No Bakes (cut out cookies)

My oldest daughter played with the cookie cutters all morning and begged me to make sugar cookies.  I  didn't have all the ingredients and wasn't up for baking today.  I told her we could make no-bakes, then she asked if we could cut them out.  I'd never thought of it.  Leave it to a three-year-old to come up with a brilliant idea.  We ended up with owls, which are kind of fall-esque, but cute nonetheless!

 No Bakes

1/2 C butter

2 C sugar

1/2 milk

Boil for 1 minute

Add: 

3 tbsp of peanut butter (or more)

3/4 C chocolate chips

3 C oats

1 tsp vanilla

Stir to combine and pour into a Deep Flexipat and let cool.  

My daughter picked an owl cutter, and we added Cheerios as eyes and a piece of a walnut as a beak.

Banana 'ice cream' with Nutella

I saw this idea on Pinterest and I was skeptical.  Bananas = smooth creamy ice cream? It was warm today, I had some ripening bananas, and the mood hit me right.  This morning I sliced 2 banana and placed the round discs on a Silpat on a perforated baking sheet and placed them in my freezer.  This evening, I pulled them out and created this beautiful concoction!  Try it!!  Unless you don't like banana, then I don't recommend it.  The only other catch is that you need a food processor.

Banana 'ice cream' with Nutella

2 large bananas

3 tsp Nutella

Slice bananas and place round discs on a Silpat on perforated baking sheet.  Place it in the freezer until frozen through (at least 2 hours) or overnight.

Place banana discs in the food processor (hold on tight to the machine, it will jump!) and turn on for several minutes.  Stop every now and again to scrape down the sides.  Don't be worried it will come together.  Add in Nutella (or peanut butter!!) and let the goodness spin several more rounds in the food processor.  Sprinkle on on a few chocolate chips and enjoy!

I'm officially addicted!

Blueberry Crumb Bars

I love blueberry muffins in the morning, but these Blueberry Crumb Bars are delicious any time of day.  They are the farthest thing from low fat, but when blueberry season arrives, they are a must!  If you want to live in real sin, plop a scoop of vanilla ice cream on a slice just after it comes out of the oven.

Blueberry Crumb Bars

1 1/2 C sugar, divided

1 tsp baking powder

3 C flour

1 C butter, softened

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/4 tsp salt

pinch of cinnamon

3 tsp cornstarch

4 C blueberries

Combine 1 C sugar, baking powder, and flour.  Cut in butter and egg.

In a separate bowl combine 1/2 C sugar and cornstarch.  Toss in blueberries and gently stir.

In to bottom of a Grande Round Mold place half of he crumb mixture.  Layer on blueberries and remaining crumb mixture.  Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes.  Let cool before enjoying.

Notes:  You could half this recipe and use checkerboard mold.

I have made this using almond flour and honey instead of all-purpose or sugar.

Carrot Cake

Carrot Cake

Shred 3 cups of (about 4 large) carrots

In a mixing bowl whisk 4 eggs, 1 C sugar, 1 C brown sugar, 3/4 C oil, 1/2 C applesauce, and 2 tsp vanilla.

Add in 2 C flour, 2 tsp baking soda, 2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp salt, and 2 tsp cinnamon until combined. Stir in carrots.

Pour half the batter into medium or large round mold that is placed on a perforated baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean and the cake is golden brown. Let cool for 5 minutes and remove from the mold onto a cooling rack. Fill the mold with the remaining batter and repeat.

While the second cake is baking mix up a vat of cream cheese frosting by combining 8 oz cream cheese, 1/2 C butter, 1 tsp vanilla, and 4 C powdered sugar in a mixer.

Put a layer of frosting on top of a cooled cake and stack the other on top. Finish frosting and decorating.

Slice, and enjoy!

Low(er) Fat Butterscotch Bars

Check out these beauties. The are delicious. Easy to make. Are sweet with a hint of salty. Did I mention they are delicious?

Butterscotch Bars

(from Cooking Light Magazine)

1 C brown sugar

5 tbsp butter, melted

1 tsp vanilla

1 egg, lightly beaten

2 scant C flour

2 1/2 C quick cooking oats

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 can fat-free sweetened condensed milk

1 1/4 C butterscotch morsels

1/2 C pecans or walnuts, chopped

Combine sugar and butter in a mixing bowl. Stir in egg and vanilla. Pour in flour, oats, salt, and baking soda and combine with a fork. Pour 3 cups into the bottom of a Grande mold and press. Set aside.

