Turtle Bars

I am sitting here laughing at myself! Oh wait, first things first! Happy New Year! So, I have a blog and I normally post food on my blog. And I take tons of pictures, in fact I got a sweet new camera for Christmas, Woo hoo! I especially take lots of pictures of food, because I'm constantly making good food and trying new recipes and have an awful memory because of all the other things that I'm trying to remember every day, so I take pictures to remember what I've made and hope that one day I'll get a chance to share it with you on my blog and *pause to breathe* last night we had a some friends over for a New Years Eve party and I had been out of town for a couple of days and got back into town just 2 1/2 hrs before our guests were to arrive (for the kids pre-party part of the party). I had some fast cooking to do! I normally spend 4-5 hrs the day before doing party prep and all day the day of the party doing party prep (yes, I take my parties seriously!). Yesterday I had 2 hours. So I made my tried and true favorites! In all the chaos I took not one picture of the dishes I prepared! NOT ONE! Oh, I have some great pictures of friends dancing their little tails off! And cute little ones shaking a tail feather too! Speaking of little ones...my little princess is friends with my dear friends little boy who is just a couple weeks older than the princess...and let me tell you...dare I say...I want her to marry this sweet little brown eyed boy! He's got some moves too! Ok, back to my story. No pictures! But I really want to share this awesome recipe with you. So, just now I went to the kitchen to snap pictures of the turtle bars. GONE! The entire pan is GONE! I think I cut 30 bars. Oh wait...there was this one sad little corner piece left. The rest. GONE! So, here is an amazing Turtle Bar recipe and a pitiful little corner bar pictures to show for it!

Oh, look at that teeny, corner piece. But it still looks good!

mmm...the caramelly goodness!

TURTLE BARS

2 1/4 cups flour
1 cup butter, room temp
1 cup brown sugar
1 pkg caramels, I use the little caramel bits this time
1/3 c heavy cream
1 cup pecan halves
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Heat oven to 350. Line 9x13 baking dish with foil or parchment paper. In a food processor combine butter, flour and brown sugar. Mix until crumbly and press into the bottom of the lined pan.
In a microwaveable bowl add caramels and cream and microwave for 1 minute. Stir and microwave for another minute. Continue until the caramel is smooth. Pour over the crust. Sprinkle with the pecans and bake for about 25 - 35 minutes or until the caramel is bubbly and the crust looks done. Sprinkle with the chocolate chips and place in a cool place until set.

Cut, serve, eat and enjoy!


Warmly,
Mary

Chocolate Peppermint Bark

Have you ever made a gingerbread house? It's kind of a tradition around here to decorate a gingerbread house. It's super fun for the kids and oddly stressful for me. I'm a little impatient and I very meticulously align the walls and roof so that the kids can start slopping frosting and candies on the house only to have pieces sliding around everywhere. This year, I did it the right way. I built the house and we're letting it sit over night to solidify so that the kids can have at it with their confectionery creativity without me trying to rig things up just to hold the poor little crooked thing together! So what do you do with your 5 year old after breaking the news that he has to wait yet another day to adorn his creation? Make candy!
I have never made Christmas bark or any bark for that matter. I can't believe how easy this is. And super duper good too!

CHOCOLATE PEPPERMINT BARK
2 cups crushed Oreo cookies
1 pkg semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 pkg milk chocolate chips
4ish candy canes, crushed

Line a jelly roll pan with waxed paper or parchment paper. Evenly spread cookie pieces in the pan. Pour chocolate chips in a microwaveable bowl and microwave for 1 minute, stir. Continue to microwave in 30 second increments (stirring in between) until the chocolate is all melted. Evenly pour over the cookie pieces. Sprinkle with candy pieces. Let sit until set - in the fridge or somewhere cool. Break into pieces and munch away! Or better yet....gift away!

Enjoy!

