Peanut Butter Cup Brownies

I made these for my friend’s birthday because first of all, I love chocolate and peanut butter together and second of all, they were cute bite sized brownies so I just couldn’t resist. They are seriously soo good. Whoever decided to put chocolate and peanut butter together was a genius and I’d like to thank them for reinforcing my sweet tooth.

These little brownies are very easy and self-explanatory to make so I’ll just show you the finished product and you can follow the recipe.

Yum!

Recipe:

Makes 40 brownies

Ingredients:
1 box of your favorite brownie mix
1/2 cup peanut butter chips
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray or grease 40 mini-muffin cups.

Prepare boxed brownie mix as directed. Spoon batter evenly into muffin cups (about 1 heaping teaspoon). Bake for 13-15 minutes or until top is set and a toothpick inserted into center comes out slightly wet. After brownies are out of the oven, wait for centers to fall. This will happen upon cooling. If not then tap the centers with the back of a teaspoon to make a hole for the peanut butter.

Place peanut butter in a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high for 45 seconds then stir. While brownies are still warm spoon about half a teaspoon of peanut butter into the center of each brownie. Top with semi-sweet chocolate chips and peanut butter chips. Cool completely in pan.

Crêpes

If you don’t already know: “Crêpes are made by pouring a thin liquid batter onto a hot frying pan or flat circular hot plate, often with a trace of butter on the pan's surface. The batter is spread evenly over the cooking surface of the pan or plate either by tilting the pan or by distributing the batter with an offset spatula. When sweet, they can be eaten as part of breakfast or as a dessert. They can be filled and topped with various sweet toppings, often including Nutella spread, preserves, sugar (granulated or powdered), maple syrup, lemon juice, whipped cream, fruit spreads, custard, or sliced soft fruits” (Thank you, Wikipedia).

I was craving something sweet mid afternoon the other day and decided to make crepes! I’ve ordered them at restaurants but I’ve never made them myself before, which is kind of surprising because I LOVE breakfast. I could eat breakfast for three meals a day… soo good. I planned to top them with strawberries and powdered sugar but the last of our strawberries were gone when I went to look for them. But that was totally fine because I came up with a better idea: I filled my crepes with the dirt cake I had made a few days before… soo heavenly… best idea I’ve had in a while! I definitely recommend it. =)

(I cut the recipe in half which made 3 crepes). In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour and the eggs. Gradually add in the milk and water, stirring to combine. Add the salt and butter; beat until smooth.

Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each crepe. Tilt the pan with a circular motion so that the batter coats the surface evenly.

Cook the crepe for about 2 minutes, until the bottom is light brown. Loosen with a spatula, turn and cook the other side. Serve hot!

Recipe:

Makes 6 crepes 

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 eggs

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup water

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions:

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour and the eggs. Gradually add in the milk and water, stirring to combine. Add the salt and butter; beat until smooth.

Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each crepe. Tilt the pan with a circular motion so that the batter coats the surface evenly.

Cook the crepe for about 2 minutes, until the bottom is light brown. Loosen with a spatula, turn and cook the other side. Serve hot.

Dirt Cake

Kids love dirt cake! It looks like dirt, but it tastes scrumptious with its rich, chocolaty flavor and fluffy texture. Use your imagination and have fun with this. Have gummy worms "crawling" out of the dirt, serve with a garden shovel, and bury some of the worms for the kids to find by digging with their spoons. This is a dessert that's as entertaining as it is delicious!

And hey, adults like it too! If you prepare it in a glass bowl or individual serving cups (and skip the gummy worms), it’s more like chocolate mousse. I don’t know about you, but I can definitely enjoy that.

Crush one package of Oreo Cookies well, you want it to look like dirt! (throw the Oreos in a gallon sized ziploc bag and crush them with your fists or a rolling pin) Set aside until needed.

Cream together butter, cream cheese, and powdered sugar in a bowl (I only had half the cream cheese so I used less butter and powdered sugar too).

Mix together milk, pudding, and Cool Whip.

In large bowl, combine part one and part two. Mix well.

Layer cookies-pudding-cookies-pudding-cookies into container of choice (glass bowl, new flower pot, etc).

Refrigerate overnight if possible. This will help the Oreos soften and the pudding set.

That hits the spot... =)

Recipe…

Crush one package of Oreo Cookies well. Set aside until needed.

