Tag A Long Muddy Buddys

It's the most wonderful time of the year---Girl Scout Cookie Time! Okay, maybe not the most wonderful time but a pretty great one! I bought 8 boxes this year and still might need to buy a few more from the girl scouts in front of the grocery store, especially so I can keep making this recipe! A while back I made THESE cookies---Girl Scout Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies and they are still one of my favorite things to make with girl scout cookies. But I have a new addiction and they are muddy buddys! So yummy! I've had this idea bouncing in my head since I placed my cookie order and when I got my cookies today, I headed to the store so I could make these! They are quick, easy and addicting! Enjoy! 

7 cups of Plain Rice Chex Cereal

2 1/2 cups shortbread cookies (I used Lorna Doones), crushed

3/4 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

3/4 cup Peanut Butter Chips

1/2 cup unsalted butter

6 ounces Caramel Bits (found in a bag on the baking isle)

2 Tablespoons Heavy Cream

1 box of Tag A Long Girl Scout Cookies, crushed or roughly chopped

1 cup Powdered Sugar

1. Measure out the Chex Mix Cereal in a large bowl. 

2. In a medium saucepan over medium heat melt the semi sweet chocolate chips, peanut butter chips and the unsalted butter. Stirring frequently. 

3. Combine the caramel bits and the heavy cream in a microwave safe bowl. Heat in 30 second intervals, stirring in between until melted together. This took 1 minute for me. 

4. Pour the chocolate and peanut butter mixture and the caramel over the cereal and combine. Add the shortbread cookies and the Tag A Long cookies and stir to combine. 

5. Then finally add the powdered sugar. If 1 cup isn't enough to coat everything, add a little more! 

Cherry Coke Cupcakes with Cherry Vanilla Frosting

My sisters birthday was today and since she is a Coke lover, I decided to make her Cherry Coke Cupcakes with Cherry Vanilla Frosting and they were delicious! I used a cake mix and enhanced it with the Cherry Coke, so you don't taste a lot of it, but it gives it subtle flavor. These are super sweet cupcakes and worth making! 

For the Cupcakes-

1 Box of Chocolate Cake Mix

1 Cup Cherry Coke

1/3 Cup Vegetable Oil

1/4 Cup Maraschino Cherry Juice

3 Large Eggs 

 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line your muffin pan with cupcake liners. In a mixer, combine the cake mix, Cherry Coke, cherry juice, oil and eggs. Beat at low speed until the dry ingredients are moistened. Then beat at medium speed for 2 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. Pour into your liners. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or as listed on your cake mix. Cool completely. 

When the cupcakes are cool, you will dip into the ganache. 

For the Ganache: 3/4 cup butter8 ounces semi sweet baking chocolate1 1/2 Tablespoons Light Corn Syrup

Melt the butter and chocolate over medium heat on your stove. Remove from heat and add the light corn syrup. Allow to cool slightly. Dip each cupcake into the ganache and place in the fridge to set. 

 After the ganache sets, you will frost the cupcakes. 

I did find that my chocolate ganache was melting a little as I was frosting, so it's best to just take a couple cupcakes out of the fridge at a time to frost. 

For the Frosting:

3 sticks unsalted butter, softened

A pinch of salt

1 Tablespoon clear vanilla extract

2 pounds confectioners sugar, sifted

1 1/2 Tablespoons Cherry Juice 

4-6 Tablespoons heavy cream

In a large bowl, cream the butter until fluffy. Slowly add in the confectioners sugar and continue to cream until well blended. Add the salt, vanilla, cherry juice and 3 Tablespoons of heavy cream. Blend on low speed until moistened. Add an additional 1-3 Tablespoons of heavy cream until you reach the desired consistency. Beat at high speed until frosting is smooth and fluffy.  

Frost the cupcakes and garnish with a cherry on top! 

"30 Sucks" Cake Pops and Cupcakes

My sister turned 30 in September! She is the cake queen and is always making wonderful cakes for everyone so I knew that when I made her cake it needed to be amazing. I saw an idea while blog hopping one day that had 30 suckers in a container and said 30 sucks.

