Bakery Tasting Cake from a Mix

For our youngest son's 13th birthday cake last week, I decided to try some of the tips I had seen on making a cake mix taste more like a bakery cake.  It was really good!! It was moist, denser, and even richer tasting.

Here is what you do:  Using a cake mix, substitue milk for the water, butter for the oil, and add an extra egg.  In the chocolate cake, I used Starbuck's Frappuccino in place of the milk. It tasted really good, but I had accidentally turned off the oven and didn't realize it, so they didn't bake well (it's a new oven, so I'm just not used to everything, yet!). However, with the new oven, the birthday cake cooked so evenly it was amazing!!! I didn't realize that was possible! Ha ha!!  

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Mmmmmm.....Brownies

My son found this brownie recipe and I made them a few weeks ago for a school event.  The three sons really liked them and for one of them, he said it's his favorite brownie after boxed! Ha ha!  My husband likes boxed, too. I guess because I never had boxed until I married (and still don't like them), that is strange to me!

Anyway, this recipe is from allrecipes.com. I'm not sure who to give credit to, but I'm sure you can find out on the website if you wish.  It's not a rich brownie, but good.

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Cherry Pie Squares

This is a recipe I've wanted for a long, long time, so I'm really excited to have it now to share with you!

Growing up, one of my friend's moms would make these. It seemed like whenever my family was at their house, these cherry pie bars were part of the gathering. 

I asked one of their daughters for the recipe recently after an unsuccessful attempt of trying to locate it. So, here it is for you:

My friend says it was easier for her to double the dough recipe. One for the bottom crust and one for the top. I doubled it, as well, and it fit in my large 13 x 18 inch pan. I knew I wanted the crust thin like I remembered it being. 

Single Recipe:

2 1/2 cups Flour

1 cup shortening

2 Tablespoon sugar

1teaspoon salt

1 egg, separated

2/3 cup milk

1/2 stick (1/4 cup) butter

1 can cherry pie filling

In large bowl, cut shortening into flour. Add salt and sugar. Blend 1 egg yolk in 2/3 cup milk. Roll out 1/2 dough to fit bottom of a 9" x 13" or a 20 1/2" x 15 1/2" pan. (I just pressed the bottom crust into pan).  Spread with 1 can of fruit pie filling and dot with butter. Cover with top crust and brush with egg whites. Bake @ 375 for 35 mins. Glaze with powdered sugar icing (powdered sugar, milk, vanilla) Cut into squares!   

Dotted with butter...

I rolled out the top crust onto the lid of my pan to get it the right size.

You could also prepare the top crust in your pan that's covered with parchment paper, then remove it, make bottom crust, add filling, then place top crust. I thought after that after the fact!

I turned my lid upside down, tapped it a few times, and the crust fell off onto the pie filling! A little crooked, but I adjusted it a bit.

The finished product! Someone took a little nibble out of a corner. Wonder who did that??? 😊

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Jamie's Many-Layered Coconut Cake

I had a piece of this cake for the very first time last week, and it quickly rose to the top of one of my all-time-favorite cakes!  It's delicious!!  And the person who made it is not only a great baker, but makes everything she bakes, beautiful!  I knew who made it just by looking at it, then later asked her for the recipe.

It's a Paula Deene recipe, so that says a lot right there, doesn't it?!  It was her son, Jamie's favorite cake.  I would call it a coconut lemon cake, if I were naming it...just to give a clue about the lemon.  The combinations of the two flavors is delicious!  The many layers make it extra-special. I look forward to making it!  And the cake, itself?  Well, it's just really good! I think it would be great, even by itself.

MANY-LAYERED COCONUT (LEMON) CAKE

1 cup butter softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 large eggs, separated
1 teaspoon coconut extract
3 cups cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups coconut milk
2 (10 oz.) jars lemon curd
Coconut Cream Frosting (recipe follows)
Garnish: sweetened flaked coconut, lemon slices, lemon zest

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 3 (9-inch) cake pans with nonstick baking spray with flour.

2) In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar at medium speed with a mixer until fluffy. Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in coconut extract.

