Tag Archives: dessert

When you can’t decide between a brownie and chocolate cake

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My husband requested a funni bone treat today, which is a chocolate cake, with a peanut butter filling and a chocolate ganache on top. I asked if he wanted a brownie or chocolate cake base and could not decide, so I combined them! I used a chocolate cake mix, a brownie mix, eggs, water and oil. I used a cookie sheet 18×12. A warning – this makes a large sheet of brownie cake!

  • Brownie cake ingredients
  • 1 chocolate cake mix
  • 1 brownie mix
  • 4 eggs, beaten
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 1/4 cups water

Directions – preheat oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes before baking. Line an 18×12 cookie sheer with parchment paper. In a bowl, combine cake mix and brownie mix. Blend in oil and water. Fold in eggs. Spread into prepared pan. Bake 16 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few crumbs. Cool completely. Cut into rectangles .

  • Peanut butter fudge filling
  • 1 stick butter
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1/3 cup evaporated milk
  • 1 bag peanut butter chips
  • 1 cup powdered sugar

Directions – over medium-low heat, melt butter, sugar and evaporated milk, stirring occasionally. Bring to a boil and let boil 1 minute. Add chips and stir until melted. Remove from heat. Add powdered sugar. Set aside to firm up.

  • Ganache ingredients
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
  • 1 1/2 cups milk chocolate chips

Directions – in a microwave she bowl, microwave cream for 90 seconds. Add chips, swirling cream to cover then. Lwt set 5 minutes. Stir smooth.

Now to the assembly steps!

Slice a piece in half, horizontally
Spread peanut butter fudge layer on one half
Top with other half of brownie cake piece
Frost with ganache

Thanks so much for stopping by today! I wish you a day of peace, happiness and love. Remember to be kind. Even a small act of kindness can make a big difference for someone.

Good luck Ice Knights Chocolate Chip Cookies

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Soft Chocolate Chip cookies

The hockey team at my beloved alma mater, SUNY Geneseo, is playing in the Division 3 national championship game tonight in Lake Placid, NY. These are a good luck cookie for them! (Similar to what I do on football fridays for the Buffalo Bills). Go Ice Knights!

I used corn syrup and cornstarch in these cookies, which make them very soft. You could also use pancake syrup or honey, should you choose. I also used bread flour because I have a lot of it and don’t use it too much. You could sub in all purpose flour. I do recommend chilling the dough for at least a few hours before baking so they don’t spread too much.

Remember to scoop your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the right amount. If you pour it in, you pack it in and wind up with more flour than you should… which cam make for a dry cookie. Also, preheat your oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes before baking so your oven cycles to the right temp. I also took these out when they looked a little undercooked. They will be fine after they cool down. And, they will be soft.

  • Ingredients
  • 1 cup butter, melted and cooled for 5 to 10 minutes
  • 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/4 cup corn syrup
  • 3 1/4 cups bread flour
  • 1 tbs cornstarch
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 cups chocolate chips
A pile of cookies!

Directions – combine butter, brown sugar, and sugar. Blend in vanilla and eggs. Stir in corn syrup. Add dry ingredients. Mix in chips. Scoop out 3 tbs of dough and form tall mounds. Chill for at least a few hours. Preheat oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Line a cookie sheet with nonstick baking liners or parchment paper. Stagger cookies on sheet (they spread a littlle)little. Bake 10 to 15 minutes, until you see golden patches on top. Cool completely. Store in covered container.

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you have a wonderful day filled with peace, love and joy.

Yellow cupcakes with chocolate frosting and a squiggle

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My squiggles need work!

This weekend’s treat request from my chief taste tester was a yellow cupcake with a fluff filling, chocolate frosting, and a squiggle. I can’t master the look of the squiggle like Hostess, so really mine is a long blobby of a line. I used jumbo cupcake liners because larger cupcakes are easier for me to fill with filling. I used fat free free yogurt. You can use another type of greek yogurt or sour cream,if you prefer

Reminder – preheat your oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes before baking, so it cycles to the right temp.

