Tag Archives: dessert

Marshmallow Sweet Potatoes (gotta have ’em)

Posted on November 23, 2025 | Leave a comment

1/2 eaten Sweet Potatoes with Marshmallows

1/2 eaten Sweet Potatoes with Marshmallows

pre marshmallow topping

We always have to have a sweet potato dish with those darn marshmallows! This has a little twist which makes it a bit more interesting. It’s easy, tasty and unique, because I make it with both marshmallows and pecan halves on top. There are probably a million different recipes for mashed sweet potatoes, but this one goes on my table this year.

Ingredients:

3 lbs. sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2 inch chunks. Cook Sweet Potatoes (If you want to cheat with the canned ones, I won’t tell anyone, and what’s more is no one will know with all the other stuff in it.) Just drain them well.

1/2 cup whole milk (no skim please)

4 tablespoons unsalted butter (when I double I just add 2 tblsp. butter no need to add 8)

1 can (8 ounces) crushed pineapple, drained

1/4 cup brown sugar, packed

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

20 big marshmallows or mini marshmallows ( as many as you can fit on top)

*40 pecan halves to cover top (you can use only marshmallows if you want) completely optional with the nuts we don’t do it

*cooking fresh sweet potatoes -Prep and wash potatoes –to expedite cooking –peel and cut into chunks before boiling or you can boil them whole and peel afterward

Place in a large pot and cover potatoes with cold water

Bring to a boil

Reduce heat and cover and simmer anywhere from 20-40 minutes depending on the size of the potatoes

Drain and cool — then mash and use in your desired recipe

Directions:

Cover sweet potatoes with cold water in a large pot and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for about 15 minutes or until potatoes are knife tender. Drain and return to pot. Mash potatoes with a masher, then stir in milk, butter, pineapple, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice and salt.

Transfer mixture to a 2 1/2 quart oval casserole dish, smooth out on top. If you want to make a checkerboard top, start at the top left, and alternate one marshmallow with 2 pecan halves until the entire casserole is covered. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until marshmallows are browned and puffed. If you don’t feel like doing the checkerboard, you can also sprinkle mini marshmallows on top, or some large ones. Whatever you like. This is pretty loose, but you gotta have marshmallows!

*one little tip when making a day ahead which is what I do. I assemble the sweet potatoes and I refrigerate as is till day of Thanksgiving. On Thanksgiving when I am ready to put in oven, I put in oven at 350 degrees for about 1/2 hour then add the marshmallows till they brown up. Also be careful with aluminum foil on top of cooked marshmallows because they tend to stick to the foil.

*this recipe serves about 8 – 10 as a side

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Banana Pudding from Magnolia Bakery – One of my Top Ten Desserts that you don’t even bake

Posted on November 22, 2025 | Leave a comment

Since the first time my daughter Jenn made this dessert we have added it to our Thanksgiving Table. Just what you need after that big dinner is this dessert!!! We love it and can’t get enough of it. Whether you’ll be making it for Thanksgiving or anytime just be prepared to fall in love with it. Completely decadent and totally ridiculous in calories and richness it is love at first bite.

It is actually a subtle taste of bananas, but I wouldn’t make this if I didn’t like bananas. I happen to just adore bananas and I absolutely love love this pudding. I cannot have it in the house because I will continually find an excuse to go into the fridge and eat it till it’s pretty much all gone.  As full as I was last year and swearing I wasn’t going to eat another thing for at least a week, when I saw this  pudding I knew I was going to eat it.  I find it impossible to resist and I know others who suffer from this same fate. If you’re in the market for a purely decadent rich over the top dessert then this is it for you. Probably up there on my top ten desserts ever. This is from the More from Magnolia Cookbook so how could it be bad?

*this recipe really needs time , so you must start the day before to let initial pudding set, and then you’ll need at least 4 more hours minimum before serving. So you must factor time into your prep of this awesome pudding but it’s so worth it.

Happy Thanksgiving from our house to yours.

Ingredients:

1 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk

1 1 /2 cups ice-cold water

1 3.4 ounce package instant vanilla pudding mix ( preferably Jell-O brand)is there another brand?

3 cups heavy cream

1 12 ounce box Nabisco Nilla Wafers ( no substitutions) is there another brand?

