Ooey Gooey S'mores Bars

These S'mores bars are the best thing that has ever happened to me.  I can eat a whole pan by myself.. No joke, you can ask my husband.  This dessert is my favorite thing to eat and everyone needs to try it. I could really go on and on about these bars, but you should just make them yourself to see what the fuss is all about.

What you need:

9 graham cracker sheets- crushed 

(I put mine in a gallon zip loc and roll over them with a rolling pin)

6 Tbs butter- melted

2 Tbs sugar

1 1/4 cup flour

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking powder

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup butter- room temp

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 egg

3/4 cup sweetened condensed milk

1 cup milk chocolate chips

1 cup mini marshmallows

- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray with non stick spray a 9x13 glass pan.
- Mix graham crackers, melted butter (6 Tbs) and sugar (2 Tbs) together and press it into the bottom of the pan.
- In another bowl, mix together the flour, salt and baking powder.
- In another bowl, beat the sugar and butter together for a couple of minutes.  Add egg and vanilla.
- Slowly add the flour mixture to the wet mixture until well combined.
- Spread cookie dough over the graham cracker crust.  *Take a handful at a time and pancake it between your hands and gently put it over the crust so that nothing sticks and gets messed up.
- Spread the marshmallows and chocolate chips over the top evenly.  Then pour the sweetened condensed milk over top of it all.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes.
- Bars should cool for a couple of hours before eating.
To me, the bars taste the best the day after you make them.

Saltine Cracker Toffee

I've seen this toffee recipe all over the Internet for months now so I thought I'd finally give it a try and see if it's really as easy as it looks.. And it is! Takes just minutes and sure is a crowd pleaser. It's sooo addicting! I made this while my husband was out of town and ate half the pan in two days.. Oops! 

Also, I  put some cute valentines sprinkles on to make it festive!

What you need:

40 saltine crackers

1 cup butter

1 cup brown sugar

1 pkg of milk chocolate chips (11.5 oz)

Optional- nuts or sprinkles

- preheat oven to 400 depress 

-Line a cookie sheet with it foil and spray with non-stick spray. 

- line crackers on the foil evenly and touching

- in a saucepan, melt butter completely and add the brown sugar. Bring to a boil and stir for 3 minutes.

- pour evenly over the crackers, covering each one

-  bake for 5 minutes and take out the oven. Pour chocolate chips over the crackers and let sit for for two minutes then take a spatula and spread the chocolate all around. Add desired toppings

- put in the fridge or freezer until hard (I put mine in the fridge for about 2 hours). Take out and break apart.

Banana chocolate chip cookies

This just might be my new favorite cookie. Made these for a bedtime snack and me, my husband and little boy couldn't stop eating them. These taste like banana bread but the best part about them is that they are easy! Every time I make banana bread, it takes forever and something always turns out wrong like a gooey middle or burnt ends. These cookies were fast, haf little ingredients and taste just as good. They came out so fluffy and light. I could keep going on and on about how good here at, but you all should just go try them yourselves!

Also- I'm so excited to wake up and have these for breakfast! It has bananas so it's fine right?

What you need: 

3 very ripe bananas, mashed

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

2 cups flour

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

- preheat oven to 350 degrees

- with a mixer, cream together butter and sugar.  Add eggs, vanilla and bananas and mix well

- mix in flour, baking soda and salt. Add chocolate chips. 

*mixture will be wet and sticky and will not form into balls. Take a spoon and drop by the spoonful onto a cookie sheet covered with wax paper or a silicon mat.

- bake for 12 minutes, until the edges turn golden

Let the cookies cool before storing them

Store in airtight container 

Makes 3 dozen

Hot Cocoa Cookie Cups

How cute are these hot cocoa cookie cups?! They're such a fun holiday dessert and goes great with real hot cocoa. The chocolate ganache in the cups is to die for! 

What you need:

Pillsbury refrigerator sugar cookie dough

3 tbs sugar

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

2 tbs cocoa mix

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

White chocolate chips

Mini pretzels

Jet-puffed mallow bites

Optional- peppermint extract

- preheat oven according to packaging on cookies. 

- spray mini muffin tins with non-stick spray. Roll dough into 1 tbs balls (half the size of each muffin tin). Roll dough into sugar and place into the tins.

