Cookie Storage

Ah, don't forget about yummies in your food storage! What a great idea! I found this on none other than Pinterest, my fav! I loved this idea, I am going to try it here and I will post my pic's this weekend. I just loved the idea!

Source: todaysfabulousfinds.blogspot.com via Diana Allen - on Pinterest

Ok blog readers, so we are working hard at building our food storage. Now, they emphasize eat what you store, store what you eat. I don't know about your family but mine love sweets! Sugar! So we are always TRYING to keep a decent storage of chocolate, cookie making supplies, chocolate, sugar, etc. I am sharing some of my families favorite treat recipes along with the links of where they came from. Enjoy, and don't forget to add CHOCOLATE to your food storage ;)

Source: somethingswanky.com via Diana Allen - on Pinterest

Source: bakersroyale.com via Diana Allen - on Pinterest

Source: somethingswanky.com via Diana Allen - on Pinterest

Source: soapmomskitchen.com via Diana Allen - on Pinterest

Source: sixsistersstuff.com via Diana Allen - on Pinterest

Source: cravingsofalunatic.com via Diana Allen - on Pinterest

Source: tasteofhome.com via Diana Allen - on Pinterest

Hot Chocolate Cupcakes

I know this is really bad but I love Duncan Hines Cake Mix !! So I still get my duncan hines  and use my food storage and make it somewhat healthy here is the recipe for these really yummy cupcakes.

1 box devils food duncan hines cake mix
6 Tbsp egg powder + 9 Tbsp water (or you can use 3 eggs)
1 1/3 cup water
1/3 cup mashed black beans

mix all ingredients, pour into cupcake liners in muffin tin. Bake 350 for 20 min.

Hot Chocolate Butter Cream
My kiddos love lots of frosting (who doesn't)
so we doubled this recipe for the frosting.
1 cup shortening (we use butter flavored)
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cream of tartar
1 pound powdered sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 single serving hot chocolate mix or 2 Tbsp. of your own hot cocoa mix
whip until mixed well.

Chocolate Chip Peanut Granola Bars

Chocolate Chip Peanut Granola Bars

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup natural peanut butter
• 1/3 cup local honey
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 1 1/2 cups oats
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons wheat germ
• 1/2 cup ground flax seed
• 1/4 cup peanuts
• 1/4 cup chocolate chips

Steps:

1. Melt peanut butter, honey, and coconut oil together in a small sauce pan over low/medium heat, stirring constantly.  It only takes a minute or two to melt.
2. In mixing bowl, combine all other ingredients except for chocolate chips, and stir well.
3. Pour liquid mixture over dry mixture and stir til well combined.
4. Let cool in bowl for several minutes.
5. Place mixture into foil lined 8×8 pan and press down firmly.
6. Sprinkle chocolate chips over top and press down firmly with hands.
7. Place in fridge or freezer to set.
8. Flip the foil out onto cutting board and cut into desired bar sizes.  I like to cut a dozen rectangle shaped bars.
9. Store in fridge for best results.

Homemade Magic Shell Chocolate Sauce

8 ounces of chocolate (this can be from a bar or chocolate chips)
2 Tbsp coconut oil
Place coconut oil in double boiler and melt completely then break up chocolate in double boiler and melt until nice and smooth. Cool for about 10-15 min. Use over favorite ice cream

Pinewood Derby Cupcakes

So, I volunteered to make cupcakes for the pinewood derby for cubscouts and I baked from the time I got home from work - roughly about 515 until now just finished!! Well, mainly because I don't use box mixes I made them from scratch of course.  I got this idea off Pinterest, love it! Hope the boys like them!

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Pie PopTarts

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Pie Pop Tarts

Ingredients:

Filling:

2 Pillsbury pie crusts to make it easier

4 oz. cream cheese, room temperature

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup canned pumpkin

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Maple Glaze:

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon maple syrup

2 tablespoons milk

Chocolate Topping:

1/2 cup chocolate morsels

vegetable oil

re-sealable plastic bags

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix cream cheese, sugar, canned pumpkin, remaining 2 eggs, vanilla and pumpkin pie spice together until thoroughly combined.

