Strawberry Pretzel Special

Hello y’all! Boy oh boy has been a hot couple of days!! It is almost sinful how warm it is out there. Unless you’re sitting poolside with a margarita, it is not my cup of tea! However, I am very grateful to live in a home with air conditioning and work in a building that is cool (usually cold!) every day. With the weather advisories and warnings out there on this heat, it would be just wrong to light the oven so I’ve got a sweet, satisfying, summer treat to share with you! It only requires one small amount of bake time and I did this first thing in the morning so that the house would more than cool off by the time we got home! Danny and I love this little dessert and could probably eat an entire pan of it on our own in one weekend. But, we’re having a couple of friends over for a barbeque this evening and I thought sharing it among 4 will be much better than making a whole batch for just us! The first time I had this was in college from the dorm cafeteria (I know that sounds gross but the dorm food really wasn’t bad!) I had never even heard of strawberry pretzel salad but since the name had ‘salad’ in it, and I’m a health nut, I thought I’d give it a try. Boy was I ever wrong about this being healthy!! Who came up with the name salad for this?! I don’t think there is even one part of it that can be considered salad, except maybe the Jell-O but I don’t know who made that rule either. Salad is green, crunchy, leafy…not made with whipped cream and sugar! Regardless, it is amazing and I can’t get enough on this hot, humid days.  So without further ado, I’ll share my twist on this summertime sweet!

STRAWBERRY PRETZEL SPECIAL  (doesn’t that sound so much cooler anyway?!)

What you’ll need for the Special:

Crust:

-2 cups crushed pretzels

-3/4 cup butter, melted

-3 tablespoons white sugar

Cream Layer:

-1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

-1 cup white sugar

-1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed

Strawberry Layer:

-2 (3 ounce) packages strawberry flavored gelatin

-2 cups boiling water

-2 (10 ounce) packages frozen strawberries or 2 1/2 cups fresh strawberries

To make the Special:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

2. Crush your pretzels; if you measure out 2 cups whole you will probably end up with more crushed but you can just take out what you need at the end. I crushed them in a Ziploc bag with a mallet. Be careful not to turn it into crumbs… you want the pieces be like little beads so they are still crunchy when you get a bite! (I have some pictures that I'll post later!)

3. Stir together crushed pretzels, melted butter and 3 tablespoons sugar in a bowl; mix well and then press the mixture into the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. I sprayed the baking dish with Pam just to be safe.

4. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until set. Set aside to cool.

5. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the cream cheese and 1 cup sugar. 6. Fold in the whipped topping and continue mixing.

7. Spread the cream mixture onto cooled crust. Be sure to spread it to the edges to seal off the crust. I’d pop this in the fridge while you start your strawberry part.

8. Next, dissolve the gelatin in 2 cups boiling water; be sure you use a big bowl since the strawberries need to fit in there! Stir in still frozen strawberries and allow for it to set briefly. 

9. When mixture is about the consistency of egg whites, pour and spread over cream cheese layer. Then put it back into the refrigerator for a few more hours until it’s set up!

I have a couple of pictures that I'll post when I have some more time!

ENJOY

Having A Ball! ...a cake ball ;)

Disclaimer: I had every intention of posting this last night but it got super late and I had to go to sleep! Sorry it's a few hours past due ;)

Happy Wednesday Everyone! I’m in the process of another baking adventure and while I’m in one of the two cooling stages, I thought I’d start typing up my post! You can call me a cheater tonight because I’m using almost everything out of a box or tub but I sort of decided to do this at the last minute and decided it would be the quickest way and still get to sleep tonight! I also had a baking mix that I’ve wanted to use for quite some time but never had so I decided tonight was as good as ever. I know I’m pretty crazy for lighting the oven on a 94 degree evening but since tomorrow and Friday are supposed to be even hotter, it was probably my last baking escapade this week! (Although, I do have a mostly no-bake dessert to make on Friday so you’ll see at least one more post this week!) Tonight is the first time I’ve ever tried making a ‘real’ cake ball. You see I do have one of the super cute Babycake Makers (similar to my Whoopie Pie maker) but the first cake balls my husband ever had were of the crumbled-cake-mixed–with-frosting variety, thus those are the ‘real version’! I had never even heard of these tasty tots until I moved to Indiana! I have to say I typically prefer my babycake pops better because it is a pure cake ball with some sort of frosting or chocolate on top but I thought I might as well give these a whirl! The other reason I tried this recipe is because the box mix I am using is a quick bread and I wasn’t sure how that would turn out in the baby cake maker since it can be a bit finicky about the mixes at times. Okay, first cool time is over…be back in a bit!

