Holiday Desserts

Eggnog Cheesecake

Magnolia Bakery's Banana Pudding: (recipe provided below)

Coconut Layer Cake

Dark Chocolate Buche De Noel:

Crunchy:

Key Lime Meltaways: (recipe below)

Mini Pecan Pies:

Old-Fashioned Gingerbread Cookies: (have fun with the decorations)

Recipes:

Magnolia's Famous Banana Pudding

 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)

3 cups heavy cream

1 (12-ounce) box Nabisco Nilla Wafers (no substitutions!)

4 cups sliced ripe bananas [Use the kitchen measurement convertor -- LR]

In a small bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, beat together the sweetened condensed milk and 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 remain. 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, overlapping 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. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and allow to chill in the refrigerator for 4 hours - or up to 8 hours, but no longer! - before serving.

Key Lime Meltaways:

Yield: 5 dozen

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup confectioners’ sugar

Grated zest of 4 tiny or 2 large key limes

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

1 3/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour (a.k.a. 2 cups minus 2 tablespoons)

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon salt 1.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, cream butter and 1/3 cup sugar until fluffy. Add lime zest, juice, and vanilla; beat until fluffy. 2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, and salt. Add to butter mixture, and beat on low speed until combined. 3. Between two 8-by-12-inch pieces of parchment paper, roll dough into two 1 1/4-inch-diameter logs. Chill at least 1 hour. 4. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment. Place remaining 2/3 cup sugar in a resealable plastic bag. Remove parchment from logs; slice dough into 1/4-inch-thick rounds. Place rounds on baking sheets, spaced 1 inch apart. 5. Bake cookies until barely golden, about 15 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool slightly, just three or four minutes. While still warm, place cookies in the sugar-filled bag; toss to coat. Bake or freeze remaining dough. Store baked cookies in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

PC: My recipes, Magnolia Bakery on Flickr,Martha Stewart,  Go@Home, Bakerella, 101 Cookbooks