Category Archives: Desserts

June 29, 2011 · 5:13 pm

Chocolate Chip Cookie Pretzel Bars

My husband has been out of the country for the past four days, so I thought he might like to come home to these. Also, my lovely neighbor from Bangladesh brought over some yummy food the other day and I thought these might be a nice way to say thank you. Sweet and salty…hard to resist! 🙂

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
One 12-ounce bag bittersweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups mini pretzels, coarsely chopped

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350°. Spray a 9-by-13-inch pan with cooking spray.

In a bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda and salt. Using a mixer, beat the butter with both sugars at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Beat in the eggs and vanilla extract. On low, beat in the dry ingredients, just until incorporated. Stir in the chocolate chips and pretzel pieces.

Spread the batter evenly in the pan. Press the batter down with a spatula. If you want to use the sprinkles, sprinkle them on top of the batter. Bake for 25 minutes, until golden brown.

Use a knife to go around the side of the pan to loosen the bars. Cut the bars in squares and serve.

What did the family think? It has chocolate. Enough said.

Where did this recipe come from? Food and Wine

photo from Two Peas and Their Pod

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June 19, 2011 · 3:12 pm

Emma’s Belgian Waffle Recipe

I don’t know who Emma is, but we loved her Belgian waffles this morning for our yummy Father’s Day breakfast.

Ingredients:
2 egg yolks
5 tablespoons white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon salt
2 3/4 cups self-rising flour
2 cups warm milk
2 egg whites

Instructions:
In a large bowl, beat together egg yolks and sugar. Beat in vanilla extract, butter and salt. Alternately mix in flour and milk until blended well.

In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until they have formed soft peaks. Fold egg whites into batter and let stand for 40 minutes.

Spray preheated waffle iron with non-stick cooking spray. Pour mix onto hot waffle iron. Cook until golden brown and fluffy.

Did I change anything? I got tired of trying to make the egg whites form peaks, so I just put them in the batter. It was fine. I also didn’t wait 40 minutes before cooking the waffles. I let the batter sit for as long as it took me to clean out the dishwasher and refill it. Again, it was fine.

What did the family think? Thumbs up from everyone!

Where did this recipe come from? allrecipes.com

photo from allrecipes.com

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Filed under After School Snacks, Bread, Breakfast, Definitely Making it Again, Desserts, Everybody Ate It, Lent, Vegetarian

June 9, 2011 · 2:11 pm

Strawberry Nutella Muffins

This recipe has been floating all over the internet recently and since it IS my duty to try out new recipes for you all, I sacrificed for all of you and made these. Really. It was torture having to sample these so I could tell you whether or not they were any good. Oh, the sacrifices I make.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup canola oil
1 large egg
1/3 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chopped fresh strawberries
1/3 cup Nutella
Turbinado sugar, for sprinkling on top of muffins

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Line a muffin tin with paper liners or grease well. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar.

In a small bowl, combine canola oil, egg, buttermilk, and vanilla together. Use a fork or whisk and mix until well combined.

Incorporate the wet ingredients into flour mixture. Add slowly and gently stir, you don’t want to over mix. The batter will be thick. Carefully fold in the strawberries.

Fill each muffin cup half way with batter. Next, add a small spoonful of Nutella to each muffin cup. Cover the Nutella filling with the remaining batter. Sprinkle each muffin with turbinado sugar.

Bake muffins for 17-20 minutes, or until muffins are golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Remove the muffins from the pan and let cool on a cooling rack.

Did I change anything? I left off the turbinado sugar and I baked them for a little bit longer.

What did the family think? Everyone is at work and school right now, but really, it’s chocolate and strawberries. Who’s going to turn that down?

Where did this recipe come from? Two Peas and their Pod

photo from Two Peas & Their Pod

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May 14, 2011 · 10:06 pm

Hershey’s No Bake Cookies

I was in a pinch one time and had to make some cookies for a meeting I was going to, but I had two napping kids who I didn’t want to wake up and take to the store and really, I didn’t want to take them to the store when they woke up either. So I rummaged around in the pantry. I had some Hershey’s cocoa powder and this recipe was on the back and-bonus-it turned out I had everything I needed to make these cookies. This recipe has been around forever and if you haven’t made them yourself, you have probably had some at a picnic or some other such gathering. Either way, they are yummy and easy to make.

Ingredients:
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup milk
4 tablespoons cocoa
1 stick butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups quick oats

Instructions:
Combine the sugar, milk, cocoa and butter in saucepan. Cook over medium to high heat until mixture boils 1 1/2 minutes, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat and add vanilla, peanut butter, salt and stir quickly. Add oats and stir together. Will be stiff.

Drop by tablespoon onto waxed paper. Let dry. Makes about 2 dozen.

What did the family think? I don’t think anyone in this house has ever turned down a cookie. 🙂

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Filed under After School Snacks, Definitely Making it Again, Desserts, Easy, Everybody Ate It, Super Easy to Make, Vegetarian

April 29, 2011 · 4:21 pm

Apple Pan Dowdy

Apple pan dowdy…it’s just fun to say….and EAT! 🙂

FILLING
4 lg apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

DOUGH
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tbsp granulated sugar
pinch salt
1/2 cup cold butter, cut into small chunks
1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp cold water

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Prep the apples and put them in the bottom of a 9 x 9 baking dish.

