Halloween Treats

We had fun making Halloween food this year. Grant and I made these ghosts together. They are surprisingly easy.

Hosts of Ghosts
20 oreos
6 0z cream cheese, softened
12 oz white candy coating, chopped
2 tsp shortening

In a food processor, cover and process cookies until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Cut cream cheese into chunks; add to food processor. Cover and process until mixture forms a soft dough. Using 2 teaspoons of dough for each, form ghost shapes. Place on waxed paper-covered baking sheet. In a microwave, melt candy coating and shortening; stir until smooth. Slowly spoon over each ghost shape to cover. Use a toothpick to create eyes. store in the refrigerator. The original recipe was half of this, and I have a small food processor, so I actually made this in two batches.

Grant and I also made these as part of our Halloween dinner. Basically you just slice the top off an orange (you can also slice a small amount off the bottom so the orange will sit better), scoop the fruit out, chop it up and mix with a few chopped grapes and apples and put back in the oranges to serve. We used cloves and slivered almonds to help decorate the faces.

To finish out our Halloween dinner we made the very healthy mummies on a stick (hot dogs wrapped with crescent rolls) and spider web dip (hot chili mixed with cream cheese with a sour cream piped spider web). Yummy!

Pumpkin and Cream Cheese Whoopie Pies

These were really good. I liked the maple cream cheese filling for something a little different.

3 c. flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
2 Tbsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 c. oil
1 c. brown sugar
1 c. white sugar
3 c. pumpkin puree
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
Filling:
1/2 c. butter
1 8-oz cream cheese
3 c. powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. maple extract or 3 Tbsp. maple syrup

For cakes: Beat sugars, and oil. Add pumpkin. Mix in vanilla and eggs. Slowly add in flour and rest of dry ingredients until combined. Drop batter onto cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-14 minutes. Don't over bake. Let cool and then slap some frosting between two cookies and then try to just eat one. For the filling: Beat everything until well combined.

Apple Streusel Cheesecake Bars

I believe my need to bake can be directly related to the weather. The lower the temperature, the higher my need to bake. Isn't that what fall and winter are all about? We got to keep ourselves warm with a little extra layer of insulation. So, it's not my fault that I bake more, it just goes back to natural survival instincts, right? :)

I am definitely all about apples and pumpkins in the fall. I found this recipe online when I was looking for a way to use of some of the apple pie filling we canned last year. We're going apple picking this weekend so I needed to clear the way for more applely goodness. For using a couple of store-prepared products, this recipe is very good. Ryan and several of my friends really liked them. Enjoy!

1

pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker oatmeal cookie mix

1/2

cup firm butter or margarine

2

packages (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened

1/2

cup sugar

2

tablespoons all-purpose flour

1

teaspoon vanilla

1

egg

1

can (21 oz) apple pie filling (I just used a 1 quart jar of the apple pie filling I had canned last year)

1/2

teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4

cup chopped walnuts (I did not use these)

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Spray bottom and sides of 13x9-inch pan with cooking spray.
2. Place cookie mix in large bowl. With pastry blender or fork, cut in butter until mixture is crumbly and coarse. Reserve 1 1/2 cups crumb mixture; press remaining crumbs in bottom of pan. Bake 10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, in large bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, flour, vanilla and egg with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth.
4. Spread cream cheese mixture evenly over partially baked crust. In medium bowl, mix pie filling and cinnamon. Spoon evenly over cream cheese mixture. Sprinkle reserved crumbs over top. Sprinkle with walnuts.
5. Bake 35 to 40 minutes longer or until light golden brown. Cool about 30 minutes. Refrigerate to chill, about 2 hours. For bars, cut into 6 rows by 4 rows. Store covered in refrigerator.

Makes 24 bars

Tres Leche Cake

I've been seeing this cake on a lot of food blogs lately and for some reason I really wanted to try it. I was worried that it was going to be soggy and gross but it was pretty good. Sam gave it a thumbs down but the kids and I both liked it. Sam liked the taste but not so much the texture. It definitely wasn't soggy...... it was kind of like eating cake and ice cream when the ice cream gets a little melty and mixes with the cake. Anyways, it was fun to try something a little different.

