Category Archives: Desserts

Chocolate Chip Stuffed Raspberries

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I’m not really sure if this is worthy of post by itself but I made these chocolate chip stuffed raspberries two nights ago for book club and they were a hit!  I was excited after everyone left and there were still some in the bowl.  They didn’t last much longer after that ;)

Something about chocolate and berries that gets me.  It’s like raspberry covered chocolate instead of chocolate covered raspberries!  You’ll also notice that I used white chocolate instead of milk chocolate.  I’m normally a big milk chocolate kind of girl but I like the white chocolate a lot more when it comes to covering food (or stuffing food in this case)!  It’s weird I know.  I bet these would be equally amaze-balls with milk chocolate chips though if the white chocolate isn’t your thing.

Hope you all enjoy these!  And if you don’t, try switching up the color of chocolate chip you use.  You’re bound to love some variation!

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Chocolate Chip Stuffed Raspberries

Ingredients

2 small containers of raspberries
Chocolate chips (white, milk chocolate, or both)

Directions

1. Wash the raspberries and try them with a paper towel.
2. After they’re dry, take a chocolate chip and stuff them inside the raspberry.
3. Continue until you have the amount desired.
4. Serve immediately.

The Leprechauns Got Me & Bailey’s Pudding Pie with Thin Mint Crust

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This weekend took on a whole new meaning of St. Patty’s day for me.  Instead of drinking like I’m 21, I ate.  And I ate and I ate.  It was ridiculous the amount of food (and Kopp’s custard) I consumed in those 48 hours.

We started the weekend ritzing it up at a fancy schmancy country club for a fish fry for my in-laws birthdays on Friday night.  It was delicious and wayyyy too much food.  But obviously I had to save room for the the best lemon bars ever for dessert.  I can always find room for dessert.

Remember that 7k run I was telling you I hoped would get snowed out?  Yeah that was Saturday and there was definitely fresh snow on the ground but not enough for it to be cancelled which was lame lame lame.  Standing in the mid 20 degree weather before the race was by far the worst part and I finally gained feeling in my toes again by mile two.  Ahh the things we do for a free cup of green beer.

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This little man kept me warm after the run (although he does look like a giant here!)

Sunday was dedicated to relaxing and making Bailey’s Pudding Pie for an Irish dinner my friend was hosting.  Check out this Guinness beef stew of hers.

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Seriously amazing.

I made this for dessert and even though it doesn’t make the prettiest presentation when on a plate, people did have good things to say about it.  Who wouldn’t?  It has Girl Scout cookies in it people!

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What’s that you say?  You don’t see a picture of how un-pretty it is on a plate?  Well let me tell you that I had every intention of taking a picture of the leftovers when I got home from work tonight since I didn’t get a chance to take a picture of it yesterday but lo and behold Mr. C. was rinsing out the pie pan and telling me how good it was when I walked in the doorway.  I almost cried.  And had some not so nice words to say.  But I couldn’t not share this recipe with you today.  Picture the slice of the pie to look a little something like crushed Thin Mints on the bottom for crust, chocolate pudding in the middle and this whipped cream and crushed Thin Mint cookies for garnish on top.  I bet your imagination is coming up with something a whole lot prettier than what I was going to present anyways!

If you’re all about the presentation for this though, you could use pint size jars for each serving.  They look really pretty and are probably more practical if you are making this for an outing (like a picnic) instead of a group dinner.