Warmly,
Mary

Heath Cheesecake

If you know me...like really know me, you know that I'm a party girl! Not THAT kind of party girl, but in our home...we find every excuse that we can to have a party and have people over for food and fun! My friends have come to expect a lot of goodness at these parties too. I am by the way...flattered! The latest party was Superman's Birthday and ummm ahem *clears throat* Superman is not a big fan of cake or cupcakes *clears throats*tear*. I KNOW! Rude huh...whatever to each his own. Whatever. Superman is however a huge fan of cheesecake and brownie sundaes. So, being the good wife that I am, I put all my dreams and desires for this birthday party aside for him. And I was pretty pleased by my choice to make Heath Cheesecake. Just so you know, this is super rich and sweet and NOT for the lightweight dessert connoisseurs!

HEATH CHEESECAKE
Ingredients
2  cups Graham Cracker crumbs
1/3 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup sugar (for crust)
3-8oz pkg cream cheese, room temp
3 eggs, room temp
3/4 cup sugar (for cheesecake filling)
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup heath bits, divided
4 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 Tbl butter

Heat oven to 350.  Combine graham cracker crumbs (I grind them in a blender), 1/4 cup sugar and butter. Mix well and press into the sides and bottom of a 10" spring-form pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes.
In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until completely smooth, but do not over mix. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well and scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl after each addition. Again, mix well but do NOT over mix. Stir in 3/4 cup of the heath bar bits. Pour over the crust and bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 325 and keep baking for an additional 45 minutes  or until filling is almost set. Turn the oven off but keep the cheesecake in there for 2- 3 hrs. DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN WHILE BAKING!
Remove from the oven and allow to continue to cool at room temperature.
Let's make the ganache topping. Add chocolate chips and cream to a small microwaveable mixing bowl. Microwave for 1 minute. Stir until melted. Add butter, cut in chunks. Stir until everything is melted and shiny. Drizzle over the top and sprinkle with the remaining heath bar bits.
Chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours!

Enjoy!


Warmly,
Mary

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

The warrior turned five on this past Saturday. I still can not believe that my sweet little guy is five. I am so thankful to be his mom! I just wish that my days with my kids would slow down, I love to savor every precious moment with them.

Anyway, the birthday warrior knew exactly what kind of cake he wanted. My Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Chips, Peanut Butter Filling, and chocolate frosting.

CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

1 cup butter, room temp
1/2 cup cocoa powder
2 tsp vanilla
3 - 4 cups powdered sugar
milk

Cream the butter with an electric mixer until smooth. Slowly beat in cocoa powder and powdered sugar. You can add milk tablespoon at a time to adjust the consistency of the frosting or adjust the amount of powdered sugar.

This is a great recipe because you can pipe it or spread it.

Enjoy!

Warmly,
Mary

Fall Haystacks

Don't these just look like fall and trips to the pumpkin patch and hayrack rides? I think so too! And I was lucky to find White Chocolate M&M's to use as my mix-in! Perfect little treat for the kids! I'm sure the Princess's preschool teachers were happy about all tiny chocolate fingers in the class!

FALL HAYSTACKS

(40 TREATS)

1 cup Chocolate Chips

1 ½ cups Butterscotch Chips

1 bag Chinese Noodles

1 cup mix-in (M&M’s, marshmallows, peanuts)

Pour both chips in a microwaveable bowl and microwave for 1 minute. Stir and continue to microwave in 30 sec increments until completely melted.

Add noodles. Stir until the noodles are completely coated.

Add “mix-in” and stir. 

Scoop 1 TBL balls onto waxed paper or parchment paper until set. 

Lick fingers and enjoy!

Warmly,
Mary

Scotcharoo Bars

Do you believe in love at first sight? Well how about love at first bite? My little warrior came home from school today wanting peanut butter crispy treats with lots of chocolate on top. And you know me, I was happy to accommodate his request! We've talked about this before, right? Well if we haven't, we need to...the happiness that peanut butter and chocolate share!
Peanut butter and chocolate are like Prince William and Princess Kate! Romeo and Juliet! Scarlett O'Hara and Rhett Butler! Tristan and Isolde! Lancelot and Guinevere! They just go together!
These bars have crunchy chunky peanut butter and caramily (is that a word?) brown sugar instead of the standard white sugar. Topped off with butterscotch and chocolate! Yes, that's love!

