Snickers Bars

It looks like a stuffed brownie and tastes like a really amazing stuffed brownie. That's what confuses me. How is it that when you take a chocolate cake mix and add butter and sweetened condensed milk does it somehow transform into a brownie and no longer a cake? But it is still a cake that tastes like a brownie. Have I confused you yet?

My Wayne loves snicker bars! So when I came across this recipe I immediately thought of him. Of course, they don't really taste like a snickers bar. They just have the same goodies inside. You know, like the caramel and peanuts and chocolate..... Heaven!

1 box chocolate cake mix

3/4 cup melted butter

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 (14 oz) package of caramels found in the candy isle

1 cup peanuts

1 cup milk chocolate chips

Mix the chocolate cake mix with melted butter and 1/3 cup of the sweetened condensed milk. It will be super thick. Spread 2/3's of this mixture into the bottom of an ungreased 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 for 7 minutes.

Meanwhile, unwrap the caramels and put in a microwave safe bowl. Add 1/3 cup of the sweetened condensed milk and microwave for 1 minute. Stir. Microwave for 45 seconds. Stir. Microwave for 30 second or so until the caramel mixture is super smooth.

Sprinkle the chocolate chips on the hot cooked cake mixture as soon as it comes out of the oven. Pour on the caramel sauce as evenly as you can. Next comes the peanuts. Make it pretty. The last layer, drop on the remaining cake mixture. Oh wait! Remember how we only used 2/3 cup of the sweetened condensed milk? Well, I'm not a fan of wasting. So I tossed the rest of the can into the remaining cake mix mixture. It made it a little thinner for the top layer. Then I made sure to lick that can clean as well as the spoon. I LOVE SWEETENED CONDENSED MILK!

Okay, now bake it for another 16-18 minutes.

MAKE SURE YOU LET IT COOL BEFORE CUTTING! The caramel needs time to harden a little. So just be patient and drool over it for about 2 hours.

Enjoy your brownie-like-deliciousness!

Pastel Easter Candies

1/4 cup granulated sugar
Food coloring of choice
1/4 cup butter, softened
4 ounces regular cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon flavor extract of choice*
4 cups powdered sugar (1 pound)
2 1/2 cups shredded sweetened coconut (7 ounces)

Place 1-2 Tbsp granulated sugar in a small bowl, add a small drop of food color and stir to thoroughly mix and color the sugar. If color is too dark, add additional sugar. If color is too light, add more food coloring. *For fun, create a variety of colored sugars to match the extract flavoring used (yellow for lemon, orange for orange flavor, etc) Can also use Almond extract.

Soften butter and cream cheese, add flavor extract of choice* and powdered sugar; stir to blend. Add coconut and mix well (using clean hands or cookie dough attachment on a stand mixer).

Roll candy into small egg shapes then roll in colored sugar; place candy on a cookie sheet to set up. This is fun for the kids to help make! I will add a picture very soon!

Sugar Cookies

You know how some sugar cookies need frosting because they taste pretty much like flour? Well, these cookies stand alone. No frosting needed at all.

They are perfect!

This recipe came from my Great Grandma Genevieve Gilder that my little Genevieve was named after.

1 cup vegetable oil

1 cup butter, at room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup powdered sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 eggs

4 1/2 cups flour

With a mixer beat oil, butter, sugars, vanilla, cream of tartar, baking soda, and eggs until fluffy. Add flour. Refrigerate for at least an hour. Form dough into 1-inch balls, roll in sugar and place on ungreased cookie sheet. Press balls down slightly with a glass cup dipped in sugar. Bake at 350 for 8 minutes or so. The tops will not brown at all, but my bottoms did when I left them in too long, so watch them carefully. Cool on a flat surface.

And then I got creative...

This black raspberry ice cream from Dreyers is amazingly refreshing!

You know what else would be cuter? If I added a little sprinkles on the chocolate before it hardened. Or better yet, just use colored chocolate like yellow or pink or light blue. How Easter-ish would that look?!

Have fun. Get creative.

Triple Chocolate Oreo Bars

I found this on the blog: cookies and cups, this is a great blog for dessert/treat ideas!!! I made this at bunko for our dessert and it is super yummy!!!

