Frosted Creme De Menthe Brownies

This is a terrible picture of these brownies, that does not do them any justice at all. They were so much better than they look here. I made these quickly before work this morning and basically ran out of time to let the frosting cool before I had to cut them. This  is why the top looks cracked and "bumpy." But since these are so wonderful tasting, there was none left to take a picture of when I got home. So, unfortunately this is the only picture I have to post on here. It's actually a really good thing that these are no longer in my house, because I'm not sure I could have denied myself the pleasure of enjoying ANY that were left!

For the brownies: 
1 box Brownie mix
1 pkg Andes Creme De Menthe baking  chihps

Make brownie batter according to pkg directions. Stir in half of the bag (6 oz) of Andes Creme De Menthe chips.
Bake as directed on the package. While the brownies are baking, prepare the frosting.

For the frosting:
6 Tbsp butter
1 can sweetened condensed milk
6 oz Andes Creme De Menthe baking chips
1 tsp vanilla

Melt butter in saucepan on stovetop. Stir in Andes baking chips, sweetened condensed milk and vanilla. Stir until melted and smooth. When brownies come out of the oven, let sit for 5 minutes then pour the frosting evenly onto the top of the brownies. Spread till smooth, if needed. Place in the refrigerator until the topping is firm enough to cut through. Enjoy!

Dark Chocolate Dipped Oranges with Sea Salt

For those of you that know me, you know I do NOT like oranges! BUT I do love dark chocolate. I was trying to make a dessert with my 3 year old grand daughter, that would be somewhat healthy for her to eat after dinner. I mean seriously....Santa brought her a cotton candy maker, so I'm sure she has consumed enough sugar for the year already and it's only Jan. 9th! She loves oranges, I mean LOVES them. So why not try to combine her love of oranges with my love of chocolate? I was sure hesitant on this one because I figured I automatically would not like it, but I knew that everyone else would eat them. Well, with trepidation, I bit into one, but ONLY on the side with the chocolate haha and guess what? I loved it! But I do have a confession to make here (insert dramatic music here) I threw away the other half that was not covered in chocolate. I know, I know, that's a sin. But I already asked for forgiveness and I'm quite sure I'm ok now!

1 orange (or 3 cuties or mandarin oranges)
6 oz dark chocolate, melted
coarse sea salt

Cover a small cookie sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
Peel the orange and break apart the slices or segments, peeling away as much pithe (the bitter white stuff) as you can. In a bowl, melt the dark chocolate in the microwave (be careful it burns easily) and dip the orange slices into the dark chocolate. Sprinkle with sea salt and set on the parchment paper lined cookie sheet and place in the refrigerator to firm up. Serve. 

Toffee Bars

Sweet and salty really has to be one of my favorite combinations. These sure hit the spot when it comes to just a tiny bit salty and good and sweet. They are not so sweet that they make you sick or that you feel as though you can only eat one, but they do satisfy a sweet craving. The students at school today loved these and kept coming back for more. Good thing I cut them into very tiny squares. It's also a good thing that they all got eaten, because I'm sure I wouldn't be able to stay out of these!

Recipe Found at: http://www.tasteandtellblog.com/skor-squares/

1 (11.3 oz) box Ritz crackers
1 (8 oz) bag toffee bits
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup milk chocolate chips

Instructions

Heat oven to 350°

Spray an 8x8 pan with Pam.

Place the Ritz crackers in a food processor and process until they are fine crumbs. Add 1 cup of the toffee bits and  all of the sweetened condensed milk to the food processor. Process for just a few seconds until it's all combined well. Press the mixture into the Pam sprayed baking dish. Bake for 10 minutes and remove from oven.

Immediately pour the chocolate chips evenly over the top of the bars. Allow them to sit for a few minutes to melt, then spread evenly over the top. (If they aren't melting, stick the pan back into the oven for a minute or two.) Sprinkle on the remaining toffee bits. Allow to cool completely before cutting into squares.

