Author: Kristen

Cream Cheese Frosting

8 oz. cold cream cheese
5 Tbsp. softened butter
2 tsp. vanilla
2 cups powdered sugar (sifted after measuring)

Beat 8 oz. of cold cream cheese (not rock solid, but you can use it straight from the refrigerator) with butter and vanilla until combined. Gradually add the powdered sugar until you reach a consistency and sweetness that fits your taste. Easy!

This recipe is really smooth, like a frozen fudgicle.

Chocolate Sorbet

2 1/4 cups water
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
pinch of salt
6 ounces bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a large saucepan, whisk together 1 1/2 cups of the water with the sugar, cocoa powder, and salt. Bring to a boil, whisking frequently. Let it boil, continuing to whisk, for 45 seconds.

Remove from the heat and stir in the chocolate until it’s melted, then stir in the vanilla extract and the remaining 3/4 cup water. Transfer the mixture to a blender and blend for 15 seconds. Chill the mixture thoroughly, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. (If the mixture has become too thick to pour into your machine, whisk it vigorously to think it out.)

(I believe this recipe is by David Lebovitz, although I found it in various places on the internet.)

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

6 tablespoons butter, softened
Cocoa powder, see below
2 2/3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For light chocolate frosting use 1/3 cup cocoa powder. For medium chocolate frosting use 1/2 cup cocoa powder. For dark chocolate frosting use 3/4 cup cocoa powder.

In mixer bowl cream the butter. Add the cocoa and powdered sugar alternately with milk. Beat to spreading consistency, adding more milk if needed. Blend in vanilla.

Buttercream Frosting

1 lb. confectioner’s sugar
1/4 lb. butter (marg)
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
3-4 tablespoons milk

Cream 1/3 sugar with butter and salt in large bowl. Blend extract, 2 tablespoons milk and rest of sugar. Gradually stir in rest of milk until it looks spreadable.

If you don’t want it to be quite as sweet, replace butter with cream cheese. (4 oz. cream cheese – 1/8 lb. butter)

Aunt Hester’s Dessert

1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) butter or margarine
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup chopped nuts
8 oz. cream cheese
1 cup confectioner’s sugar
1 cup Cool Whip
2 packages INSTANT pudding
3 cups milk
1 tsp. sugar

Melt margarine and combine with flour and nuts, then pat into a 9×13 in pan. Bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees and then cool. Cream together the cream cheese and the confectioner’s sugar and add the Cool Whip. Spread this concoction over the cooled crust. Mix the pkgs. of pudding with milk and tsp. of sugar, and spread this over the cream cheese layer and chill. Top with remainder of Cool Whip and more chopped nuts.

Note: You can use any kind of pudding, even two different kinds, spreading one kind on one half of the pan and the other kind on the other half – good for satisfying everyone. One popular combination is half chocolate, half lemon.