Noodle Kugel

• ½ pound wide kosher for Passover egg noodles
• ½ stick butter, melted
• 1 pound cottage cheese
• 2 cups sour cream
• ½ cup sugar
• 6 eggs
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ cup raisins

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Boil the noodles in salted water for about 4 minutes. Strain noodles from water. In a large mixing bowl, combine noodles with remaining ingredients and pour into a greased, approximately 9-inch-by-13-inch baking dish.
3. Bake until custard is set and top is golden brown, about 30 to 45 minutes.

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Apricot Cream Cake with Chocolate-Mascarpone Frosting

• 4 eggs
• 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
• 1½ teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ cup butter, softened
• ⅓ cup shortening
• 1¾ cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• ¾ cup buttermilk or sour milk*
• ½ cup finely snipped dried apricots
• ½ cup chopped pecans, toasted
• Chocolate-Mascarpone Frosting
• White and milk chocolate curls and/or fresh raspberries (optional)

1. Separate eggs; allow egg yolks and egg whites to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and lightly flour three 8-by-1-by-1½-inch round cake pans;** set aside. In a medium bowl stir together flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda; set aside.
2. In an extra-large bowl combine butter and shortening. Beat with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar. Beat until combined, scraping side of bowl occasionally. Beat in egg yolks and vanilla until combined. Alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk to butter mixture, beating on low speed after each addition just until combined. Fold in dried apricots and pecans.
3. Thoroughly wash beaters. In a large bowl beat egg whites on medium to high speed until stiff peaks form (tips stand straight). Fold about one-third of the beaten egg whites into cake batter to lighten. Fold in remaining beaten egg whites. Pour batter into prepared pans, spreading evenly.
4. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until tops spring back when lightly touched. Cool in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. Remove from pans; cool completely on racks.
5. To assemble, turn two cake layers bottom side up. Spread each layer with 2/3 cup Chocolate-Mascarpone Frosting. Stack these layers on a serving plate. Place remaining cake layer, rounded side up, on top. Frost top and side of cake with remaining frosting. If desired, garnish with chocolate curls and/or raspberries. If desired, cover and chill until ready to serve. Store any leftover cake, covered, in refrigerator for up to 2 days.

Tip *To make ¾ cup sour milk, place 2 teaspoons lemon juice or vinegar in a glass measuring cup. Add enough milk to make ¾ cup total liquid; stir. Let mixture stand for 5 minutes before using.

Tip **If you have only two cake pans, cover and chill one-third of the batter while first cake layers bake.

Chocolate-Mascarpone Frosting

• 1 8 ounce carton mascarpone cheese
• ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• ½ cup butter, softened
• 1½ teaspoons vanilla
• 6 cups powdered sugar
• 3 tablespoons milk
• Milk

1. In an extra-large bowl combine mascarpone cheese, unsweetened cocoa powder, butter, and vanilla.
2. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth.
3. Gradually add 2 cups of the powdered sugar, beating well. Beat in the 3 tablespoons milk.
4. Gradually beat in additional powdered sugar. If necessary, beat in additional milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, to reach spreading consistency.

Makes about 4 cups.

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Chocolate-Peanut Butter Pie with Bacon

Bacon adds a twist to this chocolate and peanut butter pie that’s made using Pillsbury® pie crust

State Fair Pie Contest Winner

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

State Fair Pie Competition 2011

Crust

• 1 box Pillsbury® refrigerated pie crusts, softened as directed on box
• 1 egg, beaten

Bacon

• 6 slices bacon

Chocolate Sauce

• 1 can (12 ounce) evaporated milk
• 1 bag (12 ounce) semisweet chocolate chips (2 cups)
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon butter or margarine
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Cream Cheese-Peanut Butter Filling

• 1 package (8 ounce) cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 container (8 ounce) frozen whipped topping, thawed
• 1 large banana

1. Heat oven to 450°F. Place 1 pie crust in ungreased 9-inch glass pie plate. Press crust firmly against side and bottom. Cut star shapes or other desired shapes from second pie crust. Attach to the edge of pie crust in pie plate with beaten egg; brush tops of shapes with beaten egg. Prick bottom and side with fork. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until light brown. Cool.
2. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Arrange bacon slices on ungreased 15-inch-by-1-inch pan. Bake about 15 minutes or until bacon is crisp and brown. Drain on paper towels. Crumble into small bite-size pieces. Reserve half of the bacon pieces for garnish.
3. Meanwhile, in 2-quart saucepan, heat evaporated milk, chocolate chips and 1/2 cup sugar to boiling over medium heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, and stir in butter and vanilla; set aside.
4. In large bowl, beat cream cheese, peanut butter and ½ cup sugar with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Gently stir in whipped topping until combined.
5. Spread ½ cup chocolate sauce over cooled crust. Sprinkle half of the bacon pieces over chocolate sauce. Slice banana and arrange over bacon pieces. Spread cream cheese-peanut butter filling over bacon pieces. Drizzle 2 tablespoons chocolate sauce over filling. Sprinkle remaining bacon pieces over top of pie. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Cover and refrigerate any remaining pie.

