Party Dessert Recipes

A couple of party guests requested the recipe for the cookie-brownies I made, and the sherbet watermelon was a big hit, so I thought I'd share those recipes...

Coffee Cookie Brownies
This is one of those semi-homemade things.

• 1 pkg refrigerated sugar cookie dough
• 2 eggs
• 1 pkg brownie mix (I love Ghiradelli dark chocolate mix!)
• 1/2 cup cooking oil (I used apple sauce instead)
• 1/2 cup strong cooled coffee (I used instant decaf)
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate pieces (my brownie mix included these so I didn't add more)

Preheat oven to 350. Press sugar cookie dough into bottom of 13x9x2 pan and set aside. In a large separate bowl, combine remaining ingredients, then spread over top of cookie dough. Bake about 40 minutes or until edges are set. Let cool, then cut into bars.


Sherbet Watermelon
There's not much skill to this, just a wee bit of patience.
All you need is:

• raspberry sherbet
• lime sherbet
• vanilla ice cream
• mini chocolate chips

I used to have a watermelon-shaped bowl, which was perfect for this, but it was plastic and broke some years ago. I have since made it in a normal round bowl, and it works just as well. First you'll add a layer of lime sherbet as evenly as possible in the bowl. This works best when it's slightly soft. Then freeze 'til hard.

Next, add a thinner layer of slightly softened vanilla ice cream. Freeze hard again.

Finally, mix mini chocolate chips (however many you think looks watermelon seed-ish) into the raspberry sherbet, and fill the remainder of the bowl with this so that it is level with the top of the bowl. Cover with foil and freeze hard.

To serve, simply flip over on a large-enough plate. You may have to wait a few moments til it slides out of the bowl. Slice and serve!