SCOTCHAROO BARS
Ingredients
6 cups rice crispy cereal
1 cup chunky peanut butter
1 cup light corn syrup
1 cup brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup butterscotch chips

Butter or grease 9x13 baking dish. In a large saucepan combine the peanut butter, syrup and brown sugar. Stir over medium heat until all the ingredients are melted and well combined. Removed from heat and stir in the vanilla. Mix in the cereal until it is all nicely coated. Pour into the pan and spread out evenly.
In a microwaveable bowl combine both chips. Microwave for 1 minute. Stir and microwave for an additional 30 seconds. Continue this process until all the chips are melted. Pour and spread evenly over peanut butter bars.
Allow the chocolate to set before you cut them to serve and devour!  Enjoy!

Come join the fun at the My Baking Addiction and GoodLife Eats Holiday Recipe Swap sponsored by Scharffen Berger!

Triple Chocolate Cookie Dough Brownie

Who doesn't love brownies? Who doesn't love cookie dough? I know that in this home both of these are top choice! Oh and why is it that chocolate chip cookie dough might possibly taste better than the actual cookie? I was hoping that these would turn out as good as I had planned. They were! And I really hoping that I had plenty of friends to share them with to get them out of my kitchen. I did! Smooth, rich chocolate chip cookie dough....Fudgy, Chewy Brownies with even more chocolate chips! I hope you love chocolate as much as I do!
And what a perfect recipe to contribute for a Holiday Cookie Swap featuring CHOCOLATE! This is so much fun...My Baking Addiction and Good Life Eats are doing a Holiday Recipe Swap sponsored by Scharffen Berger. Have a good chocolate recipe? You should participate!

 

TRIPLE CHOCOLATE COOKIE DOUGH BROWNIE
Ingredients 

Brownie
12 oz semisweet chocolate or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 1/2 cup butter, cut in pieces
2 cups sugar
5 eggs
2 Tbl vanilla
1 3/4 cup flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt


Cookie Dough
1 1/2 cups  flour3/4 cup butter, room temp
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated white sugar
3 Tbl milk
2 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup M&M's
1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Chocolate Drizzle
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
2 tsp shortening

Brownies: Heat oven to 350. Line a 9X13 baking dish with parchment paper or foil and grease.
In a microwaveable bowl, melt the chocolate and butter - in 30 second increments, stirring in between. Continue until melted and smooth, then set side.

In a medium bowl combine eggs, sugar and vanilla. Mix well and then slowly add the chocolate mixture in, stirring consistently. Combine flour, cocoa powder and salt and then fold into the chocolate mixture. Pour into the pan and bake for 35 - 40 minutes.

Cookie Dough: While the brownies are cooling, Let's whip up the cookie dough! In a medium bowl cream butter, sugars, milk and vanilla. Add the flour and mix well. Stir in M&M's and chocolate chips. Wait until the brownies are cooled and then spread over top.

Drizzle: Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave for 1 min. Stir in the shortening. Mix well. Drizzle over the top. Refrigerate before cutting. (I refrigerated the brownies, then cut and drizzled chocolate on each individual piece.)

Enjoy!

Warmly,
Mary

Chocolate Carmel Cheesecake

I don't know about you but I need a good laugh today! I've been on Facebook this today and they changed up a whole lotta stuff! I can't find my friends... Shoot...I can't even find myself on there! All this confusion (yes, I'm confused! I am so NOT good on computers!)...confusion and frustration...I NEED a good laugh! Whenever I need to laugh I remind myself of a story from this summer. This summer the Princess and the Warrior took swimming lessons and by the way they Rocked! The Warrior is a total athletic rock star! He's four and can swim in the deep end of the pool by himself! That's not the funny part. One day after swim lessons my little warrior said "mom, did you know my swim teachers name is Yoo-Hoo?" I thought that was an odd name, but responded "Really?". He Said "ya, because whenever I need help I say 'Yoo-Hoo, I need help!'" What a little comedian. Where he came up with that, I have no idea! I remind myself over and over of that story and the more I say it, the harder I laugh! Oh, I feel better! Facebook who? Ha!

