Cake Mix Cookies with a Triple Chip

I will never forget when we had a barbeque with our Neighbors a few months back,

she brought the most divine cookies that were so soft, moist, and full of different types of chocolate chips.  I knew I had to get my hand on the recipe.

I would have never guessed that they were made from a cake mix either.  Even more of a reason to make them-Super easy!

 

 

 

 

 

Recipe:

1 chocolate cake mix (I used devils food)

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 eggs

1/3 cup white chocolate chips

1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/3 cup milk chocolate chips

 

*Note: You can sub out any of the chips for butterscotch chips, peanut butter chips, M&M's, peanut butter cups, or even Andes Mints.

 

Preheat your oven to *350. 

 

In a large mixing bowl, mix together the cake mix, oil, and eggs.  Stir till well incorporated. Fold in the chips.  I used a cookie scoop, but if you don't have one just make 1inch balls and place them on a prepared cookie sheet.  (I always bake my cookies on a silicone liner like a Silpat, but if you don't have one you could just use parchment paper. This makes it so the cookies don't stick to the sheet or burn.)

 

Bake for 8-10 minutes.  Let cool on the cookie sheet for a couple of minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. 

*Makes about 3 dozen cookies.  Store in an airtight container for up to a week.

 

 

 





Homemade Vanilla Cupcakes with a Vanilla Buttercream

So as you can tell from these pictures, I'm a little late posting about this birthday party we had back in August!  Whoops!  Time has definitely gotten the best of me, but I have been wanting to share this delicious cupcake recipe with you all for quite sometime. 

 

So Lily and her cousin just happen to share the same birthday so my sister in law and I wanted to throw a fun birthday party that the theme could be both girly and boyish at the same time.  So since their birthdays are in August and the weather is still HOT I thought a fun nautical party would fit the bill.  We decorated using pinks, turqoise's, and reds fitting both the girl and boy theme.  The day was so much fun that I forgot to take more photos of the decorations but we just hung a bunch of lanterns from the trees and called it good.

 

The cupcakes were definitely the hit of the party.  I got this recipe from my little sister and I think I had 5 different people ask me for the recipe.  They were so good!  We frosted them with a delicious vanilla buttercream and topped them with fondant anchors and stars.  If your looking to throw a party for both a girl and a boy I highly suggest the Nautical theme. 

 

 

 

Vanilla Cupcakes:

1 cup cake flour

1-1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1 cup sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter (softened)

2 eggs

1/2 cup milk (I prefer whole)

2 tsp. vanilla extract

 

Preheat the oven to *350.  Mix together all the dry ingredients in mixer for 2-3 minutes.  Add the butter and mix till dough forms small crumb like peices.  Add the eggs one at a time making sure they are completely mixed in before you add the next egg.  Slowly add in the milk and vanilla.  Fill liners 2/3 of the way full.  Bake for 17-20 minutes (checking at 17 min. with a toothpick for doneness)

Cool completely before frosting. 

 

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting:

1-1/2 stick unsalted butter (softened)

2 cups powdered sugar

1-1/2 tsp. vanilla

 

Mix all ingredients until smooth.  Frost cupcakes and enjoy. 

 

 

 (we also served these oreo cookies and s'more pops)

 

I think its safe to say the birthday kiddos loved the cupcakes :)









Homemade Fudge Sauce, Peanut Butter, & Banana Milkshake

So Pregnancy does crazy things to you!  Besides what it does to your body, it sometimes causes you to crave the most outrageous things!  For example, I had a craving for chocolate, spaghetti, coconut chicken tenders (which you saw yesterday) and peanut butter all at the same time :)  So needless to say you will be seeing some new recipes over the next week! 

So I wanted to recreate a recipe that I absolutely Loved when I was younger.  Lets just say that only half of the dessert turned out the way that I wanted it to and the other half was a complete failure :(  So, I will just share part of the recipe with you and save the rest of it for another day when it actually turns out! 

Not only am I sharing the milkshake recipe with you but I will be sharing my sister-in-laws AMAZING recipe for homemade fudge sauce (which I used in my milkshake. Pure Heaven!)

