S'mores Bars

I saw this idea on a friend's blog and I thought it sounded great. This recipe is really a rice-krispy-treats-meets-s'mores, and rice krispy treats and s'mores are two of my simple favorites!

Originally I made these to these to my friend, Lora, who was in the hospital after having her baby girl. Before I left for the hospital, I sampled one to make sure they were as tasty as I thought they should be and then sent all the other bars to Lora. Afterwards, I kept thinking about how good they were and wondering why I hadn't saved at least a couple for our house. So I did what anyone else would have done - I ran to the store and made another batch! And I'm not the only one who loved them. Another friend visited Lora in the hospital and emailed me for the recipe as soon as she got home! Yes, they are that good!

S'mores bars

as seen on Tiny Tidbits and recipe adapted from Two Peas & Their Pod

4 1/2 tablespoons butter

1 (10.5-oz) bag of mini marshmallows, divided

8 cups Golden Grahams cereal

6 Hershey's chocolate bars

In a large pot over medium heat, melt butter and add 2/3 bag of marshmallows. Stir frequently until marshmallows are melted. Take pot off heat and stir in cereal, coating cereal completely. Pour cereal into a greased 9-inch-x-13-inch pan and push down slightly on the cereal to compact it in the pan.

Preheat broiler. Place Hershey's bars on top of cereal. You may need to break them to get even coverage. Sprinkle the remaining marshmallows on top. Pop pan under the broiler, watching closely. Broil until the marshmallows are slightly charred on top.

Let cool completely and cut into bars.

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Fauxstess Cupcakes

I've been following Annie's Eats for a long while and I always love her recipes. Often she convinces me to branch out and attempt new recipes when I read her reviews and see her beautiful pictures. When I think of Annie's Eats, I always think of cupcakes. She has so many wonderful and fun cupcake recipes! Recently I made her Butterfinger Cupcakes and they were delicious - I remember being so surprised at how closely the frosting tasted like a Butterfinger! But I digress...

While I don't know Annie in reality, I feel like I do. She has invited me into her kitchen and her life just by reading her blog. Every morning, I look forward to drinking my cup of coffee and reading my cooking blogs, especially hers. But on Thanksgiving, Annie posted that her father died unexpectedly and that she would be taking a break from blogging to mourn and cope with the loss. She offered a gentle reminder to be extra thankful for the ones you love because you never know how long you'll have them. I can't tell you how many times since then that I have squeezed my daughter or my husband tight, consciously being thankful that they are here with me.

I didn't realize how much I would miss Annie's posts until there weren't any new ones popping up in my blogger feed each morning. To fulfill my needed dose of Annie's Eats, I combed through her archives, and of course found tons of great looking cupcake recipes. Inspired by an earlier blog movement, Peanut Butter Pie for Mikey, I decided to whip up a batch of cupcakes in honor of Annie's dad. I was stumped about which recipe to choose since I don't actually know Annie or her family, so I finally decided just to pick one that looked good to me. Hopefully her dad would have liked it too!

Fauxstess Cupcakes

recipe from Annie's Eats

for the cupcakes

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons cake flour

1/3 cup cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/8 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs, separated and at room temp

1/3 cup canola oil

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons water

for the filling

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

3/4 cup marshmallow fluff (store-bought or homemade)

1 1/2 tablespoons heavy cream

for the frosting

1/4 cup heavy cream

4 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat wells of a muffin tin.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside..

In another bowl, beat together egg yolks, canola oil, 1/2 cup sugar and water until well combined. Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Set aside.

In the bowl of a mixer, beat egg whites at high speed until soft peaks form. Slowly add remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar and continue to beat until stiff and glossy. Add 1/4 of the egg white mixture into the batter and mix to combine. Add remaining egg white mixture and gently fold together until no streaks remain.

Evenly divide the mixture into 8 or 9 cupcake wells. Bake until the cupcakes spring back (i.e. do not leave an indention) when lightly touched in the center, about 13-16 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely on a wire rack.

Meanwhile, make the filling. In a medium bowl, beat together the butter, powdered sugar, marshmallow fluff and heavy cream. Reserve 1/2 cup of the filling and transfer the rest to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/4-inch round tip.

Gently insert the tip of the pastry bag about 1/2-inch deep into the top of each cupcake and lightly squeeze in some filling.

