Red Velvet Cookie Bars

Happy Valentine's Day Everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful evening with your valentine's. Tonight Danny and I shared these red velvet cookie bars as our dessert. They're not only festive (hence the red coloring) but also extremely decadent and delicious. Not to mention- really easy to mix up. You can have these ready to go in under an hour!

What you need for the cookie bars:
1 roll of refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough, room temperature*
1 box red velvet cake mix
2 eggs, room temperature*
2/3 cup melted butter (about 10 and a 1/2 tablespoons)
1 tub vanilla frosting or powdered sugar (optional)
*I took my cookie dough and eggs out about an hour before I was ready to make this.

To make the cookie bars:
1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour an 8x8 inch baking pan.
2. Using your fingers, press cookie dough evenly into the bottom of your prepared baking dish.
3. Bake the cookie dough for 10 minutes.
4. Remove cookie crust from oven and let cool for 10 minutes.

5. While cookie crust cools down a bit, prepare your cake mix by combining red velvet cake mix with melted butter and eggs. I used a whisk and mixed for about a minute until the cake mix is fully incorporated and batter is thick. (It will be thick.)

6. Spread cake batter on top of semi-baked cookie and place back in the oven for another 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 

7. Once the bars have cooled completely, frost with vanilla frost or dust with powdered sugar. Cut into squares and share with your favorite valentine! :)

ENJOY!

Peanut Butter 'Bon Bons'

Happy Winter Everyone! I know I haven't blogged in forever but I'm ready to get back on track. I have a late Christmas post for you here...these are honestly a huge hit with everyone- they're light and airy but sweet and crispy, too. Plus, since they're 'no bake' they are super easy to put together. The ingredients may sound funny but trust me, they're SO good! I used white chocolate and red and green sprinkles to make them festive but you could definitely use milk chocolate for the coating. You can honestly whip these up in a matter of minutes so it's easy to bring to your next get together.

What you need for the Bon Bons:
1 and 1/2 cups Rice Krispies
1 and 1/4 cup peanut butter (I always use creamy)
1 cup graham cracker crumbs (I use the Keebler brand)
1/2 cup powdered sugar
3/4 package almond bark (white or milk chocolate) +2 tablespoons Crisco
Sprinkles (as desired)

To make the Bon Bons:
1. Mix the first four ingredients together in a bowl. It's going to seem impossible at first but just keep stirring, it will all come together. At the end, I use my hands to get all the ingredients fully incorporated.

2. Once the mixture has fully pulled together, roll out 1 inch balls and place on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper. I usually get about 30-40 balls out of this.

3. Set the cookie sheet in the fridge or outside to harden up while you melt your chocolate.
4. Cut your almond bark into small pieces. I use the microwave to melt mine. I place the chocolate pieces in a large microwavable bowl with 2 tablespoons of Crisco and microwave on a low setting,  stirring every 30 seconds. 

5. Once chocolate is fully melted, bring your bon bons back out and dip them, using a spoon, until they're fully covered in chocolate. Then lay them back on the wax paper. If you're going to use sprinkles, I use them after I've dipped 4-5...the chocolate still needs to be a little wet in order for the sprinkles to adhere so if you wait too long they won't stick.
6. After all the bon bons have been dipped, put them back in the fridge to fully harden.

ENJOY!!

Halloween Bark

Happy (almost) Halloween!! With the holiday only being a couple weeks away, I thought I'd post a fun and festive treat for you all to try. I first found this recipe on pinterest but I altered it a little to make it my own. You can mix up the ingredients however you like but I thought this version tasted good and also looked pretty (or scary, depending on your perspective!) This would be a great treat for a Halloween party or office snack.