1 16.6 oz pkg of Oreo cookies

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, melted
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
1 cup white chocolate chips, melted

Preheat the oven to 325°

Line a 9 x 13 pan with foil (shiny side down) and spray with non-stick spray.
Set aside 8 Oreo cookies.

Crush the remaining Oreos with either your food processor or in a ziplock bag with a rolling pin. (I did the ziplock method)

When the Oreos are crushed transfer them into a medium bowl and add your salt and melted butter, stirring to combine.
Press your Oreo mixture into your prepared pan.
Chop your remaining 8 Oreos into coarse pieces and set aside.

In a double boiler (a bowl fitted over a pan of boiling water) add your sweetened condensed milk, the semi-sweet chips, the milk chips and the vanilla. Stir until all melty.

(OR you could do this in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds until melted, I did it this way!)
Remove from heat

Pour your melted chocolate mixture over the Oreo crust.
Sprinkle the mini chocolate chips and the Oreo cookies chunks over the top of the filling.

Press down gently into the chocolate topping.

Bake for 20-22 minutes in preheated oven.

Cool pan on a wire rack for approx 1 hour.

Melt the white chocolate chips.

Drizzle the white chocolate over the top of the bars.
Chill in refrigerator until completely cooled, an hour or two.

Make sure they are completely cooled, otherwise they are a bit mushy...still delicious, but hard to cut.

When ready to serve, using the foil remove from the pan and cut into squares.
Enjoy the rich chocolatey taste!!! mmmmmmmm!

Grapefruit Cake

I cringed as soon as I saw my Bountiful Basket a few weeks ago. Two grapefruits? Really? Who really likes grapefruit anyway? I can't imagine any reason to eat one....until now.

This cake reminds me of a cake my mom makes for my brother, Brian. She uses orange juice in it then pokes the top after it's baked to pour on this amazing citrus glaze. Oh man...delicious!

The best part about this cake? It tastes nothing like a grapefruit. It just tastes citrus-y. It's quite refreshing.

Cake:

2 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 2/3 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 cup milk, not skim - you need that fat in there!

3/4 cup vegetable oil

1 tablespoon grapefruit zest

1 teaspoon vanilla

Grapefruit Syrup - Oh yum!:

1 cup strained fresh grapefruit juice

2/3 cup sugar

Grapefruit Icing:

3/4 cup powdered sugar

1 tablespoon or so fresh grapefruit juice

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 10x4 inch loaf pan with cooking spray.

Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl; set aside.

In a mixing bowl, combine sugar and eggs with an electric mixer. Mix for about 3 minutes. Be patient....you won't regret it! Add the milk, oil, zest and vanilla. Mix well. Slowly add in the dry ingredients. Pour it all into your prepped pan. Bake for an hour and ten minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

While it's baking make the syrup. Combine the juice and sugar in a small saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat until all the sugar has dissolved. Let cool a little.

As soon as the cake comes out of the oven take a skewer and poke lots of holes about an inch deep into the top of the cake. Pour on your syrup.

Now, you have got to let it cool before removing or slicing ! or else you will have a cake that looks a lot like this....

Not pretty at all, but oh my goodness, it tastes amazing!

One last thing, make your icing. Just stir together your powdered sugar and juice. Add more juice if needed and pour it all over the top. My mouth is salivating.

So, now I will no longer make a face when I spot those huge grapefruits in my basket. I'll actually smile because they'll give me an excuse to make this cake again.

Peanut Butter Truffle Brownies

These should be made with a warning, because they are fattening, unhealthy, so rich & soooo delicious! A lady in our ward brought us a plate of them & I had to get the recipe! Hers were so much prettier than mine (all of her layers were smooth & even), but I guess that comes with practice!

Brownie Base

1 box Betty Crocker Original Supreme brownie mix (this is the kind I used, but I think any boxed chewy brownie mix would work just fine).

water, vegetable oil and eggs called for on brownie mix

Filling

1/2 cup butter (yes it says a half cup of butter just for the filling)

1/2 cup creammy peanut butter

2 cups powdered sugar

2 teaspoons milk

Topping

1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips (I used milk chocolate chips because we are not semisweet at our house. Whatever floats your boat!)

