Chocolate Rasberry Crumb Bars

These little nuggets are currently my favorite new recipe and the reason I have vowed to start giving away all of my baking results. I made them for a play group and then finished off what was left pretty much single handedly. Yikes. Recipe comes from Nestle's Very Best Baking site:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups (12-ounce package) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels, divided
• 1 can (14 ounces) NESTLÉ® CARNATION® Sweetened Condensed Milk
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)
• 1/3 cup seedless raspberry jam

Directions:
PREHEAT oven to 350° F. Grease 13 x 9-inch baking pan.

BEAT butter in large mixer bowl until creamy. Beat in flour, sugar and salt until crumbly. With floured fingers, press 1 3/4 cups crumb mixture onto bottom of prepared baking pan; reserve remaining mixture.

BAKE for 10 to 12 minutes or until edges are golden brown.

MICROWAVE 1 cup morsels and sweetened condensed milk in medium, uncovered, microwave-safe bowl on HIGH (100%) power for 1 minute; STIR. Morsels may retain some of their original shape. If necessary, microwave at additional 10- to 15-second intervals, stirring just until morsels are melted. Spread over hot crust.

STIR nuts into reserved crumb mixture; sprinkle over chocolate filling. Drop teaspoonfuls of raspberry jam over crumb mixture. Sprinkle with remaining morsels.

BAKE for 25 to 30 minutes or until center is set. Cool completely in pan on wire rack.


Sorry I didn't get any process pics...it actually would be nice to have them for this recipe but I forgot...my bad.

Triple Berry Crisp

I stole this recipe off of a friend of a friends blog that I secretly blog stalk...Morgan Moore. It sounded so great and summery and it was. I think I could have used a bit more butter but other than that it was fantastic.
Tripple Berry Crisp

• 6 Cups of Fruit (I used a combination of blueberries, raspberries & strawberries but you could do all blueberries or whatever combination you like)
• 4 Tbsp Sugar

Mix the fruit & the sugar in a bowl & set aside

• 2 C Flour
• 2 C Oats
• 1 1/2 C Brown Sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp Apple Pie Spice mix (or a combo of cinnamon & nutmeg)
• 1 C Butter

Combine all of the ingredients & cut in the butter with a pastry knife or put it in a food processor. Press 1/2 of the Oat mixture into the bottom of a 9"x13" pan.

Put the fruit mixture on top & sprinkle the remaining oat mixture on top.

Cook at 350 for 45 minutes, or until crisp & bubbly.

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

For Father's Day Easton and I made Rob these cookies- his favorite. I think they turned out fantastic and Rob liked them too. They were the right soft/crunchy balance. I probably added a bit more white chocolate chips and the macadamia nuts than the recipe called for but other than that I stayed true to the recipe. It was the first time I had ever made this kind of cookie and I think it's a keeper!

• 1/2 cup butter
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 8 ounces white chocolate, chopped
• 1 (6.5 ounce) jar macadamia nuts, chopped

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Stir in the egg and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt, stir into the creamed mixture. Finally, stir in the white chocolate and nuts. Drop cookies by heaping teaspoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet, about 2 inches apart.
3. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, until lightly browned. Cool on wire racks. When cool, store in an airtight container.

Black and White Cheesecake Squares

When Lizzy and the Doug were here a while ago Lizzy brought a recipe from her Martha Stewart mag that we tried out. We totally cheated. Instead of making the brownie part from scratch we used a brownie mix. So while I've posted the original recipe from Martha just know that we took a short cut. They turned out pretty good though.

Ingredients

• Vegetable oil cooking spray
• 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 10 ounces (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 21/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Line dish with parchment, leaving a 2-inch overhang on both long sides, then spray parchment. (We didn't do this part)





Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl. Cream butter and granulated sugar with a mixer until smooth. Add 2 eggs and 2 teaspoons vanilla, and beat until smooth, scraping down sides of bowl. Reduce speed to low; add flour mixture. Increase speed to medium; beat until incorporated.

