Chocolate Covered Fluffernutter Cookies (No-bake and 4 Ingredients)

In case you hadn't heard, the Super Bowl was yesterday.

It was some football game or something.

The best part of Super Bowl is the food. (Disclaimer: I generally think the best part of anything is the food. So I may not be the best judge.)

I wanted to find something different and yummy to take for dessert.

Yeah. Exactly. 

Here's what you need to make some of your own!

Ritz Crackers, Peanut Butter (You should use creamy, because crunchy is gross.), Marshmallow Fluff, and Chocolate Candi Melts or melted chocolate chips.

This is a very complicated recipe. 

See? I almost couldn't concentrate, because it was so complex.....

......how did I allow my toe thumb to be in the picture??!! UGH!! Well, at least it looks better than my toenails right now. You fellow runners will know what I mean. I fondly remember when I had 10 whole toenails, all of which were unbruised. Those were the days.

....wait. Can I talk about my toenails while blogging about food? I guess I'm not actually making the food at the moment. So I say it's fine.

Each sleeve of Ritz makes about 18 cookies. Unless there are broken crackers. I think I used a little more than a tsp. of peanut butter and marshmallow fluff on each sandwich. Use your own judgement. But for SURE you have to lick the marshmallow fluff from the butter knife after you're done. That's the rule.

Now melt the Candi Melts or chocolate, and dip. Set on wax paper to cool.

It's a messy job.... 

Some of the marshmallow fluff oozed out of mine. I felt like that added to the appeal....

I popped them into the fridge for a few minutes and they were ready!!

Make these. I implore you. You won't be sorry.

I got this idea from here.

I served these with:

Cinnamon Bun Popcorn

And these:

Creamy Lemon Squares

Almond Cream Cheese Pound Cake

So Wade's mom has a birthday coming up. I asked Wade a week or so ago what he thought his mom's favorite dessert would be. I am a big believer in making someone their favorite dessert on their birthday. If that happens to be birthday cake, then great!! If not, stick candles in a pie/cookie/whatever-dessert-they-like!

....one year, Nicholas wanted a COFFEE CAKE for his birthday cake! The little kids at his party were like, "uhhhh.... what's up with THIS?? Where's the cake??" Christopher chose a Triple Chocolate Trifle three years in a row.... you get the point.....

Anyhow, Wade said his mom loves Pound Cake with berries. Hence, this cake. (Of course, Wade told me, "And don't make some fancy pound cake. Just make a plain old regular one.")

So if Wade asks, this is actually called Plain Old Regular Pound Cake.

What you need:

• One box "Butter Recipe Golden" cake mix- sometimes it's called "Butter Recipe Yellow"
• 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, at room temperature (or, if you're not going to remember to set the cream cheese out ahead of time, like me, microwaved until soft, about 30 seconds)
• 4 large eggs
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 tsp. almond extract

I bake this cake in the above pictured Pampered Chef Stoneware bundt pan. (Ok, seriously, isn't "bundt" a funny word?? ...or is it NOT that funny?? I DO hang around with kids all day, sometimes my sense of humor gets skewed.....)

P.S.- Don't judge me for using cake mix. 

Preheat the oven to 350. Grease the snot out of the bundt (hee hee) pan and flour it lightly. If you've never floured a pan before, you put a small amount of flour into the pan and knock the pan around to distribute the flour. OR, you can use the Pam for baking spray, which already has flour in it..... Either way, make sure it's thoroughly greased. There is nothing worse than having a cake halfway out of the pan and realizing the other half is going to remain IN the pan....

In the bowl of a mixer, put all the ingredients. Blend with the mixer on low for 1 minute. Scrape the mixer well. Blend with the mixer on medium for 2 more minutes. Pour into the snot-greased-out-of-it bundt pan. Bake for 35-40 minutes (mine took 45), or until the cake springs back when pressed lightly with your finger. Let the cake cool in the pan for 20 minutes on a wire rack, then invert the pan onto a serving platter. 

This cake is a kajillion times better if you make is at least a day ahead. It gets all moist and dense and perfect. Of course, then you smell it, and can't eat it for a day. See?? It's double-duty. You can bake and work on your self-control skills all at the same time. Multi-tasking rocks. (Or also, you can slice the cake up and serve it in slices on a platter and act like that is how you meant to serve it.... fyi- if I ever bring a dessert to your house that's already sliced and NOT served in the pan, it's because I've eaten some and didn't want to look like a pig.) (Except just kidding, it's really because I'm thoughtful and don't want anyone to have to go to all the work of slicing up the dessert. Yeah. That's it.)

Happy baking! 

I got this recipe from www.cakemixdoctor.com 

Oreo Overload Cupcakes

It was Wade's birthday recently.

