#3224 - Vanilla Peanut Butter Squares

(by Shirley McNevich)

1 - 3oz. box Jell-O vanilla INSTANT pudding
1 3/4 cups cold milk
1/4 cup Jif smooth peanut butter
1 - 8oz. Cool Whip (thawed)
24 Honey Maid graham crackers
6oz. Baker's semi-sweet baking chocolate (broken into very small pieces)
3 TBSP butter

In a bowl add vanilla pudding powder and cold milk--beat with a whisk until thickened. Add peanut butter--stir until well mixed. Add thawed Cool Whip--stir until mixed and smooth. In the bottom of a glass 9 x 13 baking dish make a single layer of 8 graham crackers (breaking them where necessary). Spread 1/2 of the pudding mixture over the graham crackers. Make another layer of 8 graham crackers on top of the pudding mixture, spread the last 1/2 of the pudding mixture over the graham crackers, make a final layer of 8 graham crackers over the pudding mixture. In a microwave safe bowl add the semi-sweet chocolate pieces and the butter--microwave on high until melted, then stir until smooth. Spread the chocolate mixture all over the top of the graham crackers. Cool to room temperature. Refrigerate until cold. Cut into squares with a sharp knife.

#3077 - Lemon Cheese Salad

(by Becky Lynn Mohr - friend)

Crust: 12 whole graham crackers (crushed); 1/2 cup white sugar; 1/2 cup butter
Filling: 1 - 3oz. box lemon Jell-O; 1 1/2 cups boiling water; 6oz. Philadelphia cream cheese (softened); 3/4 cup white sugar; 3/4 cup cottage cheese; 1 envelope Dream Whip (prepared according envelope directions); 1/2 cup chopped Nestle's semi-sweet chocolate chips; 1/2 cup chopped Nestle's butterscotch chips

Crust: in a bowl add crushed graham cracker crumbs, 1/2 cup white sugar and butter--mix with a pastry blender to make crumbs. Spread the crumbs on the bottom of a glass 9 x 13 baking dish. Use the back of a spoon to smooth it out the crust--set aside. In a blender or a chopper, chop the chocolate chips and the butterscotch chips. In a bowl add lemon Jell-O and boiling water--stir with a whisk until mixed. Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until partially set. In a mixer add cream cheese and 3/4 cup white sugar--beat. Add cottage cheese--beat. Remove from mixer--add prepared Dream Whip, the chopped chocolate chips and chopped butterscotch chips--stir to mix. When Jell-O mixture is partially set, add the Jell-O mixture to the cream cheese mixture--stir well. Spread the whole mixture over the graham cracker crust. Refrigerate overnight.

#2393 - Vanilla Cherry Delight

(by Shirley McNevich)

14 graham crackers
1 - 6oz. box Jell-O vanilla INSTANT pudding
2 cups milk
1 cup Cool Whip
1 can cherry pie filling

Line the bottom of a square glass baking dish (breaking graham crackers where necessary). In a bowl add pudding mix and milk--beat with a whisk until thickened. Let the pudding stand for a few minutes until thick. Add the Cool Whip to the pudding--stir. Spread half of the pudding mixture over the graham crackers. Make a new layer of graham crackers on top of the pudding. Spread the rest of the pudding on top. Refrigerate until cold, then spread the cherry pie filling over the top. Refrigerate overnight.

#2366 - Graham Cracker Cookies

(by Shirley McNevich)

1 box graham crackers
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup Parkay margarine
2 cups butter

Grease a jelly roll pan. Break the graham crackers in half, then break each half in half again. Fill the jelly roll pan with the graham cracker pieces so there are no spaces in between them and they are in a single layer. In a saucepan add white sugar, Parkay and butter--turn heat to medium. Bring to a boil, then cook/stir for 2 minutes. Carefully pour the hot sugar mixture over all of the graham crackers. Place jelly roll pan in oven and bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Cool completely. Place them in containers with wax paper in between layers.

#841 - Strawberry Cheesecake Bars

(by Shirley McNevich)

9 complete rectangular graham crackers (whole)
2 TBSP white sugar
2 TBSP butter (melted)
1 TBSP water
1 cup strawberry preserves
1 - 3.3oz. box Jell-O white chocolate instant pudding mix
1/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 - 8oz. Philadelphia cream cheese
2 cups Cool Whip (thawed)
12 fresh strawberries (cut each in half)

Spray an 8" square cake pan with Pam--set aside. Place the graham crackers in a Ziploc bag and crush them with a rolling pin. In a bowl add crushed crackers, melted butter and water--mix well. Press the graham cracker mixture into the bottom of the greased cake pan. Place the strawberry preserves in a microwave safe cup and heat them in the microwave until runny--pour the heated preserves on top of the graham cracker crust--set aside for 20 minutes or until cooled to room temperature. In a mixer add the milk, vanilla and ONLY 1/3 of the dry pudding mix--NOT the whole box--beat for 1 minute. Add cream cheese--beat until smooth. Remove from mixer and add the Cool Whip to the cream cheese/pudding batter--fold them together using a spoon. Spread the cream cheese mixture on top of the strawberry preserves in the cake pan. Arrange strawberry halves on top. Refrigerate overnight before cutting.

#720 - Layered Fruit Squares

(by Shirley McNevich)

20 graham cracker squares (10 doubles snapped in half)
2 envelopes Dream Whip
2 3/4 cups cold milk
2 - 4oz. boxes Jell-O coconut cream INSTANT pudding/pie filling
1 - 11oz. can mandarin orange segments (drained)--substitute any fruit/berries you like such as strawberries, blueberries, etc. if you wish
1/4 cup toasted chopped almonds (optional)

Line the bottom of a 9" square baking pan with the graham crackers (break if necessary). In a mixer prepare Dream Whip according to package directions (using 1 cup of the cold milk). Once beaten add 1 3/4 cups milk and the dry pudding to the Dream Whip--blend, then beat on high for 2 minutes. Open the oranges--drain and keep a few segments for garnish. Remove bowl from mixer and dice the orange segments. Add diced oranges to the pudding batter and fold in using a spoon. Spoon 1/2 of the batter over the graham crackers in the baking pan. Place another layer of graham crackers on top of the batter. Put the second 1/2 of the batter on top of the graham crackers layer. Garnish with the extra orange segments that you had set aside. Refrigerate overnight before serving. Keep refrigerated.

#136 - Butterscotch Bars

(by Linda [Reigle] Bauman - friend)

1 - 12oz. Nestle's butterscotch morsels
6 TBSP butter
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
2 cups chopped nuts (optional)
2 - 8oz. Philly cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
4 eggs
1/4 cup unsifted flour
2 TBSP lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Fill a saucepan with water and heat until hot (not boiling or butterscotch morsels will get lumpy). Place butterscotch morsels and butter in second saucepan and set on top of first saucepan (or use a double boiler if you have one). Heat morsels and butter until they are smooth. Transfer the melted butterscotch morsels and butter into a bowl. By hand, stir in the graham cracker crumbs and nuts (optional) with a fork. Stir until the mixture forms small crumbs. Take out 2 cups of the crumb mixture and set aside for later. Press the remaining mixture into a 15" x 10" by 1" baking pan. Bake the crust at 350 degrees for 12 minutes. In a mixer, combine cream cheese, sugar and beat until creamy. Add eggs and beat well. Blend in the flour and lemon juice. Remove the crust from the oven. Pour the cream cheese mixture into the crust. Smooth out evenly. Sprinkle the 2 cups of graham crackers that you set aside over the entire top of the cream cheese mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Cool completely and cut into squares. Chill before serving. Refrigerate leftovers.