The Nelson Family Cookbook

[Table of Contents | Dedication | Breads | Soups | Vegetables | Salads ]
[Main Dishes | Cake & Frostings | Cookies, Bars, & Lefse | Pies & Desserts ]
[ Beverages, Snacks, Jam, & Pickles | Get a printable copy | Index ]

PIES & DESSERTS

Rhubarb Dessert

Eunice Nelson

3 cups graham cracker crumbs
3/4 cup melted butter
4 cups chopped rhubarb
1 1/4 - 1 1/2 cups sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch

1 tablespoon butter
red food coloring
1 (8 oz.) tub Cool Whip
1 cup miniature marshmallows
1 package instant vanilla pudding, prepared

Combine graham cracker crumbs and3/4 cup butter. Pat mixture into 9 x 13 pan, reserving 1/3 cup. Bake 5 minutes at 350°. Boil rhubarb, sugar, and cornstarch until thick. Add 1 tablespoon butter and food coloring. Pour over crust; chill. Combine Cool Whip and marshmallows and spread on top of chilled layer. Mix up pudding. Let set a little before spreading on Cool Whip. Sprinkle with reserved graham cracker crumbs.

Rhubarb Crunch

Harriet Stanley

8 cups diced rhubarb boiling water 1 cup brown sugar 1 cup flour	1 cup oatmeal 1 cup butter 3 cups sugar (I always use less.) 1/2 cup flour
Cover rhubarb with boiling water; let stand 10 minutes. While soaking, mix together brown sugar, 1 cup flour, oatmeal, and butter until crumbly. Drain rhubarb; mix in sugar and 1/2 cup flour. Pour into sprayed pan; sprinkle with brown sugar mixture. Bake at 350° until brown, about 1 hour.

Strawberry-Rhubarb Puff

Joyce Mueller

3 cups rhubarb, cubed
1 pint strawberries, cut up
1 1/2 - 2 cups sugar
1/2 cup water
2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons sugar
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup milk
Butter or margarine
Sugar
Cinnamon

Heat oven to 450°. Mix rhubarb, strawberries, sugar, and water in 9" square pan or large casserole. Cook 5 minutes. Mix flour, baking powder, salt, and 2 tablespoons sugar. Stir in oil and milk only until dry ingredients are moistened. Drop by spoonfuls onto hot fruit, making 9 biscuits. Make a hole in top of each biscuit and put a little butter, sugar, and cinnamon in each. Bake 20-25 minutes. Serve warm. Works well to bake while eating dinner, then have warm for dessert.

Winter Strawberry-Rhubarb Puff: Follow recipe above, except use 1 (1 pound) package frozen rhubarb, thawed, and 1 (10 oz.) package frozen strawberries, thawed. Use only 1/2 cup sugar with fruit. Omit 1/2 cup water.

Strawberry Dessert

Kim Toney

2 cups crushed pretzels 1/2 cup sugar 3/4 cup melted butter 8 oz. cream cheese 1 large Cool Whip	1 cup sugar 2 packages strawberry jello 2 cups boiling water 2 packages partially thawed strawberries
Mix crushed pretzels, 1/2 cup sugar, and butter. Press in a 9 x 13 pan; bake 10 minutes at 350°. Mix cream cheese, Cool Whip, and 1 cup sugar. Spread on crust. Combine jello, water, and strawberries. When jelled, spread over top.

Blueberry Dessert

Mueller Family

12 graham crackers, crushed fine (1 cup crumbs)
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
8 oz. cream cheese

1 teaspoon vanilla
2 beaten eggs
1 can blueberry pie filling
1 cup cream, whipped

Mix graham cracker crumbs, butter, and 1/2 cup sugar well. Press in 9 x 13 pan. Cream cream cheese, 1/2 cup sugar, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Add eggs; mix well. Spread over crust. Bake 15 minutes at 375°. Cool. Spread with blueberry pie filling. Top with whipped cream. Cool several hours. Sprinkle with graham cracker crumbs just before serving. This recipe may be made with cherry pie filling, but we always make it blueberry. This has become our traditional Christmas dessert--usually the only day of the year we ever make it, but everyone loves it. "It wouldn't be Christmas without Blueberry Dessert."

