Tag Archives: chocolate

Big wheels/Ding Dongs/Ring Dings

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Another hostess challenge answered!

These treats were a request from my husband, Rob. They have different names – big wheels/Ding dongs/Ring dings, but seem to be basically the same thing, made by Hostess. He asked if I could make “Big Wheels.” Honestly, I never heard of them. The only Big Wheels I knew of where the bike we all had as little kids! Anyways, I learned Big Wheels by Hostess, were a bigger version of Ding Dongs, which seem to be remarkably like ring dings. Just an individual chocolate cake, filled with a fluff filling and covered In melted chocolate. In my hometown, I remember Stroehmanns seemed to be the king in stores, and they had a lot of the same type of treats as Hostess. My favorites were the Sno balls, especially the pink ones. Anyways, here is the recipe for Big Wheels. I made them with a homemade chocolate cake recipe, but next time I would use a cake mix because it would be easier and faster..and frankly, cake is cake. They are a little messy in the pictures, but my ESPN Radio work family will like them on Monday. (And I didn’t waste the leftover cake after the cutouts! I smooshed it all together and formed whoopie pies! )

  • Ingredients
  • 1 chocolate cake mix, baked in round pans and cooled completely
  • 1/4 cup butter softened
  • 3/4 cup marshmallow fluff
  • 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • Heavy cream/milk

Directions – invert cooled cakes onto parchment paper. Using a round cookie cutter, cut out circles. In a bowl, mix butter, fluff and powdered sugar. Add enough heavy cream or milk to get thr consistency you want.

Cut out a cone of each individual cake and save it.

Fill the hole with a spoon of filling

Replace the cone of cake over the hole,and gently press in.

Cover with melted chocolate and store in covered container.

As you can see, I struggle decorating with melted chocolate

Brownies topped with homemade Reese’s

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Stepping up my brownie game

I didn’t want to bring in “just brownies” for work… I just saw a commercial for Reese’s eggs (which, honestly, are the best candy ever)… So I decided to make a homemade version of them and put them on top of the brownies. You can use any brownie recipe you want (even a mix is fine). You can also search my website for ideas. Rob would advise that you add a cup of chocolate chips, to make them even better.

  • Ingredients
  • 1 8×8 pan of brownies, baked and cooled completely
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 1 cup peanut butter
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1 cup of powdered sugar
  • 1 cup milk chocolate chips
  • 1 tbs vegetable oil

Directions – in a saucepan, combine butter, peanut butter and brown sugar. Cook and stir over low/medium heat just until it bubbles. Remove from heat. Add powdered sugar. (You way want to add more powdered sugar, depending on the texture you want. If you can too much powdered sugar, you can add milk, 1 tsp at a time, to fix that). Cool 15 to 20 minutes or until you find it cool enough to handle. Scoop out tbs and place on top of brownies. Melt chips in a microwave safe bowl, in 30 second increments until you cam stir smooth. Mix in oil. Spoon on top of brownies. Store in coveres container.

Throwing down the reese’s gauntlet with a homemade version!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

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Happy Valentine’s day!

Happy Valentine’s day! This is a heart shaped fudgy brownie topped with milk chocolate ganache. I know, my decorating skills are not good, but I tried. 😁

This recipe is super simple. You can add cut up candy in the batter or in top,of the ganache or frostinf if you want as well. If ganache (which honestly, is just a fancy word for melted chocolate with heavy cream), is not your thing, you can leave the brownies plain, sprinkle with powdered sugar or use whatever frosting you want. I used one my two heart shaped cake pans, but you can them in an 8 or 9 inch Square cake pan. Remember to spoon your flour from your flour container into your measuring cup to get the correct amount. Also preheat your oven for 20 minutes before baking, to get your oven to the right temperature.

  • Ingredients
  • 3/4 cup butter, melted
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 2/3 cup baking cocoa
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 tsp chocolate or vanilla extract
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 cup chocolate chips

Directions – preheat oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Line a baking pan with tin foil and spray with baking spray. Combine butter and sugar. Add cocoa. Blend in eggs, beating one at a time. Mix in extract. Fold in flour and salt. Blend in chips. Spread into pan. Mixture will be thick. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted,in center comes out with a few crumbs. Cool completley.