4 cups sliced ripe banana

Directions:

In a small bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, beat together the sweetened condensed milk and cold water until well combined, about 1 minute. Add the pudding mix and beat well, about 2 minutes more.* Cover and refrigerate for 3 – 4 hours or overnight, before continuing. It is very important to allow the proper amount of time for the pudding mixture to set.

In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer , whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the pudding mixture into the whipped cream until well blended and no streaks of pudding remains.

To assemble the dessert, select a large, wide bowl ( preferably glass) with a 4 – 5 quart capacity. Arrange one-third of the wafers to cover the bottom of the bowl, over-lapping if necessary, then one-third of the bananas and one-third of the pudding. Repeat the layering twice more, garnishing with additional wafers or wafer crumbs on the top layer of the pudding . ( Just crush up a few remainder cookies in food processor) Cover tightly with plastic wrap and allow to chill in the refrigerator for *4 hours–or up to 8 hours, but no longer! Serve and behold the love!

Serves anywhere from 12- 15

It’s a large dessert and a substantial one. It stands alone beautifully!

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Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting–Fall Treats

Posted on October 23, 2025 | 1 comment

photo (4)photo (16) photo (17) photo (18) photo (19)There are a few things I really love to eat. Mostly anything sweet and mostly dessert. Anyone who knows me well knows that I have an incredible sweet tooth. Funny that my name is Candi and I love candy, cookies, cakes and ice cream so very much. I would probably pass on most entrees and just cut to dessert if I had my way . When I was a kid I would gladly trade a sandwich for dessert any day of the week. Some things never change. I’d like to believe that my tastes in dessert have changed a wee bit and that I have a bit more of a sophisticated palate now but not when it comes to candy,  I still love junk candy as much as I did when I was 6. However my taste in cake has definitely improved with age. Anything baked with pumpkin gets high marks in my book and if you put cream cheese frosting on it it’s off the charts.   It’s just the right amount of sugar and spice! A most perfect Fall Cake or cupcake.   It really is a very easy recipe to follow ,  I made cupcakes but you can easily make this in a Pyrex 9 x13 inch pan as a sheet cake and frost it and decorate with candy corn or those little candy pumpkins! Nice little treat for those little trick or treaters in your house.

Now you can make these without frosting and just eat like muffins with a little smear of cream cheese which wouldn’t be too bad either.

Happy Halloween Everyone!!!

follow me @cookingwithcandi on Instagram

Shopping List:

1 can Pumpkin ( not pumpkin pie filling just Pumpkin) 15 oz. size

cream cheese  and paper liners for cupcakes

Staples: (things you should have in your Pantry and fridge all the time)

all-purpose flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ground cloves, salt, vegetable oil, eggs, confectioner’s sugar, unsalted butter, vanilla extract, and milk

Ingredients:

2 cups of all-purpose flour

1 cup of sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. ground cloves if no ground cloves you can substitute with pumpkin pie spice or nutmeg. I prefer cloves.

1 tsp. salt (regular table salt)

1 cup vegetable oil

1 can Pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling) Pure Pumpkin

4 eggs ( room temperature please)

Cream Cheese Frosting:

2 cups of confectioner’s sugar

1/3 cup softened butter ( unsalted)

1 tsp. vanilla extract

4 oz. softened cream cheese ( soften in microwave) not melted just softened or you can leave it out for a bit and it will soften up.  I actually used light cream cheese not fat free please. I mean the amount of calories is staggering, but you’re only going to eat 1 cupcake right? how many calories can possibly be in that????? Don’t tell me , I don’t want to know.

1 Tbsp. Milk ( I used skim plus)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. I mixed all dry ingredients together then mixed in eggs ( one at a time) and can of pumpkin and vegetable oil. Mix till combined, don’t overmix. No need to sift, just put dry ingredients in a bowl first and whisk together with a whisk , get some air in there.

Pour into a greased muffin pan about 3/4 full.  I always use little paper liners and bake at 35o degrees for 20 – 30 minutes . Be careful not to over bake so the cake stays moist.  I baked for 26 minutes. I started checking on them after 20 minutes.

Allow cupcakes to cool completely before frosting. I made my frosting in my electric mixer while cupcakes were cooling.

Frost Cupcakes / Cake  and if you’d like decorate with some of those little Halloween Candies like candy corn or those little pumpkin shaped candies sold this time of year. Enjoy!

*should make about 16 cupcakes , I made 12 and a mini loaf.