1 yellow cake baked in a 9x13 pan (you can make one from scratch or use a cake mix-I used a homemade one and if anyone really cares I can put it up here some time)
1/2 can of cream of coconut (you can get this at Wal Mart by the alcohol)
1/2 can sweetened condensed milk
1 can evaporated milk
1 c. whipping cream
1 tsp. vanilla

Once the cake has cooled completely poke a whole bunch of holes in it with a fork or a wooden skewer. Mix the cream of coconut, sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, cream and vanilla until smooth. Pour milk mixture over the cake a little at a time, letting it absorb into the cake. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. When ready to serve top with sweetened whipped cream and maybe a cherry.

White Chocolate Berry Tart

After blackraspberry picking and several berry sales in the grocery store I had quite a stock of berries. I figured a fresh berry tart would be the way to go. I combined a few different tart recipes, because I wanted something delicious that did not take much time. And man was this delicious!! As you can see I do not own a tart pan, otherwise this would look much cuter. The crust is a delicious, crisp shortbread which is a perfect contrast to the smooth cream layer and tart berries. Ryan and I loved it and will probably make it again when I go raspberry picking in the next couple of weeks.

White Chocolate Berry Tart
Crust:
3/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup confectioners's sugar
1 1/2 cups flour

Filling:
1 package (10 oz) vanilla baking chips, melted
1/4 cup whipping cream
1 package cream cheese, softened

Fruit/Berries of choice

Glaze:
1/4 cup apricot preserves

In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter and powdered sugar. Gradually add in the flour and mix well. Press it into an 11 inch tart pan or 12 inch pizza pan (or any pan you can make it work in). Bake at 325 degrees for 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool. In a mixing bowl, mix the melted chips and cream. Add cream cheese and beat until smooth. Spread over the crust. Top with your fruit and berries as desired. In a small bowl, microwave the apricot preserves until it becomes runny (start with 20 seconds or so). Let it cool and then brush over the fruit. Let it chill for an hour before serving. Eat and enjoy a delicious fruit serving for the day!

Chocolate Strawberry Cake...You must make this!

This cake was good...... really,really good. I know say this about every cake I put on here but it's true. This cake has chocolate, strawberries, white chocolate whipped cream....... that's pretty much all you need to know. This recipe came from Annie's Eats.

1 3/4 c. flour
3/4 c. cocoa
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 c. milk
1/2 c. oil
2 tsp. vanilla
1 c. boiling water

White Chocolate Whipped Cream:
1 1/2 c. cold heavy cream
6 oz. white chocolate

Whipped Cream Frosting:
1 c. heavy cream
4 Tbsp. powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

Strawberries, sliced

Cake: Beat sugar, eggs, milk, oil and vanilla together. Add dry ingredients and mix until combined. Mix in boiling water. The batter will be pretty thin. Pour into 2 greased and floured 9 inch cake pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes or until done. Don't over bake. Let cake cool 10 minutes in pans and then turn out on racks to cool all the way.
White Chocolate Cream: Melt the white chocolate in a double boiler. When melted remove from heat. Boil 1/2 c. of cream and pour over the white chocolate. Let sit for 1 minute and then stir until smooth. Let the chocolate sit out until it is at room temperature. You don't want it to be warm at all. Beat the remaining 1 c. of cream until it will hold soft peaks. Pour in the chocolate all at once and then beat the cream until it will hold stiff peaks. Put the cream in a bowl and cover the surface with plastic wrap. Put in the fridge for 2 hours.
Frosting: Pour heavy cream into mixing bowl and add sugar and vanilla. Beat on high until it will hold stiff peaks.
Assembling cake: Cut each cooled cake layer in half. Put one layer on serving plate. Spread on some of the white chocolate whipped cream. Lay thinly sliced strawberries on top of the cream. Top with another layer of cake and repeat twice. Frost the top and sides with the whipped cream frosting. Keep this cake in the fridge and try not to eat it all in one day :).