- bake for half the time the packaging says or until the edges turn golden. Cups needs to cool completely before removing. If the cups don't dent in enough, take the bottom of a teaspoon and press it into the middle of the cookie.

- place chocolate chips in a bowl and set aside.  In a saucepan, bring whipping cream to a boil. Add the cocoa and mix well. If desired- mix in 1/4 tsp of peppermint extract. Pour over the chocolate chips and let it sit for 2-3 minutes. Stir until the chips are melted.
- use a teaspoon to scoop the chocolate ganache into the cups.  Top with marshmallows. Break the mini presents to make handles.  Melt the white chocolate and use it as glue to stick the pretzels to the side.
Yields 2 1/2 dozen

Peanut Butter Ritz Cookies

Okay, this is by far my favorite holiday treat and it takes like 10 minutes to make! Salty, peanut butter and chocolate are my weakness and I could eat dozens of these. It might seem like a simple, boring treat but it seriously is the best! If you don't try these I will be very disappointed!

What you need: 

Ritz crackers

Peanut butter

Wilton's chocolate melts- I made a lot so I used almost 24 oz

Holiday sprinkles

Place a good amount of peanut butter on a ritz cracker and sand which it with another cracker. Place in a bowl of melted chocolate (melt according to pkg) and use a fork to move it around and remove it. Place on wax paper and quickly add sprinkles. Let it cool, completely before eating.

Oreo Cookies Balls

I spent most of my day baking in the kitchen yesterday, and the best part was that I never even turned my oven on! These cookie balls were so easy and fast and tasted so yummy. Plus you can always decorate them fancy so that it looks like it took a lot of sweat and tears to make this dessert.

What you need:

36 Oreos- finely crushed (best way is put Oreos in a gallon size bag and roll with a rolling pin)

8 oz cream cheese- softened

Wilton's chocolate melts- I used 8 oz chocolate, 8oz white vanilla and bought a small bag of red for decorating

Holiday sprinkles

Combine Oreos and cream cheese. Stir together until mixed well. Roll into 1 inch balls and place on cookie sheet lined with a silicon mat or wax paper. Place in freezer for 10 minutes. Take out and roll each ball into melted chocolate (melt according to pkg). Quickly add your decorations. Place in fridge for at least an hour or until ready to eat. They taste the best when they're cold!

Makes approximately 40 balls

Soft & Chewy Gingerbread Cookies

I'm usually not a big fan of gingerbread, but this year it's all I want! It must be this pregnancy, it's got me all mixed up. These are the best gingerbread cookies I've had because they're so soft and chewy. I can't stop eating them.. I think my baby is going to come out part gingerbread girl!

What you need:

2 1/4 cup flour

2 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 cup softened butter

1 cup sugar 

1 egg

1 tbs water

1/4 cup molasses

3 tbs sugar

- Preheat oven to 350 degrees

-In a medium bowl, mix together flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, ground cloves,mane salt.

- In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Beat in the egg. Then mix in water and molasses.

- Gradually stir in flour mixture until all ingredients are mixed well.

- In a small bowl, add sugar.

- Take the dough roll in 2 inch balls and roll it into the sugar then place on a non-stick cookies sheet.

- Bake for 10-12 minutes. Let it cool for a few minutes before transferring over to a cooling rack.

*makes 3 dozen*

Apple Pie Crepe Filling

Crepes, apples and fall! Yum!  This crepe filling is so good that I'm tempted to go make crepes right now!

Peel and chop two green apples.  Put in a saucepan.  Add 3 Tbs brown sugar, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 1/2 tsp cinnamon sugar (optional).  Stir all together and let the spices soak in together for at least 10 minutes.  Turn on the stove and cook on low for a few minutes until apples soften.  Serve warm with crepes, powder sugar and vanilla ice cream. 

Lemonade Ice Cream Pie

Ice cream, lemonade and pie.. 3 of my favorites!  This recipe goes way back, just scroll down and look at the recipe card that I found in my mom's kitchen.  I love that there aren't even any directions on it.  It just goes to show how easy it is!  Once you make this, you'll never have to look at the recipe again!

