No Bake Desserts

The following are two of the most popular desserts I make. I make them a lot for families with kids. I used to be embarrassed because they don't actually involve cooking, but no one seems to mind! The Mock Eclair is a graham cracker and pudding dessert that is unbelievably good. The pudding is just a good banana pudding recipe. Enjoy!

Mock Éclair
Category: Desserts
Sub Category:
Source:

2 (3.4 oz) pkgs instant vanilla pudding mix
8 oz cook whip
3 c milk
1 (16 oz) box graham crackers
1 (16 oz) tub chocolate frosting

1. In medium bowl, mix 1st 3 ingredients w/electric mixer for 2 minutes.
2. Place single layer of graham cracker squares in 13x9 in pan. Evenly spread ½ of the pudding mixture over crackers. Top w/another layer of crackers & remaining pudding mixture. Top w/final layer of crackers.
3. Heat tub of frosting 35 seconds in microwave. Pour over top layer of crackers. Spread to the pan’s edges.
4. Cover and chill at least 4 hours. Best if prepared 24 hours in advance.

Banana Pudding*
Category: Desserts
Sub Category:
Source:

1 large box instant vanilla pudding
1 (8 oz) container Cool Whip
1 can Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk
1 (8 oz) container sour cream
1 box Vanilla Wafers
3-4 bananas, sliced

1. Prepare pudding as directed. Refrigerate for approximately 5 minutes.

2. Mix together Cool Whip, Eagle Brand milk and sour cream. Mix into pudding.

3. Arrange a layer of Vanilla Wafers on bottom of 13x9 baking dish. Arrange a layer of banana slices on top of the cookies. Pour ½ of pudding mixture over bananas. Repeat. Top with more cookies.

4. Refrigerate for at least a couple of hours.

More of the Recipe Project

I am very slowly working my way through the entrees posted by readers of Kelly's Korner as their favorites. I continue to not be wowed. I tried Crock Pot Macaroni and Cheese and would have thought this was mis-posted as an entree, but recently had someone bring me a casserole dish of Macaroni and Cheese as a meal. I did not make it as an entree, though. I made it as a side dish for a group dinner. It was fine, but it tasted like macaroni and cheese. Nothing made this dish special.

I did make Pasta Weesie as a meal and was confused by this on multiple levels. It is basically Fettuccine Alfredo with shrimp and mushrooms. And I did get it made and it was fine, but it didn't blow our socks off and I probably wouldn't make it again.

Some of my new favorites

I have been way behind on Blogging, but I am caught up on cooking and here are some new recipes I am loving right now:


Blueberry Muffins
Category: Baked Goods
Sub Category: Muffins
Source: Self – Gwyneth Paltrow

½ c butter, melted and cooled slightly
2 eggs
½ c whole milk
2 c flour
¾ c plus 1 t sugar, divided
2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
2 ½ c blueberries

1. Preheat oven to 375. Line 12 muffin cups with liners.

2. Whisk butter, eggs and milk. Combine flour, ¾ c sugar, baking powder and salt in another bowl. Stir wet ingredients into dry. Fold in berries.

3. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups. Sprinkle with remaining 1 t sugar. Bake 25-30 min until golden and a knife comes out clean.

Coconut Layer Cake
Category: Desserts
Sub Category: Cake
Source: More

3 ¼ sticks unsalted butter, softened
2 c cake flour
1 ¼ c sugar
4 eggs
1 ½ t vanilla
2 ½ t baking powder
3/4 t salt
3 c shredded sweetened coconut
¾ c milk
1 lb box powdered sugar
2-4 T coconut milk

1. Preheat oven to 350. Prepare two 9-in cake pans

2. Cream 1 ¼ sticks butter with the sugar until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time. Add 1 t vanilla. Combine flour, baking powder, ¼ t salt and ½ c coconut. Add to mixer alternating with the milk just until combined. Do not over mix.

3. Divide batter among pans. Bake 25 min until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool.

4. Cream remaining 2 sticks of butter with powdered sugar, ½ t salt and ½ t vanilla until creamy. Gradually add enough coconut milk to reach spreadable consistency.