Reserve 1 cup of dough; cover, and refrigerate. Press remaining dough into bottom of prepared dish. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Bake until base is set and edges are puffed, about 25 minutes. Let cool in dish on a wire rack.

Mix cream cheese, confectioners' sugar, and remaining egg and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla in a medium bowl. Spread over cooled base; crumble reserved dough on top.

Bake until filling is set, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool in dish on wire rack, then lift out using overhang.

Cut into 24 squares. Squares will keep, covered and refrigerated, for up to 3 days.

Muddy Buddies

Some people call these Muddy Buddies and some call them People Puppy Chow. Either way, they are delicious (and quite dangerous. If I don't give them away, I'll eat them constantly until they're gone). Here's the recipe:

9 cups Corn Chex
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Into large bowl measure cereal; set aside.
In medium size sauce pan, melt chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter on medium heat until mixture can be stirred smooth. Stir in vanilla. Pour mixture over cereal, stirring until evenly coated.









Pour into 2-gallon resealable food-storage plastic bag (I used a paper grocery bag).
Add powdered sugar. Seal bag; shake well until coated.

Spread on wax paper to cool. Store in airtight container in refrigerator.

Banana Chocolate Chips Muffins

These are pretty standard banana muffins that I added chocolate chips to but they're always a hit. Here's the recipe:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 large bananas, mashed
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• I added about 2 cups of chocolate chips
  

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Coat muffin pans with non-stick spray, or use paper liners. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
2. Combine bananas, sugar, egg, and melted butter in a large bowl. Fold in flour mixture (and chocolate chips), and mix until smooth. Scoop into muffin pans.
3. Bake in preheated oven. Bake mini muffins for 10 to 15 minutes, and large muffins for 25 to 30 minutes. Muffins will spring back when lightly tapped.

Apple Crisp

This dessert always takes me back to college. My roommates and I always made it on Sunday's. The recipe comes from Kari and it is just classic comfort food. I made it when Lizzy was here so that we could reminisce about the good ol' days.

Here's what you need:

-lots of apples; peeled
-1 1/2 cups brown sugar
-1 cup flour
-1/2 cup oats
-2/3 cup melted butter
-cinnamon (to taste, about 1/2 tbsp?)

Peel apples


and then cut them into bite-sized pieces


and put into a lightly greased 9x13 inch pan or really whatever pan you have. I just keep peeling and chopping apples until I have enough to cover the pan plus a little more.
Mix all dry ingredients and then add butter a bit at a time.

Easy on the butter...with this batch I added too much butter and it was a bit too gooey and not enough crispy. The batter should be a little crumbly when all is said and done and not totally sticky and gooey.
Crumble mixture over apples

and bake for 25 minutes or until apples are soft and crisp is bubbly.
I served with ice-cream...like I do everything else!

Chocolate Fudge Cake

I got this recipe from my sister-in-law, Amy. It reminds me of a Texas sheet cake but thicker. It is delicious and everyone that I make it for loves it. It's also super easy to make with almost all the ingredients found in most peoples pantry.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and grease a 9x13 inch pan.
Heat in a saucepan until melted:
1/2 cup margarine
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup water

Pour over:
2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
1/4 cup baking cocoa

Mix, then add:
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp. baking soda

Mix well and pour into pan and bake for 20-25 minutes.

Batter will seem pretty liquid-y and that's ok.
When cake is almost done start making icing:

Heat in saucepan until melted:
1/2 cup margarine
1/3 cup milk

Pour over:
4 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup baking cocoa
1 tsp. vanilla
Mix well and pour over hot cake.

Icing will be pretty liquid-y too but once it is poured over cake and sits for a few minutes it will set. You could add chocolate chips or any other kind of chip for a different twist.

I served with ice-cream.

Happy Birthday Kate!