3) In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; sift twice.  Gradually add to butter mixture alternately with coconut milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture, beating just until dry ingredients are combined after each addition.
4) In a medium bowl, beat egg whites at high speed with a mixer until stiff peaks form. Gently fold into batter. Soon batter into prepared pans; bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool in pans for 10 minutes.  Remove from pans, and cool completely on wire racks.

5) Cut each cake layer in half horizontally. Spread lemon curd evenly between cake layers.

6) Spread Coconut Cream Frosting on top and sides of cake. Garnish with coconut, lemon slices, and lemon zest, if desired.

COCONUT CREAM FROSTING
Makes about 3 cups

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup coconut milk
2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon coconut extract
5 1/2 cups confectioners' (powdered) sugar

1) In a large bowl, beat butte,r coconut milk, cream, and coconut extract at medium speed with a mixer until creamy. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar until smooth.
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Toll House Pie

I made this pie for a family dinner we had Sunday after worship.  I found it on Allrecipes.com.  It's rich, but it's GREAT!  We served vanilla ice cream, chocolate and caramel syrup along side for those who wanted some with their sliver of richness.  It was suggested to serve it warm, so we did, but I actually preferred it cooled.  Others liked it warm.  

Toll House Pie

2 eggs

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 cup butter, melted and cooled

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1 cup chopped walnuts

1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch single crust pie

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). In a large bowl, beat the eggs until foamy. Add the flour, white sugar and brown sugar; beat until well blended. Blend in the melted butter. Stir in the chocolate chips and walnuts. Pour batter into one unbaked 9 inch pie shell. Bake at 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) for 1 hour or until browned. Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream, if desired.

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Chocolate Eclair Cake

Sorry about the way the ingredients were cut off of this post a few days ago! I copied and pasted it, but for some reason, it didn't show up correctly! Thanks to blog reader, Brenda, for letting me know!

A blog reader from Memphis, TN, has been telling me about this dessert she makes and made for her family at Thanksgiving. I hope you will try it soon....that is if your New Year's resolution didn't include cutting out desserts :). I stopped sweets this week, but can have a taste, I think! Thanks, Marsha!

 Chocolate Eclair Cake 

Ingredients

Crust:
1 cup water
1/2 cup butter 1 cup all-purpose flour
4 large eggs

 Filling:
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 large box (5.1 ounces) vanilla instant pudding
3 cups milk

Topping:
1 - 8 ounce container cool whip (just enough for a thin layer. I don't use the whole container) or one batch of homemade whipped cream
Chocolate syrup or homemade chocolate sauce

 Instructions: Preheat oven to 400. Lightly grease a 9"X13" glass baking pan.

 For the Eclair Crust: In a medium saucepan, melt butter in water and bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Stir in flour. Mix in one egg at a time, mixing completely before adding another egg. Spread mixture into pan, covering the bottom and sides evenly. Mixture will be very wet. *If the sides of your pan are too greased you won't be able to get the mixture to stay up the sides so make sure to just lightly grease. (No big deal but I like the crust to go up the sides a bit.) Bake for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown (Mine only took 25 minutes.) You may want to check it occasionally-you don't want to overcook the crust, it will ruin the cake! Remove from oven and let cool (don't touch or push bubbles down).

 For the Filling: Whip cream cheese in a medium bowl. In separate bowl make vanilla pudding by beating the pudding mix and the milk for 3 minutes and put in the fridge until set. Make sure pudding is thick before mixing in with cream cheese. Slowly add pudding to cream cheese, mixing until there are no lumps. Let cool in fridge. When the crust is completely cooled, pour filling in.

 Top with layer of cool whip however thick you want it. Serve with a drizzle of chocolate syrup. ***If you want to make this even better use homemade whipped cream.

 Ingredients for homemade whipped cream:

1 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons white sugar or 1/3 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract or other flavoring

Instructions:  Place cream and sugar in a chilled mixing bowl and mix on high for 1-2 minutes. Add the vanilla and beat for an additional 1-2 minutes or until soft peaks have formed. Don't whip too much or you will end up will cottage cheese looking whipped cream.