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S’mores Dip

Posted on August 30, 2025 | 1 comment

Melted Chocolate and Toasty Marshmallows!!! This is a hit for your next party or just for your family. Who says it’s only for camping out? This was made in the oven very quickly and came out perfectly delicious and perfect all year round.  A few minutes in the oven and a few minutes to prep and you have a delicious most fun dessert to serve. Serve it with graham crackers or graham cracker sticks and watch it disappear. You can also mix it with peanut butter chips for a little bit different spin on S’mores. All I can say is yum!

Happy Labor Day!

Ingredients:

app. 1 regular size bag of  chocolate chips, you can use semi-sweet, milk chocolate, peanut butter chips or any combo.

Marshmallows- start out with a whole bag — you’ll probably use 3/4 of the bag –you can use minis or the large ones but I just used regular sized this time which are readily available

Graham Cracker Squares–for dipping

I used an 8 inch cast iron skillet– it makes for a great presentation and it cooks perfectly– just be very very careful with serving it because skillet will be very hot — careful supervision with this one

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and spray the cast iron pan with cooking spray ( this will help with clean up)  Pour the chips you’re using in an even layer on the bottom of the skillet.  Bake for3-4  minutes or until chocolate chips are melted . Watch closely because you don’t want to burn. Using an oven mitt –remove the skillet from the oven and stir the chocolate around  then cover the top with the marshmallows completely. Bake for another 4-5 minutes or until marshmallows are browned on top. ( see photo)  Serve immediately with graham cracker squares —only tip is to be very careful , because the dip and the pan will be very hot!!!! you’ll have to supervise with little ones and even some of the over anxious adults. You can let it rest for about 4-5 minutes before serving. But it should be served hot.

*if you don’t have a skillet you may use another oven-safe baking dish like a 9×13 pyrex would work . Chocolate does melt more evenly in cast-iron skillet and it retains heat better. 

*you can adjust the amounts of chocolate and marshmallows to your liking, and the size of the skillet. Some of these photos show the jumbo sized marshmallows which will work just as well or you can cut them in 1/2. 

*use whatever kind of chips you like, and any kind of marshmallows you like — mini marshmallows work well here too.

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Old Fashioned Lemon Icebox Cake–No Baking at all

Posted on August 20, 2025 | 1 comment

IMG_1266

Nothing not to love here, Lemons, cream cheese, heavy cream, lemon curd and did I mention no baking??? So great and fairly easy with simple ingredients. You’ll need either an electric mixer or a hand mixer to whip cream. Nothing beats an electric mixer though with the whisking attachment.

I made it in a 9×13 pan but I think next time I will try to do it in a bowl. It would also be beautiful garnished with fresh lemon slices or berries. We were in a hurry to dig into it so never did get to garnish it.  If you’d like it to look neater when you scoop it out you will have to be more precise with the layering. My cake was very uneven and all the layers and flavors blended together, who cares? it was delicious. If you’d like you can also layer in a trifle type bowl and make a very pretty presentation! Up to you but it was all delish.

This is simple and delicious food if not very rich, but hey it’s dessert! Perfect for a Labor Day BBQ or anytime!

Enjoy Labor Day Weekend !

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Ingredients:

4 ounces cream cheese, softened (just leave it out at room temperature for a while till it’s room temperature and feels squishy and soft)

3 cups heavy cream

1/3 cup confectioners sugar

3 teaspoons lemon zest, plus a little more for garnish

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

11 ounces vanilla wafer cookies ( app. 1 1/2 boxes)

10 ounces lemon curd–usually available with the jams and jellies  or baking aisle of most supermarkets. (see photo)

Directions:

Beat the cream cheese in a large bowl with an electric mixer until soft. Add the heavy cream, sugar, lemon zest and vanilla and beat until it just holds stiff peaks. It takes app. 3-6 minutes for peaks to form, be patient.

Spread the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch baking dish with 1/2 cup of the whipped cream. Arrange 1/2 of the cookies on top of the cream, fitting in as many as you can without overlapping.(see photos) Spoon 1/2 of the remaining cream mixture on top and smooth evenly with an offset spatula or if no offset spatula use a butter knife. In spoonfuls , app. every 2 inches, spoon half of the lemon curd onto the cream and then use a butter knife to swirl the curd into the cream. Top with another layer of cookies, followed by the remaining cream. Spoon  the remaining lemon curd and swirl into the cream again with the butter knife. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until the cookies have softened, it should be fine after at least 3 hours and you can make a day ahead and just leave in the fridge!