Recipe:

For the Homemade Fudge:

1 (14oz) can sweetened condensed milk

1 wrapped square of Bakers unsweetened chocolate (if you don't have Bakers chocolate on hand you can use 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips)

1 stick Butter

Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low-medium heat.  Once the butter is melted, turn the heat off and immediately stir in the chocolate till it melts.  Then stir in the sweetened condensed milk till it is all well combined.  Serve over anything :) Seriously!

Recipe:

For the Milkshake:

1 Pint of Vanilla ice cream

1 medium banana (sliced)

1-1/2 Tbsp. creamy peanut butter

4-5 Tbsp. Homemade Fudge

Milk (I used about 1/4 cup to get the consistency I wanted but you could use less or more depending on the texture that you like)

Mix all the above ingredients together in a blender till smooth. Makes 2 milkshakes. 

*I just realized that I forgot to share with you all that we will be expecting another...
Due the middle of May! We couldn't be more excited!!!

Recipe Source: Fudge Sauce-My sister in law Kim, Milkshake-Me

Chocolate Wonder

I hope everybody had a wonderful and merry christmas! We had a very relaxing and quiet christmas this year, we missed our family and friends like crazy but we still had a good time just the 3 of us.  We drank lots of hot cocoa, watched lots of christmas movies and had a HUGE feast on christmas.  We have been eating leftovers ever since and will continue to eat ham for awhile longer :)

This dessert goes way back in my family and my husbands family.  It is such an easy dessert to throw together and it is always a crowd pleaser.  I normally top the dessert with chocolate shavings (but The Hubs had a hayday making all sorts of different kinds of Smore's and used up all my chocolate bar. A story for another time :) so I opted for these delicious cadbury mini jingle bells. I must say they still got the job done.

Recipe:

For the Crust:

1/2 cup butter (1 stick softened)

1 cup flour

1/4 cup Walnuts (chopped into small pieces)

For the Cream Filling:

1 (8oz) cream cheese (softened)

1 cup powder sugar

1 cup cool whip

For the Pudding Layer:

2 (4oz) boxes of Instant chocolate pudding

4 cups of cold milk

For the Topping:

1 (8oz) container of Cool Whip 

Chocolate Shavings or any sort of chocolate candy (you can use holiday assorted candies to make it festive)

Or chopped up walnuts

Soften the stick of butter in a medium bowl, then mix in the cup of flour and chopped nuts till well incorporated.  Press firmly into the bottom of a lightly greased 9x13 baking dish and bake at *350 for 10-13 minutes.  Let cool completely before topping.
Next, soften the cream cheese (I put mine in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds) then using a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese till smooth.  Mix in the cup of powdered sugar. Fold in the cool whip.  Spoon the filling over the crust and smooth with a spatula till even. 
In a large bowl, mix together the pudding packets and milk and whisk together for 2-3 minutes then allow the pudding to set up about 5 minutes in the fridge.  Layer the pudding over the cream cheese mixture and smooth with a spatula.
Lastly, I top the pudding with the cool whip and chocolate shavings right before I serve it.  Allow the dish to set up in the refridgerator a couple of hours before serving. Enjoy!

(SIDENOTE: YOU CAN SUBSTITUE THE CHOCOLATE PUDDING FOR BANANA PUDDING AND ADD A LAYER OF FRESH BANANAS INBETWEEN THE CREAM AND PUDDING LAYERS)

 

Im Back!!! Pumpkin Crumble Bars

Wow it has been WAY TOO LONG!  I have totally fallen off the blogging bandwagon and I have missed it SO much!!!  So much has happened in the past couple of weeks.  We moved into our new apartment that we will be in for the next year till we move home to Utah for good :)!  