Bailey’s Pudding Pie with Thin Mint Crust (found originally on Crazy for Crust)

Ingredients

For the Crust
2 sleeves (17) Thin Mint (or the Keebler equivalent), finely ground, 2 tablespoons reserved for garnish*
6 tablespoons butter, melted*

For the Pudding
1 egg
1 ½ cups milk
2/3 cups sugar
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3 tablespoons corn starch
1 teaspoon instant coffee (a little less than 1 Via packet)
2 tablespoons butter
4 ounces good semi-sweet chocolate
¼ cup Bailey’s Irish Cream (1 mini bottle) {Don’t drink? No problem Just leave this out!}

For the Garnish
½ cup heavy whipping cream
2 teaspoons powdered sugar
Reserved 2 tablespoon of ground Thin Mints

Directions
1. Mix finely ground cookies with butter. Pour into pie pan, press to flatten, and chill until ready to use.
2. Whisk egg in a small bowl and set aside.
3. Whisk milk, cocoa, sugar, coffee, and corn starch in a medium saucepan. Heat over medium heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture begins to thicken (about 5 minutes).
4. Remove from heat and pour one ladle of the hot chocolate mixture into the egg bowl, while whisking the egg. Then pour the egg mixture back into the pan and whisk to combine. Return to heat and cook just until it begins to boil.
5. Remove from heat and stir in chocolate and butter. Once melted, stir in the Bailey’s. Pour the pudding onto the cooled crust. Cover the top with plastic (press the plastic so that it is touching the top of the pudding) and chill until cooled.
6. Add cold heavy cream to a chilled bowl (I like to chill my bowl and whisk in the refrigerator for at least 10 minutes prior to making whipped cream). Add powdered sugar and beat on high speed until stiff peaks form.
7. Portion whipped cream over cooled pudding and top with reserved crushed Thin Mints.

Pretzel Rolo Nut Bites

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Just popping in to introduce one of my favorite bloggers!  Amanda blogs over at Once Upon a Recipe and agreed to share a mouthwatering sweet treat with all of us.  Cheers to our sweet tooth!
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Hello Read, Eat, Create readers! Happy Wednesday! I am so delighted to be guest posting for Erin today. She’s got such a cute little space here! My name is Amanda and I share my kitchen creations over at Once Upon a Recipe. I have a rather uncontrollable sweet tooth and love to share sugary delights with any willing participant!

Therefore it is only fitting for me to share a sweet treat with you today. It’s simple, quick, and rather addictive, so consider yourself warned.

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These little Pretzel Rolo Nut Bites were first introduced to me many years ago by my BFF. She brought them to a potluck and everyone went absolutely crazy for them. For some reason they popped back into my brain the other day and I thought they’d be darn near perfect to share. Perhaps I was lusting after their sweet and salty perfection and needed a quick fix. If you find yourself having the same craving, don’t fret! You are mere minutes away from pure satisfaction.

Here’s how we rock it:

Step One: Gather your supplies. You’ll need small pretzels (either regular pretzel shape or the square shape works even better for this), Rolos, and your favorite nut (pecans, walnuts, almonds, etc.).

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Step Two: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line up your pretzels on a large baking sheet that has been lined with parchment paper or a Silpat. Place one Rolo in the centre of each pretzel.

Step Three: Bake for 2-3 minutes, or just until the Rolo has softened. Remove from the oven.

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Step Four: Working quickly, place a nut on top of the Rolo and gently press down to flatten it. Be careful not to burn your finger on the hot chocolate! Allow to cool for a few minutes, and then stick the pan in the freezer for about 10 minutes to allow the bites to completely set.

Step Five: Try not to eat the whole batch in one sitting.

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The great thing about these little treats is that you can control exactly how many you make at one time. You can make 5 or you can make 50. These bites also make a great gift – pack them up in a little tin or in a treat bag and tie with a bow. I can’t speak for everyone, but a sweet little gift like that would totally brighten my day.

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Pretzel Rolo Nut Bites

The amount of each ingredient is up to you, depending on how many bites you wish to make. Just remember that you need the same number of pretzels, Rolos, and nuts! I toasted my pecans and walnuts first. Just spread a single layer of nuts on a baking sheet and pop them in the oven at 350 degrees for about 7-8 minutes. When they become fragrant, you’re good to go!

Mini pretzels
Rolos
Pecans, walnuts, almonds, cashews, you name it!