On a lightly-floured surface, roll pie crust ¼ inch thick. Use a pizza cutter to cut pie dough into same-sized rectangles, approximately 4 inches tall by 3 inches wide. You could really make these any size you want, Mine were all different sizes. If you're using store-bought Pillsbury roll out crusts, they may need to be rolled a little thinner, I'm not sure. I didn't use them.

Spoon a 1-3 Tablespoons of the pumpkin pie mixture on top of one of the rectangles. Gently place a second rectangle of pie dough on top. Secure edges together by pressing them gently with a fork. Transfer to a cookie sheet and bake in preheated oven for 12-15 minutes, or until the edges of the tart begin to brown slightly. Remove and cool.

To make the glaze, stir together all ingredients until a thick, spreadable consistency is reached. Spoon a thin layer of the frosting on top of cooled pumpkin pie tarts.

To decorate, melt chocolate in a heat-proof bowl in the microwave on medium. Heat in 30 second intervals, stirring in between until melted. Add a little vegetable oil to make the chocolate more liquid. Transfer to a re-sealable plastic bag and cut the corner off. Drizzle onto pop tarts, sprinkle with orange sprinkles.

Store in an air tight container. Best if eaten within 2-3 days. Keep refrigerated.

Candied Popcorn

Ingredients:

12 cups popped popcorn

1 (14 oz.) can Eagle Brand® Sweetened Condensed Milk

1 (3 oz.) package cherry or other flavored gelatin

Instructions

HEAT oven to 300ºF. Line large shallow roasting pan with heavy foil, extending foil over edges of pan. Butter foil.

REMOVE all unpopped popcorn. Pour popcorn into prepared pan. Keep warm in oven.

COMBINE sweetened condensed milk and dry gelatin in medium saucepan. Heat and stir over low heat until mixture is slightly thickened and bubbly, 4 to 5 minutes.

POUR mixture over popcorn. Stir gently to coat using a long-handled wooden spoon. Bake 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes. Carefully turn out onto large piece of lightly buttered foil. Cool. Break into pieces or clusters.

I found this at the Eagle Brand website!

Awesome Homemade Granola Bar Recipe - MUST TRY! Kids Fav!!

I've been searching for a good granola bar recipe, and I have loved this one! I hope you all enjoy it!

4 1/2 c rolled oats (regular, not quick)

1 c flour ( I like to use whole wheat flour)

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp vanilla

2/3 c butter, melted

1/2 c honey

1/3 c brown sugar, packed

1/2 c mini chocolate chips (raisins, craisins, other dried fruit, whatever you like!)

Combine all ingredients but the chocolate chips (or whatever you are putting in). Mix and then add the chocolate chips in and mix again. Press into a greased pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 18-22 minutes. Enjoy!!

**this is a basic recipe. . . if you like other things, try putting them in and make it your own recipe! Nuts, seeds, coconut, peanut butter. . . the options are endless!**

Here they are pressed into my pan. I made a double batch the other day and fit it in this pan. It makes them a little thicker, so I just cut them a little smaller

Once they've cooled off for a few minutes, cut them up to your desired size. They are VERY filling, so keep that in mind, especially if you have young kids.

Once they have cooled completely, I like to wrap them individually in plastic wrap and store them in a big ziplock bag. You can also use the snack size baggies to put each one in. What a yummy and healthy snack your kids have to come home to! (And yummy for mom, too!)

Pumpkin Millet Muffins

PUMPKIN MILLET MUFFINS
adapted from the rebar modern food cookbook

Ingredients
Egg replacer for 2 eggs
1/2 cup of olive oil
1 cup almond milk
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup milet
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
1 cup unbleached flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg or cloves or allspice

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Combine almond milk and vinegar in a small bowl and set aside for 5 minutes. Grease a large muffin pan (makes approx 15 muffins) and line with muffin cups if you like. Set aside. Prepare egg replacer as directed.
2. Combine egg replacer, almond milk, sugar, oil, and pumpkin in a large bowl and mix together, making sure there are no lumps of brown sugar. Stir in the oats. Toast millet in a hot dry skillet until lightly browned and fragrant. Toast the pumpkin seeds and add the millet and the seeds to the bowl. Set aside.
3. In a separate bowl, sift the dry ingredients together. Add the dry mix to the wet mix and gently stir to combine. Do not overmix, or the muffins will be dry and tough.
4. Fill the muffin cups generously with batter. Sprinkle tops with pumpkin seeds and bake for 25-30 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Sopapilla Cheesecake Bars