So, I don't have any recipes to post (that's not true....I actually do but just don't have the time to do it right now), but I wanted to say Happy Birthday to Katie (even though it's already tomorrow in Ireland)! Easton has been telling her that he wants to make her a birthday cake all day, so I can't wait to see how that turned out. Hopefully he'll blog about it. Anyway....Kate, I hope that you had a great day and I can't wait to see you in a few weeks!

Happy Birthday Lex!

Today is my friend Alexis' birthday and since chocolate chip cookies are her favorite, I decided to make a giant chocolate chip cookie cake. Here is the recipe from Emeril:

Giant Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake

• 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2 1/4 cups bittersweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease a 14-inch pizza pan.

In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugars. Add the eggs, beating well after the addition of each.

In a bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt and mix with a whisk. Add to the butter mixture, mixing to incorporate, and add the vanilla extract. Fold in the chocolate chips. Spread across the bottom of the prepared pan

and bake until the edges are golden and the cookie is set but the center is still slightly soft, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

The cookie spilled over the edge a bit but it was salvageable. Then I decided to decorate it and thought it would be nice to sprinkle it with powdered sugar and cocoa. Turns out it just looks like dirt on a giant cookie. Oops. Happy birthday anyway, Lex!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Ooey Gooey Cake

Just when you thought there couldn't be more pb and chocolate recipes on this blog I have added another. Thanks to Paula Dean and Lizzy for the recipe:

Ooey Gooey Cakes
Courtesy of Paula Dean
Baking time: 50 minutes
Ingredients:
Cake:
1 (18.25-ounce) box chocolate cake mix
1 large egg
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
Filling:
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 (16-ounce) box confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
1 cup pb
Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 13 by 9 by-2-inch baking pan.
For the cake: In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the cake mix, egg, and butter and mix well. Pat into the bottom of prepared pan and set aside.


To make the filling: In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and pb until smooth. Add the eggs, vanilla, and butter, and beat together. Next, add the powdered sugar, and mix well.


Spread pb mixture over cake batter and bake for 40 to 50 minutes. Make sure not to over bake as the center should be a little gooey.


Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before serving. Cut into squares. These cakes are very rich, so a little will go a long way. Serve with fresh whipped cream.

I served with ice cream. They were really gooey right out of the oven...after they cooled they firmed up a bit.

Also, I wanted to shout out to Jeannie Ginsberg and the Matzoh Brittle...I think Ireland is in love!

Happy Birthday Monk!

Peanut Butter Brownie Torte




For my mom's birthday, I decided to make a peanut butter brownie torte because she, much like Katie and me, loves peanut butter desserts. It's a simple recipe and it tasted great. A certain nameless birthday girl even had a piece for breakfast this morning. Here's the recipe:

1 box brownie mix (or you can make your own if you're that dedicated)
Oil, water and eggs called for on the brownie box
1 8oz package cream cheese, softened
1 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 12oz container of cool whip

Heat oven to 350 degrees and grease an 8 or 9 inch round spring form pan. Prepare brownies as directed on the box and bake for 45-48 minutes for an 8 inch pan or 36-38 for a 9 inch pan. Let cool.


Beat cream cheese with an electric mixer (notice my pretty pink KitchenAid mixer) on medium speed until fluffy. Gradually beat in peanut butter, powdered sugar, and 3 cups cool whip until well combined.



Keeping dessert in spring form pan, spread mixture evenly over cooled brownies. Top with remaining cool whip. Refrigerate 2 hours before serving. Remove side of pan just before serving. I will say that the cool whip melted a bit on the drive from Denver to Ft. Collins and never really recovered. Even though it looks a bit melted, it still tasted delicious.

