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Monster Cookies
Monster cookies aren’t anything new. They’ve been around a very long time. They are basically a peanut butter- oatmeal cookie with chocolate chips and M&M candies mixed in. Just imagine sinking your teeth into these chewy and bumpy like texture cookies. You immediately notice the irresistible duo of peanut butter and chocolate and almost instantly there’s that crunch from the m & m’s. So many beautiful things are going on in your mouth that it’s like having a taste overload. Okay enough talking about it. It’s time to BAKE!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups creamy or chunky peanut butter
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 cup granulated white sugar
- 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 3 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 4 1/2 cups quick cooking oats
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup M&M’s plain chocolate candies
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray cookie sheets with nonstick spray, or line with parchment paper or a silpat mats.
2. In a large bowl, combine the peanut butter with the sugars and butter. Use an electric mixer to mix until well combined. Mix in the eggs and vanilla. Mix in the oats and baking soda. Then stir in the chips and M&M’s.
3. Drop the cookies by heaping spoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheets. If you’d like your cookies to look pretty (like the photo), dot a few extra M&M’s and chocolate chips on each mound of dough before baking.
4. Bake 10 to 12 minutes. Do not overbake. Cool for 5 minutes on cookie sheets until cookies are set. Transfer to wire racks; cool completely before storing in an airtight container.
*CHEF’S TIP – These cookie store great in the freezer.
Sweet Potato Butter Cake
The very first time I made this recipe was for Thanksgiving dinner a few years back. I thought it was a total disaster. That was until I tasted it. You see the original recipe calls for pumpkin and I’m not that type of girl. So being that I LOVE sweet potatoes the Chef in me thought it would be clever to just substitute the two. After all they are kind of similar, right? Anywho, the plan was set and the butter cake was made but as the saying goes you eat with your eyes first. And without even tasting the dessert I just knew I had messed up because it didn’t look nothing like the picture on the internet. And without a second thought we just pushed it to the side and opt’d for the other desserts.
Well as fate would have it all the other desserts were gone in record setting time and the only thing that was left was this concoction of sweet potatoes, powdered sugar and cake mix. My husband and I hesitated but decided Why Not? We have to try it at some point. And Boy O’ Boy was it good. We just looked at each other and proceeded to give the head nod of approval. And the rest is history.
Ingredients
Crust:
- 1 (18 1/4-ounce) package yellow cake mix
- 1 egg
- 8 tablespoons butter, melted
Filling:
- 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
- 2 small to medium sweet potatoes, baked & mashed
- 3 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 (16-ounce) box powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Combine the cake mix, egg, and butter and mix well with an electric mixer. Lightly oil hands and pat the mixture into the bottom 13 by 9-inch baking pan until covered evenly.
3. To make the filling: In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and sweet potatoes until smooth. Add the eggs and vanilla. Next, add the powdered sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and mix well. Spread sweet potato mixture over cake batter crust and bake for 40 to 50 minutes. Make sure not to overbake as the center should be a little gooey.
4. I like to serve my Sweet Potato Butter Cake slightly warm & with fresh whipped cream.
Original “pumpkin” recipe & photo courtesy of: Baking Is My Zen
Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Brownies
Ingredients
- 9×13 pan of brownies, baked and cooled
- 1/4 cup salted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup peanut butter
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 & 1/4 cups m&m’s
Instructions
1. With an electric mixer, cream the butter and peanut butter until smooth, about 1 minute. Add the sugars, and continue creaming until light and fluffy, about 1 minute more. Add the milk and vanilla, and mix until smooth. Add the flour, and continue to mix at low speed until fully combined. Stir in the m&m’s.
2. Spoon the cookie dough onto the cooled brownies and spread gently into an even layer. Slice into squares, and prepare for your life to change.
