Monkey Bread aka Pull Apart Bread

Hello, how is everyone doing? I am excited because this past weekend was my nephews 7th birthday. We had an amazing time at Cedar Point and I cannot believe my nephew turned 7! I remember holding him in my arms when he was just a baby.

My sister, my nephews mother, loves Monkey bread, and well so do I of course, so every time I visit I am asked to make it. This recipe cannot be simpler. This is a great dessert as well as a great brunch dish. I hope you guys try this and enjoy.

Here's how to do it:

Ingredients/recipe

4 cans of biscuits
1 cup of sugar
2 ts of cinnamon or more to taste
1 cup of butter (2 sticks of butter)
1/2 cup of brown sugar
1 ts of vanilla

Pre-heat your oven to 350.

Cut each biscuits into four quarters. Mix the 1 cup of sugar and 2 ts of cinnamon in a zip lock bag or a dish. Put the cut biscuits into the zip lock bag and shake or dip them into the dish. Place the coated pieces into a bundt pan or a 9x13 (its easier to turn over if made in the bundt pan).

Melt the butter, brown sugar and what is ever left of the cinnamon sugar mixture in a pot. Heat until the sugar is dissolved, about 5 minutes. Take off the heat and add in the vanilla. Pour over the coated biscuits. Place in the oven and cook for about 30 minutes or until bubbly and brown.

Once it is cooked, take out of the oven and let sit for about 5 minutes that flip onto a large plate or board. Pull apart, or cut into pieces and enjoy!

Enjoy!

Funfetti Snickers Cake Mix Bars

Hello and Happy Friday! I hope everyone is doing well and I hope everyone has a great weekend. I am super excited that the weather has cooled off for a brief moment so I can show you guys a super simple dessert.  Its only four ingredients and you can mix and match this however you like. It was inspired by Rolo Cake Mix Bars and I decided to make these because I need a quick treat for an amazing dinner I was invited to.

I had all of these ingredients on hand and decided to save money by sticking with these bars. I also wanted something simple too. All you need for this is a white cake mix, I only had a Funfetti mix so I used that, 5 oz of evaporated mix, 1/4 cup of butter and a candy of your choice. The original called for Rolos, but I knew I had the Snickers so I went with those. Since the Snickers are bigger than Rolo's, I chopped them into 3rds and placed them all over the cake mix. You guys this is super simple and quick I hope you guys try these and enjoy!

Here's how you do it:

this is the base, baked, and the Snickers on top. Feel free to use as many as you want.

Ingredients/Recipe

Adapted From Cookies and Cups

1 box (18.25 oz) Funfetti Cake Mix, or your choice, make sure it is 18.25 oz
5 oz evaporated milk
1/4 cup butter, melted
Around 15 Fun Size Snicker, cut into 3rds, or use as many as you like

Preheat oven to 350°

Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray. In a bowl or mixer, beat cake mix, evaporated milk and butter until combined. The mixture will be thick and very sticky. Make a ball with the batter and divide it in half. Press  1 half into the bottom of the pan. **

Bake about 7 minutes and remove from oven and place the Snickers candies all over the cake base. Place the remaining batter on top of the Snickers. (See Note)

Bake for 20-24 minutes longer until top begins to golden.

Cool completely before cutting into squares.**

**Notes:

I find that when working with the batter, to have a small bowl filled with water, dip your fingers in the water so they are slightly moistened then press the cake on the bottom of the pan. This also helps when dropping teaspoons of the batter over the Snickers.

The bottom base will darken a little more than the top. Just watch so you don't over bake. Mine turned out fine.

I find that these taste even better the next day.


I hope you guys try these and enjoy!

Cupcake of the month-Mini Red Velvet Cupcakes

Hello and Happy Friday! I hope everyone had an easy week and have lots of plans for the weekend. Beside working, I am going to keeping myself busy hopefully by cooking and baking and of course working. I am super excited for my nephews birthday which is coming up very soon. We are going to spend the day at Cedar Point and I love roller coasters so I can't wait!