If you have time, keep reading, we'll be talking about cheesecake! If not, then just look at the pictures and then come back later!
Ok, cheesecake! I'm going to be honest with you, I have never been one of those "I would die for cheesecake" kind if girls. Sure cheesecake is good, but there are a hundred other desserts I'd choose over cheesecake. Until now! I had this dessert in mind when we had some special guests over for dinner. They are a family that I really respect as well as laugh a ton with! Super neat family! I had to make this good! Ok, but back to the cheesecake. So, I'm not a huge Cheesecake lover but I do have an outstanding Pumpkin Cheesecake recipe that is "Out Of This World" and is a frequently requested dish over the holidays (I promise to share soon). I knew that if I could come up with just the right combination, it could create one rockn' dessert. I started out with making an Oreo crust. Ok, so I didn't have real Oreo's on hand but the all natural Trader Joe's version and I don't what in the world happened, but they were a total BOMB! NOT the bomb but A bomb! A disaster! I should have taken a picture! So, I started over...this time with an original Graham Cracker Crust. Next ingredient... caramel. Carmel whispers fall to me, so I wanted to incorporate a layer of creamy caramel...I just wasn't sure where yet. Chocolate cheesecake? No, basic cream cheese base...no sour cream or anything, just the good original stuff! Then I thought about a rich chocolate ganache topping. Perfect! All the elements of a rich, delicate, luxurious dessert!  I WILL make this again! And I will NOT change a thing! It came out absolutely perfect! It didn't even sink or crack...look! YAY!

See the chocolate and carmel oozing....yummy! I think they'll be back! :)

Sure wish I had better lighting for these pictures...hmmm...

Chocolate Carmel Cheesecake AKA the Best Cheesecake I have ever had in my whole life!
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups Graham Cracker crumbs (13 whole crackers)
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/3 cup sugar (for crust)
1 pkg caramels, unwrapped
1-5oz can evaporated milk
3-8oz pkg cream cheese, room temp
3 eggs, room temp
3/4 cup sugar (for cheesecake filling)
2 tsp vanilla
8 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 Tbl butter

Heat oven to 350.  Combine graham cracker crumbs (I grind them in a blender), 1/3 cup sugar and butter. Mix well and press into the sides and bottom of an 8" spring-form pan.
Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes.
In a medium microwaveable glass bowl add unwrapped caramels and evaporated milk. Microwave for 90 seconds. Stir. Microwave for another 60 seconds. Stir. Continue now in 30 second increments until all the caramel is melted and you have a smooth creamy sauce. Reserve 1/4 cup for later and pour the rest onto the Graham cracker crust. Set in the freezer to set while you prepare the next step.
In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until completely smooth, but do not over mix. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well and scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl after each addition. Again, mix well but do NOT over mix.
Carefully spoon over the caramel.
Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 325 and keep baking for an additional 45 minutes  or until filling is almost set. Turn the oven off but keep the cheesecake in there for 2- 3 hrs.
Remove from the oven and allow to continue to cool at room temperature. Now it's time to make the ganache topping.
Add chocolate chips and cream to a small microwaveable mixing bowl. Microwave for 1 minutes. Stir until melted. Add butter, cut in chunks. Stir until everything is melted and shiny. Pour over the top and allow to drip down the sides. Allow to set a bit then drizzle the remaining caramel over the top.
Chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours!

Enjoy and be completely satisfied!

Warmly,
Mary

Coffee Oreo Ice Cream

Good ole Nebraska! Monday it was 90 and today I think they are saying a high of 60 and it will probably get down in the 30's overnight. I thought if I want to try this ice cream recipe, I'd better do it now before it's too late!

Coffee Ice cream is pretty much my all time favorite ice cream! And Haagen Dazs is by far the best coffee ice cream in the world!  Add crunchy Oreo cookies and salty peanut butter...need I say more? Don't count calories on this one people, or carbs, or fat for that matter...just eat it and then go run 5 miles, or maybe 8!

Anyway, why is Haagen Dazs so stinking good? Evidently they add egg yolks to their recipe, which is why it boasts it's creamy goodness flavor. Don't see how eggs can make ice cream taste so good? Well, give it a try and I promise you will see!

