Happy 4th of July! What better way to celebrate than turning on your oven and baking when it’s 90 degrees and humid! Today’s treat combine a white cake mix and sugar cookie mix for the bars, and a buttercream frosting. I misplaced my sprinkles, so there are no sprinkles. And I did not put m&ms on top,bc they would be soft when I bring the treats into work. You could also mix up what cake and cookie mixes you use, like chocolate and chocolate or lemon and sugar cookie.

Ingredients

• 1 white cake mix
• 1 sugar cookie mix
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup butter, melted
• 1 tbs vanilla

Directions – preheat oven to 350. Spray a 9×13 pan with baking spray. Combine mixes, eggs, butter and vanilla. Mixture will be thick so drop by spoonfuls onto pan and spread (you may want to spray your hands with Pam to make this easier). Bake 20 to 30 min. (Edges will be golden brown). Cool completely.

Frosting ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 3 tbs heavy cream or milk
• 1 tbs vanilla

Directions

Combine butter and powdered sugar. Add cream and vanilla and beat well. You may want to add more powdered sugar to thicken frosting.

Store in covered container.

These are super simple, and super sinful. Brownies topped,with oreo truffles and melted chocolate. You can use any brownie recipe you want, made as directed. The truffle layer is simple – crushed oreos and melted butter. You can use whatever chocolate you want for the topping. I went w the classic Hershey kisses option! Also put some melted chocolate on the brownies and then put the truffle layer on top so the truffle layer stays put.

Ingredients

• 1 batch of brownies (made in a 9×13 pan), made as directed and completely cooled
• 1 bag of Oreos
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1 bag of hershey kisses or Chocolate chips
• 1 tbs oil

Directions – crush oreos completely in food processor. Mix in melted butter., you may need to add more melted butter 1 tbs at a time.

Melt chocolate and oil in microproof safe container, in 30 second increments, until you can stir smooth. Spread chocolate on cooled brownies. Add truffle layer and pour remaining chocolate on top. Store in covered container.

Today’s recipe originates from one from Pillsbury that I discovered during Thanksgiving break during college. I always found the recipe fabulous and when I found it again online, I wanted to make them again. plus, they are a piece of cake (or is it cookie) to make. this time, the dough seemed a little dry, so instead of adding more water, I went with hot fudge.. because… why not? Hersheys hot fudge was THE BEST when I was a little girl!

I also added chocolate chips because I have two of these huuuuuge bags of Nestle chips (one of the wonders of BJs).

ingredients

• 1 brownie mix
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/4 cup oil
• 5 tbs water
• 1/4 cup hot fudge (microwaved for 10 seconds in microwave save container
• 1 cup chocolate chips.

directions

combined brownie mix, egg, flour, oil and water. Stir in hot fudge. Blend in chips. using a cookie scoop, form 1/4 cups of dough. shape into high piles (you may want to use a little extra flour for this. chill dough at least 1 hour. preheat oven to 350 degrees. scatter mounds of dough on a cookie sheet, lined with nonstick baking liners. bake 12-15 minutes. cookies will seem a little doughy, but that is ok, the bottoms will be brown. let them sit on cookie sheet for 10 minutes. cool completely.

store in covered container.

Got a request from my husband today for Chocolate Chip cookies. this is one of the 257 I have in my recipe box! (give or take a few). It is super simple, uses a cake mix, eggs, oil, water, flour and chocolate chips. I added a little extra flour because the dough was a little sticky and I prefer my cookies to come out puffy and use the flour to stiffen the dough so I can pile it high to keep it from spreading too much. I used a yellow cake mix today, but you can use any flavor you want and any chips that you want (think chocolate cake mix and peanut butter chips). These are super simple and look great!

and here’s another tip I found with my oven (shout out to Stanley, the tech who helped me realize why our new stove was not cooking and baking properly).. to preheat your oven properly, set your oven temp and hit start… then start your timer for 20 minutes. when that timer goes off, your oven will be at the right temperature. something about cycling and increasing and decreasing temperature. if you follow that, your baked goods will cook more evenly

ingredients

• 1 cake mix
• 1/2 cup oil
• 2 eggs
• 2-4 tbs flour
• 1 cup chocolate chips

Directions

Combine cake mix, flour, oil and eggs. Plenty in chips. Maybe add a little more flour to make dough easier to handle. Using a cookie scoop (about 1/4 cup of dough), scoop out door and form into high piles. Let chill at least an hour.