PB Chocolate Rice Crispy Brownies

These are some pretty serious treats: Brownies with vanilla frosting and chocolate peanut butter covered rice crispies. That's right. And they were a hit. Everyone loved them and...I'll say it...they raved about them. Here is the recipe:

1 box brownie mix
water, vegetable oil and eggs called for on the brownie box
1 container vanilla frosting
3 cups of rice crispies
1 cup of creamy peanut butter
1 bag (12oz) semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees and grease 13x9 inch pan
2. Make and bake brownies as directed on box. Cool completely.


3. Frost brownies with vanilla frosting and place in refrigerator while making cereal mixture.



4. Measure cereal into large bowl and set aside. In a saucepan, melt peanut butter and chocolate chips over low heat, stirring occasionally. Pour over cereal in bowl, stirring until evenly coated.












Spread over frosted brownies.



Cool completely before cutting (I recommend putting them in the refrigerator for a while).

Ouch

So Amy has been dogging on me quite a bit. So I changed the template (per her request) and here is a quick post to hopefully ease the criticism:

Mel's Delight

So we call this recipe Mel's delight in our house because our parent's buddy Mel came up with it I think. It is an ice cream dessert...no baking involved...but it involves chocolate and sugar so it counts.

Here's what you need:
1 package Oreo cookies; crushed
Some butter
Any gallon of Ice Cream you like
1 can of Hershey's chocolate syrup
1 can of sweetened condensed milk (14 oz.)

I really eyeball this one (which I know Amy will not like) so here is what I did:

Crushed Oreo's. They don't sell normal sized packs of Oreo's here but I crushed the equivalent of about a pkg and a half...I like my Oreo crust to be pretty thick.

Once Oreo's are crushed, mix in enough melted butter to get Oreo's to stick together (I used about 1 cup) and press mixture into bottom of greased 9x13 inch pan.

I also didn't crush them very finely but it worked out fine.

Then layer ice-cream (I used Mint Chocolate Chip) evenly on top of Oreo's and stick in freezer for a bit.

Then in a small saucepan melt about a tbsp. butter, can of Hershey's and can of sweetened condensed milk and let boil for 30 sec or so. You have to really watch it though or the chocolate will burn. Take ice-cream out of freezer and pour chocolate sauce evenly on top.
Now, this part never works too well for me...my sauce is always really runny and hot of course so it kindof just seeps into the ice cream and Oreo's. It doesn't turn out so pretty but it tastes just fine that way.
Cover and put back in freezer until set. I whipped fresh cream and topped but I have seen it with Cool Whip spread over it as well.
I forgot to snap a pic of the finished product...sorry. It was delicious though!

Matzoh Brittle

Another shout out to Jeannie Ginsberg! Stephen's mom sent us a package of treats, and inside was some Matzoh Brittle. I had never had it before and it was so delicious that I had to make my own. The original recipe called for chocolate on top (which I made) but Jeannie also came up with the ingenious idea of topping the brittle with cinnamon/sugar (which I also made). The recipe is below:

-Preheat oven to 350
-Line a cookie sheet with foil. (Yes, use foil. I didn't have any so I used wax paper which was quite a dumb idea. I swear I really am in graduate school. The brittle ended up sticking to the wax paper and it was a huge pain to get it off). If the cookie sheet doesn't have sides use the foil to form sides.
-Place sheets of matzoh or saltines edge to edge coving the cookie sheet, like so:

-Melt 2 sticks of butter in a pan
-Add 1 cup of sugar
-Bring to a rolling boil
-Pour mixture over the matzoh bake for 13 minutes
-Remove from oven and cover with semi sweet chocolate chips- when they are melted spread evenly
-Put the cookie sheet in the refrigerator to harden chocolate
-Break into pieces and enjoy!

The finished product:And for the cinnamon Matzoh Brittle, follow the same recipe, but instead of spreading the chocolate after taking it out of the oven, spread with cinnamon/sugar. Be generous with the cinnamon/sugar...it takes quite a bit. I have to say that this modification is delicious...I might almost like it better than the chocolate. I know...blasphemy.