 

Lime, Blueberry and Coconut Loaf

This is what happens when summertime boredom sets in. Being home from work for 10 weeks is so relaxing and at times fun. But then there are those times, when you find yourself with no money and nothing to do. Today was one of those times. So what is a girl to do when she is bored and has no money?? BAKE! Since I am staying away from sugars, this was a tough one for me to not eat. I did take a very small bite of my hubbies piece and oh my goodness....I wanted to go outside and sit in my garden (which just happens to be my happy place) with a fork and this entire loaf and eat the whole thing with nobody watching. But...I figured even my garden gnome would be watching me. I guess it's a good thing he's out there or I really might have considered eating the whole thing. So if you are bored, hungry, in the mood to bake or any other reason, you have GOT to make this loaf. It's so delicious, so moist and could just be one of my favorite new things! :)

 Recipe Adapted From:
http://sweetpeaskitchen.com/2011/05/lemon-blueberry-yogurt-loaf/print/

For the loaf:
1 1/2 cups flour                            
 2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup plain yogurt
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
2 tsp lime zest
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup coconut
1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries
1 Tbsp flour

For the Lime Syrup:
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
1/3 cup sugar

For the Lime Glaze:
1 cups sifted powdered sugar
2 to 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

Heat the oven to 350°.
Grease bottom and sides of one 9 x 5-inch loaf pan and dust with flour.
In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, salt and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the yogurt, sugar, eggs, lime zest, vanilla and oil. Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Stir in the coconut.

In a separate bowl, mix the blueberries with 1 Tbsp of flour, and fold them very gently into the batter (the flour prevents the berries from sinking to the bottom of the loaf while it's baking).

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake 50 to 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. Let cool in the pans for 10 minutes before removing the loaf to a wire rack.

While the loaf is cooling, make the lime syrup in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir together the lime juice and sugar until the sugar is completely dissolved. Once dissolved, continue to cook for 3 more minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

Use a toothpick to poke holes in the tops and sides of the warm loaf. Brush the top and sides of the loaf with the lime syrup. Let the syrup soak into the cake and brush it again. Let the cake cool completely.

To make the lime glaze, use a small bowl and whisk together the powdered sugar and 2 Tbsp of lime juice. The mixture should be thick but pourable. Add up to another tablespoon of lime juice if the mixture is too stiff. Pour the lime glaze over the top of each loaf and let it drip down the sides. Let the lime glaze harden, about 15 minutes, before serving.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

I wish I could take credit for thinking these up but no such luck on my part. I almost wish I hadn't found this recipe as it could be a danger to my diet! These are the easiest bar cookies I can think of to make. My grand daughter even helped me make them. Oh and they are srumpdiddlyumptious. Yes that's a word! Just ask my 3 year old grand daughter. They taste a lot like Reese's peanut butter cups. Next time I will use milk chocolate on the top instead of semi sweet chocolate chips. I think that would make it taste like Reese's even more!

Recipe Source:
http://addapinch.com/cooking/2012/09/19/peanut-butter-bars-recipe/

Peanut Butter Bars:

1 cup butter, melted (2 sticks)

2 cups graham cracker crumbs (2 sleeves ground to a fine crumb)

2 cups confectioners’ sugar

1½ cups peanut butter

 

 Chocolate Topping:

 

¼ cup peanut butter

2 cups chocolate chips

 

Combine first four ingredients in a large mixing bowl until well-combined and smooth. Spread evenly into a 9×13 baking dish.

 

Combine ingredients for the chocolate topping in a medium bowl. Melt in the microwave for 45 seconds to 1 minute, stirring at 30 second intervals. Remove from the microwave and stir until smooth. Spread on top of the peanut butter bar base and place in the freezer for 15 minutes.

Remove from the freezer and cut into individual bars. 

Caramel Apple Pie

Having company over is the best excuse for me to bake something. So when we decided to have friends over on Saturday evening, I scoured my Pinterest boards to find a great dessert recipe. I found a recipe for Candy Apple Pie that looked like a winner. After a quick trip to the grocery store, I started putting this pie together. This was a great dessert choice for me because I don't like apple pie, so I knew I would not be tempted by this one at all. I was dead wrong! While it was baking, I  had a moment of insanity, where I thought about waiting for it to cool off and taking it into a closet and consuming the entire thing by myself.  Then it dawned on me that the hubby would probably find a pecan and caramel trail down the hall, and also, if company arrived and there was no dessert, someone would figure out what I had done, so I left it alone. I was a good girl and didn't eat any, but company, and the hubby, did enjoy it! If you like caramel apples and you can handle a pretty sweet dessert, you just  might like this one. There is a very thin "almost cheesecake like" layer in it also.

