Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies

These are yummy, but very rich. Keep them refrigerated and serve them cold. They are sweet, so I cut my into little 1'' squares.

Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies

Batter

1/2 C butter, cut into small pieces

2 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped

4 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped

2/3 C flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. coarse salt

3/4 C sugar

3 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla

Filling

1/4 C butter, melted

1/2 C powdered sugar

3/4 C creamy peanut butter

1/4 tsp coarse salt

1/2 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 325. Butter and line a 8'' square pan with parchment paper.

Batter

Melt chocolate and butter over stovetop. Let cool slightly.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.

Whisk sugar into chocolate mixture. Add eggs and whisk until mixed together. Stir in vanilla. Add flour mixture and stir until combined.

Filling

Stir together filling ingredients in a bowl until smooth.

Assemble

Pour 1/3 of batter into pan and spread evenly. Dollop 1/2 of peanut butter filling on top of batter. Pour the remaining batter on top and carefully spread it out. Dollop the rest of the filling on top. Create a swirled, marbled effect with a butter knife.

Bake for about 45 minutes.

Carmel Delight Ice Cream

So, after the Thin Mint Ice Cream and how delicious and successful it was, I couldn't wait to try again with a new flavor! I came up with this recipe on my own. The hardest part about this recipe was the cookies! This was our last box of Carmel Delights and it took every bit of self-control not to eat one! I tried to convince Charlie to let me buy more cookies, but after the original 17 boxes, he wasn't going for it! :) I left this mixture in the maker a little longer and it made it a little thicker. So it was much easier to add the ripple effect with the Carmel and fudge.

This ice cream was delicious, but not nearly as reminiscent of the actual cookie as the Thin Mint was. It was still devoured by us and definitely a keeper!

Carmel Delight Ice Cream

2 eggs
3/4 C sugar
2 C heavy cream
1 C whole milk
1 tsp. coconut flavoring
1/2 box Carmel Delight cookies (about 8 cookies)
1 bottle of Carmel topping (squeeze kind)
1 bottle of hot fudge topping (squeeze kind)

Whisk the eggs until fluffy. Add sugar and whisk until incorporated. Add cream, milk, and flavoring. Once it's whisked together, add to your ice cream maker. Make sure the mixture is really COLD!

Make the ice cream in your ice cream maker according to your manufacturer's directions. Add the crushed cookies in the last 10-15 minutes. Pour half the mixture into your freezer container. Top with Carmel and fudge. Pour the rest of the ice cream on top. Continue to freeze and harden in your freezer.

Thin Mint Ice Cream

It's cookie time! I love Girl Scout cookies! I can't wait for February every year! I always buy too many. Wait...is that possible? Can you ever have too many Girl Scout cookies? I was a GS when I was a young girl and I was also the top seller one year in my council. Very exciting! I've seen what good the money from cookie sales can do for those girls. It helped pay for my Girl Scout camp a couple summers! Great memories! So 17 boxes later and a freezer full, we are finding things to do with our cookies besides just eat them!

For Christmas, my mom gave ice cream attachment for my KitchenAid. This thing is amazing! I was a little intimidated because I've never made my own ice cream before, but it was so easy! AND this ice cream was amazing! We shared it with friends and got rave reviews! I made a double batch because I knew we were sharing. This week I'm going to tweak the recipe and try to make it with Carmel Delights. I'll let you know how it turns out!

I had a hard time getting the ripple effect with this ice cream. I'm going to try to do it a little different with the next batch. But in the mean time...

Thin Mint Ice Cream
Source: Erin Cooks

2 eggs
3/4 C sugar
2 C heavy cream
1 C whole milk
2 tsp. peppermint extract
1o oz. hot fudge sauce
1 sleeve of thin mint cookies, crushed

Whisk the eggs in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the sugar and whisk until blended. Pour in the cream, milk, and peppermint extract and whisk together. Begin freezing the mixture according to your maker's directions.

When the mixture begins coming together add the crushed cookies. In the KA, this is in the last 10 minutes. Pour half the ice cream into your freezer container. Top with the hot fudge to create a ripple layer. ***This is where I had trouble. The fudge was too heavy and sunk to the bottom of the not hardened ice cream. I think if I had frozen the ice cream to let it set and then put the layer of fudge on it would have worked better. Either way, it was still yummy!*** Top with the remaining ice cream.

