Chicken · Chocolate · Desserts

Red Velvet Whoppie Pies Via Duncan Hines

Tomorrow I am baking these little gems for a lady who has requested them for friends coming in from out of town. I am using my favorite Cream Cheese Frosting for the filling instead of the canned frosting that this says to use. If you want to make your own, all it is is:
1 (8 oz) softened cream cheese
1 stick butter
1 box of powdered sugar
Enough whipping cream or milk to get it to spreading consistency.

Whoppie Pies
1 package Duncan Hines® Signature Red Velvet Cake Mix
• 2 large eggs
• 6 Tbsp. butter, melted
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Baking Instructions

1.Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease baking sheets.
2.Combine cake mix, eggs, butter and vanilla in large bowl with wooden spoon until dough forms.
3.Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place 2-inches apart on prepared pans.
4.Bake 8 to 9 minutes or until edges are set. Cool cookies 1 minute on pan. Cool completely on wire rack.
5.Spread frosting on flat side of 20 cookies. Top with remaining cookies.
6.Baking Tip: Use a 1 to 1-1/4 inch scoop to form dough into balls. For best results, bake one baking sheet at a time. If baking two sheets together, rotate pans halfway through baking.

Chocolate · Desserts

Fudge Spoon Pie

I noticed that I have a new follower on Twitter, Kennbuck Inn and want to say welcome. This dessert would be fabulous served after dinner at any B&B. It is taken from Southern Living Desserts and would be a great ending to any meal. To gooey to slice like a pie, but served as a cobbler with whipping cream or ice cream…I know I would come back to anyplace that served it.
1/2 cup butter
1 (1 oz) sq unsweetened chocolate
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
1 teas vanilla
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
Ice Cream or Whipping Cream
Melt butter and chocolate in a saucepan over low heat, stirring often. Remove from heat. Stir in sugar and next 3 ingredients.
Pour batter into a greased 8″ square pan. Bake at preheated 325 oven for about 22 minutes. (Do not overbake) Serve warm with cream or ice cream.

Cakes · Chocolate · Desserts

Mississippi Mud Cake

To continue our month of Chocolate Desserts, this cake has always been one of my favorites.
1 cup butter, melted
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
4 large eggs, beaten
1 teas vanilla
1/8 teas salt
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped pecans, toasted
1 (10.5 oz) bag miniature marshmallows
Chocolate Frosting:
1 ( 16 oz) package powdered sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup butter (4 tables), softened
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa

Cake:
whisk together the first 6 ingredients in a large bowl. Stir in flour and chopped pecans. Pour batter into a greased and floured 15×10″ jelly-roll pan.
Bake in a preheated 350 oven for about 20 min, or until cake tests done. Remove from oven and sprinkle the marshmallows over the top of the cake. Return to oven and bake about 3-4 min. Drizzle the Chocolate Frosting over the warm cake, over the melted marshmallows. Top with more chopped pecans if desired.

Frosting:
Beat all ingredients at medium speed with mixer until smooth.

Chocolate · Cookies · Desserts

Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies

A few days ago I read on a blog called, Two Chums about substituting some of the butter in chocolate chip cookies with cream cheese for a moist chewy cookie. I had to try it so today I made my regular chocolate chip cookie (if you make the one on the package of chocolate chips, the only difference is that I use half unsalted butter and half Crisco which gives you a much more fluffy cookie) using 1 stick unsalted butter, 4 tables Crisco and 4 Tables softened cream cheese. I always only use 1 large egg instead of 2. The cookies are so soft and chewy.

Plus a little cream cheese flavor, which always is a plus! Try it and see what you think. Will look forward to hearing your thoughts.