Part one:

Cream together:

½ stick butter, softened

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 C. powdered sugar

Part two:

Mix together:

3 ½ C. milk

2 pkgs. Instant Vanilla or Chocolate pudding

12 oz. Cool Whip

In large bowl, combine part one and part two. Mix well.

Layer cookies-pudding-cookies-pudding-cookies into new clay or plastic pot. Pot should be 8” in diameter at top. Plug bottom hole with a plastic container lid before adding mixture.

Refrigerate overnight if possible.

Add plastic flower and gummy worms for fun! Serve using a new baked enamel garden hand shovel.

Cinnamon Roll Cake

I don’t know that this recipe should be called cake. As long as I did the recipe right, I’d say this is a lot denser than cake. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, I just don’t think the name ‘cake’ suits it well. It’s more like a pound cake if you ask me, which kind of makes it more cinnamon roll-like.

However, I found another recipe very similar to this online but it has baking powder in it. Baking powder, according to Wikipedia,  “is a dry chemical leavening agent used to increase the volume and lighten the texture of baked goods such as muffins, cakes, scones and American-style biscuits.” I think that’s what this recipe is missing to make it truly a cake. This ‘cake’ surely won’t go to waste, I mean, it still tastes good, but if I make this recipe again, I’ll definitely try it with baking powder too because the website's recipe is rated 5 out of 5 stars! (find it here... http://www.justapinch.com/recipes/dessert/cake/cinnamon-roll-cake-3.html)

Begin by beating all of the cake ingredients together except the melted butter. Slowly add melted butter last. When blended well, pour into prepared pan.

Mix all of the topping ingredients together with a beater.

Drop tablespoon sized mounds of topping all over the cake. With a butter knife, swirl this mixture to create a marbled effect. (I tried… but kinda failed.)

Bake for 30-35 minutes. Remove from oven and allow cake to cool for approx. 30 minutes.

Mix glaze together getting the consistency you desire. Pour glaze over slightly warm cake.

Recipe…

Ingredients:

3 c flour

¼ tsp. salt

1 c sugar

1 ½ c milk

2 eggs

1 stick melted butter

Topping-

2 sticks butter, room temperature

1 c brown sugar, packed

2 Tbsp flour

1 Tbsp cinnamon

Glaze-

4 oz. cream cheese, room temperature

1 – 1 ½ c powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

4-6 Tbsp milk (depending on how thick you like your glaze)

Directions:

1.    Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2.    Grease a 9x13 inch pan.

3.    Begin by beating all of the cake ingredients together except the melted butter. Slowly add melted butter last. When blended well, pour into prepared pan.

4.    Mix all of the topping ingredients together with a beater.

5.    Drop tablespoon sized mounds of topping all over the cake. With a butter knife, swirl this mixture to create a marbled effect.

6.    Bake for 30-35 minutes.

7.    Remove from oven and allow cake to cool for approx. 30 minutes.

8.    Mix glaze together getting the consistency you desire.

9.    Pour glaze over slightly warm cake.

Or see http://www.justapinch.com/recipes/dessert/cake/cinnamon-roll-cake-3.html for another version.. with baking powder!

Cranberry White Chocolate Cookies

I found this week’s recipe on the back of the Craisins bag my mom bought. If you don’t know what Craisins are, they’re basically like raisins, but they’re made from cranberries instead of grapes. Craisins come in multiple flavors (which are juice infused) including Original, Blueberry, Cherry, and Pomegranate.

(Wait, doesn’t it seem like raisins should really be called graisins or something because they’re grapes? Well, I consulted Wikipedia for how raisins got their name…The word raisin dates back to Middle English and is a loanword from Old French; in French, raisin means "grape," while a dried grape is referred to as a raisin sec, or "dry grape”.)

I like Craisins, but I know some people who don’t like them at all. So this recipe is more taste specific than most of the recipes I’ve made before. But if you do like Craisins, I recommend this recipe to you!

Using an electric mixer, beat butter or margarine and brown sugar together in a medium mixing bowl until light and fluffy.

Add eggs; mix well. Combine oats, flour, baking soda and salt in a separate mixing bowl.

Add to butter mixture in several additions, mixing well after each addition.

Stir in dried cranberries (I used the cherry flavored ones. You can use any flavor.) and white chocolate chips.

Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown.

For more Craisin recipes and information visit: http://www.craisins.com

The recipe…

Ingredients:

2/3 cup butter or margarine, softened
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups oats
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 5-ounce package Ocean Spray® Craisins® Original Dried Cranberries

2/3 cup white chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375ºF.