I thought it was a really cute idea and decided that I wanted the suckers to be cake pops! I looked online for a similar idea, but could not find anything! I asked my friend April to help me make them because she makes amazing cakes too and has worked with fondant. So we came up with the idea to make cake pops, dipped in chocolate, then wrapped in fondant to look like suckers. And I think we achieved the look I wanted! I also made cupcakes to go along with the sucker pops. They are regular boxed cupcakes, with homemade frosting topped with crushed suckers!

I thought that making and working with fondant would be really hard and scary but it was so easy. The recipe for the fondant listed below is so easy to make and actually tastes good. And it's just like working with dough so don't be scared to try it!

Buttercream Frosting

Adapted from My Baking Addiction

3 sticks unsalted butter, softened

2 teaspoons clear vanilla extract (this helps maintain the bright white color)

1 1/2 pounds (24 oz.) confectioners sugar, sifted

4-6 tablespoon heavy cream

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter until fluffy. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add in confections sugar and continue beating until well blended. Add in vanilla and 3 tablespoons heavy cream. Blend on low speed until moistened. Add an additional 1-3 tablespoons of heavy cream until you reach the desired consistency. Beat at high speed until frosting is smooth and fluffy.

Fondant Recipe from April Takes the Cake Blog

1 package (16 oz.) white mini marshmallows

2-5 Tablespoons water

2 pounds powdered sugar (8 cups)

1/2 cup vegetable shortening

To make the fondant, place marshmallows and 2 T. of water in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave 30 seconds on high, stir until mixed well. Continue microwaving 30 seconds more, stir again. Continue until melted, about 2 minutes. Place 3/4 of the powdered sugar on top of the melted marshmallow mixture. Fold powdered sugar into marshmallow mixture. Flavoring can be added at this point if desired. Place solid vegetable shortening in easily accessed bowl so you can reach into it with fingers as you are working. Grease hands and counter generously with shortening. Turn marshmallow mixture onto counter. Start kneading like you would dough. Continue kneading, adding powdered sugar and re-greasing hands and counter so the fondant doesn't stick. If the marshmallow fondant is tearing easily, it is too dry. Add some water (about 1/2 teaspoon at at time) kneading until fondant form a firm, smooth elastic ball that will stretch without tearing, about 8 minutes.

It's best to allow the fondant to sit, double wrapped, overnight. Prepare the fondant for storing by coating with a thin layer of shortening. Wrap in plastic wrap and then place in resealable bag. Squeeze out as much air as possible. The fondant will keep well in refrigerator for several weeks.

When not working with fondant, make sure to keep it covered with plastic wrap or in a bag to prevent it from drying out. When ready to use, knead fondant until smooth. Roll out fondant 1/8 inch think.

To color fondant you will need to tint the entire batch. Add a little icing color to the melted marshmallow mixture before adding powdered sugar. For smaller amounts of tinted fondant, add icing color to portions of fondant as needed.

Makes about 2 lbs. of fondant

Disney Cars Cupcakes

My little boy just turned 2 and we celebrated with a Disney Cars birthday party. I found these cupcake ring toppers on Amazon and knew I wanted to use them for my cupcakes.

I used a box cupcake mix, homemade buttercream frosting tinted grey to look a road and green to look like grass. I piped the frosting on and then placed the ring topper on top. They were a huge hit at his party! I had several people asked me where I ordered them from!

I have to say that this is the best frosting that I have ever tasted before! I will be using this frosting recipe for everything from now on!

Buttercream Frosting

Adapted from My Baking Addiction

3 sticks unsalted butter, softened

2 teaspoons clear vanilla extract (this helps maintain the bright white color)

1 1/2 pounds (24 oz.) confectioners sugar, sifted

4-6 tablespoon heavy cream

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter until fluffy. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add in confections sugar and continue beating until well blended. Add in vanilla and 3 tablespoons heavy cream. Blend on low speed until moistened. Add an additional 1-3 tablespoons of heavy cream until you reach the desired consistency. Beat at high speed until frosting is smooth and fluffy.

Peanut Butter Pie

As I was blog hopping last week I noticed that a lot of people were making peanut butter pie, As I read their posts they told the story of Jennifer Perillo who lost her husband due to a sudden heart attack. She requested for everyone in the food blog world to make a peanut butter pie for their loved ones in honor of her husband who loved peanut butter pie. Well my husband and son, my two favorite people, happen to love peanut butter so I knew that I had to make this. So even though I'm a week late, here is my version of peanut butter pie!