Also, we found out that we will be expecting another little one in May and we couldn't be more excited!!!!  I'm just hoping that I don't get sick with this one, cause I couldn't cook a thing for months when I was pregnant with Lily!  Everything except for chocolate milk, apple juice, and cheese made me sick!!! Plus, even blogger has changed since I've blogged last :)

So since it is September and pretty much starting to be fall everywhere except here in Houston :), I decided to make one of my VERY favorite desserts, Pumpkin Crumble Bars.  I could eat these babies in the middle of the summer they are so good!  I am totally one of those people though that don't feel that it has to be a certain holiday or time of year to enjoy good food.  If you like it then make it whenever you feel like it if you have access to all of the ingredients!

Recipe:

1 box yellow cake mix

1 stick butter (divided)

1 (16 oz) can pure pumpkin (Not pumpkin pie mix)

1 cup sweetened condensed milk

2 eggs

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1/4 tsp. ground ginger

1/8 tsp. ground cloves

1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. cinnamon for topping

1/3 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Preheat the oven to *350.  Lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish.

Measure 2 cups of the cake mix and 3 Tbsp. of chilled butter into a bowl and using a pastry blender (or a fork) cut in the butter to the cake mix till it becomes a crumbly mixture.  Press firmly into the 9x13 baking dish.

Next, mix together the spices, eggs, milk, and pumpkin until well incorporated.  Pour over the crust.  

Next using a measuring cup, measure cup by cup, the remaining cake mix into a bowl.  For every remaining cup of cake mix, you will use 3 Tbsp. of melted butter to pour over the top to make it crumbly when it bakes.  (I had about 1-3/4 cups remaining cake mix so I used a total of 5 Tbsp. of butter, the rest of the stick)  Add the 1/2 tsp. cinnamon to the cake mix and stir till well mixed.  If using nuts, add the nuts also.  

Sprinkle the mix over the pumpkin.  Melt the butter and pour over the top of the mix and bake for 40-45 minutes.  Serve with whipped cream.  Enjoy!!!

(recipe source: Our Best Bites)

Mud Hen Bars

I should seriously change the name of this blog to Muriel Bakes! Gosh, I sure do bake a lot don't I!  I hope that once we get moved into our new place that I will get the motivation to start cooking again.  

Anyways, I was browsing through Pinterest the other day, when I came across this delicious looking bar recipe that I knew at once I HAD to make!  These were AMAZING!  I know I say that about everything, but I'm really not messing around this time.  These bars are good!!!  I had all the ingredients on hand too which worked out perfectly for my crazy craving :)  So here my friends, is one delicious recipe that you can all whip up for those get togethers you may have planned for the weekend!  Enjoy!

Recipe:

1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs, divided (1 egg, 2 yolks, and 2 egg whites)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (I added this)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup mini marshmallows
1 cup chopped nuts (I left these out)
1 cup light brown sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x13 pan and set aside.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together butter and granulated sugar until creamy. Beat in 1 whole egg and 2 egg yolks (put aside the whites for later.) Beat in the vanilla extract.

3. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Blend until just combined. Spread mixture into 9x13" pan. Sprinkle with marshmallows, chocolate chips, and nuts-if using.

4. Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Gently fold in the brown sugar. Spread mixture evenly over marshmallows and chocolate chips. Bake for about 30 minutes or until bars are a deep golden brown. Let bars cool completely. Cut into squares and serve

(Recipe Source: Two Peas & Their Pod)

Amazing Ooey Gooey Chocolate Brownie Bars

We have been having so much fun these past couple of days!  It was the LO's first Gymnastics class!  We had so much fun watching her run around all crazy and excited, wanting to try out every area of the gym!  I swear she was born to be a little gymnast!  This little girl has been doing the splits, somersaults, and dancing all over the place since she was about one, so it was about time she started a gymnastics class.

  

Also, over the next couple of weeks, I'm going to try and use up every thing in my cupboards so we have less stuff to move, so you can bet that the first thing I made was a treat!  I know hard to believe right? :)  I came across this recipe on Tasty Kitchen, and it worked out perfectly.  I used up 3 things that I now won't have to move :)  And can I just say these pictures really don't do these bars justice! They were so chocolatey, and gooey, and absolutely Delicious!  The perfect treat when you get a chocolate craving.