Pour sweetened condensed milk, butterscotch, morsels and salt into a microwave safe bowl and cook for 20 seconds. Stir and repeat until smooth. Stir in nuts and pour over crust. Top with remaining oat mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely before cutting.

White Chocolate, Oatmeal and Pecan Cookies

These cookies are awesome and are my new favorite. I am typically not a white chocolate fan, but mixed with oats and pecans this trio is something to be reckoned with.

White Chocolate, Oatmeal and Pecan Cookies

1 C butter, room temp.

1 C brown sugar

1 C sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

3 C flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 1/2 C oats

1 1/2 C white chocolate chips

1 C pecans, chopped

Cream butter, brown sugar and sugar. Add in eggs and vanilla. Combine. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and oats. Combine. Add white chocolate chips and pecans. Mix gently.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

This recipe makes several dozen. They are soft and delicious. And irresistible.

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Brownies

Pumpkin Brownies

2 C flour

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

3/4 tsp ginger

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/8 tsp allspice

1/8 tsp cloves

1 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp salt

1 C butter, unsalted at room temp.

1 1/4 C sugar

1 egg

2 tsp vanilla

1 C pumpkin puree

1 C chocolate chips

Cream together butter and sugar. Add in the egg and vanilla. Combine. Stir in pumpkin puree. Add in dry ingredients and mix. Pour in chocolate chips. Spoon batter into grande mold and bake at 350 degrees until golden brown and toothpick comes out clean (about 35 minutes).

Be sure to let these babies cool all the way before cutting into them. Enjoy! They are delicious.

I know it's not pumpkin season, but I love the flavor all year. Plus, It's rather annoying to use 1/2 a cup in a recipe and have some left over. Enter this recipe.

(healthy) Salty Sweet Protein Squares

I love treats. I love healthy treats that taste great even more. I haven't ever topped these bad boys with chocolate before and now I will never leave it out. Fruit, nuts, and no refined sugar. Chocolate (the healthy kind), coconut, and peanut butter. Don't let these square fool you! They sound healthy, but they taste like candy and are often compared to Larabars.

Salty Sweet Snack Squares

2 C almonds

1/4 C flax

1/2 C dried prunes

1/2 C shredded coconut, unsweetened

1/2 C organic peanut butter

3/4 tsp sea salt

1/2 C coconut oil, melted

1 tbsp honey

2 tsp vanilla

3 oz supreme dark chocolate (optional)

In a food processor blend almonds, flax, prunes, coconut, and salt. Add in peanut butter, honey and vanilla. In a small saucepan melt coconut oil. Turn food processor on and pour in melted coconut oil until combined. Press into checkerboard mold and refrigerate until set. Melt chocolate and spread over bars. Return to refrigerator.

Peanut Butter Pretzel Rice Krispie Treats

These is the perfect treats for a Valentine's Day party. They are sweet, salty, chocolaty, and peanut buttery...

Mash up some pretzels.

Melt some butter, marshmallows, and peanut butter.

Add in some Rice Krispies and crunched pretzels and press them down onto a Silpat.

Let them cool. Then cut the sweet mixture into hearts.

Drizzle, frost, dollop, or dip them with chocolate.

Share them with your friends.

Or, hide in a closet and devour 1 or 7 of them.

Peanut Butter Pretzel Rice Krispie Treats

1/2 C butter

1 16 oz bag marshmallows (minus the 6 you used for hot chocolate last week)

1 C peanut butter

6 C Rice Krispies

3 C pretzels, crunched

1 C chocolate chips, melted

Makes 30

Lemon Crown Cakes

Lemon Crown Cakes

1/2 C butter, room temperature

1 C sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

3-4 tbsp lemon zest

1/2 C sour cream

1 1/2 C flour, sifted

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

3 tbsp milk

Cream butter and sugar. Add in eggs, vanilla, sour cream and lemon zest. Mix

Pour in sifted flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Combine.

Stir in milk.

Spoon batter into the crown tray and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Lemon Glaze

1/4 C fresh lemon juice

1 C sugar

In a saucepan combine lemon juice and sugar, bring to a boil and stir.

