Incognito

Yup, I am at it again with the Peanut Butter. Be honest though, can you ever have too many desserts with Peanut Butter and Chocolate?? I think not.

This recipe comes from my Grandma's recipe box. Deceivingly these were titled Peanut Butter Bars, but as you can see these look more like a brownie than a Peanut Butter bar! In reality these moist little bars are more like a brownie with a slight Peanut Butter undertone than what I think a Peanut Butter bar to be so I am changing their name to Incognito Bars (because the PB flavor is undercover in these chocolatey-looking bars).

These bars are thick, moist and all in all very good. I will be making these again and I really liked the simplicity of the recipe and how quick they came together.

*Next time I might increase the amount of Peanut Butter by 2 TBS and increase the amount of cocoa powder to 3TBS total(decreasing the amount of flour by 1 TBS so the texture and consistency of the bars remains unchanged). I might also add mini chocoalte chips or those mini Reese's PB baking cups or chips to the batter before baking.

As you can see, I have several ideas in mind for these little babies in the near future because these bars were very good and worth a try.

I tasted one of these babies while they were warm and found the flavor of both the chocolate and Peanut Butter to be too subtle for my liking. I felt they needed to be "Jazzed" up a bit. So, I whipped up a simple Chocolate/Peanut Butter 'frosting' and topped with crumbled a Butterfinger bar.

The Result? MMMMM, finger licking good!

I did notice, however, after cooling the flavor of the bars themselves seemed to deepen a bit and you can taste the chocolate and peanut butter a little more than right out of the oven. Because their flavor seems to deepen after they set a few hours/overnight you may want to try these bars after they have cooled and set without the frosting/candy bar topping to see if you feel they need that extra sweetness.
I found them to be great with the additions by my tooth has been known to be pretty sweet!

Incognito Bars
1/3 cup Peanut Butter
1/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup flour
2 TBS cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking powder

Chocolate Peanut Butter Frosting (if desired)
Chopped/Crushed Candy bars (if desired, Butterfinger's pictured)

Preheat oven to 325.
Line an 8x8 pan with foil and spray with PAM.
In a medium bowl sift together the flour, cocoa powder and baking powder.
In a medium mixing bowl cream the peanut butter, butter and sugar until combined. Add eggs and beat well. Slowly add the flour mixture.
Spread batter in pan and bake for 25-30 minutes until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
Cool.
Frost if desired and sprinkle with crushed Butterfinger bar (as pictured) or Chopped Reese's PB cups.


Chocolate Peanut Butter Frosting (Optional)
1/2 cup Peanut Butter (creamy)
1 cup Chocolate Chips
1 TBS shortening

In a small saucepan over medium low heat, stir toghter Peanut Butter, chips and shortening until smooth. You can add more Peanut Butter or Chocolate chips depending how much frosting you want and to taste.
Gently Spread Evenly over bars. Sprinkle with crushed/chopped candy if desired.

S'more Goodies!

These bars are very good, messy, but good!
I got the recipe out of an old church cookbook and couldn't wait to try them because they combine the goodness of a S'more: graham crackers, chocolate and marshmallows in an ooey gooey bar. Another reason these bars caught my eye is that they do not require any bake time! Perfect for summer days when you don't want to use your oven but still want a tastey sweet!

These were a breeze to make and so good that I was eating them out of the pan with a spoon before they were cool. After cooling some they were easier to cut and serve, however, they did crumble a bit but the taste makes up for the mess factor in my opinion!

I am not sure how long these would stay fresh and chewy because I took them to work and they were gone in minutes.

S'mores Bars

1 egg, beaten

1/3 cup butter (no substitutions)

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

15 crushed graham crackers (I used 9 rectangular crackers)

1 1/2 cups small marshmallows

3/4 cup milk chocolate chips

Line an 8x8 pan with foil and spray with PAM.

In a medium mixing bowl combine the graham cracker crumbs, 3/4 cup marshmallows and 1/2 cup chocolate chips. Set aside.

In a medium sauce pan over medium heat, combine the egg, butter, sugar and vanilla. Cook, stirring constantly until it comes to a full boil. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.

Pour mixture in bowl with the graham crackers, marshmallows and chcolate chips. Stir to combine. (Marshmallows and chips will melt a bit).

Fold in remaining marshmallows and chips.

Press mixture into prepared pan.
Cool until set. Remove foil and bars from pan, cut and serve. Store in airtight container either room temp or in fridge (if during warm months).

Ooey Gooey Peanut Buttery!

I have been craving a Peanut Butter sweet lately and had a jar to use up. I went searching for a recipe and found this winner on the Jif website! I did top the bars with some chopped Reese's cups before covering in marshmallows because I had some to use up and really Reese's PB cups make any dessert a little better! These taste fabulous!

I really really liked the taste and texture of these bars. The base has a nice Peanut Butter flavor and is light in texture. It is topped with a layer of melted Peanut Butter and then covered Marshmallows (and chopped PB cups in my version) and then baked again until the Marshmallows puff and bec0me light brown. Do not overbake or the Marshmallows will be hard and crisp.

My one complaint about these bars is that they are VERY difficult to cut and eat. The marshmallows stick to the knife (even after greasing the knife) when cutting making them not look too pretty. Also, the PB/marshmallow topping does not stay on the base while cutting and eating. The topping stuck to the knife and got pulled off of the crust slightly. This happened again while eating. I do admit, that I did not allow these to cool completely before cutting and serving so that may have been the problem. The seperation of the cookie base and toppings did not affect the taste, these were soooooo good!! For flavor I give them a 9! The chopped Reese's PB cups really added that extra Peanut Butter flavor I was craving and will continue to add them when making this recipe. I will definately be making them again very soon. Next time I will cool completely to see if that makes a difference in cutting and serving.