 Recipe:

1 box Chocolate Cake Mix

3 whole eggs, divided

1 cup butter (melted), divided

8oz cream cheese (softened)

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2-1/4 cups powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to *350.  In a large bowl, mix together the cake mix, 1 egg, and 1/2 cup melted butter.  Batter will be thick.  Press firmly into a buttered 9x13 baking dish.

Next beat cream cheese till fluffy.  Mix in the powdered sugar, 2 eggs, cocoa powder, 1/2 cup melted butter, and 1 tsp vanilla.  Pour over the cake layer.

Place into the preheated oven and bake for 35-40 minutes.  Center will be gooey.  Sprinkle with powdered sugar.  ENJOY!

Peach Cobbler

While my mom was in town we were having a girls movie night and decided that we wanted a treat to eat during the movie.  I decided to whip up this quick and easy cobbler that I knew everyone would love and I wouldn't have to spend all night in the kitchen either.  Seriously if you are looking for a quick and easy treat well look no further than this cobbler! 

Recipe:

1 box yellow cake mix

1/2 cup of butter (1 stick)

1 large can of sliced peaches (slightly drained) (If you are using fresh peaches you will need about 2-1/2 cups)

Pour the sliced canned peaches, juice and all, into an 8x8 baking dish.  Sprinkle the unprepared package of cake mix over the peaches.  Next, slice the stick of butter and place thin slices all over the top of the cake mix.  Bake @ *350 for 30-40 minutes or until the top of the cake is lightly golden brown.  Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.  

Oven Baked Ribs and a Festive Dessert Perfect for the 4th of July.

Who ever knew that Baby Back Ribs could be so easy and SO Delicious!  These were so easy to make that I think I just might whip some more of these up for the holiday this weekend.  Since we live in an apartment right now, and do not currently have a grill right outside our back door, these brought the flavor of the grill that I was looking for and INSIDE the comfort of my home.  I served our ribs with twice baked potatoes that were equally just as delicious! They paired perfectly together.

Now if you are looking for a great dessert for the 4th of July, well, look no further because this strawberry shortcake is so tasty and Oh so Festive!

Recipe for the Ribs:

1 rack of Baby Back Ribs

1 Tbsp. of Weber Smokey Mesquite Seasoning

1 (18oz) bottle of Sweet Baby Rays hickory Brown Sugar Bbq Sauce 

Place the rack of ribs in a 9x13 baking dish.  Sprinkle the ribs with the Weber Seasoning.  Pour half of the bottle of bbq sauce over the ribs and cover the dish tightly with tin foil and place in the oven @ *400 and bake for 90 minutes.  When the 90 minutes is up remove the foil, pour the remaining bbq sauce over the top of the ribs, and place back into the oven and bake for 15 more minutes.  Serve with twice baked potatoes or a green salad.

For the Red White & Blue Strawberry Shortcake:
For the Shortcakes/Biscuits: (*Note if you just want biscuits only use 1 Tbsp. sugar)
2 cups Flour
4 tsp. Baking Powder
3 Tbsp. Sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup milk
1 egg

For the Cream:
1 pint of heavy Cream
2-3 cups of powdered sugar
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
1 container of blue food coloring

Combine all of the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.  Using a pastry cutter, cut in the butter till the mixture becomes crumbly.  Beat together the egg and the milk and stir into the dry ingredients and stir till barely blended.  Drop 3-4 Tbsp. of the dough onto a lightly greased or lined baking sheet.  Bake @*400 for 10-12 minutes or until the tops are lightly browned.  Let cool completely before arranging the shortcakes.

Beat together the heavy cream, vanilla, powdered sugar, and blue food coloring till stiff peaks form.

Take the cooled shortcakes and slice them in half.  Layer the cream, then strawberries, then the other half of the biscuit, and then top off with another dollop of cream.  Enjoy!

I hope you all have a Wonderful 4th of July weekend!!! 

Cake Batter Rice Krispies

K, so I have majorly been trying to avoid the whole "pinterest" thing, because I knew once I started I would never want to stop! And lets just say; I AM ADDICTED! There are so many talented people out there that are so creative and have the greatest ideas! 