Once the cakes have completely cooled remove them from the crown tray and spoon glaze over the top of each one. Makes 13

Mini Chocolate Cupcakes With Salted Caramel Frosting

Updated: I added another chocolate cake recipe.

I was asked to make mini cupcakes for a baby shower. After drilling the new mama, I found out she loves chocolate teamed with a delicious frosting like peppermint, caramel, or molasses. I opted for the caramel and am glad I did! These are so delicious.

Demarle sells all natural food products. Here is one of the sea salt options. It works perfectly for this recipe.
Check out these delicious morsels! This is the most moist cake you'll ever eat. The original recipe calls for chocolate chips, which I would happily add if I weren't making minis or if I didn't make an extremely sweet frosting to top them with.

Chocolate Cake

1 box Devil's Food Cake Mix

1 (5.9 oz) package chocolate pudding

1 C sour cream

4 eggs

1 C vegetable oil

1/2 C warm water

Combine cake mix and pudding. Add in sour cream, eggs, oil and combine. Stir in warm water. Scoop into mini muffin tray and bake at 350 degrees until set and a toothpick comes out clean (about 10-12 minutes)

Let them cool all the way before frosting them.

After the shower, I ended up with a bit of frosting left and didn't want it to go to waste, so I whipped up another batch of cupcakes. This time, I used a different recipe, and made them in the brioche tray. They were equally if not more delicious than the first ones!

Amazing Chocolate Cake

2 C sugar

1 3/4 C flour

3/4 C unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

2 eggs

1/2 C vegetable oil

1 C milk

1 tsp vanilla

1 C water, boiling

Dump all dry ingredients into a mixer and combine. Add eggs, oil, milk and vanilla. Beat for 3 minutes. Pour in boiling water and stir in by hand.

Pour into brioche tray and bake at 350 degrees until set (about 12-15 min.).

Notes: This is a very runny batter, but have no fear!

Also, only fill the cups 3/4 full.

And, let them cool before removing them from the tray.

Salted Caramel Frosting

1 package cream cheese, room temperature

1 C butter, room temperature

1/2 C caramel sauce (homemade or store bought)

3 1/2 C powdered sugar

sea salt

Cream butter and cream cheese together. Add in caramel sauce and mix until combined. Slowly add in powdered sugar. Set your mixer at a high speed and walk away for 3 minutes.

At this point you could add in 1/2 tsp of sea salt. I prefer to sprinkle it on the top after I've piped the frosting. Up to you! Can't lose either way!

These recipes (cake and frosting) make a lot, so be prepared to share them with friends or gain a lot of weight. Add an extra drizzle of caramel on the top to push it over the edge.

Don't forget to sprinkle on the sea salt if you didn't add it in the frosting.

I think I've found a new love...

Oatmeal and M&M cookies

What do you do with the large bag of M&M you received for Christmas? Make cookies, of course!

I tried out a new recipe I found, but I modified it so much, I'm going to claim this one as my own. :)

Starts with butter and ends with M&Ms. What could go wrong?

Oh yeah! We have two friends that have egg allergies, so I substituted flax meal instead. (FYI: 1 tbsp flax meal + 3 tbsp of water = 1 egg)

Oatmeal and M&M Cookies

1 C butter, room temperature

1 C sugar

1 C brown sugar

2 tbsp flax meal

6 tbsp water

3 tsp vanilla

2 1/2 C flour

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 3/4 C quick cooking oats

2 C M&Ms

Cream Butter, brown sugar, sugar.

Add in vanilla and combine.

Mix flax meal and water in a separate bowl then pour into dough and mix.

Add in flour, salt, soda, and cinnamon. Mix until just combined.

Add in oats and M&Ms. Mix gently.

Scoop out onto a Silpat on a perforated baking sheet.

Bake at 350 degrees for 9 1/2 - 10 minutes.

Heck, make these for Valentines day and any other time you end up with an extra large bag of holiday M&Ms. They're that good!

Mint Brownies

Delicious. Minty. Chocolaty.

Start with you basic brownie recipe, or heck, use a boxed brownie mix if you want.

Cream 1/2 C butter, add it 2 C powdered sugar, a teaspoon of peppermint extract and a dab of green food coloring (if you'd like).

Smear the minty goodness over the cooled brownies.

Melt 1 C chocolate chips with 6 tbsp of butter in a double boiler.

Pour it over the minty mixture that is on top of the brownie goodness.

Cool, cut, enjoy!