Peanut Butter Pie

Makes 1 11 inch pie

12 graham crackers, finely ground

4 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

6 tablespoons melted butter

8 oz softened cream cheese

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup smooth peanut butter

1/4 cup heavy cream

1 cup mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray your 11 inch tart pan with removable bottom with cooking spray. Combine ground graham crackers, sugar, cinnamon and melted butter and stir to combine. Press in bottom and sides of tart pan. Bake for 10 minutes and then cool.

Combine cream cheese, brown sugar, peanut butter and heavy cream in a large mixing bowl. Mix until smooth. Add the chocolate chips and stir to combine.

When your crust is cooled, add the peanut butter mixture into your crust. Place in refrigerator for about 30 minutes or until ready to serve. If you leave it in the fridge longer than that, let it sit for 5-10 minutes before you serve it.

This is optional, but I recommend it. Before you serve it, take the remaining heavy cream and place into a metal bowl. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1 tablespoon sugar. Whip until peaks are firm and then pipe onto the outer edges of the pie (I totally forgot I made the whipped cream until after I took the picture-oops!).

Ice Cream Pie

I think I've said it before but I love ice cream and I love brownies! And together they make the perfect dessert. But add in some berries and you have taken dessert to a whole other level! And that is just what this dessert does. This is the perfect dessert for a warm summer night! This would also be the perfect dessert for a 4th of July BBQ, just add in blueberries instead of raspberries to make it patriotic. Enjoy your weekend everyone!

Ice Cream Pie

1 box of brownie mix (and ingredients to make it)

1 carton of vanilla ice cream

1 carton of raspberry sherbet

Raspberries

Make the brownie mix according to directions. Spray a round spring form pan with cooking spray and pour prepared batter in. Bake according to package directions and let cool, completely. Soften the vanilla ice cream. While the ice cream softens, rinse the raspberries and mash them with a fork. Add them to the softened ice cream and layer over brownies. Put in freezer until ice cream is frozen again. Soften the sherbet and layer over the vanilla ice cream layer. Put back in freezer to harden. When ready to serve, let unthaw until you can slice it and serve with fresh raspberries and if you really want to, drizzle with some chocolate syrup!

Mini Oreo Fudge Creme Brownie Bites

I have loved Oreo Cookies ever since I was a little girl and now that I am "grown up" I have found the "grown up" Oreo Cookie-the Oreo Fudge Creme! It's an Oreo cookie, with the regular creme patty on it, covered in fudge creme and oh my, it is delicious! We have had a lot of them in the past few weeks!

I knew that these Oreos would be amazing in a brownie and I had a new mini cupcake pan to try out so I whipped up some mini brownie bites with cut up pieces of the Oreos in them! They are pretty much amazing and you should make them now! Right Now! Go!

Mini Oreo Fudge Creme Brownie Bites

1 Brownie Recipe (I listed my favorite one below)
1 cup of Oreo Fudge Creme cookies cut into small pieces
Frosting if desired

Make your brownie batter and gently fold in the Oreo pieces. Generously spray your muffin pan and fill 3/4 full of the batter. Cook according to brownie directions. Let cool (or not) then frost if desired!

** I tried this recipe with a homemade brownie recipe and a boxed brownie. You really need to make them with a homemade brownie recipe so the Oreos stay in chunks and don't melt. I'm not sure why but when I used a boxed brownie mix, the Oreos all melted into the brownie.

Brownie Recipe:
4 oz. unsweetened baking chocolate
1 cup unsalted butter
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking soda

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a 9X13 pan with foil, making sure to extend the foil over the edges by an inch. Spray the foil with cooking spray and set aside.

Chop the chocolate and the butter into chunks and place in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave in 30 second intervals , stirring in between, until just melted and smooth. Set aside to cool, stirring occasionally.