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat. Lay the pretzels out in a single layer, top with a Rolo, and bake for 2-3 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and top each Rolo with your favorite nut, pressing down gently to flatten it. Once the baking sheet has cooled down a little bit, pop the whole thing into the freezer for about 10 minutes to allow the bites to set. Store the bites in an airtight container, with wax paper between the layers to avoid the bites sticking together.

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Thanks for hosting me Erin! For more sweet recipes (and some savory too!), pop by and visit me some time at Once Upon a Recipe!

Xo,
Amanda

Peanut Butter Cookies

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It’s 1:25am and I’m finally getting around to posting the peanut butter cookie recipe that I promised yesterday on Instagram.  Sure I had all day (since I came home after being at work for two hours because I was so sick) to do this post but why wouldn’t I procrastinate?  Story of my life even though Mr. C. tries so hard to change that.

It was 52 degrees outside today and it’s pouring rain right now.  Yesterday we got dumped on with an inch or two of snow and an ice storm.  This weather is whacked up.  I’m ready for summer.  It may be sticky and uncomfortably hot but at least it’s consistent.

Last week I made these cookies and they were oh so good.  I kept saying “Just one more and then I’ll pack them away”.  I’m pretty sure it was seven cookies later when I finally kept my word.  Do yourself a favor and make them.  Then give them to your husband to take to work and you will win major brownie points.  Or just take them to your own work and they will be begging you to make them again.  Win-win either way.

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Peanut Butter Cookies
Makes 5-6 dozen

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup creamy OR chunky peanut butter (I did half cup chunky and half cup creamy since it was all the peanut butter I had left in my house)
1 cup butter (softened)
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a small bowl. Set aside.
2. Combine peanut butter with butter in a large bowl and beat with electric mixer until smooth.
3. Beat in both sugars, then eggs and vanilla extract until blended.
4. Beat in flour mixture until just blended (Refridgerate dough if you need to here).
5. Shape dough into 1 inch balls. Arrange dough on an ungreased cookie sheet 2 inches apart.
6. Gently flatten each cookie and press a crisscross pattern into tops with a fork.
7. Lightly sprinke sugar over tops of cookies.
8. Bake 12 minutes or until lightly golden. Cool completely in wire rack and store in airtight container.

Red Velvet Cake Balls

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Monday and Tuesday I went on a baking streak. I spent the entire day buying ingredients that I will probably use only once ever (crushed cloves??), test driving my hand mixer whisk style, dropping snippets of dough and large chunks of peppermints (thank you Jack for cleaning that mess up), and frosting the walls, stove top, and every counter space we have with melted chocolate.

I am not a graceful baker. In fact, I don’t know if I even like baking. I’m slowly learning that it’s not my forte. I’d rather chop a bunch of vegetables, sautee garlic, roll wrappings around egg roll ingredients. That’s okay though. I’m pretty sure I had the same reaction last year when I was getting frustrated make these guys but I still kept going. And I’m already accumulating sweet treat recipes for next year. Guess I like it enough to keep trying!

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I’ll start with my favorite Christmas treat of them all (and yes, I will post the rest of the recipes in the next couple days). These little balls of deliciousness really do melt in your mouth. I’ve never really been a huge fan of red velvet cake (or cake in general…gasp!!! I know…) but these changed my  mind real quick.

They weren’t really hard to make either which was kind of nice but I did have one challenge. I melted the chocolate and dipped the balls into the chocolate which wasn’t pretty because they kept crumbling but not the end of the world. Then I ran out of milk chocolate and I still had another tray of cake balls to dip so I figured That’s okay, I’ll just melt the white chocolate that I have and dip the balls in those and put pretty sprinkles on top. The cake ball gods had other plans. Note to self if you make these: white chocolate is not melting friendly. I melted it and stirred it around half way through and it was hard on the bottom. So I kept melting. The longer I melted it the stiffer the chocolate got.  It’s like it melted and then hardened almost instantly. So I took it out quick and drizzled some over the milk chocolate balls and then started dipping the leftover cake balls.

