11/17/08 In honor of FHE night we ALWAYS have a special treat and so I thought I would share some of our favorites. Banana Split Cups Ingredients: 1 package 18oz refrigerated ch.chip cookie dough 2/3 cup M&M's the mini baking bits 1 banana cut into 18 slices and halved chocolate syrup your favorite ice cream whipped topping maraschino cherries greases mini muffin cups. Sugar Cookie TacosIngredients: 1 Package 18oz refrigerated sugar cookie dough 2 tablespoons cinnamon 1 cup whipping cream 1/4 cup sugar 2 cups of your favorite fruit cut-up 1. 2. cut cookie dough into 16 half inch thick slices. 3. 4. 5. from my Easy to Bake, Easy to Make recipe box
Pink Lemonade Cupcake Recipe Pink Lemonade Cupcakes makes 22-24 regular size cupcakes For the cake batter: 2 1/2 cups flour, 2 cups sugar, 2 teaspoons baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 2/3 cup oil (canola or vegetable), 1 3/4 cup water, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, 2 teaspoons vinegar, juice and zest from 1 lemon. In a bowl mix together all the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking soda, salt) and zest. In a separate bowl combine the wet ingredients (water, oil, vanilla extract, vinegar and lemon juice). Slowly stir the wet ingredients into the dry until just combined and no lumps are left in the batter. Pour batter (this will be very wet batter) into lined baking cups, 2/3 full. For the frosting: 2-3 sticks of softened butter, 1 1/2 to 2 cups powdered sugar, juice from 1/2 lemon (OR 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract) and a few drops of red food coloring. With an electric mixer, beat the softened butter until creamy. Thanks so much for sharing your amazing recipe, Emma!
Snickerdoodle Muffins Last Friday I finished my exams and was planning on coming home and having a baking extravaganza, but then I tripped on my cat and fell down the stairs. We're both fine, though I think he's a lot more fine than me because as soon as I felt his soft body under my foot I took all my weight off of him and slid down the stairs. Which has left me with a swollen foot. I recently discovered the insane deliciousness of snickerdoodle cookies. As for how they turned out, the muffins were incredibly moist and a great sour cream muffin texture. Snickerdoodle Muffinsslightly modified from Culinary Concoctions by Peabody 2 sticks unsalted butter1 cup sugar2 tsp vanilla2 eggs3/4 tsp baking soda3/4 tsp baking powder3/4 tsp cream of tartar3/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg1 1/4 cup sour cream2 1/4 cups all purpose flour 1/2 cup sugar and 1 TBSP cinnamon mixed together for rolling* 1.Cream the butter and sugar until soft about 3 to 5 minutes. 4.
Three-Ingredient Chocolate Bars Three ingredients. Five minutes. These chocolate bars pretty much make themselves. It’s especially fun to customize the flavor, and they taste like eating the coating right off of a chocolate Dove bar. Hot Chocolate Bars (gluten-free) Or you can make chocolate chips! 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon cacao or cocoa powder4 tablespoons unrefined coconut oil (melted)NuNaturals vanilla stevia drops to taste (If you’d prefer to use a liquid sweetener, such as agave or pure maple syrup, use this ratio instead: 1/4 cup cocoa powder, 1/4 cup coconut oil, 3 tbsp of your liquid sweetener.)optional: extracts, cocoa nibs, or other add-insoptional: 1 extra tbsp oil or water, if it needs to be thinner Combine coconut oil with the liquid sweetener or stevia drops. Click for: Chocolate Bar Nutrition Facts Updated Recipes: I’m trying to make the recipe pages easier to navigate… A few readers have said it’s confusing—with links going everywhere—and I’m truly sorry for that!
Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes Recipe As I mentioned on Friday, I have been doing some experimentation with the beer and chocolate combination. The Guinness-chocolate ice cream that I made totally kicked butt, so I couldn’t wait to see how I liked beer and chocolate in my cake. The answer? I like it, a whole heck of a lot. These cupcakes consist of a Guinness-chocolate cake base, which has a wonderful depth of flavor and is also supremely moist. While you can’t really taste the beer in the cupcakes (it serves as more of a flavor enhancer for the chocolate), you can definitely taste the alcohol in the filling and the frosting. I think I need to start converting more drinks into baked goods, this was too much fun (and way delicious!). Two year ago: Sour Cream Coffee CakeThree years ago: Pot Roast in the Crock Pot Yield: 24 cupcakesPrep Time: 40 minutesCook Time: 17 minutesTotal Time: 1 hour Guinness cupcakes with a Jameson whiskey ganache center and topped with a Baileys Irish Cream frosting.