Whew! This recipe is not one to make when you’re in a snacky mood or fixing for something sweet! It’s so easy to steal a bite here and there and now my whole workout is out the window! Oh well, at least it seems as though they’re tasting yummy! So enough of my rambling, let’s get on to the recipe!

CRANBERRY VANILLA CAKE BALLS

What you need for the cake balls:

1 box of cranberry quick bread (I used the Trader Joe’s variety but it appears that Pillsbury has one, too)

The recipe on the box then calls for:

1 large egg

1/3 cup of vegetable oil

1 cup of water

You'll also need 1 tub of vanilla or cream cheese frosting (I had Duncan Hines Vanilla on hand)

12 oz Wilton candy melts or white chocolate chips

(If you want to turn these into cake pops you will need lollipop sticks)

To make the cake balls:

1. Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Grease and flour an 8 inch loaf pan. (I actually used a 10 inch round because I thought it might turn out a little less dense than the loaf pan but I have no proof of this!)
3. Mix together the baking mix, egg, oil and water with a wooden spoon until just combined (this won’t take long).
4. Pour batter into your prepared baking dish and bake for 40-50 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.
5. Let the cake cool completely on a wire rack (probably about an hour- I hurried this along by putting it in the fridge after about 20 minutes because I was a bit short on time).
6. Once the cake is cool, crumble it into a large bowl (this is so hard to do when the cake looks so pretty the way it is!)
7. Now you’ll mix in the frosting…I found several variations among recipes as to how much you’re supposed to put in there. Most of them say it depends on how moist your cake is but that most likely you wouldn’t use the entire tub. I used about 80% of the 15.6oz jar (and took a few spoonful’s for myself along the way ;)
8. Now for the fun (or gross part)! You can use a spoon to combine the cake with the frosting but I thought using my hands was a bit easier.
9. Once it’s thoroughly combined, I popped mine back in the fridge for about 15 minutes so they would be a bit firmer. (You can skip this step if you want.) Then form the mixture into small balls on a cookie sheet. Honestly, it looked like cookie dough to me before you put them in the oven! 
10. Now pop them back into the fridge or freezer for about 30-60 minutes so they can firm up before you dip them.
11. While they’re cooling, start to melt your white chocolate on low in the microwave stirring frequently until it’s smooth.
12. Take your cake balls out of the fridge or freezer and dip them into the melted chocolate. I actually put chocolate on a spoon, placed the cake ball on the spoon and rolled it around. It seemed like it was more evenly coated than just plopping them in the whole bowl of chocolate. Place back on the cookie sheet so they can cool completely (however, they will have a ‘flat’ side if you set them on the sheet). I wasn't going for gorgeous with this recipe so it was okay with me that they were not completely uniform.

If you want to turn these into Cake Pops (and keep the full circular shape) you can follow these easy steps:  

Use a skewer or a toothpick to poke holes in the balls after they come out of the freezer;

Dip the end of a lollipop stick into the melted coating, and stick it into the hole you just created. (The melted coating will help hold the stick in the cake pop.)

Once all of the cake balls are on sticks, it's time to dip them.  Hold one end of the lollipop stick and submerge the cake pop completely in the melted coating. Take it out and gently tap it and swirl it upside down to remove excess coating.

You can either place them on wax paper (getting the flat top) or buy some block Styrofoam and place the sticks in the block right side up. You may still have a little dripping of the frosting but I say it gives them character!

ENJOY!

Grand Granola!