You want to talk about frustrating. I got through about half of them and had had it. The rest of them ended up looking a little something like this…

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Yeah, you laugh. Whatever. Post a picture after you’re done dipping them in white chocolate so I can laugh at you!

Minus the terribly hideous white on red cake balls, they turned out pretty mouth watering. Add some festive sprinkles and you have a delicious dessert on your hands.

Also if anyone has any tips on melting white chocolate, it would be MUCH appreciated.  Since…you know…I suck at it.

Red Velvet Cake Balls (adapted from Iowa Girl Eats)

Makes between 40-50

Ingredients

1 box red velvet cake mix (plus ingredients required on back of box)
16oz Baker’s Semi-Sweet Chocolate
6oz Baker’s White Chocolate
colored sprinkles

For the cream cheese frosting (could use store-bought):
1/4 cup butter, softened to room temperature
4oz 1/3-less fat cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup powdered sugar

Directions

1. Bake red velvet cake according to package directions. Let cool completely then crumble into a very large bowl.
2. In a separate large bowl, cream together butter and cream cheese until smooth.
3. Add vanilla then beat until combined. Add powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, then beat until combined.
4. Incorporate half the cream cheese frosting into the cake crumbles, then add more frosting until the cake crumbles just come together.
5. Scoop by the Tablespoon then roll into balls and place on a wax-paper lined baking sheet.
6. Repeat with remaining cake then refrigerate for 1-2 hours.
7. Melt semi-sweet chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl in 30 second increments, stirring between increments, until smooth.
8. Dip cake balls in chocolate using two forks, then place back on wax paper.
9. Melt white chocolate in 20 second increments, stirring between increments, then use a spoon to drizzle over cake balls.
10. Sprinkle with colored sprinkles, if desired, then refrigerate until chocolate is hardened. Keep refridgerated for best results until your ready to eat.

10 Things (Not Things But Cookies!!!) Sunday

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Tis the season to gain 10 pounds (or more) with Christmas cookies everywhere in sight!  Let me help you with that as if you need help.  These cookies I scouted out on the web and they are surely on my Christmas cookie list this season!

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1.  Chocolate Fudge Cookies with Candy Cane

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2.  Coconut Macaroons

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3.  Chocolate Chunk Peppermint Pudding Cookies DSC_0017

4.  Rolo Pretzel M&M Cookies Peppermint-Snickerdoodles-recipe-Taste-and-Tell-3

5.  Peppermint Snickerdoodles toffee apple pie cookies3-001

6.  Toffee Apple Pie Cookies

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7.  Dark Chocolate and Mint Chip Clouds IMG_5358

8.  Star Peppermint Bark

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9.  Molasses Trip Chocolate Cookies

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10.  Peppermint Cunch Puppy Chow

Can you tell I have a mild obsession with peppermint during the holidays?  Hope you find something in here that you like!

Peanut Butter Balls

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Christmas in your mouth.

That’s how I like to explain this incredible recipe.  Weird?  Hear me out.

I am a sweets junkie.  I’ve gotten a lot better since Mr. C. and I first started dating (ask him and he’ll tell you that I would have Sour Patch Kids for breakfast, Candy Corn for lunch, and Gummy Bears for dinner…what’s the problem?!) but I still do love love love to make sweet treats especially when I know people will be wiping drool from their chin before they even try them.  Though I’m not a big cupcakes or cake person (weird I know), I do love cookies, brownies, blah blah blah sugar.

Shocking I know.

But can we just get back to the point for a minute here?  Because the point of this post is to share something very near and dear to me but mostly to my sweet tooth.  And it will be close to yours too once you try them.  These peanut butter balls are all sorts of unhealthy (intake in small doses) but your taste buds will thank you after one bite.