Peanut Butter Marshmallow Bars
adapted from Jif
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup Jif Creamy Peanut Butter
1/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 1/4 cups Flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 salt
1/2 cup Jif Creamy Peanut Butter
4 cups miniature marshmallows
7-8 individual Reese's PB cups chopped (more or less to taste)

Heat oven to 350.
Grease a 13 x 9 x 2-inch glass baking dish with PAM spray.
In a large bowl combine brown sugar, 1/2 cup butter, peanut butter, sugar and egg.
Beat at medium speed of electric mixer until well blended.
Mix flour, baking powder and salt. Add gradually to creamed mixture at low speed. Beat until well blended.
Cover. Refrigerate 15 minutes.
Press into prepared dish. Bake 20 minutes or until light brown.
Do not over-bake. Cool 2 to 3 minutes.
Place peanut butter in microwave-safe measuring cup. Microwave for 1 minute. Pour over cookie base. Spread to cover.
Cover Peanut Butter layer with chopped Reese's PB cups and marshmallows. Return to oven. Bake 5 minutes or until marshmallows are light brown. Do not over-bake.
Loosen from sides of dish with knife. Remove dish to cooling rack.
Cool completely.

An Oldie but a Goodie!

Once again I made a batch of Blondies. It is a recipe I have made a million times but just haven't taken pictures. I had my camera out tonight so I thought I would snap a couple pictures to share.

I am in love with this recipe and love its versitility. I have tried more combinations of add-ins than I can count and each time they turn out Delish! I added toasted pecans, toffee pieces and white chocolate chunks to this batch. Here are some other variations I have really enjoyed but feel free to mix and match add-ins to meet your tastes!

Cinnamon chips/ Cinnamon Cheesecake Swirl/Cinnamon

PB chips/Milk Chocolate Chips/Reese's Pieces

Dried Cranberries/White Chocolate Chunks/ Toasted Walnuts

Toffee pieces/Toasted Pecans/Butterscotch chips
Diced apples/cinnamon/Cinnamon chips

Reese's PB cups, chopped/ Grated Hershey's bar

Toasted Coconut/Macadamian nuts

Blonde Magic

Magic Cookie Bars that is!
I LOVE the famous Magic Cookie bars, also known as 7 layer bars. The first time I had one of these chocolate/butterscotch/coconut goodies was at a church bakesale when I was a little girl. Ah the memories.

As a child I loved the taste, as an adult I also love that these bars are so quick to prepare and the possibilities are endless for the goodies to layer on. I had a bunch of slivered almonds to use up so I created a chocolate-free Magic Cookie bar, as I have named the Blonde Magic Cookie Bar. Ok, it's not chocolate-free as it does use white chocolate, but it is still Blonde! ha ha

I based my recipe off of the one from the Eagle brand website but altered it greatly. These bars turned out great! The toasting of the nuts and coconut before baking really intensify the flavors and the white chocolate melts to creamy goodness with its mild taste pairing beautifully with the almonds, coconut and almond flavored Sweet and Condesed Milk. All of this goodness lies atop a tender and buttery graham cracker crust. This recipe is a definate keeper in this house!


Blonde Magic Cookie Bars
adapted from Eagle Brand
1/4 cup butter
3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs (I used 4 whole graham crackers and 1 half)
7 ounces (1/2 can) Sweetened Condensed Milk (NOT evaporated milk)
1/4 tsp Almond Extract
1 cup coarsley chopped white baking chocolate (NOT white chocolate chips, they melt differently)
1 1/3 cups flaked coconut (toasted)
1 cup slivered almonds (toasted)

Preheat oven to 350.
Line an 8x8 inch pan with foil. Lightly spray with PAM.
Line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil.
Evenly spread coconut on half of baking sheet and the slivered almonds on the other half.
Toast in preheated oven for 10 minutes stirring every 3 minutes for even browning and to prevent burning.

In 8x8 baking pan, melt butter in oven (can be done while coconut and almonds are toasting). Once melted remove from oven. Sprinkle crumbs over melted butter and gently pat to cover bottom of pan.
Combine the 7oz. of Sweetened Condensed Milk and Almond extract, stir to combine.

Once the coconut and nuts are finished toasting remove from oven. Evenly sprinkle almonds over prepared crust, next sprinkled the chopped white chocolate over the almonds.
Evenly sprinkle the toasted coconut over the nuts and chocolate. Gently pour the Sweetened Condensed milk/almond extract mixture evenly over coconut layer.
Bake 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool. Chill if desired. Cut into bars. Store loosely covered at room temperature.

Want one?

Cinnamon Cheesecake Swirled Blondies

I haven't baked forever (stupid work, keeping me busy) and couldn't wait to whip up some goodies this morning. I had half a block of cream cheese that needed to be used up and decided to experiment a bit and add a Cheesecake Swirl to a slight variation of my Basic Blondie recipe.

The results were great, even though the colors of the cheesecake swirl and the blondies blend together so it is hard to distinguish between the two visually. The cinnamon in the Cheesecake swirl was not overpowering and complimented the cinnamon chips and the hint of cinnamon I added to the blondie recipe nicely.

These were really good warm with a scoop of cinnamon icecream and warm carmel sauce drizzled over the top. MMM.