Cream Filled Chocolate Cupcakes Also known as Hostess Cupcakes! Hostess cupcakes iced with Hot Chocolate Butter. Oh. Yo Ho Ho Hostess Cupcakes Along with yesterday’s Cookie Dough Dip, I brought these cupcakes to Sunday’s pirate party. Unlike Hostess’ cupcakes, mine are: whole-grainlow in fat and caloriesfree of high fructose corn syrup and trans fats But seriously, people will eat them up!! Little Devil Cupcakes Inspired by this recipe. 1 cup flour (I used white-whole-wheat. Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Frost cupcakes with warmed Hot Chocolate Butter. Then put the cakes in the fridge for the frosting to harden. Sugar Note: I put in 3/4 cup sugar, because these cupcakes were being served to people who are used to standard cupcakes. An alternative to the creme: Try stuffing them with Healthy Cookie Dough Dip. Or, you could imitate some of the people at the party and dunk these cupcakes into the cookie dough dip.
Reese’s Stuffed Crescent Rolls You might be getting bored with my vacation stories. I’m sorry. But a change of scenery tends to get the creative juices flowing. So, yes, I apologize about all this vacation talk, but this story must be told… As you all know I am allergic to exercise. It’s a pretty severe allergy. I carry an EpiPen for it and everything. But when I am on vacation I like to try and shake things up a bit. So when the resort pool offered up “Water Aerobics” my friends and I decided, “Why the heck not?” I mean it’s exercise without sweating or gravity…2 things that I have decided make exercise much too difficult. Sign. Here’s how it went down: Got to the pool where the class was being held. I instantly felt young and fit. My friends and I brought the average age of the class down by 40 years or so. There is definitely something to doing water jumping jacks while sandwiched in between an elderly woman and a man with large man-breasts to elevate your self-esteem. Next our instructor made her appearance. Bless her heart.
Hot cocoa cookies I am a teeny bit obsessed with the cookies from the most recent issue of EveryDay with Rachael Ray magazine. This recipe is the second of many cookie recipes on my list to make this holiday season. Sweets are taking over my life! Just ask my coworkers. I don't think I need to tell you that these were tasty. Ooey gooey chocolatey marshmallowy deliciousness. In a medium saucepan, melt together: 1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter 12 oz. chopped semisweet chocolate (bars) Stir frequently over medium heat until smooth. In a medium bowl, whisk together: 1 1/2 cups flour 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt Using an electric mixer, beat together: 1 1/4 cups light brown sugar 3 eggs, at room temperature 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract Beat on low speed until smooth, 2 minutes. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Meanwhile, cut 7.5 ounces of semisweet chocolate (bars) into 1-inch squares. Grate 5 ounces of semisweet chocolate over the hot cookies. Enjoy!
Chocolate Pudding Cupcakes with Strawberry Centers (Sweetheart Cupcakes) I made these for my boys (and my daughter, too - can't leave anyone out!) and they were ALL GONE within 20 minutes of me putting them on the table. Super easy to make, super delicious, and super cute when you cut one in half! Ingredients: 1 package cake mix, chocolate 1 package strawberries, cleaned and hulled 1 package pudding, chocolate Fresh mint sprigs,optional but awesome Directions: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. We call them 'Sweetheart Cupcakes' because I made them for my sweethearts, and because the strawberry looks like a little symbol of love...before they started to shove them into their mouths, that is. ;)
Caramel All the Way Now, don’t be hatin’, I didn’t mean to do it! I know you’re either gonna love or curse me for these. Sometimes a girl just needs her sugar hit, that’s my excuse for these outrageously good cupcakes and I’m sticking to it. Cupcakes are by far my favorite—they’re not too big, not too small, just enough to satisfy those pesky cravings I have now and then. I topped them with a simple Dulce de Leche cream cheese frosting because, like the title says, they had to be caramel all the way. Lemon Caramel: 4 tbsp sugar zest from 1 big lemon Cupcakes: 5 oz butter 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp sugar 1 tbsp vanilla sugar (or 1 tsp vanilla extract) 3 medium eggs (or 2 large ones) 1 1/2 cups self-rising flour 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp baking powder Frosting: 7 oz cream cheese 6 tbsp dulce de leche 2 cups confectioners sugar 2 oz butter pinch of salt Directions: First things first. Get yourself a piece of parchment/baking paper. Add 4 tbsp granulated sugar to a pan with a thick bottom. There’s your batter. They were perfect.