This is where you can find the original recipe:
http://www.thekitchn.com/-best-pie-bakeoff-2008-entry-1-10-69632
*The only adaptation I made is that I used Richardson brand butterscotch caramel instead of plain caramel.

Crust:
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
3 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/3 c butter, melted
3/4 c Richardson's Butterscotch Caramel ice cream topping
1 c chopped pecans

Apple Filling:
5 Granny Smith apples (peeled, cored, sliced very thin)
5 Tbsp butter
1/2 c brown sugar (lightly packed)
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon

Cream Cheese Topping:
8 oz. cream cheese
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/4 c sugar

Topping:
3/4 c heavy cream, whipped
2 Tbsp sugar


Garnish:
1/2 c Richardson's Butterscotch Caramel ice cream topping
1/4 c pecans, chopped
 
Preheat oven to 375°

In a medium bowl, combine the crumbs, sugar, cinnamon and melted butter. Mix well and press into a 10-inch pie plate and up the sides. Bake for 6 to 7 minutes or until golden. Remove from oven and cool completely. Pour 3/4 cup caramel into pie shell and sprinkle with 1 cup of chopped pecans. Refrigerate the pie shell while you are making the apple filling.

In a large skilet, over medium heat, melt butter and add brown sugar, salt and cinnamon. Stir. Add apples and stir again until they are coated well. Cook over medium heat for 15 minutes or until apples are softened and tender. Let cool for 10 minutes and pour into the  pie shell.

Reduce oven to 350°

In a mixer, combine cream cheese and sugar for about 1 minute until smooth. Add egg, lemon juice and vanilla and beat for 1 minute or until fully blended. Pour over apple filling in pie shell. Bake for 30 minutes or until an inserted knife comes out clean. Remove pie from oven and let cool. Refrigerate for 4 hours.

After you pie has been refrigerated, combine the heavy whipping cream and the sugar in a mixer. Whip until it is a whipped cream consistency. Spread this onto your pie.

Top with 1/2 cup Richardson's Butterscotch Caramel and 1/4 cup chopped pecans.
It's best to take this pie out of the refrigerator at least a half hour before serving. 

Snickers Brownies

It truly is a good thing that I am still on a natural eating plan and can't consume any of these brownies,  because I know for sure that I would not stop at one! Let me tell you though, it was certainly tough not to taste this recipe! Just the fact that brownies, caramel and peanut butter are all together in this recipe just about makes my head swirl with delight.

Just so you know I am not posting an untasted recipe.....the family gave them a "thumbs up" but they also commented that they were so rich that I needed to cut them much smaller. So be forewarned, they are yummy but rich.

And in the words of Dr. Suess.....well...mostly his words, I added a few ;)

Would you eat them here or there? I would eat these ANYWHERE!
Would you, could you in a house?  Yes as long as I hide them from my spouse!
I will eat them in the rain. In the dark. On a train.
In a car. In a tree. They are SO GOOD, SO GOOD you see!
 Would you? Could you? In a car?
Eat them! Eat them! Here they are!

Original recipe can be found at: http://www.jaseyscrazydaisy.com/2012/02/snickers-brownies.html
*Check out her blog, it's got some great recipes on it!

For the brownie layer
1 box of brownie mix
1/4 cup hot fudge topping

For the nougat layer
1/4 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup evaporated milk
1 1//2 jars marshmallow creme
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 1/2 cups salted peanuts, lightly chopped
1 tsp vanilla

For the caramel layer
  one 17 oz jar of caramel ice cream topping

For the chocolate topping
1 1/4 cups chocolate chips
1/4 cup peanut butter.

For the brownie layer:
Prepare brownie batter according to package directions, but also add the 1/4 cup hot fudge topping, to the batter. Bake in a 9X13 pan at the temperature stated on the box and then cool the brownies completely.

For the nougat layer:
Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add sugar and evaporated milk, stirring until all the sugar is dissolved. Bring it to a slow boil. Stir in the marshmallow creme, peanut butter, vanilla and peanuts. Stir until smooth. Pour the mixture evenly over cooled brownies. Let the brownies cool again. You can place them in the refrigerator for a while or place them for a few minutes in the freezer to speed up this process.


