Banana-Sour Cream Cake

Banana-Sour Cream Cake
By: Kraft Philadelphia Holiday Desserts

1 package yellow cake mix
3 eggs
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 3)
1 cup sour cream
¼ cup canola oil
1 package (8oz) cream cheese, softened
½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened
16oz powdered sugar
1 cup finely chopped nuts (optional)

Heat oven to 350 degrees

Beat first 5 ingredients with an electric mixer on low speed just until moistened, stopping frequently to scrape down bottom and sides of bowl. Beat on medium speed 2 minutes. Pour into greased and floured 9x13 pan.

Bake 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely.

Beat cream cheese and butter with mixer until well blended. Gradually add sugar, beating well after each addition.

2 options to assemble:
Easy:
Cover cooled cake with cream cheese frosting, slice and serve.
More elaborate:
Remove cake from pan. Carefully cut cake crosswise in half using serrated knife. Place 1 cake half, top-side down, on plate; spread with some of the cream cheese frosting. Top with remaining cake half, top-side up. Spread top and sides with remaining frosting. Press nuts into sides (optional).

Keep in refrigerator.

*How to neatly frost the cake: Freeze cake layers about 20 minutes before frosting. This helps to set the crumbs on the cut edges of the cake layers so they don’t pull up into the frosting. Add don’t worry if the frosting does not look perfect on the sides of the cake- the nuts will cover any imperfections.*

Makes 16 servings

Mormon Molasses Spice Cookies

Mormon Molasses Spice Cookies
By: Peggy Cullen

1 ½ sticks butter, cut in pieces
¼ cup dark molasses
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1 cup plus 1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ginger
2 teaspoons cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon cloves
¼ teaspoon salt
1 egg, lightly beaten

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Remove from the heat and stir in the molasses and vanilla. Set aside to cool.

In a medium bowl, sift the flour with 1 cup of the sugar, the baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt. Whisk to combine.

Add the beaten egg to the cooled butter mixture and mix well with a fork. Using a rubber spatula, fold the flour mixture into the butter mixture. Cover the bowl and refrigerate until firm enough to form balls, about 15 minutes. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Place the remaining 1/3 cup sugar in a small bowl. Scoop out walnut-size pieces of the dough and roll into 1 inch balls. Toss the balls in the sugar to coat completely and place on parchment lined baking sheets, about 2 inches apart.

Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the centers are no longer raw. (At 12 minutes you’ll have soft and chewy cookies; at 15 minutes they’ll be crisp.) Let cool on baking sheets for about 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Store in airtight containers for up to 2 days, or freeze for up to 2 weeks.

About 4 dozen cookies

Hawaiian Dip with Fruit Kebabs

Hawaiian Dip with Fruit Kebabs
By: Doris Christopher

Dip:
¾ cup milk
½ cup sour cream
1 package (3.4oz) vanilla instant pudding and pie filling
1 can (8oz) crushed pineapple in juice, undrained
½ cup sweetened flaked coconut, toasted, divided
1 lime

Kebabs:
6-8 cups assorted fruits such as apples, bananas, pineapple, cantaloupe, honeydew melon, strawberries, or grapes- cut into 1 inch chunks

Soak wood skewers in water for at least 20 minutes.

For dip combine milk, sour cream, and pudding mix in a small bowl, whisk until smooth.

Stir in pineapple with juice and 1/3 cup of coconut. Zest lime using zester to measure 1 teaspoon zest. Juice lime to measure 1 teaspoon juice. Stir in lime zest and juice into dip. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes before serving.

For kebabs, alternately thread fruit onto (24) 6 inch wooden skewers.

Spoon dip into serving bowl; sprinkle with remaining coconut. Serve with fruit kebabs.

*To toast coconut, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread coconut onto parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake for 5-10 minutes or until light golden brown; cool completely*

Crisp and Crunchy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Crisp and Crunchy Chocolate Chip Cookies
By: Peggy Cullen

2 sticks butter, softened
1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
¼ cup packed light brown sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon vanilla
1 large egg
2 ½ cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups (12oz) chocolate chunks or chips
2 cups nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

In a medium bowl, with an electric mixer, beat the butter, sugars, salt and vanilla until well combined. Beat in the egg. Scrape down the bottom and sides of bowl. Beat for a few more minutes.

In a small bowl whisk together the flour and baking soda. Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and mix on low speed just until absorbed. Combine the chocolate chunks/chips and nuts (optional) in a small bowl and stir into the dough.

Shape the dough into 1 ½ inch balls and drop them about 3 inches apart onto parchment paper lined baking sheets. For thinner cookies use the palm of your hand to flatten each ball. Bake 10-13 minutes or until golden. Let sit for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

About 4 dozen cookies

Chocolate Quakes

Chocolate Quakes
By: Peggy Cullen

3 Tablespoons butter, melted
½ cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
½ teaspoon vanilla
3 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
½ cup flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
¼ cup finely ground pecans (optional)
¼ cup semisweet chocolate chips
Confectioners’ Sugar

In a medium bowl using an electric mixer, beat the melted butter, granulated sugar, egg and vanilla on low speed until pale in color and thickened, about 1 minute. Sift the cocoa, flour, baking powder, and salt into the bowl and mix on low speed until incorporated. Fold in the nuts (optional) and chocolate chips. Chill the mixture until firm enough to handle, about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Place about ¾ cup confectioners’ sugar in a small bowl (you won’t use it all).

Form the chilled dough into 1-inch balls and roll each in the confectioners’ sugar to coat completely. Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheets about 1 ½ inches apart. Bake for 12 minutes, or until the cookies are puffed and the sugar has cracked apart. They will appear underdone in the center. Let sit for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Almost 2 dozen cookies