Freeze in your freezer to harden the ice cream. Enjoy!!!

Perfect One Bowl Brownies

So I've made these a few times and LOVE them! I hate the taste of homemade brownies in general...they just can't compete with the box! And I hear everyone's argument of how much quicker and easier it is to make them from the box. But THESE and so quick and easy and delicious! I can literally decide to make them and get them in the oven in all of 10 minutes. I usually always have the ingredients on hand too. So yummy!

I can't seem to get a picture taken whenever I make these....so I'm posting them without one! Sorry, just trust me :)



Perfect One Bowl Brownies
Source: The Sister's Cafe


1/2 C butter, melted
1/2 C vegetable oil
2 C sugar
1/2 C cocoa powder
4 eggs
3/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 3/4 C flour
Chocolate Chips (about 1 C)


Preheat oven to 350. In a medium sized bowl, mix together the butter, oil, sugar, and cocoa. Add eggs, salt, vanilla, and flour. Pour into a greased 9x13 pan. Sprinkle chocolate chips over the top. Bake for 25-30 minutes.


Easy, right?

Falling in love Pie (Chocolate Mousse Pie)

This recipe is from the movie Waitress. My mom loves this movie and I LOVE chocolate mousse! So for our family Christmas, this was one of the desserts I made.

I used semi-sweet chocolate because that's what I had. I recommend sticking with the unsweetened as this pie was very sweet!

Falling In Love Pie...Chocolate Mousse Pie
Source: The Nesting Project

9-inch baked pastry shell
1 14-oz. can condensed milk
2/3 C. water
1 (4 serving) pkg. Cook and Serve chocolate pudding mix (not instant)
1 1-oz. square unsweetened chocolate (I used semi-sweet)
2 C. (1 pt.) whipping cream, stiffly whipped

In large saucepan, combine condensed milk, water and pudding mix; mix well. Add chocolate. Over medium heat, cook and stir rapidly until chocolate melts and mixture thickens. Remove from heat; beat until smooth. Cool. Chill thoroughly; stir. Fold in whipped cream. Pour into prepared pastry shell. Chill 4 hours until set.

Marshmallow Pops

These are so easy to make and so darn cute! My sister made them for my niece's birthday party in October. They were adorable (the pink ones below)! The possibilities are endless with these things! I gave mine as gifts. I thought they would be great to stir coffee or hot chocolate with. Of course, you could just eat them as they are!

To make your own personalized ones...dip them in colored baking pieces (like you buy at the craft store) and then roll them in whatever sprinkles you want! Mine are dipped in melted milk chocolate, which had a hard time setting and then rolled in peppermint crumbs.

Marshmallow Pops

Large Marshmallows

Melted Chocolate

Sprinkles, Candies, whatever!

Cookie Sticks

Place each marshmallow on a cookie stick. Dip in the melted chocolate and then roll in the sprinkles or candy. Lay them on parchment paper to set the chocolate. Delicious and cute!

Toll House Pie

Okay, where are my Meredith girls? I fell in love with this pie my freshman year at Meredith. They had some good desserts there! This was one when they made it there was never enough! As soon as they brought out one pie, it was gone in seconds! So yummy!


Toll House Pie
Source: Yankee Magazine

2 eggs
1/2 C all-purpose unbleached flour
1/2 C white sugar
1/2 C brown sugar, firmly packed
1 C (2 sticks) butter, melted and cooled
1 C semisweet chocolate chips (I used milk)
1 cup chopped walnuts (I used about 2/3 C)
1 unbaked 9-inch pie shell

Preheat the oven to 325.

Beat the eggs until foamy. Add the flour and sugars and beat until blended. Blend in the butter. Stir in the chips and nuts. Pour into the pie shell.

Bake for 1 hour. Serve warm or cooled completely.

Peppermint Bark

A student gave me a bag of Ghirardelli Peppermint Bark. I brought it home and told Charlie not to open it because I wanted to save it for last minute present if needed. So what do I do? Open it. It was delicious and gone very quickly! So I had to make my own peppermint bark this year! This was so easy and delicious! The original recipe called for using 8 candy canes. I ground mine so fine in my food processor (the way I like it) that I only used about half of it! This was so yummy and a great alternate to the packaged stuff! I almost wish I had made a double batch! I used milk chocolate in mine because I'm not a big fan of dark. You could use either.