Chocolate Meringue Pie

For a Christmas present this year my mom got me a subscription to Better Homes and Gardens magazine. One of my favorite parts of the magazine is (big surprise) looking through the food recipes. Although I spend a decent amount of time drooling over the delicious looking pictures, I rarely attempt to make anything because most of the recipes seem too fancy, using ingredients I don't have on hand. However, when I saw the picture for this chocolate meringue pie, I knew I'd have to give in and make it.

This recipe was somewhat threatening to me because it calls for a custard and meringue, both things I have never attempted to make before. Also, the recipe calls for you to hand whip the meringue, to which I responded "jigga-WHAT!!" (or, "is that even possible?"). But let me tell you, yes it is possible to hand whip the meringue (although you may not be able to move your wrist again for a day ;), and making custard is surprisingly easy.

You may ask, is homemade chocolate custard and hand-whipped meringue worth the trouble? I answer a definite yes!! This pie is gooooood! Especially the custard; absolutely smooth, creamy and delicious. As I mentioned earlier I have never made meringue before but I also realized I don't think I have ever had meringue before, so I don't have much to compare it to. It was quite tasty and went well with the pie. But Ryan and I agree we also think this pie would be delicious topped with sweetened whipped cream instead of the meringue. It was kind of fun to make it by hand though.

I just copied and pasted this recipe right off of the BHG website so you get all the helpful hints and details I followed. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 1 9-inch Baked Pastry Shell*
• Filling
• 3 eggs
• 3 cups milk
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• 3 oz. unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
• 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• Meringue
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
• 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
• 6 Tbsp. superfine granulated sugar

Directions

1. Before you start "The secret to this dessert is to have your ingredients measured and ready," Scott says. "It makes the process move along quickly." Prepare your favorite baked pastry shell. Cool on wire rack. Separate egg yolks from whites. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Make custard: In a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring 2-1/2 cups of the milk almost to simmering (watch closely so milk doesn't boil). Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, with a 12-inch or larger balloon whisk, stir remaining 1/2 cup milk into the 3 egg yolks. In a second bowl combine 1 cup sugar, the flour, cocoa powder, and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt; whisk in egg yolk mixture until smooth. Gradually whisk in hot milk; return the mixture to saucepan.

3. Bring to boiling: Over medium-high heat cook and stir mixture until it comes to a full boil. "You want large bubbles from the middle," says Scott. "And while you're whisking be sure to get the whisk into the corners and sweep the bottom so you won't have to worry about scorching--which would require starting over." Boil for 30 seconds and remove from heat.

4. Fill pie shell: Whisk in chocolate and butter until melted and smooth. Stir in 2 teaspoons vanilla. Strain mixture through a sieve, pushing it through with a spatula as needed. "There's a good chance there will be tiny pieces of cooked egg in your custard," Scott says. "Straining them out is a small, easy step that makes a big difference."

5. Prepare egg whites: Wash both bowl and whisk. "Dry them with a clean towel," Scott says. "Any grease is going to give you trouble in a big way." Set whites-in bowl-over bowl of hot (110 degrees F) water. "You'll get more volume," Scott says. "Five minutes should do it."

6. Combine Ingredients: In a large bowl, with 12-inch or larger wire whisk, beat egg whites slowly until foamy. Whisk in the 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, the cream of tartar, and 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt until well blended.

7. Whisk to peaks "This is a step when whisking by hand pays off," Scott says. "It puts you in control of the meringue. But you can also use an electric mixer on medium-high speed." Keeping your elbow firmly against your side, whisk rapidly until whites begin to mound. "Move only your wrist," Scott says, "otherwise you'll be exhausted before the meringue is done." Whisk in superfine sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time, sprinkling the sugar over the whole bowl. Continue to whisk until whites are moist, glossy, and do not slide when bowl is inverted. "As you gain experience, you'll go faster," says Scott, "but the first few times, plan on 7 to 8 minute." Tips of whites should curl over slightly when whisk is lifted from bowl.