While I was browsing through all of the amazing boards, I came across so many different recipes that I immediately bookmarked.  These rice krispies just happen to be one of the many things that I had on my 

"Must-Make" list.  I just happen to have a yellow cake mix on hand and some rice krispies, so I gave them a whirl and I must say that they were quite good! Every one ate them up real quick. They would be a great treat to serve at any party or get together.

Recipe:

4 Tbsp. Butter 

1 (10oz) bag of mini marshmallows

1/4 cup yellow cake mix

6 cups of rice krispies

1 (1.75oz) jar of sprinkles

In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and marshmallows together stirring consistently.  While the marshmallows are melting, slowly add in the cake mix till everything is well incorporated.  

Once everything is melted, stir in the rice krispies and most of the bottle of sprinkles (reserve just a few sprinkles to sprinkle over the tops for some rice krispie "jewelry". 

Store in an airtight container.  That's if there are any left to store :)

(Recipe Source: How Sweet Eats)

Old Fashioned Oatmeal Cake

I came across this recipe awhile back and was intrigued by its ingredients. I am a major coconut fan, so when I noticed that it had a broiled coconut topping I was sold!  It called for oatmeal in the cake so I thought, why not give it a try, I mean it's got oatmeal in it, it has to be somewhat healthy, right.

I will be honest, this was not my favorite dessert, but maybe it's because it was slightly healthy? Ha ha no is that sad that I admitted that! And it's even sadder because it's not really that healthy! Anyways, I am posting this because even though it wasn't my favorite dessert, my husband and everyone else that tried it, LOVED IT! So I hope this cake makes one of you out there happy :)

Recipe:

For the Cake:

1-1/2 cup Quick cooking Rolled Oats

1-1/4 cup boiling water

1 cup sugar

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 cup butter (softened)

1 tsp. Vanilla

3 whole Eggs

1-1/2 cup all purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

For the Broiled Topping:

2/3 cup firmly packed Brown sugar

1/4 cup butter (melted)

1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

1 cup pecans (chopped)

In a small bowl combine the oats and the boiling water. Remove from heat and and let stand for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile heat the oven to *350 and lightly grease and flour a 9x13 pan.

In a large bowl, cream together the sugar and butter.  Add in the vanilla and eggs and blend well.  Add in the oatmeal and the remaining cake ingredients; mix well.  Pour the batter into the greased pan. Bake @*350 for 35-45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. 

For the topping, in a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, butter, and whipping cream. Beat at high speed until smooth. Stir in the coconut and the nuts. Spoon over the warm cake. spread to cover. 

Broil for 1-2 minutes, about 4-6 inches from the heat, and let broil till the topping is bubbly and light golden brown.  Cool for 1 hour or until completely cooled. 

(Recipe Source: Tasty Kitchen)

Luscious Layers

There is this great little restaurant in a town south of ours back home in UT that is called Daltons.  The first time I ate there was with my in-laws, and I have eaten there many times since with my husband. They have the ultimate comfort food there.  Dishes like chicken fried steak,  the best prime rib you will ever eat,  and all of there meals come with a great little salad and some yummy sides to choose from. Gosh, just thinking about this place is making me so hungry! 

Anyways, the thing that always keeps me coming back for more, is there dessert!!!! Wow, do they have good desserts or what! They have the best pumpkin crumble bars, amazing cheesecakes, but one of our favorites is their Luscious Layers.  It's graham crackers layered with delicious pudding then topped off with a homemade chocolate sauce! YUM! It seriously is so good!  This recipe is great cause it serves a bunch of people so it's great for all those upcoming summer get-together's that are to be had.

Recipe:

3-4 pkgs. of Graham Crackers

1 (4oz) packet of Instant Vanilla Pudding

1 (4oz) packet of Instant Cheesecake Pudding

4 cups Cold Milk

8 oz cool whip

1/3 cup un-sweetened cocoa powder

1 cup sugar

1 stick (8tbsp.) butter

1/4 cup milk

1 tsp. vanilla

Combine both packages of puddings together with the 4 cups of cold milk and whisk together till it becomes a thick consistency. (about 3-5 minutes).  Once the pudding is all set up, fold in the cool whip.  