  • Ingredients for cupcakes
  • 1 cake mix
  • 3.4 oz instant vanilla pudding mix
  • 3 eggs
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/3 cup oil
  • 1 3/4 cups Greek yogurt

Directions – preheat oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes. line large muffin tins with large/jumbo cupcake liners. In a bowl, combine cake mix, eggs, water, oil. Blend in Greek yogurt. Mixture will be thick. Scoop out 1/2 cup of batter into lined muffin tins. (I used a large cupcake scoop from Bed, Bath and Beyond). Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in top comes out with a few moist crumbs. Cool completely.

  • Filling ingredients.
  • 1/4 cup butter, softened
  • 1 cup marshmallow fluff
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • Milk or cream
  • Blend butter and fluff. Mix in powdered sugar. Add enough milk (1 tsp at a time) to get desired consistency
  • Chocolate frosting ingredients
  • 1/2 cup butter soft
  • 1/4 cup baking cocoa
  • 2 to 3 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • Mix well. You may need to add more heavy cream or powdered sugar to get the consistency you want
  • Squiggle ingredients
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • Heavy cream
  • Blend butter, powdered sugar and vanilla. Add cream, a tsp at a time, to get the consistency you want. It will be a little on the thicker side

Now the assembly!

Cut out a cone of cupcake, saving the cut out part
Fill with filling
Gently press cut out cone on top of filling
Frost (sweet Gracie is supervising)
Add your squiggle/blobby

Store finished cupcakes in a covered container.

Thanks so much for stopping by today. I wish you much love, happiness and joy today. And remember to be kind. A small act of kindness can make a big difference in someone’s life

Milk chocolate chip macadamia nut cookies

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Milk chocolate chip macadamia nut cookies

On a chilly Saturday night, I got a treatI request from my chief taste tester.. it was also a way to keep our pup in chill mode for a while. (she only got one walk today and was a little wound up). It is amazing how quiet and good she is when I am baking. So I decided on milk chocolate chip macadamia nut cookies. It was one of my favorites from Mrs Fields many years ago. Did you have a favorite from a mall cookie place? My mom and dad loved the peanut butter cookie cups with chocolate frosting. I always remember when my mom and I would leave the McKinley Mall in Buffalo, after a day of shopping, that we always stopped to bring those cookies home to my dad.

I used a mixture of all purpose flour and cake flour, but you can use entirely all purpose flour.

Remember to scoop your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the right amount. If you pour it dorectly into the cup, you pack it in..resulting in too much flour and a dry cookie. Also. preheat your oven for 20 minutes before baking so it cycles to the right temp.

Yum!
  • Ingredients
  • 1 cup butter, cold, shredded with a cheese grater
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 cup cake flour
  • 1 tbs cornstarch
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 bag milk chocolate chips (10 to 12 oz)
  • 1 cup macadamia nuts
My ode to Mrs Fields

Directions – preheat oven to 375 degrees for 20 minutes. Line a cookie sheet with nonstick baking liners. In a bowl, cream butter brown sugar and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla. Blend in dry ingredients. Fold in chips and nuts. Divide evenly into 16 pieces of dough and shape each into tall mounds. Stagger mounds on prepared sheet. Bake 9 to 12 minutes, until you see golden patches on top. They may seem a little doughy, but they will continue to firm up once removed from the oven. Let set on sheet for a half hour before eating. (Rob could only wait 10 minutes!). Cool completely. Store in covered container.

Thank you for stopping by today. I hope you have a wonderful day filled with happiness and joy. And Go Bills!

Banana chocolate chip cookies

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These are the first banana treat I have made since the mid 90s. Back then, I made a banana bread cake and added some chocolate chips. I thought I messed it up, so I frosted it. I took it to work. It was a big hit, and even a friend of mine who said he didn’t like bananas, loved it. So after 25 years, here is my next attempt at a 🍌 treat.

These cookies make the house smell amazing. They are soft like banana bread, with chocolate chips and vanilla frosting. Perfect to bring in Monday morning to work.

Reminders – spoon your flour from your flour bag into you measuring cup so you get the right amount. And, preheat your oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes so it cycles to the right temp.

