Top Sweets

In November, 1988, What’s Cooking in the Bluegrass featured a recipe from each county in the Herald-Leader’s circulation area. Here are some of the top dessert recipes.

Tiger butter

1 pound white chocolate or almond bark
6 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
1⁄2 cup smooth peanut butter
Melt white chocolate in a 2-quart microwave dish. Stir in peanut butter and spread mixture on wax paper on a cookie sheet. Immediately melt chocolate chips and drizzle over peanut butter layer. With knife or spatula, swirl mixture. Refrigerate until firm, then break into small pieces.
-- June Huffman, Hardyville

Orange pecan dressing

1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1⁄4 cup orange juice concentrate
1⁄2 teaspoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons cream
2 tablespoons sugar
Combine ingredients and chill until ready to serve. Serve over fresh fruit. Makes 1 1⁄2 cups.
-- Naomi Brown, Lawrenceburg

Lemon fluff

1 stick butter
1 1⁄2 cups graham cracker crumbs
3⁄4 cup pecans
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
2 cups frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 large package instant lemon pudding
1 cup flaked coconut
Few drops of yellow food coloring
Mix softened butter with graham cracker crumbs and pecans. Press into oblong baking dish and bake for 5 to 10 minutes in a 350-degree oven. Mix softened cream cheese, powdered sugar and 1 cup whipped topping. Spread on top of crust. Chill for 1 hour or longer until firm.
Mix pudding according to package directions. Spread on top of cream cheese mixture. Add the remaining cup of whipped topping on top of pudding layer. Tint coconut (with a fork, toss 1 cup coconut with few drops of food coloring and few drops of water). Sprinkle coconut on top of whipped topping layer.
-- Sheila Mullins, Stanford

Sugar cream pie

1 cup sugar
2 cups milk
1⁄4 cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 stick butter
1⁄4 teaspoon butter flavoring, optional
Cinnamon and nutmeg
Combine sugar, milk and cornstarch and cook until thick. Add vanilla, butter and flavoring. Stir until butter melts. Pour into pie shell; sprinkle with cinnamon and/or nutmeg. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes. Let pie stand overnight before cutting.
-- Jane A. Trusty, Salyersville

Glazed apple pie

6 cups apple slices (about 6 medium cooking apples)
1⁄2 cup seedless raisins, if desired
3⁄4 to 1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1⁄2 teaspoon cinnamon
1⁄8 teaspoon salt
Pastry for double-crust pie
2 tablespoons orange juice
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
Orange glaze
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cook apples on low heat until there is some juice. Toss apples with raisins. Combine sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt and add to apples. Cook 1 minute.
Turn into pastry-lined 9-inch pie plate. Sprinkle with orange juice and dot with butter. Cover with top crust; seal and flute edge. Cut slits for escape of steam. Start baking at 400 degrees until the crust has browned a little; reduce heat to 325 or 350 degrees and bake about 1 hour, or until pie is of desired brownness and apples are tender. Spread orange glaze over hot pie.
Orange glaze
1 cup confectioners’ sugar, sift if lumpy
1 teaspoon grated orange peel
3 tablespoons orange juice
Mix together; spread over hot pie.

Double pie crust
2 cups sifted flour
1 teaspoon salt
3⁄4 cup shortening
1⁄4 cup water
Sift flour before measuring. Spoon lightly into measuring cup and level without shaking or packing down. Combine flour and salt in mixing bowl. With a pastry blender or two knives, cut in shortening until uniform; mixture should be fairly coarse. Sprinkle with water, a little at a time; toss with a fork. Work dough into a firm ball with your hands. Divide dough into 2 parts and press into flat circles with smooth edges. On a lightly floured surface, roll bottom crust to a circle about 1 1⁄2 inches larger than inverted pie plate. Gently ease dough into plate. Trim edge even with plate and add filling. Roll top crust same way.
-- Jean Ramsey, Monticello

Coconut delight cake

1 yellow cake mix
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 15-ounce can cream of coconut
1 12-ounce carton frozen whipped topping
Coconut
Prepare and bake cake according to package directions in a 13- by 9-inch pan. While still warm, punch holes in top of cake with a wooden spoon handle. Mix milk and cream of coconut and pour in the holes. Cool completely. Spread whipped topping on top of cake and sprinkle with coconut. Refrigerate for several hours. Store in refrigerator.
-- Judy Shaw, Carlisle