Peppermint Bark

Adapted from Novice Chef

17 oz. milk or dark chocolate baking chips

17 oz. white chocolate baking chips

1 tsp peppermint extract
4 Candy Canes, crushed

Line a 13x9 in pan with tinfoil and spray very lightly with nonstick spray.

In a double boiler, melt the milk or dark chocolate over low heat. When chocolate is smooth, remove from heat and add peppermint extract and stir. Pour mixture into prepared baking dish. Spread evenly and chill in refrigerator until soft set, about 30 minutes.

In clean double boiler, melt white chocolate over low heat. Add about half to 2/3 of the crushed peppermint to the chocolate and stir together. Remove baking dish from fridge. Pour over milk or dark chocolate mixture and spread evenly.

Carefully sprinkle the rest of the peppermint on top of the white chocolate to cover most all surface. Place baking dish back into fridge or freezer and refrigerate until fully set (3 – 24 hours). Remover baking pan from fridge. Lift candy in foil from pan and transfer to a cutting board. Peel off foil and break/cut candy into 2 inch pieces.

Chocolate Mint Cookies

This recipe was originally for double chocolate chunk cookies, but I took out the chocolate chunks and used creme de menthe baking bits from Andes. YUM! These remind me of a Thin Mint cookie, also from the Girl Scouts. Oh, how I wish those girls would just sell them all year! YUMMY!!!

Chocolate Mint Cookies

Adapted from Nestle

2 C all-purpose flour
3/4 C cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 C (2 sticks) butter, softened
2/3 C granulated sugar
2/3 C packed brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 3/4 C mint pieces (or chocolate chunks)

Heat oven to 350º. Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt in medium bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in mint (or chocolate). Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until cookies are puffed and centers are set but still soft. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Hot Chocolate Cake

This cake was delicious! Please don't confuse it with a chocolate cake that is hot...not the same thing! This is a cake form of the yummy winter drink! I made one loaf and 7 muffins out of the batter. I'm sure you could make it as a regular sheet cake and just adjust the cooking time. The original blogger of this recipe also mentioned making mini-loaves and giving them as gifts.



Hot Chocolate Cake
Source: Culinary Concoctions by Peabody


Cake
10 T unsalted butter, room temperature
1 ¼ C sugar
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
½ cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 ½ C all-purpose flour
½ C sweetened hot chocolate mix (powdered)
¼ C unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 tsp salt
½ tsp baking powder
½ cup milk chocolate chips
1 cup mini marshmallows and an additional 1 ½ cups for the topping

Preheat oven to 350. Spray three 6-x-3 ½ inch mini loaf pans, one large loaf pan, or muffin tins with baking spray or butter and flour them.

cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs and egg yolk, one at a time. Beat for 1 minute after each addition. Scape down the sides of the bowl and the bottom of the bowl after each addition.

Sift together the hot chocolate mix, cocoa powder, flour, salt, and baking powder in a small bowl.

In another small bowl mix together the buttermilk and vanilla extract.

Alternating, starting with the dry ingredients first, in thirds to the butter mixture.

Fold in chocolate chips and marshmallows using a spatula. Fill pans 2/3 of the way with batter.

Bake for 45-50 (muffins...20) minutes or until a wooden skewer or cake tester comes out clean. Let cool for 5 minutes, then remove from pans and finish cooling on a wire rack. Glaze when cool.


Glaze
2 C powdered sugar
1/3 C sweetened hot chocolate mix (powdered)
1 T unsweetened cocoa powder
¼ cup hot milk

In a medium bowl, add the hot milk and hot chocolate. Whisk until hot chocolate granules have dissolved. Add powdered sugar and cocoa powder and whisk until glaze is smooth and shiny. If too thick, you can add more milk.

Pour glaze over loaf. Add a sprinkling of marshmallows. Press them into the glaze so they stick a little. With remaining glaze, go back over with another coating of glaze over the top of the marshmallows.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

I got this recipe from some recipe cards I was sent in the mail. You've probably gotten them too. They want to subscribe and they'll send you a million more. I didn't do it, but I did save quite a few of the cards I got as a sample! The cheesecake recipe posted yesterday was from them too!