  • Ingredients
  • 1 cup Crisco
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 cups mashed bananas
  • 4 cups flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tbs cornstarch
  • 2 cups chocolate chips

Directions – cream Crisco, butter and sugar. Add eggs, then bananas. Blend in dry ingredients. Stir in chocolate chips. The dough will be sticky. You will want to spray a cookies scoop (and your hands) with Pam spray. Scoop out 1/4 cups of dough. Chill a few hours. Preheat oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Line a cookie sheet with nonstick baking liners. Bake 15 to 20 minutes. The bottom will be golden and you will see golden patches on top. Cool completely.

  • Frosting ingredients
  • 4 tbs butter, melted
  • 4 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • Milk
Cookie monster

Directions – combine butter and powdered sugar. Add vanilla. Add milk, a tbs at a time, until you get the consistency you want. Frost cookies. Store in covered container.

Thank you for stopping by today!

Flourless chocolate cake

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Flourless chocolate cake!

Happy Valentine’s Day! A perfect treat for today, or any day, really (provided you love chocolate). A flourless chocolate cake. Super easy to make and my chocolate loving hubby called it the best dessert I ever made!

Tips – preheat your oven to 375 degrees for 20 minutes before baking, so your oven cycles to the right temp.

  • Ingredients
  • 1 cup dark chocolate chips (I used 60 percent)
  • 1 stick butter
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 3 eggs, beaten
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened baking cocoa

Directions – preheat oven to 375 degrees for 20 minutes. Spray an 8 or 9 inch round cake pan with baking spray. Line the bottom of the pan only with parchment paper (I actually traced the pan on the parchment paper to get the right size). In a microwave safe bowl, melt butter and chips in 40 second incremens until you can stir it smooth. Add sugar. Blend in eggs and vanilla. Fold in cocoa. Spresd into prepared pan. Bake 25 minutes. It may look undercooked, but it is not. Let cool completely.

  • Ganache ingredients
  • 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream

Directions – heat cream in a microwave safe bowl for 45 seconds. Pour over chips. Let set for 2 minutes. Stir smooth. Pour over cake. Store in covered container.

Thank you for stopping by. ❤

Red velvet Oreo bars with fudge topping

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Red velvet Oreo bars with fudge topping

Today’s treat would be perfect for Valentine’s Day, or any day really – red velvet Oreo bars topped with a fudge-like topping. Any flavor cake mix would be good, but I went with red velvet here. These are quite sweet, but are a huge hit when I have made them in the past.

So sweet!

Quick reminder – preheat your oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes before baking So your oven cycles to the right temperature when the bars go in. And don’t cook these longer than 15 minutes. Any longer, and they might dry out.

Yum!
  • Cake bars ingredients
  • 1 red velvet cake mix, 15.25 oz (around that size. You can also use another flavor)
  • 1 stick of butter, melted
  • 2 eggs

Directions – preheat oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Line a 9×13 pan with tin foil and spray with baking spray. In a bowl, combine cake mix, butter and eggs. Spray your hands with Pam,or moisten with water and press dough into prepared hand. Bake 15 minutes. Cool completely.

Is this velvet?😁
  • Fudge topping
  • 1 stick butter
  • 1/3 cup evaporated milk
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup chocolate chips
  • 1 tsp vanilla

In a sauce pan, over low-medium heat, bring butter, evaporated milk and sugar to a boil. Remove from heat. Stir in chips until melted. Add vanilla. Let cool a few minutes. Pour over red velvet layer.

Voila!

Top with crushed oreos (you can crush them in a food processor or with a rolling pin. Or if you are made, you can smash them in a plastic bag with a rolling pin!)

Oreos make everything better

Thanks so much for stopping by today. I hope you have a wonderful day filled with peace, joy and love. Remember to be kind. Your kindness may be the difference in someone’s day.