8. Cover with meringue: Turn meringue out all at once on tip of hot pie filling. With spatula spread meringue from center to edges making sure meringue seals to crust all the way around. "That will help keep the meringue from shrinking away from the edge," Scott says. Bake 15 minutes at 350 degrees F or until top is golden. "Watch the meringue carefully," Scott says. "Ovens vary, and if you overbake, the meringue can weep." Cool on wire rack for 1 hour. Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving. Store leftovers in refrigerator. Makes 8 servings.

Buttermilk Biscuits

I love biscuits...... I think I could eat them everyday for breakfast. I also really like grits and fried okra. What can I say, I'm part southern. Too bad you can't eat biscuits everyday and still lose weight. These biscuits tasted good and looked really cool. I think the recipe came from Allrecipes.
2 c. flour
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
5 Tbsp. cold butter
3/4 c. buttermilk
3 Tbsp. honey
Mix the dry ingredients together. Cut the butter into the flour using a knife or a fork. You want the butter to be in small pieces but not too small. Put this mixture in the fridge for 10 minutes. Mix the milk and honey together and add to the flour/butter. Stir until just barely mixed together. Put dough on a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough out to about 1/2 inch thick. Fold the dough over on itself, like how you might fold paper to put in an envelope. Roll out the dough again and fold it over again. Roll dough out one last time to about 3/4 inch thick. Cut out biscuits and place on baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 12 minutes. Now go put lots of butter and honey on one and eat it right away.

Cookie Dough Cupcakes

Are these not the cutest cupcakes you've ever seen? They taste pretty good too. I found this recipe on Annie's Eats. The original recipe had a cookie dough filling inside but I didn't have time to do all of that and I thought they were good without it.
Cupcakes:
3 sticks butter, softened
1 1/2 c. brown sugar
4 large eggs
2 2/3 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 c. milk
2 tsp. vanilla
1 c. chocolate chips
Beat butter and brown sugar together until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time. Combine the dry ingredients in another bowl. Add the dry ingredients, alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Blend in vanilla. Fold in the chocolate chips with a spatula. Pour batter into paper lined muffin pans. This recipe made about 24 cupcakes. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Let cool before frosting.
Frosting:
3 sticks butter
3/4 c. brown sugar
3 1/2 c. powdered sugar
1 c. flour
3/4 tsp. salt
3 Tbsp. milk
2 1/2 tsp. vanilla
Beat the butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Add powdered sugar, flour, and salt. Beat in milk and vanilla. Continue beating until frosting is light and fluffy.
Decorate cupcakes with a tiny chocolate chip cookie and some mini chocolate chips. So cute!

Dad is great, he gives us chocolate cake

This was really good cake......really good. It was like a cake mix recipe where you add extra things but it's not a cake mix. It was dense and moist and chocolatey and yummy. It didn't even need icing. I found this recipe on The Hungry Mouse website. She has a lot of recipes that I want to try. I had to make one change to the recipe. It called for cream de cocoa .......... and we just don't have much alcohol around here, chocolate or otherwise. I just put milk in instead and added some extra vanilla.

3 eggs
1/3 c. butter, softened
16 oz. sour cream
1/2 c. milk
2 tsp. vanilla
2 c. flour
1 3/4 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 3/4 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2/3 c. cocoa
1 small pkg. chocolate instant pudding powder
1 c. mini chocolate chips
Beat the butter and eggs together until well mixed. Add sour cream, milk and vanilla. Mix all of the dry ingredients together and add to the butter/sour cream mixture. Fold in chocolate chips. Pour into greased and floured bundt pan. Bake at 350 degrees for anywhere from 40-60 minutes. It will probably just depend on your oven. Mine took about 45 minutes..... you don't want to over cook! Let cool in pan for 10 minutes. Turn out and let cool. Either dust with powdered sugar and eat right a piece right now or you can frost it:
1 c. chocolate chips
1 c. heavy cream
1 Tbsp. light corn syrup
1 Tbsp. milk
3 Tbsp. butter
Heat the chocolate chips, cream, corn syrup and milk until the chocolate is melted. Remove from heat, stir in the butter. Put the mixture in the fridge until cool. Beat with an electric mixer until it becomes fluffy.