For the frosting, heat cream over medium heat in a small saucepan until steaming (not boiling!), stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add chopped chocolate. Let stand for 5 minutes. Add butter and stir until smooth. Transfer to a small bowl and dip the top of each cupcake in the frosting to thoroughly coat. Spoon reserved filling into a pastry bag fitted with a very small plain tip and pipe curlicues across the center of each cupcake. Refrigerate the cupcakes for 10 minutes to set the frosting.

And then share them with the ones you love!

Big Bite!

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Almond Raspberry Brownies

For years I've been making a simple chocolate cake - a cake mix, add almond extract, use raspberry jam as the filling between the layers, top with chocolate frosting and more jam and decorate with fresh raspberries. I started thinking about how great those flavors - almond and raspberry - are with chocolate and decided to make it into an easy brownie recipe. So here goes!

This is a very show-stopping dessert that is so rich, decadent, and most of all, delicious. They take brownies to a whole new level of sophistication! I can't wait to make these again for a dinner party and I think they would pair fabulously with champagne or prosecco. Yum, my mouth is starting to water just thinking about them. Good thing I still have a whole pan of them left since Andrew isn't home from work yet!

Because they have three different layers, they do take a little more prep time than your average brownie recipe, but to save time, the base is made from a brownie mix.

Almond Raspberry Brownies

a Baking and Eggs original

for the brownie layer

1 pkg brownie mix, plus ingredients listed on box (I needed eggs and vegetable oil)

1 t almond extract

for the raspberry cream layer

1 8-oz pkg cream cheese, at room temperature

1 egg

1 t almond extract

1/3 c seedless raspberry jam

1 c powdered sugar

for the ganache

1 c whipped topping

4 squares semi sweet bakers chocolate

1 c seedless raspberry jam, optional

for garnish

fresh raspberries

sliced almonds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-inch x 13-inch baking dish.

Mix brownie mix according to package directions and add extract. Pour batter into prepared pan.

Using a mixer with a whisk attachment, mix cream cheese, egg, extract, jam and powdered sugar until well combined, about 2-3 minutes. Pour and gently spread the cream cheese mixture over the brownie batter. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the cream cheese layer is lightly browned and doesn't jiggle. Let cool 10-15 minutes.

In a small bowl, combine whipped topping and semi-sweet chocolate. Microwave mixture for 1 1/2 minutes. Stir mixture until smooth. Spread ganache over brownies.

Optional: In a small bowl, heat 1 cup raspberry jam in microwave until warm, about 20-30 seconds. Carefully spread jam over ganache.

Decorate with sliced almonds and/or fresh raspberries. Cut into squares and serve.

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Mini Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes

{the perfect little bite-sized snack!}

Yesterday was another "board meeting" with my mom's friends (and now my friends too) and I showed up with these ridiculously cute Mini Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes. I was pretty popular! These are ridiculously cute, aren't they?!? And they only have a total of 8 ingredients...okay, 9 if you count water.

I can't wait to make them again because they would be a great addition to any party or get-together. While there are three parts to this recipe, it wasn't difficult at all. The assembly took a little time, but not too much longer than most standard cupcake recipes. I loved the super simple ganache. It ended up with the perfect consistency, looked beautifully glossy, and it wasn't too sweet, which was a perfect pairing with the sugary custard layer. I have to admit, when I read that you make the ganache by microwaving baker's chocolate with Cool Whip, I was really skeptical. When I first pulled it out of the microwave my skepticism was raised to new levels. It looked like a watery/chocolatey mess, but with a little stirring it smoothed right out. A-maz-ing!

It's important to note that the cupcakes need a little time (minimum of 15 minutes) to set up before serving. And the leftovers are still really good the next day too. Especially when served for breakfast with a steaming mug of coffee. Just throwing that out there.

The only thing I'll probably fiddle around with a little next time is the custard. It didn't have quite enough pizzazz for me. Maybe I'll substitute a French Vanilla pudding or something insanely difficult like that :-)

Mini Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes

adapted only slightly from a KRAFT recipe via allrecipes.com

1 pkg (2 layer size) yellow cake mix (plus ingredients needed to make cake - mine called for

water, eggs and vegetable oil)

1 t vanilla

1 1/2 c cold milk

1 pkg (6 serving size) vanilla flavor instant pudding

1 3/4 c thawed whipped topping, divided

4 squares semi-sweet chocolate, roughly chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare cake batter according to package instructions and the vanilla. Bake in mini-muffin tins for 10-14 minutes. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Remove to wire racks and allow to cool completely.