1/4 cup butter (why yes that does say another one-fourth a cup butter just for the topping! Go big or go home!)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottom only of 13x9-inch pan with cooking spray or shortening. (I lined my pan with aluminum foil & sprayed the bottom of it. It made it easier at the end to cut the brownies because I just lifted them right out of the pan and I didn't have to wash the pan!)

In medium bowl, stir brownie mix, pouch of chocolate syrup, water, oil and eggs until well blended. Spread in pan. Bake 28 to 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted 2 inches from side of pan comes out almost clean. (Or just follow the directions on the back of the box which pretty much said the same thing.) Cool completely, about 1 hour.

In medium bowl, beat filling ingredients with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Spread mixture evenly over brownie base.

In small microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips and butter uncovered on high for 30 to 45 seconds; stir until smooth. Spread over filling. Refrigerate about 30 minutes or until set. Cut into small squares. The original recipe says to cover & store in refrigerator, but I like mine softer so I take a couple out of the fridge to warm up before I devour them.

I can only have one of them at a time (with a big glass of milk) because they are so sweet. This is definitely a treat to be shared with your neighbors!

Fiesta Chicken

I got this recipe off of a Reynolds Oven Bag Cooking Guide insert. It is one of our family's favorites!

1 Reynolds Oven Bag - Large Size

2 tablespoons flour

1 can (10 oz.) diced tomatoes with green chilies

2 tsp. chopped canned or fresh jalapeno pepper (optional)

6 chicken pieces

Seasoned salt

1 can (15 oz.) black beans, rinsed and drained

1 medium yellow or red bell pepper, cut in large chunks

Hot cooked rice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Shake flour in Oven Bag. Place bag in 13x9x2-inch baking pan with opening towards west side of pan. (Oddly specific, right?)

Add tomatoes and jalapeno, if desired, to oven bag; squeeze bag to blend in flour. Sprinkle chicken with seasoned salt; add to bag in an even layer. Arrange beans and yellow or red pepper around chicken.

Close oven bag with nylon tie. Cut six 1/2-inch slits in top of bag; tuck ends of bag in pan.

Bake 45 to 50 minutes until meat thermometer reaches 180 degrees. Serve over hot rice if desired.

The picture on the oven bag insert showed that they used bone in chicken legs and thighs. I always just use chicken breast tenderloins. Then I cut the cooking time to 35-40 minutes. When we don't have jalapenos, I just sprinkle a little bit of chili powder in to give it a little bit of heat. I also prefer red pepper over yellow pepper, but both are good. This recipe is definitely a keeper!

chocolate macadamia-nut tart

Martha Stewart is amazing and so are her recipes. Someday I want to be just like her.....well, sort of.

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My Tyler had a birthday this week and he decided that a birthday cake was too boring for his ten year old self. So, I brought down some of my favorite recipe books and this is what he picked. It's from a cookbook that my brothers bought me when I was like 15. I have always been fascinated by her food. This tart did not disappoint us. However, we did wish we had some vanilla ice cream to go with it. Next time.
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First you have to make a Pate Sucree - which is a Martha word for pie crust.

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ingredients:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 cup unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces

1 large egg yolk

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In a bowl, combine flour and sugar. Cut butter in with a pastry cutter until mixture resembles coarse meal.

In a small bowl, lightly beat egg yolk with 1/4 cup ice water. Add to butter/flour mixture and stir it up. To test, squeeze a small amount of dough together. If it is crumbly, add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time.

Make the dough into a ball. Flatten dough into a disk and wrap with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least an hour.

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Now lets make the filling.

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ingredients:

2 large eggs

1 cup sugar

1/2 tablespoon vanilla

1/2 cup flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled

6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped

2 1/2 cups (10 1/2 ounces) unsalted whole macadamia nuts

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On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a 14-inch circle. Fit dough into an 11-inch tart pan with removable bottom. Trim dough evenly along edge of pan; use the remaining trimmings to patch any thin spots. Chill for 30 minutes.

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Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar, and vanilla. Add flour and salt, then the butter. Stir in the chocolate. Pour into the chilled tart shell.

