Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Brownies

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Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Brownies

Drooling? Because I know I was while I made these. And after I made them. And every time I think about them. Basically, they are amazing. There's really no need for me to go into detail about the chewy brownie layer that is fudgey and the perfect cookie dough that feels sinful even though it doesn't have egg. Describing the combination of chocolate and cookie dough that comes together to make a soft chewy bar that is heavenly would be pointless because you really can't imagine how amazing this bar is. Now, if you intend to make these, gather your self control and wipe the drool from your chin before you begin.

original recipe:http://www.browneyedbaker.com/2011/07/21/chocolate-chip-cookie-dough-brownies/

Ingredients:
¾ cup unsalted butter
¾ cup light brown sugar
¾ cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons heavy cream
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1½ cups all-purpose flour
1½ cups milk chocolate chips


1 Box of your favorite brownie mix + ingredients called for (or your favorite recipe)- I used Betty Crocker Supreme Brownie Mix

Directions:
1. Preheat over to 350. Line a 9x13 inch pan with parchment paper to cover all edges. Mix brownie mix as directed, and bake 25-35 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean from the center. 
2. Mix together all other ingredients together forming cookie dough.
3. Allow the brownie layer to cool completely. Then layer the cookie dough on top. I did this by making cookie dough patties and then pressing them onto the brownie layer and filling in the holes as needed until the whole brownie layer was covered by a layer of cookie dough. 
4. Allow to sit and cool, the layers will compress a bit and become this dense bar that is spectacular. Cut when cool, and store in air tight container, and for a firmer bar, store in the fridge. 


Enjoy!

Cheese Cake Stuffed Red Velvet Cupcakes

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Cheese Cake Stuffed Red Velvet Cupcakes

I will be honest, I don't love cake. I never have. Unless its cake batter, or ice cream cake, or with layers of fudge or something ridiculously rich, cake just doesn't do it for me. I had some requests for red velvet cake though. And I always deliver. In comes the cupcake. Cute. Convenient. Yummy- if you like cake. Seeing as how I require something insane to up the yum factor of cake I stuffed these plain jane cupcakes with cheese cake, and WALLAH! I approve of these cupcakes, even though they are cake.

I also admit, i used some boxes for the recipe. If you have recipes for either cheese cake or red velvet cake that you are fond of, by all means, use them, and assemble the cupcakes in the same way. I just don't make cake often, so I don't have any particular recipes I like.

Ingredients
1 box red velvet cake mix + the ingredients required to make the cake
1 6 inch store bought cheese cake-with or without crust (I used one with a graham cracker crust)
1 Can cream cheese frosting, or a recipe enough to cover 24 cupcakes

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350. Line muffin tins with baking liners, or grease with butter.
2. Mix cake mix and required ingredients as directed. Spoon batter into each cup about till about 1/3 full.
3. Using a spoon or cookie dropper, drop 1 inch balls of prepared cheese cake into center of cupcake tins.
4. Spoon additional cake batter over cheese cake until muffin tins are about 2/3's full or cheesecake is covered.
5. Bake approx 20 minutes, or as directed by the box mix/ recipe you are using for the cake. Allow to cool and frost if you'd like. I used cream cheese frosting.

Yield: about 24 cupcakes

Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Krispie Bars

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Peanut Butter chocolate krispie Bars

These are super easy, kid friendly classic bars that can be made with plain or cocoa krispies and likely any other cereal you have on hand as long as it goes with peanut butter (chex, cheerios, smacks, quaker squares). These bars are also very good with chocolate topping.
original recipe:
http://www.ricekrispies.com/en_US/recipes/peanut-butter-treats.html#/en_US/recipes/peanut-butter-bars

Ingredients: 
1 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
3 Tbs butter
1cup powdered sugar
2 1/2 Tbs milk
1/2 Tbs vanilla
3 1/2 cups cocoa krispies

optional: 1 cup milk chocolate chips; melted and drizzled on top

Directions:
1. in a large bowl cream butter and peanut butter, then add in milk, vanilla and powdered sugar. Blend until well mixed and fluffy.
2. pour in cocoa krispies, stir until evenly coated.
3. dump mixture into lined 8 x 8 baking dish, and refrigerate for about an hour. cut into even pieces.

Enjoy!

