Happy October!! Yet again, Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

Hello all!! I must say it has been a long time since I posted. I've been meaning to post but I just have not got around to it. I kind of lost my inspiration for awhile, but in the back of my mind I knew I wanted to get back into posting my food. I have made quite a bit of food and I am so excited to share again. I have also made lots of sweets. I have been on the search for the perfect, moist, yellow cupcake. Its been tough, but I have found a few good recipes.

Since it is October, I know I should be posting a new recipe, but I really love this recipe and wanted to share it again. Pumpkin Whoopie pies. I have included the link to the recipe. I really like this recipe so I didn't change it.

I want to thank you guys for coming and hope you come back!!!

Ingredients/Recipe

Recipe from Rachael Ray

1 1/2 sticks  (6 ounces) unsalted butter, 1 stick melted, 1/2 stick softened
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten
1 cup canned pure pumpkin puree
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon plus 2 pinches salt
1 2/3 cups flour
4 ounces cream cheese, chilled
1 cup confectioners' sugar

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees . Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter and brown sugar until smooth. Whisk in the eggs, pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, 1 teaspoon vanilla, the baking powder, the baking soda and 3/4 teaspoon salt. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the flour.
3. Using an ice cream scoop or tablespoon, drop 12 generous mounds of batter, spaced evenly, onto each baking sheet. Bake until springy to the touch, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.
4. Meanwhile, using an electric mixer, cream the softened butter with the cream cheese. Add the confectioners' sugar and the remaining 2 pinches salt and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla; mix on low speed until blended, then beat on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes.
5. Spread the flat side of 12 cakes with the cream cheese frosting. Top each with another cake.

 
 
 

Thanks guys and 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!!!!

Two Ingredient Red Velvet Cake Ice Cream!!!!

How is everyone today? I had a really nice three day weekend, but it went so fast! I stayed busy and tried to get as many things done as I could, but I still have a long list of things to do.

So tomorrow is the big day for lovers…and if you don’t have someone, don’t worry. You can go out with one of your best friends, or a family member or even take yourself out. Valentine’s Day doesn’t have to be a day where we only share our love with a girlfriend, boyfriend, wife or husband we should share our love with those around us.

I say this because this weekend while I was running around, I was at one store and they had a TON of balloons and there was an old man in front of me. He told me to go ahead of him and went and grabbed a whole bunch of balloons and passed them out to all the ladies in the store. It was so cute! He was talking to the ladies and said that he feels better to give that receive.

Today’s recipe is one to share and I am so excited to share it with you. Remember those cookies I made from my last post? Well you need some of those for this recipe. I used about 12-14 cookies. You need those cookies because the recipe today is Two Ingredient Red Velvet Cake Ice Cream!

This recipe is so easy and so good! Now before you guys get on me because technically this is more than two ingredients, but the base for the ice cream is only two ingredients. I discovered this recipe over the summer and have been playing around with it for some time now.  I’ve had this idea in my head and I am so excited to finally have it done. What’s still great about this recipe is it still only takes four ingredients (ok ok 7 when you make the cookies too) still not that bad. You could also cut the ingredients down by buying pre-made red velvet cookies. I wanted to use cookies because I thought they would hold up the texture and bite to them more than the cake, but you could used cake if you would like. 

Here’s how to make it.

Ingredients/Recipe

1 14oz can of Sweetened Condensed Milk

1 pt (2 Cups) of Heavy Cream

12-14 Red Velvet Cookies

1 Tub of Cream Cheese Frosting

First chill your bowl and mixers for about 30 minutes. While those are chilling, pour your can of sweetened condensed milk into a large bowl.  Break up your cookies into pieces, do all different sizes, and put them in the bowl with the sweetened condensed milk.

Take about half of the cream cheese frosting and put into a small bowl and microwave for about 3 seconds until slightly melted. If you go too far it will be too loose. You want it to have some body to it. If this happens just take some of the frosting from the tub and mix it in.

 After the bowl and mixers have been chilled, take out and pour the heavy cream in the bowl. Whip until soft peaks form. If you take it too far it will become butter. So watch closely it happens fast. It takes about 2-3 minutes. You can do this by hand it just takes a little longer.

Fold the whipped cream into the sweetened condensed milk and cookie mixture. Once you have it all incorporated you should have a pinkish/red mixture.

Place about a cup of the mixture into a container (I find large cottage cheese containers work great). Layer in some of the slightly melted cream cheese frosting, about a 1-2 tablespoons. When you serve it you want there to be pockets of the frosting. NOTE: you can use as much or as little of the cream cheese frosting, it’s really up to you. Repeat until you reach the top of the container. Continue with the next container.  I had a little left over so I used a smaller container for the rest and repeated the same process.

Place the containers into the freezer for about 4 hours. Once frozen take out and enjoy!