Cinnamon Cheesecake Swirled Blondies
6 TBS butter, melted
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup Hershey's Brand Cinnamon Chips (optional, white chocolate chips or walnuts would be good as well)

Cinnamon Cheesecake Swirl
5 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon (more or less to taste)
2 TBS flour
1 tsp pure Vanilla
1 egg yolk

In bowl combine cream cheese, sugar, cinnamon, flour and vanilla beat until smooth. Add egg yolk and beat just until combined. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350.
Line an 8x8 pan with foil and lightly spray with PAM.
In a large microwave safe mixing bowl melt the butter. Allow to cool for 5 mintues.

Mix the brown sugar with the melted butter and beat until smooth. Beat in egg and then vanilla. Add salt, stir in flour baking powder and cinnamon.
Mix in Cinnamon Chips and/or nuts or other chips (if using)

Pour into prepared pan and use a greased spatula to evenly spread mixture in pan and level the top. Dollup cinnamon cream cheese mixture over blondie batter in pan.
Run a knife through the blondie and cheesecake layers to create a pattern or swirls.

Bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes or until set in the middle. (I baked for 27 minutes)Cool on rack before cutting.

The Ultimate Bar Cookie

If you want a treat that will satisfy that sweet tooth of yours this is your recipe! I originally got this recipe from a lady I volunteered with at Habitat for Humanity project. She brought these as our afternoon treat; these did not last long at and after one bite I knew I needed more. I kindly asked and she wrote down the recipe for me. After a quick internet search for the source I found a similar one here at CDkitchen.

This is a recipe (if you can call it that) that I have been using and adapting (based on what ingredients I have on hand) for years. I love the fact that it is so adaptable based on what you have in the kitchen pantry and freezer. My favorite topping combination is White chocolate chunks, semi-sweet and milk chocolate chips and walnut pieces. But have tried many topping combinations and have yet to find a "bad" one.

I love the brown sugar shortbread-like crust and the toffee mixture that sinfully holds all of the toppings to the crust. These cookie bars are very sweet so you can get away with cutting them small.

You can cut these bars into squares or do what I did for a cute presentation.

I used various sizes of round cookie cutters to cut the bars after they had cooled and chilled slightly for easy cutting.

The remaining bar pieces I store in a tupperware container in the freezer and use as a topping for my icecream. MMMMMMMMM. I love treats that keep on giving.

The Ultimate Bar Cookies

2 cups flour

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup butter, softened

**

1 1/2 cup coarsely chopped nuts (any of the following, walnuts, macadamia nuts, pecans)

1/2 cup white chocolate -- coarsely chopped

1/2 cup milk chocolate chips

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

**

3/4 cup butter (NO substitutions)
1/2 cup packed brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350.
Line a 9x13 pan with foil.

Beat flour, 1/2 cup brown sugar, and 1/2 cup butter until fine crumbs form. Pat mixture firmly into bottom of foil lined baking pan. Bake 15 minutes, or until golden. Remove from oven.

Sprinkle nuts and chocolate (or other toppings) over the hot crust.

In a saucepan over medium heat, stir together 3/4 cup butter 1/2 cup brown sugar, stirring constantly until bubbly. Once it starts bubbling cook and stir for 1 minute.

Pour mixture evenly over nuts and chocoalte in pan. Make sure not to get too close to the edges of the pan or it will burn to the sides.

Bake 15 minutes more or until just bubbly around edges.

Cool in pan on rack. Cut into bars.

** You can use any toppings that you and your family enjoy. Try mixing and matching your fave nuts or chocolate. I have also created a variety of combinations using dark chocolate bars chopped, butterscotch chips, peanut butter chips, toasted coconut, Reese's pieces, Reese's pb cups chopped, crushed Fritos etc.

Fit for a Crowd

This is a recipe my grandma used to make when I was little. It is great for family get-to-gethers, church functions, bake sales and pot lucks because these bars make a ton and are always a hit with both adults and kids.

These bars have a sweet smooth layer of chocolate-fudgey goodness is nestled between a crust and topping made with wholesome oatmeal. I find that these bars provide just the right amount of sweetness without being tooth-achey-sweet which makes these a favorites for adults and children.

My grandma always made these using a 10x15 jelly roll pan when making these bars. Using this size pan ensure even baking of crust and filling and increases the amount of bars you get out of the recipe. I did not have a jelly roll pan so I baked mine using a 9x13 pan. If you do this the crust for the bars and the fudge layer are thick and don't cook quite as evenly as I had to bake mine for about 35 minutes for the fudge layer to set which made my crust a little dry and over done. Either way they tasted super yummy but I think I will put off making these again until I buy a jelly roll pan for even tastier results.

NOTE: This recipe is from a hand written cookbook my grandma gave me. I am not sure where she originally got the recipe, if you know its origin let me know and I will cite it.

Grandma's Oatmeal Fudge Bars

1 cup butter, softened

2 cups brown sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons Vanilla

2 1/2 cups flour

1 teasponn baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

3 cups Quaker quick cooking oatmeal.

2 cups Semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 can Sweetened Condensed Milk (15 oz.)

2 Tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon salt

2 1/2 teaspoons Vanilla

1 cup chopped nuts (optional, walnuts or pecans) *I did not use

Preheat oven to 325.

Grease and flour a 10x15 jelly roll pan. *I used a 9x13 pan

In a large bowl sift together flour, soda and salt. Set aside.

In large mixing bowl. , beat together softened butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy.

Add eggs, one at a time and beat until combined. Add vanilla and mix well.

Slowly add the sifted flour mixture and mix until combined. Stir in oatmeal.

Gently spread 2/3 crust into bottom of prepared pan. Reserve the rest for topping.

Make the filling:

Over Medium-Low heat, melt together chocolate chips, sweetened condensed milk, 2 tablespoons butter, and salt. Stir until smooth. Remove mixture from heat and stir in vanilla and nuts if using.