This cookies were delicious and gobbled up quickly! I would totally make them again, except next time I would grind up the walnuts in the food processor.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

1/2 C rolled oats

2 1/4 C all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1 C butter, softened

3/4 C brown sugar

3/4 C sugar

2 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. lemon juice

2 eggs

3 C semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 1/2 C chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. In food processor, finely grind oatmeal. Combine ground oats, flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl.

In another bowl, cream butter, sugar, vanilla, and lemon juice. Add eggs and beat until fluffy.

Stir the flour mixture into the butter mixture. Add the chocolate and nuts and mix well.

Scoop onto cookie sheet. Bake 16-18 minutes and cool on a wire rack.

Chocolate Cheesecake

This was my other dessert for our early Thanksgiving. It was my first try at baking a cheesecake and easier than I expected! If you can bake a cake from scratch, you can bake a cheesecake!

Chocolate Cheesecake
Source: Hershey's

Crust
1 C chocolate wafer crumbs
1/2 stick butter

Cheesecake
3 packages of cream cheese, softened
8 oz sour cream
1 1/4 C sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 C cocoa
2 T all-purpose flour
3 eggs

Drizzle
1/2 C semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 tsp shortening

For Crust...
Combine crumbs and melted butter. Press into bottom of 9" springform pan.

For Cheesecake...
Heat oven to 450.

Beat cream cheese and sugar until blended. Add sour cream and vanilla. Beat until blended. Beat in cocoa and flour. Add eggs, one at a time. Beat until blended. Pour into crust.

Bake 10 minutes. Reduce oven temp to 250. Continue baking for 40 minutes. Remove from oven and place on wire rack. With knife, loosen sides from pan. Cool completely. Remove from pan. Drizzle chocolate over top and refrigerate 4 to 6 hours.

Chocolate Drizzle...
Place chips and shortening in a small bowl. Microwave on high 30 seconds. If necessary, microwave at high an additional 15 seconds at a time, stirring after each heating.

Amish Puff Cookies

I saw these cookies on a blog I didn't follow. Then a few weeks later I remembered them, but didn't know where I had seen them. After a lot of searching I found them! And I'm so glad I did! This recipe can be made with or without the chocolate chips. I made it with them...yummy! The cookbook this comes from says to not roll them in the cinnamon and sugar if you use the chocolate chips. I did and they were yummy! Although, I may use less cinnamon next time. I would also like to try these with the chocolate chips and without the cinnamon and sugar...AND no chocolate chips with the cinnamon and sugar. So much baking to do!

This recipe only made 24 cookies. This can be a good thing and a bad thing. GOOD: less calories available to consume. BAD: They'll be gone too quick! :)

Amish Puff Cookies

Source: Erin Cooks

1 1/2 C all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1/4 cup sugar

1 egg

optional:

1 cup chocolate chips

1/4 cup sugar

4 teaspoons ground cinnamon (I used 3 tsp, which is 1 T)

In a bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt. Set aside.

With a mixer, cream together butter and sugars. Add egg. Gradually add in the flour mixture. Refrigerate batter for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350. Add in chocolate chips, if using. Mix together cinnamon and sugar. Roll balls of cookie dough, about 1 T of batter each. Roll in cinnamon and sugar. Bake on lined (parchment paper) cookie sheet. Spread apart because they puff and spread! Bake 8-10 minutes. Cool on wire rack.

Chocolate Chip Blondies

It's been awhile since I posted a dessert. Okay, a week, but still. I love baking. Baking helps me in so many ways! It's just a great stress reliever. It helps get my mind straight and calm. I was going to make these last night and didn't. They were perfect for today. I was bored and needed something to do!

Chocolate Chip Blondies

Source: Taste and Tell

1 stick butter, melted

1/3 C sugar

1/2 C brown sugar

1 large egg

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 C flour

1 tsp. salt

1 C semi-sweet chocolate chips

(WOW! I just remembered all that without looking at my recipe. Awesome!)

Whisk together the melted butter and sugars. Add in the egg and vanilla. Mix in the flour and salt, but don't over mix! Add half the chocolate chips. Pour into an 8" square pan that is lined with tinfoil and sprayed with cooking spray. Sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips on top. Bake at 350° for 35-45 minutes. Cool on wire rack. Enjoy!