In a small bowl, combine the 1/2 cup of sugar and spices and pour the mixture onto the apples, tossing until they are coated.

To make the dough, stir together the flour, sugar, and salt in a mixing bowl. Then blend the butter into the flour mixture using a hand pastry blender (or two forks) until the mixture is coarse like oatmeal.

Stir dough with a fork to bring it together. Form the dough into a ball and roll it out on a floured surface to 1/4 inch thickness. With a knife, cut long strips, then triangles out of the strips, and place the dough pieces over the apples. The pan dowdy baked for 45 minutes until the top was browned.

Did I change anything? I think next time I will sprinkle a little cinnamon and sugar on top. Also, you REALLY need some vanilla ice cream to go with this. It was missed as we were eating ours without it.

What did the family think? This will make your house smell terrific and your family’s tummy very happy.

from Family Feedbag

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April 12, 2011 · 8:44 am

Chocolate Glazed Pound Cake

Very little effort and you get a dessert that everyone loves and it looks like you’ve been in the kitchen all afternoon preparing it. (It only takes about three minutes.)

Ingredients:
6 oz. chopped bittersweet chocolate
1 stick butter, cut up
1 T honey
1 pound cake (we found one already made in our grocer’s bakery)

Instructions:
Microwave chopped bittersweet chocolate with butter and honey on 75 percent power until melted, about 2 minutes. Whisk until smooth. Place a loaf of pound cake on a rack and drizzle with the glaze.

What did the family think? I am not sure which they enjoyed more…the finished product or the pool of chocolatey goodness that collected underneath the cake…lots of little fingers scooping up the extra chocolate.

from Food Network

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March 21, 2011 · 12:04 am

Pepita and Cranberry Rice Krispy Treats

I haven’t made these in forever, but they are SOOOO good! They’re like Rice Krispy treats for grown-ups.

Ingredients:
Cooking spray
1/2 cup raw green pumpkinseeds
1/4 cup butter
1 (8-ounce) package miniature marshmallows (about 5 cups)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
5 cups oven-toasted rice cereal (such as Rice Krispies)
1 cup dried cranberries

Instructions:
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add pumpkinseeds; cook 4 minutes or until seeds begin to pop and lightly brown, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; cool.

Lightly coat a 13 x 9-inch baking dish with cooking spray; set aside. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in marshmallows; cook 2 minutes or until smooth, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla and salt. Stir in reserved seeds, cereal, and cranberries. Scrape mixture into prepared dish using a rubber spatula.

Lightly coat hands with cooking spray; press cereal mixture evenly into prepared dish. Cool completely.

Did I change anything? I threw a little wheat germ in there for good measure… about 2T.

What did the family think? Thumbs up from everyone!

from Cooking Light

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March 16, 2011 · 9:08 am

Nutella Waffle Bits

A smaller version of a recipe that’s in Food Network’s magazine this week….bite-sized yumminess.

Ingredients:
Mini-waffles
Nutella
Strawberries, thinly sliced (optional)
Cocoa powder (optional)

Instructions:
Toast waffles and let cool.

Spread Nutella on one waffle and place a strawberry slice on top. Top with a second waffle to make a sandwich. Dust with cocoa powder. Enjoy!

What did the family think? We tried these both with and without strawberries and they are both great!

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March 15, 2011 · 9:36 am

Itty Bitty Pies

Several, several years ago I made these with my nieces at Christmas. I hadn’t made them since and I have no idea why because they are ridiculously easy and crazy good.

Ingredients:
Cooking Spray
Your choice of pie filling (apple and cherry are what we’ve tried)
Pillsbury refrigerated pie crusts…the kind you roll out

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Spray cookie sheet with cooking oil.

Let pie crust sit out for about five minutes before unrolling. You will use both crusts that are in the package.

Unroll pie crusts and use a wide-mouth glass to cut circles out. I use the Pampered Chef circle cutter, so you use that if you have one of those.

You should have about 12 circles when you are done depending on how big your circles are and how close together you cut them out.

Lay out one circle and put a dollop of pie filling in the center and cover with another circle. Use a fork to press edges together. Continue until you have used all your circles. If you have one circle left over you can put a little filling in it and just fold it in half.

Place pies on the cookie sheet and bake for 5-7 minutes or until they start to get golden brown.

What did the family think? These are so spectacularly awesome.

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March 14, 2011 · 9:03 am

Mini Waffle Ice Cream Sandwiches

I got this idea from this month’s Food Network magazine. They used the big waffles, but I thought that seemed like a little too much dessert and way too messy. Plus, if you use the little waffles you can have more than one and try a different ice cream flavor in each one.

Ingredients:
Mini waffles
Ice cream

Instructions:
Toast the waffles and let cool.

Scoop ice cream onto one waffle and top with another waffle. Voila! Dessert!

What did the family think? Yum!

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Filed under After School Snacks, Definitely Making it Again, Desserts, Easy, Everybody Ate It, Six Ingredients or Less, Super Easy to Make, Vegetarian