Invite Your Friends Over For a Dessert Bar

!±8± Invite Your Friends Over For a Dessert Bar

As we all try to cut back on expenses, nights out are becoming nights in. For something different, invite your friends over for a dessert bar and coffee. Rent a movie, find one on the TV, play games or work jigsaw puzzles. Bake a few goodies and set them out with plates, napkins, and silverware. Let your guests help themselves. Serve coffee, decaf flavored coffee, and offer hot teas and/or hot chocolate. Ice water is also a good idea. Freeze leftover desserts to use later with family meals. Anything that won't freeze well, can be divided up and sent home with guests. You will be a hit with your friends! Here are some recipe ideas for your dessert bar. The Macadamia Butter Cookies with Dried Cranberries are sure to wow your guests. Don't like cranberries? Use blueberries. The Decadent Chocolate Mud Pie will impress any chocolate lovers in the group and Apricot Coffee Cake is perfect with coffee. If there are diabetics in your group, serve our Pecan Tarts (you might want to serve them whether or not there are diabetics in your group! Just change the brown sugar Splenda Blend to 1/3 cup regular brown sugar.)

MACADAMIA BUTTER COOKIES WITH DRIED CRANBERRIES

2/3 cup macadamia nuts
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 cup sweetened dried cranberries, chopped
1 tbsp granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Place nuts in a food processor and process until smooth, scraping down sides of bowl once during the process, to make macadamia butter. Combine the macadamia butter, 1/2 cup granulated sugar and the brown sugar in a large mixing bowl. Beat mixture at medium speed until blended. Add the vanilla and egg to the mixture and beat well. Combine the flour, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg, whisk to blend well. Add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture; beat at low speed just until combined. Stir in the cranberries. Chill dough for 10 minutes.

Divide the dough into 30 equal pieces and roll into balls. Place the 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar into a small bowl. Lightly press each ball into the sugar then place ball, sugar side up, on a parchment covered baking sheet. Gently press the top of each ball with a fork. Dip the fork in water and gently press each top again to form a criss-cross pattern (like peanut butter cookies). Bake at 375 degrees for 9 minutes or until golden brown. Remove cookies from the cookie sheets and cool on wire racks.

DECADENT LAYERED MUD PIE

3 squares semi-sweet chocolate, melted
1/4 cup canned sweetened condensed milk
1 chocolate crumb pie crust
1/2 cup chopped pecans
2 cups cold milk
2 pkgs (4-serving size each)Chocolate Instant Pudding and Pie Filling Mix
1 tub (8 oz) frozen whipped topping, thawed

Mix melted chocolate and sweetened condensed milk until well blended. Pour into crust and sprinkle the chopped pecans over the top. Pour milk into a large mixing bowl and add the pudding mixes. Beat with wire whisk for 2 minutes or until well blended. Spoon 1 1/2 cups of the pudding over the pecans in the crust. Add 1/2 of the whipped topping to the remaining pudding and stir with the wire whisk until well blended. Spread over the pudding mix in the crust. Spread the remaining whipped topping over the top of the pie. Chill 3 to 4 hours before serving.

APRICOT COFFEE CAKE

1 box white cake mix
1 pkg instant vanilla pudding mix (4-serving size)
1 cup sour cream
4 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup apricot preserves
small jar maraschino cherries, chopped

TOPPING:

1 cup sugar
1 tsp cocoa
1 cup chopped pecans or toasted almonds

In a large mixing bowl, mix together the cake mix, pudding mix, sour cream, eggs, apricot preserves and cherries. Grease and flour a Bundt pan. Pour half the cake mix mixture into the pan. Top with half the topping mixture. Repeat the process with the other halves. Cut a knife through the batter to make a swirl. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 35 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.

Options: Make a simple glaze of powdered sugar and milk mixed together until of drizzle consistency. Drizzle over the top of the cake and top with maraschino cherry halves and chopped nuts, if desired.

PECAN TARTS

1 stick butter
3 oz cream cheese
1 cup flour
1 cup pecans, chopped
1/4 cup + 2 tbsps Splenda Brown Sugar Blend
1 egg
dash of salt
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix together butter, cream cheese, and flour. Make 24 equal sized balls out of this dough mixture. Put each ball into a mini-muffin tin cup and press into bottom and onto the sides. Mix together the pecans, brown sugar, egg, salt, and vanilla. Fill dough cups. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes.

Enjoy!