Homemade Brownies

There are some things that you should always have on hand  in your panty and those are the ingredients for these brownies. Most of you that bake probably already do have most of these items in your pantry all the time. The unsweetened chocolate is a hit or miss for me, but it's something I try to remember to pick up at the store. You never know when you might have an unexpected guest pop in or just have a craving for some homemade brownies. I love these brownies!!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter or margarine
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup chopped nuts(optional)

Instructions:

• Grease an 8x8x2 inch baking pan; set aside.
• Melt butter and chocolate over a low heat.
• Remove from heat and stir in the eggs, sugar, & vanilla.
• Using a wooden spoon, beat lightly until it is just combined. Stir in flour & nuts.
• Spread batter in prepared baking dish.
• Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. 
• This recipes makes 24 brownies (for mice!! This recipe only made 9 brownies for my family. We like them pieces big in TX!! :)

Source: Better Homes and Garden Cookbook

Salted Caramel Pear Crisp

 

We haven't quite figured out the heat in our new house and I seem to be cold ALL of the time. There is a lot more tile in this house compared to our house in Austin so maybe that's why... I don't know, but I do know that I where slippers all day that I am home because my feet are so cold! Ha! I'm such a wimp though. ;)

Anyway, enough about my cold feet! :) So, the other night when I was cold I wanted a warm dessert. I decided to make this delicious pear crisp and it hit the spot. Notice the picture though, I did have to add me some vanilla ice cream. It's the perfect combination. My taste buds over ruled my cold feet on this one!

Salted Caramel Pear Crisp

• 6 cups sliced pears {10-11 pears}
• 1/4 cup lemon juice {juice of 3 lemons}
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup old fashioned oats
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 5 tablespoons cold butter
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place sliced pears in a greased 13×9 baking dish. Pour lemon juice over pears and toss gently.
Mix sugar, oats, flour, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg in a medium bowl. Cut in cold butter until crumbly. Add nuts and combine. Sprinkle crumb topping over pears.
Bake for 45-50 minutes until browned.

Salted Caramel Glaze:

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons white or raw sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1-2 tablespoons confectioner’s sugar, sifted

Heat butter, sugars, salt, vanilla and milk over medium heat, stirring constantly. When mixture reaches a boil, boil for one minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and continue stirring. Add one tablespoon confectioner’s sugar to thicken.
Drizzle salted caramel over warm pear crisp.
Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

I hope you love it!

Deanna

Source: My Blessed Life

Gluten Free Chocolate Cupcakes

I have a new favorite cupcake!! Surprise Surprise that it is all chocolate! :) These are delicious and I can bake them for my sweet Mama next time she comes to visit. Not sure who I will be cooking them for though since they are so tasty! Tomorrow is Friday!! Have a super day.

Ingredients:
1 cup King Arthur Flour Gluten-Free All-Purpose Baking Mix
1/2 cup unsweetened baking cocoa
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 large eggs
1/2 cup water

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 12 muffin cups or line them with cupcake papers
Whisk together the baking mix and cocoa and set aside.
Beat the sugar, butter, vegetable oil, and vanilla until well blended.
Add the eggs one at a time, mixing until just incorporated after each addition. Stir in the baking mix/cocoa alternately with the water.
Scoop by level 1/4 cupfuls into the prepared muffin cups.
Bake the cupcakes until a cake tester comes out clean, about 20 to 22 minutes.
Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before removing from the pan.
Cool completely before frosting.
Makes 12 cupcakes.

The frosting that I made was a  Chocolate Butter Frosting from my Better Home and Gardens cookbook. You can find my post on the frosting by clicking HERE. :) The frosting is also gluten free. But please make sure that all the brands you are using are also gluten free.

Source: King Arthur Flour

Pumpkin Crumb Cake

I love the Fall and this here is just one of the reasons. I get to eat pumpkin!! I LOVE pumpkin pie, cookies, bread, cake.... the list goes on and on. Except for soup. I just can't get into pumpkin soup. Maybe I just haven't had a good bowl yet...  Anyway, I love this pumpkin cake and couldn't wait to share it with you. I hope you love it too. :)

Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup canned pureed pumpkin
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup milk

Topping:
2/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons rolled oats
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
6 tablespoons unsalted butter

 Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Grease a loaf pan and line with parchment paper.
• To make the topping, combine 2/3 cup oats, flour, sugar, and cinnamon in processor. Add butter and cut in until crumbly. Transfer mixture to medium bowl. Stir in remaining 2 tablespoons oats. Set to one side.
• Sift the flour, pumpkin spice, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a bowl.
• In a separate bowl, beat the butter with an electric mixer until smooth. Gradually beat in the sugar and 1 egg at a time
• Add the pumpkin and vanilla extract to the wet batter mix.
• Gradually beat the dry ingredients into the batter. Slowly add the milk. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and spread with the topping.
• Bake the loaf cake until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, about 55 minutes. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes.
• Turn the cake out onto a rack and cool completely.