Cookie Dough Cheesecake Squares

I guess we havn't put anything on here for a while. I'm trying to be on a diet of sorts, which means no treats........ but as you can see by this post it's not exactly going well. These bars are really good, especially if you want cheesecake but don't want to go to all the trouble of making an actual cheesecake.

2 (18 oz.) packages refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough (This time I used homemade cookie dough and it worked just fine. It's really good either way.)
2 (8 oz) pkg. cream cheese
1/2 c. sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla

Cut one roll of cookie dough into 24 slices; arrange slices in bottom of greased 9x13 pan. Press slices together to cover bottom of the pan. Beat the cream cheese in a mixer until creamy. Slowly add the sugar, beating well. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each one. Add vanilla. Pour cream cheese mixture over the cookie dough. Cut remaining cookie dough into 24 slices. Arrange dough slices over cream cheese mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. I definitely think these are best cold out of the fridge. Yum!

Lemon Cake

These pictures are horrible...... this is really good cake though! I think it is Sam's favorite cake. You use a cake mix and add extra things to it so it's really easy. It seems like a spring cake to me for some reason. Anyways, it's really good!

1 pkg. white cake mix
1 (3.4 oz) pkg. lemon instant pudding mix
3/4 c. oil
3 eggs
1 c. lemon lime soda (sprite or seven up or I use the Wal Mart kind and it works just fine)

Mix all ingredients together. Pour into either a bundt pan or a 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes until done.

When cake has cooled for a few minutes remove from pan and pour on glaze.
Glaze:
1 c. powdered sugar
2 Tbsp. milk or lemon juice
Mix together and pour over cake.

White Texas Sheet Cake

This is really yummy cake. It's really easy and makes a lot. Yum, yum, yum. That's all I have to say. I was bad and put ice cream on it............ but I don't really feel that bad about it.

1 c. butter
1 c. water
2 c. sugar
2 c. flour
2 eggs
1/2 c. sour cream
1 tsp. almond extract
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. baking soda

In a large sauce pan bring butter and water to a boil. Remove from heat and add the remaining ingredients. Pour into greased 15x10x1 baking pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Don't over bake!
Frosting:
1/2 c. butter
1/4 c. milk
4 1/2 c. powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
Bring butter and milk to a boil. Remove from heat and add sugar and vanilla. Spread over warm cake.

Mallow-Top Brownies

Don't those look delicious? They were! I made these for a baptism last weekend and they were a hit. These are actually more a cake-like brownie which helps them to not be too overwhelming. The gooey marshmallows and fudgey frosting top them off just right.














Mallow-Top Brownies
1 c. margarine or butter (softened)
2 c. sugar
1/2 c. cocoa
1 tsp vanilla
4 eggs
1 1/4 c. flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 c. chocolate chips
2 c. miniature marshmallows

Frosting:
1/2 c. margarine
1/3 c. cocoa
1 2/3 c. powdered sugar
1/3 c. milk

Cream butter and sugar. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Combine flour, cocoa and salt and add to butter mixture. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour into greased 9x13 pan and bake for 350 for 22 minutes (you do not want to brownies completely cooked at this point). Place miniature marshmallows over brownies and return to oven until marshmallows are melted (for about 3-4 minutes). Brownies should also be done at this point. Remove from oven and let cool 5-10 minutes. Pour frosting over warm brownies.