His usual birthday "cake" of choice is Key Lime Pie, which I made for a family birthday dinner.

But I wanted to surprise him by taking something to his work.... and he has been on an unbelievable Oreo kick lately! I sometimes wonder if I am being some kind of enabler by continuing to purchase multiple packages of these cookies. I sometimes try and put my foot down..... but Wade is really cute. It's hard to say no to him.

So I found several recipes, and sort of combined a few, simplified, and came up with these!!

Yeah.... exactly. Make these.

Mmmmmm hmmmmmm...

Here's what you need:

• 1 box chocolate cake mix (Yes, all the recipes called for a from-scratch cake. But cut me some slack, I was totally sick for a week, and have been playing catch-up. Sometimes practicality wins.)
• 1 package regular Oreos
• 1 container of the mini Oreos (for garnish on top of the cupcakes, not necessary, but cute.) (I mean, cool. Wade wouldn't want "cute" cupcakes.)
• 2 containers of the white "whipped" icing- if you are going to use a knife to spread the icing on the cupcakes, you could probably just use one container. I plopped the icing in a Ziplock and snipped a corner off and sort of piped the icing on so it would be thick. I used most of the 2 containers.

Hey, just a side note- when you see these labels on packages, you should save them!! Schools get money when they turn these in, so even if your kid doesn't go to a school that redeems these, I'm sure you know someone who has a kid that DOES go to a school that redeems them! Free money rocks.

Line 24 muffin tins with paper cups, and place an Oreo in the bottom of each cup, like so:

Then make the box of cake mix up, according to the directions.

A side note here- some genius at Betty Crocker decided to put "Do Not Eat Raw Cake Batter" on the box. They did the same thing on their brownie mix box. Now, I know this is probably because someone sued them. But SERIOUSLY??!! Who is going to be deterred from eating raw batter because of a bossy box?? It seems like a waste of ink to me. Unfortunately, I was not consulted on the matter.

Okie dokie, now that you have made up the cake batter (And taken care NOT to eat ANY raw cake batter...), fill the cups 2/3 full, and bake according to the box directions. Note how I choose to follow some of the instructions on the box, but not all of them. YOU, of course, are free to follow the non-eating-of-the-cake-batter instructions. It's a free country.

Meanwhile, blend up or crush 3 Oreos to make crumbs. Mix these with the icing. After the cupcakes are cool, ice them. Then stick a mini Oreo on top of each cupcake.

Happy Baking!!

Iced Pumpkin Cookies (...or, I am declaring FALL in 90 degree weather..)

This has been a crazy week!

My truck hates me.

I don't know why it hates me- I love my truck! But alas, it does, indeed, hate me. It keeps refusing to start, got a flat tire..... battery went dead....

It makes me crazy when things don't work! Anything..... electronics, my phone, a plan...... are you that way too??!

Anyhow, on top of the craziness, there is some distinctly anti-Fall weather going on. I bought a few things to do some Fall baking, and was waiting and waiting for the season to assert itself....waiting in vain.

So, here are the cookies that scream "FALL"..... even though it was 85 degrees out today!

These cookies remind me of the awesome pumpkin scones from Starbucks. I love those. They are so awful for you nutritionally, but I crave them sometimes after a long run. And I figure, what the heck, it's pumpkin, right?? It has to be good for you somehow!!

Here's what you need:

For the dough:

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves (I omitted this. Not a fan)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
•  
• For the icing:
• 
  
• 2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 3 tablespoons milk (I subbed 1 Tb maple syrup for one Tb of the milk)
• 1 tablespoon melted butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mix the butter, white sugar, pumpkin, egg, and vanilla until well combined. Add the dry ingredients and mix until blended. Look at that dough! Isn't it pretty?? All thick and orange....mmmmmm.....

Drop by tablespoons onto a cookie sheet sprayed with Pam, and bake for 15 minutes in a pre-heated 350 oven. Cool on a rack.

Then whisk together the icing ingredients and spread onto the cooled cookies. If you are frugal with the icing, there will be enough for you to eat out of the bowl later. I highly recommend this method. It made me happy.

See?? These declare Fall, and are far more palatable than candy corn. Candy corn is so gross. Don't eat any. Eat these cookies instead.

I got this recipe from www.allrecipes.com

DINNER TONIGHT:
~BLT sandwiches made with turkey bacon
~tangerines
~pumpkin cookies (duh) :)

Homemade Peanut Butter Cups (And I wonder why I'm not skinny.....)

These are fabulous.

Do you have a teen aged boy in your house? I do. Here's what you do. Make these. Let him eat a whole bunch. Wait for the love.