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars Cookie Dough + Cheesecake = all my dreams coming TRUE! These were seriously good, friends. I know I say that quite a bit here, but really...really, these were tasty. The cookie dough part was my personal favorite. You know I like to break it down for you, so here's how it goes! Really friends, get on these right away (and bring me some)! by Brandy's Baking Prep Time: 20 minutes Cook Time: 30-40 minutes Crust:1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs5 tablespoons unsalted butter, meltedChocolate Chip Cookie Dough:5 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature1/3 cup packed light brown sugar3 tablespoons granulated sugar1/4 teaspoon salt1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract3/4 cup flour2/3 cup chocolate chipsCheesecake Filling:10 oz cream cheese, room temperature1/4 cup sugar1 large egg, room temperature1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Source: My Baking Addiction
Cookies ‘N Cream Oreo Fudge Brownies Hellooooo, good lookin’! What a way to start the week! :) Last weekend as we were exploring Blue Ridge, GA, we stopped by this charming little bakery. They had all kinds of delicious looking homemade brownies. I used this recipe from Picky Palate for Ice Cream Sundae Brownies. Cookies and cream ice cream, chocolate chips, and hot fudge… It all gets added to the brownie mix! This thick batter is perfect for layering.. nothing is going to sink to the bottom here! Oh, baby. Come to mama. Layering the Oreos whole is totally the way to go! All these babies need is a big, huge scoop of vanilla ice cream. I think I’ll get on that. ;) Cookies ‘N Cream Oreo Fudge Brownies 1 box Brownie Mix eggs & oil (as called for by the brownie mix) 1 heaping half cup (6 oz) Cookies & Cream ice cream 1/4 Cup hot fudge topping (chilled or room temp) 1 pkg Oreos (regular, Double or Mega Stuffed! Preheat oven according to directions on the box and spray an 8×8 baking dish generously with cooking spray.
Mini Chocolate Peanut Butter & Banana Muffins I would say one of the things that frustrates me the most in the world of ‘health food’ is all of the products that give the impression of being ‘healthy’, when in fact they are far from it! It literally breaks my heart when I see people trying to put an effort towards eating ‘healthier’ and they choose products/foods that ‘seem’ healthy, but in reality they are probably doing more harm than good! I decided to do a post on this subject to shed light on the truth about many of the foods that are ‘hiding’ behind health food labels, but in reality are high in saturated fat, sugar, and empty calories. I could go on forever about this subject, but instead I chose to compose a list of a few of the foods that are often mistaken for being healthy. Instead of: A Muffin- (average muffin: 500 calories/25 g fat/35 g sugar)~Despite the healthy-sounding names—bran, banana-walnut, blueberry, cran-orange—muffins are little more than a glorified mini cake.
Freezer Meals **Update - Click here for a review of the meals we made** This post is extremely long, but hopefully it will be helpful to someone planning on freezing meals! I plan on posting updates after we actually eat this food too, to give an update on how it fares after the defrosting process. I have always thought that making meals to freeze would be a great idea, but we have never found the motivation to do a big day of cooking before now - I guess the idea of having a newborn to take care of is the kick in the pants we needed to try this out! When planning what to make, I probably went a bit overboard, but Ben helped to keep my plans realistic, and more in line with the amount of freezer space we have :) We have 2 normal size freezers - one upstairs and one in the basement. For all of the meals with chicken, except the chili, we used 2 rotisserie chickens that Ben then shredded - this saved a TON of time and effort. Recipe - a Ben original 4 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded 2 diced onions
These came out awesome! I was afraid it would be too minty but it was just enough. The only thing I'll do differently next time is put in more filling. =) by mightyhedgehog Jul 16