In a 9x13 pan layer the graham crackers, then pudding, and repeat till there are 3 layers of pudding and finish with a layer of graham crackers.

Next, bring the cocoa, sugar, butter, and milk to a boil over medium heat for 1 minute. Remove from heat and add vanilla.  Pour the chocolate sauce over the top of the graham crackers. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

(recipe source: My sister-in-law Kim)

Smore's Bars

I have been craving summer lately... Even though where I live, the weather would have you believing that it was summer right now,  I have been craving things like boating, hiking, and camping. You know, summer things!  So since I can't have the campfire and camping right now, I thought I would bring it to us! These smore's bars seriously might just be my new favorite treat! And that's saying something considering what a sweet eater that I am! These bars along with my tin-foil dinners (recipe to come tomorrow) had us all singing around the kitchen table (ok, not really. But that would have been fun!)

Recipe:
1/2 cup butter (1 stick softened)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/3 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
5-6 regular sized Hershey bars (or for a more prominent chocolate flavor use 2 king size Hershey bars)
1 (7oz) jar Marshmallow Fluff (next time I am going to use 2 jars to make it more marshmallowy)

Preheat the oven to *350.  Lightly grease an 8x8 baking dish.

Cream together the butter, sugars, egg, and vanilla. Beat till well incorporated.  Next, mix together the flour, graham cracker crumbs (to get crumbs, I chopped mine in the food processor) salt, and baking powder. Slowly add to the creamed butter mixture.  Press half of the mixture into the prepared pan.

Next, lay out the chocolate bars (you may have to break them apart to fit in the pan) On top of that, evenly spread the marshmallow cream. Now this next part can be a little tricky. I just used my hands and flattened the remainder dough to fit over the top of the marshmallow.

Bake for 25-30 minutes.  Let cool completely.

(recipe source: The Girl Who Ate Everything) 

Lemon Cake w/a Lemon Frosting

I made this cake for Easter and it was the perfect dessert to ring in Spring!  It was such a moist cake with the most luscious creamy lemon frosting that you would ever lay your lips on!  I think that this would be the perfect cake to make for all those Mother's out there this Sunday for Mother's Day!  

I am so sad that we are not going to be able to share this Mother's Day with our moms!  I just have to say that I have been truly blessed with the most amazing mom a girl could ask for!  She has taught me so  much throughout the years and has been the best example of what a mom should be!  She is the one who has inspired me to have a love for cooking and baking. She is truly one AMAZING cook.  I have also been blessed with the most kind and loving Mother-in-law.  She too is one of the most AMAZING cooks and has taught me a lot about cooking also.  We love you MOM and hope that you have the most amazing Mother's Day because you guys deserve it!

Happy Mother's day to all you moms out there!!! I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Recipe:

For the Cake:

1 Lemon Cake Mix

1 (4oz) package of Instant Lemon Pudding

1 cup Sour Cream

3/4 cup Water

3/4 cup Oil

4 whole Eggs

For the Lemon Buttercream Frosting:

1 cup (2 sticks) Butter (softened)

6-8 cups Powdered Sugar

1/2 cup Fresh Lemon Juice

1 tsp. Lemon Zest

Mix together the cake mix and the pudding packet.  Mix in the sour cream, water, oil, and eggs and beat on medium speed for about 2 minutes.  Pour into 2 greased Round cake pans (or a 9x13).

Bake @ *350 for 30-40 minutes.  When a toothpick comes out CRUMBLY not CLEAN then the cake is done.  Cool in pans for about 5 minutes, than transfer to a wire cooling rack and let cool completely. 

For the frosting, blend together the butter, lemon juice, zest, and 4 cups of powdered sugar till smooth. Slowly add in more sugar till spreading consistency. I used about 6 cups.  Place the 1st layer onto a cake plate and spread a thin layer of frosting over the top.  Place the 2nd layer on top of that and frost the top and all the sides of the cake!  Serve with a strawberry for garnish and a big glass of milk! Enjoy!