Using an electric mixer, beat butter or margarine and brown sugar together in a medium mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs; mix well. Combine oats, flour, baking soda and salt in a separate mixing bowl. Add to butter mixture in several additions, mixing well after each addition. Stir in dried cranberries.

Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown.

Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

Oreo Brownies

As I searched for a recipe online that used Oreos, I stumbled upon these Oreo Brownies – and they looked quite delicious. Since the recipe is just a basic brownie recipe (homemade in this case), I thought about just making brownies from a box and adding Oreo pieces. I’m sure that box brownies would work but I decided I’d go all out and I made the brownies from the recipe. The recipe includes frosting, which was a little sweet, but if you have a different frosting you’d prefer that would work too.

The brownies were really yummy and had a nice texture but homemade brownies are always a bit different than box brownies (different texture and chocolatey-ness) so you can try whatever you’d like!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8×8 inch baking pan with foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Microwave chocolate and butter in large bowl at medium (50% power) for 3-4 minutes or until butter is melted. Whisk until chocolate is melted. Whisk in sugar, eggs, vanilla and salt. Gradually add flour and stir until just combined.

Fold in 12 chopped Oreo cookies.

Spread batter into prepared pan. Bake for 30 minutes; do not over bake. (Don't mind the piece in the corner I was about to eat before I realized I should take a picture first..)

Remove to cooling rack. Allow to cool completely before cutting or frosting.

Oreo Brownies

Yield: 12 bars

Ingredients:

For the Brownies

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate; coarsely chopped
3/4 cup butter
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
12 Oreos, chopped

For the Frosting

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
¼ teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract
2 tablespoons milk
8 Oreos, chopped

Directions:

For the Brownies

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8×8 inch baking pan with foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Microwave chocolate and butter in large bowl at medium (50% power) for 3-4 minutes or until butter is melted.

3. Whisk until chocolate is melted. Whisk in sugar, eggs, vanilla and salt. Gradually add flour and stir until just combined. Fold in 12 chopped Oreo cookies.

4. Spread batter into prepared pan. Bake for 30 minutes; do not over bake.

5. Remove to cooling rack. Allow to cool completely before cutting or frosting.

For the Frosting

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, cream butter until fluffy. Slowly add in confectioner’s sugar, and continue mixing until well blended.

2. Add salt, vanilla, and milk. Blend on low speed until moistened. If frosting is too stiff, slowly add in more milk until you reach the desired consistency. Beat at high speed until frosting is smooth and fluffy.

3. Spread or pipe frosting onto the brownies and top with chopped Oreo cookies.

Snicker Apple Salad

With just three ingredients, this easy recipe is sure to be a hit! This Snicker Apple Salad is great for backyard barbeques, family gatherings, and other parties. It combines crisp apples and chewy snickers with fluffy cool whip for a refreshing treat. It’s so easy to make and it only took me about 15 minutes. Just chop up the apples and snickers and stir them into the cool whip. Let’s get started!

First, chop the apples and snickers into bite size pieces. You can decide how big or small you want them. For the snickers, I used minis and cut them into fourths (the picture is only halves, but I realized they were bigger than I preferred).

 Put the apple chunks in a large bowl and mix in the cool whip. Then add the snickers pieces and mix again. Viola! Snicker Apple Salad. (Keep refrigerated until ready to serve)

So far, I’m the only one who has eaten it (I just made it today) and I sure wouldn’t mind if it stayed that way… =)

Recipe:

Snicker Apple Salad

1 (8 oz.) container Cool Whip

2 apples

3 regular size Snickers candy bars

Chop up the apples and mix them with the Cool Whip. Next, chop up the Snickers and stir them in to the salad. Refrigerate until serving.

Cookies and Cream Cookies

I know I’ve made a lot of cookies lately, but there are so many different cookie recipes out there. My friend actually recently made Cookies and Cream cookies so I decided to try it too. I just found this recipe online, like I do with most of my recipes. It has bits of Oreos within a cookie. How great is that? Oreos are “America’s Favorite Cookie” and I’d say these Cookies and Cream cookies are now on my favorites list. And we happened to have a fresh pack of Oreos so I didn’t have to run to the store, which is always a plus. I made two batches so I could share them with my English class, yum yum yum.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes (I don’t have a mixer so I just used a spoon which works just as well. I wish I had a mixer, but then how would I keep my arms strong? ;) )

Add egg and vanilla and beat until well mixed (I tend to add a little extra vanilla, you can’t go wrong with that)

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on low (or stir), slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined. Gently fold in Oreo pieces (I reccomend you chop them into pieces with a knife, rather than trying to break them, its easier to control their size then)

Scoop dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet about 1-2" apart.