  • Ganache ingedients
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips (I used milk chocolate)

Directions – heat cream in a microwave safe bowl for 45 seconds. Pour over chips. Let sit 5 minutes. Stir smooth. Pour over brownies. let ganache set. Store in covered container.

❤❤❤❤

Celebration Monday treats

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Fudge topped devil dogs!

This could not be just any great for THIS victory Monday. The Buffalo Bills are back in the AFC Championship game for the first time since 1993. So this calls for something spectacular. Rob asked what I was planning (despite having 2 treats in the freezer bc I forgot to bring them in to work). I told him to pick something, so he chose devil dogs with fudge topping. Done. These use a cake mix. I added baking cocoa to make them extra chocolatey, but you can sub in 1/2 cup flour if you prefer.

  • Devil dog cake ingredients
  • 1 chocolate cake mix
  • 1/2 cup baking cocoa (or flour)
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/2 cup oil
  • 3 eggs

Directions – preheat oven to 350 for 20 minutes. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or nonstick baking liners. In a bowl, combine cake mix, cocoa, water, oil and eggs. Scoop out 1/4 cup batter and place on sheet. Spread into a rectangle. Bake 6 to 8 minutes. Cool completely.

  • Filling ingredients
  • 1/2 cup butter, soft
  • 1 1/2 cups fluff
  • 3 cups powdered sugar
  • Heavy cream or milk

Directions – cream butter and fluff. Slowly add powdered sugar. Add enough milk or cream to get the consistency you want. Spread between 2 devil dogs. set aside

  • Fudge frosting ingredients
  • 1 stick butter
  • 1/3 cup evaporated milk
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1 cup milk chocolate chips

Directions – over low -medium heat, bring butter, evaporated milk, and sugar to a boil, stirring occasionally. Boil 1 minute. Remove from heat. Add chips. Stir until melted. Let stand 5 to 10 minutes. Spoon over devil dogs. Store in covered container.

Go Bills!

Friday football treats # 19 – Smores cookie bars

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Smores sugar cookie bars

Today’s treat is in advance of the Bills AFC divisional playoff game vs the Ravens. A Saturday night game! I have all day to get nervous! I really need them to keep winning. They’ve been a needed distraction to this crapbag of a start to 2021. Maybe we’re getting all the bad stuff out of the way early.

These feature a Graham cracker sugar cookie base, followed by a layer of melted chocolate chips and topped with marshmallow fluff frosting. Of course, I got impatient and frosted them while they were still warm, so the frosting got mixed in with the melted milk chocolate. These are pretty easy and use sugar cookie mixes as part of the base.

  • 2 sugar cookie mixes
  • 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
  • 2 cups butter, melted
  • 1 cup milk chocolate chips

Directions – preheat oven to 375 degrees for 20 minutes. Combine sugar cookie mixes and graham cracker crumbs. Mix in melted butter. Press into an ungreased 9×13 pan. Bake 20 to 25 minutes (will be light golden on top). Sprinkle chocolate chips. Let sit 5 minutes. Spread smooth. Let cool completely.

  • Frosting ingredients
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1 cup marshmallow fluff
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2-3 tbs milk

Directions – cream butter and fluff. Add powdered sugar and vanilla. Blend in enough milk to get desired consistency., frost bars. Cut and store in covered container.

Go Bills!

Friday football #18 treat # 2 – brownie football cutout cookie sandwiches

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Go Bills!

My second treat for work is a brownie cookie cutout, using my football cookie cutter, again. It is the playoffs, so two treats are necessary. I didn’t make enough vanilla filling (doh), so I had to,whip up a little chocolate filling for the rest of the sandwiches. Go Bills! I love Josh Allen!

