Treasure Chest Recipes

TREASURE CHEST

Steps:

• In a bowl, cream shortening and brown sugar. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Combine flour, baking powder and salt; add to the batter and mix well. Stir in nuts and chocolate chips. Spread into a greased 15x10x1-in. baking pan. Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. With a sharp knife, cut into four 7-1/2x5-in. pieces. Center one piece on a 15-in.-square covered board; frost the top. Repeat layers twice. Top with the last piece., Cut ends from the oatmeal container and discard; cut remaining portion into a 7-1/2-in. piece. Cut in half lengthwise to form lid (discard remaining pieces). Cover lid with foil. Frost to within 1 in of one long side. Carefully insert the unfrosted edge between second and third layers of chest. Frost top and sides of chest., Cut two licorice pieces into 7-1/2-in. lengths and two into 5-in. lengths; place horizontally around top edges of chest. From the remaining licorice, cut six 2-3/4-in. pieces and six 1/2-in. pieces. Press one 2-3/4-in. piece onto each corner and two vertically on the front of the chest., For handles, center a Lifesaver on the front and each side of chest; press two 1/2-in. licorice pieces on either side of Lifesavers. Press three jelly beans on either side of front chest handle between licorice pieces (see photo). Fill the top of the chest with chocolate coins, remaining jelly beans and lollipop rings if desired. Sprinkle brown sugar around chest for sand., To serve, remove and discard lid. Divide candy among plates. Cut treasure chest with a sharp knife and place on plates.

TREASURE CHEST BARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven 350 Grease and flour 15x10x1" jelly roll pan.
• Cream butter, white sugar and brown sugar.
• Add flour, baking powder, salt, milk, vanilla and eggs.
• Blend at medium speed until smooth.
• Stir in cherries, chocolate chips and nuts.
• Spread in pan.
• Bake 25-30 minutes until lightly browned.
• Icing: combine powdered sugar, butter, milk and vanilla.
• Spread on warm bars.
• Drizzle 1/2 square melted unsweetened chocolate over bars.
• Cool and cut.

TREASURE CHEST CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pan). Spray bottom only of 13x9-inch pan with baking spray with flour. Make and bake cake mix as directed on box for 13x9-inch pan--except use 1 cup water, the oil and eggs. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pan to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 1 hour.
• From center of cake, cut one 3-inch crosswise strip (see diagram). Cut the strip diagonally in half to make two 9-inch triangular wedges. (Discard 1 cake wedge or reserve for another use.)
• On tray, place a 9x5-inch cake piece. Stir food colors into frosting to make golden yellow. Spread 1 tablespoon of frosting on 1 edge of triangular wedge of cake. Attach wedge, frosting side down, to 9x5-inch cake piece on tray, placing wedge along top edge of larger cake piece. Freeze all cake pieces 1 hour.
• Spread 1 tablespoon of frosting on top edge of triangular wedge of cake. Attach remaining 9x5-inch cake piece to cake wedge to look like partially opened treasure chest. To seal crumbs, frost cake with a thin layer of frosting. Refrigerate or freeze 30 to 60 minutes to set frosting. Spread remaining frosting evenly over entire cake. Pull fork through frosting to look like wood grain.
• Use pull-and-peel licorice to make handles and straps. Fill chest with chocolate coins, candy necklaces, and other hard candies. Add gummy ring half for clasp. Store loosely covered.

TREASURE CHEST BIRTHDAY CAKE

Steps:

• In two batches, prepare and bake cakes according to package directions, using two greased and floured 13-in. x 9-in. baking pans. Cool for 10 minutes; remove from pans to cool on wire racks., In a large bowl, beat butter until fluffy; beat in the chocolate, vanilla, confectioners' sugar and enough milk to achieve spreading consistency. Center one cake on a 16-in. x 12-in. covered board; frost top. Top with remaining cake; frost top and sides of cake. With a metal spatula, smooth frosting to resemble boards., For chest lid, insert 4-in. skewers equally spaced into one long side of corrugated cardboard lid. Frost top of lid. Cut a small hole in the corner of a pastry or plastic bag; insert star tip #21. Pipe a shell border on edges of lid and for handles on side of chest., Place one 7-1/2-in. skewer on each side of cake top, about 3-1/2 in. from back of chest. Position lid over cake; gently insert short skewers into cake about 1 in. from back of chest. Rest lid on long skewers., Arrange candy in chest. Cut a small keyhole from a Fruit Roll-Up; center on front of cake. Position strips of Fruit Roll-Ups on front and back of chest.

MERINGUE TREASURE CHEST

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Trace a 9-inch circle on parchment paper and turn over; set aside.
• Beat egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until foamy. Add salt, vanilla powder, and lemon juice; beat to combine. With the mixer running, gradually add sugar; beat until stiff peaks form and sugar has dissolved. Using a rubber spatula, transfer egg whites to circle traced on parchment, mounding in the center.
• Transfer to oven and bake for 1 1/4 hours. Turn off oven heat and let meringue cool completely in oven.
• Place chocolate and 2 tablespoons water in a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave until melted. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment beat together heavy cream and confectioners' sugar until soft peaks form. Whisk in vanilla. Gently fold chocolate mixture into whipped cream.
• Remove meringue from oven and, using a serrated knife, cut in half horizontally and remove top portion; set aside. Mound whipped cream in the bottom half and top with remaining half. Serve immediately.

TREASURE CHEST CHICKEN BREASTS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
• Mix all marinade ingredients in a large zip lock or large container with lid.
• Make 3 or 4 deep slashes in each chicken breast.
• Add all the remaining ingredients (the veggies, fruit and chicken) to the container with marinade and toss to coat evenly. Put contents into large baking pan reserving as much of the marinade as possible and arrange the chicken so that is on top. Rub the remaining marinade all over the chicken and into the slashes.
• Place in oven on an upper rack. After 40 minutes for bone-in chicken and 30 minutes for boneless chicken check to see if the chicken is no longer pink. If your vegetables are cut into larger chunks make sure they do not need additional cooking time at this point. If so, remove chicken and keep warm and return veggies to the oven.
• For a crisp skin turn broiler on for 5 minutes before removing from oven.