Evenly pour filling mixture of crust but keeping filling about a 1/4 inch away from side of pan so it does not stick to side while baking. Evenly dollup top of filling with remaining oat mixture. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until topping is light brown and fudge layer set but not solid. Don't overbake these bars or they can become dry.

Cool in pay on rack until set. Can chill to set faster. Keep stored in airtight container either room temp or in fridge.

*I used a 9x13 pan and baked for 38 minutes for the fudgey layer to set but this caused the crust to be a little too done compared to my grandma's bars baked in a jelly roll pan. The bars were also a little hard to cut because of the thickness of the crust and filling. They were very good though! Everyone at work raved about them and there no complaints.

Carmelicious!

Look at those bars! Who does not love the combination of caramel and chocolate?

Wow, I had forgotten how great these bars are. I love the texture of the slighlty crisp crust with the gooey caramel layer filled with nuts and chocolate.

I have been making these since high school (one could say it was my "signature" dessert back then). The recipe comes from our dear friends at Pilsbury and is so easy I used to have it memorized.

The thing I love about these bars is that they are great warm, room temperature or even straight out of the fridge (which is where I keep them during the summer months or the caramel gets a little too gooey for eating with your hands). The oatmeal/brown sugar crust provides a nice and hearty base for these bars and keeps them from being overly-sweet.

Here is the recipe directly copied from the website. My changes are in red.

Oatmeal Carmelitas

from Pillsbury

2 cups Pillsbury BEST® All Purpose or Unbleached Flour (I used Gold Medal)
2 cups quick-cooking rolled oats
1 1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups margarine or butter, softened (I used butter)



1 (12.5-oz.) jar (1 cup) caramel ice cream topping
3 tablespoons Pillsbury BEST® All Purpose or Unbleached Flour (I used Gold Medal)
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (I used 1/2 cup Milk chocolate and 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips)
1/2 cup chopped nuts (I usually use Walnuts but omitted nuts this time)

Heat oven to 350°F.
Grease 13x9-inch pan.
Lightly spoon flour into measuring cup; level off. In large bowl, combine all crust ingredients; mix at low speed until crumbly. Reserve half of crumb mixture (about 3 cups) for topping. Press remaining crumb mixture in bottom of greased pan.
Bake for 10 minutes or until light brown.


Meanwhile, in small bowl, combine caramel topping and 3 tablespoons flour; blend well.

Remove partially baked crust from oven; sprinkle with chocolate chips and nuts.
Drizzle evenly with caramel mixture; sprinkle with reserved crumb mixture.

Return to oven; bake an additional 18 to 22 minutes or until golden brown.

Cool 1 hour or until completely cooled. Refrigerate 1 to 2 hours or until filling is set.
Cut into bars.

Yellow with Envy

While I am a HUGE chocolate cake lover, my heart belongs to the Yellow Cake. I tried my hand at making one from scratch and was very pleased with the results. After searching through several cookbooks for a recipe that was worthy of sacraficing my Homemade Yellow Cake Virginity I decided I was more comfortable using a recipe already blogged about for my "first time". I turned to Nic at bakingbites and found what I was looking for! I followed her recipe to a "T" with the exception of adding a drop of Yellow food coloring to bump up the Yellow in my Yellow Cake.

Take note, as she uses a unique mixing method (blends the butter with dry ingredients before adding the wet) which produces a cake that has the most tender crumb you have eaten. The cake baked up light, fluffy and oh so delicious. and nothing takes a Yellow Cake over-the-top better than Chocolate Frosting.

I was so pleased with the cake that could not wait to taste it. Instead of making homemade chocolate frosting, I busted out my favorite canister of Chocolate Frosting and proceeded to enjoy the fruits of my labor with a good slathering of Chocolate on top (just the way I like it).

Let me say, while boxed Yellow cake mixes totally rock my world, this recipe has sent my world into a tail-spin!

Yellow Sheet Cake

from bakingbites

2 ½ cups cake flour

2 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

1 ½ cups sugar

½ cup butter, softened

3 eggs

1 cup milk (I used whole)

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 drop Yellow Food Coloring

Chocolate Frosting

Preheat oven to 350F.

Line a 9×13 inch sheet pan with parchment paper, or lightly grease it with shortening or oil (butter will produce a harder “crust”).

Sift cake flour, baking powder and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer. Add sugar and, using the paddle attachment, mix on low speed to blend. Cut butter into 4 or 5 chunks and drop into the bowl with the flour. Blend on low speed until mixture looks sandy and no large chunks of butter remain, 1-2 minutes.

In a large measuring cup, combine eggs, milk, vanilla and food coloring. Beat lightly with a fork until combined. With the mixer on low, pour 1 cup of the egg mixture into the bowl. Turn speed up to medium and beat for 1 ½ minutes. Reduce speed back to low and pour in the rest of the egg mixture. Continue to beat at low speed for an additional 30 seconds, until liquid is fully incorporated.

Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat for a few more seconds, if necessary.Pour into prepared 9×13 pan and spread batter evenly with a spatula. Tap gently a few times to eliminate any bubbles.

Bake at 350F for 30-35 minutes, until a tooth pick inserted into the center comes out clean.Let cool for 30 minutes in the pan before turning out onto a rack to cool completely. Frost with Chocolate Frosting and Enjoy!