Preheat oven to 350. Scatter on a baking sheet lined with nonstick baking liners. Bake 10-15 minutes. There will be golden spots on top and bottom will be lightly browned. Cool completely.

Store in covered container.

Today’s treat is in honor of one of my co-workers, Marty Smith. He and Ryan McGee host “Marty and McGee” on ESPN Radio Saturday mornings. They are fabulous, funny, kindhearted guys who’s show is among the best ESPN has to offer. I love doing updates during their show because the provide a relief from all the crappy stuff in the world. Anyways, Marty loves lemon Pound Cake and even though he is in North Carolina (along w Ryan), I brought that treat in today. It’s a simple recipe, courtesy of Duncan Hines. If you don’t want to make 🍋 frosting, by all means use the canned stuff.

Lemon pound cake ingredients

• Lemon cake mix
• 3.4 oz pkg instant lemon pudding mix
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup water
• 1/3 cup oil

Directions – preheat oven to 350. Spray large bundt pan with baking spray. Beat cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, water and oil 2 minutes on medium speed. Pour into prepared pan. Bake 40 to 50 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out with a few crumbs. Cool completely. Turn over on plate.

Frosting ingredients

• 3/4 cups butter, softened
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 2 tbs lemon juice
• 1-2 tbs heavy cream
• 8 oz container cool whip, defrosted

Directions

Cream butter. Slowly blend in powdered sugar and lemon juice. Add cream. You may want to add more cream or powdered sugar to get the consistency you want. Blend in cool whip. Frost cake.

Store in covered container.

I loved all “Little Debbie” treats when I was little, especially the brownies! That weird frosting on top was awesome! It is funny how all the stuff you love when you were little was so appealing (twinkies and hostess stuff, boxed mac and cheese etc). Then as you when.. Ahem… Get older, it’s not so appealing. Do the formulas change for the treats or is it more our tastes change? Anyways, now, I like to make homemade versions these treats… And today, it is the Little Debbie brownies. They are very fudgy and soft. The frosting is a ganache..(melted chocolate chips and heavy cream). I can’t find a way to duplicate her frosting.

And, btw, is there really a little debbie?

Ingredients

• 10 tbs butter, melted
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 3/4 cup + 3 tbs baking cocoa
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 1 yolk
• 1 tbs corn syrup
• 2/3 cup flour
• 2 tbs cornstarch
• 1 tsp salt

Directions – preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 8×8 pan with baking spray or butter spray. Combine butter, sugar and brown sugar. Add cocoa. Mix in eggs, yolk, corn syrup and vanilla. Fold in flour, cornstarch and salt. Spread into pan (mixture is thick). Bake 17 to 22 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely

Frosting ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup heavy cream

Directions –microwave chips in a microwave safe bowl for one minute. In a separate microwave safe container, microwave heavy cream. Pour cream over chipa and let stand 10 minutes. Stir smooth and spread over brownies.

Store in covered container.

