Desserts...

Crunch Carmel Cereal Treat - Katie Peterson

1 1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cup real butter
1/3 cup Karo Syrup
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 family size Crispex cereal 18 oz.
small can cashews

Mix first three ingredients and boil for 2 minutes. Add soda. Put cereal and nuts in brown paper bag. Pour mixture over the cereal. Shake and then microwave for 1 minute. Do it 6 times, shaking for few seconds, then microwaving for one minute. Once your done, place on a cookie sheet to cool. Once cooled break up into a bowl.

Filled Strawberries - Karrie Tea

8 oz. cream cheese
1/2 cup powdered sugar
Blend and add 1/2 tsp. vanilla.

1 tube of crushed graham crackers

Fill strawberries and roll in cracker crumbs.

Coconut Haystacks - Lacey Lounsbury

1 package milk chocolate chips (can also use semi-sweet chips)
1/2 package white chocolate chips
1/2-1 package coconut
mini cupcake liners

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spread coconut out on a cookie sheet. Toast in oven for 2 minutes. Take it out, mix it around, spread it back out and place back in the oven. Toast again for 2 minutes. Repeat for a total of 3-4 times. Melt both chocolates in a glass or ceramic bowl in the microwave. Stir every 30 seconds until melted. Mix in desired amount of toasted coconut. Scoop mixture into mini cupcake liners. Place in refrigerator for them to set up.

Homemade Brownies with Mint Frosting - Amy Wilker

Cream 2 sticks margarine, 2 cups sugar, 1/3 cup cocoa.  Add 4 eggs, one at a time and beat after each.  Ad 1 ½ cups flour, ¼ tsp. salt, 2 tsp. vanilla, and nuts (optional).  Spread in greased dripper pan.  Bake about 20-23 minutes at 350 degrees.  Let cool, frost with mint frosting.

*Option – Instead of mint frosting, remove from oven after 20 minutes and cover with mini marshmallows.  Put in oven for 3 minutes, let cool and frost with chocolate frosting.

Mint Frosting

3 cups powdered sugar

2 Tbs. melted butter or margarine

¼ cup milk

dash of salt

1 tsp. vanilla

½ tsp. peppermint extract

Combine melted butter and milk.  Add to powdered sugar and other ingredients until desired consistency (add more powdered sugar or milk if necessary).  Add couple drops of green food coloring.  

Almost! Chocolate Covered Banana Split Bites - Karrie Tea

Makes about 24

24 - 1 inch pieces from about 1/2 small pineapple

2 large bananas, sliced into 24 bite sized pieces

12 small to medium sized strawberries sliced in half

5 oz. good quality dark chocolate (I used 72%) - this is between 3/4 -1 cup if using a cup measurement for chocolate chips)

2 tsp. coconut oil

chopped nuts or coconut for rolling in (optional)

Chop fruit and assemble into stacks. Pres a popsicle stick through the fruit and freeze until solid.

Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper, wax paper or a silicone mat. Melt the chocolate along with the coconut oil either in a double boiler or in the microwave using short intervals and stirring frequently to prevent burning. Once completely melted, remove the frozen fruit from the freezer. Dip the fruit in the chocolate, let the excess drip off for a minute and then place on the sheet to harden. If desired, dip the chocolate covered side immediately in chopped nuts or coconut before placing on the sheet to harden. Once the chocolate is completely hardened (you may need to place in the freezer for it to harden completely), remove from the sheet and place in an airtight container to store in the freezer until ready to serve. 

When ready to serve, remove them from the freezer and let sit at room temperature for 5 minutes before serving. 

Bite Size Banana Cream Pie

1 small box instant vanilla pudding

1 3/4 cups cold milk (a little less if you're using skim milk)

2-3 bananas, cut into 1/4-inch slices

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1 batch of pie crust

In a medium bowl, whisk vanilla pudding mix and cold milk for 2 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. (I'm not sure how long, mine refrigerated overnight.)

Whip heavy cream and powdered sugar into stiff peaks.

Using either a pastry bag with an open star tip, or using a zip-top bag with about 1/4 inch of a corner cut off, pipe about half a teaspoon of chilled pudding onto each pie crust piece.

Place a slice of banana on top of the dab of pudding. Then squeeze about 1 1/2 teaspoons of pudding onto each banana slice.

Refrigerate the pies while you prep the whipped cream into another pastry bag (or the same one with the tip washed), and then pipe about 1 1/2 teaspoons of whipped cream onto each pie. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Makes about 3 dozen bite-size pies.

Desserts that didn't have a recipe... or didn't need one!