Homemade Chocolate Sauce Topping Yield: 1 cup sauce
Ingredients:
1/4 cup cocoa
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup evaporated milk
1/4 cup butter
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions: Stir cocoa and sugar together well. In a saucepan combine milk, butter, salt, and vanilla. Stir in dry mix. Heat, stirring until it reaches a boil and is thick. You want it to coat the back of a spoon. If you want it to be thicker, for a crepe filling for example, boil it a little longer. I boiled mine for two minutes whisking constantly. It will still be thin once you are done with this step. Don't worry once you let it cool down a bit it will thicken. It will thicken a lot when chilled.   Pin It Now!

Chocolate Eclair Cake

This sounds soooooo good! I think I will make it for a family dinner we are having Sunday at noon. A blog reader from Memphis, TN, has been telling me about this dessert she makes and made for her family at Thanksgiving. I hope you will try it soon....that is if your New Year's resolution didn't include cutting out desserts :). I stopped sweets this week, but can have a taste, I think! Thanks, Marsha!

Chocolate Eclair Cake

Ingredients...
Crust:
1 cup water
1/2 cup butter
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 large eggs

Filling:
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 large box (5.1 ounces) vanilla instant pudding
3 cups milk

Topping:
1 - 8 ounce container cool whip (just enough for a thin layer. I don't use the whole container) or one batch of homemade whipped cream
chocolate syrup or homemade chocolate sauce

1. Instructions:
2. Preheat oven to 400. Lightly grease a 9"X13" glass baking pan.
   
   
3. For the Eclair Crust: 
   In a medium saucepan, melt butter in water and bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Stir in flour. Mix in one egg at a time, mixing completely before adding another egg. Spread mixture into pan, covering the bottom and sides evenly. Mixture will be very wet. *If the sides of your pan are too greased you won't be able to get the mixture to stay up the sides so make sure to just lightly grease. (No big deal but I like the crust to go up the sides a bit.) Bake for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown (Mine only took 25 minutes.) You may want to check it occasionally-you don't want to overcook the crust, it will ruin the cake! Remove from oven and let cool (don't touch or push bubbles down).
   
   
4. For the Filling: 
   Whip cream cheese in a medium bowl. In separate bowl make vanilla pudding by beating the pudding mix and the milk for 3 minutes and put in the fridge until set. Make sure pudding is thick before mixing in with cream cheese. Slowly add pudding to cream cheese, mixing until there are no lumps. Let cool in fridge. When the crust is completely cooled, pour filling in. 
   
   
   Top with layer of cool whip however thick you want it. Serve with a drizzle of chocolate syrup. ***If you want to make this even better use homemade whipped cream.
   
   Ingredients

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 3 tablespoons white sugar or 1/3 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract or other flavoring

Instructions

1. Place cream and sugar in a chilled mixing bowl and mix on high for 1-2 minutes. Add the vanilla and beat for an additional 1-2 minutes or until soft peaks have formed. Don't whip too much or you will end up will cottage cheese looking whipped cream.

Chocolate Sauce Topping

Yield: 1 cup sauce

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup cocoa
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup evaporated milk
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

1. Stir cocoa and sugar together well. In a saucepan combine milk, butter, salt, and vanilla. Stir in dry mix. Heat, stirring until it reaches a boil and is thick. You want it to coat the back of a spoon. If you want it to be thicker, for a crepe filling for example, boil it a little longer. I boiled mine for two minutes whisking constantly. It will still be thin once you are done with this step. Don't worry once you let it cool down a bit it will thicken. It will thicken a lot when chilled.
2. Makes around 1 cup of sauce.

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Layered Pumpkin Dessert

I made this for something, but then ended up serving it at something else. Several people commented on how much they liked it and some wanted the recipe. I couldn't remember exactly what I did to it, but think I have it down now!  It's really only changing up the pudding mixture from the ever-popular Chocolate Pudding Delight (or Quad, or Pudding Cake, or Chocolate Lasagna - whatever YOU call it!)

The crust:  

1 cup crushed pecans

1 cup flour

1 stick of butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together and pat into the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch dish.  Bake for 15 - 20 minutes until crust is lightly browned.