5. When cake is cool, spread 1/3 of the frosting on one layer all the way to edges and sprinkle with ½ c coconut. Top with other layer. Spread on 1/3 of the frosting and use the rest to cover the sides. Press 2 c coconut onto top and sides of cake.

Note: I don't do well with layer cakes, so I did this in a 9 x 13 pan and it worked great. I baked it an extra five minutes.

German Chocolate Cake
Category: Desserts
Sub Category: Cake
Source: Food and Wine

2 ½ c cake flour
1/8 t cinnamon
1/8 t nutmeg
¼ t salt
1 c buttermilk
1 t vanilla
1 t baking soda
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
2 c sugar
4 eggs, separated
6 oz semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled
Frosting
1 c pecans, coarsely chopped
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 lb confectioners’ sugar
1 ½ T cocoa
1 t vanilla
¼ c hot coffee
½ c packed sweetened shredded coconut

1. Preheat oven to 325. Prepare two 9-in cake pans. In small bowl, whisk flour w/cinnamon, nutmeg & salt. In a cup, stir buttermilk w/vanilla and baking soda until combined. In stand mixer, beat butter & sugar until fluffy. Add egg yolks; beat until incorporated; beat in chocolate. Beat in dry and wet ingredients in three alternating batches.

2. Transfer batter to a large bowl and wash out mixing bowl. Beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Fold beaten whites into batter until no streaks remain.

3. Divide batter b/w pans and bake 45-50 min, until toothpick comes out with just a few moist crumbs. Cool completely.

4. Beat softened butter w/powdered sugar and cocoa until combined. Add vanilla & coffee; beat until fluffy. Fold in coconut and pecans. Frost layers and sides of cake.

Note: Don't make this if you are looking for style points. It is SO good, but it did not look very pretty. At first I thought it was because I have bad luck with layer cakes, but I tried it in a 9 x 13 and it still baked up weird. Again, it was very, very good, but not very pretty. I noticed that the magazine didn't have a picture, either, so I don't think it is just me.

Recipe Project

I have been working my way through the main dish recipes on Kelly's Blog. I have to say that I haven't been wowed by anything yet. I did do a remake on Kelly's Chicken Supreme. I turned it into a healthy casserole and it was really good. All three of us loved it and it was easy. I have to tweak it a little bit to get a better consistency, but I have high hopes. You can read about the original recipe here.

Here is the run down of the other recipes I have tried. Like I said, I have not been won over, but these have all been easy and inexpensive and probably things most kids would eat. That is likely the criteria in a lot of households, so these may work for you if you have similar standards.

Girl Scout Casserole - This was okay. My friend's 10 year old daughter was staying with us and she loved it - she took several servings home for her family. And Aaron enjoyed it, as well. My husband and I thought it was okay. It is definitely something kids will eat, but the top two layers are store bought biscuits and American Cheese slices. So I'm not sure if it's what you want your kids to eat. Being that the bottom layer is ground beef (no big servings of vegetables hidden in there) there just aren't a lot of redeeming qualities to this dish. If I did make it again I would make homemade drop biscuits and spread the dough on top of the casserole instead of using the store bought biscuits. The way this recipe comes out each serving has a big biscuit and a slice of cheese on top. I would probably also use shredded cheddar instead of American Slices.

Mexican Tortilla Stack - This recipe was posted by the same person who posted the Girl Scout Casserole. It was very underwhelming, but it was cheap and easy. There's nothing very healthy about it, but it's not horrible - it is beef, beans, cheese and tortillas. The only flavor comes from chili powder which I thought was a strange choice. It over powered the dish a bit. I cared very little for this and my husband thought it was okay, but dumping salsa on it helped tremendously.

Crescent Ring - Wow. This was posted as an entree and the recipe indicates that it serves 6. That means that each person is eating almost three store bought crescent rolls and three slices of bacon for dinner. That's just not dinner in the boring Allen household, so I made this as an appetizer for a group and turned it into 14 servings. It was popular, but I still wouldn't consider it an option for a meal.