Raspberry Dessert

Eunice Nelson

2 (10 oz.) packages frozen red raspberries in syrup
1 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons lemon juice
4 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cup cold water

50 large marshmallows
1 cup milk
2 cups heavy cream, whipped
1 1/2 cups graham crackers
1/4 cup chopped nuts
1/4 cup butter, melted

Heat raspberries with 1 cup water, sugar, and lemon juice. Dissolve cornstarch in cold water; stir into raspberries and cook until thick and clear. Cool this thoroughly. Melt marshmallows in milk over boiling water. Cool this thoroughly. Whip cream and fold in cool marshmallow mixture. Mix cracker crumbs, nuts, and butter. Press firmly into bottom of a 9 x 13 pan. Spread marshmallow mixture over crumbs. Allow this to harden by cooling it. Spread raspberry mixture over top. Refrigerate until firm. Serves 15.

Peach Cobbler

Kathryn Stanley

2 large (1 1/2 pound) cans peaches, drain one 1 yellow cake mix	2 sticks butter Cinnamon
Pour peaches including juice from one can in 9 x 13 pan. Sprinkle dry cake mix over peaches and slice butter over the top; sprinkle with cinnamon. Bake at 350° for one hour or until top is golden brown. Serve warm with ice cream. I brought this with me from the sale barn in Texas where we used to live. Everyone that has eaten it thinks it is great.

Apple Crisp Pizza

Eunice Nelson

Pastry: 2 cups flour 1 cup shortening 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup milk (I use less.)	Apple Layer: 2/3 cup sugar 2 tablespoons flour 1 teaspoon cinnamon 4 medium apples	Topping: 1/2 cup flour 1/3 cup brown sugar 1/3 cup rolled oats 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1/4 cup butter, softened	Drizzle Glaze: Caramel topping or dip
Combine pastry ingredients with a fork and roll pastry to fit a 12" pizza pan. Combine sugar, flour, and cinnamon for apple layer. Peel and cut apples into 1/2" slices. Combine apples with sugar-cinnamon mixture. Arrange apples in a single layer in a circular pattern to completely cover pastry. Mix topping ingredients; sprinkle over apples. Bake at 350° for 30-40 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately drizzle with caramel topping or dip. Serve warm with ice cream, if desired.

Apple Pudding

Carl Pearson

Sliced apples 1 tablespoon butter or margarine 1 egg 1/2 cup sugar	1/2 cup milk 1 cup flour 1 teaspoon baking powder
Fill buttered baking dish with sliced apples. Mix other ingredients together and put on top of apples. Bake in a moderate oven until brown.

Squash (or Pumpkin) Pudding

Carl Pearson

1 1/2 cups canned or cooked squash 1 cup brown sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 teaspoon ginger	1/8 teaspoon allspice 2 tablespoons molasses 3 eggs, beaten 1 cup milk
Combine first seven ingredients. Mix well. Add milk and eggs. Pour into greased and floured casserole. Bake about 1 hour at 425°. Can be used for pie filling. 40-45 minutes.

Fruit Pizza

Mueller Family & Deb Stanley

Crust: 1/2 cup powdered sugar 1 1/2 cups flour 3/4 cup soft margarine (Mueller) -or- 3/4 cup cold butter (Deb) Second Layer: strawberries, kiwi, peaches, grapes, bananas, blueberries, mandarin oranges, etc.	First Layer: 1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened 1 teaspoon vanilla squirt lemon juice (Deb) 1/2 cup powdered sugar (Deb) -or- 1/2 cup granulated sugar (Mueller)	Glaze: 2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch 1 cup pineapple juice 3/4 cup sugar 1 teaspoon lemon juice (Mueller) -or- 1 tablespoon lemon juice (Deb)
Mix together crust ingredients; pat into pizza pan. Bake at 300° for 10-15 minutes, no longer (Mueller) -or- at 350° for 10-12 minutes (Deb). Cool. Beat together cream cheese and other first layer ingredients until creamy. When crust has cooled, spread mixture over top of crust. Arrange any variety of cut up fruits atop cream cheese layer in an interesting pattern. Combine glaze ingredients in saucepan, mixing cornstarch with a small amount of the pineapple juice before adding to pan. Heat to a boil; cook until thickened. Deb: Pour glaze over fruit while glaze is warm. If using bananas, soak in pineapple juice to keep from turning dark. Best if eaten within 5-6 hours. Mueller: We like to prepare the glaze before assembling the rest of the pizza. Allow it to cool in refrigerator, then spread over pizza when cold. Works best to refrigerate pizza and allow layers to "gel" together before slicing.

