Peanut Butter Cup Brownie Bites

We all know chocolate and peanut butter were made for each other. So naturally when I saw this recipe with it's bite-size cuteness and delicious peanut butter chip and chocolate chip topping made all the better by using an easy boxed brownie mix, well I just had to make it. These would make a fun addition to any dessert buffet: enticing, mini-sized for more eating pleasure, and again--peanut butter and chocolate...need I say more?

Peanut Butter Cup Brownie Bites

{Recipe source: bakedperfection.com via pinterest}

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

1/2 cup peanut butter chips

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

1 heaping T powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350. Spray or grease 40 mini-muffin cups.

Prepare boxed brownie mix as directed. Spoon batter evenly into muffin cups (3/4 full-slightly less than 1 T I found). Bake 11-13 minutes until top is set and toothpick inserted in center comes out slightly wet. Once removed if centers don't naturally fall (and chances are even if they do) gently press the back of a teaspoon into center of each brownie to create an indentation for all that peanut butter goodness.

Place peanut butter and powdered sugar into microwave safe bowl. Melt on high for 45 seconds and stir until smooth. While brownies are still warm spoon a teaspoons worth of melted peanut butter into each brownie indentation. Stop with a few each of chocolate chips and peanut butter chips. Cool completely in pan.

Note: I had a smidge of brownie batter left over and baked it off in a super thin layer in an 8x8 pan. Cooking time was minimal 12 minutes or so. If you find yourself with leftover batter you could either do what I did or make a few more minis I suppose.

Grasshopper Cake Mix Cookies

Oh My Lanta were these goooood. Mint and chocolate were just made for each other. As much as I've tried to be good in the treat department, I could not say no to these addicting little bites. A chewy cake mix cookie base (oh the ease!), followed by fluffy refreshingly minty frosting, and topped off with milk chocolate ganache and I'm sold. Be sure to check your will power at the door and give yourself permission to enjoy every single bite down to the last crumb. A true winner and keeper of a recipe.

Grasshopper Cake Mix Cookies

{Recipe from Six Sisters Stuff . com}

Cookie Base:

1 devil's food cake mix

1/2 cup oil

2 eggs

Mix all ingredients in mixer. Drop spoonfuls of dough onto baking sheet. Bake at 350 for 6-9 minutes (I found mine to be right around the 7 1/2 min. range). Do not overcook, you want them to be chewy once cooled, so take them out when you still think they're underdone. They will continue to cook on the cookie sheet and firm up as they cool.

Peppermint Frosting:

1/2 cup butter, softened

2 T milk

2+ cups powdered sugar

1 1/2 t peppermint extract

Green food coloring

Whip together butter, sugar, milk, and peppermint extract. Add more sugar or milk depending on desired consistency. Mix in about 8 drops of green food coloring and generously frost tops of each cooled cookie.

Chocolate Ganache: (My version)

Milk chocolate chips (about a cup?)

Couple tablespoons of heavy cream

Melt chips and cream together in microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring each time until chocolate is fully melted and blended with cream. Spread a spoonful of ganache on top of each mint frosted cookie and ideally (read: if you can actually make yourself wait that long) let chocolate set-up before eating.

OR Chocolate Topping: (from Original Recipe)

2 1/4 cups semi sweet chips

3/4 cups butter

Melt together chips and butter in microwave, stir until smooth. Top each frosted cookie with some of the melted chocolate.

Yields: 2 dozen more or less

Double Chocolate Muffins

Why stop at single chocolate when you can go double chocolate? We reeealllly liked these. They're obviously closer to a dessert than a breakfast item and that's what we used them for: snacks and after dinner dessert. I opted to sub in some whole wheat flour in a half-hearted effort to wholesome them up, and although it was probably a lost cause health-wise, I really liked the extra texture it added. And by leaving some of the white flour, they still retained an overall light and tender consistency. I think all whole wheat, for a more dense muffin, would work wonderfully as well. Perhaps working in some applesauce in place of the some of the oil would also be a decent alternative.

Totally worth the splurge and my brain would like to think they're still better than a cupcake, so there.