Beat eggs, sugar and vanilla for 2 minutes. Measure out flour and baking soda and stir to combine. While mixer is running, slowly add the melted chocolate/butter mixture to combine. Turn mixer to slow and add in flour by big spoonfuls. Mix until just combined. Pour batter into prepared pan and and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Peanut Butter & Banana Pound Cake with Nutella Glzae

My friend Jen found this recipe and begged me for about 3 weeks to make it, so I finally found the time and made it. I should've made it the first time she asked me, it was so darn good! Peanut butter, bananas and Nutella-you can't go wrong! If you haven't tried Nutella yet, you should! It's like chocolate peanut butter and goes with everything-toast, waffles, Nilla Wafers,

you get the idea!

Recipe and Photo Courtesy of Bunsinmyoven.com

Peanut Butter & Banana Pound Cake with Nutella Glaze

• 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) butter, room temperature
• 1 cup smooth peanut butter (I used JIF), divided
• 2 3/4 cups sugar
• 5 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 large bananas, mashed
• 1 cup Nutella, divided
• 2 tablespoons milk or water (optional)

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour a bundt pan.

In the bowl of your stand mixer, cream the butter and 3/4 cup of the peanut butter until smooth. Beat in the sugar, mixing until light and airy, around 5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well between each addition. Stir in the vanilla.

Add the flour and salt to the mixer, all at once, and mix just until incorporated. Mix in the mashed banana on low.

Pour batter into the prepared bundt pan. Drop heaping spoonfuls of Nutella over the top of the batter, about 1/2 cup. Using a butter knife, swirl the Nutella all throughout the cake to get a marbled look.

Bake the cake for 60-75 minutes or until the cake is golden brown and a tester comes out clean.

Allow cake to cool in the pan for 20 minutes, then remove to a wife rack to cool completely.

Heat remaining Nutella and peanut butter in the microwave in 10 second intervals to soften it up enough to drizzle. If desired, mix in a little milk or water to thin the glaze out.

Drizzle on top of the bundt cake.

Strawberry Pie

I am in love with Strawberries and am so glad that Strawberry season is here! My brother has been begging me to get him a strawberry pie from Marie Calendars, but they are expensive. So I combined a couple of recipes and made my own! This recipe makes 3 pies, so I gave 1 to my neighbors and served the rest at my dad's birthday party! Everyone loved them and I have already been asked to make more!

Strawberry Pies

3 baked pie crusts (I did purchase mine frozen and then cooked them)

Strawberries (I purchased 2 big containers from Costco and used them all)

Cream Filling:

1 8 oz. block of cream cheese

1 can sweetened condensed milk

2-3 cups Cool Whip unthawed

2 cups of vanilla instant pudding (which is 1 regular sized box)

Beat the cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk until smooth. Gently fold in the Cool Whip and pudding. Divide into the 3 baked pie shells.

Strawberry Glaze:

1 cup water

2/3 cup sugar

2 Tablespoons Cornstarch

2 Tablespoons Strawberry Jello Powder

A pinch of salt

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and cook over medium low heat until boiling. Cool.

While the glaze cools, pile each pie shell with sliced strawberries. You can slice them anyway you want, but I like them sliced in half and piled very, very high! Drizzle with glaze and serve and eat that day!

** You can make the glaze ahead of time and keep in a Mason Jar until you need it. It will setup though, so just reheat for 10 second intervals in the microwave until runny.

Snickers Cheesecake

I decided to skip the water bath on this cheesecake ( I have ruined several cakes that way) and the cake did fine! It did have cracks in it (which were covered by the candy, caramel and chocolate) but the texture was amazingly creamy!

Crust 2 cups graham cracker crumbs 1 stick unsalted butter; melted 3 tablespoons sugar ½ teaspoon salt

Cheesecake 4 sticks of cream cheese, 8 oz each; room temperature 1 ¼ cup granulated sugar 4 large eggs; room temperature 3/4 cup heavy cream 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

Topping 20 Mini Snickers; cut in fourths 1/3 cup roasted peanuts; chopped 1/4 cup caramel syrup

Directions 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Tightly wrap a 9 inch springform pan in heavy duty foil. This step prevents leaks when using a water bath. I also take the extra step by placing the foil wrapped spring form pan inside an oven bag while baking.

2. Mix together the crust ingredients and press into the bottom of your pan and about 1 inch up the sides. Bake for 7 minutes and cool completely on a wire rack.