Look at the bites of peanut butter, Oreo and the Oreo cream! MMM....

Enjoy My friends! Happy Last Day's of Summer!

Coffee Oreo Ice Cream 
Ingredients

1 1/2 cups Heavy Cream
2 cups whole Milk
3/4 cups sugar
2 Tbl instant coffee
5 egg yolks
10 Oreo Cookies, broken into big chunks
1/2 cup peanut butter

Beat egg yolks in a small bowl and set aside. Combine cream, milk, sugar and instant coffee in a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat until it's just about to boil, it will be steaming. Reduce the heat to medium-low and remove 1 cup of the cream and sugar mixture. Very slowly add the 1 cup to the egg yolks - make sure you go slow and whisk continually until it's well combined. Now pour the egg mixture into the the remaining cream and sugar mixture on the stove. Cook and stir constantly until it thickens and is custard-like. Remove from the heat and strain into a medium bowl. Set a sheet of plastic wrap directly on the mixture and refrigerate until it is cool.
Pour into the ice cream machine and freeze according to the manufacturers directions. When you're done "freezing" the ice cream, stir in the Oreo chunks and the peanut butter. Pour into a freezer-safe container and place in the freezer for a couple hours until the ice cream is hard or just until you're ready to indulge!

Warmly,
Mary

Smore's Cupcakes

 
Nutrition and a healthy lifestyle is really important to me. It really is, I promise! I know you don't believe me because of all of the heavenly goodness that I am making all the time but I guess that's why I share it with you, because we don't eat it at home. And I must get this creative passion out some where! Anyway, I have been really good. Just "trying" the food that I make and not having one, two or three servings of it. Then we went on vacation! A nice, long, lovely, relaxing vacation. When we went out to eat and I ordered figure friendly items, we went out for ice cream and everyone else was shoveling large dishes of cold creamy goodness with mixed candy pieces into their mouths, I drank ice cold lemon water. I was so good...until we ran across the cutest little cupcake shop! Locally owned...always my favorite choice! I can easily pass up chain restaurants and desserts, but not the homemade stuff! I HAD to enter!!! So, I stood there for probably 15 minutes trying to decide which "ONE" I would get...ok, so I settled on two...but I did share every other bite. Sometimes every third bite, the princess and the warrior were like little baby chicks squawking for more. I had the mama Mia - tiramisu cupcake and the Marshmallow Fondue - a s'mores cupcake. They were both really good, but I honestly think my cupcakes are better! That's the thing about most cupcakes places that I've found. Sure they look cute and the frosting is good? But the cake is bland.
I'm a s'mores girl. Last summer I made s'mores brownies...they looked delightful but I didn't have one, my self control was a little better a year ago. I needed a reason to make my version of the s'mores cupcake. The brownies I had made had a Graham cracker crust...these cupcakes needed one too. On top I knew I had to make this frosting my mom had made for angel food cake when I was a little girl...I didn't remember if it tasted like marshmallow but I remember it being light and fluffy like Marshmallow Creme. And it was a given that I would make MY chocolate cake, I haven't found a better one out there yet!
Anyway, There you have it! Oh, and to top it off I added a chocolate covered Graham cracker to the fluffy white frosting. Mmmmm.... You're dreaming about it now aren't you! I know!

Smore's Cupcakes
Ingredients

4 Graham crackers, crushed
4Tb butter, melted
2 tsp sugar
pinch of Salt

any Chocolate Cake batter, prepared but not baked yet (24 cupcakes)

1 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup water
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 dash salt
2 egg whites, unbeaten
1 teaspoon vanilla 

Heat over to 350. Mix together the graham crackers, butter, sugar and salt. Divided evenly between cupcake liners. Press down gently and then bake for 5 minutes. Pour prepared cake batter on top of

graham cracker crust. I use an ice cream scoop to measure out the batter...perfectly sized cupcakes each time! Bake according to the directions for the cupcakes. Cool, of if you're like me...just toss then (gently) in the freezer for faster cooling! 