When I get a recipe request from my husband, it’s usually chocolate chip cookies. So today, I went into my chocolate chip cookies recipes (yes, that is with an “s”. I have roughly a billion of ccc recipes) and found this one. It is a pretty good one. I always chill my cookie dough to try and get a puffy cookie, which I prefer to make (I like my cookies to look good in addition to tasting good. Flat cookies are a no no!) Remember to scoop your flour from your container into your measuring cups to get the right amount. I added 3 1/2 cups flour to make the cookies less flat.Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, melted
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed into measuring cup
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 1/4 -3 1/2 cuos flour cups flour
• 2 cups chocolate chips

Directions – mix butter, sugar and brown sugar. Add eggs and vanilla. Stir in baking soda and salt. Mix in flour, one cup at a time (then the quarter cup or half cup). Fold in chips. Scoop dough into quarter cup cookies and form into tall mounds. Chill at least 4 hours. Preheat oven to 350. Stagger 6 on a sheet that has been lined with parchment paper or nonstick baking liners. Bake 10-12 minutes. Let cool on sheet 5 minutes. Store in covered container

Stephanie from,Georgia called in today to Marty and McGee to suggest I blog my baking for the show on Saturdays… Which reminded me I have neglected posting on my blog.. So here is today’s treat! I will be better about blogging.. And, I think I need to start doing baking videos again, too!

Cake ingredients

• 1 cup butter
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup cocoa
• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 3 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup mill
• 1 tsp lemon juice or white vinegar

Directions

Preheat oven to 350. Spray 12×17 cookie sheet with cooking spray. Add lemon juice or vinegar to milk. Let sit 5 minutes. In a microwave safe bowl, microwave butter, water and cocoa in 45 second increments until butter is melted. Add dry ingredients. In separate bowl mix eggs, sugar, brown sugar and vanilla. Add to chocolate mixture then blend in milk mixture. Spread evenly into pan. Bake 12 -17 minutes (toothpick inserted in center should come out with a few crumbs.)

Frosting ingredients

3/4 cup butter, melted

3 cups powered sugar

1/3 cup milk

3/4 cup peanut butter

2 tsp vanilla

Combine and microwave in 30 second increments until you can stir smooth. You can add more milk, one tbs at a time to make it thinner if you would like. Pour over warm cake. Let cool completely.

Cut and store in covered container.

I wanted to make a puffy peanut butter cookie and this recipe was perfect! I coated them all in sugar, per Rob’s request. Then I used a couple in smores and dumped melted chocolate on two others. Boom!

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 1/4 cups flour

Directions

Cream shortening, peanut butter, sugar and brown sugar. Add egg. Stir in dry ingredients. Scoop out 2 tbs dough and pile mounds high. Roll in sugar. Chill. Preheat oven to 350. Stagger on cookie sheet lined with nonstick baking liners. Bake 9 minutes. Cool.

Melt 1 cup Hershey kisses or chocolate chips w 1 tsp oil in 45 second increments until you can stir melted. Drizzle on cookies.

For smores – break graham cracker sheet in. Layer 1/2 Graham cracker sheet with a tsp melted chocolate, a pb cookie, 1 toasted marshmallow, 1 tsp melted chocolate and top with other Graham cracker half.

Store in covered container.


Today is one of the coolest days of,the year, if you are a sports fan – the first Friday of the NCAA tournament.. Basically 12 straight hours of games, from opening tip of the first game, until the final buzzer of the last. And, the hockey team at my alma mater, SUNY Geneseo, is playing in the frozen hour. So, I made chocolate cutouts, with some decorated as basketballs (orange frosting and homemade chocolate fondant for the stripes) and others were hockey puck sandwiches with a chocolate Oreo filling!

Go ice knights!
Cookies
2 3/4 cups flour
3/4 cup cocoa
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup butter (room temp)
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla. Fold in dry ingredients. Roll and cut . stagged on cookie sheet lined with nonstick baking liners. Bake 8 minutes. Cool completely and frost.
Frosting
1/4 cup melted butter
2 cups powdered sugar
Milk
1 tsp vanilla
Orange food coloring
Combine butter and powdered sugar. Add vanilla. Blend in milk, 1 tbs at a time until you get desired consistency. Stir in food color. Frost. Then put rolled and cut fondant as stripes.
Choc Oreo filling
2 tbs butter, melted
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
Milk
Crushed oreos
Combine. Use enough milk to get desired consistency. Spread between 2 cookies.

Store in covered container.