Source

Chocolate Butter Frosting

Thank you Better Home & Gardens!! I'm never buying canned frosting again! So easy and So delicious!! We had some friends over the other night and I decide to make a last minute Devils Food cake.  I didn't have any frosting on hand and I didn't have time to go to the store. So, I went to old faithful and looked at all the different frosting recipes and decided on the Chocolate Butter Frosting. I've come to realize that there are things that you should always keep on hand in the pantry. Powdered sugar & cocoa powder are two of those items. It seems like I am always needing these last minute. Confession: We ate 1/2 the cake that night. My husband went out of town for the next three days. Who do you think ate the rest??? Never leave a chocolate cake in my presence alone again!! I have no self control!! ;)

Ingredients:
1/3 cup butter or margarine
4 1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar
1/4 cup milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
milk

Directions:
In a mixing bowl beat butter till fluffy. Gradually add 2 cups of the powdered sugar, beating well. Slowly beat in the 1/4 cup milk and vanilla.
Slowly beat in remaining powdered sugar. Beat in additional milk, if needed, to reach spreading consistency.
Beat 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder into butter and reduce powdered sugar to a total of 4 cups.

Source: Better Homes and Garden Cookbook

Mini Apple Pie

Is this not the cutest mini apple pie you have ever seen?!? My husband laughs at me because I get SO excited when I cook. Nothing makes me happier than to cook something up and have it look pretty on a plate, and be delicious too. I know, I'm a huge nerd, but it brings such joy to my heart when I'm in the kitchen cooking for my family. And now, I get to share my recipes with all of you. :) These pies are a perfect end to any meal and pretty easy to throw together. I hope you enjoyed them as much as we did! Have a great weekend y'all.

Ingredients: 

Crust
1 cup flour
½ tsp salt
⅓ cup chilled vegetable shortening
¼ cup ice water

Filling
Can of Apple Pie Filling

Topping
¾ cup firmly packed brown sugar
¾ cup all purpose flour
½ tsp ground nutmeg
⅓ cup chilled butter cut into small pieces

Directions:
First you will make the crust. Simply combine the flour and salt. Then using two knives, or a pastry clender, cut in the shortening until coarse crumbs form. Once the crumbs form start adding a tablespoon of ice water at a time until a dough forms.

Shape dough into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.

 Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

On a floured surface roll out dough and cut into 4x 4 inch circles to make mini pies. I used a lid as a guide to make my circles.

Fit dough to pie pans. I used a cupcake pan. You could also use ramekins.

Fill your mini pie crusts with the apple pie filling.

Lastly you will prepare the topping by combining the brown sugar, flour, and nutmeg. Then cut in the butter until coarse crumbs form. Sprinkle on top of the mini pies.

Bake pies until topping is lightly browned and filling is bubbly, about 35 minutes.

 These pies popped right out of my muffin pan beautifully! They are scrumptious!!
 Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Modified from The Happier Homemaker

Coconut Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

 

Some of our favorite cookies that I make are Way To A Man's Heart Cookies.  The ingredients in these cookies go so well together and are so delicious. My family devours them in just a few days. While looking at recipes the other day I took one look at these cookie bars and knew that I wanted to make them. Then I looked at the recipe and new why.... they are pretty much the same as our favorite cookies just in a different form and a couple of added ingredients. They didn't disappoint. I made them and took them to a friends for dinner and she said her aunt used to make them every Christmas and are a family favorite. She knows them as Hello Dolly's. Not sure what the original name is for these cookies, but I think they are going to become a family favorite at our house as well. :)

Ingredients:

• 1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup old-fashioned oats
• 2 cups flaked coconut
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
FILLING:
• 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
• 1/4 cup Karo® Light Corn Syrup
• 8 ounces toffee bits

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Combine flour, oats, coconut, and brown sugar in a large bowl of electric mixer and mix at low speed.
3. Add butter and continue mixing until a crumbly dough forms. Add egg and continue mixing well. Stir in chocolate chips.
4. Reserve 1-1/2 cups of dough for topping. Press remaining dough into bottom of a lightly greased 13 x 9-inch baking dish.
5. Bake 10 minutes.
FILLING:
6. Combine sweetened condensed milk and corn syrup in a small bowl and mix until combined.
7. Pour evenly over hot crust.
8. Sprinkle with toffee bits.
9. Top evenly with reserved crust mixture.
10. Bake 25 to 30 minutes until golden brown. Let the bars cool completely before cutting into bars.

Source: Mom on Time Out
You may also like these cookies :

Double Chocolate Cheesecake Cookies

 

 

These cookies should be renamed SIN!! Oh my goodness they are everything bad for you, but oh so good. The cookies themselves are very rich so you could easily eat just one, I didn't of course. ;) The icing is soft and creamy which is the perfect topping for these cookies. It's like whipped cream on your favorite dessert.

Ingredients:

1 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 cup loosely packed brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
8 ounces cream cheese, cold and cut into cubes
1 large egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup milk chocolate chips

Mascarpone glaze
4 ounces Mascarpone cheese, softened
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together butter and sugar until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add in the cream cheese and beat until combined (it's okay if small clumps form), then beat in the egg yolk and vanilla extract. With the mixer on low speed, beat in the dry ingredients until combined. Use a spoon to stir in the chocolate chips.