Double Chocolate Muffins

{Slightly adapted from Mels Kitchen Cafe. Makes 24 regular size muffins}

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 1/4 cup white flour

3/4 cup baking cocoa

1 1/2 t baking soda

1/2 t salt

3 eggs

1 cup light sour cream

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup milk (Come to think of it I may have accidentally left this out-and shockingly they were fine! How funny!)

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 t vanilla

1 cup milk chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325 and line 2 12-spot muffin tins with cupcake liners, each sprayed lightly with cooking spray.

Combine dry ingredients in mixing bowl and then add chocolate chips and toss. In bowl of stand mixer combine all wet ingredients. When mixed well pour all dry ingredients in at once and mix briefly on low. You don't want to over-mix muffins, so it's OK if the wet and dry ingredients don't look as combined as you think they should. Stop just short of your mixed comfort level!

Scoop batter into prepared muffin tins-1/2 to 2/3rds full. Bake at 325 for 16-22 minutes. (The original recipe says 16-18, I checked at both 16 and 18 and still kept them in 2-4 minutes longer). They're done when a toothpick test comes out with a few moist crumbs. Remove tins from oven and cool on wire rack. I think they're best at almost room temp, when the chocolate chips are just starting to harden again.

Keep leftovers in an airtight container on counter for up to 2 days.

Cherry Almond Fudge

I have a friend. Her name is Ginger. She makes the best homemade chocolate candy I've had the pleasure of sinking my teeth into. And she's the kind of friend who not only shares her amazing tidbits but also shares how she makes them. The day after thanksgiving this year found me in her home, dabbling in homemade turtles, almond roca, and FUDGE!

Her fudge is coconut flavored and just simply the best. But since we give goodie plates to many of the same people I decided as much as I love (and I mean LOVE) the coconut version, it would be best if I came up with my own version. And so cherry almond fudge was born. I'm so proud! Her basic recipe is perfect for varying with different flavor combos and add-ins (vanilla extract and chopped walnuts, peanut butter swirl, rocky road-mini marshmallows & almonds, etc.) so play away. But my version and her versions are great places to start.

You can be a fudge making machine too, so easy and turns out amazing every darn time.

Cherry Almond Fudge

{Recipe from Ginger D. The quality of chocolate you use makes all the difference. Ginger uses Peter's brand that she has shipped in 10 lb slabs, I've also used Mercken's, but here where I live there are only grocery store brands to choose from and symphony brand chocolate is probably your best bet from there. NO Hershey's brand please!}

1 12 oz. can evaporated milk

4 cups sugar

1/2 cup margarine or butter (G uses margarine, I only had butter-both were fine)

12 oz. good quality (such as ghiradelli) semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 lb high quality milk chocolate

1 regular size jar marshmallow fluff

2 t almond extract

1 cup finely chopped dried cherries

1/2 cup or more finely chopped dry-roasted but not salted almonds

In the bowl of mixer combine both chocolates, margarine or butter, marshmallow fluff, and almond extract. Set aside.

In heavy saucepan, bring evap milk and sugar to a boil over medium high heat. Stir all the time, taking care to scrape the bottom of the pan frequently (I find a flat ended wooden spoon works best). Boil softly and stir constantly for 5 minutes. Pour hot mixture over ingredients in mixing bowl and let stand to melt chocolate (5 minutes or so). Turn on mixture with paddle attachment and mix for about 2 minutes. Add chopped cherries and almonds and beat well combined. Pour into any of the following lined pans (parchment paper sprayed with cooking spray) 9x13, 9x13 and 9x9 pans, or cookie sheet. One 9x13 will mean thicker pieces. Whereas the other 2 options will be a bit thinner, but still plenty thick. Let cool, cover and refrigerate until needed. Store covered in either fridge or freezer. Best served at room temp.

Ginger's Coconut Version:

Substitute 1 t coconut oil for 2 t almond extract and 1 14 oz bag of coconut for chopped cherries and almonds.

Peppermint Candy Cane Kiss Brownies

Let's have a few posts about holiday goodies shall we?

