Desserts

Pre-heat oven to 300 degrees

Place the butter and sugars in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment

Mix on medium speed for about 30 seconds, until the mixture is fluffy

Beat in the egg and vanilla extract until mixed in thoroughly

In another mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt

Add to the mixer bowl and beat on slow

Stir in the espresso powder and chocolate chips. Mix for about 20 - 30 seconds until combined

Prepare a cookie sheet with shortening or non-stick spray

Use a one ounce scoop to put dollops of cookie dough on the cookie sheet, each about three inches apart

Press down on the cookie dough with the back side of a spoon to form about two inch circles

Don't crowd the sheet, leave plenty of room between each cookie

Work in batches, put the cookies in the oven and bake for about 20 minutes or until they are lightly browned on the edges

Bake a little longer if you want crispy cookies

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees

Add the cake mix, melted butter, and eggs to a mixing bowl

Mix to combine with an electric mixer/stand mixer

Transfer the mixture to a 13x9" baking dish and pat the mixture down evenly to cover the bottom of the baking dish and set aside

Now, start on the filling

In a mixing bowl, add the cream cheese and beat until smooth

Add the butter (room temperature), eggs, and vanilla, continue beating until smooth (you may need to scrape down the sides of the bowl)

Stop the mixer and add about a third of the confectioner's sugar

Put the mixer on it's slowest setting (otherwise you will have sugar EVERYWHERE - ask me how I know) and start incorporating in to the cream cheese and butter mixture

Slowly add the rest of the sugar in to the bowl

Once all the ingredients are evenly mixed together, pour over the filling and spread evenly

Bake for 40 - 50 minutes

Be careful not to over-bake, but you do want the center to be a little gooey

Remove from oven and set aside to cool completely

Now the Frosting

In a mixing bowl, add the room temperature butter, vanilla and beat until smooth

Like the filling, stop the mixer, add about a third of the sugar and turn the mixer on as slow as it will go to start combining

Slowly add the rest of the sugar and add about half the heavy cream

At this point, check the consistency. If it is how you like it, you can spread it on the cake. If it's a little too thick, add the rest of the cream and mix to combine. You can thin even more by adding a little water, maybe a teaspoon at a time, and mix to get the consistency you like.

Once you've frosted the cake, start sprinkling the cake with the color(s) of your choice

Combine 3/4 cup of the sugar, the cornstarch, and salt in a 3 quart pot.

Add the eggs and egg yolk, then whisk to combine

Add the milk and whisk until well combined

Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly until the mixture reaches about 180 degrees - about 10 minutes

The mixture will begin to thicken and bubble around the edges

Remove from heat and whisk in the butter, piece by piece until fully incorporated

Add the vanilla extract, whisking to combine

Cover the pudding with a round piece of parchment paper (I used clear wrap similar to saran wrap)

Refrigerate until the pudding reaches 45 degrees (I wasn't measuring the temperature, but I DID make sure to wait well over 2 hours to ensure it cooled off)

** Recipe deviation. Alton's version calls for laying out the vanilla wafers on a sheet pan and slowly pour the liqueur over them, then set them aside for 10 minutes. Since I was using ramekins, I put the cookies (6 in each) on the bottom of the ramekin and then drizzled about a teaspoon of the liqueur in each one. After tasting the final product, I think I would add a little more liqueur as I didn't pick up on it at all.

Toss the banana slices with the lemon juice in a small bowl and set aside

Spread a small amount of the banana pudding in the bottom of a 1 1/2 quart glass bowl

Cover with a layer of vanilla wafers, followed by a layer of banana slices

Spoon 1/3 of the remaining pudding on the top of the bananas and repeat, ending with a layer of pudding

Put the whipping cream in a bowl of a stand mixer

add the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar and whisk until stiff peaks form

Spoon the whipped cream over the cooled pudding and spread

Top with any remaining soaked cookies

Refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving

Store covered in the refrigerated for 3 days... if it lasts that long

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees

In a stand mixer or bowl, add the butter and sugars, then cream them until smooth

Add the vanilla extract and egg

Sift the flour and baking soda in a large bowl

Gradually and carefully spoon in the flour/baking soda mix to the mixing bowl with the butter and sugar

Add the cranberries, pecans, and chocolate chips

Scoop or use spoons to put 2 tablespoon sized drops of cookie dough on a greased baking sheet. Leave about 2 inches between each cookie

Bake 1 sheet at a time until the tops are lightly browned, about 12-15 minutes

After baking, let the cookies rest between 3-5 minutes before transferring to a wired cooling rack to completely cool

Enjoy!