(Recipe Source: An old co-worker Keveny)

Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

Ok, Ok, so I have been Baking alot! A real lot! I really don't know what my deal is other than I've been coming across some pretty darn good looking recipes and I really just can't help myself!  I really need to learn to control myself and just stick to drooling over the pictures instead of the actual dessert... 

Anyways, enough about my large waistline, lets get back to the recipe.  These beauties are so simple to make and REALLY simple to eat.  Oh and did I mention they are chocolate and peanut butter; pretty much one of the best combinations out there!

Recipe:
For the crust and topping:
1 box yellow cake mix
1 stick butter (melted)
1 cup creamy peanut butter
2 eggs

For the chocolate filling:
1 (12oz) pkg chocolate chips ( I used semi-sweet but milk chocolate would work great too)
1 can sweetened condensed milk
2 Tbsp. butter
2 tsp. vanilla

For the crust, combine all ingredients and press into a lightly greased 9x13 baking dish, reserving
1 1/2 cups of the mixture to crumble over the top.

Over low heat, melt the choco chips, milk, and butter. Once melted stir in the vanilla.  Pour chocolate mixture over the crust  and crumble remaining cake mixture over the filling.  Bake @*350 for 20-25 minutes.  Cool completely before eating.  (I liked the flavor of the bars best when they were completely cooled)

(Recipe Source: Christy@The Girl Who Ate Everything Blog)

Everything's Bigger in Texas...

I seriously love Texas Sheet Cake! Love it!!!! And now that we are living here, I felt it was only necessary to enjoy a BIG piece of a Large Texas Sheet Cake, and what better to serve it with than Texas's one and only Blue Bell Ice Cream!  Ok, I know, a little over board on the whole Texas thing, but how else could I justify just making a large sheet cake in the middle of the week for no reason?  I highly suggest you all go make yourselves a large cake, in the middle of the week, for no reason at all, other than to stuff your faces with it!  I swear that's not what I did....

Recipe:

For the Cake:

2 cups Sugar

2 cups Flour

1 tsp. Baking Soda

1/2 tsp. Salt

2 whole Eggs

1/2 cup sour cream

1 cup Butter (2 sticks)

1/4 cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

1 cup Water

For the Frosting:

1 stick Butter

1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp. Milk

1 tsp. Vanilla

6 cups Powdered Sugar

4 heaping Tbsp. Cocoa Powder

Stir together the sugar, flour, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.  With a mixer, mix in your eggs and sour cream and beat on low.  Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat and add in the cocoa and water and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and slowly add the hot mixture into the sugar/flour mixture mixing on low.

Pour the batter into a lightly greased jelly roll pan (12x17).  Bake for 18-20 minutes @*375.  Let the cake cool for about 10-15 minutes before frosting.

For the frosting, melt the butter in a medium pot over med. heat. Add in the milk and bring to a boil. Remove immediately from the heat and add in the vanilla, cocoa powder, and powdered sugar. Beat till smooth. Spread over the sheet cake with a knife.  Served best with Blue Bell Vanilla Ice Cream.

(Recipe Source: Food Nanny)  

Vanilla Pudding & Strawberry Trifle

So the other day when I made Golden Pound Cake, I got a little carried away and decided to use the leftover cake to make a few mini Strawberry Trifles. Oh they were soooo yummy! Kinda wish I would've just made one large trifle to begin with it was that good. Kinda wishing I had one right now... Kinda thinking to myself that I may have myself a problem... and kinda thinking that the only way to fix that problem would be to go make another trifle...  

Recipe:
For the Cake:
Find recipe here

For the Vanilla Pudding:

3 Tbsp. Cornstarch

1/2 cup Sugar

1/8 tsp. Salt

3 cups Milk (whole is best)

3 egg Yolks

1 tsp. Vanilla

2 Tbsp. Butter

For the Cream:

1 cup Heavy Whipping Cream

1/2-3/4 cup sugar

1 pound of strawberries (washed and sliced)

Combine the first 5 ingredients together in a large saucepan and whisk over medium heat.  Whisk consistently bringing the pudding to a boil and boiling for 2 minutes (the pudding will begin to thicken at this point)  Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla and butter.  