  • Ingredients
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 eggs
  • 2/3 cup baking cocoa
  • 3 cups flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt

Directions – preheat oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes., cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla. Fold in,dry ingredients. Roll to desired thickness and cut. Line a cookie sheet with nonstick baking liners. Bake 8 to 10 minutes. Cool completely. Spread filling between 2 cookies. Store in covered container.

Are you ready for some playoff football?

I answered the “Oreo Challenge”

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Victory Monday Treats!

I felt Oreo threw down the gauntlet by recently announcing it’s latest release – a brownie-chocolate chip-cookie-oreo concoction. I took it as a challenge and decided to do my own take on it for Bills Victory Monday treats. These are a layer of brownies, Oreos, cookie dough and melted milk chocolate. Sugar galore for ESPN Radio!

  • Brownies ingredients
  • 1 cup butter
  • 2 cups dark chocolate chips
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 5 eggs
  • 1 tbs vanilla
  • 3 tbs syrup
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 cup baking cocoa
  • Oreos

Directions -preheat oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Line a 9×13 pan with tin foil and spray with baking spray. Set aside. In a microwave safe bowl, melt butter and chips in 30 second increments until you can stir smooth. Add sugar and brown sugar. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Add vanilla and corn syrup. Stir in dry ingredients. Spread into prepared pan. (Mixture will be thick). Layer oreos on top of brownie batter.

The oreo layer!

Bake 18 to 22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into brownie comes out with a few crumbs. Cool completely.

Looks remarkably the same after baking!
  • Cookie dough ingredients
  • 1 cup butter, melted
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 2 tbs plus 1 tsp milk
  • 1 1/3 cups flour

Directions – cream butter, sugar and brown sugar. Add milk and vanilla. Fold in flour. Spread over brownie layer.

Top with melted chocolate.

Voila!

Cut the brownies before the chocolate sets (otherwise good luck cutting through a oreos and hardened chocolate) Store in covered container.

Go Bills!!!

Week 17 football friday – happy new year!

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Chocolate chip cookie bars

For week 17, I present the first of two treats on a football Friday at ESPN radio. These are chocolate chip cookie bars, made with a cake mix, and frosted with a quick homemade vanilla frosting. I used yellow cake mix and a vanilla instant pudding mix. (Use any flavor you choose for either). I ran out of patience and frosted them when they were warm, so the frosting also contained some melted chocolate chips. ☺

  • Ingredients
  • 1 cake mix, any flavor
  • 3.4 oz instant pudding mix, any flavor
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 3/4 cup oil
  • 1 cup chocolate chips
  • Frosting – combine 2 tbs melted butter and 2 cups powdered sugar. Add enough cream or milk to get the consistency you want.

Cookie bar Directions – preheat oven to 350 for 20 minutes. Spray a 9×13 pan with baking spray. Combine cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, water and oil. Stir in chips. Spread evenly in pan. Bake 18 to 22 minutes (may seem a little undercooked, but that is ok. If you cook too long, the bars will dry out). Immediately sprinkle with more chocolate chips and gently press down. Wait about five minutes and frost. Melted chips will swirl in frosting

Go Bills!

Chocolate triple chip cookies

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Chocolate x3!

I wanted a chocolate based cookie for my Christmas cookie cornucopia, so,I settled this one. It is a chocolate version of the cookies, affectionately known as the “franks.” Named after our friend, Frank. I used milk chocolate, semisweet chocolate and dark chocolate chips. I chilled the dough a few hours to keep the cookies puffy. I felt the bottoms of the cookies were a bit too done, so I smothered them in melted chocolate.

  • Ingredients
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1/2 cup baking cocoa
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp,salt
  • 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

Directions – cream butter, sugar and brown sugar. Add eggs and vanilla. Fold in dry ingredients. Mix in chips., scoop out 1/4 cups of dough. Chill a few hours. Preheat oven to 375 degrees for 20 minutes. On a cookie sheet , lined with nonstick baking liners, stagger cookies. Bake 10 to 13 minutes. Cool completely. Store in covered container.

Chocolate triple chip cookies