Chocolate brownie pie

1⁄2 cup margarine
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate
1 cup sugar
1⁄3 cup dark corn syrup
1⁄4 cup flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
1⁄4 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1 9-inch graham cracker pie crust
Melt margarine and chocolate. Stir in remaining ingredients except eggs. Stir in slightly beaten eggs. Pour into 9-inch crust and place on cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes, or until filling is puffed and center is firm. Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
-- Stella Stewart, Lexington

Sour cream lemon pie

1 cup sugar
3 1⁄2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon lemon rind, grated
1⁄2 cup fresh lemon juice
3 egg yolks, beaten
1 cup milk
1⁄4 cup margarine
1 cup sour cream
1 baked 9-inch pie shell
1 cup whipped cream
Lemon slices for garnish
Combine sugar, cornstarch, lemon rind, juice, egg yolks and milk in heavy saucepan. Cook over medium heat until thickened. Stir in margarine and cool to room temperature. Stir in sour cream. Pour into baked pie shell. Top with whipped cream and garnish with lemon slices. Refrigerate before serving.
-- Avalon Haight, Grayson

Chocolate pecan pie

3 squares unsweetened chocolate
3⁄4 stick butter
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla
1⁄4 cup self-rising flour
1⁄2 cup milk
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
1 cup pecans
1 unbaked pie crust
Melt chocolate and butter in saucepan. Add remaining ingredients and pour into unbaked pie crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Turn oven down to 250 degrees and cook until knife inserted in filling comes out clean.
-- Martha White, Murray

Chocolate cherry crinkles

1 17-ounce package brownie mix
1⁄2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
1⁄2 cup chopped candied red cherries
1⁄2 cup chocolate mini chips
Confectioners' sugar
Prepare brownie mix as directed on package. Add other ingredients except sugar. Chill several hours or overnight. Drop small spoonfuls into sugar. Roll in sugar while shaping into balls. Place 1 1⁄2 inches apart on lightly greased or sprayed cookie sheet. Bake 8 to 10 minutes at 350 degrees. Makes 4 to 5 dozen. They are very moist and chewy.
-- Glenna S. Lett, Ashland

Fresh apple cake

2 1⁄2 cups flour
2 cups white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
3 cups finely chopped apples
1 cup chopped nuts
1 large package butterscotch chips
Mix dry ingredients together. Add oil, eggs, apples and nuts. Dough will be very stiff. Pour into a greased and floured 13- by 9- by 2-inch pan. Sprinkle butterscotch chips over top. Press dough firmly into pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes.
-- Janice Judy, Cynthiana

Best ever bread pudding with sauce

6 slices day-old bread (broken in small pieces)
2 cups milk (or cream if you wish a richer mixture)
1 cup sugar
3 eggs, slightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon flour
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon melted butter or margarine
Pour milk over bread and let soak for approximately 10 minutes. Add all other ingredients and mix together well. Pour into a greased 2-quart baking dish and bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees or until top is golden brown. Serve with sauce.
Sauce:
1 cup water
1⁄2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch or flour
1⁄4 stick butter or margarine
1 teaspoon lemon or vanilla extract
Combine ingredients in saucepan and cook until thickened. Recipe may be doubled.
-- Paula McHargue, Richmond

Puttin’ on the Ritz

1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 box chopped dates
1 cup chopped pecans
1 box butter-flavored crackers
Icing
1 pound box of confectioners' sugar
1 8-ounce package cream cheese
Combine sweetened condensed milk and dates. Cook on medium heat until thickened, about 5 minutes. Add pecans and let cool. Spread onto butter- flavored crackers. Bake at 325 degrees for 5 minutes. Let cool.
Icing:
1 box confectioners' sugar
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
Beat together sugar and cream cheese and spread on crackers. Top with pecan halves.
-- Kay Ward, Inez

Orange slice cake

4 cups flour, divided
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
1 pound orange slice candy, cut up fine
1 16-ounce package coconut
2 cups pecans, chopped fine
1/8 of a package of dates
1⁄2 cup flour
1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon soda
1⁄2 cup buttermilk
Sift 3 1⁄2 cups flour and salt together. Set aside. Combine candy, coconut, pecans, and dates with 1⁄2 cup flour. Set aside. Cream butter, sugar and eggs, beating after each addition. Combine soda and buttermilk and add to flour mixture. Stir into batter. Add candy mixture to other ingredients and pour into a 10-inch tube pan. Bake at 250 degrees for 3 hours.
Glaze:
1 cup orange juice
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
Mix well and pour over cake when cake is taken out of the oven. Cool. Refrigerate; let stand overnight before serving.
-- Margery Alexander, Worthville