If you decide to go with premade Red Velvet Cake or Cupcakes, chop into pieces and mix in with the sweetened condensed mix right before mixing in the whipping cream. I would also skip the cream cheese frosting part because you have that from the cake or cupcakes.

The ice cream is creamy, sweet and chewy because of the cookies. You get those pockets of frosting that just take it over the top!

This recipe is a winner in my book. I hope you try it and enjoy!

Red Velvet Cake Cookies!

Hey everyone! We are on the verge of Valentines day and here is my start to a grand recipe coming up this week. First I would like to say that I am praying for Whitney Houston's family. I grew up listening to her beautiful voice and am sad that we lost her at such a young age. There is not that many singers now that are like her and this is a sad day for me. I hope she found her peace.

Ok, sorry about that. I am super excited about these cookies because you can do so many things with them and they are super moist. You can even turn these into Red Velvet whoopie pies if you want. Its a very simple recipe and takes no time at all. If found it when searching Duncan  Hines website.  It is so easy all you need is a box of Red Velvet Cake mix, two eggs, and oil. This is also  your basic recipe for any cake box cookies. I went an extra step and rolled them in powdered sugar before baking. Here is the recipe and I hope you guys try this for your sweethearts. Go the extra mile and use a heart shaped cookie cutter and cut them into hearts! So cute!

Recipe adapted from Duncan Hines found here

1 Box of Red Velvet Cake Mix
2 Eggs
1/3 cup of oil.


Put your cake mix. 2 eggs (let them get to room temp) and 1/3 cup of oil in a bowl and mix with a wooden spoon, or a use a mixer, until the cake mix is fully incorporated. Roll into balls and than roll into powdered sugar. Place on a baking sheet and bake 8-11 minutes. Let cool on the pan for a few minutes then place on a cooling rack.

That's it. Its all you have to do. These are super easy and are perfect for anytime, but are great for Valentines Day. Don't forget to save some from my next dessert coming soon!  Enjoy!

Happy Thanksgiving! Quick Treat revisited Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

Hello and Happy Pre-Thanksgiving! The big day is just a day away and I have been cooking and baking left and right. I really challenged myself this year with my Aunts Perogies which was a recipe passed down from her mother in law from Poland, and I have been working on a Paula Deen cake.  I have to finish up everything today so I hope I can do it. 

I wanted to repost a recipe from a year ago because they were so good and so simple and a perfect treat for Thanksgiving. Pumpkin Whoopie Pies! You get that great pumpkin flavor and a delish cream cheese filling. You don’t need a special pan just put about one forth of cookie batter one the pan and bake.  Make sure you have a even amount so you can make the right amount of bottoms and tops. These are super delicious and make a great treat for after your Thanksgiving dinner. I hope you guys like them and have a wonderful and Happy Thanksgiving!

Recipe from Rachael Ray magazine found here.

Trick or Treat Pumpkin Spice Rice Crispy Treats

Hello everyone!! How are you this week? I am a little late this week posting a recipe but I will try to make up for it with an extra post this week. I got a few tricks up my sleeve. It has been gorgeous the past two days! I am sitting here with the patio door open and just sipping on my coffee, listening to the birds and enjoy this. I wish I had the day off, but I have to go into work in a couple hours.

I am in Halloween overload this week! I try to watch a ton of scary movies, the Simpsons Halloween Specials, Rosanne’s Halloween Specials, Food Network Halloween Specials and of course Halloween the movie. I actually wait until Halloween to watch that movie. I love having my baked goodies that day and I am trying to decide on a Halloween dinner. I am thinking of pumpkin pasta and garlic bread, Yum-O lol.

I also bought my Halloween candy last night. I was smart and used some coupons, but it is still expensive! I hope I get trick or treaters this year.

I wanted to share this recipe because it is getting close to Halloween and this would be great to make this week for a after school snack or work, or even for a Halloween party you are throwing or for your kids Halloween party. 

Pumpkin Spice Rice Crispy Treats. Yep you heard me right. You can find this awesome bag of Pumpkin Spice marshmallows at the store (I found mine at Wal-Mart). The recipe is on back but here it is for you. I added more candy to mind for more of a trick or treat feel. I hope you guys try this and enjoy!

How awesome!!1

They are shaped like Pumpkins!!

Imagine the bag is full and that there is butter there.

Filled with delish Candy!

Trick or Treat Pumpkin Spice Rice Crispy Treats

¼ cup of butter

1 bag of Pumpkin Spice Marshmallows

6 cups of Rice Crispy Cereal

Mixed Candy-your choice.

Melt the butter in a large pot on low. Once the butter is melted add the bag of Pumpkin spice marshmallows and stir until melted. Remove from heat and add in Rice Crispy Cereal on cup at a time. Add in the Candy last.

Pour into a pan lined with foil and spayed with cooking spray. Let cool and enjoy!

Who can resist ad Rice Crispy treat?  They have the same taste with a little pumpkin spice kick at the end. This is fun. Get into the kitchen and have some fun.

Enjoy