Apple Cider Pudding Cake

This cake was soooo good!! It was a nice change to have something without chocolate in it. The spice mixture was just right and I loved the texture. A nice gooey pudding layer topped with dense, moist cake topped with a crunchy, sweet streusel. What more could you ask for? Eat it warm with ice cream and it will instantly feel like fall, instead of the cold, bleak, middle of winter we're experiencing. Oh, sorry this is not the best picture. We had already helped ourselves before I remembered I had to document this yummy cake. I found the recipe on mykitchencafe.blogspot.com. Enjoy!


Cake:
1 cup flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 large egg
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup milk
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups chopped Granny Smith apples

Boiling Mixture:
1 cup apple cider (apple juice can be substituted if apple cider can't be found)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup brown sugar

Streusel:
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons cold butter

Butter an 8x8 inch square baking dish. Heat oven to 350 degrees.

In a bowl combine the flour, baking powder, salt, soda, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. In another bowl, whisk together the egg, 1 cup brown sugar, milk, melted butter and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Stir in dry ingredients until just combined. Gently fold in apples. Spread in prepared pan.

In a small saucepan, bring apple cider, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1/2 cup brown sugar to a boil. Pour slowly and carefully over the batter. Bake for 35 minutes. Meanwhile, put streusel ingredients in food processor (you can use a bowl and cut in butter with a pastry blender or fork) and pulse until butter is cut up and mixture is crumbly. After the cake has baked for 35 minutes, sprinkle streusel topping evenly over the cake and bake 8-10 minutes more (until a toothpick inserted into the top layer of the cake comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs).

Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream (don't let the cake sit too long or some of the pudding will be absorbed in the cake topping - I would recommend eating it within 20-30 minutes of it being baked).

Peanut butter and chocolate anyone?

So my new goal is to really only make and eat a treat one day a week. I'm going to go with Mondays for FHE......because family home evening is just better with treats. And since I'm only eating a treat once a week it's gonna be a good one. This cake was delicious!!! It was really easy since it uses a cake mix. Mine fell apart while I was trying to move it onto a different plate..... that's why it is in a bowl. If you want to see what it should look like you can check out bakerella.com.

1 box devil's food cake mix
3 eggs
1 c. buttermilk
1/2 c. oil
1-2 c. chopped peanut butter cups, plus more to put on top (I only put about a cup in the batter and it was still really good)
8 oz. chocolate (semi-sweet or dark), chopped (I used chocolate chips)
1 c. heavy cream
1/2 c. peanut butter

Beat cake mix, eggs, buttermilk, and oil on low for 30 seconds. Increase speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes. Fold in the peanut butter cups. Pour into two greased and floured (and waxed papered) round cake pans. Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes or until done. Let sit in pans for 15 minutes and then remove to a wire rack to cool all the way. Heat the cream to just boiling and pour over the chocolate. Whisk until chocolate melts and then add the peanut butter. Stir until melted. Pour about 1 cup of frosting over the first layer of the cake. Top with other layer and pour rest of frosting on the top. Let it run down the sides of the cake and smooth the top and sides with a spatula. Top with more chopped peanut butter cups. Keep in the fridge.

Oatmeal Chocolate Caramel Bars

This is yet another really good recipe from My Kitchen Cafe. These were really good..... buttery and caramely and oatmealy. I shouldn't have made these today. I'm only supposed to make a treat once a week but I saw these yesterday and wanted to try them. I told myself, "Self, you don't need to make these today. No treats, remember? You want to lose weight don't you? Don't you???" But the next thing I knew I had melted some butter and mixed in some brown sugar... and then it was just too late. I gave most of them away so that makes it a little bit better. Sort of.

1 1/2 c. flour
1 1/2 c. oatmeal
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 c. brown sugar
1 c. melted butter

14 oz. bag of caramels
1/2 c. whipping cream or milk
1 pkg. chocolate chips

Mix the first 6 ingredients together. Sprinkle half of the mixture into a 9x13 pan. Press down lightly. Bake 10-15 minutes until lightly browned. Melt caramels and milk, stir until smooth. When the bars have been removed from the oven, sprinkle with chocolate chips and then pour the caramel over the top. Sprinkle the rest of the oatmeal mixture over the top. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Let the bars cool all the way before eating so they can set up.