What you need to make the bark:
1-1lb package of white almond bark (add 1 tablespoon of Crisco)
1 cup stick pretzels, broken up into pieces (but not crumbs)
1 cup salted peanuts
12-14 Halloween Oreo's, crushed and broken into small pieces
1 1/2 cup candy corns
2-4 tablespoons Halloween sprinkles (eyeballs or other fun Halloween shapes)

To make the bark:
1. First, break up your pretzels and cookies. I put the pretzels into a ziploc bag and used a rolling pin to break them up. I also put the Oreo's in a baggie but used my hands to break them up so they were more chunky (as opposed to cookie crumbs). 
2. Next, I chopped up the almond bark and started melting it with the Crisco in a sauce pan over low heat. 
3. Line a large jelly roll pan or cookie sheet with parchment paper. I layered all the pretzels, peanuts and then half the candy corns and half the Oreo chunks on the parchment paper. The next time I do this, I would probably pour the melted chocolate down first and then push the toppings into it.

4. When the chocolate is melted, pour it on top of the parchment paper (with or without the toppings) and spread it around. Push remaining toppings into the chocolate so that when it sets you can break it apart without them popping out or falling off. Use the Halloween sprinkles sporadically around the bark.

5. Let cool outside or in the fridge for about an hour or two and then use your hands to break the bark into smaller pieces. 

TRICK OR TREAT!

Chocolate Strawberry Layer Cake

This recipe was a real treat a couple weekends ago! Our new niece was baptized so I made this cake as our celebration sweet for the party. It uses yogurt in the cake- which you don't necessarily taste but it definitely adds moisture. And the frosting is awesome! It takes a little time to assemble but you can easily prep your ingredients in advance so it shouldn't be difficult or extremely time consuming. It's an impressive looking cake that doesn't require as much as it looks like! I was also excited to give my new Kitchen Aid mixer a try! This was a joint birthday/anniversary gift from the hubby and I was itching to put it to work!

CHOCOLATE STRAWBERRY LAYER CAKE

What you need for the cake:
1 box chocolate cake mix
3/4 cup water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 container strawberry Greek yogurt
3 eggs
Frosting and Decorations:
1 container of fluffy white frosting (it's the whipped kind)
1 container of frozen whipped topping (thawed)
mini chocolate chips
1 container of fresh strawberries, rinsed and dried

To make the cake: 
1. Pre-heat oven to 350 (325 for dark pans). Grease and flour two 9-in round cake pans (or use parchment paper rounds). 
2. Mix all the cake ingredients together in a bowl until combined. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. (Check out my new mixer!!)

3. Pour batter into prepared pans and bake in the oven according to package directions (probably about 25-30 minutes).

4. Remove from oven and let cool for at least 30 minutes; then remove from pans to a wire rack until you're ready to assemble the cake.
5.To make the frosting, add the fluffy white frosting to a bowl and fold in the whipped topping.
6. Cut about 10 strawberries into 1/4 inch slices.

7. When ready to assemble the cake, place one cake (rounded side down) on a serving plate. Spread 1/3 of frosting mixture to the edges of the cake. 

8. Arrange strawberry slices evenly over this cake. Sprinkle with about 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips. 

 9. Place second round cake on top of the strawberries, this time rounded side up. Use the rest of the frosting to frost the top and edges of cake. 

10. Decorate the top of the cake with more strawberry slices and rim the edge of the cake with mini chocolate chips. 

Slice and ENJOY!
Bonus picture of Betty- who likes to be anywhere there is frosting!

*Be sure to store leftovers in the refrigerator.*
This recipe was adapted from: http://www.pillsbury.com/recipes/chocolate-strawberry-cake-with-fluffy-frosting/f3186840-6879-406a-ab3a-84e9be12d89a

Baked Brie

I absolutely LOVE brie cheese. It's got a great, mild flavor and it's very smooth and creamy...bake it up with a berry sauce on top and it's to die for!! This is a super easy recipe you can throw together in minutes and it's sure to impress any crowd! Sorry I didn't take a lot of pictures but I promise it's easy enough that you won't need step by step pics. Give it a try for your next get together!