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

Combine the graham cracker crumbs and melted butter in a medium sized mixing bowl

Toss the crumbs and butter until evenly all the crumbs are evenly coated with butter

Evenly spread the crumb/butter mixture into a 9x13 inch baking dish, then press the crumbs down to form the crust (a measuring cup works great)

Pour the sweetened condensed milk over the top and spread evenly with a spoon or off-set spatula

Arrange 20 pieces of the gelt in a grid - 5 down the long side of the dish and 4 across the narrow side

Sprinkle the walnuts, then the chocolate chips, the coconut, and finally the sprinkles

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. It should be golden around the edges and the coconut lightly toasted

Remove from the oven and let it completely cool before trying to cut it. Wait about two hours

Slice into 20 bars, each one should have a piece of chocolate

Happy Hanukkah!

Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees

Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, espresso, and salt in a large bowl

Beat the butter and brown sugar with an electric mixture until creamy and fluffy - about 4 minutes

Be sure all the ingredients are thoroughly mixed. You may need to scrape down the sides of the bowl

Beat in the eggs one at a time, then add the vanilla

Reduce the speed of the mixer and slowly add in the dry ingredients

Once thoroughly mixed stop the mixer and fold in the chocolate chips by hand

Use a one ounce scooper or two spoons to portion the cookie dough onto the baking sheets

Bake for about 12 minutes

After they bake, remove the cookie sheet and let cool about 10 minutes. Then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely

If you are going to do the Pazookie, grease the skillet with butter then fill with cookie dough

Bake it for about 15 minutes

Pre-heat oven to 350 degress

Add cookies to food processor and pulse until you have fine crumbs.

Drizzle in the melted butter and pulse until combined

Alternatively, put the cookies in a plastic bag and smash with a rolling pin. Mix the crumbs and melted butter in a large bowl.

Add the mixture to a 9" pie dish and distribute using a flat-bottomed glass or measuring cup to press the crumbs firmly down. Use your fingers to press the top down as the side is compressed.

Bake the crust for 10 minutes

While the crust is baking, zest two limes and set aside the zest

Squeeze the juice from the limes and strain out the seeds

Add the egg yolks and lime zest to bowl of stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment

Beat for about a minute

Pour in the sweetened condensed milk and mix on medium until fully incorporated

Scrape the bowl down and add the lime juice with mixer on low

Scrape the bowl down again if needed and mix again

Pour the filling into the pie crust. Jiggle it to get it level

Bake for 10 minutes

Cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes, then chill at least an hour

Top the pie with whipped cream - either dollups so that each slice has a dollop or two; OR put a ring of whipped cream around the crust

Shortbread Base

• Preheat the oven to 335° and line the 9×9 pan with parchment paper

• In a mixing bowl, melt the butter by microwaving for 60-90 seconds

• Add the sugar, salt, and vanilla extract to the butter and whisk until the sugar has dissolved

• Sift in flour and whisk until the mixture becomes thick and looks like cookie dough

• Add the dough into the pan and using your hands or a rubber spatula, pat down the dough to an even thickness into the parchment paper. Brush down the sides so the sides don’t stick up

• Bake for 20-25 minutes, until shortbread is set

Filling

• While the shortbread is in the oven, whisk 3 eggs in a bowl

• Add sugar, flour, and lemon juice making sure to whisk each one in fully before adding the next

• Add blueberries and mix all together

Make the Lemon Bar

• When the crust is done, poke holes all over the surface with a fork

• Pour the filling on top of the crust and make sure the blueberries are spread evenly

• Bake again for 25-30 minutes, or until the middle of the lemon bar is set and doesn’t move when you gently shake the pan

• Cool at room temperature for at least an hour, until it’s completely cooled, then cool it in the fridge for at least 2 hours

• Before serving, dust the lemon bars with powered sugar