Bake for 8-10 minutes at 350 degrees, until the edges JUST start to brown (you want the cookies to maintain the ‘cream’ white look). Let cool on baking sheet for a few minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

 

Here’s my dog, Chevy, watching me as I bake and waiting for me to drop something! (which I usually do)

anddd they went very well with my Frappuccino =)

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, at room temperature

6 tbsp sugar

6 tbsp brown sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1-1/4 cup flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

12 Oreo's, broken up into small pieces

- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

- In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes).

- Add egg and vanilla and beat until well mixed.

- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt.

- With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined.

- Gently fold in Oreo pieces.

- Scoop dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet about 1-2" apart.

- Bake for 8-10 minutes*, until the edges JUST start to brown. Let cool on baking sheet for a few minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Recipe yields about 30 cookies. (mine made exactly 2 dozen)

Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Cookies

These cookies make me picture little kids eating them with a cold glass of milk after school. They just seem like that kind of cookie. Or for adults, a cookie you eat on a cold winter day with hot chocolate or coffee. I don’t know why, but that’s what I picture.

I usually prefer to make simple recipes just because I have a tendency to mess up complicated recipes. When I read this recipe, it seemed a little complicated but I decided to try it as a challenge for myself. The one part I had never done before was browning the butter. You have to cook a stick of butter in a saucepan and let the bottom get brown. I wasn’t sure if I would do this right, but it actually worked out just fine. The butter cooked like it should and all went well. After I actually made it though, it really wasn’t that complicated. Don’t let all the words freak you out but do take note of the helpful tips!

This recipe doesn’t make very many cookies – it says it makes 15-18 but it only made 12 for me (perhaps because I snuck a little dough). So if you want to make these for a larger group, plan ahead or double the recipe accordingly.

The people I shared these with all enjoyed them, just sayin’ =)

Ready… set… go!

Heat a small saucepan over medium-low heat and add butter. Whisking constantly, cook butter until bubbly and until small brown bits appear on the bottom of the pan – about 5-6 minutes. Watch closely and immediately remove the butter from the heat, whisking for an additional 30 seconds or so. Set aside and let cool COMPLETELY. Note: It does not need to solidify at all, but it should not be warm to the touch.

In a bowl, combine flour, salt, baking powder, oats and cinnamon, mixing, then set aside.

Once butter has cooled, add to a large bowl. Whisk in sugars, stirring until smooth. Add in egg and vanilla, whisking until smooth once again.

Slowly begin to stir in dry ingredients, using your hands if necessary to bring dough together. If you find that the dough still won’t come together, add in milk 1 tablespoon at a time. Fold in chocolate chunks, distributing them evenly. Refrigerate dough for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Using an ice cream scoop or your hands, form dough into 1 1/2 inch balls.

Place about 2 inches apart on a nonstick baking sheet, then bake for 10-12 minutes, or until bottoms and edges are golden. Let cool before serving.

Ingredients:

makes about 15-18 cookies

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup loosely packed brown sugar

1 large egg

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cups rolled oats

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 cup chocolate chunks

optional: 1- 2 tablespoons milk, if dough is crumbly

Heat a small saucepan over medium-low heat and add butter. Whisking constantly, cook butter until bubbly and until small brown bits appear on the bottom of the pan – about 5-6 minutes. Watch closely and immediately remove the butter from the heat, whisking for an additional 30 seconds or so. Set aside and let cool COMPLETELY. Note: It does not need to solidify at all, but it should not be warm to the touch.

In a bowl, combine flour, salt, baking powder, oats and cinnamon, mixing, then set aside.

Once butter has cooled, add to a large bowl. Whisk in sugars, stirring until smooth. Add in egg and vanilla, whisking until smooth once again. Slowly begin to stir in dry ingredients, using your hands if necessary to bring dough together. If you find that the dough still won’t come together, add in milk 1 tablespoon at a time. Fold in chocolate chunks, distributing them evenly. Refrigerate dough for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Using an ice cream scoop or your hands, form dough into 1 1/2 inch balls. Place about 2 inches apart on a nonstick baking sheet, then bake for 10-12 minutes, or until bottoms and edges are golden. Let cool before serving.

Chow.