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Mile-High Peanut Butter Pie

• 35 NILLA Wafers, finely crushed (about 1 cup)
•  ¼ cup butter, melted
•  1 package (3.9 ounces) Jell-O Chocolate Instant Pudding
•  2 cups cold milk, divided
•  4 ounces (½ of 8-oz. package) Philadelphia Cream Cheese, softened
•  1 package. (3.4 ounces) Jell-O Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding
•  ½ cup Planters Creamy Peanut Butter, divided
•  2 cups thawed Cool Whip Whipped Topping, divided
•  ½ square Baker’s Semi-Sweet Chocolate

1. Heat oven to 375ºF.
2. Mix wafer crumbs and butter until well blended; press onto bottom and up side of 9-inch pie plate. Bake 10 min.; cool.
3. Beat chocolate pudding mix and 1 cup milk with whisk 2 min. (Pudding will be thick.) Spread onto bottom of crust. Gradually add remaining milk to cream cheese in large bowl with mixer until well blended. Add dry vanilla pudding mix; beat 2 min. Reserve 1 Tbsp. peanut butter. Add remaining to vanilla pudding mixture; beat until well blended. Stir in 1 cup Cool Whip. Spread over chocolate pudding layer to within 1 inch of edge. Spoon remaining Cool Whip onto center of pie.
4. Refrigerate 3 hours. When ready to serve, microwave remaining peanut butter in microwaveable bowl on HIGH 15 sec. or until melted. Melt chocolate as directed on package. Drizzle peanut butter and chocolate over pie.

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Caramel Apple Upside-Down Cornmeal Cake

• 6 Tablespoons butter
• 4 medium apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
• ½ cup packed brown sugar
• 2 Tablespoons milk
• ½ cup chopped pecans
• ⅓ cup dried cranberries
• ¾ cup all-purpose flour
• 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1½ teaspoons baking powder
• ¼ teaspoons salt
• ¾ cup cornmeal
• 1 cup hot water
• ¼ cup butter, melted
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1½ teaspoons vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a 10-inch oven-going skillet melt 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat. Add apples; cook and stir 5 minutes or until tender. Remove from skillet. In same skillet combine remaining butter and brown sugar. Cook and stir over medium heat until butter melts. Bring to boiling. Remove from heat. Stir in milk. Sprinkle with pecans and cranberries. Arrange apple slices on top.
2. In bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In medium bowl combine cornmeal, water, and ¼ cup butter. Stir in eggs and vanilla. Stir in flour mixture just until combined. Pour over apples.
3. Bake 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Invert; serve warm.

Makes 8 servings.

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Mississippi Mud Cake

Mississippi Mud Cake is a classic Southern sheet cake filled with marshmallows and chopped pecans and covered in a rich chocolate frosting. This particular recipe offers a cupcake variation as well as a shortcut version.

•  1 cup chopped pecans
•  1 cup butter
•  4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
•  2 cups sugar
•  1½ cups all-purpose flour
•  ½ cup unsweetened cocoa
•  4 large eggs
•  1 teaspoon vanilla extract
•  ¾ teaspoon salt
•  1 10.5-ounce bag miniature marshmallows
•  Chocolate Frosting

1. Place pecans in a single layer on a baking sheet.
2. Bake at 350° for 8 to 10 minutes or until toasted.
3. Microwave 1 cup butter and semisweet chocolate in a large microwave-safe glass bowl at HIGH 1 minute or until melted and smooth, stirring every 30 seconds.
4. Whisk sugar and next 5 ingredients into chocolate mixture. Pour batter into a greased 15-inch-by-10-inchy-1-inch jelly-roll pan.
5. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes. Remove from oven, and sprinkle evenly with miniature marshmallows; bake 8 to 10 more minutes or until golden brown. Drizzle warm cake with Chocolate Frosting, and sprinkle evenly with toasted pecans.

Kitchen Express Mississippi Mud Cake: Prepare pecans as directed. Substitute 2 (17.6-oz.) packages fudge brownie mix for batter. Prepare mix according to package directions; pour batter into a greased 15-inch-by-10-inchy-1-inch jelly-roll pan. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes. Remove from oven, and top with marshmallows; bake 8 to 10 more minutes. Proceed with recipe as directed. Note: For testing purposes only, we used Duncan Hines Chocolate Lover’s Double Fudge Brownie Mix.