Ingredients:

-3 cans pillsbury butter crescent rolls

-2 (8oz) packages cream cheese (softened)

-1 cup sugar

-1 teaspoon vanilla

-1/4 cup butter (melted)

-Cinnamon & sugar



Instructions:

Unrolled and spread 1 & 1/2 can crescent rolls on bottom of un-greased pan. Combine softened cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla. Spread mixture over crescent rolls. Unroll and spread remaining crescent rolls over mixture. Spread melted butter over the top and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes.

**Edit 8.20.11: to save some calories (and dough...as in mulah! oh, the puns are endless...), I have found that I can actually cut the recipe down to 2 cans of crescent roll dough. Just spread the dough a bit thinner and you can still cover a 9x13 pan. I also use Neufchâtel in place of cream cheese (they're right next to each other on your grocer's shelf). It's 1/3 less fat (and a higher protein content) and you can't tell the difference one bit! There's no way you can pass this recipe as healthy, but this at least helps. :)

Sinful Cinnamon Muffins

You can make these big (using a regular sized cupcake pan), however you would have less cinnamon/sugar to muffin ratio. And I like crunch of the sugar on my muffin. Plus, you don't feel as bad eating 3 little ones instead of 1 big one! Trust me on this.

Cinnamon Breakfast Muffin Recipe:
(recipe adapted slightly from Pioneer Woman)

3 cup flour
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup butter flavored Crisco
2 eggs
1 cup milk
2 1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp cinnamon
2 sticks butter, melted

Mix one cup sugar with shortening until well blended. Add eggs.

In seperate bowl, mix flour, baking powder, salt, 1/2 tsp cinnamon and nutmeg. Add flour mixture alternately with milk to the creamed mixture. Beat well after each addition.

Lightly grease 18 muffin cups (or 48 mini muffins). Fill muffin cups half full. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20-25 minutes (minis for about 13-15 minutes).

While baking, melt 2 sticks of butter. In seperate bowl, mix sugar with cinnamon. Dip baked muffins in butter, coating thoroughly, then coat with cinnamon-sugar mixture. Eat, enjoy, and eat some more!

Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars

Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars
(adapted from The Girl Who Ate Everything
who adapted it from Paula Deen)
Ingredients: Crust:
2 cups All-Purpose Flour
1/2 cup firmly packed Brown Sugar
1 cup Unsalted Butter, softened

Cheesecake Filling:
3 (8oz) packages Cream Cheese, softened
3/4 cup Sugar, plus 2 Tablespoons, divided
3 Large Eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract

Apple Layer:
3 Granny Smith Apples, peeled, cored and finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon Ground Saigon Cinnamon (regular ground cinnamon can be substituted)
1/4 teaspoon Ground Nutmeg

Streusel Topping:
1 cup firmly packed Brown Sugar
1 cup All-Purpose Flour
1/2 cup Quick Cooking Oats
1/2 cup Unsalted Butter, softened
Caramel Ice Cream Topping

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

CRUST: In a medium bowl, combine flour, and brown sugar. Cut in butter with a knife and stir as you go so that the butter doesn't all stick together. Press evenly into a 9x13 inch baking pan lined with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Bake 15 minutes or until lightly browned.
CHEESECAKE FILLING: In a large bowl, beat cream cheese with 3/4 cup sugar with an electric mixer until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, stirring after each addition. Add vanilla and blend until combined. Pour over warm crust.
APPLE LAYER: In a small bowl, stir together chopped apples, remaining 2 Tablespoons sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Spoon evenly over cream cheese mixture.
STREUSEL TOPPING: In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, flour, oats, and butter. Stir until butter is evenly distributed. Sprinkle evenly over apple layer.
Bake 40-45 minutes, or until filling is set and streusel topping is lightly browned. Let cool on counter for 1 hour. Move to refrigerator and cool for at least 3 more hours. Drizzle with caramel ice cream topping and serve chilled.