For the caramel layer: 
If your caramel is thin enough straight out of the jar, you can pour it directly onto the nougat layer on the brownies. If it is too thick, then heat it slightly on the stovetop until it is pourable. Pour it as evenly as you can onto the nougat layer and use a spatula to even it out the rest of the way. Let it cool down again. (You can put them in the fridge or freezer again)

For the chocolate topping:
Melt chocolate chips and peanut butter together in a saucepan over low heat, or in the microwave, stirring occasionally, until smooth. (If you use the microwave, do NOT overcook and make sure to stir frequently and only cook it for a few seconds at a time until  it's melted together.) Pour the chocolate layer over the caramel layer. Place the brownies into the refrigerator to allow the chocolate to set completely. (The original recipe states that these are better served out of the fridge, allowing just a few minutes to set them out at room temp. The chocolate begins to soften too much if they are left out of the fridge like most brownies)

Salted Cinnamon Cream Cheese Brownies

I know that some people can't imagine chocolate and spice together, but oddly enough it's a really complimentary pairing. Quite awhile ago I had an idea and made some wonderful Mayan chili chocolate brownies. I remembered how much I enjoyed them and decided today to try to make a play on those again. I had to play around with the spices to get it just right, but in the end it really came together well. That will teach me not to write down the amounts I use as I make up the recipe ;)
I decided to add a fraction of a spicy flavor to these cream cheese brownies. I was really happy with the result. Trust me, these are not spicy. They just have a background of cinnamon flavor and a tiny background of spice to them. Be brave...try out spice and chocolate together. You just might like the result!

*Preheat oven to 350 °

12 Tbsp cocoa
4 Tbsp shortening
1/2 cup butter

Melt the first 3 ingredients over low heat. Stir to mix together.

1 1/3 cups sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Stir in the sugar and the vanilla. Let this mixture sit for about 20 minutes to cool down. 

3 eggs
 3/4 cup flour
 1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp ancho chili powder
Mix in the eggs, flour, cinnamon, cayenne pepper and chili powder. Stir until thoroughly mixed together. This will be your chocolate brownie batter.


1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup sugar
4 tsp flour
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla

In a mixing bowl, mix together the cream cheese, 1/3 cup sugar, 4 tsp flour, 1 egg and 1/2 tsp vanilla.This will be your cream cheese layer.

Spray a 8x8x2" baking dish with Pam. Spread 2/3 of the chocolate batter into the the pan. Spoon the cream cheese layer over the top of this. You shouldn't have to worry about spreading it. You should have enough to cover it by spooning it in small amounts over the top of the brownie batter. Dollop the remaining chocolate batter over the top of the cream cheese layer. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes. 

3 Tbsp mini chocolate chips
Cinnamon for dusting the brownies
Sea Salt * For dusting VERY lightly across the top

As soon as you take it out of the oven after the 20 minutes, sprinkle the top with the 3 Tbsp mini chocolate chips, dust it lightly with cinnamon and dust VERY lightly with coarse sea salt. Place back in the oven for 12 more minutes. Cool completely and serve.

Red Velvet Cheese Ball

There are only two words I can think of to describe this cheese ball. YUM! YUM! It's a bit like eating a gooey red velvet cake on a nilla wafer. Ok, so maybe that description doesn't truly do it justice, but honestly it's amazing! I'm sure my co-workers probably won't complain that I'm bringing it in. ;)
I'm glad it's already rolled in the chocolate chips, cause let me tell you...it would be too tempting to get a spoon and eat my way through it. Yes...it's THAT good!!! Once I rolled it in the chips, I knew the temptation to eat it all would be gone, because I'm fairly sure that my co-workers would notice a huge chunk gone that was no longer coated in chips! So I guess I will have to wait for tomorrow to have more.

Recipe Source: http://www.tasteandtellblog.com/2012/02/red-velvet-cheese-ball/ (Check out this girls blog...she has some fantastic recipes on there)

8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

1/2 cup butter, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups red velvet cake mix, dry

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Nilla Wafers or graham crackers

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add in the red velvet cake mix, the brown sugar and the powdered sugar. Beat until smooth and combined.Turn the mixture out onto a piece of plastic wrap. Wrap up into a ball and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.Put the chocolate chips on a plate or in a shallow dish. Remove the cheese ball from the refrigerator and unwrap. Roll in the chocolate chips. Serve with Nilla Wafers or graham crackers!