Browned Butter & Candied Bacon Cereal Bars

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Browned Butter & Candied Bacon Cereal Bars

Mostly this recipe intrigued me. I saw it and wondered how bacon would taste in a cereal bar; would it be bacony? or salty? Honestly, they are neither. Imagine a cereal bar, but a little nuttier tasting, a little more caramel flavored, less sugary. The bacon adds a bit of warmth and sweetness to the bar without it being too sugary. The bacon is candied so it isn't salty like bacon typically is.

The original can be found at:
http://www.bettycrocker.com/community/blogs/viewblog/andiblog/2010/7/19/twin-cities-bacon-takedown


Ingredients:


1 lb bacon
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup butter (no substitutions)
1 1/2 bags (10 oz each) marshmallows
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon coarse Kosher salt
6 cups rice Chex® cereal
6 cups corn Chex® cereal

Directions:


1. Heat oven to 400°F. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper or foil. Place bacon on pan in single layer. Sprinkle with half of the brown sugar. Bake 9 to 11 minutes until the sugar is dissolved. Turn bacon over, sprinkle with remaining brown sugar. Bake an additional 10 minutes or until bacon is crisp and sugar is melted. Allow bacon to cool, and then chop finely. if you didnt bake your bacon long enough it may be a little sticky, and that's ok, just be sure that it is chopped well. it may take some time. 


2. In large saucepan melt butter on medium heat, stirring frequently until it turns golden brown and begins to smell nutty. if you are prone to burning your butter rather than browning it- which is very easy to do- just add the marshmallows while the butter is melted. As the marshmallows melt, the butter is likely to brown some on its own anyway. 


3. Add in marshmallows, stir until melted. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla, salt and finely chopped candied bacon until well mixed. Gently stir in cereal, until well coated.


4. Pour Mixture into 13x9-inch glass baking dish sprayed with cooking spray. Wet your hands slightly with water or butter and press the mixture evenly into the pan. Cool completely. Cut into Squares.


Enjoy!

Chocolate Chip S'more Cookie Bars

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Chocolate Chip S'more Cookie Bars

Chocolate chips are a classic. S'mores are a classic. Combine the two, and you have created a masterpiece that satisfies that craving for home baked goodness. Admittedly, I cheated a little and used a packaged cookie mix. I know, I know, they are not that good and all that. But, I wanted to bake and I'm all about convenience. So, essentially you're going to layer cookie dough, then s'more ingredients, then cookie dough.

Ingredients:
1 Package premade chocolate chip cookie dough (either the break and bake, or a pouch mix, whatever you prefer- Or feel free to use your favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe)
15 large marshmellows
10 graham crackers
5 hershey's chocolate bars- optional. I omitted these because I was trying to curb the sweetness because I was making this for someone without much of a sweet tooth. however.. I think they would be WAY better with this ingredient. If you're on the fence about using it, I say use the chocolate! You can never have too much for my taste.

Directions:

1. preheat oven to 350 degrees. line an 8 x 8 baking dish with parchment paper.
2. Mix your prepackaged dough according to the directions, or make your recipe. If you are using premade dough, you dont need to do anything.
3. when you have your dough, take half (enough for 12-15 cookies) and line the bottom of your lined baking dish with it. it will be thin and difficult to spread. Remember that cookies inflate when baked so the layer won't be as thin in the final product as it is when it's still dough.
4. layer the graham crackers on top of the dough, do not break them unless you need to do so to make them fit.
5. using a microwave safe dish, put your marshmallows in the microwave for about 45 seconds or until they have puffed up and are able to be stirred into a cream. (you could probably use marshmallow creme for this as well, but I have not tried it)
6. spread the melted marshmallows onto the graham cracker layer.
7. layer the chocolate bars on top of the marshmallows.
8. layer another layer graham crackers on top of the chocolate.
9. finally, spread the remaining chocolate chip cookie dough over the top of the grahams. This makes for a very thick looking bar, but they bake down a bit.
10. Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes or until the top is golden brown and soft set.
11. allow to cool completely, and then cut.

Enjoy!

Double Chocolate Caramel Mocha Bread

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Double Chocolate Caramel Mocha Bread

Original Recipe: http://www.shugarysweets.com/2012/06/triple-chocolate-caramel-butterscotch.html

This bread is rich, indulgent, and decadent. The best part is, its also easy! I love butterscotch as much as the next person, but the deep dark chocolate flavor of the bread is so reminiscent of a mocha- which I LOVE- that I  went the coffee route because coffee and chocolate are the loves of my life. 