Cakes · Chocolate · Desserts

Chocolate Fudge Cheesecake

A Perfect Valentines Day Dessert
A Perfect Valentines Day Dessert

2 (1 oz) squares of unsweetened chocolate
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs (room temp)
1/2 cup flour
1 teas vanilla
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped pecans
2 (8 oz) packages of softened cream cheese
1/4 cup sugar
4 large eggs
1 teas vanilla
Chocolate Glaze
Microwave chocolate sq in glass bowl on high for 1 min and 15 sec, stirring once after about 45 sec. Stir until melted and smooth.
Beat butter and 1 cup of sugar at medium speed with mixer until light and fluffy. Add 2 eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition. Add melted chocolate, beating just until blended.
Add flour, beating at low speed just until blended. Stir in the 1 teas vanilla and chocolate morsels.
Sprinkle toasted pecans evenly over bottom of a greased and floured 9″ greased and floured spring form pan. Spoon batter over pecans. (You can skip the pecans if you desire and just pour the batter into the pan.)
Beat cream cheese at medium with mixer until smooth, add 3/4 cup sugar, beating just until blended. Add 4 eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each addition. Stir in 1 teas vanilla. Pour cream cheese over brownie batter.
Bake at 325 1 hour or until set. Remove from oven immediately running a knife around edge of pan, releasing sides. Let cool on wire rack. Spread warm Chocolate Glaze over top of cooled cheesecake; cover and chill at least 8 hours. Remove sides of pan before serving.
Garnish with Fresh Strawberries, mint springs or chocolate curls.
(*Taken from Southern Living Desserts)

Cakes · Chocolate · Desserts

Mocha Brownie Cake

Chocolate, Chocolate, Chocolate! What a great month to try all new chocolate desserts Finding the Southern Living Chocolate Dessert cookbook, well,what better place to look for all new recipes. 2015-02-06 11.27.02

1 (21 oz) box chewy fudge brownie mix (Duncan Hines is recommended)
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup oil
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 tables instant coffee granules
1/4 cup powdered sugar
Garnish: chocolate shavings
Coat 2 ( 8″) round cake pans with cooking spray. Line pans with wax paper and coat with the cooking spray.
Combine brownie mix and next 3 ingredients in a large bowl. Stir in pecans (Hum…I might be tempted to add about 1/2 cup chocolate chips). Spread batter evenly into prepared pans; bake for almost 23-25 min or until they test done.
Remove from oven and place on wire racks to cool completely.
Combine whipping cream and coffee granules. Beat at medium speed with mixer until starting to hold shape. Gradually add the powdered sugar and continue to beat until stiff peaks form. Spread whipped cream mixture on top of one brownie layer that you have placed on a serving platter. Top with remaining brownie layer and spread the rest of the whipped cream mixture over the top and sides of the brownie cakes. Store in fridge and garnish as desired.

Cakes · Chocolate · Desserts

Triple-Chocolate Coffee Cake

This recipe is from Southern Living Incredible Chocolate Recipe Cookbook that I had not looked through in quite a while. I was chocolate hungry so I knew that I would be making something chocolate today. This is a great one to freeze one of the layers for a later use or give one to a friend.
1 (18.25 oz) package devils food cake mix (I like Duncan Hines)
1 (3.9 oz) package chocolate instant pudding mix
2 cups sour cream
1 cup butter, softened
5 large eggs
1 teas vanilla extract
3 cups semisweet chocolate chips, divided
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup chopped pecans, toasted
Beat first 6 ingredients at low speed with an electric mixer 30 seconds or just until moistened. Beat at medium speed 2 more mins. Stir in 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips; pour batter evenly into 2 greased and floured 9″ square cake pans.
Bake at 350 for 25-28 minutes or until cake tests done. Cool completely in pans on wire racks.
Microwave white chocolate morsels in a glass bowl at High for 30-60 intervals, until chips are almost melted. Stir to melt all the chips. Drizzle evenly over cakes; repeat procedure with remaining cup of semisweet chips. Sprinkle cakes evenly with pecans while chips are warm.