Oh my word these puppies are gooood! I made them last year for Christmas goodie plates and they instantly attained rock star status (in my mind) and so naturally they will be given this year as well. They are the fudgiest, mintiest, chocolate-y-est, brownies around. All those things are divine, but for me the kicker is the layer of chocolate bars sandwiched in the middle. Hoo boy! That's all I have to say about that.

I've also made these as a non-mint offering (because believe me you'll want to eat them all year round even when candy cane kisses aren't available) and substituted almond extract for peppermint and used chopped toffee almond symphony bars or hershey nuggets for the top layer. Yum.

A word to the wise, they are RICH--so little 1 inch squares are about all you can handle portion-wise and that means they're great for sharing. One pan goes a long ways. Enjoy!

Peppermint Candy Cane Kiss Brownies

{Recipe source: Annie's Eats}

8 oz. UNsweetened baking chocolate, coarsely chopped

1 1/2 cups SALTED butter (original recipe calls for unsalted, I made both and preferred salted-but pick your poison I guess)

3 cups sugar

6 large eggs

1 1/2 t peppermint extract (make sure it's peppermint, not just plain mint)

1 t vanilla extract

1/2 t salt

2 cups flour

4-5 regular size hershey bars, broken into segments

1 bag hershey candy cane kisses, unwrapped and coarsely chopped

Preheat oven to 350. Line a 9x13 pan with foil and spray lightly with cooking spray. Combine unsweeted chocolate and butter in heavy sauce pan and melt over low heat until smooth. Remove from heat. In bowl of mixer, mix sugar and eggs until well blended. Add salt, peppermint and vanilla extracts. With mixer running, slowly pour in butter/chocolate mixture. Add flour mixing just until combined. Do not over-mix.

Spread half of batter into the prepared pan. Add layer of hershey bars all over. Spread remaining batter on top evenly and bake for 30-35 minutes.

Leave oven on and remove brownies briefly to sprinkle on chopped candy cane kisses. Return to oven for 2-3 more minutes. Transfer to cooling rack and let cool to room temp. Chill brownies until candy has firmed up. Slice and serve.

**Note: I'm left to wonder if cutting the brownies while at room temp (before chilling) might not be a bad idea. When I've cut them chilled the candy cane topping tends to crack off a bit. Just an idea. And I have been known to let the kisses melt as per the recipe and them spread the chocolate around using an off-set spatula into a smooth "frosting" of sorts once removed from oven. Not as cute, but chocolate does stay on a bit better. Also I find these are best on the cool end of chilled, but not quite room temp. Definitely not a good served-warm candidate, they need to set-up a bit.

Indoor Smores {No Bake}

Our family loves s'mores so much. Too much. We eat them all summer long, roasting marshmallows in our backyard if we aren't camping and of course if we are! And then in the winter we've been known to roast them in our fireplace or broil them in the oven or even the microwave and if we're feeling particularly lazy a small bowl of marshmallows, chocolate chips, and a few graham crackers does the trick. And that's just for the traditional s'mores. We've also had s'mores hot chocolate. And I have a s'mores chocolate chip cookie recipe bookmarked to try someday. See it's a bona fide addiction!

And then there are these amazing little bars of no-bake s'more goodness. My friend Carolee was visiting us one summer and slapped these out for us and we could not have loved them more. And in typical Emily fashion I went an indoor s'mores binge and probably overdid it, because it'd been quite awhile since I'd made them. But the other day I all of a sudden had to have them again and promptly made them for our family movie night and was ashamed and maybe a little mad at myself that I'd waited so long ;0)

You are SO gonna love these dangerously delicious treats!

Indoor S'Mores

{Slightly adapted recipe from: Carolee}

3/4 cup light corn syrup

3 T butter

1 pkg (11.5 oz) milk chocolate chips

3 cups mini marshmallows, divided

1 t vanilla

1 box golden graham cereal (12 oz or about 9 cups)

Grease 9x13 pan with cooking spray. Heat syrup, butter, choco chips to boiling, stir constantly. Turn down heat and add 2 cups mini marshmallows and stir well until melted and well combined. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Mix cereal and remaining cup of marshmallows in large mixing bowl. Pour chocolate mixture over all and while using sturdy rubber spatula work quickly to thoroughly coat cereal. Press warm mixture into the greased baking dish using hands coated to cooking spray to spread evenly and compress. Let stand at least 1 hour. Cut into squares and serve. Makes about 24 squares. Store at room temp up to two days. I imagine these could be frozen or refrigerated to last longer, but our never stick around that long, so I don't know for certain!