Source: Confessions of a Cookbook Queen
Strawberry Cake
Next to pineapples one of my favorite fruits is strawberries. I remember growing up and my home ed teacher, Mrs. Burns would sell this extra large cupcakes after school for $0.75 cents. Without fail every afternoon she would sell of this delectable delights of lemon, vanilla and strawberry. So this past Labor Day weekend I decided to re-visit an old friend, the Strawberry Cake. So as our farewell to summer until 2013, we celebrated with a delicious, scrumptious strawberry cake. It was fresh, fruity and full flavor. Just like I remembered.
Ingredients
Strawberry Cake
- 1 (18.25-ounce) box white cake mix
- 1 (3-ounce) box strawberry-flavored instant gelatin
- 1 (15-ounce) package frozen strawberries in syrup, thawed and pureed; Reserve 1/4 cup for frosting
- 4 large eggs
- 1/2 cup canola oil
- 1/4 cup water
Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
- 1/4 cup reserved strawberry puree
- 1/2 teaspoon strawberry extract
- 7 cups confectioners’ sugar
- red food coloring, optional
- Freshly sliced strawberries, for garnish, optional
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease 2 (9-inch) round cake pans.
2. In a large bowl, combine cake mix and gelatin. Add pureed strawberries, eggs, oil, and water; beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Pour into prepared pans, and bake for 20 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean.
3. Let cool in pans for 10 minutes. Remove from pans, and cool completely on wire racks.
4. Time to make the frosting: In a large bowl, beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Beat in 1/4 cup of the reserved strawberry puree and the strawberry extract. Gradually add confectioners’ sugar 1 cup at a time, beating until smooth.
5. Spread frosting in between layers and on top and sides of cake. Garnish with sliced fresh strawberries, if desired.
*Chef’s Note – 1) You can use fresh or frozen strawberries. If you use frozen, let them defrost first and then place in a food processor and pulse until pureed. If you want puree to be seedless just run through a medium-sized strainer to remove the seeds.
2) Some chefs avoid using red food coloring, I did however add some food coloring to achieve that perfectly pink color. If you don’t care about getting the pink color, feel free to leave it out. I used about 5 drops, but you should add them one at a time until you achieve the color you are looking for.
Peanut Butter Fudge Cake
Now you know I love me some peanut butter and chocolate. And any way I can get, I have it. This cake is so rich & so delicious. Don’t forget the milk. You will definitely need it! It’s like having a BIG OLE’ peanut butter cup in your mouth.
Ingredients
for cake:
- 1 box Betty Crocker Devil Food Cake Mix
- 1/2 cup canola oil
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla
- 1 ½ cups semisweet chocolate chips
for frosting:
- 1 (8 oz) cream cheese, soften
- 1 stick unsalted butter, soften
- 2/3 cup creamy peanut butter
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2-4 Tablespoons heavy whipping cream
- 1 bag Reese’s Peanut Butter cups, chopped (optional garnish)
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour (on chocolate cake mixes I love to use cocoa instead of flour) two 9 inch circle cake pans.
2. Place cake mix, eggs, sour cream, buttermilk, vanilla and oil in large mixing bowl. Blend on low for 1 minute, scrape bowl, and blend on medium 2 more minutes. Batter should look thick and well combined. Lightly coat chocolate chips with flour and fold into the batter, making sure they’re well distributed. Pour batter into greased and floured pan.
3. Bake 45-50 minutes, or until cake springs back when lightly touched and cake just starts to pull away from sides of pan. Place on rack to cool for 20 minutes.
3. While cake is cooling make frosting. In medium bowl beat the peanut butter, cream cheese and unsalted butter until light and fluffy. Add vanilla, whipping cream and 1 cup of powdered sugar. Beat well and continue to add 1 cup of powdered sugar at a time mixing thoroughly after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl often. Continue to beat on medium speed until light and fluffy and it reaches your desired consistency. About 3 to 4 minutes.
