Peanut Butter Fudge Cookies

These cookies are very easy to make! The basis of this recipe is a cake mix, eggs, oil and chocolate or peanut butter chips. Yum. 

Peanut Butter Fudge Cookies

Ingredients:
1 box Yellow cake mix
1/4 c Cocoa powder
2 Eggs
1/3 c Vegetable oil
1 bag peanut butter chips (or 1/2 bag peanut butter chips with 1/2 bag chocolate chips)


Directions:

1.  Mix together all ingredients.

2.  Bake 350 degrees for 9-12 minutes. Makes 2-3 dozen depending on size.

Peanut Butter Glaze:

Ingredients:
1/2 cup peanut butter chips
2 TBSP butter
1 TBSP milk


Directions:

1.  Melt together on low heat.
2.  Drizzle over cookies.


ENJOY!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes

Cookie Dough Cupcakes, stuffed with cookie dough and frosted with cookie dough frosting. Yum.

Sorry for the lack of posts lately. I have been super busy with school ending, family visiting, etc. These cupcakes are absolutely amazing! They do take quite a bit of work but I think it is completely and entirely worth it!

I can't take any credit for this recipe. I followed it exactly from Annie's Eats Blog. I love her blog but I have only had time to make a few of her recipes. Here is the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes recipe.

Maybe I will get a few more recipes up on this blog sometime soon, but until then enjoy these cupcakes. 

Cookie Dough Truffles

I found a great recipe for Cookie Dough Truffles that my family LOVED! I may or may not have spent about 5 or 6 hours reading the "How Sweet It Is" blog and bookmarking recipes to try.

You probably will want to make these as soon as possible! They are easy, taste amazing, and are quite fun if I do say so myself. Enjoy!

~Krys

Oreo Cheesecake - easy

Oreo Cheesecake:
Ingredients:
1 cup crushed Oreo cookies (about 12 cookies)
1 TBSP butter, melted
4 packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
4 eggs
20 Oreo cookies, quartered

1.  Mix crushed cookies and butter. Press in the bottom of a 9 inch spring form pan. Bake at 325 for 10 minutes. (I cheated and bought 2 Oreo cookie crusts instead).

 2.  Beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing on low speed after each addition just until blended. Gently stir in quartered cookies. Pour over crust. (If using pre-made crusts, split cream cheese mixture into the two pie crusts.

3.  Bake at 325 for 1 hour or until the center is almost set. Run knife or metal spatula around rim of pan to loosen cake; cool before removing rim of pan. Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight (overnight is best). Garnish with additional cookies or whipped cream if desired.

Enjoy!
~Krys

Reese's Peanut Butter Bars (no bake)

I found this recipe on Our Best Bites. It is quite amazing and always requested when we are looking for dessert ideas.

Reese's Peanut Butter Bars (No Bake)
 (adapted from Our Best Bites)

1 1/2 C graham cracker crumbs
1 lb (3 1/2 C) powdered sugar
1 1/2 C creamy peanut butter
1 C (2 sticks) real butter, melted
1 12oz bag chocolate chips (milk, semi-sweet, or dark, you pick!)
2 tsp peanut butter

In a large mixing bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, powdered sugar and peanut butter and butter and beat until combined. Press into a parchment (or waxed paper or foil) lined 9 x 9 square pan. If you want them thinner, use a 9 x 13 pan.

Place chocolate chips and 2 tsp peanut butter in a microwave safe bowl and heat in 30 second intervals, stirring after each one, until melted and smooth. Pour chocolate over peanut butter mixture and spread out evenly. Place pan in the fridge just until chocolate is set and then cut into bars.

Tip:  If the bars chill until the chocolate is too hard to easily cut, use a hot sharp knife and score the cuts first, then gently cut through.  Can be stored in the fridge or at room temp.  They will stay firmer if stored in the fridge.

Slushy Julius

 

This is a great smoothie that can be made quickly. No washing fruits, no cutting or pealing involved. I also like this Orange Julius because there is no raw egg involved!

Materials Needed:

-ice cream maker

Orange Julius

Recipe adapted from Cuisinart Ice Cream Recipes

Ingredients:

-2 cups water

-1/3 cup sugar

-12 ounces frozen orange juice concentrate (thawed)

-2 1/2 cups milk or coconut milk (can use lowfat)

-2 teaspoons vanilla extract (or 1 1/2 of pure vanilla)

Combine water and sugar and stir until sugar is dissolved.

Stir in remaining ingredients. Turn the machine on; pour the mixture into freezer bowl, and let mix until thickened and slushy, about 12 to 20 minutes, depending on thickness preferred.

Transfer to tall glasses and serve with straws and a maraschino cherry garnish.

Chocolate Pudding Cookies

I love pudding, I love cookies, so when I found this recipe I fell in love immediately. The basic idea is to replace some of the flour and sugar with a small pudding packet.

My favorite is chocolate cookies with white chocolate chips, but you can use any flavor of pudding and chip combo you want! I may be trying chocolate pudding with peanut butter chips, or white pudding with white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts. Good luck and happy baking!