Some Great Favorite Recipes

Dulce de Leche Cheesecake Bars
Recipe adapted from Annie's Eats

Crust:1 1/2 cups graham crackers (about 1 package in the Honeymaid box)
3 T sugar
5 T unsalted butter, melted

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a 9x13 pan with aluminum foil, making sure there is at least an inch overhang on all sides, preferably a couple on both ends. In a food processor, process graham crackers to fine crumbs, add sugar and pulse several times to combine. With processor running, add melted butter and process for about 15-30 seconds more. Press crumbs onto the pan in an even layer. Bake for about 10 minutes and cool in pan on a wire rack.

Filling:
1/3 cup whole milk (I used skim milk and just replaced a little bit with heavy cream)
12 oz cream cheese, softened
3 eggs
1/2 tsp salt
1 can dulce de leche

Beat softened cream cheese with mixer on medium-high speed for 2-3 minutes until smooth. Add in the eggs, one at a time, beating and scraping the bowl after each egg. Add the milk and salt and beat on low until smooth. Add the dulce de leche and beat on low speed until smooth. Pour over the crust and smooth with a rubber spatula. Set pan inside a larger pan and add hot water to the larger pan until water is about half way up the sides of the cheesecake pan.

Bake for about 35-40 minutes until filling is just set. Cool on wire rack for about 2 hours and then cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours more.

Chocolate Glaze:
3 oz bittersweet chocolate
4 T unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
2 tsp light corn syrup

In a large measuring cup, add chocolate pieces, butter and corn syrup. Microwave on low powder for about 1 1/2 minutes, stirring every 20-30 seconds until almost melted. Stir until smooth. Pour glaze over chilled cheesecake, tilt the pan or use an offset spatula to smooth the chocolate up to all the edges. Chill at least 30 minutes more.

Use excess foil to remove the bars from the pan, peel foil off the back, and transfer to a cutting board. Using a large sharp knife, cut into squares and serve.



Orange Creamsicle Cookies
Recipe from The Magnolia Bakery Cookbook
Makes about 3 dozen cookies

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup unsalted butter, slightly softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1 egg
Zest of 1 orange
1 cup white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with Silpats or parchment paper. In a large bowl, combine flour, soda, and salt. Stir together and set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add egg and beat until combined. Add flour mixture and beat on low speed until well incorporated. Add orange zest and beat to distribute. Stir in chips.

Use a cookie scoop or tablespoon to drop in rounded spoonfuls on cookie sheets, leaving plenty of room between cookies to allow for some spreading. Bake for about 10 minutes until light golden brown. Cool about 1 minute on cookie sheets and then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.




Pecan Pie Bars
Recipe from Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook

Crust:
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9x13 jellyroll pan with aluminum foil. Combine flour, sugar and salt in a mixing bowl. Cut the cold butter into cubes and add to flour mixture. Toss and use a pastry blender to cut butter into flour mixture until mixture resembles crumbs the size of peas. Pour mixture into prepared pan and press into a smooth crust. Poke several holes in the crust with tines of a fork. Bake about 18-20 minutes until light golden brown.

Filling:
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans
1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 cup light corn syrup
2 T unsalted butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla

In a large bowl, beat eggs and add sugar, corn syrup, butter, and vanilla. Whisk together until smooth. Stir in pecans. Pour filling into pre-baked crust. Return to oven to bake for about 20 minutes until filling is set. Cool on a wire rack until completely cool. Use foil to lift bars out of pan and cut into squares.

The recipe is a combination of a few different sources - I adapted the recipe on I Heart Cuppycakes who adapted the recipe from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes and Dulcedo.  The cake is really moist and don't skip the orange zest because it adds so much flavor and I love seeing the little bits of zest in the cake.  The marshmallow cream is a great addition to these cupcakes, it really gives it the creamsicle flavor instead of just an orange cupcake. 

Orange Creamsicle Cupcakes

Recipe adapted from I Heart Cuppycakes

Cupcakes:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 T citrus olive oil

1 cup sugar

2 T vanilla

2 eggs

Zest of 1 orange

2 cups all purpose flour

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup orange juice, freshly squeezed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line muffin pans with paper liners.  (This made 16 cupcakes for me.)

