electric mixer, beat until smooth and creamy, about 3-5 minutes. Gradually add the remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition (about 2 minutes), until the icing is thick enough to be of good spreading consistency. You may not need to add all of the sugar. If desired, add a few drops of food coloring and mix thoroughly. (Use and store the icing at room temperature because icing will set if chilled.) Icing can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Rating:if you follow the directions exactly the cake will come out light, buttery and very yummy. The icing for me is a little on the sugary side...but most people like it that way but you can always reduce the amount of sugar you add. I used a small amount of red food coloring to make my icing a light pastel pink and used easter M&M's for the center.

Double Chocolate Mint Cookies

Ingredients:
3/4 cup butter
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons water
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
36 Andies chocolate mint

Directions:
1.In a large pan over low heat, cook butter, sugar and water until butter is melted. Add chocolate chips and stir until partially melted. Remove from heat and continue to stir until chocolate is completely melted. Pour into a large bowl and let stand 10 minutes to cool off slightly.
2.At high speed, beat in eggs, one at a time into chocolate mixture. Reduce speed to low and add dry ingredients, beating until blended. Chill dough about 1 hour.
3.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
4.Roll dough into balls and place on ungreased cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake 8-10 minutes. While cookies are baking unwrap mints and divide each in half. When cookies are brought out of the oven, put 1/2 mint on top of each cookie. Let the mint sit for up to 5 minutes until melted, then spread the mint on top of the cookie.

Rating:
I've been told by multiple people that these taste just like the mint girl scout cookies! chewy on the inside, crunchy on the outside. the 1/2 mint on each cookie is just enough for a great mint taste without having it be over powering. very yummy and packages great. Make sure to allow time for the chocolate to harden before putting the cookies into containers. (9/10)

Peanut Butter Temptations

recipe from www.allrecipes.com

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
36 miniature chocolate covered peanut butter cups, unwrapped

Directions:
1.Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2.In a medium bowl, cream together the brown sugar, white sugar and butter. Stir in the peanut butter, then the egg and vanilla. Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt, stir into the peanut butter mixture until the dough comes together. Shape into 1 inch balls and press them into the cups of an unprepared mini muffin pan.
3.Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. As soon as the cookies come out of the oven, press a mini chocolate covered peanut butter cup down into the center of each cookie until only the top is showing. Allow the cookies to cool completely before removing from their pans.

Rating:
WOW are these yummy!! great peanut butter taste and just the right size. your family and friends will think you spent hours preparing them but they are really are very easy and fast. (10/10)