3. Begin to boil a large pot of water for the water bath.

4. In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with your paddle attachment, combine the sugar and cream cheese and cream together until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, fully incorporating each before adding the next. Make sure to scrape down the bowl in between each egg. Add heavy cream and vanilla and mix until smooth.

5. Pour batter into prepared crust. Place pan into a larger pan and pour boiling water into the larger pan until halfway up the side of the cheesecake pan.

6. Bake 45 to 55 minutes, the edges will appear to be set, but the center will still have some jiggle to it. At this point, close the oven door, turn the heat off, and let rest in the cooling oven for one hour. After one hour has passed, carefully remove the cheesecake from the water bath and place on a cooling rack to cool completely. Once the cake is completely cooled, place it into the refrigerator for at least 5 hours.

7. Top with Snickers bars, peanuts and caramel (I even added some Chocolate Syrup)

Storage: A tightly covered cheesecake can be stored in the refrigerator for up to five days. The cheesecake can be stored for approximately 2 months in the freezer. I recommend you freeze this variation without the topping (Snickers, peanuts, caramel). To defrost, allow cake to defrost in the refrigerator overnight.

Recipe from mybakingaddiction.com

Girl Scout Cookie Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

I've been a blog slacker lately! I don't really have an excuse, I just haven't felt like it. But I made some amazing cookies over the weekend and just had to share them with you!

I look at THIS website sometimes and she has some great ideas like THESE cookies, but she used the wrong cookie inside. It's Girl Scout Time so I thought why not put my favorite Girl Scout Cookies inside and make this cookie 100 times better? And so I did!

These cookies are huge and amazing and I have about 5 of them sitting on my hips right now and I can't wait to make more! We bought 10 boxes of Girl Scout Cookies, but I think I might need to get more to freeze so I can make these all throughout the year!

2 sticks softened butter

3/4 Cup packed light brown sugar

1 Cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 Tablespoon pure vanilla

3 1/2 Cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

10 oz bag chocolate chips

24 of Your Favorite Girl Scout Cookies

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a stand or electric mixer cream butter and sugars until well combined. Add in eggs and vanilla until well combined.

2. In a separate bowl mix the flour, salt and baking soda. Slowly add to wet ingredients along with chocolate chips until just combined. Using a cookie scoop take one scoop of cookie dough and place on top of a Girl Scout Cookie. Take another scoop of dough and place on bottom of Girl Scout Cookie. Seal edges together by pressing and cupping in hand until Girl Scout Cookie is enclosed with dough. Place onto a parchment or Silpat lined baking sheet and bake cookies 9-13 minutes or until cookies are baked to your liking. Let cool for 5 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

Makes about 2 dozen cookies

Chocolate Strawberry Cupcakes

Chocolate cupcake, layer of chocolate ganache, butter cream frosting and a chocolate dipped strawberry! Oh my goodness! What an amazing cupcake! I made these cupcakes for a coworkers baby shower and they did not disappoint! They were a little time consuming but worth it!

How To Make:

1 .Make a box of chocolate cupcakes and let cool (I actually made the cupcakes 1 day in advance).

2. Wash strawberries and dry them on a towel. Melt chocolate (about 1 cup) in the microwave and dip the strawberries. Place in the fridge to set.

3. Make the chocolate ganache by melting 3/4 cup butter and 8 oz. of good semi sweet chocolate chopped over medium heat. Remove from heat and add 1 1/2 Tablespoons Light Corn Syrup. Allow to cool slightly. Dip each cupcake in the ganache. Place in fridge to set.

4. Make the butter cream frosting.

16 oz. powdered sugar, 1/2 cup butter softened, 3 Tablespoons milk, 2 teaspoons vanilla.

Beat sugar, butter, milk and vanilla at low speed until well blended If frosting becomes too thick beat in additional milk by teaspoons until the frosting is of spreading consistency. Add food coloring if desired.

5. When the strawberries and ganache are set, pipe or spread the butter cream frosting on cupcake and gently place the strawberry on top and gently push the strawberry into the frosting so it sticks a little bit.