Baked Oatmeal

I've made this for breakfast a few times and we really like it. I think it would be really good in the summer with some nice berries. I tried putting frozen berries on it but it just wasn't the same. It is kind of like oatmeal cake...... and anything that is like cake is delicious..... and it's guilt free cake because it's really oatmeal, right? This recipe came from mykitchencafe.blogspot.com.

3 c. oatmeal
1 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. oil
1/4 c. applesauce
1 c. skim milk
2 eggs
1/2 Tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt

Mix everything together. Pour into 8x8 pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees. I've put raisins and apples in it before and it's really good!

The Best Wheat Bread Ever

I'm not good at making bread. I've tried really hard and tried many, many recipes but it just would never turn out right...... until I found this recipe. This is the best wheat bread. Either I've finally figured out how to do it or this is just a really good recipe that even I can't mess up. The only problem is that it is too big for my mixer so I have to knead it by hand, which gives you a nice upper body workout but also makes a big mess. It's worth it though because it's so good or you could just cut the recipe in half. I've been using white wheat and I think it makes a big difference. It still has all the fiber and good things wheat does but it tastes a lot less wheaty.... too bad wheaty isn't a real word.

3 1/2 c. hot water
1 can evaporated milk
3 Tbsp. yeast
2/3 c. oil
1 c. honey
1 c. white flour
3 Tbsp. gluten (can sometimes find at Wal Mart)
2 Tbsp. dough enhancer (can buy in Utah or see first post on this blog for a recipe)
1 1/2 Tbsp. salt
12 c. white wheat flour

Dissolve the yeast in the warm water until foamy. Add milk, oil, honey, white flour, gluten, dough enhancer, and salt. Add 1/2 of wheat flour. Slowly mix in the rest of the flour. If the dough is still really sticky you can add more white flour. Knead for 8 minutes. The original recipe does not let the dough rise at this point but I have, just for about 20-30 minutes. Shape the dough into 4 loaves and place in pans. You can push the dough down around the edges into the pan so that the top is nice and round. Let rise 1 hour. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Don't over bake! Brush loaves with melted butter. Let cool in pans for a few minutes and then remove to cool completely on wire racks.

Big Fat Chocolate Cake

Ryan makes me this cake every year for my birthday. And let me tell you, it tastes as good as it looks. Ryan and I think this cake gets even better after a day or two. We're not sure why, maybe the butter from the frosting soaks into the cake, or maybe we just become addicted to it. The recipe came from our ward cookbook in NC but we have made a few changes to suit our tastes. Our recipe actually uses half the frosting recipe it calls for (and we made it chocolate instead of white frosting). So if you really like frosting you can double the recipe. This is how we make it:

Big Fat Chocolate Cake
Cake:
3 cups packed brown sugar
3/4 cup canola oil
3 eggs
2 2/3 cups flour
2 1/4 tsp baking powder
2 1/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp vanilla
1 1/2 cup milk
1 cup + 2 Tbsp. baking cocoa
1 1/2 cup water

Frosting:
3 sticks butter
1 lb. powdered sugar (about 3.8 cups)
1 Tbsp vanilla
5 Tbsp cocoa
1 Tbsp milk (may need a little more for desired consistency)

Ganache Topping:
1 cup chocolate chips
2 1/2 tsp corn syrup
1/4 cup heavy cream

Cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour three 9" round cake pans (or use wax paper, which helps a lot in removing the cakes). Mix sugar and oil with a mixer. Mix in eggs. Let rest while sifting flour, soda, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl, mix milk and vanilla. Bring water to boil and pour over cocoa. Whisk cocoa till smooth. To egg mixture alternately add flour and milk mixture, beginning and ending with flour. Scrape sides of bowl. Add cocoa and mix well, scraping the sides of the bowl often. Pour into pans. Bake about 27 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (or with dry crumbs). Cool cakes completely. You can either frost the 3 layers as they are or slice each layer in half to make a 6 layer cake. You probably want to double the frosting if you slice the cake layers as the original recipe calls for double our frosting recipe.