4. Now for the assembly, place bottom circle on cake stand or plate. Spread top with 1 cup frosting. Add the second circle to the top. Spread the rest of frosting on sides and top of chocolate cake. Carefully garnish cake by pressing chopped peanut butter cups into frosting. Chill for a few hours, or overnight, before serving. Serve & Enjoy!
*Chef’s Tip – This cake benefits from some refrigeration due to the cream cheese & heavy whipping cream in the frosting. It helps the entire enterprise of cake while melding the layers together. Maybe an hour. Not a lot. Or forget it and just dig into the cake. Perfect slices are for when you need to appear fancy. Get over it and just eat the darn thang. Nobody really remembers how good it looked. Just how good it tasted.
Peanut Butter “Cheese Ball”
Well the time has come and I am ready for some football baby. And what goes perfect with football? Snacks of course. So here is a yummy recipe that takes the savory cheese ball and turns it into something sweet. Like I said before anything with peanut butter & chocolate; I’m All In!
Ingredients
- 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter (not all-natural)
- 3 tablespoons packed brown sugar
- 3/4 cup milk chocolate chips
- 3/4 cup peanut butter chips
- Graham cracker sticks, teddy grahams, and/or apple slices for dipping
Instructions
1. Beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, peanut butter and brown sugar in large mixer bowl until blended.
2. Spoon onto a large piece of plastic wrap; bring up all four corners and twist tightly forming into a ball shape.
3. Freeze for 1 hour 30 minutes or until firm enough to keep its shape. Place peanut butter and chocolate chips in flat dish. Remove plastic wrap from ball and roll ball into morsels to completely cover, pressing morsels into the ball if necessary.
4. Place ball on serving dish; cover and freeze for 2 hours or until almost firm. (Can be made ahead. If frozen overnight, thaw at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes before serving.) Serve with graham cracker sticks, teddy grahams, or apple slices for dipping or spreading.
*Chef’s Note – Celery sticks and/or carrots make for an excellent dipper for this dip also.
White Almond Sour Cream Cake
[singing] “Happy Birthday To Me. Happy Birthday To Me …”
I’m quite sure that you guess that it’s someone birthday. Well not quite but my birthday is fastly approaching. August the 26 to be exact and who doesn’t celebrate with cake? God knows I do. And one of my favorites and birthday cake of choice this year is the white almond sour cream cake. Some refer to it as the “White Wedding Cake” but no matter what the name is all I know is that it’s GOOD. And Meca likes!
Ingredients
for cake:
- 1 (18.25 ounce) package white cake mix
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup white sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/3 cups water
- 1 cup sour cream
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 egg whites
for buttercream frosting:
- 1/2 cup shortening
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, soften
- 3-4 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon clear imitation vanilla or almond extract
- up to 4 tablespoons milk or heavy cream
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease and flour an 11×13 inch cake pan.
2. Stir together the white cake mix, flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl until well mixed. Pour in the water, sour cream, canola oil, almond and vanilla extracts, and egg whites, and beat with an electric mix on low until all the ingredients are mixed and moistened but some lumps still remain, about 4 minutes.
3. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan, and bake in the preheated oven until the top is a light golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Allow cake to cool.
4. While cake is cooling prepare frosting. Beat shortening and butter for a few minutes with a mixer with the paddle attachment on medium speed. Add 3 cups of powdered sugar and turn your mixer on the lowest speed (so the sugar doesn’t blow everywhere) until the sugar has been incorporated with the butter. Increase mixer speed to medium and add vanilla extract, salt, and 2 tablespoons of milk or heavy cream and beat for 3 minutes. If your frosting needs a more stiff consistency, add remaining sugar. If your frosting needs to be thinned out, add remaining milk or cream 1 tablespoons at a time..
5. Spread frosting over entire cake and decorate as desired.
*CHEF’S NOTE – Buttercream is very versatile and the flavor can be occasionally changed by substituting the vanilla extract for other flavors such as almond, coconut milk, or lemon. Also, the frosting can be easily tinted with food paste gel or food coloring.