Combine butter, olive oil and sugar and mix on medium high speed about three minutes until light and fluffy.  Add vanilla and eggs and mix about one more minute until well incorporated.  Stir in orange zest.  In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.  Separately combine heavy cream and orange juice.  Add 1/3 of the flour mixture, followed by 1/2 of the cream mixture and repeat, finishing with the flour.  Mix until just incorporated after each addition. 

Scoop batter into prepared liners, filling about 2/3 of the way full.  Bake about twenty minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Cool in pans about five minutes and then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

Marshmallow Cream Filling:

7 oz marshmallow fluff

1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

Cut butter into small pieces and add to fluff in a mixing bowl.  Beat on medium speed until smooth and creamy.  Cut a small cone shape into the top of each cupcake and spoon marshmallow cream into wells allowing the cream to puddle on top of the cupcake slightly.  (Don't add too much, when you add the buttercream, it will cause the cream to move out toward the edges of the cupcakes.)

Orange Buttercream:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/8 - 1/4 cup orange juice, freshly squeezed

Zest of 1 orange

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

4 cups powdered sugar

Beat butter on medium speed until light and fluffy, about three minutes.  Add orange juice, zest, and vanilla and mix until well combined.  Add powdered sugar, one cup at a time, mixing until incorporated to reach desired consistency.  Whip on medium high speed about two minutes until smooth and creamy.  Transfer to a piping bag fitted with desired tip and pipe onto cupcakes. 

 

I love sliders -- they are the perfect size for a party so you don't have to commit to just eating a burger.  I quickly made these sliders because I had an open can of chipotles in adobo from my chipotle chicken pasta that I wanted to use some more of rather than freezing.  I used a nice sharp cheddar cheese to top these but I think a monterey jack or pepper jack cheese would also be delicious.  Get some nice fresh rolls from a bakery for these - I used some sourdough rolls that were great.  A little red onion and a cilantro lime mayo are the finishing touches for a great little sandwich.

Chipotle Chicken Sliders

Burgers:
2 T olive oil
1 pound ground chicken
2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, finely chopped + 1 T of the sauce
1/4 cup finely diced red onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 T lime juice
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup unseasoned breadcrumbs
1 egg
8 rolls
8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese
8 thin slices of red onion

Mayo:

1/2 cup mayo
1 T lime juice
1/4 cup cilantro
Chop cilantro finely and stir into mayo with lime juice and set aside. 


Preheat a grill pan or skillet over medium high heat and add oil.  Combine all remaining ingredients except rolls, cheese, and onion slices in a large bowl, gently mix until just combined.  Divide mix into eight equal portions and form into small patties, thinning just slightly in the center.  Transfer patties to hot pan, cooking about 2-3 minutes per side until cooked through. 

Meanwhile preheat broiler on low.  On a large sheet pan, cut rolls in half and lay out evenly.  Add burgers and cheese to bottom of rolls.  Broil until cheese is melted and rolls are golden brown.  Spread tops of rolls with mayo and top burgers with onion slices and serve.

 

If candy-making intimidates you, this is the perfect recipe for you to try.  You don't even need your stove, no thermometers are involved, you barely need a pan.  This fudge can be made completely in the microwave and only takes about five minutes.  It's a perfect recipe to round out your holiday baking when you are short on time. 

Peanut Butter Fudge
Recipe via Erin's Food Files from Alton Brown

1 cup of butter
1 cup peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 lb powdered sugar

Prepare a pan by covering it in wax paper and spraying with nonstick cooking spray, leaving at least one inch overhang of wax paper around all edges.  You can use an 8x11" baking sheet with a one inch rim or an 8x8" square pan if you want thicker fudge. 

In a microwave safe bowl, combine butter and peanut butter.  Microwave on high two minutes, stir and microwave two additional minutes.  Stir in vanilla and powdered sugar.  Mix with a wooden spoon until well combined and smooth.  Pour into prepared pan, smooth, and cover with another sheet of wax paper pressed directly against the surface of the fudge.  Refrigerate at least two hours and cut into one inch squares.

Chocolate Oatmeal Almost-Candy Bars, from Baking: From My Home to Yours

For the oatmeal layer:
2½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups (packed) brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 cups old-fashioned (rolled) oats
1 cup salted peanuts, coarsely chopped

For the chocolate layer:

14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
2 cups (12 ounces) semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup moist, plump raisins (dark or golden)
¾ cup coarsely chopped peanuts, preferably salted

Getting ready:

Center a rack in the oven, and preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking pan, and place the pan on a baking sheet.