Frosting: Mix ingredients in a large bowl until smooth and creamy.

Ganache: Place chocolate chips and syrup in a bowl. Bring cream to a full boil. Pour over chips and whisk. Pour ganache over cool and frosted cake.

Enjoy, and try not to eat too much cake in one sitting. Easier said than done.

Milky Way Cookies

I found this recipe on picky-palate.com. She has a lot of recipes on there that sound really good and different. My cookies turned out kind of flat but they still tasted really good. I'm having a hard time making cookies up here in the mountains.... they all go flat on me. Anyways, these were good and should definitely be tried some time.

2 sticks butter
3/4 c. sugar
3/4 c. brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 3/4 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
35 mini milky way and 3 muskateer bars, chopped

Cream butter and sugars. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix in dry ingredients and then add chopped candy bars. Bake at 350 degrees for 9-11 minutes.

Pumpkin Banana Bread

This is actually an original recipe as took ideas from about 4 other recipes to get this. Not bad for a first try, but that's why some of the measurements are unusual. It's pretty moist with the pumpkin and banana and of course almost everything tastes pretty good with some chocolate chips thrown in.

1/2 c. butter
1/4 c. oil
2 1/4 c. sugar
4 eggs
2 c. mashed bananas (about 4 medium)
1 15 oz. can pumpkin
3 c. flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp pumpkin pie spice
2 tsp cinnamon
1 1/4 c. chocolate chips

Cream butter, oil and sugar. Mix in eggs, bananas and pumpkin. In a separate bowl mix dry ingredients and then mix into first mixture. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour into 2 greased bread pans. Bake at 325 degrees for probably 50 or more minutes. I would check it after 45 minutes (every oven is different). Eat it up.

Banana Bread

I don't like bananas.......actually I really, really, really don't like bananas. They are slimy and gross. I don't mind banana bread though, and this was a good recipe. I found it on the Pioneer Woman's website. I don't remember the address but it's pretty famous so you should be able to find it. She has a lot of good recipes. I liked the idea of putting the bread in a bundt pan just for something different. And since it looked like a cake I had to put a little icing on it.....just because I can.

2 sticks of butter
1 1/2 c. sugar
2 Tbsp. sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 c. mashed bananas
4 c. flour (I put in almost half wheat flour and it was still really good)
2 Tbsp. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 c. sour cream

Cream butter and sugar together. Add eggs one at a time. Add bananas and beat until mixed. Combine dry ingredients. Add dry ingredients alternately with the sour cream. Beat until all combined. Pour into greased and floured bundt pan. Bake for about 1 hour at 350 degrees.

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies

One of my resolutions this year is to make healthier foods for my family to eat........and nothing really says healthy like a chocolate chip cookie. But these have whole wheat and oatmeal. It's delicious fiber! I really liked these cookies and I didn't even notice the wheat. My kids ate them up but Sam wouldn't touch them. He thinks anything with oatmeal is a "half treat" and should not be eaten. Anyways, they were really good. Mine turned out kind of flat even though I added extra flour. Maybe it's just the altitude here or maybe they are just supposed to be flat cookies. This is another good recipe from mykitchencafe.blogspot.com.

1 1/4 c. butter
1 1/4 c. brown sugar
1 1/4 c. sugar
3 eggs
1 1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla (I put 1 Tbsp. in just for fun)
1 1/4 tsp. salt
2 1/2 c. white wheat flour
2 1/2 c. oatmeal
2 1/2 c. semisweet chocolate chips

Cream butter and sugars. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix in dry ingredients and chocolate chips. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Delicious, yes. Cardboard, no.