Tried & True Dessert Recipes-Please???

Question

I am looking for a "tried & true" dessert recipe for the upcoming holiday parties. I admit that I am not a great cook (or likely even a good one) so I prefer a recipe that is not too difficult AND will get a good review.
Can anyone help???

Answer 1

SUPER EASY and I make it all the time with different flavorings. No one has a CLUE it started with a box cake mix!! It is SCRUMPTUOUS!! And very moist. Also, makes for a pretty presentation. Bake it in a Bundt pan and serve it on a pretty plate or cake stand.

Chocolate Cherry Bundt Cake

Serves: 16
Preparation time: 5 to 7 minutes
Baking time: 40 minutes
Assembly Time: 5 minutes

Cake:

Vegetable oil spray for misting the pan
Flour for dusting the pan
1 package (18.25 ounces) chocolate fudge (or any dark chocolate) cake mix
1 package (3 ounces) cherry flavored gelatin
2/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
2/3 cup hot water
4 large eggs


Topping:

1 can cherry pie filling

1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly mist a 12-cup Bundt pan with vegetable oil spray, then dust with flour. Shake out the excess flour. Set the pan aside.

2. Place the cake mix, gelatin, applesauce, water, and eggs in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on low speed for 1 minute. Stope the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes more, scraping down the sides if needed. The batter should look thick and well blended. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with the rubber spatula, and place the pan in the oven.

3. Bake the cake until it is light brown and just starts to pull away from the sides of the pan, about 40 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and place it on a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes.

4. Run a long, sharp knife around the edge of the cake and invert it onto a serving platter. Spoon the cherry topping evenly over the warm cake so that the glaze drizzles down the sides and into the center. Slice and serve warm, or let it cool before slicing.

Answer 2

Absolute no-fail no-brainer:
Buy those thin wafer cookies;
I prefer ginger, but they come in vanilla & chocolate.
Whip up a 1/2 pint carton of whipping cream.
Or use the Reddi-whip genuine whipped cream.
Chill the bowl etc. when working with the cream.
Put a tbsp dab of cream on each cookie,
& layer them together in a loaf-pan lined with wax-paper.
Chill briefly in freezer when completed.
To serve, turn out on platter, & coat with whipped cream.
Add chocolate sprinkles or red/green sugar to garnish.
Cookies get soft enough to serve with large spoon.

Answer 3

I know this recipe looks scary at first, but it really isn't that hard. It is delicious and very impressive! To make it even easier, buy the pre-made, rolled up pie pastry and line the pie pan with parchment or wax paper.

Upside-Down Apple Pecan Pie

* 1 cup chopped pecans
* 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
* 1/3 cup margarine, melted
* 1 pastry for a 9 inch double crust pie
* 6 cups Granny Smith apples - peeled, cored and sliced
* 1/4 cup white sugar
* 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg


1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. In a 9 inch deep-dish pie pan, combine pecans, brown sugar and margarine; spread into a single layer. Roll out dough, and place bottom crust over pecan mixture.
3. In a large bowl, combine apples, sugar, flour, cinnamon and nutmeg. Pour into crust in pan. Top with second crust. Fold edges of crust over, and flute to seal edges. Make several small slits in the top to allow steam to escape.
4. Place pan on foil or cookie sheet during baking to guard against spillage. Bake in preheated oven for 40 to 50 minutes, or until crust is golden brown and apples are tender.
5. Cool pie in pan for 5 minutes. Place serving plate over pie, and flip to invert, being careful not to come in contact with molten sugar. If some of the nuts stick to the pan, remove them with a knife, and place on pie. Allow to cool for 1 hour.

Answer 4

SOUTHERN COMFORT CAKE

1 Duncan Hines yellow cake mix
1 pkg. instant vanilla pudding
4 eggs
1/2 c. cold water
1/2 c. oil
1 c. chopped pecans or walnuts
1/2 c. Southern Comfort

GLAZE:

1/8 lb. butter
1/8 c. water
1/2 c. granulated sugar
1/4 c. Southern Comfort

Combine cake ingredients in large bowl. Beat at medium speed for 2 minutes. Pour into greased and floured 10 inch tube or 12 cup bundt pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour. Set on rack to cool for 10 minutes. Invert on serving plate. Prick top immediately; drizzle and brush half of glaze. After cake has cooled, reheat glaze and brush it evenly over cake.
To make glaze: Melt butter in pan. Stir in water and sugar. Boil 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in Southern Comfort.

Answer 5

Well I don't have the exact recipie in front of me right now, but my mom always makes brittle....its not like peanut brittle, but it is really yummy....

Saltines (yes saltine crackers)
Butter/Margerine
Sugar
Walnuts (if desiered)
Chocolate Chips (I usually mix the white chips in too)

I would have to get back to you on the measurements but you like the crackers on a cookie sheet lined with tin foil...then you melt the sugar and butter in a pan then spread it ovet the saltines and bake fore like 10 mins maybe.

After that, take them out and sprinkle with the chocolate chips and lightly smear it around a little bit...put back in the oven for another 2 mins or somethign to melt the chips more and then sprinkle with the nuts...everybody in my family loves them!

Answer 6

My family loves this one and it's really easy. It's Pumpkin Spice Cake......You buy a cake mix of Spice like Betty Croker, follow the instructions on the box and add one cup of mashed pumpkin, 1/2 cup additional water and 1TBSP of pumpkin spice (cinnamon, nutmeg & ginger). Then bake as directed on box....once cooled you can top it with Cheesecake flavored icing...yumm-o

Answer 7

This is the best free cooking E-book I've found, I'm sure you can find what you're looking for in it.

Answer 8

Given your culinary expertise, go buy a cheesecake.....