Caramel-Peanut Mississippi Mud Cake: Omit pecans. Prepare and bake Mississippi Mud Cake as directed. Microwave ½ cup bottled caramel sauce at HIGH 15 seconds. Drizzle over browned marshmallows. Drizzle with Chocolate Frosting, and sprinkle with 1 cup dry-roasted peanuts.

Mississippi Mud Cupcakes: Prepare pecans and Mississippi Mud Cake batter as directed. Spoon batter evenly into 24 paper-lined muffin cups. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until puffed. Sprinkle evenly with 2 cups miniature marshmallows, and bake 5 more minutes or until golden. Remove from oven, and cool cupcakes in muffin pans 5 minutes. Remove cupcakes from pans, and place on wire rack. Drizzle warm cakes evenly with 1¼ cups Chocolate Frosting, and sprinkle with toasted pecans. Reserve remaining ¾ cup frosting for another use. Note: To serve remaining Chocolate Frosting over pound cake or ice cream, microwave reserved ¾ cup Chocolate Frosting in a medium-size microwave-safe glass bowl at HIGH 15 seconds or until warm.

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Lemon Curd Jumbo Pie Cupcakes

Treat your guests with these lemon flavored pie cupcakes made using Pillsbury pie crusts .

• 1 box Pillsbury® refrigerated pie crusts, softened as directed on box
• 1 box lemon cake mix with pudding
• Water, vegetable oil and eggs called for on cake mix box
• ½ cup lemon curd
• 1 container vanilla whipped ready-to-spread frosting

1. Heat oven to 450°F. Remove pie crusts from pouches; unroll on work surface. Cut six 4 3/4-inch rounds from each crust. Firmly press 1 round in bottom and up the sides of each of 12 nonstick jumbo muffin cups. Bake 5 minutes.
2. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Make cake batter as directed on box. Divide lemon curd evenly among pastry-lined muffin cups. Top with cake batter, dividing evenly among muffin cups.
3. Bake 30 to 33 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center of cake comes out clean. Cool completely. Frost with frosting.

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Chocolate-Coconut Jumbo Pie Cupcakes

• 1 box Pillsbury refrigerated pie crusts, softened as directed on box
• 1 box chocolate fudge cake mix with pudding
• Water, vegetable oil and eggs called for on cake mix box
• ¾ cup semisweet chocolate chips
• ½ cup shredded coconut
• 1 container vanilla whipped ready-to-spread frosting

1. Heat oven to 450°F. Remove pie crusts from pouches; unroll on work surface. Cut six 4¾-inch rounds from each crust. Firmly press 1 round in bottom and up the sides of each of 12 nonstick jumbo muffin cups. Bake 5 minutes.
2. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Make cake batter as directed on box. Place 1 tablespoon chocolate chips and 1 teaspoon coconut in each pastry-lined muffin cup. Top with cake batter, dividing evenly among muffin cups.
3. Bake 30 to 33 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Cool completely. Frost with frosting. Top each with 1 teaspoon coconut.

 

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Apple Spice Jumbo Pie Cupcakes

• 1 box Pillsbury refrigerated pie crusts, softened as directed on box
• 1 box spice cake mix with pudding
• Water, vegetable oil and eggs called for on cake mix box
• ½ cup apple pie filling (from 21-oz can)

1 container cream cheese creamy ready-to-spread frosting

1. Heat oven to 450°F. Remove pie crusts from pouches; unroll on work surface. Cut six 4¾-inch rounds from each crust. Firmly press 1 round in bottom and up the sides of each of 12 nonstick jumbo muffin cups. Bake 5 minutes.
2. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Make cake batter as directed on box. Divide apple pie filling evenly among pastry-lined muffin cups. Top with cake batter, dividing evenly among muffin cups.
3. Bake 30 to 33 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center of cake comes out clean. Cool completely. Frost with frosting.

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Cinnamon-Apple Crostata

This European-style tart is easy when you shape it on a cookie sheet. You’ll love this cinnamon treat warm from the oven.:

Crust

• 1 box Pillsbury refrigerated pie crusts, softened as directed on box

Filling

• ½ cup sugar
• 4 teaspoons cornstarch
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 4 cups thinly sliced, peeled cooking apples (4 medium)
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 tablespoons chopped pecans or walnuts

Topping

• Whipped cream, if desired

1.  Heat oven to 450°F. Remove pie crust from pouch; place flat on ungreased cookie sheet.
2. In medium bowl, mix ½ cup sugar, the cornstarch and cinnamon. Gently stir in apples. Spoon apple mixture onto center of crust, spreading to within 2 inches of edge. Fold crust edge over filling to form 2-inch border, pleating crust as necessary. Brush crust edge with water; sprinkle with 1 teaspoon sugar.
3. Bake 15 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Sprinkle pecans over apple mixture. Bake 5 to 15 minutes longer or until apples are tender. Serve with whipped cream.

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