6. Place back in fridge until the strawberry is set in the frosting and serve!

Easy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Even though Christmas lights are going up and people are already playing Christmas music, it is still fall! And that means that you need to make Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies because it just isn't fall without them! These cookies are the easiest cookies ever but the best cookies ever! I wish that my picture was scratch and sniff because these cookies smell amazing-Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Pumpkin and Chocolate! Enjoy fall and enjoy these cookies!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

From Bradleykitchen.blogspot.com

1 Box Spice Cake Mix

1 (14 oz.) Can Pumpkin Puree

1 bag (2 cups) Mini Chocolate Chips

Combine cake mix and pumpkin puree. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 12-15 minutes. I baked mine 14 minutes .

Mummy Suckers

Every year my work throws a big Halloween pot luck and we have a dessert contest. I wasn't sure if I was going to participate this year, but decided the day before that I would. I was searching the Internet and came across Howdoesshe.com and they had these really cute Oreo Mummy Suckers and I knew that I was going to make them. And I did! They were really fun to make but took about 3 hours (most of that time was waiting for the chocolate to set). Friday was my work party and I woke up feeling really sick. So my amazing husband took my suckers to my work for me (he's a keeper). I was bummed when I heard that I didn't win, but I still had fun making them!

For the recipe and directions click HERE!

Orange Rolls and A Secret

I have a secret...I am afraid to eat oranges! There was an incident when I was about 12 years old where an orange was thrown up on me and I haven't had one since! It's sad, I know but I just have that image and smell stuck in my head and I can't eat them. I saw these orange rolls on THIS blog and figured since just the peel was in them I could eat them and I am so glad that I made them! I made them for desert even though they seem more of a breakfasty item! They were warm, orangey, gooey and wonderful!

EASY BUTTERFLAKE ORANGE ROLLS

12 Rhodes Texas Rolls, thawed but still cold
zest from 1 large orange
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted

Icing:
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon butter, melted
2-3 tablespoons fresh orange juice

Directions:

Cut each Texas roll into 5 equal pieces. Flatten each piece slightly. In a small bowl, combine orange zest and sugar. Dip both sides of each roll piece into butter and then orange sugar mixture. Stack five pieces together and place, on their sides, in a well sprayed muffin cup. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until double in size. Remove wrap and bake at 350°F 15-20 minutes. Remove from pan immediately and place on cooling rack. Combine icing ingredients and mix well. Brush over rolls while still warm.

*** I made 14 rolls and needed to double the butter and cinnamon sugar ingredients!

Flag Cake

Every year my family has a big 4th of July celebration at my parents house. We BBQ, watch fireworks and make homemade ice cream! The past couple years I have made ice cream, but this year I found THIS cake and really wanted to make it. I made it the day before so I didn't have to stress about getting it made and it held up great. The raspberries did bleed a little bit onto the white frosting, but it didn't bother me! The cake was a big hit at the party and I think that it will become a new tradition!

Weekly Menu

Monday-Chicken and Rice Casserole
Tuesday-Spaghetti
Wednesday-Steak and French Frys
Thursday-Girls Night Out at Noodles
Friday-Pulled Pork Sandwiches-Trying a new recipe
Saturday-4th of July BBQ at my parents-so excited! I'm making THIS cake!
Sunday-Lemom Grilled Chicken and Corn on the Cob
Monday-Brisket

Orange Cupcakes

I came across these fabulous looking cupcakes while blog hopping. They look so light and perfect for Spring. I hosted a Girls Night Out at my house and served these for dessert, they were a big hit!

Photo and recipe courtesy of Realmomkitchen.com

Fresh Orange Cupcakes

1 package of yellow cake mix
1/4 cup of sugar
1 tablespoon of orange zest
1 cup of orange juice
1/2 cup of canola oil
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
4 large eggs

1. In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, sugar, and orange zest. Whisk to combine. Add orange juice, canola oil, vanilla extract and eggs. Blend with the mixer on low speed for one minute, then speed it up to medium and beat for 2 more minutes.
2. Fill cupcake papers about 1/2 to 2/3 full. Bake at 350F until golden in color and a toothpick test comes out clean, about 22-25 minutes.
3. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Orange Buttercream Frosting

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, very soft
6-8 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup orange juice
1 teaspoon grated orange zest

Place the butter in a large mixing bowl. Add 4 cups of sugar, then the juice and the zest. Beat until smooth and creamy. Gradually add the remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time, until icing is thick enough to be of good spreading consistency (I added 6 cups total). Use and store at room temperature. (Don’t refrigerate and it will last in a covered container for about three days.)