.......it will come.

Warning: I cannot be responsible for the weight gain that will surely commence in your home when you make these. You must bear the burden for that yourself.

All you need:

1 cup butter, melted

2 cups graham cracker crumbs

2 cups powdered sugar

1 cup creamy peanut butter

1 1/2 cups chocolate chip

1/4 cup creamy peanut butter

Mix the butter, graham cracker crumbs, powdered sugar, and 1 cup peanut butter together in a medium bowl, until well combined:

DANGER!!!!! At this point, do not, FOR ANY REASON, take a taste. Otherwise you'll eat the whole thing. Use self control.

Spread this into an ungreased 9X13 pan:

Then stick the chocolate chips and 1/4 cup peanut butter into a small, microwave safe bowl, and microwave for 1 minute, then stir until smooth and combined:

Spread on top of the peanut butter mixture:

Then chill in the fridge for an hour. Cut into bars:

I will give you 3 guesses as to who took a bite out of the bottom bar. The first two don't count.....

Make these and hide in the closet with the whole pan and a gallon of milk.

Or give them to your family. It's up to you.

I got this recipe from http://www.allrecipes.com/

Frozen Chocolate-Covered Banana Bites (Quick and Easy Deliciousness!)

This is one of those recipes that, after you make it, is one that you know you will be making over and over. It's easy, uses ingredients that I almost always have in the house, and everybody LOVES these!! Plus, you can sort of customize the toppings to suit your people.

All you need is:

• 2 bananas, each cut into 8 slices (I sliced off the very tips where it was pointy)
• 1/4 cup chocolate chips (I used semi-sweet)
• 1/4 cup peanut butter (you should use creamy, because crunchy is gross)
• various toppings- I used chopped nuts, shredded coconut, and sprinkles

Before we continue, I have a comment about sprinkles. I only used them because my 7 year old requested them. I think, however, that sprinkles are very gross. They taste like chapstick, and they are the texture of wax and just get stuck in your teeth. If they made sprinkles out of, say, Red Vines, or Swedish Fish, that would be a different matter. This concludes my sprinkle trash talk.

Ok, so you need to put the chocolate chips and the peanut butter in the microwave for about 30 seconds, then stir until smooth. If it isn't smooth, pop it back into the microwave for 10 more seconds until it stirs up smooth. Then dip the banana slices into this mixture, setting them on a wax paper-lined cookie sheet when they're dipped.

Then sprinkle on whatever toppings you want

Then pop them in the freezer for a few hours! If you're like me, you can't really wait that long, so I had a semi-frozen one!

The banana gets all creamy and yummy when it's frozen!

These would make a fun weekend treat- you should make some to surprise your family!! Or make some and eat them all yourself! Ha ha!!

Have a GREAT Father's Day weekend, and make sure you celebrate your dad!

AMAZING Berry Oatmeal Bars

Here is a little warning.

Don't make these bars when you have no plans for them.

....that could end badly.

I wisely waited until we had a beach day planned, and made them to pack into a picnic lunch. I do admit I ate one as soon as there were cool.

I first had these when I visited my friend Summer, she had made a batch and I tried not to eat too many, but got the recipe and proceeded to go home, make a double batch, and eat them until I was sick.

Yeah, don't do that. It's not fun.

This recipe doubles well, just use a 9x13 pan instead of the 8x8. But DO NOT DOUBLE this recipe if you're not taking the bars somewhere. You'll end up where I was. <insert stomach-clutching groans here>

Ok, I'm not trying to state the obvious, but HOW DELICIOUS DO THESE BARS LOOK? And they ARE as delicious as they look!!!!!

You need:

• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 3/4 cup berry jam (I used strawberry, but seedless raspberry is GOOD too!)

I was lucky enough to have this AWESOME strawberry jam, homemade from my friend Susan. Holy cow, this stuff is GOOD. I know because I ate a spoonful right out of the jar tasted it. Why is it that when other people make food it always tastes about 100 times better?

You want to put all of the ingredients except the jam into a mixing bowl and cut the butter in with a pastry blender, which is the gadget I am holding in this photo (where I have carefully hidden my toe thumb) If you don't have a pastry blender NO BIGGIE! You can use a fork and just press the butter in, or use your hands.

When the butter's all mixed in, it will look like coarse crumbs, like this.

Press 2 cups of the crumb mixture into a greased 8x8 pan

Then spread the jam on top

Then sprinkle the remaining crumb mix over the top of the jam. Press it lightly down into the jam. Then bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes. Your house will smell incredible.

Cool, then cut into bars. Yeah. These are good. Enjoy!!

I got this recipe from http://www.allrecipes.com/ via my friend Summer. :)