Today I wanted to offer you guys a southern treat, Red Velvet Cupcakes. My roommate received a container of Cream Cheese Frosting and wanted to put it to good use so I decided to go with these cupcakes. Red Velvet has become extremely popular these days and I have made a Red Velvet Cake, but it came out a little dry (I think I know what I did wrong). I went to my favorite site Brown Eyed Baker and found the recipe there. It has a nice crumb and has a slight chocolate flavor.   I doubled the recipe and made 72 minis, but you can make a normal batch if you like.

 I have also included a cream cheese frosting recipe because the stuff in the tube just doesn't cut it. The frosting is really easy, so I would give it a try if its your first time making a cream cheese frosting. I hope you guys like these and enjoy!

Here's how to do it:

Look at that red color!

Ingredients/Recipe

This recipe is for normal sized cupcakes, about 12. If you want to make the minis it should make 24 and only bake for about 10-13 minutes.

From Brown Eyed Baker

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ cup granulated sugar
1 egg
2½ tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
3 tablespoons red food coloring
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup buttermilk
1 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
1½ teaspoons distilled white vinegar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a muffin/cupcake pan with liners.

2. On medium-high speed, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Turn the mixer to high and add the egg. Scrape down the bowl and beat until well incorporated.

3. In a separate small bowl, mix together the cocoa powder, vanilla extract and red food coloring to make a thick paste. Add to the batter and mix on medium speed until completely combined. You may need to stop the mixer to scrape the bottom of the bowl, making sure that all the batter gets color.

4. Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly add half of the buttermilk. Add half of the flour and mix until combined. Scrape the bowl and repeat the process with the remaining milk and flour. Beat on high until smooth.

5. Again, reduce the mixer speed to low and add the salt, baking soda and vinegar. Turn to high and beat for another couple of minutes until completely combined and smooth.

6. Divide the batter evenly between the cupcake liners and bake for about 20 minutes, or until a thin knife or skewer inserted into the center of the largest cupcake comes out clean.

7. Cool for about 10 minutes and then remove cupcakes from the pan and place them on a cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

From the Food Network

Ingredients

4 ounces unsalted butter, softened
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

 

In a large bowl, beat together the butter and cream cheese with an electric mixer. With the mixer on low speed, add the powdered sugar a cup at a time until smooth and creamy. Beat in the vanilla extract

I hope you guys like these and as always enjoy!

One Pot Brownies

Hello everyone!

I hope everyone had  a great 4th. I saw a parade and had tons of amazing food at a barbeque. I made homemade Smores ice cream, salsa and a flag cake (all which I will show you later). I was so stuffed that day, but it was worth it.

I don't have many brownie recipes under my plate, but I do have this one and it only takes one pot! It is so simple and a great go to brownie recipe.  I saw this one of my favorite blogs I go to, My Tasty Treasures and knew I had to try this.

My mom was visiting at the time and when I told her she was instantly sold. I didn't get great photos, but you get the point. I hope you guys try this one!!

Ingredients/Recipe

Adapted from My Tasty Treasures

1 2-ounch bag of chocolate chips (I used milk)
1 cup of butter (2 sticks)
1 1/2 cups of sugar
1 ts vanilla
4 large eggs at room temperature
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 ts salt

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt butter and chocolate chips. Stir constantly and remove from heat when the chips are fully melted. In the same pot, blend in the sugar and vanilla. Add the eggs, blending fully one at a time (I added mine slowly and sired at the same time so they wouldn't scramble). Add flur and salt and beat until air bubbles form in the batter. Pour into a greased 9 x 13-inch pan. Bake for 20 minutes. Turn the heat to 325 degrees and bake for 10 more minutes.

I hope you guys try these and enjoy!!!!

Too Long, but Back...Strawberry Shortcake Cake

Hello everyone!! It has been way to long since I've last had a food post. Life has been...well its been busy. There has been quite a few things and changes that have happened and work is keeping me busy, but thankfully I have a job.