Strawberry Yogurt Bites

I was browsing through my Pinterest boards for something to make that would be a light kind of dessert. I had remembered pinning these awhile back. I had everything I needed to make it, except the strawberries for the top. I  only had blackberries, so that's what I used. These were amazingly yummy! If you like the taste of strawberry jello, then this is a recipe you will definitely want to make. I think that these would be great to serve at a party or a shower!

The original recipe is here: Strawberry Yogurt Bites

3 (6 oz) containers strawberry yogurt 
1 pkg (3 oz) Strawberry jello gelatin
Strawberries or any other fruit you would like for the top 


Mix the yogurt and the dry jello gelatin powder in a microwavable bowl. Microwave on high for 5 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes until the gelatin is dissolved. Spoon the mixutre into 16 paper lined mini muffin cups. Refrigerate for about one hour or until completely set and firm. Remove from the paper liners and top with fresh fruit.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream

All my life, my favorite ice cream flavor has always been anything with chocolate and peanut butter. I think the servers at Baskin Robbins just know to start scooping it when I walk in. I love eating all the chocolate first and then finishing by eating all the chunks of peanut butter. I know, I eat it like a 5 year old, but hey.....there has to be some area that I can revert back to childhood. Besides 5 years old was only a few years ago...*cough, cough*.
My mom got me an amazing Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker for Christmas last year that makes ice cream in 23 minutes. Yes you heard me right..... 23 MINUTES! Sure, I did have to make the recipe and chill it first, but come on people, 23 minutes? This could be some serious trouble for me.
Today was the first time I used the new ice cream maker since Christmas. I know we've had an awfully warm So Cal winter and spring, but today was the first time that I actually thought to myself that it seemed hot enough to go for it! I'm so happy I did and honestly I could begin drooling, just looking at this picture! This recipe, doesn't have the ribbons of peanut butter chunks through it, but it has the peanut butter mixed in. Oh my goodness, this taste to me, almost exactly replicates Basin Robbins peanut butter chocolate ice cream. Thanks to Tracy over at the following link for posting this recipe. It's amazing!!
http://traceysculinaryadventures.blogspot.com/2010/06/chocolate-peanut-butter-ice-cream.html

As the weather warms up, I'm sure you will tire of me posting ice cream recipes, but I probably won't be able to help myself as this was too easy and oh so yummy!

2 cups half and half
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup sugar
pinch of salt
1/2 cup peanut butter

In a large pan, combine the half and half, cocoa powder, sugar and salt.  Whisk this mixture a bit and then heat the mixture, whisking frequently, until it comes to a full, rolling boil. (the mixture will begin to foam up a bit when it's at a full rolling boil).  Remove the pan from the heat and add the peanut butter, whisking to blend thoroughly.
Refrigerate the mixture to chill it completely. Freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions

S'mores Dip

After a few restless nights of sleep, I finally fell asleep last night at 7:45. Wow, I haven't been to bed that early in a very long time. There are just two words I have for myself...."old much?" I used to be able to not sleep and make it easily through the next day. Not so much anymore! That's ok....this dip is what happens when you wake up a couple of hours before you need to start getting ready for work. Besides, the students are going to be so glad I am bringing this in for them today. I usually bring what I make, to share with the staff, but this time the students get the benefits. Maybe the sugar that's in this dip will keep them going all day long. Ha Ha! Also, this dip is sssssooooooo sweet and I'm pretty sure it will satisfy those pesky, junk food cravings that hit high schoolers about every 10 minutes. Who am I kidding? Those cravings hit me at the same rate! 

1- 1/2 cups chocolate chips
14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp marshmallow creme

In a medium size bowl, melt the chocolate chips and condensed milk together in the microwave, for about 1-2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds.  (mine only took 1 minute) Stir together to mix thoroughly. Spread the dip evenly into a pie tin or any other microwave safe container. Using a tablespoon, place dollops of the marshmallow creme all over the top. Place in the microwave for 40 seconds and use a knife to marble the marshmallow creme through the dip. I used my knife to pick up some of the chocolate from below to stir it back into the top. Enjoy!

Chocolate Dipped Peanut Butter Stuffed Banana Bites

I'm  not sure why I never thought of this idea, but I'm oh so happy that I found this "recipe" over at celebrations.com. It seems like I should have known to do this automatically...I mean come on, chocolate, bananas, peanut butter and nuts or sprinkles. What's not to love? So after dinner tonight, the hubby and I are going to tear into these bad boys! I guess you could come over and join us, but this would definitely be a BYOB party. "Bring your own bananas."

