Chocolate Cobbler

(aka: Molten Fudge Cake)

Make this tonight! It is soooo yummy! It’s a bit richer than I thought
it was going to be, but the vanilla ice cream balanced it out quite nicely.
I think this is one of my new favorite desserts!

• 1 cup Flour
• 2 tsp. Baking Powder
• 1/4 tsp. Salt
• 7 tbsp. Cocoa Baking Powder, divided
• 1-1/4 cup Sugar, divided
• 1/2 cup Milk
• 1/3 cup Melted Butter
• 2 tsp. Vanilla
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1-1/2 cups Hot Tap Water

Preheat oven to 350*.
Stir flour, baking powder, salt, 3 tbsp. of cocoa, and 3/4 cup of white sugar together in mixing bowl. Reserve the remaining cocoa and sugar.
Add the milk, melted butter and vanilla to the flour mixture. Mix until smooth.
Pour the mixture into an UNgreased 8x8 pan.
In a separate small bowl, mix the remaining white sugar (1/2 cup), the brown sugar, and the remaining 4 tbsp. of cocoa. Sprinkle mixture evenly over the batter.
Pour the hot water over the mixture in the pan. DO NOT STIR.
Bake for 40-45 minutes. Let stand for a few minutes. Serve with vanilla ice cream. DELISH! {store any leftovers in the refrigerator!}

Creamy Lemon Squares

ok, so i totally slacked… i said i’d post these on wednesday and now it’s friday! oops. what can i say… life is busy. :) i have a picture i’ll post soon, but i just wanted to get the recipe posted for the weekend. they’d be perfect on mother’s day for dessert!

• 20 Nilla Wafer, finely crushed
• 1/2 cup Flour
• 1/4 cup Brown Sugar, packed
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) Butter, cold
• 1 pkg. Cream Cheese
• 1 cup Sugar
• 2 Eggs
• 3 tbsp. Flour
• 1 heaping tbsp. Grated Lemon Peel
• 1/4 cup Fresh Lemon Juice
• 1/4 tsp. Baking Powder
• Powdered Sugar, to sprinkle on before serving

Preheat oven to 350*. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with foil, with the ends of foil extending over the sides of the pan; set aside. Combine wafer crumbs, 1/2 cup flour and the brown sugar in a medium bowl.Cut in butter with two knives (or a pastry blender if you have one) until mixture is course crumbs; press firmly onto bottom of prepared pan. Bake for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, beat cream cheese and sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until well blended.Add eggs and 2 tbsp. flour; mix well. Blend in lemon peel, lemon juice and baking powder; pour over crust.

Bake for 25 to 28 minutes, until center is set. Cool completely. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving.

Buck-Eyes

Mmmmm!

* 1 stick butter

* 1 1/2 c. creamy peanut butter (almost a full 18 oz. jar)

* 4 c. powdered sugar

* 1 tsp. vanilla

* Bag of your favorite melting chocolate

Mix all ingredients well, except the chocolate.  Dough will be crumbly.  Mold into 1 inch balls, and place in fridge for a few hours.

Melt bag of chocolate chips, or chocolate flavored candy coating (Western Family Almond Bark works very well). 

Use any wooden skewer/tooth pick to poke peanut butter balls and dip into the melted chocolate.  Dip one side, and then the other, to make them look like "eyes," if you want to!  :)

Let cool on parchment paper.

Peanut Butter Blossoms

These were a favorite when I was a kid! They’re easy to make and fun to eat. My boys love to lick the gooey chocolate first. So yummy!

• Hershey’s Kisses (milk chocolate) (about 40-48)
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/3 cup + 3 tbsp. sugar
• 1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1 egg
• 2 tbsp. milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1-1/2 cups flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 375*. Beat butter and peanut butter in a large bowl until well blended. Add 1/3 cup sugar and brown sugar; beat until fluffy. Add egg, milk, and vanilla; beat well. Stir together flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Gradually beat into peanut butter mixture. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Put the leftover 3 tbsp. sugar in a shallow bowl; roll each cookie in the sugar and place on a cookie sheet(do NOT spray or grease). Bake for 8 – 10 minutes, until lightly browned. Immediately press a chocolate kiss into the center of each cookie; cookies will crack around the edges. Move to a wire rack and cool completely before serving. Store in an air tight container.

Funnel Cakes

 

• 2 eggs
• 1-1/2 cups milk
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2-1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• powdered sugar, oil for frying

In a large, deep pan, heat oil to about 350*.
Mix dry ingredients together, then whisk in the eggs, vanilla, and milk. Add a splash more milk, if needed. {the batter should be like thin pancake batter}. 
Pour about 1/2 cup of batter through a funnel (while make circular motions and web patterns) into the hot oil. Fry for 2-3 minutes, flipping half way through, until golden brown. Drain on paper towels and coat with powdered sugar.

 

I use one of these bottles, instead of a funnel. It’s easier and I create less of a mess. :)

I just cut the tip all the way down so that the hole was bigger. Works wonderfully.

Oreo Truffles

1 pkg. Oreo Cookies
1 (8 oz.) pkg. Cream Cheese, softened
16 oz. Baker's Semi-Sweet Chocolate
OR about 2 cups of real chocolate chips

In a food processor, crush/chop all Oreo's very finely. Put Oreo crumbs in a bowl and add the cream cheese. Mix together very well (I put plastic gloves on and used my hands to knead it.) Form into approx. 46 1-inch balls. Set aside in the fridge, while you melt the chocolate. Melt chocolate in a glass bowl over a boiling water (or if you're in a hurry... melt the chocolate in the microwave, just be sure to not over melt) Put a few balls into the melted chocolate at a time, use a fork to coat the balls and retrieve them. Place on wax paper to harden. Enjoy!

You can add sprinkles or drizzle white chocolate over them for a special touch.

Best Chex Mix EVER!

3 cubes (1 1/2 C.) Butter

2 cups Light Karo Syrup

2 cups White Sugar

2 tsp real vanilla extract

1 12 oz box Rice Chex Cereal

1 12 oz box Corn Chex Cereal

1 cup M&Ms

2 cups Knot Pretzels

1 cup Cashews (optional)

1 cup lightly toasted Coconut (optional)

Mix the first 3 ingredients together well in a medium to large sauce pan. Bring to a boil on medium heat, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Set aside to cool a bit...

Combine remaining ingredients into a extra large bowl. Pour sugar mixture over cereal mixture and stir to coat well. Enjoy!

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Muffins

1 box devils food cake mix
1 (15 oz) can of pumpkin
2 egg whites
1/2 cup water
3/4 cup chocolate chips (I did 1 cup)

Mix together all ingredients. Spoon batter into lined muffin pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes until toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Makes 24 muffins. Enjoy!

*One of Cameron and Carsen's faves!