Heavenly Mint Mousse

Tricia Diehl

6 oz. Andes creme de menthe mints
1/4 cup hot water

4 egg yolks at room temperature
1/2 pint whipping cream

Place mints in small pan or top of double boiler. Set over hot (not boiling) water. Cover and allow to melt 10 minutes. Stir with whisk until smooth. Remove from heat. Whisk in hot water. Cover and set aside. Beat egg yolks well. Stir small amount of mint mixture into yolks, then stir yolks into mint mixture. In a cold bowl with cold beaters, beat cream until very stiff. Fold mint mixture into whipped cream. Spoon into dessert dishes and refrigerate. Top with cream and one Andes mint.

Mocha Cheesecake

Kathryn Stanley

24 oz. cream cheese 1 cup sugar 2 eggs 1 (8 oz.) package semisweet chocolate, melted	1/2 cup double strength cold coffee 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 cup sour cream Graham cracker crust (10" spring form pan)
Combine cream cheese, sugar, and eggs; blend until smooth. Add melted chocolate to 2 tablespoons of the sour cream; add to cream cheese mixture; blend in the coffee and vanilla until all is mixed. Fold in remaining sour cream. Pour into 10-inch graham cracker crust in a spring form pan. Bake 45 minutes in 350° oven. Cake will be soft.

Pie Crust

Olive Jacobson--recipe from Marliss Peterson

2 1/2 cups flour 1 cup Crisco	4 tablespoons cold water 1 egg
Cut Crisco into flour with pastry cutter. Mix egg and water together and add to flour mixture. Use a fork to mix. Do not overmix or crust will be tough. Makes 2 pie crusts.

Glazed Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie

Eunice Nelson

Pastry for 2-crust pie 1 1/4 cups sugar 1/8 teaspoon salt 1/3 cup flour	2 cups fresh strawberries 2 cups (1" pieces) fresh rhubarb 2 tablespoons butter
Combine sugar, salt, and flour. Arrange half of berries and rhubarb in pastry lined 9" pan. Sprinkle with half of sugar mixture. Repeat with remaining fruit and sugar mixture. Dot with butter. Put on top crust. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes or until rhubarb is done.

Pecan Pumpkin Pie

Gary Nelson

1 (29 oz.) can pumpkin pie mix 1 (5 oz.) can evaporated milk 3 eggs, lightly beaten 1 cup dark brown sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt	2 teaspoons cinnamon 1 Pillsbury yellow cake mix with pudding 1/2 pound butter, melted and cooled slightly 1 1/2 cups chopped pecans
Preheat oven to 350°. Line two 9" pie tins with waxed paper. Mix together the pumpkin, milk, sugar, eggs, salt, and cinnamon. Pour into pans. Sprinkle cake mix over the top. Distribute chopped pecans over cake mix and drizzle melted butter over all. Bake 1 hour. Chill. Invert pie and cut into wedges. Caramel Sauce:
2 sticks butter 2 cups dark brown sugar	1 cup heavy cream
Melt butter in heavy saucepan. Stir in the brown sugar and cream. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until all is melted and blended. Whisking the sauce helps to bring it together. Serve warm. Refrigerate what is not used, reheat on low heat.

Sweet Potato Pie

Kenney Robinson

3 large eggs 3/4 to 1 1/4 cup sugar, depending on sweetness of potatoes dash salt 1 teaspoon cinnamon	1/2 teaspoon allspice 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg 1 cup heavy cream 3 cups cooked, mashed sweet potatoes 1 unbaked 10-inch pie shell
Beat eggs well. Add sugar, salt, and spices. Mix thoroughly. Add cream and stir. Add mashed potatoes and mix thoroughly. Turn into pie shell and bake in 350° pre-heated oven for one hour or until firm.