Hi Everyone! I was busy gallivanting the world this past week for work so I didn't have a chance to write. ;) I'm hoping to get in a few posts this week since I will be home for the next 10 days straight! Yay! Danny and I will leave on vacation in 19 days and I can't wait! I've been traveling for work so much lately and I still have one more trip between now and then so I'm looking forward to some much needed pool, beach and margarita time! With that in mind, we've been trying to come up with some meal ideas for our vacation. Danny and I are rather active and when I'm not busy traveling, we like to go for runs or walks in the evening after work. One of our main discussion topics on these run/walks as of late is what we're going to make while we're away. We're staying in a condo in Florida and we tend to cook quite a bit to not only save money but also calories during the day. Don't get me wrong, we'll do our fair share of eating out for dinner but why spend the money on breakfast and lunch when we can make equally fresh and fun food on our own? So...if you know me well, you know that my favorite breakfast items of all time are yogurt, fruit and granola parfaits. Absolute YUM! I love the Panera yogurt parfaits most especially because of their granola. It's not overly sweet but is full of crunchy clusters and lots of pecans! :) I am determined to find a copy cat recipe that I can doctor up and pack with us to make our own yogurt parfaits in the morning for breakfast. Next step- Pinterest of course!! I searched many recipes and put together one of my own using several of the key ingredients. I have to say- I think it's pretty close to the Panera version and I'm sold on making this for our morning munchies! Try it and let me know what you think! (As a side note- when I tried this today, I only made a half-batch to be sure I liked it before using all of my ingredients. I'll definitely make a full batch, maybe even double, for us to take and use all week long).

What you'll need for the granola:
4 cups old fashioned oats
1 cup shredded or chipped coconut (I used shredded from Walmart)
1 cup nuts of choice, chopped coarsely (I used pecans- they're my fave!)
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup maple syrup (spend the money and get the real stuff if you can!)
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Optional- 1 cup dried fruit (I left this out since I'm going to be using it on yogurt but as cereal it would be great!)

To make the granola:
1.  Preheat your oven to 300 degrees F; line a baking sheet with parchment paper (or grease with Crisco).
2. Mix together the oats, coconut, nuts and sea salt in a bowl.
3. In a small saucepan, melt the butter. After melted, take off the heat and mix in the honey, maple syrup and vanilla extract. 
4. Pour the butter mixture over the mixed oats and make sure the dry ingredients are fully coated with the butter mixture.
5. Spread this onto your prepared baking sheet and put into your preheated oven for 20-30 minutes until golden brown. I took mine out every 6-7minutes to stir and did this 3 times. Be careful not to over bake it (the nuts will burn); you'll notice a nice golden brown color as it gets close to finished.
6. You may notice that the granola is pretty sticky when it first comes out of the oven but let it sit for a while. I left mine on the oven in the pan for a good 15 minutes, then I transferred it over to an air tight container. It was quite crispy by that point and great for whatever you want to use it on! If you're using dried fruit, mix it in after it's had a chance to cool. It should store in an air tight container for a few weeks. 

Right after it came out of the oven:

Final Product:

  
ENJOY!

Lemon Love :)

Happy Friday Everyone! :) Tomorrow is my mommy’s 60^th birthday! So hard to believe!! She is the best mom a girl could ask for and a true role model. Mom and I talk a couple of times a day, every day; she always lends an ear and offers advice when I need it. She really is my best friend and I don’t know what I’d do without her! I already have her gift all packaged and ready to bring but as an extra treat, I thought I would make some lemon cookies. She loves lemon and I think these will be easy to transport and should last in a container for a few days after they’re made. Since I’m currently in the process of making these, I thought I would also write a post about them (and some pictures too)!  I found this recipe in a Real Simple magazine (a subscription mom got me as a gift- see, told you how wonderful she is) and I bookmarked it for a later time because lemon cookies are a great summer treat. I tweaked this recipe because they are not originally supposed to be lemony cookies, just lemon icing on top. But, I wanted to give them a little extra citrus kick so I added lemon juice and zest to the dough itself. Can’t wait to see how they turn out!

