Trio of Desserts

 

 

Sometimes, one dessert just isn't enough. Here are three desserts that my mom made all in one night for a little dessert buffet, if you will.

Banana Cream Squares

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter or margarine, cold
1 pounch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
1 tub (8 oz) frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 box (3.4 oz) instant banana pudding mix
3 medium ripe bananas, sliced

Directions:

Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray 13x9-inch baking dish with cooking spray.

In medium bowl, cut butter into cookie mix using pastry blender or fork, until mixture is crumbly. Reserve 3/4 cup mixture for topping. Mix egg in remaining mixture until incorporated. Press crumbs evenly in bottom of dish. Bake 13 to 15 minutes or until light golden brown around the edges. Cool completely.

In 15x10x1 inch pan, place the reserved topping crumbs in a thin layer. Bake 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occassionally or until light golden brown. Cool completely. Crumble into small pieces. Set aside.

In 3-quart mixing bowl, beat cream cheese with electric mixer on medium speed, for 1 minute or until smooth. Add sweetened condensed milk. Beat until well blended. Beat in the whipped topping until smooth. Add the pudding mix and continue to beat for an additional 2 minutes or until everything is well combined.

Spread 1/3 of the pudding mixture onto cooled base. Arrange bananas in a single layer over pudding. Top with remaining pudding mixture and refrigerate for 10 minutes or until set. Sprinkle the cookie crumbs over the pudding.

To serve, cut into 24 squares, 4 rows by 6 rows, and serve individually.

Makes 24 servings.

Source: Betty Crocker website. You can find it here.

Notes: This was so delicious. My only problem with it is that the crust is really hard to cut through. You almost need a knife and a fork to eat this because you will have a hard time cutting through it with just a fork. Super tasty though.

Coconut Truffles

Ingredients:

8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 tsp. coconut extract (or almond extract)
5 cups powdered sugar
2-3 cups shredded coconut.

Directions:

Mix together softened cream cheese with extract. Add powdered sugar and 1/2 cup coconut to cream cheese mixture a little at a time, beating until smooth.

Form balls of the truffle mixture and roll them in shredded coconut. Place on a sheet pan.

Chill for 10 to 15 minutes before serving. Store in refrigerator.

Source: Jen's Favorite Cookies. You can find the recipe here.

Notes: These are super rich, but whoo boy, they were so yummy.

Macadamia Nut Cookie Dough Ball

Ingredients:

8 ounces reduced fat cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup (1 stick butter), at room temperature
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 cup white chocolate chips, divided
1 cup macadamia nuts, otasted, roughly chopped and divided
1/2 cup sweetened coconut flakes, toasted
Vanilla wafers and fresh fruit

Directions:

Cream together cream cheese, butter, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl until lightl and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in powdered sugar, 1/4 cup at a time, adding brown sugar in the last batch. Add 3/4 cup chocolate chips, and 1/2 cup macadamia nuts, then mix until combined.

Scoop mixture onto a large sheet of plastic wrap (may need to use 2 overlapping sheets) then form into a ball. Freeze for 2 hours or until firm enough to hold its shape. Mix together remaining chocolate chips, macadamia nuts, and coconut flakes in a large, shallow dish, then remove ball from plastic wrap and roll to completely cover. Keep in the fridge until ready to serve, then serve with vanilla wafers and fresh fruit on a platter.

Source: This is from a site called Iowa Girl Eats, which you can find here. You can find the recipe here.

Notes: This is really rich, but it really does taste like a white chocolate macadamia nut cookie. Yum!