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!