Pretzel Bark

Pretzel Bark (slightly adapted from Kraft Recipes, Total Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes, Servings: 10+)

Ingredients

·         1 cup chopped pretzels

·         3 pkg. (4 oz. each) Semi-Sweet Chocolate, broken into pieces

Directions

1.      Place chocolate pieces into a microwave-safe bowl.  Put in microwave for 30 seconds, then stir.  Repeat until chocolate is melted.

2.      Stir pretzels into chocolate; spread onto waxed paper-covered baking sheet.

3.      Refrigerate 1 hour or until firm.  Break into pieces

I loved this chocolate bark!  The recipe is so easy and quick.  I served it as part of a Progressive Dinner in my neighborhood and it went fast. In fact, there were a couple of people politely arguing over the last piece.  Even though this is made with semi-sweet chocolate, it tasted a bit more like dark chocolate. The original recipe calls for pecans in addition to the pretzels, but I opted not to use them because my husband is not a huge fan of nuts and I wasn’t sure if any neighbors had nut allergies.  This is a definite keeper in my dessert box!

Pepper Jelly Cornmeal Cups

Pepper Jelly Cornmeal Cups (from Better Homes & Gardens, Total Time: 1 hour +, Total Servings: 96 cookies)

Ingredients

·         1 cup butter, softened

·         1 cup packed brown sugar

·         ½ tsp. baking powder

·         2 egg yolks

·         1 tsp. vanilla

·         2/3 cup yellow cornmeal

·         2 cups all-purpose flour

·         ¼ cup red and/or green jalapeno jelly

Directions

1.      Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2.      In a large bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add brown sugar and baking powder. Beat until combined, scraping side of bowl occasionally. Beat in egg yolks and vanilla until combined. Beat in cornmeal. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Using a wooden spoon, stir in any remaining flour.

3.      Shape dough into 3/4-inch balls. Place 1 inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Lightly press the tip of your thumb into the center of each ball of dough. Fill each center with about 1/8 teaspoon of the jalapeno jelly.

4.      Bake in the preheated oven about 10 minutes or until bottoms are lightly browned. Cool on cookie sheet for 1 minute. Transfer cookies to a wire rack; let cool.

This was another dessert that I made for the Progressive Dinner in my neighborhood.  I think that this is one of the first “rolled” cookie recipes that I have found where I didn’t need to refrigerate the batter!  Excellent!

I have a homemade strawberry jalapeno jelly that people have loved, so I thought that this would be a great way to share it with my neighbors.  My husband loves these cookies, but I think that are a little on the dry side.  Even with the jelly, which adds a touch of moisture, they were still dry – almost like a normal cornbread muffin.  I think that additional butter or using whole eggs might counteract the dryness.  Other than that complaint, I was happy with the outcome – small cookies that satisfy a savory dessert hunger.

Chickpea & Feta Dip

Chickpea & Feta Dip (from Kraft Recipes, Total Time: 15 minutes, Servings: 24 servings of 2 Tbsp. each)

Ingredients

·         2 cans (15 oz. each) chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained, rinsed

·         2/3 cup  crumbled Feta Cheese, divided

·         1/3 cup drained roasted red pepper strips, divided

·         1 clove  garlic

·         3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

·         1 tsp. toasted sesame oil

·         Juice of 1/2 lemon

Directions

1.      Place chickpeas, ½ cup cheese, ¼ cup peppers and next 4 ingredients in the bowl of a food processor; blend until smooth.

2.       Spoon into serving bowl. Top with remaining cheese and peppers.

I made this as an appetizer for a Progressive Dinner in my neighborhood.  I served with various crudités (celery, carrots, pepper strips, etc.) for a healthy option during our Dinner; I also used fat-free feta to help cut back on some fat and calories.  I find the consistency to be more of a spread than a dip, and it was a little dry and clumpy, not creamy like hummus.  It tasted overwhelmingly like chickpeas, I would have liked a little more of a feta or red pepper taste.  I do not plan to make this dish again, but feel free to try your hand at it!

No Oven Peanut Butter Squares

No Oven Peanut Butter Squares (from Kraft Recipes, Total Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes, Servings: 48 squares)

Ingredients

·         ½ cup butter or margarine

·         2 cups powdered sugar

·         1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs

·         1 cup creamy Peanut Butter

·         3 pkg. (4 oz. each) Semi-Sweet Chocolate, broken into pieces

Directions

1.      Line 13x9-inch pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides of pan.

2.      Place chocolate pieces into a microwave-safe bowl.  Put in microwave for 30 seconds, then stir.  Repeat until chocolate is melted.

3.      Melt butter in large microwaveable bowl on HIGH 45 sec. Add next 3 ingredients; mix well. Spread into prepared pan; cover with chocolate.

4.      Cut partially through dessert to mark 48 squares. Refrigerate 1 hour or until firm. Use foil handles to remove dessert from pan; cut into squares.

Another dessert that I made for the Progressive Dinner in the neighborhood.  When I first tried it, I thought it was OK – maybe a little too dry with the graham crackers.  But after eating it a little bit more, I like it.  I think that I will add more peanut butter next time, to help with the dry texture.  I like the chocolate coating, but definitely do NOT skip the first part of step 4.  I did and the chocolate cracked into all types of weird angles.  Not pretty!  Next time, in addition to using more PB, I will make a thicker batch by using a 9x9 or 8x8 pan.  These went over really well with the neighbors – they were gone in less than 30 minutes, even with the large selection of desserts!