Cheesecake and Kisses

It's April again which means that my best friend, April gets a cheesecake made by me for her birthday! I emailed her and asked her if she had any ideas. She sent me 4 links to recipes found on blogs. I had been wanting to make a chocolate cheesecake and this one looked amazing! I read through the recipe and my mouth dropped to the floor when I read how much cream cheese is in this recipe! 32oz!!! But oh boy those 32 oz. made the creamiest most decadent cheesecake ever. And April's husband would agree as well because he kissed me on the forehead after he tasted it! The only alteration that I made to this cheesecake was to add a couple dashes of cinnamon to the crust! If you haven't tried this in your cheesecake crust, do it! It makes it even more amazing! And I used regular graham crackers because I had them on hand but it worked out just fine!

Double Chocolate Italian Cheesecake

Ingredients:

Crust Ingredients:

1 cup chocolate graham cracker crumbs
3 tablespoons melted butter
2 tablespoons sugar

Cheesecake Ingredients:

32 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
4 tablespoons butter, softened
1 1/3 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 eggs
6 ounces bittersweet (or semi-sweet) chocolate, melted and cooled to just above room temperature
6 ounces white chocolate, melted and cooled to just above room temperature

Glaze Ingredients:

8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter
1 1/2 tablespoons light corn syrup

Instructions:

1. Combine crust ingredients in a mixing bowl. Pour mixture into a greased 9-inch spring form pan and press flat. Wrap the bottom and outside of the pan with foil. We recommend two layers of extra-wide heavy-duty foil. We also use a rectangular piece of cardboard (4-6 inches long and 2-3 inches wide) placed between the latch (on the outside of the spring form) and the foil, to prevent the latch from piercing the foil.

2. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Put softened cream cheese, whipping cream, softened butter, and sugar in a large bowl. Mix at medium-low speed just until smooth. Stir in vanilla. Add eggs one at a time and mix on low speed until blended.

3. Divide cream cheese mixture evenly into two bowls. Add melted bittersweet chocolate to one, stirring to mix. Add melted white chocolate to the other, stirring to mix.

4. Pour white chocolate cheesecake batter into prepared pan, smoothing into a flat layer. Gently spoon bittersweet chocolate in a layer over the white chocolate batter. Place spring form pan in a large shallow roaster or broiler pan. Fill pan with an inch of hot water.

5. Bake 60-80 minutes or until edges are puffed and top looks dull and is dry to the touch. Center should move slightly when side of pan is tapped. Turn off oven. Let cheesecake stand in oven for an hour. Cool to room temperature; refrigerate overnight.

6. Make glaze by melting chocolate and butter over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and stir in corn syrup. Allow glaze to cool slightly (to about 80 degrees).

7. Remove sides from spring form pan. Place cheesecake on a wire rack over a baking sheet or counter top. Pour glaze over top and sides of cheesecake, spreading with a spatula. Refrigerate until set. Slice into 16 pieces. Store in refrigerator or freeze for longer storage

**Recipe from Tammysrecipes.com

Peanut Butter, Peanut Butter, Jelly, Jelly

Did you ever sing the Peanut Butter song in kindergarten? Well I did and it was my favorite! I think that is where my love for PB started! These cookies are filled with PB but no jelly, sorry! I don't really think jelly belongs in a cookie anyway! This is another recipe that I found on my friend Aprils Blog and stole. I made desserts for a baby shower Tuesday night and needed another cookie to make. These are darn good cookies and I love that they are PB Cookies with a twist, Toffee Chips!

Toffee Peanut Butter Cookies

1 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup quick cooking oatmeal

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter, room temperature

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

1 large egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

1/2 cup finely chopped toffee bits (such as Heath)

Preheat oven to 375F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, oatmeal, baking soda and salt.

In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugars until light. Beat in egg and vanilla until smooth, followed by crunchy peanut butter. With the mixer on low speed or working by hand, gradually blend in the flour mixture, then stir in the toffee bits. Drop scant 1-inch balls onto prepared baking sheet.

Bake for 8 minutes, until edges are golden. Cool on baking sheet for 3-4 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

**The original recipe comes from Baking Bites, adapted by April, then adapted by me!