What you need:

1/2 gallon vanilla ice cream

1/2 can of lemonade concentrate (pink, lemon, or lime)

food coloring- matching the lemonade color

2 graham cracker crust (pre made of course!)

Let the vanilla ice cream melt all the way and add in melted lemonade (to taste).  Add food coloring and whip until smooth.  Pour into crust and freeze for at least 3-5 hours.  Serve immediately cause it melts fast!

Sugar Cookie Bars

These sugar cookie bars are a game changer!  They're baked in a jelly roll pan/cookie sheet so they feed a huge crowd!  They are so easy to make and don't require a lot of ingredients.  Plus they are so delicious- but anything with cream cheese I'll devour!

What you need:

cookies:

1 cup butter- softened

1 1/2 cup sugar

8 oz cream cheese- softened

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp almond extract

1 tsp baking powder

2 1/2 cup flour

frosting:

1/2 cup butter- softened

8 oz cream cheese softened

2 tsp vanilla extract

3 1/2 cup powder sugar

- Preheat oven 350 degrees.

- Cream together butter, sugar, cream cheese, egg, vanilla, and almond extract.  Add baking powder and gradually add in flour.  Spread evenly into a greased jelly roll pan/cookie sheet.

- Bake for 20 minutes.

- For frosting- beat together butter and cream cheese then add vanilla and powder sugar (add food coloring if desired).

- Wait for cookies to cool then spread frosting on.

Lemon Poppy Seed Bread

I took the previous month off the blog to buckle down and focus on school.  Now I'm all done and I get to graduate this coming week!  I'm back to cooking and baking without the stress of homework and it's just so great!  This lemon poppy seed bread is yummy, but what really makes it delicious is the glaze over top of it.  It's easier and quicker than other breads so it's a must try! 

What you need:

1 2/3 cups flour

2 Tbs poppy seeds

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 cup sugar

2 Tbs lemon zest

1/2 cup (1 stick butter) softened

3 eggs- room temp.

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 cup & 2 Tbs sour cream

1/4 cup milk

2 Tbs fresh lemon juice

Glaze:

1/4 cup sugar

3 Tbs fresh lemon juice

- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray with non-stick spray a 8x4" baking pan and sprinkle all sides with flour.

- In a large mixing bowl, stir together flour, poppy seeds, salt and baking powder.

- Add sugar and lemon zest and mix with a hand mixer.  Add butter until well combined.

- Add eggs one at a time then the vanilla.

- In a microwave safe bowl, add sour cream and milk and heat for 20-30 seconds.  Stir and add to mixture.  Add lemon juice and mix well until there are no lumps.

- Pour mixture into pan and cook for 55-65 minutes checking by putting a knife through the center of the bread.  If it comes out doughy, it needs more time.  If it comes out clean then it's done.

- Quickly heat lemon juice and sugar in the microwave with 20 second increments until boiling hot.

- Let bread cool in the pan for 5 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack and immediately brush glaze over the top of the bread doing several coats.  

- Cool before cutting and enjoy!  

Holiday Cookie Sandwiches

I'm so excited to share with you all my new favorite cookie!  I had a couple of my nieces and nephew come over to help me make some cute Easter cookies.  Needless to say, it will be a new tradition.  It was so easy because the cookies are pre made, there was hardly any work and it was an easy clean up (the best with kids)!  I know I'm not the only who loved these Pillsbury sugar cookies as a kid, and I still love them.  I decided to make them a little fancier and added frosting to the center and rolled it in some festive sprinkles.  These cookies come out for every holiday, so I'm already excited to make them for the next holiday.  It was such a fun activity to do and was nice to not have the huge mess of making and decorating sugar cookies like we usually do.  Defiantly a must try!

Also- We all know these cookies get eaten up fast, so I would double the recipe if you're planning on making them for more than a couple of people!

What you need:

1 pkg Pillsbury sugar cookies (for any holiday you choose)

1/4 cup softened butter

2 oz softened cream cheese

1/2 tsp vanilla

2 cups powder sugar

2 Tbs milk

festive sprinkles

- Bake sugar cookies according to package and cool completely.

- In a large bowl, cream together butter and cream cheese.  Add vanilla and mix.  Add powder sugar and mix.  Add milk and mix.