I have been thinking a lot that I am ready to get my life going. Not that it hasn't but I need to focus on making things better and trying to figure out what I really want to do. I will still continue to blog and hopefully show you guys good dishes.

I asked on Facebook if I should feature a savory dish or a sweet dish and sweet won. So I am really excited to show you guys this recipe. It is perfect for the summer and oh so good! Its from Pioneer Woman and I actually saw this about a year ago and haven't made it until recently.

This sweet dish is a Strawberry Shortcake. This was really good. I love strawberries and the cake matched it perfectly. The cream cheese frosting is divine too. Its sweet, and has a vanilla flavor that matches the cake very well. I think this would also work well with a whipped cream (cool whip type) of frosting.The Pioneer Woman has great photos of all the steps so click the link to see them if you need to.  I really hope you guys try this, its simple and perfect for the summer.

I tried making a whipped cream frosting, which turned out pretty good, it wasn't sturdy enough to hold the layers together.

This iw what you want by poking the holes, you want the juice to sink into the cake.

This is how you make it.

Ingredients/recipe

Adapted from The Pioneer Woman


1-1/2 cup Flour
3 Tablespoons Cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
9 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter, Softened
1-1/2 cup Sugar
3 whole Large Eggs
1/2 cup Sour Cream, Room Temperature
1 teaspoon Vanilla

Frosting Adapted from Annie Eats

10 oz. cream cheese, chilled
6½ tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
3¼ cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
4 tsp. vanilla extract

For the cake:


Grease two 9 inch cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper. Don't forget to spray or grease the parchment paper.  (I didn't have a 2 inch deep one, so I found this worked well).


Sift together flour, salt, baking soda, and corn starch. Next, cream 9 tablespoons butter with the sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well each time. Add sour cream and vanilla and mix until combined. Add sifted dry ingredients and mix on low speed until just barely combined. DO NOT OVER MIX!

Pour the batter into two 9-inch cake pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes, until it is set and a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from cake pan as soon as you pull it out of the oven, and place on a cooling rack and allow it to cool completely, about 1 hour.

While the cake is baking, stem the strawberries and slice them in half. Place into a bowl and sprinkle with 3 tablespoons sugar. Stir together and let sit for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, mash the strawberries. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoons sugar and allow to sit for another 30 minutes. Mash one more time than divide them.

While the cake is cooling go head and make the frosting by mixing the cream cheese with the butter until combined. Slowly add the sifted confectioner's sugar. Once combined add the vanilla extract.

When the cake is cool, place one cake on a cake plate so the bottom is facing up. I poked a few holes in it with a wooden spoon. Take one half of your strawberries and some of its juice and put on top. Place in the frezzer for 30 mintures to chill so the strawberries don't move as much when you put on the icing. Do the same with the second cake.

After the cakes have chilled, take some of the frosting and spread it over the strawberries on the bottom cake. Top the bottom cake with the top layer, spreading the icing over the strawberries carefully. Once the top is covered, put the frosting on the sides of the cake.

Serve the cake chilled and store the cake in the fridge.

I hope you guys try this and as always, Enjoy!

Classic-Updated Hawaiian Fruit Salad

Hello everyone! How has everyone's week been? Its almost Friday and almost the weekend (or it could be Friday or the weekend for all I know). I am excited about this weekend, I have a few things planned, but its also the big B-Day for me. Remember I'm still eternally 21.

I am not sure about my cake this year, but hopefully I will figure out what I want for it by this weekend. Last year I had a whoopie pie cake, which I really should share with you guys but today I wanted to share a classic recipe, kind of updated. It is tired and true Hawaiian fruit salad, but I updated it. I learned this from a co-worker and I really wanted to share it with you.

Here is how you do it:

Ingredients/recipe

1 can mandarin oranges 
1 can crushed pineapple 
1 bag shredded coconut-or add to taste
1 bag miniature marshmallows
1 8oz tube of Cool Whip
1 3.4 oz Vanilla Pudding
1 8oz Cream Cheese-room temperature
1/2 cup of chopped walnuts, pecans or almonds

Drain mandarin oranges and pineapple.