To make the oatmeal layer:

Whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter on medium speed until it is soft and creamy. Add the brown sugar and beat for 2 minutes, then add the eggs, one at a time, beating for a minute after each egg goes in. Beat in the vanilla. The mixture should be light and fluffy. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients, mixing just until they disappear. Still on low speed, or working by hand with a rubber spatula, stir in the oats and chopped peanuts.

Set aside 1½ to 2 cups of the mixture, then turn the remaining dough into the buttered pan. Gently and evenly press the dough over the bottom of the pan. Set aside while you prepare the next layer.



To make the chocolate layer:

Set a heat-proof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Put the condensed milk, chocolate chips, butter, and salt in the bowl and stir occasionally until the milk is warm and the chocolate and butter are melted. Remove the bowl from the pan of water and stir in the vanilla, raisins (if using), and peanuts.

Pour the warm chocolate over the oatmeal crust, then scatter the remaining oatmeal mixture over the top. Don’t try to spread the oatmeal, and don’t worry about getting the topping even — this is fun, remember?

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown and the chocolate layer is dull and starting to come away from the sides of the pan. Transfer the baking pan to a rack and cool for about 2 hours.

Run a blunt knife between the edges of the cake and the pan, and carefully turn the cake out onto a rack. Turn right side up, then refrigerate for at least 1 hour before cutting.

Cut into 32 rectangles, each roughly 2¼ by 1½ inches. Makes 32 bars.
Serving: I think these are best served cold from the fridge, although my husband likes them straight from the freezer, cut into slivers. Before you chill the bars, though, have one — you might find you like them best at room temperature, in which case you’re lucky: You can start enjoying them sooner.

Storing: Wrapped well, these will keep for about four days at room temperature, 1 week in the refrigerator, or up to two months in the freezer

Cheesecake Cake Pops

We’ve decided to experiment and make chocolate cake pops with cheesecake center.

1. Preheat oven to 350. You can bake the cheesecake and the chocolate cake at the same time.

2. For a cheesecake (you can also purchase one at the store):

a. Mix sugar with softened cream cheese (to soften a cream cheese just put it in a microwave for a minute).

b. Mix in milk, then eggs (one at a time), then add sour cream, vanilla extract and flour; blend until smooth.

c. Bake in an oven for an hour. Chill in a refrigerator



3. For a chocolate cake:

a. Pour boiling water over cocoa and blend until smooth

b. Mix in a separate bowl flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt

c. Mix butter and sugar in a bowl; blend in eggs (one at a time), vanilla extract; add the flour blend with a cocoa mixture

d. Bake for 30-35 minutes



4. Once the cheesacake is chilled, make small (1/2 inch diameter) balls

5. Crumble the chocolate cake and pour the condensed milk in a bowl, mix it

6. Separate chocolate cake mixture into even parts. Make a flat rounds, place a cheesecake ball in the middle and wrap the chocolate cake around it and roll them into cake balls.

7. Dip a stick into condensed milk, put it inside the cake pop

8. Place into refrigerator to chill for 30 min

9. Melt chocolate and dip cake pops in it. Put back into refrigerator for 15-30 minn



Your cake pops are now ready

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cake Pops


This recipe and images are courtesy of ChefPriyanka, she is an amazing cook, you can view more of her creations at her blog.     http://chefpriyanka.com/

Here we go!

Don’t need much of an introduction for these yummy pops, besides mentioning that they’re CRAZY easy to make and I used a slightly different cake-pop method.

Anyways, I used Betty Crocker chocolate Chip Cookie mix and instead of using regular butter, I used Land-O-Lakes 50% less fat butter spread. The result was fluffy cake-like chocolate-chip goodness. Why you may ask did I use buttery spread? Well, since I’m just a little obsessed with being healthy, I decided to cut the fat and calories a bit by using the 50% less fat spread! It was amazing!