Now let's make the frosting! Combine sugar, water, cream of tartar and salt in saucepan. Bring to boiling, stirring until sugar dissolves. Very slowly add sugar syrup to unbeaten egg whites in mixing bowl, beating constantly with electric mixer until stiff peaks form (about 7 minutes). Beat in the vanilla.
Once the cupcakes are cool it's time to frost the them. Spoon, pipe or spread fluffy goodness on the cupcakes. Top with chocolate covered graham cracker cookie or make your own. To make your own just separate graham crackers at perforations. Melt about 1 cup chocolate chips or other chocolate in a microwavable bowl for 1 minute. Add 1 Tbl vegetable oil and stir until smooth and shiny. Lay the dipped graham cracker on a peice of waxed paper to set. 

Enjoy my friends!

Warmly, 
Mary

Chocolate Chip Cookies

When Superman and I first met, he was living near the beaches of Virginia and I was living near the cornfields of Nebraska. We chatted on the phone...a lot. I think it was actually in our first, maybe second conversation ever that I learned about his love affair with Chocolate Chip Cookies. Being the confident baker that I was, I knew that when we would get to be together, I would woo him with my culinary expertise! Finally together, I had a chance to show him my skills! But every time I tried to impress him with yet another go at a new recipe, they were either too flat and crispy or too dry and hard. Still he could not resist and married me anyway! But every time I tried make cookies for him, epic fail! And to make things worse, when we were served perfect chocolate chip cookies somewhere and he swooned over them, I was crushed! I set out to find the perfect chocolate chip cookie... recipe and finally I succeeded! I was chatting with some friends from our little South Dakota church and a teacher friend offered her recipe. The optimistic but skeptic that I am, I hurriedly ran home to try them, it was Valentines Day and the cookies were what he should have, however I did have a back-up plan. I was pleasantly surprised that each and every cookie came out perfectly! Oh so perfectly, round, fluffy, chewy and flavorful! Needless to say, Superman was impressed and still to this day, he brags about MY cookies and has never had a wandering eye for another's cookies again! Now, years later if he gets to choose what I'll whip up that day, "Your regular chocolate chip recipe" every single time! And I feel honored every time to make perfect chocolate chip cookies for my superman!

Chocolate Chip Cookies (I don't know the origin of this recipe, I received it from a friend)


Ingredients
1 cup butter, room temp
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 pkg (the smaller size) Vanilla Instant Pudding
1 pkg semi-sweet chocolate chips

Heat oven to 375. Beat butter, sugars, eggs and vanilla on medium speed until light and fluffy. Mix in flour, baking soda and pudding mix. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop teaspoonfuls (I use a cookie scoop) onto ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake 10 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on wire racks.

Enjoy with a tall glass of milk! Gotta go, I have a milk and cookies date with Superman!

Warmly,
Mary

Amazing Oreo Brownies

Oh yes, and I drizzled white chocolate over some of them

Hi friends! Oh boy do I have a lovely gift for you! If only you could have joined the group of friends we had over last weekend for a BBQ so that you too could have been momentarily high off the amazing richness of the Oreo brownies I made. It all started with the Strawberry Cheesecakes with Golden Oreo Crust that I made for the princess's birthday party. I felt bad that I had left out the chocolate counterpart to the golden Oreo.  I know, it sounds crazy, but I am fair like that. If you HAD to choose between the original chocolate Oreo or the newer Golden Oreo, what would you pick? Well, it's a good thing you don't have to pick! People, these are amazing...you gotta make them! Oreos in the Brownie, Oreos in the frosting filling and Oreos to top it off!

the bigger the chunks the better

check out those layers

Hello Lovely

Amazing Oreo Brownies

Ingredients

1 box of your favorite fudgy brownies (plus ingredients to make it) OR your favorite recipe (I used these Fudgy, Chewy, Cakey Brownie from My Baking Addiction and they were so amazing they were worth the extra work)

24 Oreos, divided

1/4 c butter, room temp

1/4 c shortening

1 tsp vanilla

1 c heavy whipping cream

3 c powdered sugar

Line an 8 X 8 pan with foil or parchment paper. Prepare and bake the brownie mix according to directions. Cut 8 of the Oreos into quarters and lay on the bottom of the lined pan. Pour the brownie batter on top and bake. Make sure you leave the brownies a little fudgy, don't over cook them. When it's done, let them cool nicely on the counter or if you're like me, throw the pan in the freezer. 