It would be pretty garnished with some lemon zest , some lemon slices or fresh berries, we were in a rush to eat it so no garnish in my photos. Next time!

*if you use a bowl you’ll just have to figure out the cream to cookie ratio but make sure you follow my steps so it ends up the same.

*another good thing–I actually froze leftovers and when I wanted to eat it , I removed from freezer for about an hour and it was perfect.

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S’Mores Baked in the Oven

Posted on August 16, 2025 | 1 comment

IMG_8638IMG_8636IMG_8639 IMG_8641 IMG_8642IMG_8634 IMG_8633 IMG_8632Oh Wow!!! what could be better??? truly easy and very little fuss perfect with the kids and perfect for the adults. Very rich and gooey. Whole thing takes about 40 minutes from start to finish and you can re-heat the sliced bars in the microwave for about 30 seconds if you have some left-over. It’s great for a large group and I would say about 12-15 servings here. Let’s hold on to the last few weeks of summer with this delicious dessert.

For a very traditional s’mores taste eat immediately, I think they tasted a little better after they cooled down for a bit. Whichever way you prefer them –this is a great recipe for a crowd. You can prepare first and then pop in the oven while you are having dinner. Enjoy!

*also I was able to obtain these amazing square marshmallows in the supermarket, if you see them –grab them otherwise just regular old marshmallows they will do the trick.

Ingredients:

Crust:

18 graham crackers

1/4 cup granulated sugar

pinch of salt

8 Tablespoons unsalted butter-melted

*parchment paper — I think you’ll want to work with it for this recipe–it can get difficult once they harden to get them out of pan. Clean up was a snap with it.

Topping:

3 extra-large Hershey Bars (or 7 regular-size ones)

24 jumbo marshmallows–look for the large square ones

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease a 9×13 Pyrex type baking pan with cooking spray and then line with parchment paper , allow an extra couple of inches of paper to hang over the edge.

In the food processor bowl, pulse the graham crackers until they are finely ground. Transfer the crumbs to a medium-sized bowl.

Add the sugar and salt to the graham crackers and stir to combine. Add the melted butter and stir until the crumbs are moistened. Pour the crumb mixture into the prepared pan and press into an even layer.

Bake the crust for about 10 minutes or until the edges turn lightly golden. Let the crust cool off completely before adding chocolate. I probably let it sit off heat for about 1/2 hour.

Arrange the chocolate bars (see picture) evenly on the top of cooled crust, I had to remove 1 row of chocolate to fit it in pan and left a little uncovered crumbs around edges. Arrange the marshmallows on top of the chocolate, leaving a little space between each one (see photos) Marshmallows will expand slightly.

Bake until the chocolate is soft and beginning to melt, and the marshmallows are evenly toasted on top. Probably about 10-15 minutes depending on your oven.

I couldn’t wait to eat them but I would suggest letting them cool off for  a little bit, cutting was easier when it cooled down ( after 15-20 minutes) I was able to cleanly cut slices. It’s more like campfire s’mores when you eat them hot out of the oven and certainly messier.

You can re-heat the sliced bars in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds. If you are keeping them , cut them and store individual slices.

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A Berry Patriotic Trifle

Posted on July 4, 2025 | 1 comment

I made this for the Fourth of July a few years ago and it was so very pretty and pretty yummy too. I honestly didn’t care how good it tasted because it looked that good but it really was very yummy. Very easy to make and no baking involved. Perfect for the Fourth or Labor Day or really any old time . Actually this would be lovely made with all blackberries , all strawberries and just serve it any old time if you’re not feeling the Patriotic theme. It’s delicious and an easy solution for dessert for those summer bbq’s.

You’ll need a Trifle Bowl — worth the investment.

Happy Fourth of July America! Land of the Free because of the Brave!

Ingredients:

1 store bought angel food cake

For the syrup:

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup water

1/4 tsp. Almond Extract

Whipped Cream Cheese:

2/3 cup sugar

1 lb. Cream cheese , at room temperature

2 cups Heavy Cream, at room temperature

Fruit:

2 pints blueberries

2 pints strawberries, hulled and sliced

Directions:

Heat 1/4 cup sugar, lemon juice , and 1/4 cup water in a saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and stir in the almond extract.