Cream Cheese filling (I doubled this from the chocolate version)

2 - 8 oz. packages cream cheese, softened

2 cups powdered sugar

2 cups Cool Whip (I like this brand, myself....no the cheaper brands)

Spread filling over cooled crust.

Pumpkin pudding layer:

3 small packages Pumpkin Spice Jello Instant Pudding  

1 can Eagle Brand (sweetened condensed milk)
2 cups milk

In medium bowl, mix well until mixture begins to thicken. Let stand 5 minutes, then spread onto cream cheese layer.

Cool Whip layer:
1 large container Cool Whip
1 tablespoon vanilla
Cinnamon

Mix ingredients together - using cinnamon according to your taste preferences.  Spread over pudding layer.  Sprinkle with more cinnamon.

Chill for several hours, then serve! Pin It Now!

Marshmallow Candy Pops

I've done marshmallow pops with chocolate many times before, but never with candy.  A friend was planning to use the pink Candy Melts for something else, but was busy decorating for the baby shower and didn't have the time to make what she planned. I had bought a LOT of big marshmallows for another event and had enough to use for this quick little treat for the baby shower.  I had never actually used the candy melts, so it was fun trying something new!

Melt the candy as directed on the package.  Insert a lollipop stick into a marshmallow, then dip the marshmallow into the melted candy.  Dip into sprinkles, if desired, and allow to harden on waxed or parchment paper.  I used clear crystal sugar sprinkles.  They turned out so cute!  Of course, that pink color may very well be my favorite color, so that helped :).  Baby girl pink is so sweet!  

And, by the way....I have a new great niece, so I got to see baby girl pink just a few days ago!  

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Chocolate Chip Cookie Parfaits

If you ever want to try out a new recipe, try it out on the HS football team!  They'll be quick to let you know what they like, and these little parfaits were a hit.  Parfaits are easy, but they look fancy.  They are a simple way to use up cookies, brownies, cake, candies....just lots of things.  

My son had made the chocolate chip cookies I had posted a week or so ago and we had some left. I chopped them up and made a creamy filling to be one of the layers.  Added some Cool Whip, and the parfaits were done in a snap!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Parfaits

Crumbled chocolate chip cookies

Cool Whip

Creamy filling:

2 cans condensed milk

1 1/4 cup brown sugar

2 - 8 oz packages cream cheese

1 small box vanilla pudding

In medium bowl, with electric mixer, combine condensed milk and brown sugar until sugar dissolves.  Add cream cheese and small box of vanilla pudding.

In small clear punch cups, put a layer crumbled cookies, then the cream filling, then Cool Whip. Repeat layers.  Top with a larger piece of cookie.

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Pumpkin Dump Cake

(Photo from savingcommoncents.com)

A friend made this dessert for their Sunday after-worship lunch.  They all liked it!  Some liked it cold served with whipped cream. Some liked it hot served with ice cream.  It's a pumpkin pie type of dessert, but perfect for fall.

The dessert came from Jessica Harlow of savingcommoncents.com.

PUMPKIN DUMP CAKE

(1) 15oz can Pumpkin
(1) 10oz can Evaporated Milk
(1) cup light brown sugar
(3) eggs (slightly beaten)
(3) tsp pumpkin pie spice
(1) box yellow cake mix
(1) cup butter, melted (2 sticks)
(1) cup crushed graham crackers or pecans (your preference)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9×13 baking pan. In a large bowl combine;
pumpkin, evaporated milk, sugar, eggs, and pumpkin pie spice. Stir and pour into prepared baking pan.

Sprinkle entire box of cake mix on top, followed by crumbled graham crackers or pecans. Pour melted butter evenly on top.Bake for 45-50 minutes, until center is set.
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Candy Corn Marshmallows

Do you like candy corn? My husband does, and he likes marshmallows.  In fact, I found some Kraft Candy Corn Flavored Marshmallows and bought them for him. He said they were great! They smelled great, but didn't fit the no flour, no sugar diet at the moment!