Beat milk and pudding mix with whisk for about 2 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, use serrated knife to cut cupcakes in half horizontally. Gently fold in 3/4 c whipped topping. Spoon about 1 T of the pudding mixture onto the bottom half of each cupcake; cover with the top half.

Microwave remaining 1 c whipped topping and baker's chocolate in a small bowl for 1 1/2 minutes. Stir until chocolate is completely melted and mixture is well blended. Let stand 10-15 minutes to thicken. Spread onto the top of each cupcake. Refrigerate at least 15 minutes before serving. Store leftovers in refrigerator.

Thanks for visiting! Please leave questions or comments - I always love to hear from you!

Erin

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Nutella Crepes with Berries

There are several of my friends that all had children around the same time and we started a play group when our kids were just a few months old. Every now and then we get together without the kids for a moms night out and we always have a great time! At our last dinner, we went to a new restaurant/wine bar and we ordered a bunch of appetizers and split them. When it came time for dessert, we were all drawn to their Nutella Crepe with Berries, so we ordered one...and then another one. It was a fabulous end to a great meal! Since that night, I've often thought of that wonderful dessert, so I decided to re-create it tonight. And it was just as good as I remembered!

I used my mother-in-law's crepe recipe but you could easily substitute store-bought crepes if you're in a pinch. Also the components of this recipe can be made ahead of time and then assembled just prior to eating.

Nutella Crepes with Berries

for the crepes

3 eggs

1 3/4 c milk

1 c all-purpose flour

1/2 t salt

2 T sugar

1 T vegetable oil

non-stick spray or melted butter, for greasing the pan

for the filling

10 T nutella

for the berries

2 1/2 c fresh berries (strawberries, raspberries, blueberries or an assortment of the three)

2 T sugar

2 T water

For the crepes: In a blender or food processor, combine all ingredients and blend well. Stir it with a spoon to make sure there aren't any lumps. The batter will be thin and smooth.

Put an 8-inch crepe pan or nonstick skillet over medium heat and spray with nonstick spray (or brush with melted butter). Pour about 1/4 c of batter into the pan and quickly swirl it to evenly cover the bottom of the pan. (You want the crepes paper thin.) Cook for about 30-45 seconds, or until the edges just start to turn golden. Flip the crepe and cook an additional 30 seconds. Slip the crepe onto a plate and repeat with remaining batter. You should get 10-12 crepes. (I always use pieces of wax paper between the crepes so they don't stick together.)

For the berries: In a small heavy saucepan over medium heat, add 1 1/2 c berries, water (or port wine would be a great substitute for the water!) and sugar. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring often. Lower heat and cook an additional 8 minutes or until the sauce has thickened slightly.

For assembly: Place a crepe on your work surface. Spread about 1 T nutella on half of the crepe. (I only put Nutella on half of the crepe because it's pretty rich, but if you're feeling decadent, by all means, spread it over the whole thing!) Roll the crepe up and slice in half width-wise. Spoon on some berry compote and enjoy!

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Hershey's "Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Cake

The name sums up this recipe pretty well! Andrew and I were craving something sweet but we didn't want to have to make a trip to the store. I was looking through my baking cabinet and glanced at the back of the Hershey's cocoa tub and saw this recipe. I had everything needed to make it so we whipped it up. The cake is unbelievably moist (and it still is three days later as I'm eating the last of it!) and the frosting is so wonderfully sweet - the perfect of companions. I think this may very well end up being my go-to chocolate cake recipe!

Hershey's "Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Cake and Frosting

recipe courtesy of Hershey's

for the cake:

2 c sugar

1 3/4 c all-purpose flour

3/4 c Hershey's cocoa

1 1/2 t baking powder

1 1/2 t baking soda

1 t salt

2 eggs

1 c milk

1/2 c vegetable oil

2 t vanilla extract

1 c boiling water

for the frosting:

1 stick butter

2/3 c Hershey's cocoa

3 c powdered sugar

1/3 c milk

1 t vanilla extract

For the cake: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 9-in round baking pans. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour into pans. Bake 30-35 minutes, or until wooden stick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely.

For the frosting: Melt butter. Stir in cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating on medium speed until reaching spreading consistency. Add more milk, if needed. Stir in vanilla. Frost cake once it has completely cooled.