Cut the pre made angel cake into 1 ” slices

Brush both sides of the sliced cake with syrup — I put on a rimmed baking sheet to do this

Cut the slices into 1″ cubes

Beat 2/3 cup sugar and the cream cheese with a mixer with paddle attachment on medium speed until smooth and light. Add the cream and beat on medium-high speed until smooth and the consistency of whipped cream

Arrange half of the cake cubes in the bottom a 13 cup trifle dish. Sprinkle evenly with a layer of blueberries. Dollop half of the cream mixture over the blueberries and gently spread

Top with a layer of strawberries

Layer the remaining cake cubes on top of the strawberries. Then sprinkle with more blueberries

Top with remaining whipped cream and finish with the remaining strawberries and blueberries, arranging them in a decorative pattern. Cover and refrigerate for at least a few hours. Overnight is perfect and what I recommend.

Like I said any berries will do , it’s a lovely dessert.

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Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting (very easy)

Posted on May 6, 2025 | 1 comment

I love Banana Cake and since I always seem to have rotting bananas in the house it’s the perfect thing to make. I have tried so many recipes over the years and have posted mostly loaf style banana breads. I decided to make this one a sheet cake in a 9×13 Pyrex and I also decided to frost it with a delicious cream cheese frosting! I think this is a super easy cake to bake, perfect for beginner bakers. The orange zest gives it a distinct flavoring, it met with raves in my house tonite. Making it in the sheet cake style takes out the room for error. A 9 inch round cake would be perfect as well and you can frost just the top or sides and top. Just follow the same directions. I baked cake in the afternoon and frosted it that night for the next day. I kept it in fridge overnight, and took it out of fridge for a few hours so frosting and cake would be at room temperature. Give this one a go!

*would also make great cupcakes

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Ingredients:

3 very ripe bananas , mashed

1/2 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed

1/2 cup vegetable oil

3/4 cup sugar

2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature

1/2 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Grated Zest of 1 orange (don’t leave this out, it really adds distinct flavoring)

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup chopped walnuts ( optional) I didn’t use this time but nice to decorate the top with a few walnut halves as well. Totally optional. You can sprinkle chopped walnuts on the top of cake as well. I didn’t,  I left it simple and clean .

Cream Cheese Frosting:

8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

6 tablespoons ( 3/4 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups sifted confectioners sugar

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x 13 Pyrex pan.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the mashed bananas, sugar, and brown sugar on low-speed until combined, scrape down the sides of the bowl. With the mixer on low, add the oil, eggs ( one at a time) sour cream , vanilla and orange zest. Mix until smooth.

In a separate bowl, sift together the dry ingredients. Flour, baking soda and salt. With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 40 – 50 minutes. I baked for about 40 minutes, toothpick or cake tester should come out clean from the center of cake. I would watch cake the last 10 minutes or so for doneness.

To make the frosting. Mix the cream cheese , butter and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer with the paddle attachment on low-speed until just combined. Do not whip. Add the confectioners sugar and mix until smooth. Spread the frosting thickly on the top of the cake. Cake must be completely cool before frosting. Frosting is super delish! and I just put a few walnut halves or sprinkle chopped nuts over cake, if no nut allergies present.

*this cake also bakes up beautifully in 9 inch round cake pan. It will look a little fancier on the cake plate this way. For today I just did a good old fashioned sheet cake. ( no room for error) or delicious cupcakes!

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Chocolate Bark Surprise

Posted on April 8, 2025 | Leave a comment

Chocolate Bark Surprise

chocolate bark surprise before breaking it all up

Believe me when I say that I know how very difficult this Holiday is going to be for almost all of us. If you’re looking for something your kids can make with you this is one of the better recipes and fun to eat afterwards. I usually make this recipe on the holidays and it’s easy and delicious. If you have your kids or your grandkids and want to have a cooking project together this could be the one.

One of the most wonderful surprises to come out of my blog is the constant sharing of recipes, ideas, thoughts and sometimes even a little criticism. I love it all.  Sharing has got to be the part I enjoy the most. I love sharing my family recipes with all of you. I especially love when you send me a recipe and I love it and I make it part of Cooking with Candi.  As those of you who have gotten to know me and my blog you know this to be true. I try to always give credit where credit is due, sometimes I name the recipe after the person who passed it on to me.  I rarely get to know the origin or provenance of these recipes but they’re way to good to keep “under wraps”. Thanks again to all my friends for their recipes and inspiration not to mention support with this “labor of love”. I write this blog so that you can all share the  recipes that I have had come to know.  Why keep it to myself? I love the feedback you all give me and nothing makes me happier than when I meet someone who started cooking and now enjoys it because of my recipes.