Now let's make the heavenly frosting. With an electric mixer cream the butter and shortening. Add the vanilla and whipping cream and again, with the mixer, beat for 2 minutes until light and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar and mix for another 2 minutes, scraping the sides to make sure everything is mixed well. Quarter 8 more Oreos and fold into the frosting. Get the brownies out of the freezer and dump the whole thing over the cooled brownies and spread evenly.  Quarter the remaining Oreos and sprinkle them on top. 

Some how the frosting tastes just like the Oreo middle! Get your eat on! Enjoy!

Warmly,
Mary

Peanut-Butter Filled Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache

You have to try these absolutely wonderfully peanut-buttery chocolatey....

...Oh man, do you ever think of something perfectly witty to say, but get distracted and forget what it was? I do that all the time! Last week I had the most luxurious manicure and pedicure. Yep, I sure did! I was awesome! A four year old little warrior painted my toes (yes, most of the polish was on the toes themselves and not the nails) and a three year old princess painted my finger nails (she did manage to get most of it on the nails, it’s a girl thing!). Oh yes, the warrior had picked out a purple glitter polish for the princess’s birthday gift and after he painted her fingernails and toenails, it of course was mommy’s turn!

So anyway, I totally forgot what I was going to tell you about these totally yummy Peanut-Butter Filled  Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache  because I was distracted by the idea of removing evidence of what was left of my week old manicure. By the time I returned to my computer with my fresh glass of ice tea and bowl full of strawberries to snack on, I was lost. Sorry!

Anyway, reading my ramblings will be totally worth it once you make these heavenly treats! I made these for my birthday (along with the White chocolate cream cheese frosting with 4berry filling - I feel like people need options in life!) Since they were such a hit I just HAD to share them with a whole new audience! All I have to say about them is OH MY!! I have been getting phone calls, emails and texts from the friends who were among the privileged to enjoy!

I know, Horrible picture, but you get the point...I hope!

Peanut-Butter Filled  Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache

Choose your favorite Chocolate Cake recipe. I use my own that you can find here  The Very Best Chocolate Cake

 

Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Filling

Ingredients
8 oz cream cheese, room temp

1 1/4 c peanut butter

1/3 c butter, room temp
3-4 cups powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla
2 Tbl brown sugar

In a large bowl use an electric mixer to beat the cream cheese, peanut butter and butter together until creamy. Add the vanilla and brown sugar then add the powdered sugar one cup at a time until you have the desired consistency (3 cups is perfect to me), using the mixer to incorporate it in. Set aside. 

Chocolate Ganache

Ingredients
6 ounces milk chocolate chips
6 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
½ c heavy cream

2 TBL butter, cut into pieces

Add choc chips and cream to a microwave safe bowl. Microwave in 30 sec intervals. Stirring in between. Usually takes me 1 min 30 sec. Make sure to stir occasionally until fully melted. Once melted, add in the butter pieces. Whisk until it is very well incorporated and your chocolate ganache is smooth and shiny! (assembly instructions below)

See the manicure?

I do not have giant hands, these are the mini-cupcakes! ;)

Now Put It All Together

Now that you have made your cupcakes, the filling, and the ganache, it's time for the fun part! I just use a sharp knife and cut a cone shape out of each cupcake and fill that baby up with the Peanut Butter Filling. Pack it in there, don't be shy! You can set aside the cake scraps to make cake balls if you want...that's what I do! Anyway, fill up all your cupcakes then you can top them one of two ways. Take a spoon and spoon the ganache on top or you can do what I do and grab the cupcake by the base and dip and twist it in the gananche. Once again, don't be shy, the chocolate may get on your fingers, but oh well...it's just chocolate. Then voila perfect cupcakes every time!

can you see them there, between the ladybug cupcakes and strawberry cheesecakes

Make these. Make a bunch of them. Give them to the people you love. They will be happy!

Warmly, 

Mary