- Take one cookie and spread frosting all over the bottom side.  Take another cookie and press it into the frosting making a sandwich.  Squeeze the cookie from the middle to get enough frosting on the edges.  

- Put sprinkles in a bowl.  Roll the outside of the sandwiched cookie covering it with sprinkles.

And now you've just created your new favorite holiday cookie tradition!

Recipe adapted from: www.ohsweetbasil.com

Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies

St. Patricks Day is fast approaching, and while I'm not a huge lover of the holiday and don't deck out in green, I will participate in eating yummy things that are green.  These Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies are delicious and have the perfect balance of chocolate and mint.

What you need:

1 cup butter- softened

1 1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 1/2 tsp peppermint extract

green food coloring

3 1/4 cup flour

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp cream of tarter

pinch of salt

3/4 cup Andes Creme de Menthe baking chips

3/4 semi sweet chocolate chips

- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar.  Add eggs, peppermint extract and a couple of drops of green food coloring.  Beat for a couple minutes.
- In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cream of tarter.  Slowly add dry mixture to wet mixture until well combined.  Add in Andes mints and chocolate chips.
- With a cookie scoop, scoop dough onto a non stick baking sheet.  Bake for 8-10 minutes.  Cool and transfer to a cooling rack.

Recipe adapted from http://www.littledairyontheprairie.com

Soft & Chewy Vanilla Pudding Cookies

I can't just make normal chocolate chip cookies.  Not only do they never turn out (they are so flat I can even get them off the pan) but they just don't taste as good as these.  I have to add instant vanilla pudding mix.  The pudding mix just makes these cookies so soft and chewy and fluffy.  Once you try this recipe, I guarantee you'll never go back to the regular Toll House chocolate chip cookie recipe.

What you need:

3/4 cup butter- softened

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 sugar

1 pkg. of instant vanilla pudding mix (3.4 oz)

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp baking soda

2 1/2 cup flour

1 1/2 cup chocolate chips

- Preheat oven to 350 degrees

- In a bowl, stir together flour and baking soda.  Set aside.

- In a large mixing bowl, cream butter, brown sugar and sugar together.

- Add instant vanilla pudding mix and mix well.

- Add in eggs and vanilla and mix.

- Slowly add in flour mixture little by little until the mixture is smooth.  (if mixture is still really wet and doesn't ball, add another 1/2 cup of flour).

- Add chocolate chips.

- With a cookie scoop, scoop balls of dough onto a large non stick baking sheet.  Or roll dough into 1- 1 1/2" balls.  

- Bake for 9-11 minutes.

- Cool and enjoy!

Cosmic Brownies

Who else killed for Cosmic Brownies to be in their lunch box growing up??  Or who still buys them at the store when their 24 years old like me..?  These brownies are so good and addicting so beware.  They are also very rich so beware even more!  You can eat them when they're gooey or wait a little while like me and eat them once they've been in the fridge and have hardened a bit.

What you need:

for brownies:

10 Tbs butter

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup + 2 Tbs cocoa powder

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

2 eggs

1 egg yolk

1 Tbs corn syrup

2/3 cup flour

1 Tbs cornstarch

a pinch of salt

for frosting:

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

1 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

mini m&ms, rainbow chips, sprinkles or any other little candies

- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line an 8x8 pan with tin foil and spray with non-stick spray.

- In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt butter for a minute and a half.  Add sugars and cocoa powder. Stir with a wooden spoon.  Once well combined, add eggs, vanilla and corn syrup.  Stir.  Add in flour, cornstarch and salt and stir well.

- Pour into the pan and bake for 25 minutes.

- Cool completely in pan.

- For the frosting- In a microwave safe bowl, pour the cream and heat for 1 minute.  Pour chocolate chips into bowl and let sit for 3-4 minutes.  Stir until it's smooth.  Pour over cooled brownies.  Add candies on top and put in the fridge for at least an hour.

(my bottom 3 pictures were taken after being in the fridge 2 hours and they are still very gooey.  The top picture is after I let them sit overnight).  