Don't lick the Screen

Lick the beaters, the spoon, your fingers, the knife and your plate. These are THAT good in my opinion. I have been tweaking a basic brownie recipe for the past six months that I found in my mom's recipe box. The recipe was tattered and and speckled with dried batter (a sign of a winner in my book!). My mom rarey makes brownies from scratch anymore as she is a woman of convenience and the $.88 boxed brownie mix. She did remember that she used to bake these from scratch all of the time when she was my age and first married to my dad but doesn't remember where she got the recipe.

The first time I baked the brownies according to the recipe but they were not very chocolatey and way too cakey for my liking. I did some tweaking (more/less eggs, sugar, butter, chocolate, cocoa powder, etc) every time I have made them and lets just say that these brownies came out to be the Brownies I had dreamed of. I only hope to have continued success with the recipe as written, if not, I am not afraid to tweak some more until pure brownie perfection is achieved. **Fingers crossed for future success!!

After my latest tweaks I stood there looking at the batter in my mixing bowl. Not wanting to be disappointed by another plain-jane-so-so brownie I decided to jazz them up a bit. In my book chocolate, cheesecake and peanut butter is a combination created by the Gods. And let's just say the God's have shined down upon this recipe. These brownies are fudgey, gooey and oh so chocolately (thanks to THREE different kinds of chocolate) with a creamy peanut-buttery cheesecake swirled throughout not once but twice. If that wasn't enough peanut butter overload these babies are topped with chopped Reese's Peanut Butter Cups the last five minutes of baking. Just long enough for them to melt into the brownies a bit but still retain their shape making these brownies fall into the FOOD PORN category.
Go ahead and indulge!

Double Peanut Butter Cheesecake Swirled Brownies

3/4 cup butter, very soft (not melted but softer than room temp)

1 cup sugar

1 TBS vanilla extract

2 large eggs
1 oz. unsweetened baking chocolate, melted

1 oz. semi-sweet baking chocolate, melted

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

Peanut Butter Cheesecake Swirl

4 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cups creamy PB

1/3 cup sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

5-6 Reese's peanut butter cups (regular size) cut into 6-8 pieces each

IMPORTANT: Do NOT omit the Reese's Peanut Butter cups. They take these brownies over the top and add the "Double" Peanut Butter taste the title tepts tastebuds with

Preheat oven to 350. Line an 8x8" square pan with foil and lightly coat with PAM cooking spray.

In a microwave safe bowl melt the two baking chocolate squares in 30 second intervals stirring after each interval until smooth and melted after stirring. Do not scortch! Remove from microwave and allow to come to room temperature.

In a large mixing bowl, Beat together butter and sugar until combined. Beat in eggs one at a time until blended. Add vanilla and melted chocolate. Mix to combine. Combine dry ingredients in medium bowl and wisk together. Gradually stir dry ingredients into butter mixture. Do not overmix.

In separate mixing bowl, beat together cream cheese, peanut butter sugar and vanilla until smooth. Add egg and beat until just combined.

Spread about 2/3 of chocolate brownie batter into prepared pan. Evenly drop 1/2 of cheesecake batter in dollups over brownie batter. Run a knife through both mixtures to slightly swirl.

Dollop remaining brownie batter and cheesecake batter over swirled mixture. Run knife through the browine and cheesecake dollups (not all the way through the already swirled layer) to create a swirled pattern.

Bake for 40-45 minutes**, or until center is set and a toothpick inserted in the center has a few crumbs stuck to it. Do not overbake or they will harden, if underbaked they will be too gooey. Every oven is different so watch and check these after about 35-40 minutes of baking to ensure propper doneness.

**After about 35-40 minutes of baking (with about 5-7 minutes of baking time left, you just need to eyeball it) gently place cut up Reese's cups over top of almost fully baked brownies. Finish baking until a toothpick inserted in the center has a few crumbs stuck to it. The Reese's PB cups will melt but hold their shape slightly. Cool completely on wire rack before cutting and serving.

NOTE: I have not baked the brownie recipe without the Double Peanut Butter Cheesecake Swirl and Reese's on top so I am not sure how the brownies themselves rate. Let's just say I may not find out as I am in love with the Double Peanut Butter Cheesecake recipe.

NOTE 2/13/08: I changed and added 5-7 minutes the baking time as a few people who have made the recipe indicated a longer bake time was needed than oringinally posted. The recipe listed above reflects those changes.
All ovens are different so be sure to keep an eye on your brownies to prevent overbaking. Brownies are done when a toothpick inserted in center comes out with a few crumbs stuck to it.

Thy Cup Runneth Over

This recipe comes from the Hershey's website. Just as the title implies this is the "Perfectly Chocolate Cake". I chose to make mine into cupcakes (portion control, ha ha, yeah right!) and as you can seen I filled cupcake liners with a tad too much batter as the cupcakes almost baked over their liners!

These baked up light and fluffy (as you can see) and oh so chocolatey! I chose not to frost these cupcakes as I much prefer a dollup of SugarFree Coolwhip on the top of my cupcake. Frosted or not, you will not be disappointed with this cake recipe as it is a tried and true and has received RAVE reviews, both on the Hershey's website as well as on "What's for Dinner" message board on thenest.com as seen in Chelley's, Erin's, Carrie's and Tara's blogs.

If you are looking for the Perfect Chocolate Cake (or cupcakes) give this recipe a try and be prepared to have your socks knocked off.

Hershey's Perfectly Chocolate Cupcakes

from: Hersheys

2 cups sugar

1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa

1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1 cup milk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup boiling water

Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans.
Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans.
Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely.

VARIATIONS:ONE-PAN CAKE: Grease and flour 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Heat oven to 350° F. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 35 to 40 minutes. Cool completely. Frost.

THREE LAYER CAKE: Grease and flour three 8-inch round baking pans. Heat oven to 350°F. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake 30 to 35 minutes. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost.