Ingredients: 

3/4 cup butter, softened
1 1/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup Greek yogurt
1/2 cup boiling water - I microwaved the water for a few minutes for the same effect
1 3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup milk chocolate morsels
Milk chocolate morsels/ semi sweet/ dark chocolate/white - enough to cover the top of the loaf (about 1 cup depending on how packed you like it)

 1 Duncan Hines frosting creations frosting starter + one packet mocha flavoring (for duncan hines frosting) + one packet caramel flavoring (for duncan hines frosting)

Directions: 
1. In mixing bowl beat butter and sugar until creamy. Beat in eggs. Beat in vanilla, greek yogurt and water. Slowly add flour, cocoa, and baking soda. Mix completely. stir in 1 cup milk chocolate morsels.

2.Grease the loaf pan, or if you prefer, you can make cupcakes with this as well. I did 3 mini loaves. Pour batter into pan and bake in a 350 degree oven for 60-65 minutes. If you're doing this in cupcakes or something other than a single loaf pan be sure to check the bread after about 45 minutes, less for cupcakes. poking the center of the bread (or cupcakes) with a tooth pick will tell you when they are done. The tooth pick should come out clean. 

3.Allow to cool in loaf pan about 10 minutes. Remove to wire rack and cool COMPLETELY.

4. Mix flavor packets into frosting starter, and spread over loaves or cupcakes. Press the remaining chocolate chips (of whatever flavor you decided- I did milk chocolate) onto the frosting. Store in air tight container. 

Enjoy!

Carrot Cake Scones

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Carrot Cake Scones

Adapted from: http://www.thekitchenmagpie.com/carrot-cake-scones

Typically scones are dry, these however are not. They are moist just like carrot cake would be, so if you're looking for a more traditional scone, these may not be what you're looking for. That being said, they are very good, lots of flavor, and convenient.

Also, this is one of those recipes where you need to read through it first. I made the mistake of not doing that, and adding baking powder at the wrong spot and ended up having to play around and kinda guess how to remedy the mistake. It worked out pretty good, and I fully advocate experimenting in cooking and baking- obviously, but it needs to be more of an educated guess as to how it will all work out. So in the original recipe, you have to add the Baking Soda to the greek yogurt and have it "poof" or fluff up. I added to the dry ingredients. stupid. But then I also added it to the greek yogurt so it went poof. Baking soda is meant to make the thinks you bake get more airy, so I knew having extra would allow me to add more wet ingredients, or heavy ingredients. I love a very carrot-y flavor, so I added an extra 1/4 cup of carrots, and 2 Tbs honey to the original recipe and they turned out very moist and delicious. The take home message though is read through recipes prior to diving head first into it.

Ingredients: 

1 cup of Greek yogurt
1 tsp baking soda (into greek yogurt) + 1 tsp into dry ingredients
4 cups of flour
1 cup of white sugar
1 cup of raisins- optional, I used chocolate covered raisins and they were good too
1 cup shredded carrots
1 cup of cold margarine or butter
1 egg
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
4 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cloves


Directions: 


1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or cooking spray.
2. Mix together all dry ingredients, including spices, flour, sugar, baking powder and 1 tsp of baking soda.
3. Cut in the cold butter- make sure it is cold- into the dry ingredients. Do this by slicing the butter in small chunks into the dry ingredients.
4. in separate bowl mix together the 1 cup of greek yogurt with the other tsp of baking soda, and stir so that it beings to 'poof'. Next beat the egg and add it to the greek yogurt. Add the Mixture to the dry ingredients, and then add the honey. 
5. mix dough. This will be tough, so I just used my hands, since the dough is pretty thick. Refrigerate the dough for about 30 mins to 1 hour. This part isn't totally necessary, but I think it helps the scones to hold their crisp clean edges when baking. 
6. cut the dough into 3 large sections, pat each third into a large ball and flatten into a pancake like shape, and cut each round into 6 pieces. Place the pieces on the baking sheet and bake for approximately 20 minutes. 
7. allow to cool completely (i'm impatient and didn't and my frosting melted) and then frost or ice. Cream cheese frosting goes very well with these, or if your not a frosting person, sprinkling with cinnamon sugar about 3 minutes before coming out of the oven would be good too. 

Makes 18 large scones. 


Enjoy!