BAKED BRIE WITH RASPBERRY SAUCE

What you need for the baked brie:
1 large wheel of brie (or 2 small- I always get mine at Sam's Club so I use one large ~16oz)
12-14oz of raspberries (really any berry would work, I like how the raspberries break down so if you use strawberries, you may want to cut them down a little)
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup water
1/4tsp dried mustard
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/4tsp ground cloves
1/4tsp ground ginger
Crackers or apple slices for dipping

To make the baked brie:
1. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Line a pie pan with foil or parchment paper.
2. Mix the berries, water and spices in a large sauce pan.
3. Turn them on medium heat and warm until the berries burst- about 15 minutes.

4. Cut the skins off of the top of the brie (I do the tops and sides but leave the bottom)
5. Pour berry mixture on top of the brie and bake for about 10-12 minutes, until the cheese is hot and melty.
6. Serve with crackers or apple slices.

ENJOY!

Strawberry Fudge

Happy Belated Valentine's Day!! I had wanted to post this recipe earlier in the week so you could all use it for your Valentine's Day sweeties this weekend but I ran out of time. I've been traveling for work since Sunday and it was one cancellation or delay after another yesterday at the airports while I was trying to get home! So, my apologies for being a day late, but in Valentine's Day spirit- Roses are red, violets are blue, sorry it's late but this recipe is good!

STRAWBERRIES AND CREAM FUDGE

What you need for the fudge:
2 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cups heavy cream
3/4 cup (1.5 stick)
pinch of salt
12 oz package of white chocolate morsels
7 oz jar of marshmallow fluff
1 tbsp strawberry gelatin mix
Heart sprinkles (optional)

To make the fudge:
1. Line a 9x13 pan with parchment paper.
2. In a large, heavy duty sauce pan, melt the butter. Then add the sugar, heavy cream and salt and stir. Let this come to a boil. 

 3. While bringing that mixture to a boil, pour your white chocolate morsels and marshmallow fluff into a large mixing bowl. Also, prepare your mixer or beaters so they're ready to go.

4. Continue cooking your sugar, heavy cream mixture over medium-high heat until the mixture begins to boil. Once boiling, stir constantly for 5 minutes (I know it sounds long but you need to do it!).

5. Pour the hot sugar, cream mixture over your bowl of morsels and fluff. Beat the mixture until smooth, about 2 minutes. 
6. Pour about half of this mixture into your prepared baking sheet.
7. Add the tablespoon of strawberry gelatin to the remaining mixture in your bowl and beat for one more minute. 
8. Pour the strawberry mixture on top of what's already in your pan and then swirl it around with a knife. I added some fun heart sprinkles to make them more festive while the fudge was still warm (this is so they stick).

9. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight, then cut into bite size squares. I noticed mine was a bit sticky to cut so warming the knife every few rows seemed to help speed the process along. 

ENJOY this treat with your sweetie!

White Chocolate Cranberry Cheesecake

Hi Everyone! Sorry for the hiatus! We've been busy moving into our rental house over the last month and the kitchen here is, well, let's just say less than stellar. I've had to get re-organized here and remember where I put everything. At least progress on our new home is coming along...Mother Nature set us back a little with all the snow and cold last week but the basement is finally poured! Yay! Anyway, I knew cooking was going to be a bit difficult while here at our 'interim home' so I've been saving up some recipes to share with you over the next few months while the house is finished. This is one I made for Thanksgiving at Danny's parents house. It was AMAZING!! The whole thing went...I even caught the boys going back in the fridge for more after we'd cleaned up dessert. I think it's a great recipe for any time of year though...and of course you can change the topping to include any kind of fruit. Cranberry was just fitting for the November- December months. I know the recipe may seem a bit daunting- it's a lot of steps but I promise you won't be disappointed. Try this and then modify as you like- I think you'll be pleased with the final result!!