GLAZED LEMON COOKIES

What you need for the cookies:

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 large egg yolks

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (since you’ll need some for the glaze, just juice a whole lemon and split between the cookies and glaze)

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

What you need for the glaze:

1 cup confectioners’ sugar

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (may need a little extra)

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

To make the cookies:

1. With an electric mixer, beat the butter and granulated sugar until fluffy- about 2 minutes.

2. Add the egg yolks, vanilla, and salt and beat to combine. Gradually add the flour, switch to a wooden spoon and mix until just incorporated. Squeeze in your tablespoon of lemon juice and lemon zest and mix in. Your dough may be a bit crumbly.

3. Divide the dough in half and shape into 1 1/4-inch-diameter logs. This sounds easy enough but it did take me some time. You have to work with the dough…I shaped them into ovals and then kept pushing the dough down and out (long ways) to make more of a log shape. When I finally had the right width and length, I rolled it on the counter with my palms to get a circular shape. Then, wrap in wax paper and refrigerate until firm, at least 30 minutes (I left mine for a couple of hours).  This is what mine looked like after their ‘firming up’ stage.

4. When you’re ready to bake, take your logs out of the fridge and heat oven to 350 F. If they've been in the fridge for a few hours, let them rest a few minutes to get a little warmer.

5. Slice the logs into 3/8-inch-thick pieces and place them on parchment-lined baking sheets (they don't spread so you can put them close to one another). Bake until lightly golden, 16 to 20 minutes. Let the cookies cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes, and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the glaze:

In a small bowl, whisk together the confectioners' sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest until it forms a thick but pourable glaze (add more lemon juice or sugar if necessary to get the right consistency). I actually made a bit more than this because my recipe made a lot of cookies!

Pour the glaze or dip the top of each cookie in the glaze and let set, about 15 minutes. My final product- 

I tried to take a close up so you can see the yellow lemon zest on top of each cookie. Looks pretty darn cute if I do say so myself!

ENJOY!

Mexican Madness

Although the last few recipes I’ve given you are super tasty and definite crowd pleasers, they haven’t been super summer-friendly. This next recipe is a citrusy, fun summer treat! I made these back in May for a Cinco de Mayo themed get together we had with Danny’s parents. As an early Mother’s Day celebration we had them over the weekend before which happened to be May 5-Cinco de Mayo. Since I love themes, we planned a delicious Mexican menu of chicken and steak fajitas with all the fixings: rice, corn, black beans, homemade guacamole, peppers and onions, salsa and lots of cheese! It was a hit! To top off our wonderful meal, I tried a new recipe: margarita cupcakes with lime buttercream frosting. They were light and refreshing and you could definitely taste a hint of the tequila. I love hosting themed parties and cooking entire menus that associate with special occasions; so, that week I had also tried a new cookie recipe in honor of Cinco de Mayo for my office: Mexican Hot Chocolate cookies. They were surprisingly tasty as well so I’ll throw that recipe in here as a bonus to this post!! Let’s get started!

MARGARITA CUPCAKES WITH LIME BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

What you’ll need for the cake:

3 cups flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

2 cups granulated sugar

4 eggs, at room temperature

3 limes, zested and juiced (this is what gives it such a refreshing flavor- grab an extra lime at the store just in case one of them doesn’t juice as much as you’d like)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup buttermilk (use the real stuff here!)

2 tablespoons tequila

What you’ll need for the frosting:

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

4-5 cups powdered sugar

1 tablespoon lime juice, freshly squeezed

1 tablespoon tequila

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon lime zest

Small lime slices or green crystal sugar for garnish, if desired

To make the cakes:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line muffin pan with baking cup liners (look for some fun yellow and green ones at a craft store)

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

In another bowl, cream together butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

Add eggs one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition. Mix in lime zest, juice, vanilla extract and 1 tablespoon tequila.

Put your mixer on low speed and add the flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with the buttermilk, starting and ending with flour.

Divide the batter evenly among muffin pan cups (made about 30 total). Bake 23-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center of cupcakes comes out clean.

Remove the cupcakes from the oven and brush the other 1 tablespoon of tequila onto the top of each cupcake. Transfer cakes to a wire rack and allow cooling completely before frosting.