BUNDT CAKE: Grease and flour 12-cup Bundt pan. Heat oven to 350°F. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 50 to 55 minutes. Cool 15 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack. Cool completely. Frost.

CUPCAKES: Line muffin cups (2-1/2 inches in diameter) with paper bake cups. Heat oven to 350°F. Fill cups 2/3 full with batter. Bake 22 to 25 minutes. Cool completely. Frost. About 30 cupcakes.

Somewhere Over the Rainbow

My FAVORITE non-baked dessert definately tastes like a pot of gold to me! My mom has been making this recipe for me for years. Each bite takes me back to childhood summers and to a world filled with munchkins (me and my friends), my childhood dog, and a yellowbrick road (our neighborhood street) that led us on many adventures.

I LOVE sherbert, especially Rainbow sherbert. You know the one with Lemon, Lime and Orange sherbert all swirled together. It is a light and refreshing welcomed change from Icecream when you are looking for a cool treat. Although the weather is in the single didgets I was craving this dessert. It is a true favorite of mine. This desert takes minimal time to prep and assemble but does require some chill time to firm up. But it is SOOOOO worth the wait.

You know I love recipes that you can tweak easily to make it your own and this recipe is no exception. A great thing about this recipe is that you can substitute any of your favorite ice cream, frozen yogurt or sherbert flavor for the Rainbow sherbert. We have used vanilla and pecan ice creams served with warm carmel drizzled over the top of each slice for an impressive dessert for company.

However, I have to admit, with the toasted nutty sweet crust I find icecream too rich and much prefer my Rainbow Sherbert in this recipe. Feel free to play around with different flavors of icecream to suit your own tastes, you really can't go wrong as the crust/topping will make it winner.

The crust and topping of this dessert take it over the top in my opinion. The perfect blend of brown sugar, butter, cereal, coconut and nuts perfectly toasted provide a droolworthy base and crubly topping for this dessert. I have been known to make extra crust/topping and eat with a spoon! It is THAT good. You could even make the crust/topping and store in an airtight container in your fridge and use as a topping for scoops of icecream or sherbert for a quick and tastey weeknight dessert.

Frozen Dream Crunch Bars

10 TBS butter, melted (1 stick plus 2 TBS)

1 cup packed brown sugar

2 3/4 cups Rice Krispies

1 cup flaked coconut

1 cup slivered almonds (or other favorite nut, like pecans)

3/4-1 gallon Rainbow Sherbert, softened (or other fave icecream flavor)

Preheat oven to 325.

Lightly spray a baking sheet with PAM spray. Place frozen Sherbert on counter or in fridge to soften.
Toast the almonds by spreading slivered almonds evenly over baking sheet and bake for 8 minutes, stirring after 4 mintues. Remove from oven. Increase oven temperature to 375.

While nuts are toasting, melt butter in a microwave safe bowl in 30 second intervals, stirring after each interval until melted.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together butter, cereal, brown sugar, coconut and toasted nuts.

Spread mixture on a baking sheet.

Bake in oven 10 minutes, stirring every 3 minutes for even browning. Watch carefully and do not let burn. Let cool completely.

Press 2/3 of cooled mixture into the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Gently spread softened sherbert over crust. Sprinkle remaining mixture evenly over Sherbert layer, cover tightly and freeze until set.

Better Than..........

Sex Cake.

There are many names for this cake and many variations. My mom used to refer to this as Better than Christmas cake so my sisters and I could ask for dessert without it sounding "R-rated" or spurring a discussion about the "Birds and the Bees" at the dinner table; especially so when we had friends over.

This cake is my sister's absolute favorite cake. She requests it every year for her Birthday cake. It is so simple to make as it starts with a boxed cake mix, although a homemade one would work as well, but why put in the extra effort when the cake is really just used as a "sponge" to soke up all the ooey gooey goodness in this recipe. I would prefer to bake a cake from scratch when I can truly enjoy its flavor and texture.

As I have said, this cake has many variations and is so versitile. Some recipes call for a yellow cake mix, pineapple and coconut, others use German chocolate cake mix. The possiblities are endless. I will admit that the Yellow cake mix version does not appeal to me in the slightest so I stick to the Chocolate variety. The thing I love about this cake is the longer it sits in the fridge the more moist and delicious it becomes! How many cakes can say that?? This cake is so moist, rich and oh so good. In an attempt to "lighten" it up a bit (especially since the holiday goody consumption is around the corner and my jeans are already a little snug) I modified my usual "recipe" My changes in red.

Better than Christmas Cake
1 boxed Triple Chocolate Fudge Cake Mix (Betty Crocker)

Water, eggs and oil called for with cake mix *I used 1 can Diet Coke in place of all water, eggs and oil

1 12 oz. jarred Caramel Sauce *I used Sugar Free

1 can Sweetened Condensed Milk * I used Fat Free Bordens Sweet and Condensed Milk

1 Butterfinger bar, crushed

1 Skor bar, Crushed

1 tub Coolwhip, thawed *I used Sugar free

1 cup mini chocolate chips

Bake cake according to package directions for a 9x13 pan until a few crumbs come out on a toothpick inserted in center.

After removing cake from oven, use the back of a wooden spoon and poke several holes in the cake, making sure not to go all the way to the bottom of the pan or the carmel and milk will pool and stick to the pan making it hard to serve.

Stir together in a bowl the carmel sauce and Sweet and condensed milk. You can heat carmel slightly in the microwave to make it easier to mix.