Peanut Butter Cup Brownies
Sometimes I run across a recipe that seems to good to be true! And this is one of those recipes!
Peanut Butter Cup Brownies???
How has something so delicious-sounding eluded me all my life? I have always adored peanut butter and chocolate together. Whoever invented that combination deserves a Nobel Prize as far as I’m concerned. The fact that I have never tasted these little morsels before….well, it’s simply unacceptable and must be remedied….immediately!
INGREDIENTS
1 box of your favorite brownie mix
1/2 cup peanut butter chips
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray or grease 40 mini-muffin cups.
2. Prepare boxed brownie mix as directed. Spoon batter evenly into muffin cups (about 3/4 full). Bake for 13-15 minutes or until top is set and a toothpick inserted into center comes out slightly wet. After brownies are out of the oven, wait for centers to fall. This will happen upon cooling. If not then tap the centers with the back of a teaspoon to make a hole for the peanut butter.
3. Place peanut butter in a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high for 45 seconds then stir. While brownies are still warm spoon about half a teaspoon of peanut butter into the center of each brownie. Top with semi-sweet chocolate chips and peanut butter chips. Cool completely in pan.
4. Indulge with a tall glass of cold milk.
Source: onegoodthingbyjillee.com
Ice Cream Sandwich Cake
My Sweetie loves himself some ice cream. And one of his favorites is the classic ice cream sandwich. This recipe takes the old and transforms it into something new. How can you go wrong with Nutella, caramel, chocolate, ice cream & candy? Mmmm!
Ingredients
- 17 miniature ice cream sandwiches, divided
- 1 (12 ounce) jar caramel ice cream topping
- 1 (13 ounce) jar of Nutella
- 1 carton (12 ounce) frozen whipped topping, thawed
- 1/4 cup chocolate syrup
- 8 mini Milky Way, chopped
- 8 mini Snickers, chopped
Instructions
1. Arrange 14 ice cream sandwiches in an ungreased 13-in. x 9-in. dish. Cut remaining sandwiches in half lengthwise; fill in the spaces in the dish.
2. Spread layer of Nutella; then caramel. Next spread the whipped topping.
3. Drizzle with chocolate syrup. Sprinkle with chopped candy bars.
4. Cover and freeze for at least 45 minutes. Cut into squares.
5. Eat & Enjoy!
Confetti Ice Cream Pops
Beneath the confetti-candy covering of these ice cream pops lies a marvelous surprise: Oreos, M&M’s and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. All swirled together with creamy vanilla ice cream on a Popsicle stick. This recipe is great for all those “mini chefs” to get cooking in the kitchen. Not to mention its a great way for them to get in on all the fun. Perch the pops on a chilled cake stand to give them a longer life during serving.
INGREDIENTS
1/2 package Oreo cookies (12 to 14 cookies) , crushed
15 regular-size Reese’s peanut butter cups, crushed
10 ounces M&M candy (about 1 cup), crushed
1/2 gallon Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla ice cream, slightly softened
15- 20 (5-ounce) paper cups
Candy Sprinkles or Confetti
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Crush and combine the Oreo cookies, Reese’s peanut butter cups and M&M candy.
2. Scoop the ice cream into a large bowl of a mixer, then pour in the candy-cookie mix. Mix gently with a paddle attachment. Spoon the ice cream into the cups and carefully insert a popsicle sick into each pop.
3. Freeze until the ice cream has solidified.
4. Pour confetti or sprinkles into a shallow bowl and set aside. Peel the cup from each ice cream pop and roll the pops in the decorations to cover completely.
5. Serve Immediately or store in the freezer for up to 3 days.
*CHEF’S NOTE: BYOC (Be Your Own Chef) Mix and match your favorite candy and/or cookie combinations. Not in the mood for candy or cookies? Try fruit. The possibilities are endless.
I Am Lady Fab 