To make the frosting:

Cream butter in a bowl; beat until butter is fluffy. Add salt, lime juice, lime zest and tequila. Start mixing in powdered sugar one cup at a time until you have about the right consistency (I’d say 4-5 cups). You can pipe the frosting on with a decorating bag or just use an old fashioned knife or spoon. Garnish the tops of the cupcakes with small lime slices or green colored crystal sugar.

Sorry I don’t have a picture of these- they were really cute when all finished. If you try the recipe- please post a picture to share!!

ENJOY!

BONUS: MEXICAN HOT CHOCOLATE COOKIES

What you’ll need for the cookies:

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 teaspoons cream of tartar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt (I used regular and it was just fine)

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 3/4 cups sugar (divided 1 1/2 and 1/4 cup)

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

To make the cookies:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Scrape down side of bowl as needed. Add eggs and beat to combine.

With mixer on low, gradually add flour mixture and beat until combined.

In a small bowl, combine remaining 1/4 cup sugar, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper. Form balls of dough (about a tablespoon) and roll in cinnamon-sugar mixture.

Place, about 3 inches apart, on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake until cookies are set in center and begin to crack, about 10 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through (I’m not sure if this is necessary but I did it just to be sure)

Let cookies cool on the cookie sheet for a bit, then transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

Another recipe I saw had you melt semi-sweet chocolate and drizzle it on top of the cookies after they cooled. These looked amazing, too but I wouldn’t suggest that if you rolled the cookies in the sugar mixture. Instead, you could mix the ingredients (cinnamon and cayenne) into the batter and then melt the chocolate on top. Just an added twist! The cookies will store for up to 10 days after making in an airtight container (and I did with mine for a week and they were great). And yes, I know I just said yesterday how I don’t much care for soft, chewy cookies but these are like a soft, chocolate snickerdoodle and I do like them. They are super yummy and great with a glass of milk or hot cocoa for an extra chocolaty treat!

ENJOY!

Night Cap Anyone??

Since I had some extra time tonight I thought I would post one more ‘catch-up’ recipe. This one is great for around the holidays but you can make it anytime, really. To fancy it up a bit, you could use green and red sugar crystals over the top or put some food coloring right into the glaze when you make it. The glaze starts to get crispy over the cake after it’s been sitting for a bit and as you may be coming to realize, I love things with a crunch! You probably won’t see very many soft cookie recipes here! Not to say I don’t like one every once in a while but crunchy is the way to my heart! Okay, back to the cake! This one is super easy because you use a store bought cake mix; I usually feel like I’m cheating if I do this but since the recipe is much more than just the cake mix and the glaze is homemade, I made an exception. As a side note, I do have other recipes that require cake mixes but I usually try to make from scratch. I don’t know that there is much of a difference, I just like the feeling of measuring out each ingredient and this is what allows for my tweaking of recipes. Most of the time when I switch things up, it’s the types of sugar or flour or extracts that I like changing. It’s difficult to do that when something is already all put together. Okay, back to the cake a second time! This is great with a cup of spiked coffee, hot tea or even just a glass of milk. The pudding in the recipe is what makes the cake so moist and the glaze keeps it locked in. Now I know there are some recipes with liquor or liqueurs and you can’t really taste them-NOT the case with this recipe. You can definitely taste the Bailey’s so if you’re not a fan- don’t try! I first made this for Danny’s office (big surprise, I know) and it was such a hit that I made it again for my dad’s birthday and everyone loved it. It’s not difficult to make and I highly recommend it for any type of get together- you can feed a lot of sweet teeth!

BAILEY'S IRISH CREAM CAKE

What you need for the cake:

1 cup chopped pecans (I didn’t use these; you may start to notice I skip nuts in a lot of recipes because Danny doesn’t care for them- I don’t think you miss much by leaving them out in this particular case though)

1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix (I prefer Duncan Hines cake mixes)

1 (3.4 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix

4 eggs

1/4 cup water

1/2 cup vegetable oil

3/4 cup Irish cream liqueur

What you need for the glaze:

1/2 cup butter

1/4 cup water

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1/4 cup Irish cream liqueur

To make the cake:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease and flour a 10 inch Bundt pan. If using, sprinkle chopped nuts evenly over bottom of pan.