Turtle Brownies

Back when we lived in good old Provo and were getting ready to move to Alaska a kind friend of mine brought in dinner to us. Things were a little hectic, kitchen stuff was packed, and we were feeling so done with fast food. So you can imagine how welcome a homemade meal was at the time. We sat in the living room on boxes eating this delicious meal with an odd assortment of paper products. It was in that somewhat bizarre state that I first tasted this little gem of a dessert and I enjoyed them all the more for it. Almost as soon as we were done eating, I called said friend and told her I must have this recipe even if I had to write it down on a napkin (since the paper was all packed) and stuff it as padding into a box. She was nice enough to remind me that email was still an option even if our computer wasn't available. After we moved, into my inbox the recipe came and we've been enjoying them ever since. What's not love about the ease of a cake mix, gooey caramel, crunchy nuts, and a sprinkling of chocolate chips? Absolutely nothing, that's what!

Turtle Brownies

{Recipe source: Sarah H.}

1 package chocolate cake mix

1 package instant chocolate pudding mix (5.6 oz)

3/4 cup butter, melted

3/4 cup evaporated milk, divided

1 14 oz package caramels, unwrapped

1 cup chocolate chips (we like milk)

1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

In a bowl, stir together cake mix, dry pudding, butter, and 1/2 cup evaporated milk. Press 1/2 of mixture into a greased 9x13 pan. Bake at 325 for 12 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, melt caramels and remaining 1/4 cup evap milk, stirring frequently. Spread caramel mixture over baked layer. Sprinkle with chocolate chips and nuts. Drop remaining cake mix in teaspoonfuls over the brownies. Bake 20-25 minutes or until the top is set. Let cool completely before trying to cut. Tip: run sharp knife blade under hot water periodically while cutting to help make clean cuts through the caramel layer.

Eclair Squares AKA Best Dessert Ever!

If there ever were a dessert to make right this minute, it would be this one for sure. Eclair's and cream puffs are most definitely my all-time favorite pastry of choice. There's just something about that creamy custard filling all enveloped by the chewy sturdy shell and dipped in chocolate that truly can not be beat. Their only downfall is the time-consuming effort it takes to make them. Usually I don't mind that part, it's just that it means they aren't made above twice a year. In steps this dessert. All the amazingness of an eclair with almost zero effort in creating it and yet you still get all the elements. Plus it feeds a crowd easily. Don't delay making this delectable treat a standard in your dessert rotation. You can thank me later!

Eclair Squares

{Recipe source: The Sisters Cafe}

Crust:

1/2 cup butter

1 cup hot water

1 cup flour

4 eggs

Dash of salt

Bring water and butter to a boil, until butter is melted. Pour into the bowl of a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Add flour all at once and beat until smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time, making sure each egg is well incorporated before adding the others. Spread onto well-greased cookie sheet and bake at 400 for 20 minutes. Crust will bubble up. As soon as it's removed from the oven use a spatula to flatten those bubbles while it's still hot. Allow to cool while making filling.

Filling:

2 large boxes (5.1 oz) instant vanilla pudding

4 1/2 cups milk

8 oz cream cheese, softened almost to melting stage

2 cups heavy whipping cream

powdered sugar

vanilla

Whip pudding with milk and softened cream cheese until mixture is smooth. Spread over cooled crust. Beat heavy cream with 2 heaping spoonfuls of powdered sugar and a dash of vanilla until soft peaks form. Spread whipped cream over pudding layer.

Chocolate Sauce:

1/2 cup chocolate chips

2 T butter

3 T milk

1 cup powdered sugar

Melt chocolate chips over low heat and add all other ingredients. Beat well with wire whisk until smooth. Drizzle over whipped cream layers. Refrigerate dessert before serving.