While the fruit is draining, in a mixing bowl whip your cream cheese until fluffy and stir in your cool whip. It should be a light, creamy mixture.

 In a large bowl, combine pineapple, mandarin oranges, and coconut. Add miniature marshmallows and mix well. Put in refrigerator and let cool and marinate for a few hours (I find you get the best flavor this way).

I hope you guys try this, it is great for parties and with Memorial Day right around the corner it would amazing for that.

Have a wonderful weekend and enjoy!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Reese’s Cupcakes-Cupcake of the Month

Well its early in the month, but I am so excited about these cupcakes! I am starting something new for each month and doing a cupcake of the month. I’ve made these last month, actually two months ago for the March Birthdays at my job. It’s also a special month because I turn 21…again lol. Not that I am much older than that, but 21 is a good age because I am able to have a nice beverage. 

I know I normally preach about eating healthy, but I always say everything in moderation. These might go a little over the top, but these are really good, and I hope you guys try these. I took an element from a lot of my favorite blogs and made them into one. These are my Chocolate Peanut Butter Reese’s Cupcakes. These are a doctored up chocolate cake mix, with a Reese’s cup inside and a swirled chocolate and peanut butter frosting. 

If you do not have frosting tips to swirl the frosting, this is what I would do:  Frost the cupcakes with the peanut butter frosting and then make a chocolate ganache. 

Here’s how to do it.

Ingredients/Recipe

Adapted from A Bitchin' Kitchen

Reese's cup inside inspired by Our Best Bites

 

1 box cake mix (I use Devil's Food Cake)

1 box (3.5 ounces) instant chocolate pudding

2 cups sour cream

3 large eggs

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup water

24 Mini Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups plus about 12 extra for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put cupcake liners in two cupcake pans. 

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine cake mix, pudding, sour cream, eggs, oil and water on medium speed, until well combined. Fill each cupcake liner about 1/3 full with cupcake batter. Top with an unwrapped mini Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup and top  with batter making sure the Reese's cup is covered (I but my Reese's cup upside down) and bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick cups out clean.

While the cupcakes are baking, make the frosting. 

When the cupcakes our cool, frost the cupcakes and garnish with the left over Mini Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.

Frosting recipes follow.

 

Peanut Butter Frosting 

From Ina Garten

1 cup confectioners' sugar

1 cup creamy peanut butter

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/3 cup heavy cream

Place the confectioners' sugar, peanut butter, butter, vanilla, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on medium-low speed until creamy, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula as you work. Add the cream and beat on high speed until the mixture is light and smooth. 

Chocolate frosting

From Our Best Bites

1/2 c. melted butter
1/3 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
1/3 c. evaporated milk
1 lb. powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

Beat together the frosting ingredients on high speed until light and fluffy

I also learned how to swirl the cupcakes from Our Best Bites and they have a great tutorial here. I had a little problem with the swirling of the frosting, but that was my fault.

Thank you to my favorite blogs that inspired this cupcake. I hope you guys try these they are so good.

 

Enjoy!

White Sour Cream Cupcakes with Marshmallow Cream Filling and Cream Cheese Frosting

Hello!

I cannot believe its the end of the week already. It has been a crazy week too. My manager told me they are moving her to a new store and our assistant manager is moving to the store manager. This leaves a gap in the management team so it will be interesting to see if they are going to fill the position from a person outside or inside the store.

I will miss my manager because I have learned many things from her, but this is a really good move for her. I am taking everything in a relaxed mode. I don't know what to expect, so I'm taking my best advice and taking it one day at a time.

Since things have seemed a little crazy, plus with my phone dying and the accident I caused in my kitchen, I thought nothing could make a crazy day seem better than with a  cupcake. I'm not talking about any old fashioned cupcake, I want a decked out fancy cupcake and that is what I am going to show you today.

This is my White Sour Cream, Marshmallow Cream filling and cream cheese frosting cupcake. It is a wonderful sugar rush and worth baking for any type of party. I actually tested these a month ago, and brought them into work. These cupcakes were made especially for the January and February birthdays at my job and people loved them. My distract manager even wanted the recipe. What is even better is you use a cake mix! How awesome is that?