Chocolate Covered Oreo Cupcakes

This was supposed to be a 2 layer round cake. Believe it or not, I don't own a round cake pan! Crazy, I know! It was one of things that we got rid of when we moved in together. We both owned at least one and then I donated them. I don't remember what my thought process was on this, but either way, I have none. So instead of spending the money on new pans, I adapted this into cupcakes.

I have to admit, I cheated on these as well! Some of you will love this because you aren't big bakers like me. I LOVE to bake and will steer clear of a box mix most of the time. Sometimes though I will take the shortcut! So, I used a box this time. So for the cake part, use a box, or your own yummy recipe. :)

Chocolate Covered Oreo Cupcakes

1 pkg. Devil's Food Cake Mix

4 squares Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate

1/4 C butter, cut up

1 pkg. (8 oz) Cream Cheese

1/2 C sugar

8 oz. whipped cream, thawed

12 Oreos, crushed

Bake cake mix according to box directions. Fill the cupcake pan almost full! You want tall, big cupcakes. I got 18 cupcakes out of my mix. Let cool. Slice the tops off the cupcakes to make 2 layers.

Microwave chocolate and butter in small bowl on High 2 minutes. Stir until chocolate is melted. Cool for 5 minutes.

Beat cream cheese and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed. Stir in whipped cream and cookie crumbs. Spread a generous amount of cream cheese mixture in between each cupcake layer. Spoon chocolate glaze over top of each cupcake. Let stand until set.

Store in the refrigerator. These are good cold!

Black Forest Mousse

I got a trifle bowl as a wedding present. It is beautiful! I know some of you are thinking, how can a glass bowl be beautiful...but it is! So thank you Shelley for knowing how important some things are...like owning a trifle bowl. :) I love the way dessert looks layered in this bowl, or any trifle bowl for that matter. This is beautiful and oh so yummy. And VERY EASY! :) Some of my friends have complained that my recipes are too in depth to make. They just don't have the time or energy. That's fair, I mean most of you have kids or a job, or both! I doubled the original recipe for this to make it look pretty in my bowl. I wouldn't want to make an ugly trifle! So I'm going to post the doubled recipe. Just note that you can half it if needed. Although, it's so yummy, you will want to make a double recipe!

*I used Double Stuffed Oreos. We never buy cookies, so if I was to have extras I wanted the good stuff. This made it a little hard to crush because of all the filling. If you don't mind the regular ones (is that a sin?) then you should probably use those. Also, if you half the recipe you will need 16 Oreos. I know, 16 is not half of 26, but trust me.

Black Forest Mousse

Source: Food and Family, Winter 06

2 pkg (4 servings each) Chocolate Pudding mix

3 C cold milk

2 tubs (8 oz each) whipped topping, thawed

26 Oreos, crushed, divided

2 cans Cherry Pie filling

Mix pudding mix with milk. Stir using wire whisk. Add 2 cups of whipped topping. Add 20 crushed Oreos to pudding mix.

Layer half the pudding on the bottom of the trifle bowl. Spread half the remaining whipped topping. Top with one can of cherry filling. Repeat with the remaining pudding, whipped topping, and pie filling. Sprinkle the remaining 6 cookie crumbs on top.

YUM!

Hillary Rodham Clinton's Chocolate Chip Cookies

Okay, let me start this by saying if you're not a Hillary fan you should still eat these cookies! I by no means am a fan of Hillary or her husband, but hey I know a good cookie when I eat one! :) Besides, I highly doubt she actually makes these herself or came up with the recipe. I remember when I was younger, my step mom, Cindy, made Barbara Bush cookies. I think every President and his wife comes out with a cookie recipe. If I remember correctly, George W. Bush had cowboy cookies. Anyway, these were yummy, so don't turn away because of political views. I don't think eating these cookies makes you a Liberal :)


I want to say two things about baking cookies:

1. Use a cookie scoop. I didn't always have one of these. They make your cookies perfectly round and the same size. They also make it go quicker in getting them onto the pan and into the oven.
2. Line your baking sheet with parchment paper. I don't bake cookies without this stuff! They keep the cookies from sticking and burning! The bottoms are perfect!


Hillary Rodham Clinton's Chocolate Chip Cookies
Source: White House Cookbook


1 1/2 C all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 C shortening
1 C packed brown sugar
1/2 C sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 C rolled oats
12 oz (about 2 C) semisweet chocolate chips


Preheat oven to 350°. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Set aside. Beat shortening on medium speed. Add sugars. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Beat in flour mixture. Stir in oats and chocolate.