2. In a large bowl, combine your cake and pudding mixes. Beat in the eggs, 1/4 cup water, 1/2 cup oil and 3/4 cup Irish cream liqueur. Beat for 5 minutes at high speed (this is an important part, the batter gets really fluffy and thick as you beat and this incorporates the pudding- don’t skimp on the time!) 3. When you’re done beating, pour batter in your prepared pan.

3. Bake in the preheated oven for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes in the pan (this is when I make the glaze), then flip it out onto a serving dish. (I usually do a cutting board or large cookie sheet because the glaze makes a mess.) 

4. Poke the top and sides of the cake (I use a clean grill skewer because it goes all the way through the cake and allows for it to absorb more evenly). Then spoon your glaze over the top and brush onto sides of cake. Allow the cake to absorb the glaze and keep repeating until all glaze is used up.

To make the glaze:

Combine butter, 1/4 cup water and the white and brown sugar in a sauce pan. Bring to a boil and continue boiling for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat and stir in 1/4 cup Irish cream.

And I even have a picture of the one I did ‘way back when’! Let me know what you think!

ENJOY!

Ooey Gooey

Hi again! Hope everyone is having a great week so far. We’re three recipes in and I don’t know about you but I’m having a blast! I don’t know why I waited so long to get this going but at least all this catching up is giving you lots of treats to try! Today’s post is another fan favorite that didn’t need a whole lot of tweaking- Turtle Bars! Oh my goodness these things are just amazing! They’re super rich and sweet but have just the right balance of saltiness which makes it the perfect combination! I’ve made these on three different occasions now and they’ve turned out excellent every time. The only thing about them that can be a bit time consuming is cutting; I really suggest baking them at night and letting them rest until morning before you cut. They need to be completely, completely cool before or else you’ll make a big mess. They are also quite difficult to cut because the crust is crispy (which makes it amazing) but getting the first few out can be a bit challenging. Once you’ve made one batch though you’ll get the hang of it and be a pro in no time!

OOEY GOOEY TURTLE BARS

What you’ll need:

1 roll (16.5 oz) refrigerated sugar cookies

1 bag (12 oz) semisweet chocolate chips (I suggest using the mini chips, I feel that they melt better)

3 cups chopped pecans (I went a little lighter on this-about 2 cups)

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1 jar (12.25 oz) caramel ice cream topping

1 cup graham cracker crumbs (16 squares- I suggest honey)

To make the bars:

1. Heat your oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pan).

2. Press cookie dough evenly in the bottom of ungreased 13x9-inch pan. This can take some time so be patient; you want the layer to be even in the bottom of the pan.

3. Sprinkle 1 cup of the chocolate chips and 1 1/2 cups (since I used less I had about 1 cup) of the pecans over dough; lightly press into dough and then set aside.

4. In 2-quart saucepan, melt butter over medium-high heat. Stir in brown sugar, caramel topping and graham cracker crumbs. Heat to boiling (be patient, this can take a bit) and keep stirring the mixture so it doesn’t stick or burn to the pan. Pour over crust in pan; spread evenly.

5. Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup chocolate chips and the rest of your pecans.

6. Bake 25 to 32 minutes or until edges are deep golden brown and pecans are lightly toasted. The top mixture might be bubbling a little bit- this is a good indication.

7. Cool on cooling rack for 30 minutes (still in the pan). After the 30 minutes, loosen sides from pan with a spatula but DO NOT cut. Cool completely, at least 3 hours longer. The longer you let it stand the firmer the bars get which will make it easier to cut (rather than break and get messy).

The recipe suggested cutting in 6x4 for 24 bars but I think that makes the bars way too big; since they’re so rich you don’t need that much in one bite! I cut mine 6x6 for 36 bars and think it’s a bit better but as always- do as you please!

ENJOY!

Chocolate Craving??