Smores whoopie pies- NFL playoff edition

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Smores whoopie pies

I figured I would up my treats game with the NFL super wildcard weekend. The Bills win over the Patriots was the best game I ever saw played by a Bills team. Just about everything went right and Josh Allen was flawless. Such a performance deserves a special cookie. So I present the smores whoopie pie – a Graham cracker cookie, fluff filling and melted chocolate on top. Each cookie is 1/4 cup of dough. The final whoopie pie is quite large, so next time I may only use 2 tbs dough for each cookie. Although I don’t expect any complaints at work with XL cookies

A few reminders – let your butter soften on the countertop for 45 minutes to an hour. Scoop your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup. Preheat your oven for 20 minutes before baking So your ovem cycles to the right temp.

  • Ingredients for cookies
  • 3/4 cup butter, softened
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 3 1/2 cups flour
  • 2 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt

Directions – preheat oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Line a cookie sheet with nonstick baking liners or parchment paper. In a bowl, cream butter, brown sugar and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla. Blend in dry ingredients, including Graham cracker crumbs. Scoop out 1/4 cups of dough. Slightly flatten. Bake 10 to 12 minutes. These are kind of hard to tell when they are done, but you don’t want to overcook them in the oven. Cool completely.

  • Filling ingredients
  • 1/4 cup butter, melted
  • 1 cup marshmallow fluff
  • 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • Milk

Directions – blend fluff and butter. Mix in powdered sugar. Add a little milk if filling seems too thick. Now for the assembly.

Place a cookie, flatside up
Top with a dollop of filling
Place another cookie, flatside down, on top
Frost with melted chocolate

Thank you for stopping by today. I hope you have a wonderful day filled with joy. And I hope the Bills win 3 straight games these playoffs!

Oatmeal chocolate chip cookies

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Oatmeal chocolate chip cookies

On occasion, I am asked “do you ever bake anything healthy?” For the most part, probably not. But today, I present you with oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. They have oatmeal, so that makes them healthy, right? 😏

Remember – 1) to scoop your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup. 2) scoop out your dough and then chill it for a few hours. 3) preheat your oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes before baking.

Cookie monster hasn’t gotten to them yet!
  • Ingredients
  • 2 cups flour (scooped from your flour container into your measuring cup)
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 1/2 cups old fashioned oats, uncooked
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tbs vanilla
  • 1 cup chocolate chips

Directions – combine dry ingredients, including oats. Add oil. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix in chips. Scoop out 1/4 cuos of dough. Chill a few hours. Preheat oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Line a cookie sheet with nonstick baking liners or parchment paper. Stagger cookies on prepared sheet. Bake 10 to 13 minutes, or until you see light golden patches on top. Cool completely.

Frosting cancels out any health benefits, I think!

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you have a wonderful day filled with peace, joy and love. Please remember to be kind. We all need kindness

Snowball cookies with mini chocolate chips

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The only thing mini about these cookies is the chips!

These are a variation of a recipe I saw in one of my Nestle cookbooks that one of my grandmothers gave to me when I was in college. It is also the treat that Rob requested. I used a mix of Crisco and butter, but you can use all butter if you want. It is a very easy dough to make and the cookies will be a big hit! I made mine on the larger side,with 2 tbs of dough. You can use 2 tsp and you will bake more of them, obviously. They also take less time to cook.

Remember to scoop your powdered sugar and flour from your respective containers into measuring cups so you get the correct amount. Also, preheat your oven to 375 degrees for 20 minutes before baking so it cycles to the right temp.

  • Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup Crisco
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 tbs vanilla
  • 2 1/4 cups flour
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1-2 tbs water
  • 1 cup mini chocolate chips
That cookie monster, at it again!

Directions – preheat oven to 375 degrees for 20 minutes before baking. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or nonstick baking liners. In a bowl, cream butter, Crisco and powdered sugar. Add vanilla. Blend in flour and salt. Mix in water. You may have to use your mixer for a while. It takes the dough some time to come together. Add chips. Scoop out 2 tbs dough, roll into a ball and slightly flatten. Place on prepared cookie sheet. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Bake 10 to 12 minutes (bottoms will be lightly golden). Sprinkle warm cookies with powdered sugar. Cool completely. Store in covered container.

Happiness is a warm cookie

Thanks so much for stopping by today! If you try these cookies, let me know how you like them. I wish you a wonderful day, filled with peace, love and joy. #bekind