Shaker Lemon Pie

It's hard to believe this pie doesn't have any cream or milk in it. But the ingredients give this a really interesting consistency. You just HAVE to try it. It is soooo easy.  From the Golden Lamb. 19th Century recipe from Shakers. This restaurant has operated inn town of Lebanon since 1803, one of Ohio's oldest businesses.

2 large lemons, sliced VERY thin (for paper thin use mandeline)
2 C sugar
5 large eggs, beaten
2 store bought pie crusts

For filling: in med. non-reactive bowl, mix together lemon slices and sugar. Cover and let stand overnight in refrigerator. Bring lemon mixture to room temperature. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Fit 1 crust into a 9 inch pie pan. Stir eggs into lemon mixture and pour into pie pan. Top with remaining crust. Trim excess dough, fold top crust under bottom along rim, and crimp to seal. Bake for 45 minutes. Cool on wire rack.

Chocolate Creme Brulee

You know I love Chocolate and I love the feel of brulee in my mouth. It is so creamy and delicious. It's a little bit of work, but worth  it. This serves 6-8. 3 cups heavy whipping cream


3/4 cup sugar, plus 2 tablespoons
1 (1-ounce) square unsweetened chocolate, chopped
2 1/2 tablespoons chocolate flavored liqueur
1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
8 egg yolks

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
In a medium saucepan, combine the cream, 3/4 cup sugar, the chocolate, liqueur, cocoa, and vanilla. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until bubbles form around the edges of the pan. Remove from the heat, and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks until just combined. Gradually add some of the hot cream mixture into beaten egg yolks, to temper. Whisk the egg mixture into the remaining hot cream mixture, stirring constantly. If lumps form, pour the mixture into a bowl through a fine wire-mesh strainer. Evenly divide the mixture into 6 to 8 flameproof ramekins. Arrange the ramekins in a 13 by 9-inch baking dish, and fill the dish with 1 1/2 inches hot water. Bake until the custard has set and is firm, about 30 to 45 minutes. Let cool on wire racks, then wrap in heavy-duty plastic wrap and chill at least 6 to 8 hours.

Sprinkle each custard evenly with a little of the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar. Broil 5 1/2 inches from heat until sugar melts and becomes a caramel color. Remove the custards from the oven and let stand for 5 minutes to allow the sugar to harden. Sugar may also be browned with a professional culinary torch.

Pecan Pie with Cinnamon Pecan Caramel Sauce

OMG...as if pecan pie wasn't decadent enough...this caramel sauce puts it over the edge, especially if you put vanilla ice-cream on top of the pie.  Warning: may put you in a sugar  coma.

1 1/4 cups pecan pieces
1 (10-inch) pie crust, pre-baked
1 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Cinnamon Pecan Caramel, for serving

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Put pecans in pre-baked pie shell. In a large bowl whisk the remaining ingredients together until smooth. Pour the custard mixture over the nuts and bake the pie until the filling puffs and rises above the edges of the pie shell, about 30 minutes. Carefully remove the pie from oven and let it cool completely before serving. Drizzle the pie with Cinnamon Pecan Caramel and serve.

Cinnamon Pecan Caramel:

2 cups brown sugar
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup chopped pecans

Mix all the ingredients together in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is smooth.

Lemon Blossoms (like muffins/cup cakes)

These are so easy to make and I like anything lemon. Good for desserts. I would also use them as appetizer "bread" for a meal as a sweet surprise with a variety of muffins.

4 large eggs

3 1/2 ounce package instant lemon pudding mix
18 1/2 ounce package yellow cake mix
3/4 cup vegetable oil

Glaze:
4 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
grated zest of 1 lemon
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 tablespoons water

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Spray miniature muffin tins with vegetable oil cooking spray. Combine the cake mix, pudding mix, eggs and oil and blend well with an electric mixer until smooth, about 2 minutes. Pour a small amount of batter, filling each muffin tin half way. Bake for 12 minutes. Turn out onto a tea towel.

To make the glaze, sift the sugar into a mixing bowl. Add the lemon juice, zest, oil, and 3 tablespoons water. Mix with a spoon until smooth.

With fingers, dip the cupcakes into the glaze while they’re still warm, covering as much of the cake as possible, or spoon the glaze over the warm cupcakes, turning them to completely coat. Place on wire racks with waxed paper underneath to catch any drips. Let the glaze set thoroughly, about one hour, before storing in containers with tight-fitting lids.

English Toffee

One of my favorite candy bars is Chocolate Toffee...here's how to make it homemade.

14 tablespoons (1 stick, plus 6 tablespoons) butter

1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cold water
1/2 chopped pecans
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Dash salt
1 (6-ounce) bag semisweet chocolate chips or thin chocolate bars

Generously butter a cookie sheet.
Put butter, sugar, and water in a heavy pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Bring to a bubbling boil, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, about 10 minutes. Remove spoon from pan, and cook to a very brittle stage (300 degrees to 310 degrees F on a candy thermometer). Or, make a cold water test: candy will separate into hard, brittle threads when dropped in cold water. Remove from heat and add nuts to mixture. Add vanilla and salt. Pour onto prepared cookie sheet and spread to 1/4-inch thickness. Cool slightly, top with chocolate chips or chocolate bars, and spread as it melts. Cool completely and break into pieces. Store in an airtight container.

Chunky Chocolate Toffee Cookies

I love chocolate chip cookies and these additions are some of my favorites. I always under cook cookies the first time to make them a little chewy-er.

1 cup unsalted butter , softened
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
5 bars (1.4 ounces each) English toffee candy , chopped
1 package (10 ounces) semisweet chocolate chunks
1 package (10 ounces) white chocolate chunks
1 cup toasted, chopped pecans
1 cup toasted, chopped almonds

Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add both sugars, beating well. Add eggs and vanilla, then beat well.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt, stirring well. Add to butter mixture, beating at low speed just until blended. Stir in toffee candy, both chocolate chunks and both nuts.

Drop dough by heaping tablespoonfuls 1 1/2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 9 minutes or until lightly browned. Let cool slightly on baking sheets; remove wire racks to cool completely.

Double Chocolate Trifle

Anything that starts out with the words  Double Chocolate has to be good. Addd Kahlua and you KNOW it has to be good.


1 box Betty Crocker Hershey's Ultimate Supreme brownie mix , prepared as directed on box
1 box instant white chocolate pudding
1 container (large) Cool Whip
1 package (8 ounces) Heath candy bits
1/4 cup Kahlua liqueur

Bake brownie mix according to package. Cool in pan and cut into little square pieces (about 1/2 inch) while still in the pan. Whisk together instant white chocolate pudding and milk until it begins to thicken. Fold 3/4 container of Cool Whip into pudding mixture. Gently fold in the Kahlua liqueur. Set aside.

Assemble into Trifle Bowl. You will do this in three layers. Place 1/3 of the brownie squares over entire bottom of bowl. Spread 1/3 of the pudding mix over brownies. Sprinkle 1/3 package of Heath candy bits over layer of pudding. Repeat this two more times. Decorate top with dollops of remaining Cool Whip. Chill in refrigerator. Can be made the day before.