Rocky Road Cake

All-time favorite ice cream? Definitely Rocky Road. It's chocolate-based and there are things to chew on, 2 musts in my book. So naturally a rocky road cake is going to peak my interest. And while the cake portion seemed a bit dry and crumbly the first day, it softened right up the next day and I could not stop eating the stuff. The thick layer of chewy marshmallows and milk chocolate fudge drizzle were too much for my will-power to control. I'm thinking a sturdy brownie base is a must-try too.

Rocky Road Cake

{Recipe source: Baking Bites}

Cake:

1/2 cup butter

2 oz. unsweetened chocolate

2 T cocoa powder

1 t vanilla

1 cup flour

1/2 t baking powder

1/4 t baking soda

1/4 t salt

2 large eggs

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup sour cream

1 cup coarse-chopped walnuts

optional: chocolate chips

Marshmallow topping and Fudge Glaze:

10 1/2 oz package mini-marshmallows, divided

1/2 cup sugar

2 T milk

2 T butter

1/4 cup milk chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease 9x13 pan. In microwave safe bowl, melt 1/2 cup butter and unsweetened chocolate. Stir until smooth. Add cocoa powder and vanilla, stir. Set aside. In bowl of mixer, beat sugar and eggs. In separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder and soda, and salt. Add chocolate mixture and sour cream to egg/sugar mixture. Slowly add dry ingredients until no streaks of flour remain. Fold in chopped walnuts and chocolate chips, if using. Spread batter into greased pan and bake for 20 minutes. Remove pan from oven and sprinkle all but about 2/3 cup marshmallows evenly over the top. (Approx. 4 cups) Return cake to oven for 2 minutes, until marshmallows are puffy but not browned. Allow cake to cool several minutes while glaze is prepared.

For the glaze: In a small saucepan, combine sugar, milk, and butter. Bring to a boil and boil for 1 1/2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in chocolate and remaining 2/3 cup marshmallows until smooth. While hot, drizzle over still-warm cake. If it starts to cool and get to thick to drizzle just let it re-warm a bit on the stove.

Allow cake to cool completely before slicing.

TIP: While slicing, run blade of sharp knife under hot water to help cut through sticky marshmallows cleanly.

Chocolate Chip Magic Cookies

Everyone has their most favorite chocolate chip cookie and I have several favorites that change often depending on my mood. Sometimes I'm in a ground oatmeal, refrigerated dough thick cookie mood, other times it's a toasted nut thinner cookie mood, and still other times I want a good old back of the nestle toll house package recipe special.

Right now my favorite are these "magic" cookies. I don't know why they're called magic, other than the fact that when I take a bite it's magic! Somehow these seem like a good every day chocolate chip cookie, like they're easier and quicker to throw together and bake off or something. I don't know if they really take any less time than my other recipes, but I do know that they are chewy and chocolate-y and some of the best cookie-dough eating yumminess I've had in a while. Just be sure than you actually bake some, it's gonna be hard though-believe me. Oh and don't forget the milk!

Chocolate Chip Magic Cookies

{Feel free to mix it up some with your add-ins, this is a great basic dough recipe. We like a combination of milk and semi-sweet chips with chopped walnuts. I've also thrown in some peanut butter chips with the regular chocolate chips and left out the nuts and hoo-boy that was a treat. M&M's would be delicious, I'm always sad when I never have any on hand. And of course the ever popular white chocolate chips with macadamia nut combo would work really well too. As they say "whatever floats your boat".}

2 cups + 2 T flour

1/2 t baking soda

1 1/2 sticks (12 T) melted and slightly cooled salted butter

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 t salt

1/2 cup white sugar

1 egg + 1 yolk, at room temp

2 t vanilla

1 1/2 cups add-ins i.e. chocolate chips, nuts, m&m's...

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Pour melted butter and sugars in bowl of mixer and beat until well-combined (2 minutes-ish). Add the egg, yolk, vanilla, and salt and stir until mixed. Gradually add the flour and baking soda. It may look crumbly, but just keep mixing. Stir in chocolate chips, etc.

Roll dough into walnut-sized balls and place on sil-pat lined cookie sheet a good 2 inches apart. Bake for about anywhere between 12-15 minutes. The centers should be soft and puffy. You want them seem a little underdone when removed from oven. They'll continue cooking on the cookie sheet. Let stay cool on sheets for 2-3 minutes before removing to wire rack to finish cooling.