Recipe inspired by: http://www.handletheheat.com

Carmelitas

First off, before this year ends, I just want to thank all you of guys who follow and visit my blog.  It's been such a fun year to start this journey and share my love of cooking and baking with everyone.  I have plenty more recipes coming and can't wait to share them.  Thank you all again for the wonderful support!

I'm super excited to share with you all this amazing dessert!  My mother-in-law makes these wonderful carmelitas and I eat them up like a wild animal...  It's embarrassing.  I asked her for the recipe the other night and was excited to try it.  My mom mentioned she was taking dinner into some dear family friends last night and I volunteered to bring the dessert so I had an excuse to make these carmelitas.  I changed the recipe up a little to make it easier (of course) and according to the ingredients I had on hand.  These sure did not disappoint.  This ooey gooey goodness is heavenly and everyone needs to make it!

What you need:

32 caramel squares

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 cup flour

1 cup rolled oats

1 tsp baking soda

3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

- Preheat oven to 350 degrees

- Unwrap all the caramels and place them in a saucepan.  Add the heavy cream and melt at low heat stirring occasionally.

- In a microwave safe bowl, melt the butter all the way.  Once butter is melted, stir in the brown sugar, flour, oats, and baking soda.

- In an 8x8 pan, take half the batter and press it down into the pan covering the bottom.  Cook for 10 minutes.

- Caramel should be almost melted by now, so keep stirring until it's smooth.

- Take the pan out and sprinkle chocolate chips evenly, then pour the caramel covering completely.  Take the rest of the batter and crumble it over the caramel.

- Bake for 15-20 minutes.

- Cool completely before cutting and serving.

Caramel & Chocolate Pretzel Rods

These caramel & chocolate pretzel rods are amazing!  I don't even care that I'm bragging about this because they're so easy that anyone can makes these and feel as cool as I do.  These are such a fun treat to give out at Christmas and everyone will love you because who doesn't love caramel and chocolate covered pretzels?!  Enjoy impressing your friends and family!

What you need:

1 bag of pretzel rods

1 pkg. caramel apple wraps 

(found by the apples at any grocery store)

1 pkg. Wilton light cocoa candy melts

Optional:

sprinkles

nuts

white chocolate

- Take a pizza cutter and cut carmel into strips.  Spread and stretch each strip of caramel spiraling around each pretzel rod.

- Cover a plate with wax paper and put a handful of chocolate melts onto it.  Microwave for 30 seconds, stir, microwave for another 30 seconds, stir.  

- Take each caramel covered pretzel and roll around in the chocolate.  After covering the caramel, take a spoon to smooth over the pretzel and place on wax paper.

- Cover with toppings as immediately before chocolate sets.

They cool very fast.  Makes 20-30.

Enjoy!

They cool very fast.  Makes 20-30.  Store in an airtight container.

Enjoy! 

Inspired by: http://asouthernfairytale.com

M&M Chocolate Chip Cookies

These pretty M&M Chocolate Chip Cookies are back up on the blog.  Reposting my favorite cookies with some new pictures!  I added a Christmas twist to them so that if anyone needs a fast dessert for this week, here it is!
For the red and green m&m's, I actually bought 2 tubes of the mini m&m's in the Christmas candy aisle at any store.  Then today at Walmart I found that they have a bag in the Christmas baking aisle of these.

what you need:

1/2 cup butter, softened (1 stick)

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 large egg

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 cup flour

1/4 cup instant vanilla pudding mix 

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

chocolate chips

mini m&m's

(I don't want to tell you how much chocolate chips and m&m's to put in because I put in a lot of both, just eye it and see how much you'd like.  I always use more m&m's than chocolate chips in this recipe.)

1)  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2)  In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugars until well combined.  Add the egg and vanilla.  When combined, add the flour, pudding mix, baking soda, and salt.  Mix until it forms to dough.  Add in your desired amounts of chocolate chips and M&M's and mix until combined.

3)  Scoop the dough with a medium cookie dough scoop onto a large cookie sheet.  If you don't have a cookie dough scoop, roll the dough into 1 1/2" balls. Bake for 10-12 minutes.  

(make sure you leave the dough like this and don't press the dough down at all) 

Let the cookies cool on the sheet for 5 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack.

Makes 2-2 1/2 dozen.