*You can also check out more great recipes over at blog.dollhousebakeshoppe.com
This is where Lindsay Ann, who created this recipe, blogs a bunch of wonderful recipes to try!

Bananas (try to get the straight kind with the least amount of curve in them)
Peanut Butter
Melted milk chocolate (you can use dark if you prefer)
Chopped nuts and/or sprinkles

Cut your bananas into 3 pieces each. You may need to trim the bottoms so they stand up on their own. Dip them about halfway up into the melted milk chocolate. Use a spoon to put on the nuts or the sprinkles all around the chocolate. Place on waxed paper to harden the chocolate. Once the chocolate is hardened, take a straw or an apple corer ( I happened to have a big thick straw left from a Boba drink I had a couple of days ago) and hollow out a strip down the center of each banana. Don't go all the way through to the bottom.
Place your peanut butter into a piping bag (or a baggie with the end cut off if you don't mind it not having a pretty top) and pipe the peanut butter into the hollowed out hole. Voila...easy dessert!

Peanut Butter Cup and Rice Krispy Brownies

Have you ever made a recipe that you knew was going to be so delicious, that you could start drooling just thinking about it? This was one of those recipes. I started by making the brownie batter and as I was pouring it into the pan, I was thinking, "what if I just left a HUGE spoonful of this in the bowl by mistake and had to lick it clean?" Come on....you can't honestly say you have never thought or done this yourself! Well, I fought the brownie batter demon and I put all of it in the pan. Now I had to figure out how to stop myself from licking the bowl clean. Hence the chant to myself " just put it in the sink and run water in it quickly, just put it in the sink and run water in it quickly" over and over and over! Once again...mission accomplished. I ran water into the bowl of precious scraps of brownie batter and watched it wash it all away. Boo Hoo! Later when these brownies were done and I had managed to eat 2 of them, I realized that with all the calories I had consumed, that little bit of brownie batter probably wouldn't have mattered. So next time, and oh trust me there WILL be a next time for this recipe....I will not run water in that bowl so quickly.

1 box brownie mix 

1/2 cup salted peanut, chopped

1 1/4 cups  Reese’s peanut butter cups, chopped

1 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips

1 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

1/2 tablespoon butter

1 1/2 cups Rice Krispies Cereal

Mix brownie batter according to directions on box, and pour into a 9 x 13 baking dish. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Remove and sprinkle the top with chopped peanuts and peanut butter cups, and bake for 5-6 minutes more. While they are finishing baking, melt chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter. Stir in cereal. Remove brownies from the oven and evenly pour chocolate mixture over top.

Refrigerate for 2 hours before serving.

*original recipe from: www.howsweeteats.com

Frozen Cappucino Cups

It seems lately that I haven't been creating as many of my own dishes and I've been trying a lot of  new recipes I have found here, there and everywhere on the Internet. This is another idea taken from Pinterest and oh boy...is it ever wonderful!!! I made these with the intent of having something small to eat when a sugar craving hits, but now the task will be to just eat one and  not eat the entire making of them ;)
The hubby tried one out tonight and really liked it. Since he is not much a sweet eater, this is saying a lot for him to like this. I can't wait to have one tomorrow night. I am too full from our wonderful dinner to even think about eating one tonight!
I know this picture is terrible of this dessert. The camera broke again and I really needed to pop these back into the freezer quickly to get them solid again after topping them with the cool whip and cookie crumbs. Tomorrow I will try to take a picture of one cut in half so you can see all the yummy goodness....

15 Oreo cookies
2 Tbsp melted butter
1 pt coffee ice cream, softened

1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
cool whip
Oreo cookie crumbs
* you can also top it with chocolate syrup or any other "fixins" you like

Crush oreos in your food processor. Place into a bowl and stir in the melted butter. Mix thoroughly. Place cupcake liners into a muffin tin and place a small amount of cookie mixture into the bottom of each liner. Press down with the back of the spoon until it's flat and evenly pressed down.
In a bowl, place softened ice cream with the cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir and mix well. When it's all mixed, place a small amount of the ice cream mixture on top of the cookie crumb mixture in each cup. Top with cool whip and extra crushed cookie crumbs. Place in freezer until frozen.

