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Joyful Dessert Party & Heritage Tree
Family Heritage Tree
A Christmas tree should smile with the spirit of love. This Christmas tree smiles with family memories. Each year add a picture for each of your children and grandchildren in a little picture frame. In early years, hang the pictures on the family tree, but as the years pass, you will have enough for a tree just for the family pictures. Be sure and put the name and year of each family member on the back of the frames.
Christmas Dessert Recipes
The Menu
Rinne’s Red Velvet Coconut Cake
“Almost Heaven” Chocolate Chip Pie
Yummy Apple Cake
Southern Pecan Pie
Picture the beauty of a mantel embellished with fresh fruit and greenery, candles, and Christmas stockings. Light a fire in the fireplace for a cozy feeling of warmth and joy. Then wait for guests to arrive at your “Come for Dessert” party. Create enthusiasm first with an invitation enclosed with a few strains of tinsel for a festive touch. The following four recipes, easily prepared in advance, are perfect desserts for such a party. They will receive rave reviews and requests for the recipes. Cut each dessert into small portions to ensure that everyone can savor a sampling of everything. The coconut cake is especially wonderful at Christmas with its deep red cake coloring with white icing. Place a sugared holly leaf beside each slice for another touch of charm.
Rinne’s Red Velvet Coconut Cake
1 box white cake mix
2 1-ounce bottles red food coloring
2 cups sugar
2 cups sour cream
2 9-ounce packages frozen coconut
2 cups Cool Whip
Prepare the cake mix according to instructions on the box, but add 2 bottles of red food coloring. Cook the cake in 2 round cake pans. After the cakes have cooked and are cool, slice each cake in half, so that you have 4 round pieces of cake. Set these aside. Make the filling by adding 2 cups of sugar, 2 cups of sour cream, and 2 (9-ounce) packages of coconut. Mix until blended. Next make the icing by mixing 1 cup of the filling with 2 cups of Cool Whip. Complete the cake by spreading the filling mixture between the cake layers and then covering the whole cake with the icing mixture. Seal the iced cake in an airtight container and refrigerate. The key to this cake is refrigerating it for at least 2 days before serving.
Yields: 16 outstanding servings
“Almost Heaven” Chocolate Chip Pie
Crust Recipe
1 cup flour, all-purpose
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons milk
½ cup cold butter, leave in refrigerator until ready to use
Place the flour, salt, and milk in a food processor. Cut the butter into small pieces and add to the flour mixture. Process quickly until the dough forms a ball. Then remove and press it evenly into a pie pan. Put the pie crust into the refrigerator until the filling is ready.
Filling Recipe
2 eggs
½ cup flour
½ cup sugar
½ cup brown sugar
1 cup butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
¼ teaspoon vanilla
1 6-ounce package semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup pecans, chopped
In a large bowl beat the eggs until foamy. Then mix in the flour, sugar, and brown sugar until well blended. Stir in melted butter, vanilla, chocolate chips, and pecans. Pour into the unbaked pie crust and bake at 325 for 1 hour. Optional: Use ice cream or whipped cream as topping and sprinkle grated chocolate around the plate. It freezes well and is always a huge hit. This pie with its three sticks of butter is a real heart stopper, but what a way to go! My friend Jayne gave me this recipe over thirty years ago and it is still my favorite dessert for dinner parties.
Yields: 8 irresistible servings
Hint: Chocolate shavings or curls are best made at room temperature rather than chilled.
Yummy Apple Cake
1½ cups Crisco oil
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
3 cups flour, all-purpose
3 tablespoons vanilla
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 cups apples, diced (Granny Smith)
1 cup pecans, chopped (option: black walnuts)
Beat the oil, sugar, and eggs until well blended. Then add the flour, vanilla, salt, baking soda, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Finally, add the apples and pecans. Mix until well combined. Bake at 325° for 1 hour in a 9 x 13-inch greased pan. Cool before making the icing.
Icing
½ cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ cup milk
Add all of the ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a rolling boil and pour over the cooled cake. This cake is an all-time favorite for everyone’s palate.
Yields: 12 servings
Southern Pecan Pie
1 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
¼ cup butter, softened
¾ cup light corn syrup or maple syrup
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon salt
2 ½ cups pecan halves, toasted
1 9-inch pie shell, unbaked
Cream the sugar and butter. Then add syrup, eggs, vanilla, salt, and pecans. Mix until well blended. Pour the filling into an unbaked pie shell. Bake at 400 for 5 minutes and then reduce the heat to 325 and cook for 45 minutes.
Yields: 8 servings
Hint: Spraying the measuring cup with PAM before adding syrup makes it easier to remove the syrup.
Sugared Fruit and Leaves
For sugared fruit or leaves, dip in floor wax and sprinkle with granulated sugar. To make super fine sugar, put regular granulated sugar in a food processor and process for a few seconds. Do not eat fruit dipped in floor wax; use it only for decorating. Spread out lots of newspapers and do all the fruit and greenery, dipping at the same time. A good place to work is in a basem*nt or garage. The fragrance of the fresh fruit and greenery will permeate every room of your home with the smell of Christmas. Fruit and greenery also look nice sprayed gold.
Merry Christmas,
Phronsie
