Christmastime is here, happiness and cheer - and dessert

Dessert anyone? When planning a menu for Christmas, it is nearly impossible for me to narrow down the dessert choices to just a few. I try to offer a variety that might include a pie (or two), a cake, cheesecake, a fruit choice, something chocolate and then fill in with bar cookies or homemade candy. If you narrow down the choices to those categories, that leaves only a million recipes to sort through. Then you have everyone's favorite recipe that they don't want left out, and that complicates the decision even more.

I hope you enjoy looking at these dessert recipes as you plan your Christmas menu and maybe one or two of them will find its way to your buffet table.

Red Velvet Cheesecake

My good friend Shelby "Cupcake" Stafford loves anything red velvet. Anytime I see a recipe for red velvet I think of her, so this recipe is for Shelby. This recipe is from the Taste of Home collection of Christmas desserts.

17 chocolate cream-filled chocolate sandwich cookies, crushed

1/4 cup butter, melted

1 tablespoon sugar

For the filling:

3 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream

1/2 cup buttermilk

3 tablespoons baking cocoa

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

4 eggs, lightly beaten

1 bottle (1 ounce) red food coloring

For the frosting:

1 package (3 ounces) cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup butter, softened

2 cups confectioners' sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

* Place a greased 9-inch springform pan on a double thickness of heavy-duty foil (about 18 inch square). Securely wrap foil around pan. In a small bowl, combine the cookie crumbs, butter and sugar. Press onto the bottom of prepared pan.

* In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Beat in the sour cream, buttermilk, cocoa and vanilla. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until combined. Stir in food coloring. Pour over crust. Place springform pan in a large baking pan; add 1 inch of hot water to larger pan.

* Bake at 325 degrees for 60-70 minutes or until center is just set and top appears dull. Remove springform pan from water bath. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around edge of pan to loosen; cool 1 hour longer. Refrigerate overnight. Remove sides of pan.

* For frosting, in a small bowl, beat cream cheese and butter until fluffy. Add confectioners' sugar and vanilla; beat until smooth. Frost top of cheesecake. Refrigerate until serving. Yield: 16 servings.

Pecan Pie Cake

This amazing cake was first served to me in 1998 by Rodney and Dimple Bridges at their home when we gathered with friends for our annual Christmas dinner. It comes from Southern Living and is one of my favorites. It is a little bit of work, but well worth it. Just allow plenty of time to get it finished before the guests arrive. The fancy pastry leaves and edible pecan decorations are optional, so do with as you wish.

3 cups finely chopped pecans, toasted and divided

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened

1/2 cup shortening

2 cups sugar

5 large eggs, separated

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup buttermilk

3/4 cup dark corn syrup

1 recipe Pecan Pie Filling, below

1 recipe Pastry Garnish (optional), below

* Sprinkle 2 cups pecans evenly into 3 generously buttered 9-inch round cake pans; shake to coat bottoms and sides of pans. Beat 1/2 cup butter and shortening at medium speed with an electric mixer until fluffy; gradually add sugar, beating well.

* Add egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating until blended after each addition. Stir in vanilla. Add flour and baking soda to butter mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour. Beat at low speed until blended after each addition.

* Stir in remaining 1 cup finely chopped pecans. Beat egg whites at medium speed until stiff peaks form; fold one-third of egg whites into batter. Fold in remaining egg whites. (Do not over mix.) Pour batter into prepared pans.

* Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until done. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes. Invert layers onto wax paper-lined wire racks. Brush tops and sides of layers with corn syrup, and cool completely.

* Spread half of Pecan Pie Filling on 1 layer, pecan side up. Place second layer, pecan side up, on filling; spread with remaining filling. Top with remaining layer, pecan side up. Arrange Pastry Garnish on and around cake, if desired

Pecan Pie Filling for cake:

1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

3/4 cup dark corn syrup

1/3 cup cornstarch

4 egg yolks

1 1/2 cups half-and-half

1/8 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons butter or margarine

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

* Whisk together first 6 ingredients in a heavy 3-quart saucepan until smooth. Bring mixture to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly; boil 1 minute or until thickened.

* Remove from heat; whisk in butter and vanilla extract. Place a sheet of wax paper directly on surface of mixture to prevent a film from forming, and chill 4 hours.

* Note: To chill filling quickly, pour filling into a bowl. Place bowl in a larger bowl filled with ice. Whisk constantly until cool (about 15 minutes).

Pastry Garnish:

1 (15-ounce) package refrigerated piecrusts

1 large egg

1 tablespoon water

24 pecan halves

* Unfold piecrusts, and press out fold lines. Cut 8 to 10 leaves from each pie crust with a 3-inch leaf-shaped cutter, and mark leaf veins using tip of a knife. Reserve pastry trimmings. Whisk together egg and 1 tablespoon water, and brush on pastry leaves.

* Crumple 10 to 12 small aluminum foil pieces into 1/2-inch balls. Coat with vegetable cooking spray, and place on a lightly greased baking sheet. Drape a pastry leaf over each ball; place remaining pastry leaves on baking sheet. Bake at 425 degrees for 6 to 8 minutes or until golden. Cool on a wire rack 10 minutes. Gently remove foil from leaves.

* Pinch 12 pea-size pieces from pastry trimmings. Place between pecan halves, forming sandwiches. Cut remaining pastry into 2-inch pieces; wrap around pecan sandwiches, leaving jagged edges to resemble half-shelled pecans. Brush with egg mixture. Place on baking sheet.

* Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes or until golden. Cool on wire rack.

Caramel Apple Pie Cookies

These cookies could be done as a project for the children. They are easy to do, yet very tasty. You can always use our home made pastry in place of purchased dough. The lattice tops and golden apple filling are like personal apple pies.

Ready made pie crusts (in the refrigerated section of your grocery store)

Caramel Topping

Apple Pie Filling

Cinnamon Sugar, optional

For other variations:

* Sprinkle apple layer with 2 tablespoons of toffee bits or caramel bits

* Use pie filling in your choice of flavors -- imagine cherry, blueberry or peach pie cookies.

* Remove pie crusts from packaging and allow to rest at room temp for 5-10 minutes. Flour work surface and open one of the crusts. Spread a thin layer of caramel topping evenly over crust.

* Take the can of pie filling and run a knife through it to mince it to much smaller pieces, then spread about 3/4 of the can over the caramel layer. Dust apple layer with cinnamon-sugar.

* Now open the second crust and use a pizza cutter to cut into thin strips to make the lattice tops.

* Using the pie crust strips, create a lattice top over the apple filling. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

* Spray cookie sheet with nonstick spray.

* Use a round cookie cutter or a drinking glass, to cut out your cookies and place them on prepared cookie sheet.

* If desired, at this time, each cookie can be brushed with an egg wash or cream and sprinkled with coarse sugar. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until light golden brown.

Have a wonderful week, and until next time, happy cooking.

Susan McClanahan is administrator at the Cape Girardeau Senior Center. Send recipes to her at news@semissourian.com or by mail at P.O. Box 699, Cape Girardeau, MO 63701. Recipes published have not been kitchen-tested by Southeast Missourian staff.