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Make sure you lick the spoon when done....it taste so much like cookies and cream ice cream!

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Cover the top with nuts, pressing them halfway into the filling.

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Bake for 10 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees; continue baking until crust and nuts brown, about 30-35 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Serve at room temperature. This recipe is better baked several hours in advance.

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Happy birthday Tyler!

Grilled Cheese with Apples

This is more of an idea than a recipe.....

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I was making our favorite grilled cheese with apples sandwich for lunch today and got to wondering, does anybody else love these? It crossed my mind that maybe you all have never even heard of such a thing. So, I thought I would share. You should really try it!

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Make sure to slice your unpeeled apples super thin and place cheese on both sides of them. The sweet juiciness of the apples and the buttery bread and salty cheese.

DELICIOUS!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake

Did you all watch Studio 5 a week or so ago? They made this cheesecake and I just had to try it! I'm so glad I did. It's amazing and very rich. You should definitely serve it in small slices.
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1 1/2 cups crushed Oreo cookies
4 (8oz) pkgs cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups (12 ounces) chocolate chips, semi-sweet or milk chocolate, divided
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter (I thought that couldn't possibly be enough so I made it 2/3 cup, delicious!)
2/3 cup heavy whipping cream
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Preheat oven to 350.
Press Oreo's into the bottom of a 10-inch spring-form pan. Bake for 7 minutes. Cool on wire rack while preparing cake.
Reduce oven to 300 degrees.
Beat cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until smooth, scraping down sides of the bowl as needed. Add eggs one at a time beating well after each addition. Divide batter equally between two bowls.
Melt 1 cup chocolate chips; stir into 1/2 of the cheesecake batter and pour batter into prepared crust. Microwave peanut butter until soft, about 45-60 seconds, and add to remaining batter and pour/spread on top of your chocolate layer.
Bake for 60-65 minutes or until center is almost set.
Cool on wire rack for an hour or so. Carefully run a knife around the sides of the pan and remove from pan. Place remaining chocolate chips in a bowl; bring cream to a boil in the microwave and pour over chocolate chips. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside for 5 minutes. Stir chips until completely smooth. Let sit to thicken a little then pour over cake. Use the back of a spoon to help it drip over the edges. Refrigerate overnight.
Delicious!!!

Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream

Well here is my first post! I hope it doesn't disappoint! My husband and I have been trying to do the whole diet thing, but I am a sugarholic & can't live without it! So when I found this low-fat, low calorie recipe, I had to try it!

3 cups sliced fresh strawberries

6 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese

2 cans (12 oz. each) fat-free evaporated milk

1 can (14 oz.) fat-free sweetended condensed milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup reduced-fat whipped topping

1. Place the strawberries in a blender or food processor; cover and process until smooth. In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add evaporated milk and condensed milk, vanilla and pureed strawberries; mix well. Fold in whipped topping.

2. The original recipe says to fill your ice cream maker two thirds full & refrigerate remaining mixture until ready to freeze. But all of my mixture fit in my maker with a lot of room to spare so I just did it all at once. Freeze according to your ice cream maker's directions. Allow to ripen in ice cream freezer or firm up in your refrigerator freezer for 2-4 hours before serving.

I did not use fat-free sweetened condensed milk because I couldn't find any (does it really exist?). So my version has a few more calories than the original which was 234 calories for 3/4 cup. I poured my ice cream into a large tupperware container & freezed it in my freezer. I tried it before I stuck it in the freezer, it tasted like a really thick smoothie. It was really yummy, but it was even better frozen! It reminded me a little bit of frozen yogurt. My boys gobbled it up & begged for more. I didn't even feel guilty giving them an extra scoop, and I didn't feel too guilty taking one myself!