Hawaiian Meatloaf - This was different. The recipe does indicate that this can be made into meat balls and I could see that as an appetizer at a party - a bit like Sweet and Sour Meatballs. But for dinner, it was a little strange. This is beef baked with pineapples and covered in a very sweet sauce. It was okay, but not something we would have again.

Pizza Bites - This is another one that seemed like an odd choice for an entree for me. It is basically pizza muffins. I made them for an appetizer for a group. They were alright, but no one asked for the recipe.

That's where I am so far. Hopefully soon I'll have some recipes I can recommend!

Smores Bars

YUM! I got this recipe from Jennifer's blog and she had gotten it from someone else's blog. It is SO good. I wasn't sure it would live up to my hopes, but it did.

Smores Cookie Bars
Category: Desserts
Sub Category:
Source: Jennifer Francis

½ c butter, room temperature
¼ c brown sugar
½ c sugar
1 egg
1 t vanilla
1 1/3 c flour
¾ c graham cracker crumbs
1 t baking powder
¼ t salt
2 king size Hershey’s bars
1 ½ c marshmallow crème

1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease an 8-in square baking dish.

2. In large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light. Beat in egg and vanilla. In small bowl, whisk together flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt. Add to butter mixture and mix at low speed until combined.

3. Divide dough in half and press half into an even layer in pan. Place chocolate bars over dough in single layer. Spread chocolate with marshmallow crème. Place remaining dough in single layer on top.

4. Bake for 30-35 minutes until lightly browned. Cool completely before cutting into bars.

My Husband's Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies

My husband is a bit of a chocolate chip cookie connoisseur. This recipe has been his favorite for years. It is funny because it is from Cooking Light and for the longest time he did not believe me when I told him that. They're still cookies, but maybe they are a little better for you? I will say they don't have a ton of chocolate chips in them which is a plus for Jory but maybe not for everyone.
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Category: Desserts
Sub Category:
Source: Cooking Light

2 ¼ c flour
1 t baking soda
¼ t salt
1 c packed brown sugar
¾ c sugar
½ c butter, softened
1 t vanilla extract
2 large egg whites
¾ c semisweet chocolate chips
Cooking Spray

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. Combine flour, baking soda and salt, stirring with a whisk.

3. Combine sugars and butter in a large bowl, beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended. Add vanilla and egg whites; beat one minute. Add flour mixture and chips; beat until blended.

4. Drop dough by level tablespoons 2 inches apart onto baking sheets coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Coon on pans for two minutes. Remove from pans; cool completely on wire racks.

Chicken Lasagna

This is one of my most popular recipes and I always mean to take a picture of it because it is so pretty, but I always forget, so I am posting the recipe without it. I made it recently for a dinner party and had so many people ask for the recipe. One woman said it was the best thing she had eaten in a long time!


Chicken Spinach Lasagna Casserole
Category: Main Dishes
Sub Category: Chicken
Source: Redbook - Trisha Yearwood

1 (10 oz) package frozen spinach, thawed
2 cups cooked chicken, shredded
2 c grated cheddar cheese
1/3 c chopped onion
1 T cornstarch
½ t salt
¼ t pepper
1T soy sauce
1 can Cream of Mushroom soup
1 c sour cream
1 (4 ½ oz) jar sliced mushrooms, drained
1/3 c mayonnaise
6 lasagna noodles, cooked
1 c grated Parmesan cheese
1 c chopped pecans

1. Preheat oven to 350

2. In a large bowl, combine 1st 12 ingredients. Put a layer of noodles in the bottom of a greased 9x13 pan. Spread half of the spinach mixture over noodles. Place another layer of noodles on top and cover with the remaining mixture. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese, then pecans on top and bake for 1 hour.

Notes: 1. I use frozen chopped onions.

2. I have used canned chicken and couldn't tell the difference

3. I have used light sour cream and/or light mayo and couldn't tell the difference