WHITE CHOCOLATE CRANBERRY CHEESECAKE

What you need for the crust and filling:
2 cups chocolate wafer cookie crumbs (I used one package of Nabisco chocolate wafers and put them in the food processor)

2 tablespoons of sugar
Pinch of salt
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
4 oz white chocolate, chopped
4 8 oz packages of cream cheese at room temperature
1 cup sour cream
1 heaping cup of granulated sugar
4 large eggs
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
What you need for the compote:
1 pound bag of fresh cranberries
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice

To make the cheesecake:
1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Make your crust by mixing the cookie crumbs, sugar and salt together. Add the melted butter and mix with your hands until combined.

3. Press into the bottom and up the side (about an inch) of a 9-in spring form pan. Place in the freezer until ready to fill. 

4. Melt your white chocolate in a microwave safe container until smooth (mix every 30 seconds).

5. Beat the cream cheese, sour cream and sugar in a large bowl. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, and then add the cornstarch. Beat for 2 more minutes.
6. Finally, beat in the melted chocolate and vanilla extract.

7. Fill a roasting pan or large pan (I just used a 9x13 baking pan) halfway with water and set it on the lower oven rack. Pour the filling into your prepared cookie crust and place on the middle oven rack, above your roasting pan. 
I put some extra white chocolate chips in the bottom of the crust before pouring the filling on top.

Just gives it a little more flavor!

This is what the pans looked like in the oven before baking.

8. Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes, until edges are golden and center is set (but slightly jiggly). Turn off the oven and leave in there for 30 more minutes. 
9. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely; then put in the refrigerator for 8 hours or overnight.

10. Next, make your compote by spreading the cranberries on a rimmed cookie sheet and sprinkle with 1/3 cup sugar. Set aside until they start to release some of their own juices, about 30 minutes. 

11. In a small sauce pan, combine the 2/3 cup sugar, orange zest and juice and 3/4 cup water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium low and simmer until it starts to thicken, about 10-15 minutes. 
12. Drain the cranberries from the cookie sheet and add them to the sauce. Simmer on low until the berries begin to burst, about 5-10 minutes. 

Transfer the mixture to a bowl and let cool, then refrigerate overnight (like the cheesecake). 
13. Once the cheesecake is cool, run a warm knife between the edge of the spring form pan and the cheesecake, then remove the ring. Serve the cheesecake topped with the compote and shaved white chocolate, if desired.

ENJOY!!

Peppermint Bark

MERRY CHRISTMAS! Here's another simple Christmas recipe that you can whip up this morning for your festivities tonight! Everyone loves a good bark and this one has a fun twist using Christmas kisses from Hershey's.

PEPPERMINT BARK

What you need for the peppermint bark:

1 package milk chocolate almond bark (I only used about 3/4 of the package because I don't like my bark too thick)

1 package Hershey's Candycane Kisses

3 squares of white chocolate almond bark (add this to the candy cane kisses)

2 Tablespoons Crisco

4-6 candy canes, crushed 

To make the peppermint bark:

1. Chop your milk chocolate almond bark into chunks and microwave with 1 T Crisco in microwave safe dish for 1-2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds.

2. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

3. Pour melted chocolate on baking sheet and spread with the back of a spoon to make an even coat.

4. Place in the fridge or outside for at least 20 minutes to harden.

5. Meanwhile, open your candy kisses (this is a tedious job but put on some Christmas tunes and you'll be done in no time!)

Here's a fun pic of Teddy hanging out while I opened the candies!

6. Place the 3 squares of white chocolate bark in the same microwaveable container as the kisses and add the remaining T of Crisco. Melt in microwave for about 2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds.

7. Spread the melted kisses over your hardened milk chocolate and smooth out. Gently press your crushed candy canes on top of the melted chocolate. Place back in the fridge or a cool place to harden completely- about an hour. 
8. Break into pieces- this is the fun part- they don't need to be neat or even! Serve with a cup of hot cocoa or milk- yum!!

ENJOY

Sorry, the only picture I have of the bark as one piece was a joint picture with this ornament I made. You get the idea though!

All broken up!