Pulled Pork Sandwiches

2-3 lb pork roast (thawed)
Small bottle of BBQ Sauce (Sweet Baby Ray's or KC Masterpiece Original)
1/4-1/2 cup honey
1/4-1/2 cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp water
Slices of smoked provolone cheese
French bread or french rolls (tougher bread doesnt get soggy as fast)

Put the water in a crock pot. Put thawed roast in the crock pot. Pour BBQ Sauce all over the roast. Pour honey on the roast. Sprinkle brown sugar on the roast. Cook on low for 4 hours. Turn the roast over. Spoon some of the sauce on top. You can put some more honey and brown sugar on top if you want (I do). Cook on low for 4 more hours. Shred pork when done. Put on bread or a roll with 1-2 slices of cheese on the meat, it melts a little and is so yummy!!! This is just as good as or better than Cafe Rio's sweet pork!!!

Homemade Thin Mint Cookies

I just made these for our Girls Night tonight.

I can't wait to share them!!!

They're perfectly crisp in the middle just like the

REAL THING!

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Original recipe taken from Bakingbites.com

However, I did change it up a bit.

makes about 4 dozen

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Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups flour

1/4 cup cornstarch

6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup butter, at room temperature

1/3 cup milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon peppermint extract

1/2 a block of chocolate almond bark

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In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, cocoa and salt. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add milk and extracts. Mixture will look curdled. Slowly add in the flour mixture until fully incorporated.

Shape dough into two logs about 2 inches in diameter, wrap in plastic wrap and freeze for 1-2 hours, until dough is firm.

Preheat oven to 375. Slice dough into 1/4 inch slices or less and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. You can place them pretty close together because they don't spread while baking.

Bake for 13 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack before dipping in chocolate.

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Chop up your almond bark and place it in a mug. Heat in the microwave for 60 seconds, stir and continue cooking for another 30 seconds. Stir it up again. Dip your cookies into the chocolate and use a fork to remove. Let excess chocolate drip off. Place on foil or parchment paper to cool and harden.

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Personally, I love to eat my thin mints frozen.

They are delicious!

Spiced Coffee Cake

I'm not sure where you draw the line between breakfast and dessert, but this is worth making for both.

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Adapted from Better Homes and Garden
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2 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup butter, margarine, or shortening

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

2 eggs

1 1/3 cups buttermilk (or substitute sour milk)

1/2 cup chopped nuts (I used pecans)

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Grease bottom and sides of a 13x9-inch baking pan.

In a large bowl combine flour, brown sugar, and salt. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs; set aside 1/2 cup. Stir in baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg into remaining crumb mixture. Add eggs and buttermilk. Pour into prepared pan. Combine reserved crumb mixture and nuts; sprinkle over batter.

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Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Serve warm.

Upside-Down Apple Pie

Let me preface this by saying: This is the best apple pie recipe - my new favorite! Basically, you make a praline layer on the bottom of the pie plate, lay out pie crust on top, add apples, top with pie crust. Then after baking, flip it over onto a serving dish and let all that caramelly goodness run onto and seep into the pie! MMMMmmm! As we speak, I am eating a piece leftover from yesterday and I think it might even be better today than it was yesterday! Next time you buy a bag of apples that sit in the refrigerator not getting eaten... peel em, chop em, and make this delicious apple pie!

Excuse the messy pictures... but my kids (and my husband) kept sneaking their forks (and fingers) into the pie to get one more bite. It was sure tasty!

Ingredients:

Double Pie Crusts (I cheated and bought)

6 tablespoons butter, melted, divided

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

8 cups thinly sliced peeled tart apple (about 1/8 inch thick)

Directions

Line a 9-in. deep-dish pie plate with heavy-duty foil, leaving 1-1/2 in. beyond edge; coat the foil with cooking spray. Combine 4 tablespoons butter, brown sugar and pecans; spoon into prepared pie plate.

In a large bowl, combine the sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, apples and remaining butter; toss gently.

Roll out one pie crust and place pastry over nut mixture, pressing firmly against mixture and sides of plate. Fill with apple mixture.

Roll out remaining pastry to fit top of pie; place over filling. Trim pie crusts to 1/4 in. beyond plate edge. Seal and flute edges. Cut four 1-in. slits in top pastry.

Bake at 375° for 50 minutes or until apples are tender and crust is golden brown. Cover edges with foil during the last 15 minutes to prevent overbrowning if necessary.

Cool for 15 minutes on a wire rack. Invert onto a serving platter; carefully remove foil.