Many students at Freedom have at least a bit of a sweet tooth. Some students opt to put in the work to make desserts that are sure to satisfy any craving. Here are some tried and true recipes, verified by students:

Spanish Flan

Contributed by Karina Garcia

Yields 8 servings

Ingredients

• 1 cup white sugar
• 3 eggs
• 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 12-fl oz can evaporated milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

Prep Time: 20 minutes, Cook Time: 60 minutes

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, melt sugar until liquefied and golden in color. Carefully pour hot syrup into a 9-inch round glass baking dish, turning the dish to evenly coat the bottom and sides. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, beat eggs. Beat in condensed milk, evaporated milk, and vanilla until smooth. Pour egg mixture into baking dish. Cover with aluminum foil.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 60 minutes. Let cool completely.
5. To serve, carefully invert on serving plate with edges when completely cool.

“It reminds me of my childhood. My grandma always made this for me and it reminds me of my Spanish roots,” stated Garcia.

Dirt Cake

Contributed by Marigny Duga

Ingredients

• 1 large package of Oreo cookies (make cookies into crumbs in a blender or food processor)
• 1 12 oz cool whip, thawed
• 3 ½ cups milk
• ½ stick butter, softened
• 8 oz cream cheese, soft
• 2 large packages Vanilla Instant Pudding and Pie Filling (6 oz size each)
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• small packages gummy worms
• fake plastic flowers, clean

Directions

1. Mix butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add powdered sugar and cream. Set aside.
2. Mix both pudding mixes with 3 ½ cups milk. Fold in cool whip gently then gradually add the cream cheese mixture and stir gently until smooth.
3. Using a large pretty bowl or new clean flower pot (block bottom hole with aluminum foil if there is one), layer the crumbs and the cool whip/cream cheese mixture, alternating 3 times, starting with the cream mixture on the bottom, then the Oreo crumbs and repeat. The Oreo crumbs should end up on top.
4. Top with plastic flowers and gummie worms and refrigerate.

“It’s a different type of cake than normal, but it tastes really good,” said Duga.

Blueberry Lemon Crumb Bars

Contributed by Lauren Doebele

Yields 24 servings

Ingredients

Crust

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 Tbsp white sugar
• 2 tsp lemon zest
• 1 pinch salt
• ½ cup butter, chilled and diced
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Filling

• 2 cups fresh blueberries
• ¼ cup white sugar
• 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

Crumb Topping

• 5 tsp butter, softened
• ½ cup packed brown sugar
• ¾ cup all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup confectioners’ sugar for dusting

Directions

Prep Time: 20 min, Cook Time: 20 min

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a 9×13 inch baking pan.
2. Start by making the crust. In a medium bowl, stir together the 2 cups flour, 2 Tbsp white sugar, lemon zest and salt. Cut in the ½ cup butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Beat egg and vanilla together; stir into the crumb mixture until a dough forms. Press into the bottom of the prepared pan.
3. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, until golden. Remove from oven and set aside to cool slightly.
4. Sprinkle blueberries over the crust. Combine the ¼ cup sugar and nutmeg; sprinkle over the blueberries. Make the topping: In a medium bowl, cream together the 5 Tbsp butter and brown sugar until smooth. Mix in the flour so that the mixture is crumbly like streusel. Sprinkle over the blueberry layer.
5. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, until browned. Cool and then dust with confectioners’ sugar before cutting into bars.

“It’s a good dish for any occasion, whether it’s bringing to someone’s house for an event taking to a party, or as a breakfast treat for your family,” stated Doebele.

Bunco Jumble

Contributed by Shelby Quay Ernst

Ingredients

• 1 box mini Ritz peanut butter sandwich crackers
• 1 cup dry roasted peanuts
• 1 12-oz bag mini pretzel sticks or twists
• 1 cup sugar
• ½ cup (1 stick) butter
• ½ cup light corn syrup
• 2 Tbsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 bag mini or regular M & M chocolate candies

Directions

1. Mix the sandwich crackers, peanuts and pretzels in a large roasting pan.
2. Heat the sugar, butter and corn syrup in a pan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in vanilla and baking soda.
3. Pour over cracker mixture, stirring to coat well. Bake at 250 degrees for 45 minutes, stirring mixture every 15 minutes. Remove to waxed paper to let cool completely.
4. Add the chocolate candies. Break up the mixture into small pieces as needed. Makes handfuls of fun.

“It’s something we have made as kids for almost every holiday. It brings back a lot of fun memories,” said Ernst.

Cake Batter Brownies

Contributed by Brandee Mull

Ingredients

• 1 box yellow or vanilla cake mix
• ¼ cup vegetable or canola oil
• 1 large egg
• 1/3- ½ cup milk (less is better)
• ½ cup sprinkles
• ½ cup white chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray 11×7 inch baking pan with nonstick spray.
2. Combine the first four ingredients (cake mix, canola oil, egg, and milk) in a large bowl, adding the milk slowly. The cake batter should be as dense and thick as possible. Mix in the sprinkles and white chocolate chips. Pour into prepared baking pan, sprinkle a few more sprinkles on top, and bake for 25-30 minutes until edges are just turning brown.
3. Allow to cool for at least 30 minutes so the center sets before cooling into squares.
4. Make ahead tip: Blondies remain fresh up to 2 weeks stored covered at room temperature or in the refrigerator. Blondies freeze well for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.

“It tastes just like cake batter, except that you won’t get sick eating it,” said Mull.

Some traditional and some unorthodox, there recipes cover a wide range of desserts. So the next time a craving for sweets appears, be sure to try out one of these recipes.