Chocolate Pudding Cookies

recipe adapted from Vanessa's Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

3/4 cup packed brown

3.4 oz package of instant pudding: small package

1 cup (two sticks) of butter room temp

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 large eggs

2 1/4 cup flour

1 package of chocolate chips.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large bowl place your butter, baking soda, salt, brown sugar, pudding, extract, and eggs. Mix until creamy.

Gradually add in flour. Keep mixing until all the flour is added in. Add chocolate chips.

Bake for 9-11 minutes. Cool on cooling rack and Enjoy!

Frozen Chocolate Mud Pie

Today was a VERY hot day in our un-air-conditioned apartment. When I was softening the cream cheese to make this I left it out for 5 minutes and it was already melting when I started to mix it in! Yes you may now feel sorry for me, thanks for asking...

Lets start cooking

Recipe Adapted from Right@Home

Make the crust by mixing together:

1 1/2 cups crushed cookies or graham crackers
         - I used 1 cup crushed Nilla Cookies and 1/2 cup
           Grahams because that is what I had
3 TBSP Butter
1 TBSP water

Mix together until crumbs start sticking together. Press into the bottom of a greased pie pan or greased springform pan.

Cook 350° for 12-15 minutes. It smells like you are cooking Nillas in your house! AMAZING...

Let cool completely. If you don't you will melt your chocolate mud.

Now to make the chocolate mud. Mix together:

3 oz cream cheese (at room temp)
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla


Mix until completely creamy and no clumps exist.


Mix in 1/3 cup cocoa powder and 1/3 cup milk alternately being sure everything is mixed in completely.




Fold in 8 oz cool whip and 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips.


Spread into cooled pie crust.

Cover and leave in freezer for 8 hours or over night.

Lets be honest - who wants to wait that long? I let it freeze for 2 hours and it was perfect. If you freeze it for longer make sure you take it out 15 minutes before serving so you can cut it.

Sprinkle mini chocolate chips on top for a garnish. I also drizzled with chocolate sauce.

 YUMMM.

Chocolate Sauce

 It is now time to share my yummy chocolate sauce recipe. It is referenced in many different places online, but I don't know where I got this exact recipe from (sorry). You can use fat free ingredients if you are into that stuff - but I wouldn't. I believe dessert is made to yummy, not healthy. Enjoy...

-1 cup Milk Chocolate Chips (good quality)
-1 can Sweetened Condensed Milk (not evaporated milk)
-1/2 cup Butter (1 stick)
-1 1/2 tsp Vanilla



Melt together in sauce pan on medium heat. Stir constantly and do not let it boil. Serve immediately. Put extra (if there is any) in an airtight container in the fridge. To reheat, uncover and microwave in 30 second intervals stirring until smooth.

Drizzle on ice cream, cream puffs, cheesecake, pie, cake, or anything else you would put chocolate sauce on.

Raspberry Syrup

Lately I have been wanting a good raspberry lemonade or raspberry limeade. I was able to find a great recipe that is perfect and can be used for many different things including: raspberry drizzle for desserts, raspberry lemonade or limeade, ice cream toppings, etc.

Start by mixing:

12 ounce bag of frozen Raspberries
1 1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water


Heat in a pan until raspberries start "melting" and letting go of their juices (about 5-7 minutes). Mash the berries with the back of a spoon or a potato masher to help the berries break down.


If you are going to make a raspberry lemonade or limeade add in the juice from 1 lemon or 1 lime, respectively (optional)


Simmer until thickened (another 5-7 minutes). If you want to use it more as a heavy sauce let it thicken a little more, if you want to use it for lemonade or limeade, 6 minutes will be perfect (depending on your simmering amount).



Run through a mesh strainer to catch all the seeds and big raspberry pieces. Make sure you put a bowl under the strainer to keep all the good juice! Use the back of a spoon to get out any extra juice hiding in the raspberry pieces.


I strained half the mixture at a time so my strainer wouldn't get clogged with seeds. Discard the seeds and raspberry pieces.







Refrigerate the syrup for at least 30 minutes before using it.


To make a lemonade or limeade, add 3 Tablespoons (more or less to taste) to pre-made lemonade or limeade.

I cheated and just added 3 T to a can of sprite.
SOO GOOD!  It was the perfect drink for a hot summer day.

**Also** you can freeze 1 T water and 1 T raspberry syrup in ice cube trays to make raspberry ice cubes. Add to any drink that would taste good with a raspberry flavor!

Enjoy!

Summer Smoothies!

I just am loving this summer weather!  It makes me want to have a smoothie every day!  They are so easy to make and you can add whatever fruit you like best or what looks good at the store.  

My favorite combination is made of:

4 big strawberries

1 banana

small handful of blueberries

big handful of ice

1/2 cup strawberry yogurt

1 tsp vanilla

Just mix it all up in the blender and enjoy!

I found a solution to those that can't drink it all (which sometimes happens).  I don't want to waste it, so I decided to freeze the leftovers.  I put them in ice cube trays that way I can just plop them out of the freezer, back to the blender and have a nice frozen smoothie instantly!!!

Enjoy your yummy summer smoothies!