Since I’m playing catch up on most of my favorite recipes, I haven’t had a lot of pictures to coincide with the posts. So tonight, I’ll post about the recipe I’m making for Danny’s office tomorrow and include a couple of photos. Since it’s another warm day and I wanted to avoid heating the entire house by lighting the oven, I’m doing another whoopie pie recipe. Danny was told to bring in something chocolate so I searched and searched for the perfect recipe. Usually I do my homework by finding at least three recipes that look good; then I compare and contrast the ingredients switching and swapping where I think it would be appropriate until I come up with what I think looks like a good combination. That’s exactly the case for tonight’s dark chocolate whoopie pie recipe so we’ll have to see how it turns out! To keep things easy (and since I know his office loves it) we’ll be using the fluff cream frosting as filling.

DARK CHOCOLATE WHOOPIE PIES WITH FLUFF CREAM FILLING

What you’ll need for the cookies:

3 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch processed)

3 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

8 tablespoons unsalted butter (softened)

½ cup vegetable shortening

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup dark brown sugar

2 eggs

2 cups whole milk

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Fluff Cream Frosting 

To make the cookies:

Plug in your whoopie pie maker to pre-heat while you prepare the batter

Sift together flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt into a small bowl; set aside.

Beat together butter, shortening and sugars in a medium bowl on high until
smooth- about 3 minutes. Add eggs; beat until pale and fluffy about 2 minutes.

Add half of the flour mixture, then the milk and vanilla; beat until combined. Add
the remaining flour mixture. Beat together until combined, scraping sides of the bowl with a spatula if needed.

Drop about a tablespoon into your whoopie wells and bake for 4-6 minutes until they spring back to the touch.
Let the cookies cool completely, then fill with about a tablespoon of the fluff cream filling. Refrigerate overnight if not using the same day.

This recipe made about 36 medium sized sandwich cookies (enough for Danny and me to split between our offices). You can cut this recipe in half to make 12 big whoopies or 18 medium sized. Very yummy if I do say so myself!

Here are a few shots of the cookies, frosting and then all put together! 

ENJOY!

Let's get spicy!

Okay, time for the second recipe! There may actually be two posts today because I’m going to be baking later for a birthday in Danny’s office tomorrow. You’ll come to realize that most of my baking escapades are for his office. That’s actually how this whole thing started…you see I’ve always loved baking and trying new recipes but with just the two of us at home it’s hard to do because I certainly don’t need 20 whoopie pies or an entire cake just sitting around for us to eat. When Danny first started at Purdue 2 years ago I wanted to be sure everyone there really valued and appreciated him. Now I recognize that desserts don’t necessarily figure out financial budgets and invoicing, but if I could keep all of their sweet teeth satisfied, I figured they wouldn’t get rid of him right off the bat! ;) So, to do my part in making a good first impression, I started baking something for him to bring in about once a week. I got so many compliments from his lovely co-workers that I kept it up and they became my guinea pigs for new recipes. Over time, some of my co-workers learned about the indulgences I’d been making for his office and asked that I start to share my taste testing on them, too! So now I don’t ever have a reason not to bake! Okay, enough of my rambling, down to baking business!

My next recipe was a big hit at a party we hosted back in April. It may sound a little strange but trust me, it is super moist and flavorful. Even the ‘we only like chocolate cake’ boys enjoyed it! I also just HAVE to share this frosting recipe with you. My mom is actually the first to have found this and passed it on to me but we use it with just about anything! Sharing this recipe with you up front is a pretty big reveal on my part because it is just out-of-this-world-good but since I use it with so many recipes that I plan to share with you, I’ll give it up early!  I haven’t met anyone who has not liked this icing. You can doctor it up with different extracts for any cake, cupcake or filling. I promise- it can make just about ANYTHING taste delish!

CARROT PINEAPPLE CAKE WITH FLUFF CREAM FROSTING

What you’ll need for the cake:

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 1/3 cups vegetable oil

3 extra-large eggs, at room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, divided

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 cup raisins

1 cup chopped walnuts (these are optional, I did not use the walnuts)

12oz carrots, grated

1/2 cup diced fresh pineapple (I used a bit more because I had extra and it made the cake even more moist)

What you’ll need for the fluff cream frosting:

1 pound box of powdered sugar

1 stick of butter (softened)

1 12oz container of marshmallow fluff

1 8oz container of cream cheese (softened)

To make the cake:

1. Line your cupcake tins with cupcake liners of grease and flour the wells.
2. Beat the sugar, oil, and eggs together in the bowl of an electric mixer until light yellow.
3. Add the vanilla.
4. In another bowl, sift together 2 1/2 cups flour, the cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.
5. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Toss the raisins and walnuts (if using) with 1 tablespoon flour. Fold in the carrots and pineapple. Add to the batter and mix well.
6. Divide the batter equally into your cupcake tin. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow the cupcakes to cool on a wire rack completely before frosting.