Evenly pour mixture over the entire cake making sure to pour some into the holes you poked.
Sprinkle the crushed candy bars evenly over the cake. Cover and refridgerate until ready to serve. Best if allowed to chill overnight.

When ready to serve, frost cake with Coolwhip and sprinkle with mini chocolate chips.

*I like to allow the cake sit out at room temperature for about 15-20 minutes before serving to allow the carmel/milk mixture to warm a bit and create a gooey sauce through out the cake.

For the Love

of chocolate and cheesecake!

These brownies are awesome! So rich and chocolatey paired with the creaminess of cheesecake swirled throughout! So simple yet so impressive and decadant. You really should use a good quality cocoa powder to fully appreciate these brownies. I used the recipe for the brownie from the Ghriadelli Sweet Cocoa Can.

Ghirardelli Award Winning Brownies
2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla
1/2 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup Ghirardelli Sweet Ground Chocolate and Cocoa
2/3 cup unsifted flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup walnuts (I did not use)
1 cup Chocolate Chips (I used 1/2 semi sweet and 1/2 milk chocolate chips)

Preheat oven to 350.
Line 8x8 pan with foil and spray with PAM.
In bowl, stir together the eggs, sugar and vanilla. Add butter.
Sift Cocoa powder, flour, baking powder and salt. Stir into egg mixture.
Stir in chips (and nuts if using).

**Spread into pan and bake for 20-30 minutes until toothpick inserted in center comes out with a few crumbs.

Cheesecake Swirled Brownies

**If making cheesecake swirled brownies, use recipe above but only spread 2/3 batter into pan. Dollup cream cheese mixture over brownie batter in pan.
Dollup the remainin 1/3 batter on top of cheesecake mixture.
Run a knife through the brownie and cheesecake layers to create a pattern or swirls.
Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes or until toothpick comes out with a few crumbs when inserted. Do NOT overbake

Cheesecake Swirl
7 oz cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup sugar
2 TBS flour
1 tsp pure Vanilla
1 egg

In bowl combine cream cheese, sugar, flour and vanilla beat until smooth. Add egg and beat just until combined.

The Way Nature Intended

Peanut Butter, that is.
This is my first time using all natural PB, (I usually by Jif or Skippy) but the last time I was at store I decided to give "All Natural" a whirl.
My friend has raved about this recipe for months now, insisting that I just HAD to try it.

She ONLY buys "All Natural" products and insisted that this recipe is not as good with any other peanut butter because of the chemicals in them (chemicals schmemicals, I love my Jif and Skippy and its lab created flavor. Plus the stuff has an incredibly long shelf life, not that I have personal experience with an open jar lasting long enough around here to be sure).

This is my first time using this recipe so I do not know how they would turn out with using your regular old tub of Peanut Butter. In my opinion, anything with Peanut Butter is pretty darn good, so I will definately have to try out my good old Jif (in the name of science of course!)

I have not taste tested one yet because they are for work tommorow, but I can NOT wait to sink my teeth into one of these babies.

Naturally Nutty Peanut Butter Cookies













1 3/4 cups plus 2 TBS flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups natural creamy peanut butter, (make sure to stir it to combine the oil and solid mixture)
2/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup brown sugar
4 TBS unsalted butter, room temperature (NOT too soft)
2 eggs
2 TBS light Karo corn syrup
1 TBS vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350.
In a medium mixing bowl combine flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
In a medium mixing bowl blend together the peanut butter, sugar, brown sugar, and butter on low speed until JUST combined, making sure not to over mix. With the mixer turned off, add the eggs, corn syrup and vanilla extract and beat on low until JUST combined.

Slowly add the flour mixture until just combined. Stop mixer before the flour is completely incorporated to prevent over mixing and finish by hand.The dough should a little sticky.

Using the Pampered Chef Medium size scoop, shape the cookie dough into balls Place formed dough balls on parchment lined cookie sheets. With the tines of fork dipped in sugar, lightly press and flatten each ball making a crisscross pattern.

Bake cookies 9-11 minutes until they are JUST SET and start to show a tiny amount of light brown color on the edges. Cool the cookies in the pan for a minute. Then, transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

Butter Me Up!!

These cookies remind me of something Paula Dean would make (1 1/2 cups of butter!!!) Yowza! Also, these cookies use few ingredients (NO eggs needed!) and are a snap to whip up! The finished product is light and butter and slightly sweet. The texture of these cookies is not cake-like but somewhat "flakey". They definately melt in your mouth! I think the mini-chips are perfect in this recipe (or omit all together). Regular size chips would overpower this little gem and I am not sure the cookie has the sturdiness to handle full size chocolate chips without crumbling. Plus, the minis are soooo cute!

These would be so cute on a Christmas goodie platter sprinkled with powdered sugar or green/red granualted sugar!

Mini Chocolate Chip Butter Cookies

1 1/2 cups butter, softened

3/4 cup powdered sugar (sifted, after measuring)

1 TBS vanilla

3 cups flour

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups Mini chocolate chips (I used Semi-sweet, but Milk-chocolate would be good also)

1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts (I did not use)

Powdered Sugar or Sugar for garnish

Preheat oven to 375.

In a mixing bowl, beat the butter until smooth. Add sugar and vanilla and beat until creamy. Mix in the flour and salt until combined. Gently fold in the chocolate chips and nuts by hand just until combined.Form dough into balls using medium scoop and place on parchement lined baking sheets.

(At this point I chilled and then transferred to tupperware containers to freeze once the balls had set. ) *I would recommend chilling balls for a few minutes before baking to prevent overspreading.

Bake on parchment lined baking sheets for 9-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Sift powdered sugar over cookies directly out of oven or sprinkle with colored sugar. Cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Before serving, sprinkle with additional sugars if desired.