Refrigerate the dough for 10 to 15 minutes, just until it's slightly less sticky and easier to roll into balls. Roll into golf-ball sized balls and place about 2 inches apart on a nonstick baking sheet. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the cookies are set. Let cool completely before covering in the glaze.

Mascarpone glaze
Whisk together all the ingredients until smooth and creamy. Use a spoon or spatula to spread the glaze on the cookies or use a pastry bag (I did!) to pipe it across.

Source: How Sweet It Is

Bed and Breakfast Cherry Crumb Coffee Cake

 

This recipe is now an official breakfast favorite! It is so moist and just SO good. We, obviously, made the cherry version but can not wait to try putting apple or fresh Texas peaches in the center. The crumb topping is especially good with it's sugar and buttery pecan crumbles. Can't wait to have this again! It was gone in two days....(and it was just my husband and I that devoured this...that's so bad) ;)

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1- 8 oz. carton sour cream
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2 cup flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1- 21 oz. can of pie filling-blueberry, cherry, peach, apple, etc.
• Crumb Topping:
• ¼ c flour
• ¼ c sugar
• ½ c chopped pecans
• 3 T butter softened

Instructions

• Cream butter, gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in sour cream and vanilla. Combine dry ingredients; gradually add to creamed mixture, beating well after each addition. Spread half of batter in a greased 13×9 baking dish. The batter is thick. Spread the pie filling on top of that and top with the remaining batter. It's a bit difficult to spread because it is so thick. I put all of the remaining batter on top before I started to spread. I think this made it a bit easier.
• Sprinkle with crumb topping.
• Preheat oven to 375F and bake for 45 mins.

Source: Simplee Sue

Recipe Swap #1 Lemon Crinkle Cookies

Today I'm excited to write my first post as a participant in the Surprise Recipe Swap.  I joined the group last month and was excited to receive my secret partner of the month. As a member, I will be given a blog each month to check out and replicate one of their recipes. On an assigned day, we all post and reveal who our secret blog partner is! I'm excited to participate in the group, it is great to find new recipes and learn from other bloggers.

My secret blogger is, Stephanie from Attainable Cuisine I really enjoyed going through her posts and reading her work. She is a wife, busy mother of three children, and finishing her degree in education. She even finds time to blog about her cooking!! I don't know how she gets it all done, but she does and she does it well. :)

As I looked through the recipes, I was drawn to a sweet treat. The treat is called  Lemon Crinkle Cookies. For some reason I have been really wanting lemon desserts lately so when I read about this recipe my mouth started to water. These cookies are so light and moist. Perfect for a hot summer day with a tall glass of ice tea.

 

  Lemon Crinkle Cookies

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
1 tsp lemon zest
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup powdered sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F & line your cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Combine dry ingredients, except the powdered sugar, and set aside.
Cream sugar and butter until fluffy. Add egg, vanilla, zest and juice; mix until ingredients are incorporated. Slowly stir in flour.
Either using a small spoon or a teaspoon scoop out dough and gently roll into balls, dip each in the powdered sugar to coat. Place on cookie sheet and bake 13 minutes. Be sure to watch closely towards the end of baking since all ovens bake differently.
Cool for 2 minutes on cookie sheet before transferring to a cooling rack. Store in a airtight container.

Source: Attainable Cuisine

If you are interested in also participating in a future surprise swap go here to the Hungry Little Girl's blog. :)

Angel Food Parfait

 

 

 Yesterday was my husbands birthday and his favorite dessert is an Angel Food Parfait. It is so light, fluffy, and summery. I never complain when it comes time for me to make this for him. For his birthday I placed them in individual clear glasses but you could also make your parfaits in clear solo cups if you were having an outdoor party, or make one large parfait in a clear bowl. I will be making this again before this summer is over!! So Good. :)

Ingredients:

Angel food cake

Vanilla pudding

Fruit of choice

Directions:

1. Cut the angel food cake up into bite size pieces.

2. Make your vanilla pudding according to package directions.

3. Wash and slice your fruit into bite size pieces.

4. Choose a type of see through container. Individual or large bowl.

5. Layer your parfait: cake, pudding, fruit...repeat for extra goodness! ;)

Way to a Man's Heart Cookies

     

My whole family loves these cookies!! They don't stick around long at all when I make them.  This is the very reason I don't make a lot of desserts. I am at home most everyday and I have NO self control when I have desserts sitting out in the kitchen. Just one more...  :) This recipe makes about 5-6 dozen. I usually freeze half so they stay fresh and it also helps regulate how many we eat. ;)

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 cups quick oats
1 cup shredded coconut
1 bag Heath toffee chips
2 tsp vanilla
1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions:

1. Cream the butter and sugars together in a mixer bowl.
2. Beat in the eggs and vanilla. In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
3. Gradually add to the wet ingredients.
4. Add in the oats, Heath chips and chocolate chips mixing to combine between each ingredient.
5. Drop on a greased cookie sheet (or baking stone) and bake at 325 degrees for about 14-15 minutes.

Source: www.eatathomecooks.com