To make the frosting

1. Blend cream cheese and butter together in a medium bowl.
2. Add all the marshmallow fluff then powdered sugar in one cup increments until it is of the right consistency for icing your cakes. 

This recipe made just fewer than 36 cupcakes; you can also do it as two round pans. I dyed the frosting yellow to go with my cupcake toppers and the carrot/pineapple theme. You can do as you please! :)

ENJOY!

Some old favorites

Hi Everyone! Welcome to Copy Cat Creating- where you'll find some great recipes with a little twist. I've been cooking and baking new recipes since Danny and I got married 5 years ago (can't believe it's been that long!) and it's probably one of my biggest hobbies. I strongly believe that a sweet treat can brighten any day. It's a great way to show someone you care, celebrate an exciting occasion or drown your sorrows. Sugar is truly the best medicine- not to mention it can get you on just about anyone's good side in a snap! That's not to say that I'll only be sharing sweet recipes on this blog. I do have a fair share of savory appetizer and dinner recipes that I'll post as well. But, since I have some catching up to do let's dig into the sweeter side of my recipe stash! I'll do one recipe per post so they're easier to search and organize. It was so hard to choose the FIRST recipe to post but this was a true favorite among my co-workers and since strawberries are in season this seemed a great place to start!

WHITE CHOCOLATE WHOOPIE PIES WITH STRAWBERRY BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

This is truly a delicious dessert for any occasion! I should start by prefacing that I have a Baby Cakes Whoopie Pie Maker: http://thebabycakesshop.com/products/whoopie-pie-makers. It is truly worth the $30! Not only is it awesome in the summer because you can do all the baking you want without having to light the oven and warming up the house, but it also makes the perfect size cookie every time! I love this little machine and use it often. Some of my fan favorite recipes are whoopie pies because of this little gadget!

If you're still not convinced though, you can make this recipe without the machine- you'll just have to bake your batter on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper at about 350 degrees.

What you'll need for the cookie:

1 cup shortening or butter (I used Crisco vegetable shortening)
2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk (use the real stuff- I don't think that milk with lemon works as well)
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 cup hot water
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup white chocolate chips

What you'll need for the buttercream:

1/2 cup of butter, softened

1/2 cup of fresh strawberries

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon of salt

1 of (16-oz.) package powdered sugar

To make the cookie:

1. Turn on your whoopie pie maker so it can preheat while you prepare the batter.

2. Cream together 1 cup of shortening and white sugar until light and fluffy.

3. Beat in the eggs one at a time then stir in the vanilla and buttermilk.

4. Combine the flour and salt, stir into the creamed mixture.

5. Stir together the baking soda and hot water then mix them into the batter last. Stir in White Chocolate chips. Your batter will be thick.

6. Drop by tablespoonfuls (about one) into the wells of your whoopie pie maker and wait 5-6 minutes until they are golden on the bottom. It may take you a couple times to determine how much batter will fit in each well but after your first few tries you should have it down!

Now, let your whoopies cool completely on the rack provided with your kit and make your buttercream.

This recipe was adapted from a raspberry buttercream so feel free to use whichever berry your prefer!

To make the frosting:

1. If using strawberries, mash in a colander or puree in a food processor until they are easy to blend.

2. Beat your mashed berries with butter, vanilla and salt at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy.

3. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating at low speed until blended and smooth after each addition.

Note: Be sure to wash and thoroughly dry your berries before adding to frosting.

Once your frosting is made and your whoopies are cool sandwich 1-2 tablespoons of frosting between two cookies and repeat until you're all out of cookies! Be sure to save any extra frosting for dipping- it's truly amazing!

ENJOY!