Here's a really cute way to make Candy Corn Marshmallows:

1 bag big or giant marshmallows

8-10 oz of white chocolate

Vegetable Oil (to thin chocolate)

Yellow and Orange food coloring

Black Gel Icing

In the microwave or in a double boiler, carefully melt the chocolate. Once melted, divide the chocolate evenly into two bowls. Add enough yellow food coloring to one bowl until the desired yellow shade is achieved. Then add orange food coloring to the other bowl to get the desired shade of orange. *Hint: To make it easier to dip the marshmallows, I thin out the chocolate by mixing in about 1 tsp of vegetable oil. Dip a marshmallow in the orange first about 1/3 of the way up and then set on a piece parchment paper.  Repeat with the rest of the marshmallows until you use up all the orange chocolate. Put the marshmallows in the refrigerator for 10 minutes to set the chocolate. Remove from fridge and repeat, only half-way up the orange, with the yellow chocolate.  Set on parchment or wax paper. Finish by dotting two circles with the gel tube to form the eyes. Let the chocolate set and then enjoy!
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Mexican Fried Ice Cream Dessert

Tonight we had a visiting youth group over for Mexican food. I needed another dessert, but wasn't sure what to make.  Then I found this recipe for Mexican Fried Ice Cream Dessert on life-in-the-lofthouse.com.  It sounded really good!  It was good, though for some, it will be too rich. I've never met a "too rich" dessert!  Too sweet, maybe, but never too rich!\

MEXICAN FRIED ICE CREAM DESSERT

3 cups crushed Corn Flakes cereal

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

1  Half-gallon container Vanilla ice cream

1 (8 ounce) container Cool Whip

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (I used more - to taste preference while mixing)

1/4 cup honey

Chocolate syrup

Caramel sauce

Take the vanilla ice cream out of your freezer and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes or so, to soften. Melt butter in a medium skillet, over medium heat. Add the crushed corn flakes and sugar. Stir to combine. Fry mixture for 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until cereal is golden-brown. *Be careful not to burn. It may take less than 5 minutes*

Take a 9×13 baking dish and spread 1/3 of the corn flakes mixture into the bottom of pan. Set aside.

In a large bowl, add the softened vanilla ice cream and cool whip. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Using a spatula, stir and mix well to combine. Spread ice cream mixture over the top of the corn flake mixture in the bottom of the pan.

Spread the remaining corn flake mixture evenly over the ice cream. Drizzle the honey over the top. Cover pan, and place in freezer. Freeze ice cream for at least 5 hours, or overnight.

Cut into squares and serve with drizzles of chocolate syrup and caramel sauce. 

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Strawberry Lemonade Cake

In mid-June we were having a group to our home - a group that had come to do some volunteer work at the children's home here.  I decided to make up something new, and liked the idea of using a strawberry lemonade taste.  It turned out really well and was definitely a cool dessert for that hot summer day!

Lemon cake mix
1 box strawberry cream pudding mix
1 cup milk
4 tablespoons melted butter
Eggs according to cake mix box

Mix well and pour into greased 9 x 13 inch cake mix.  Don't over bake, but just until toothpick inserted into center comes out just clean, with a few crumbs.

Allow to cool for 10 or 15 minutes, then poke holes in the cake with the end of a wooden spoon (or something similar).  Mix together the following and pour over the top:

1 can condensed milk
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 box strawberry gelatin mix (I use Jello brand)

Mix together the following for the icing, and spread over the top:

12 ounce carton Cool Whip
3 tablespoons whipping cream
1 tablespoon strawberry lemonade drink mix


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Oreo Lime Dessert

This recipe is my mother-in-law's. She makes this every year at Christmas for my husband's side of the family. And, if she didn't, she'd be in BIG trouble by her grandchildren and most of her six children and in-laws!

Oreo Lime Dessert
1 package Oreos (not Double-Stuff. Save those to eat!)
1 12 ounce can evaporated milk
1 3 oz. package lime jello
1/2 cup margarine
1/2 cup boiling water
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice
Green food coloring (a few drops)

Chill can of evaporated milk in refrigerator overnight (or in the freezer for 3 or 4 hours)

In medium bowl, blend jello and boiling water. Add green food coloring. Add lemon juice and sugar, mixing well. Place mixture in refrigerator and let chill until set.