Drop by rounded teaspoons on cookie sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes. Cool on wire rack.

Makes 4-5 dozen. (I got 4)

Cherry Coke Cupcakes

I love to bake. Without a job, I have plenty of time to do it! For me the fun is in baking AND eating the finished product. If it were just for the sweets I would buy a premade sweet or a ready mix. That's not enough, I want to do it from scratch! So today, in my boredom, I made these....

They were delicious! This was an awesome cupcake. They weren't dry or crumbly. They were perfectly moist and so yummy! I would make these again! And I can honestly say, after eating just one I was satisfied! They weren't too difficult to make, you should try them!

***If you go to the original source for this recipe you will see a difference in her pictures:

1. The Coke frosting. Hers is darker. I'm not sure why. I have 3 philosophies: she calls for icing sugar...what is that!? After doing an Internet search I found it was powdered sugar. So maybe there is a little bit of a difference. OR, I used a knock-off brand of Coke. GT Cola from Aldi's. OR, she's Canadian...things are different up there. :) Right? Or should I say, Eh?

2. The top layer of frosting. Her original recipe calls for cherry buttercream. When I read the comments on her recipe she made these a second time with the whipped cream frosting and said it was better. While I haven't tried the buttercream on these I would go with the whipped cream...it was perfect and light! I'm afraid the buttercream would be too much.

Cherry Coke Cupcakes

Source: Coco Bean

Cupcakes

1 1/2 Cups flour

3/4 Cup sugar

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 large egg

1/2 Cup buttermilk (see hint below)

2 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup unsalted butter

3 Tbs cocoa powder

3/4 Cup Coca-Cola

1/4 cup maraschino cherry syrup

24 maraschino cherries

Cola Icing

1 cup Powdered sugar

2 tbsp cola

Whipped Frosting

6 oz whipped cream

2 T maraschino cherry syrup

Preheat the oven to 350°. In a bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Beat the egg, buttermilk, and vanilla in a second bowl. In a saucepan, boil the Coca-Cola, and cherry syrup gently for five minutes. Melt in the butter and cocoa powder. Pour into the dry ingredients, stir well with a wooden spoon, and then add the liquid ingredients, beating until everything is blended. Pour into the cupcake pans and push a cherry into the center of each cupcake. Bake for 15 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. When cool drizzle over the Cola Icing and let dry. Mix together whipped frosting. Top with cherry whipped cream and a cherry.

***HINT: I think I have posted this before...I didn't have buttermilk. I just don't see the sense in buying it when I can make my own without a whole carton going to waste. For one cup of buttermilk: 1 c milk mixed with 1 T vinegar. Let stand 5 minutes. So I just halved it for this recipe!

If you make these let me know! I loved them!

Black and White Brownies

These brownies remind me of eating an Oreo! Which is great because we don't keep cookies in the house. Hence, the reason I bake so much!

We had friends over for dinner and of course I had to make dessert! We also have to go to dinner at another friend's house tonight and I'm bringing dessert. So this was the perfect recipe. I've been eyeing it for awhile now and it was so worth making! It wasn't hard, but there were a few steps involved.

Black and White Brownies
Source: My Kitchen Cafe

2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 sticks butter, softened
2 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

Preheat oven to 325°. Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Line dish with parchment, leaving a 2-inch overhang on both long sides, then spray parchment.

Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl. In another bowl, cream butter and granulated sugar with a mixer until smooth. Add 2 eggs and 2 teaspoons vanilla, and beat until smooth, scraping down sides of bowl. Reduce speed to low; add flour mixture. Increase speed to medium; beat until incorporated.

Reserve 1 cup of dough; cover, and refrigerate. Press remaining dough into bottom of prepared dish. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Bake until base is set and edges are puffed, 22-25 minutes (don't over bake or this brownie layer will be too hard and crumbly). Let cool in dish on a wire rack.

Mix cream cheese, confectioners' sugar, and remaining egg and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla in a medium bowl. Spread over cooled base; crumble reserved dough on top. Bake until filling is set, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool in dish on wire rack, then lift out using overhang. Cut into 24 squares. Squares will keep, covered and refrigerated, for up to 3 days.