Cool the pudding in the fridge for a couple of hours.  Meanwhile, slice the strawberries, whip up the cream till stiff peaks form, and cut the cake into bite sized cubes.  When the pudding is cool enough; either in 1 large trifle bowl or 4 glasses; layer the pudding, then cake, then strawberries, and then repeat. When you have reached about 3/4 way to the top, top off the trifle with whipped cream and a couple of whole strawberries.

(Recipe Source: My own)

Golden Pound Cake

This past weekend with it being General Conference for our church, I wanted to have a really nice Sunday dinner and a dessert that was a little more on the light side (it's sad that I consider any cake to be on the lighter side, I mean who am I kidding, any dessert that I make is most likely NOT going to be Light at all!) Anyways, I had a bunch of strawberries on hand so I thought, what better to make than a pound cake paired with some strawberries and cream.  

Recipe:

1/2 cup butter (softened)

1/2 cup shortening

3 cups sugar

5 eggs

2 3/4 cup flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup milk

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. almond extract

Cream together the butter, shortening, and sugar.  Add eggs 1 at a time to the sugar mixture, mixing well after each egg.  Add the dry ingredients, alternating with the milk and flavorings to the sugar mixture.  Pour into a 12 cup greased and floured bundt pan.  Bake @ *325 for an hour and 15 minutes.  Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes than finish cooling on a cooling rack.  Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with strawberries and cream.

(Recipe Source: My lovely Mom)  

Cocoa Rice Krispie Treats a Classic

So we have a busy weekend ahead of us with "The Final Four" college basketball games pretty much right around the corner and then our church's General Conference also this weekend, we have got lots going on!

So what better to make while watching all of these lovely programs than the classic Rice Krispie treat, (well almost classic) we like ours with cocoa krispies and chocolate chips throughout. Seriously whip up a batch of these bad boys this weekend.  I promise you wont be let down!

Recipe:

3 Tbsp. Butter (melted)

1 (16 oz) bag marshmallows (we like ours extra gooey)

5-6 cups Cocoa Krispies Cereal

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

In a large pot, melt the butter and marshmallows, stirring constantly to avoid any burning (about 5 minutes) When melted stir in the cereal and chocolate chips. Transfer to a lightly buttered 9x13 dish and press down to form the treats. Let the treats cool and set up about an hour (or if you are like us you eat them straight out of the pan as soon as they are cool enough to eat!)

Happy Friday and hope you all have an amazing weekend!

Carrot Cupcakes

Oh how I love Carrot Cake. I don't really have much more to 

say about it than I just love it with my whole heart!

I love it just plain too, no raisins or pineapple or nuts.

(well maybe a few nuts sprinkled on top)

Recipe:

For the cake:

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

1 1/2 cups vegetable oil

2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cloves

1/2 tsp all-spice

2 tsp cinnamon

3 cups carrots (shredded)

1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

1 (8 oz) Cream cheese

1 stick butter (8 Tbsp)

1 pound powdered sugar

2 tsp vanilla

Cream together the sugar, eggs, and oil. Sift together the flour, salt, b. powder, b. soda, and spices and mix into the sugar mixture and stir till batter is slightly lumpy. Do not over mix. Fold in the shredded carrots. Heat oven to *350. Pour into lined cupcake tins and bake for 16-18 minutes checking with a toothpick to make sure they are done. (if you are baking a cake, for a 9x13 bake for 40-45 minutes. For 2 round cake pans bake for 30-35 minutes.) 

For the frosting, soften the butter and cream cheese and cream together till smooth. Mix in the powdered sugar and vanilla. In a pastry bag (or sturdy plastic baggie) pipe frosting onto the cupcakes. Top off cupcakes with either chopped nuts, chocolate chips, or some carrot shavings.

(Recipe Source: My Dear Mother)