Desserts · Fruit

Valentines Strawberry Pie

Strawberry Pie
Taken from Frisco Style Magazine

When I saw the picture of this recipe I knew that I would be making it today.
Besides February signaling thoughts of love, it also brings strawberries to mind. Strawberries dipped in chocolate, strawberry pie, strawberry cakes and scones. But this pie sounded so different, yet so simple.
Crust:
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teas salt
1 1/2 teas sugar
1/2 cup oil
2 table milk
Set oven to 425. Put ingredients for the crust into a bowl and mix ingredients with your fingers or a pastry blended until crumbly. Pat the mixture firmly into a 9 or 10″ pie plate. Bake the crust for 10 minutes. Let it cool on a rack for 5 min. Then place in freezer while you prepare the filling.
Filling
10 oz frozen strawberries
1 cup sugar
1 tables lemon juice
2 egg whites
1 cup whipping cream
1/2 teas almond extract

Thaw the strawberries. In a bowl, combine the strawberries, sugar, egg whites, lemon juice and salt. Beat ingredients for 15 min or until stiff. Whip the cream with the almond extract. Fold into the berry mixture. Mound the filling into the pie shell. Freeze until pie is firm.
Actually we are going to eat Mexican food tomorrow night with friends, so this will be perfect for us to come home to for a cool dessert after all the hot sauce I know we will be having.

Chocolate · Cookies · Desserts · Super Bowl Recipes

Super Bowl Whoopie Pies

Since Whoopie Pies are one of the best inventions EVER, I decided that they would make a great dessert for the Super Bowl Party. So I just made chocolate whoopee pies and made the frosting in the navy blue and green of the Seahawks for between the cookies. I just ate 3 of them. Hopefully there will be some left for Sunday. They are easy to wrap individually in Saran and then in a baggie to stay fresh for Sunday. Very easy make-ahead dessert.

1/2 cup softened butter

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 teas vanilla

2 cups flour

1/2 cup baking cocoa

1 1/2 teas baking soda

1/2 teas baking powder

1/2 teas salt

1 cup milk

Filling

1 jar (7 oz) marshmallow creme

1/2 cup shortening

1 teas vanilla

2 cups powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 400. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. In another bowl, whisk flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with milk, beating well after each addition.

Drop dough by tablespoonful (I used a medium size cookie scoop) 2″ apart onto greased baking sheet. (again, I use a coated sheet, so if you use them, do not grease the sheet) Bake 6-8 min or until set and tests done.

Remove from pans onto paper towels or wire racks to cool completely.

For Filling

In a large bowl, beat marshmallow cream and shortening until blended. Beat in vanilla and powdered sugar until smooth. I add food coloring to a little milk and beat into mixture. Spread on the bottom of half of the cookies and then top with the other half. Wrap in plastic and keep in sealed container for up to 3 days.

Makes about 2 1/2 dz.

Cakes · Chocolate · Desserts · Super Bowl Recipes

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Sheet Cake

SUPER BOWL DESSERT!!! Perfect for the dessert table Sunday. I was needing one more recipe other than the pecan pie bars and oatmeal cookies and Chocolate Cream Cheese Brownies and here it is. Love love love the flavor of peanut butter and chocolate.

2 cups flour

2 cups sugar

1 teas baking soda

1/2 teas salt

1 cup water

1/2 cup butter, cubed

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/4 cup cocoa

3 eggs

1/2 cup sour cream

2 teas vanilla

Frosting

3 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup softened butter

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

1/2 cup milk (add gradually as it might not require the whole 1/2 cup)

1 teas vanilla

1/2 cup chopped peanuts

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 13×9″ baking pan. In large bowl, whisk flour, sugar, baking soda and salt.

In a small saucepan, combine water, butter, peanut butter and cocoa; bring just to a boil, stirring occasionally. Add to flour mixture, stirring just until moistened.

In a small bowl, whisk eggs, sour cream and vanilla until blended. Add to flour mixture, whisking constantly. Transfer to prepared baking pan. Bake 25-30 min or until cake tests done.

Prepare frosting while cake is baking. In a large bowl, beat the powdered sugar,  butter,  peanut butter, milk and vanilla until smooth. Remove cake from oven when done and place on wire rack. Immediately spread with frosting; sprinkle peanuts over top if desired. Cool completely and cut into squares.