Crush Oreos (in blender or food processor)and place in medium bowl. Add margarine and mix well. Pat Oreo mixture into 9 x 13 inch casserole dish, reserving 1/2 cup of crumbs for topping.

In medium bowl, pour chilled evaporated milk and beat with electric mixer until thick. Add jello mixture to evaporated milk and whip together until blended. Pour over Oreo crumb crust and chill. Before serving, top with remaining crushed Oreos.
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Caramel Bars

I know it's been a long time since this has happened, but I tried a new recipe! And....bonus....IT'S GREAT! :).  I found this recipe on allrecipes.com.

Caramel Bars

32 individually wrapped caramels,
unwrapped
5 tablespoons heavy cream
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup rolled oats
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt together the caramels and heavy cream, stirring occasionally until smooth.
2. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, oats, brown sugar, baking soda and salt. Stir in the melted butter until well blended. Press Half of the mixture into the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking pan. Reserve the rest.
3. Bake the crust for 8 minutes in the preheated oven. Remove and sprinkle with chocolate chips and walnuts. Pour the caramel mixture over the top and then crumble the remaining crust mixture over everything.
4. Return to the oven and bake for an additional 12 minutes, or until the top is lightly toasted. Cut into squares while it is still warm.
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Heart Shaped Sopapillas

Last night my family took me out to eat at a Mexican restaurant for my birthday. Since I'm trying to be good and stay away from sugar and flour, I let the boys have this beautiful sopapilla. I took the picture, looked up and it was GONE!  I think they inhaled it! Of course, like they said, it's filled with air in the middle.  

How fun would it be to make your own heart-shaped sopapillas?  Here's a recipe for you to do just that!

Combine 4 c flour, 1 tbsp baking powder, 1 tsp salt. Blend in 3 heaping tbsp shortening, add enough water to make soft dough. Roll out to pie crust thickness. Cut into 3 " squares or HEART SHAPES. Deep fry in hot oil until golden brown. Serve with powdered sugar or cinnamon sugar.  The one pictured is served with the cinnamon and sugar, but also drizzled with caramel and chocolate sauce, with a squirt of whipped cream.

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Brownies with Turtle Cream Cheese Frosting

Yesterday I needed to make a dessert for our county livestock show concession stand. I was rushed for time, so decided a brownie pizza would be best. Children like it a lot.  But then I thought of the adults who typically eat cheesecake when I bring it, as usual, and felt kind of guilty that I hadn't done something bigger!  

So, as I was baking the brownies, and after buying the brownie pizza toppings, I decided to switch gears.  I like cream cheese icing and turtle toppings of caramel, chocolate and pecans, so that's what went on top of the brownies! Apparently they were a hit! I got a small bite from a piece I had saved for myself on the counter by my things.  I looked up just in time to see one of the ag teachers eating it!!  Ha ha!!!  I told him he "stole" my dessert! He felt bad, but I didn't need it any way. I just asked to take a small bite off the edge, just so I would know what to post.  We asked him what his opinion was of it:  As he chewed, he said, "Mmmmmmmmmmmmm!"  Later he said it was great!  I think I need to make it again soon :).

BROWNIES WITH TURTLE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

1 pound (4 sticks) butter, softened (not margarine)
3/4 cup cocoa powder
4 cups sugar
6 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups flour
5 cups pecans (optional - I didn't use in the brownies, just on top)

Turtle Topping: Chopped Pecans, Mini Chocolate Chips, and 1 jar caramel ice cream topping.

DO NOT USE ELECTRIC MIXER, but mix by hand in order given above. Place in greased and floured (or sugared *** see note below) pan. The recipe says to use a jelly roll pan (10 x 15 x 1) or 2 cake pans (9 x 13). I used my large Doughmakers pan I've mentioned several times that's 13 x 18.5.  Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes. Do not overbake!! Cool and ice with icing below.