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Better Than Crack Brownies

With a name like that, how could you not want to make these brownies?!? While I can't verify that these actually are better than crack, they definitely were fantastic! I love the different tastes and textures that these have - fudge brownies, peanut butter cups, salted peanuts, chocolate chips, peanut butter and rice krispies. YUMMY! They keep well too! Next time I make them, and there definitely will be a next time!, I think I'm going to add more peanuts for even more crunch...

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Chocolate Gooey Butter Cookies

I saw this recipe on Food Network's website and I loved that it only had a few ingredients. Sometimes baking intimidates me a little because there is usually so many ingredients and you have to measure everything so exactly or else the recipe may not turn out well. I'm not really an exact measurement kind of gal, so I was excited this find this gem from Paula Deen! I took these cookies to a happy hour and was asked for the recipe - always a good sign! And my husband paused mid-bite to exclaim that the cookies were "amazing"!

Here are a few things I found out about this recipe that I thought I'd pass along:

1.) since the dough is chilled, the cookies don't spread out very much

2.) it makes a ton of cookies! I think I made close to a 100, which could be great if you need to make a lot of cookies for a bake sale, Christmas party, etc.

3.) the dough can be refrigerated for several days and then baked

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Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bars

First off, my photography is horrible and the pumpkin bars look much yummier than this photo depicts!

I had a get together this afternoon and wanted to bring something festive on which to snack. I remember that a HS friend of mine had a recipe on her blog for pumpkin chocolate chip bars. I looked up the recipe she used and it called for 2 sticks (2 sticks?!?!!) of butter. I kept looking for another recipe that was a little bit healthier. I stumbled on to this little diddy. Here's the really ironic part - the healthier recipe is actually from Paula Deen. Who'd have thunk it?!?

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bars

adapted by Erin from Paula Deen

4 eggs

1 2/3 c sugar

1/2 c vegetable oil

1/2 c applesauce

1 15-oz can pumpkin

1 t vanilla

2 c all-purpose flour, sifted

2 t baking powder

1 t baking soda

1 t salt

2 t cinnamon

1/4 t ground ginger

1/4 t ground nutmeg

1 11.5-oz bag of milk chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In an electric mixer, combine eggs, sugar, oil, applesauce, pumpkin and vanilla. Mix until well blended.

In a large bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. On low speed, slowly add flour mixture to wet ingredients. Mix until just blended. Using a spatula, fold in chocolate chips.

Pour into a greased 9" x 13" baking dish. Bake in preheated oven for 35-45 minutes or until toothpick inserted in middle comes out with just a few crumbs.

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Chocolate Covered Strawberries

So easy, so delicious and so festive for Valentine's Day. This recipe is simple enough that there isn't really a recipe. I just buy a container of strawberries, a container of chocolate almond bark (also called dipping chocolate) and a container of white chocolate almond bark. (Almond bark is found in the same aisle as chocolate chips in most grocery stores.)

Usually I will wash and dry the strawberries. It's really important for the strawberries to be thoroughly dried or else the chocolate won't adhere well to the strawberry. Line a cookie sheet with wax paper. Melt a few squares of the chocolate in the microwave in 15-30 second intervals, stirring each time until the chocolate is smooth and melted. Dip the strawberries in the chocolate and place them on the cookie sheet to set up. Often I'll place them in the refrigerator to set faster. Once the chocolate is hardened, melt a little white chocolate in the microwave. Spoon it into a ziploc bag, snip off the corner of the bag and drizzle it back and forth over the strawberries. Beautiful!

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Mississippi Mud Cake

Oh goodness, I was craving chocolate this week and this recipe fit the bill! And even better, it used up that random half a bag of marshmallows that had been hanging out in my cabinet for a month or two. I used a recipe from allrecipes.com and the only change I made was to substitute marshmallows for marshmallow cream. Andrew and I have both enjoyed snacking on this dessert all week!

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Mississippi-Mud-Cake-II/Detail.aspx

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Scotcheroos

I'm a big fan of rice crispy treats but every now and then I want something a little different. These are tasty little treats that combine the crunch of rice crispies and the peanut butter-chocolate combination of Reese's peanut butter cups. In other words, these are divine! You can whip them up, start to finish, in about 20 minutes too, which makes them even better in my book!

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Kelloggs-Chocolate-Scotcheroos/Detail.aspx

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