It’s hard to know the provenance of most recipes and I am doing this for fun not profit!

Speaking of sharing I got this wonderful recipe from At Home with Joy , thanks for sharing with us Joy. This recipe was so easy and so delicious, for those of you who love Candy and who doesn’t? Give it a try,  please check out Joy’s blog you’ll be happy you did.

And this would be perfect on your Passover Table. It’s a really nice dessert served anytime but really perfect now.

www.athomewithjoy

Chocolate Bark Surprise

Ingredients:

1 9 oz. bag chocolate chips ( I used semi-sweet) this would have to be amazing with white chocolate chips as well

1/4 cup shelled pistachio nuts ( I used no salt but a little salt would probably be fine)

1/4 cup raw almonds

1/4 cup dried cranberries

1 Tablespoon shredded coconut

Directions:

Line a small sheet pan with parchment paper

Place chips in microwave safe bowl and heat for app. 2 1/2 minutes. Check frequently as microwaves can vary. 2  – 2 1/2 minutes was sufficient. Once the chocolate is smooth and creamy, add the rest of the ingredients into the bowl and stir until combined. Make certain your bowl is large enough to accommodate the chocolate and dry ingredients.

Stir until well combined, and immediately pour mixture onto parchment paper and using a spatula evenly smooth it around, it should be about 1/4″ thick.

Place pan in fridge and allow it to harden for at least an hour or until hardened.

Using your hands, break bark into pieces. The pieces will be uneven.

Store extra bark in freezer in an airtight container.

Enjoy!

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Banana Pudding from Magnolia Bakery – One of my Top Ten Desserts that you don’t even bake

Posted on November 25, 2024 | Leave a comment

Since the first time my daughter Jenn made this dessert we have added it to our Thanksgiving Table. Just what you need after that big dinner is this dessert!!! We love it and can’t get enough of it. Whether you’ll be making it for Thanksgiving or anytime just be prepared to fall in love with it. Completely decadent and totally ridiculous in calories and richness it is love at first bite.

It is actually a subtle taste of bananas, but I wouldn’t make this if I didn’t like bananas. I happen to just adore bananas and I absolutely love love this pudding. I cannot have it in the house because I will continually find an excuse to go into the fridge and eat it till it’s pretty much all gone.  As full as I was last year and swearing I wasn’t going to eat another thing for at least a week, when I saw this  pudding I knew I was going to eat it.  I find it impossible to resist and I know others who suffer from this same fate. If you’re in the market for a purely decadent rich over the top dessert then this is it for you. Probably up there on my top ten desserts ever. This is from the More from Magnolia Cookbook so how could it be bad?

*this recipe really needs time , so you must start the day before to let initial pudding set, and then you’ll need at least 4 more hours minimum before serving. So you must factor time into your prep of this awesome pudding but it’s so worth it.

Happy Thanksgiving from our house to yours.

Ingredients:

1 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk

1 1 /2 cups ice-cold water

1 3.4 ounce package instant vanilla pudding mix ( preferably Jell-O brand)is there another brand?

3 cups heavy cream

1 12 ounce box Nabisco Nilla Wafers ( no substitutions) is there another brand?

4 cups sliced ripe banana

Directions:

In a small bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, beat together the sweetened condensed milk and cold water until well combined, about 1 minute. Add the pudding mix and beat well, about 2 minutes more.* Cover and refrigerate for 3 – 4 hours or overnight, before continuing. It is very important to allow the proper amount of time for the pudding mixture to set.

In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer , whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the pudding mixture into the whipped cream until well blended and no streaks of pudding remains.

To assemble the dessert, select a large, wide bowl ( preferably glass) with a 4 – 5 quart capacity. Arrange one-third of the wafers to cover the bottom of the bowl, over-lapping if necessary, then one-third of the bananas and one-third of the pudding. Repeat the layering twice more, garnishing with additional wafers or wafer crumbs on the top layer of the pudding . ( Just crush up a few remainder cookies in food processor) Cover tightly with plastic wrap and allow to chill in the refrigerator for *4 hours–or up to 8 hours, but no longer! Serve and behold the love!

Serves anywhere from 12- 15

It’s a large dessert and a substantial one. It stands alone beautifully!

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