Fruit is good for us, so these desserts, made with various fruits, must be good also, right?
Layered banana split
2 C graham cracker crumbs
1/2 C butter, melted
8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/4 C granulated sugar
2 TBS + 3-1/2 C cold milk, divided
16 oz. Cool Whip topping, divided
1 (23-oz.) container frozen sliced strawberries, thawed and drained well
1 (20-oz.) can crushed pineapple, drained well
2 (3.4 oz.) boxes banana cream pudding instant pudding
chocolate syrup
maraschino cherries (optional, but encouraged)
nuts (optional)
Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish; set aside. In a medium bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs and melted butter. Stir mixture until it’s evenly moist. Then dump crumbs into your baking dish and press them into an even layer. Then place baking dish into refrigerator until you’ve prepared your next layer.
In another medium bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar, 2 TBS milk, and vanilla with a hand mixer on a medium speed. Mix together until fluffy and light. Then, using a rubber spatula, completely mix in 8 ounces of Cool Whip. Once mixture is completely combined, remove baking dish from refrigerator and evenly spread cream cheese mixture on top of graham cracker crust.
Pour drained strawberries and pineapple on top of cream cheese mixture and spread it evenly. Mix two boxes of banana cream instant pudding with 3-1/2 cups of cold milk. Whisk for a few minutes until pudding starts to thicken. Then, use a rubber spatula to spread pudding over fruit layer. Let dessert sit for about 5 minutes so that pudding can firm up a bit more. Spread remaining 8 ounces of Cool Whip over top of dessert. Drizzle chocolate syrup on top of Cool Whip layer. Allow dessert to chill in refrigerator for at least 4 hours before serving or overnight.
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Strawberry cheesecake treat
1 pkg. Golden Oreos (crushed)
6 TBS butter, melted
8 oz. softened cream cheese
1 C powdered sugar
1 (16-oz.) container Cool Whip, divided
2 pkgs. (3.4 oz. each) instant cheesecake pudding mix
3 C milk
3-1/2 C sliced strawberries
Mix crushed cookies and melted butter together. Press crushed cookies mixture into a 9×13 pan and refrigerate while you prepare remaining layers. Beat 1 cup of powdered sugar and cream cheese until smooth. Fold in 1 cup of Cool Whip. Spread over cookie layer. Then mix together pudding mix, milk, and another cup of Cool Whip. Spread over cream cheese layer. Layer fresh sliced strawberries on top and spread remaining Cool Whip on top. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
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Fruit kabobs
1/2 C apricot preserves
1 TBS water
1 TBS butter
1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
3 medium nectarines, pitted and quartered
3 medium plums, pitted and quartered
3 medium peaches, pitted and quartered
1 loaf frozen pound cake, thawed and cut into 1-1/ 2-inch cubes
In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine apricot preserves, water, butter, cinnamon and nutmeg until blended. On eight metal or soaked wooden skewers, alternately thread nectarines, plums, peaches and cake cubes. Grill, uncovered, over medium heat for 1-2 minutes on each side or until cake is golden brown and fruit is tender, brushing occasionally with apricot mixture. Yield: 8 servings.
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Thought – The biggest communication problem is, we do not listen to understand, we listen to reply.
If you would like to share a recipe with me, just send it to the J-T or email it to me.
(Melanie Behrens – melb@marysvilljt.com)