Filled and ready to be frosted

Frosted

they look so nice

Look at these little guys!

almost to cute to eat..almost

look at that yummy filling!!!

I broke the recipe down into parts. You can use what you want or just make the whole thing.

Here's how to do it.

Ingredients/recipe

Cupcakes: Adapted from the Cake Doctor

1 (18.25 ounce) package of plain white cake mix
3 tbs vanilla instant pudding mix
1 cup of sour cream
1/2 cup of vegetable oil
1/2 cup of water
3 large eggs
1 ts almond extract

Preheat your oven to 350. Line your cupcake pan with liners.

Place the cake mix, pudding, sour cream oil water, eggs and extract in a mixing bowl, and beat on  low speed until the ingredients are mixed. Stop the mixer, scrape down the bowl and increase the speed to medium and beat for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. The batter should be blended.

Scoop 1/4 cup of bagtter into your cupcake tin. Bake the cupcakes until the tops are golden and spring back about 18-22 minutes. Let the cupcakes cool for 5 minutes and take the cupcakes out of the pan and cool on a wire rack until cool, about 45 minutes before filling with the filling.

Marshmallow Cream from Gingerbread Bagels

1 (7 ounce) jar marshmallow cream
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

 Place the marshmallow cream and butter in a large mixing bowl. Mix on medium until fully combined. Add in vanilla extract and mix.

Fill a pastry bag fitted with a round tip, with the mixture. Press into the cupcake and squeeze about a tablespoon, pulling the pastry bag up as you fill.

Cream Cheese Icing from Annie Eats

10 oz. cream cheese, chilled
6½ tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
3¼ cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
4 tsp. clear vanilla extract

Beat the cream cheese and butter on medium until combined and fluffy. Add in the sugar on low speed until mixed in and than bump the speed up to medium and beat until light and fluffy about 3-4 minutes. Mix in vanilla. Pipe the frosting onto the the cupcakes.

I really hope you guys try these, they are so good and totally worth it.

Enjoy!

Copycat Recipe Cold Stone's Cake Batter Ice Cream

Hello!

How is everyone? Have I ever told you I played the piano? Well did. I haven’t played in a few years. My keyboard still works but its missing a key and sustain pedal does not work so it’s harder to play. I watched a tape of myself playing and I realized how much I missed it.

I just need to bring out my keyboard and play it again. I shouldn’t let my talent and something that I love go to waste, especially after all that money spent for piano lesson’s.

Speaking of music, yesterday was one of my favorite singers birthdays so today instead of cake, I have birthday cake ice cream! And the best thing about this is you don’t need a ice cream maker! You get pieces of cake, and frosting and ice cream. Here is how you do it.

Ingredients/recipe

1 pint of heavy cream (16 oz)

1 can of sweetened condensed milk (14 oz)

Left of cake, any kind, I used chocolate,-no frosting*** broken into small chucks

1 can of frosting (its up to you how much you put in there)

¾ cup of sifted yellow cake mix

First, whip up your heavy cream until soft peaks form. In another bowl pour your sweetened condensed milk into a bowl and slowly mix in your sifted cake mix. Add your cake chunks, then fold in your heavy cream.

 Next, layer your sweetened condensed milk/heavy cream mixture and frosting into containers. I start with the mixture than do a tablespoon or two of frosting and keeping going back and forth until the container is full. The frosting part is really up to you on how much of a bite of frosting you want. I LOVE frosting so I used a lot, but didn’t use a whole container. 

Put in the freezer for a few hours and than enjoy!

This ice cream was amazing! It was like Cold Stones Cake Batter Ice Cream. You get chunks of cake and pockets of frosting, delicious! 

***If you have left over cake, or have to buy a cake with frosting, use that in this but don’t take off the frosting. Let the frosting on the cake or cupcakes be the container of frosting.

I hope you guys try this and enjoy!