Can you have Too much Chocolate?

I think NOT! These cookies are soooo chocolatey and will satisfy any Chocoholic's craving! Be sure to read the directions, you combine the baking soda with the wet ingredients, not the dry like many other cookie recipes.

Because they are a dark cookie, it is hard to tell when you should take them out of the oven, I like to err on the side of caution and remove a bit early. In my opinion a gooey cookie is better than a dry one ANY day!! These pair nicely with vanilla icecream and hot fudge!!

Triple Chocolate Chocolate Cookies

2 sticks butter

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp Vanilla

2 large eggs

3 oz. Unsweetened Chocolate, melt and then cool

2 cups Flour

1/4 cup bittersweet chocolate chunk

1/2 cup white chocolatechunks

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chunks (milk chocolate would be great!)

1/2 cup chopped nuts (walnuts, pecans, macadamia) optional

Preheat oven to 350.

Melt 30z chocolate in 15 second intervals in microwave safe bowl, stirring after each interval.

Heat until able to stir smooth, Do NOT overheat or it will seize and taste burnt. Set aside to cool.
In a mixing bowl, beat the butter, sugars and baking soda until combined. Add the vanilla and eggs and beat until mixed well. Fold in the cooled melted chocolate until combine.

Slowly beat in the flour and mix until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chunks and nuts. Form dough into balls using medium scoop and place on parchement lined baking sheets.

(At this point I chilled and then transferred to tupperware containers to freeze once the balls had set. ) *I would recommend chilling balls for a few minutes before baking to prevent overspreading.

Bake on parchment lined baking sheet for 10-14 minutes or until edges are firm to the touch.

Cool on baking sheet for 2 minutes and then transfer to cooling rack to cool completely.

Sometimes you feel like a Nut

I love to bake, as you may have guessed by my blogname! On Friday I whipped up a few batches of cookie dough, formed into balls using my Pampered Chef medium sized icecream scoop (LOVE IT, if you don't have one, you need to buy this item), chilled and stored in tupperware in the freezer so I can bake them up at my leisure.

This first batch combines several of my favorite ingredients in baked goods: nuts, chocolate and coconut. The higher ratio of brown to white sugar ensures these cookies (if not overbaked) stay slightly chewy even after cooling. They bake up rather thin and not puffy, but I prefer them that way. The brown sugar also provides the finished cookie a slight "toffee" taste similar to that of my beloved Basic Blondies. While the nuts are optional, I would highly recommend adding them, substituting your favorite nut in place of the walnuts is fine, but the nuts really do play off of the "toffee" taste of these cookies nicely!




Coconut Nut Chipsters
1 1/2 sticks butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp Vanilla
1 egg
1 2/3 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup Milk Chocolate Chips (could sub semi-sweet if desired)
1/2 cup White Chocolate Chips (could sub a different flavor chip or use all chocolate)
1 1/3 cup Coconut (lightly toasting is optional)
1 cup Walnut pieces (or other fave nut)

Preheat oven to 375.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Whisk to combine. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter, sugars and vanilla until light and creamy. Beat in egg. Slowly add flour mixture and mix just until combined. Gently fold in chips, coconut and nuts by hand just until combined.
Form dough into balls using medium scoop and place on parchement lined baking sheets.

(At this point I chilled and then transferred to tupperware containers to freeze once the balls had set. ) *I would recommend chilling balls for a few minutes before baking to prevent overspreading.

Bake for 8-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on sheets for 2 minutes and transfer to cooling rack to cool completely.

*Next time I might substitute butterscotch chips for the white chocolate chips, I think the butterscotch and nuts will be awesome with the brown sugar flavor of theese cookies!

My Namesake

White Chocolate Toffee Pecan Blondies

Here it is, the end all and be all of Blondies. I am a sefl proclaimed Chocoholic and this recipe rivals any brownie recipe I have made or tasted.

This recipe rocks not only because of its flavor, but also because its base uses ingredients almost everyone has on hand at all times (egg, flour, butter etc).

It is so simple to whip up because the butter is melted, you do not need to wait for it to come to room temp making these the perfect last minute dessert. Plus the recipe is super versatile; you can stir in any addition you can think of to suit your tastes making them a totally different treat each time you bake! This one recipe will literally give you a thousand different dessert options by mixing up what you use for "add ins". I have not come across a bad combination of "add ins" yet and I have made these a hundred times or more. I dare you to see if Blondes really do have more fun.

*For the blondies pictured I used 1/2 cup white chocolate chunks, 1/4 cup toffee pieces and 1/2 cup toasted Pecan pieces.

Basic Blondies
6-7 TBS butter, melted
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup flour
1/4 tsp baking powder (optional, creates lighter blondie texture)

"Add in" (see below)

Preheat oven to 350.
Line an 8x8 pan with foil and lightly spray with PAM.
In a large microwave safe mixing bowl melt the butter. Allow to cool for 5 mintues. Mix the brown sugar with the melted butter and beat until smooth. Beat in egg and then vanilla. Add salt, stir in flour and baking powder (if using). Mix in any additions (some ideas below).

Pour into prepared pan and use a greased spatula to evenly spread mixture in pan and level the top. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until set in the middle. (I baked for 22 minutes)Cool on rack before cutting.

Add in ideas:
1/2 to 1 cup chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, white chocolate or butterscotch chips
1/2 cup chopped pecans, walnuts, almonds
1/2 cup M&M candies1/2 chopped Reese's PB cups
1/4 cup toffee pieces
1/2 tsp mint extract in addition to, or in the place of vanilla extract