Tag Archives: desserts

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

Uncategorized Leave a comment

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.

Yellow cupcakes with chocolate frosting and a squiggle

Uncategorized Leave a comment
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

Uncategorized 2 Comments
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

Uncategorized Leave a comment

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

Uncategorized Leave a comment
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

Uncategorized Leave a comment
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

Uncategorized 2 Comments
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

Uncategorized Leave a comment
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

Chocolate chip bars

Uncategorized Leave a comment
Chocolate chip bars

Chocolate chip bars. A classic. A request from my hubby, Rob. Something else for me to make as I attempt to figure out our new stove. Brownies and bar cookies have been a bit of a disaster so far, but I think I have figured it out. The issue was the pan, i believe. Hopefully, no more problem treats!

All those chips!
  • Ingredients
  • 1 cup Crisco
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tbs water
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp baking powder
  • 1 cup chocolate chips

Directions – preheat oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Line an 8×8 pan with parchment paper and spray with baking spray. In a bowl, cream Crisco, sugar and brown sugar. Add egg, water and vanilla. Blend in dry ingredients. If mixture seems too dry, try mixing it with your hands, or add another tbs of water. Fold in chips. Press into prepared pan. Bake 15 minutes. Cool completely. Store in covered container.

Thank you for stopping by. I hope you day is a good one, filled with peace, joy and love. And remember to be kind. You will need someone to be kind to you when you are having a tough day.

Brownie stuffed peanut blossoms topped with melted Hershey kisses

Uncategorized 2 Comments

I tried to drown my sorrows from Monday night Football into baking. I opted for peanut butter cookies, stuffed with brownies and topped with melted Hershey kisses. They made the house smell wonderful, but in the end, I am still mad about the game and probably will be until Friday. Poor Rob and Gracie.

Remember to scoop your flour from your flour container into your measuring cup, and preheat your oven to 375 degrees for 20 minutes before baking.

  • Ingredients
  • 1 cup Crisco
  • 1 1/2 cups peanut butter
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 2/3 cup brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 4 tbs milk
  • 1 tbs vanilla
  • 3 cups flour
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 batch of brownies, baked and cooled and cut into 1″ pieces

Directions – preheat oven to 375 degrees for 20 minutes. Line a cookie sheet with nonstick baking liners or parchment paper. In a bowl, cream Crisco, peanut butter,brown sugar and sugar. Add eggs,vanilla and milk. Blend in dry ingredients.

Scoop out 1 1/2 tbs dough and slightly flatten.

Place a brownie square on top

Scoop out another 1 1/2 tbs dough, slightly flatten and place on top of brownie piece.

Seal edges.

In prepared cookie sheet, stagger cookies. Bake at 375 degrees for 9 to 12 minutes (light golden patches on top) cool completely.

In a microwave safe bowl, place 45 unwrapped Hershey kisses. Add 1 tbs vegetable oil. Microwave in 30 second increments until you can stir smooth. Spoon over cookies. Store in covered container.

Thanks so much for stopping by today. Let me know if you make these! I hope you have a wonderful day, filled with peace, joy and love. And remember to be kind! We all need kindess!