Chocolate Chip, Oreo, Brownie Bars

Yes, you read that title right! It's all of the above....baked into one glorious cookie bar. So simple, so rich, so yummy!!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
1 Bag Oreo Cookies
1 Box of brownie mix

Preheat your oven to 350. Make your cookie dough however you normally make it. I use the original Nestle recipe for  this bar. Line a 9 X 13 pan with wax paper. Spray the wax paper with Pam. Spread the cookie dough onto the wax paper in the bottom of the pan. Next, place Oreos on the top of the dough, placing evenly on top. Now mix up your box of brownie mix according to the package directions. Pour the batter directly over the Oreos. Make sure you cover all of the Oreo's and chocolate chip cookie batter. Bake in the oven for 50-55 minutes.

Chocolate Covered, Cake batter flavor with sprinkles, Rice Krispy Treats

This is what happens when I am bored on a Sunday afternoon. I had recently stumbled across an idea on the internet of making cake batter flavor rice krispy treats. I thought it sounded good...I mean who doesn't like cake batter flavored anything???? So I completed the rice krispy treats and then it hit me....cover them in chocolate and they will taste even better. Sugar rush? Yes! But oh so good!!

This is just part of the oh so yummy goodness that you need.....

This is after the rice krispy treats were baked and sitting on the counter. At this point I had not gotten into them.....

Cut into squares and waiting patiently to be "dipped"

This is after I had only dipped one or two. Here you can see how yummy they are looking....

AH...the final product....

3 tbsp butter
10 oz mini marshmallows
1/3 cup yellow cake mix
6 cups rice krispys
1.75 ounce container of sprinkles
Melting chocolate
White chocolate

Melt the butter and marshmallows together on the stove top in a large pan. Stir in little bits of the cake mix powder at a time and make sure you stir it in thoroughly. After all the cake mix is mixed in, stir in the rice krispys and half the bottle of sprinkles. Mix thoroughly. Leave on counter top for at least a half an hour. To insert the stick, I like to melt just a touch of chocolate and dip the end of the stick into the chocolate before inserting it into the krispy pop. This helps stabilize the stick and somewhat adheres it to the rice krispys. Place the stick into the pop and dip into melted chocolate. After the chocolate hardens on the outside, drizzle white chocolate over the top of it.

Fudgy Salty Peanut Butter Brownies

There is a show I just love to watch on TV called Dessert First with Ann Thornton. It's a great show and she makes so many wonderful desserts. This is a recipe from her show and it's really good. There is a deep chocolate flavor brownie with a peanut butter layer, chopped peanuts and a chocolate ganache layer on top. Decadent? Yes.....I ate one and that's all I could handle, but boy are they good!

Here is a link to the recipe site!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/anne-thornton/fudgy-salty-peanut-butter-brownies-recipe/index.html

Monkey Bread Mini's

Ooey, gooey, sweet, buttery deliciousness. That's the best way I can describe this bread. This is really easy to make and when you eat it warm it almost melts in your mouth. Now if I could just get it to not melt into my hips ;)
I'm sure when the smell of this cinnamony bread cooking, wafted through the air to my neighbors house, that they were wondering what I was baking, so I decided to take them some and let them try it. I guess I'll have to wait for the reviews!

Here is a link to the recipe on the food network site

http://www.rachaelraymag.com/recipes/rachael-ray-magazine-recipe-search/side-dish-recipes/Monkey-Bread-Minis

Cinnamon Puffs

If you ever have a serious craving for a donut and  you can't quite make it to the donut shop, then this just might be the perfect recipe for you! It only requires 4 ingredients and it's super fast and super easy. Oh and I might add....quite YUMMY!! It's light, fluffy, sweet and buttery all at the same time.

1 can refrigerated biscuit dough
1 cube butter
sugar
cinnamon

Open biscuits and bake according to package directions. Meanwhile, melt one cube of butter and place onto a plate or into a bowl large enough to dip the biscuits in. Mix sugar and cinnamon together in whatever ratio suits your tastes. If you like more cinnamon, then add more....if not add less. Right when biscuits come out of the oven, roll them in the butter, covering the top, bottom and the sides. Roll the buttered biscuit into the sugar/cinnamon mixture covering the entire biscuit! These are best enjoyed while they are still hot, but they still taste great later too.