Makes about 18-20 largish cookies.

Cookies 'N Cream Brownies

MmmmmMMMMMmmmmmmm Chocolate-y cream-filled Oreos and chewy, dense, fudge-y brownies? Yes please! I have nothing more to say, just make them OK?

Cookies 'N Cream Brownies

{Slightly adapted from bakingbites.com}

1 cup butter

6 oz unsweetened chocolate

3 cups sugar

1/2 t salt

2 t vanilla

4 large eggs, room temperature

1 2/3 cups flour

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

3 cups oreos, coarsely chopped (approx 20-24)

1 cup milk chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9x13 pan with aluminum foil and grease lightly.

In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt butter and unsweetened chocolate, stirring occasionally. Whisk in sugar, salt, and vanilla then turn off heat. (At this point I chose to dump it in my stand mixer and go from there, but you can certainly continue by hand) Whisk in eggs one at time until each is fully incorporated before adding the next.

Stir in flour and cocoa powder until mixture is uniform. Set aside some of the oreos for sprinkling and fold in remaining chopped oreos and chocolate chips. Pour batter into prepared pan and spread into an even layer. Sprinkle with set aside oreos and more chocolate chips.

Bake for 35 minutes, until toothpick inserted in center comes out with moist crumbs, but not coated in batter.

Cool brownies in pan for 20 minutes, then carefully lift brownies out of the pan using the aluminum foil as a handle and place on wire rack to cool completely before slicing into squares.

(I recommend the cut brownies be on the smaller side as they are very rich-a little goes a long way!)

Chocolate Banana Snack Cake

This here cake is the best of both worlds. Its borderline-healthy with bananas and applesauce on the ingredient list ;0). And super duper tasty with that ever-amazing ingredient chocolate chips, which I of course added of my own accord because I can never leave well-enough alone. I found the original recipe in a Cooking Light magazine years ago and they refer to it as snack cake because it's somewhere between a brownie and a cake in consistency, every moist too. As in it's sturdy enough that you can pick it up and eat it with your hand, no fork necessary. I remember they also suggested using the pieces as individually wrapped bake-sale items, but I say skip the bake sale donation and just eat it all yourself. I know that's what I do!

Chocolate Banana Snack Cake

{Recipe Source: Cooking Light}

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup mashed, ripe bananas

2 large eggs

1 t vanilla

1 cup flour

1/2 cup cocoa

1/2 t baking soda

1/4 t salt

1 cup chocolate chips

Powdered sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 350 and grease an 8x8 square baking dish. Combine sugar, applesauce, butter, and eggs in mixing bowl and mix till combined. Add banana and vanilla. In separate bowl whisk together flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Gradually combine with wet mixture. Add chocolate chips and stir till evenly distributed. Pour into prepared baking dish and bake in oven for about 40 minutes. Check with toothpick. Cool in pan on rack and then dust with powdered sugar, slice into desired size pieces, anywhere from 8 to 16 small squares or so. Serve at room temperature.

Better than Anything Cake

This cake actually goes by a much more, shall we say, "colorful" name but I thought I'd keep it "G" rated here. Let's just say it's pretty darn good and much better than lots of things, m'kay?!

Chances are you've had this cake or some version of it, particularly if you live in Utah. But on the off chance you've never tasted of it's deliciousness, you can thank me later.

It consists of a devil's food cake, drizzled with sweetened and condensed milk and caramel (groan) and topped with whipped cream and crushed up toffee bars. Dessert bliss I tell you!