Chocolate-Chip Cookie Dough Cake Pops:



1 package Betty Crocker Chocolate-Chip Cookie Mix

1/2 cup 50% less fat butter spread/margarine- at room temperature (I used Land-o-Lakes)

1 egg- at room temperature

PAM Baking Flavor

1 cup homemade vanilla frosting

2-3 cups melted dark chocolate (I used Ghiradelli 70% Cacao)

Vanilla Frosting:

2-3 cups sifted confectioner’s sugar

3-4 tbsp milk (I used Skim Plus)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2-1 tbsp unsalted butter- at room temperature (Yes, I used real butter for this)

1. Preheat the oven 350 degrees. Spray a large cookie sheet with PAM. In a large bowl add cookie mix, egg and butter. Mix all together until incorporated well and forms into cookie-dough texture. Drop about 2 tbsp rounds onto the cookie sheet. Bake for about 12-15 minutes, until soft, and medium-brown on the bottom. Remove and cool.

2. To make the frosting, in a large bowl add the butter and beat with a hand mixer until creamy. With the mixer on low add in the sifted confectioner’s sugar, increasing the speed as you add more sugar. After you’ve added all the sugar, beat in about 2-3 tbsp milk and vanilla extract. Frosting should be thick and cream (as if you were to frost a cupcake). Pour more/less milk to achieve that consistency.

3. In a large bowl crumble about 3/4 of the batch of cookies. Add the frosting and mix until you’ve reached a crumbly, dough-like consistency. Roll into balls and place on the baking sheet to freeze for about 30 minutes. Before freezing, place a lollipop stick into the balls, so the stick hardens with the cake and stays put. Remove and dip one-by-one into the melted, cooled chocolate. stand up-right in a glass or stick into a styrofoam slab to dry. Eat! I liked mine with a glass of cold fat-free milk

Strawberry Lemonade Scones

The scones turned out flaky around the edges and tender throughout, with just the right touch of sweetness. The strawberry and lemon paired so well together.  No wonder I love strawberry lemonade! Enjoy this scone version:)

Strawberry Lemonade Scones

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour* 

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter (chilled, not softened), cut into cubes

1 cup diced fresh strawberries

1/2 cup freeze-dried strawberries

1 generous tablespoon lemon zest

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup heavy cream

Topping:

sugar

Sanding sugar

Cream

Prepared lemon curd

1.       Preheat oven to 400 degrees  F.  In large bowl mix together flour,  sugar, baking powder, and salt.  With pastry blender, cut in butter cubes until mixture has coarse crumbs.  Gently add both kinds of strawberries and the lemon zest. Make a well in the center of the mixture and set aside.

2.       In a medium bowl, mix together eggs and cream.  Add egg mixture to flour mixture. Gently stir until moistened.

3.       Place dough onto a well floured surface.  Gently knead the dough by folding and pressing it about 7 times, turning the dough a quarter turn after each fold. Move dough to a lightly floured parchment-lined baking sheet (or stoneware baking sheet without parchment). Pat dough into a ¾ inch-thick circle. Cut circle into wedges and separate each slightly.

4.       Brush wedges with cream and sprinkle with sugar. Bake 16-20 minutes until golden brown.   Drizzle scones with lemon curd and top with sanding sugar.  Makes 8-12 scones.

Yummy Homemade Ice Cream Without a Icecream Machine

Peanut Butter Cup Chocolate Swirl Ice Cream

Time: 10 minutes

Yield: 1 quart

Recipe idea from Kevin and Amanda

PRINT RECIPE

2 C heavy whipping cream

1  14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk

1 t vanilla

dash salt

8 regular sized peanut butter cups, chopped

4 T Hershey's syrup

1. Pour the heavy cream into your stand mixer. 2. Whip the cream on medium high speed for about 5 minutes. You want the cream to form a stiff peak. 3. When your cream has been whipped enough, pour your sweetened condensed milk into it. Return the bowl to the mixer and beat until the milk has been incorporated. 4. Add the vanilla, dash of salt, chopped peanut butter cups and Hershey's syrup. Stir it with a wooden spoon, until combined.

5. Pour the heavenly concoction into a freezer safe storage container. Cover the ice cream and freeze for at least 6 hours.