Coffee Toffee Pie

(Blum's Restaurant Sacramento and S.F.)
Gary Nelson--recipe from his daughter, Tricia Diehl

Pastry Shell: 1/2 package pie crust mix 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed 3/4 cup finely chopped walnuts (use blender) 1 square unsweetened chocolate, grated 1 teaspoon vanilla extract	Filling: 1/2 cup soft butter or margarine 3/4 cup granulated sugar 1 square unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled 1 teaspoon instant coffee 2 eggs	Topping: 2 cups heavy cream 2 teaspoons instant coffee (1 - 1 1/2 if you want it weaker) 1/2 cup confectioners sugar Chocolate curls made with sweet cooking chocolate
Preheat oven to 370°. Make pastry shell: In medium bowl, combine pie crust mix with brown sugar, walnuts, and grated chocolate. Add 1 tablespoon water and the vanilla; using fork, mix until well blended. (You can add just a tiny bit more water; it's supposed to be a dry crust, but not too dry.) Turn into well-greased 9-inch pie plate; press firmly against bottom and side of pie plate. (Be sure the pan is greased really well as this tends to stick. Using lots of PAM is good.) Bake for 15 minutes. Cool pastry shell in pie plate on wire rack. Meanwhile, make filling: In small bowl with electric mixer at medium speed, beat butter until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating until light. Blend in cool melted chocolate and instant coffee. (Note: Be sure the chocolate is cool. If it isn't, it changes the texture of the filling. The filling is best if it's beaten really well.) To the filling, add 1 egg; beat 5 minutes. Add remaining egg; beat 5 minutes. Turn filling into cooled baked pie shell. (Be sure pie shell is cool or filling will melt, changing its texture.) Refrigerate pie, covered, overnight. Make topping the next day: In large bowl, combine cream with 2 teaspoons coffee and sugar. Refrigerate mixture, covered, one hour. Beat cream mixture until stiff. Decorate pie with topping using pastry bag with #6, or larger decorating tip, if desired. Garnish with chocolate curls. Refrigerate at least two hours. Note: If you use freeze-dried coffee, crush it between two spoons to make it into a powder before using in recipe, as it will not dissolve otherwise. You can use Dream Whip or Cool Whip for the topping, but real cream is better. This pie freezes beautifully either before or after adding the topping. If you freeze after adding topping, don't cover with plastic wrap until it is completely frozen. To make chocolate curls: Buy sweet cooking chocolate. Freeze it. While still frozen, use a carrot peeler (as though you're peeling a carrot) to make chocolate curls. If the chocolate is very hard and frozen, they will not be curls, but specs of chocolate. As the chocolate begins to warm just a bit, if you peel along the edges, you'll get great curls.

Peppermint Pie

Joan Nelson

24 Oreo cookies 1/4 cup melted butter 10 1/2 oz. mini marshmallows 1 cup milk	12 oz. Cool Whip 1/2 cup crushed peppermint candies (about 20) Red food coloring
For crust, crush cookies and mix with melted butter. Press into 2 pie plates and chill. Melt marshmallows in milk over low heat. Cool in refrigerator until cool enough not to melt Cool Whip. Mix in Cool Whip, peppermints, and food color (until pink) Pour into crusts and chill. Garnish with peppermints or greenery.

Holiday Mint Pie

Kim Toney

Graham cracker crust 1 cup crushed Keebler Grasshopper Fudge Mint Cookies (1 box enough for 2 pies) 3 tablespoons hot water 1 (3 oz.) package cream cheese 1/3 cup sugar 2 tablespoons milk	1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract 1 (8 oz.) tub Cool Whip 6-8 drops green food coloring Red hots Spearmint leaves
Mix cookies and water. Spread over crust. Beat cream cheese, sugar, milk, and peppermint. Fold in Cool Whip. Divide in half. Add food coloring to one half. Fill crust with alternate dollops of green and white mixture. Smooth top. Chill 3 hours. Top with candies (to look like holly).

The Nelson Family Cookbook

[Table of Contents | Dedication | Breads | Soups | Vegetables | Salads ]
[Main Dishes | Cake & Frostings | Cookies, Bars, & Lefse | Pies & Desserts ]
[ Beverages, Snacks, Jam, & Pickles | Get a printable copy | Index ]