Better than Anything Cake

1 Devil's Food cake mix

Ingredients cake mix calls for less 1/3 cup water (I wanted the cake to be a tad more dense and so did 1 cup instead of 1 1/3 cups water and it was just fine, although I can't say it made a huge difference in the end product but whatever)

Optional, chocolate chips added to cake batter, because you know you want too

1 can sweetened and condensed milk

1 small jar caramel ice cream topping

1 regular size container cool-whip

4 skor or heath bars, smashed to smithereens

Make and bake cake mix (in 9x13 baking pan) according to box directions, leaving out 1/3 cup water if desired and adding in chocolate chips to your liking. Remove from oven and while still hot poke several holes close together all over cake with the non-spoon end of a wooden spoon. Heat up caramel topping in microwave for about 20 seconds and one at a time drizzle milk and warmed caramel over cake making sure to get in each and every hole and all over the rest of the cake top. I tend to not use the entire jar of caramel, but do like the entire can of milk. When mostly cooled, cover and place in fridge to chill. Before serving spread thawed cool-whip over entire cake and sprinkle generously with crushed toffee. Serve cool and refrigerate left-overs, that is if there are any!

(Note: This is a very moist cake that sometimes doesn't cooperate well during cutting and dishing up, forgive it based on yumminess. It's the taste not looks that counts in the end right?)

Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie

Don't let this sub-par picture throw you off, I was so impatient waiting to sink my teeth into this pie that I couldn't try any longer for a better shot! I discovered this recipe not to long ago on Our Best Bites and have made it at least 4 times since. My husband absolutely LOVES chocolate chip cookies. If he could only choose one dessert to eat the rest of his life I guarantee that's what it would be. And yet for some reason I can hardly stand to make them! It's something about the time/batches/painstakingly placing each dough ball on the cookie sheet one at a time. As you can imagine, cookies don't make it into our dessert rotation all that often. Don't get me wrong, I love cookies--just not so much the making of them. In steps this chocolate chip cookie pie and now he's happy with a cookie fix and I'm happy with a quick fix. Please try this STAT! I may just go have some breakfast right now!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie

{This is great by itself but AMAZING with vanilla ice cream on top. It's terrific warm or room temp and such a good idea for a take-in, drop-off dessert. Recipe source: Nestle via Our Best Bites}

1 unbaked 9-inch pie crust, homemade or store-bought (I go store-bought cause I'm lazy like that)
2 large eggs
1/2 C flour
1/2 C white granulated sugar
1/2 C packed brown sugar
3/4 C real butter, really soft but not melted(1 1/2 sticks)
1 C chocolate chips (semi-sweet or milk, we like milk)
1 C chopped walnuts (or pecans)

Vanilla ice cream, or sweetened whipped cream for serving (a must! I prefer ice cream)

optional: chocolate sauce for drizzling

Preheat oven to 325° F.

Beat eggs in large mixer bowl on high speed until foamy. Beat in flour, granulated sugar and brown sugar. Beat in butter. Stir in morsels and nuts. Spoon and spread into pie shell.

Bake for 55 to 60 minutes or until knife inserted halfway between edge and center comes out clean. Mine always take a few minutes longer. Cool on wire rack or serve slightly warmed. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream.

Chocolate Chip Cake Waffles {Dessert}

If you need a quick chocolate cake fix and don't want to wait the 40 minutes of bake time this is the dessert for you! My kids loved this fun take on chocolate cake. Sweetened whipped cream, a chocolate drizzle and the ever favorite strawberry slices made it extra special.

The great thing is the options are endless. Any flavor cake mix will do...yellow, lemon, cherry, spice etc. And add-ins could include: toffee chips, white chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, chopped nuts, m&m's, coconut and so on. Come to think of it, I'm a little curious how brownie batter would do in the waffle iron? Better get on that pronto! In the meantime here's our version...

Chocolate Chip Cake Waffles

1 chocolate cake mix (I used chocolate fudge. German chocolate or Devil's food would work nicely)

Ingredients called for in cake mix directions

Chocolate chips

Sweetened whipped cream

Chocolate syrup for drizzling (caramel or berry puree would be terrific too)

Strawberries or sliced bananas for garnish

Cooking spray

Begin heating waffle iron. Make cake mix as directed. When waffle iron is hot, spray with cooking spray (do this step each time) and pour in prepared cake batter. Sprinkle with chocolate chips before closing. Cook per manufacturers directions. When done top with whipped cream, strawberry or banana slices, chocolate, caramel, or berry puree drizzle. (or all 3!) Serve immediately. Leftover waffles will keep just like left-over cake or cupcakes would.