Bubble Gum Ice Cream

Time: 10 minutes hands on + 6 hours freezing time

Yield: 1 quart 

Recipe idea from Kevin and Amanda

PRINT RECIPE

2 C heavy cream

1  14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk

1/2 t vanilla

Americolor Deep Pink Food Coloring Gel

1-3 t bubble gum flavoring

1. Pour the heavy cream into your stand mixer. 

 

2. Whip the cream on medium high speed for about 5 minutes. 

 

You want the cream to form a stiff peak. 

 

3. When your cream has been whipped enough pour your sweetened condensed milk into it. Return the bowl to the mixer and beat until the milk has been incorporated.

 

You can find both of these lovely treasures at 

Hobby Lobby. 

4. Add the vanilla, dash of salt, food coloring and bubble gum flavoring. 

 

Stir it with a wooden spoon, until combined.

5. Pour the heavenly concoction into a freezer safe storage container. I like these handy GladWare containers. Cover the ice cream and freeze for at least 6 hours. 

 

PLEASE DO NOT, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE

PUT REAL BUBBLE GUM

IN THIS ICE CREAM.

YOUR TEETH MAY NEVER RECOVER
AS THE GUM GETS FROZEN....

AS SOLID AS A ROCK. 

Similar to Vita Tops Muffin Recipe

Adapted from Cooking Light
I recently bought a box of Chocolate Chunk VitaTop Muffins from Wholefoods the other day.  I say WOW!  they are a pricey little treat, selling for $6.00 for a box of 4 muffins! However, I have been hearing rave reviews about these 100 calorie muffins for so long that I was curious to see what all the ‘hype’ was about!



If you have ever had a VitaTop, you know exactly how moist and deliciously chocolaty these muffins are.  Well I’m proud that I can finally say that I have created a recipe that will give VitaTop Muffins a run for their money…Literally!!!
And get ready for this… these muffins have EVEN BETTER NUTRITION STATS than a VitaTop Muffin!!! I hope you enjoy this re-make recipe as much as I do, and you never  find yourself shelling-out a ridiculous amount of money on a chocolate muffin again!

Ingredients

1 3/4 c oats

3 egg whites

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt (or regular plain low fat yogurt)

1/2 tsp cream of tartar (or 1-1/2 Tbsp. vinegar)

1-1/2 tsp. baking powder

1-1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1 cup hot water

1 cup sugar substitute (like Splenda granular) OR 1/4 cup + 2 tbs stevia

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 (12-cup) muffin pans with foil cupcake liners, or spray muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.

In a blender, (or food processor), mix all of the ingredients together, except for the chocolate chips. Blend until oats are ground and mixture is smooth.

Place mixture in a bowl and gently stir in chocolate chips. Scoop into prepared muffin pans.

Place in oven and bake for 10-12 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool before removing muffins from pan.

Servings: 24 muffins

85 calories per muffin (5g fiber, 5 protein, 21 g carbs, 1g sugar)

• 1 3/4 c oats
• 3 egg whites
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt (or regular plain low fat yogurt)
• 1/2 tsp cream of tartar (or 2 tsp. vinegar)
• 1-1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1-1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 cup hot water
• 1 cup sugar substitute (like Splenda granular) OR 1/4 cup + 2 tbs stevia
• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (OR you could use white chocolate OR peanut butter chips!)
• *Foil cupcake liners, remove the inner paper lining (I say foil, because from experience, paper liners tend to stick to muffins!)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 (12-cup) muffin pans with foil cupcake liners, or spray muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
2. In a blender, (or food processor), mix all of the ingredients together, except for the chocolate chips. Blend until oats are ground and mixture is smooth.
3. Place mixture in a bowl and gently stir in 1/2 of the chocolate chips (set the rest aside). Scoop mixture into prepared muffin pans.
4. Place muffins tins in the oven for 10 minutes.  After 10 minutes, remove muffins from the oven (but don’t shut oven off), and distribute the other half of the chocolate chips on top of each muffin.
5. Place  the muffins back into the oven and bake for an additional 2-5 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. *Note, you could skip this step by putting all of the chips in the batter, and baking the muffins for 12-15 min straight, but this method gives the muffins the traditional ‘VitaTop Muffin’ look with the chocolate chips on top!
6. Cool muffins before removing from pan. ENJOY!!!