CREAM CHEESE ICING
2 sticks butter, softened
2 - 8 ounce packages cream cheese, at room temperature
4-6 cups confectioners' sugar (I probably used 6, but you might not like it as sweet.)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract 
(Add milk, if needed, to thin icing if you get it too thick.)

Beat softened butter and cream cheese until well blended. Add powdered sugar and vanilla. Beat until creamy. Spread on top of cooled brownies. Top with chopped pecans, mini chocolate chips and caramel. Refrigerate due to cream cheese icing, but set out for 30 min. or so before serving, if desired.


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Chocolate Covered Strawberries

During Valentine's Day weekend, my husband and boys had gone skiing. My daughter came in from college to visit.  We had a fun weekend together - just cooking, going to basketball games, watching movies, and visiting. 

I had been at Sam's Club on the 13th, and they had HUGE long, stemmed strawberries for sale, and were giving out samples of chocolate covered strawberries. You could tell they were really gearing up for Valentine's sales.  There were flowers everywhere, these strawberries, candy, and steaks!  It was a one-stop place to get things to show your love and affection for your mate or boyfriend/girlfriend, for sure!

So these strawberries sat on the counter, just waiting for some chocolate, until Saturday.  Lauren used a few King sized Hershey bars, melted them, and coated the.  They dried for a little while, then we ate them - ALL.  Ohhhhh, they were delicious.  And healthy, too! :)

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Valentine's Desserts with Twinkies

Thanks to blog reader, Marsha, for sending me this clever, cute, and pretty idea!

VALENTINE TWINKIE HEARTS

3 tablespoons seedless red raspberry jam

1 cup fresh raspberries

2 Twinkies snack cakes

Stir jam and 1 tablespoon water in a bowl until smooth. Add raspberries; toss gently to coat.

Cut Twinkies in half diagonally, starting about 1 inch down from top left to 1 inch from bottom of opposite side. For each heart, put 2 halves together on 1 serving plate. Sppon raspberry mixture over and around hearts. Garnish with mint, if desired.

And while we're talking about Twinkies, look at these cute Valentine treats - MINIONS!!  Visit HERE for directions!

And, finally....an original recipe I created....."Strawberries & Cream Twinkie Cake"

Strawberries and Cream Twinkie Cake

14 Twinkies (One box has 10, so you'll need 2 boxes)

2 small boxes (3.4 ounces) instant vanilla pudding

2 cups milk

2 cans sweetened condensed milk

2 - 10 ounce containers of frozen strawberries in syrup (drained, but reserve juice if desired for topping)

1 cup sour cream

1 large carton whipped cream

Layer Twinkies in the bottom of 9 x 13 dish.  I turned the end ones upside down since the dish curved inward.

In mixing bowl, mix together 2 packages of instant pudding and 2 cups of milk.  Stir well until pudding dissolves.

Add 2 cans of sweetened condensed milk (I used Eagle Brand.)  Chill mixture in refrigerator for 15 minutes.

Drain strawberries to remove juice. I was excited to use this tiny colander I got from a Secret Pal a few years ago. Little kitchen gadgets are fun (I'm easily amused!).

Add 1 cup sour cream and 1 cup whipped cream to chilled pudding mixture.  Blend well.

Stir in drained strawberries.

The mixture might be prettier if you added a few drops of red food coloring to make a light pink color.  I didn't add any, though.

Pour strawberries and cream mixture over Twinkies.

Top with a thin layer of whipped cream.  Your casserole dish or pan might be more square on the ends, allowing room for more whipped cream.  Mine was very full!

Chill several hours...or at least a little while!  It would probably be best to chill at least 8 hours, but in our family, nothing is going to chill that long without getting sampled!

Serve with reserved strawberry juice, if desired.  One of our children thought it needed more strawberry taste, so this leftover juice would probably satisfy their taste buds.  You might like it that way, too.

My original plan was to add some sliced bananas over the cream mixture, but I ran out of room.  I have a larger casserole dish that would allow room for that and there's enough cream mixture I would have to add anything else.  It would just be thinner.  Also, I would probably add 2 more Twinkies to the dish, as well, if made in the larger dish. You could add other fruits, as well.

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