I discovered this recipe on Amanda’s blog but found that a batch to feed an army and a batch to feed one person wasn’t going to cut it.  I needed the happy middle batch.  You know, the one that you take to your work meetings for people to snack on but they won’t get sick of them by the end of the day.  Here’s to being the middle man.

Peanut Butter Balls

Makes anywhere between 30 to 50 depending on how small you make your balls

Ingredients:

1.5 lbs. powdered sugar

.5 lb margarine

2 cups peanut butter

1.5 packages chocolate chips

1/4 cake parrafin wax

Directions:

Combine the powdered sugar, margarine, and peanut butter in a large bowl and mix them with your hands until everything is well blended.  Chill for 1/2 hour.

Roll the dough into balls and chill them.

Heat the chocolate chips and paraffin wax in a double boiler until they melt.

Then, dip the balls into the melted chocolate, and cool them on wax paper.

Store the peanut butter balls in the refrigerator until ready to use.

**Note: The main difference between Amanda’s directions and mine are she suggests to melt the chocolate first and I don’t suggest that.  I made this recipe according to her instructions the first time and found the chocolate cooled too quickly and became very chunky when trying to reheat which made it difficult to coat the peanut butter balls nicely.

Time:

1.5 to 2 hours

Enjoy.  And try not to consume them all in one sitting.

Tasty Tuesday Fourth of July Style

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Anyone else so so excited for July to be here? I know I am because the Fourth is one of my favorite holidays but doesn’t it seem like after the Fourth of July the summer just flies by?   Yeesh.  Make sure you make the most of it!

In honor of the Fourth of July being tomorrow, today I’m sharing two terrific things I made to bring to the cookout tomorrow.  They’re easy and festive and can put a smile on most people’s everyones faces! 

Ingredients
Strawberries
Blueberries
Bananas
Skewers
Directions (really don’t think I need to add this part since a monkey could make these)
1.  Stab fruit on skewers
2.  Make into pretty American Flag
Ingredients
Pretzel Rods
White Chocolate
Milk Chocolate
Sprinkles
Directions (again…necessary?)
1.  Melt chocolate
2.  Dip pretzel into chocolate
3.  Dip chocolate pretzel into sprinkles
4.  When you’re done, store in refridgerator until ready to serve
I am not going to be serving either treat on the cookie sheets that they are currently on (how boring would that be) so I’ll make sure to take pictures of my creative display of how the final look is!  Hope this gives you a little inspiration to start whipping something together that’s quick and easy for tomorrow!

Tasty Tuesday Easter Treats

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Hey guys!  I hope everyone had such a wonderful Easter with their loved ones.  We obviously want to let our focus be on the real reason we celebrate Easter…but all the candy and delicious food around the table on this special day is always a nice perk too!  This Easter I made the desserts for the crew.  This was one of the few family get togethers where there were kids present so I wanted to make it extra special for them.  Hence…two desserts! 
Dessert Number One…
Chocolate Mint Brownies
(this seemed to be a hit with not just the adults but the kids demolished them too!)

Ingredients

Brownie Base

  • 1 box (1 lb 2.4 oz) Betty Crocker® Original Supreme Premium brownie mix
  • Water, egg, vegetable oil (call for on the box)

Filling

  • 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • 3 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
  • 3 tablespoons whipping cream
  • 2 oz cream cheese softened
  • 1/4 teaspoon mint extract
  • 2 drops green food coloring

Topping

  • 1/3 cup whipping cream
  • 1 1/3 cups (or 8 oz) semisweet chocolate chips
  • 1/3 cup butter (not margarine)

Directions

1.  Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pan). Grease bottom only of 9-inch square pan with shortening or cooking spray. (For easier cutting, line pan with foil, then grease foil on bottom only of pan.) Make and bake brownie mix as directed on box. Cool completely, about 1 1/2 hours.
2.  In large bowl, beat filling ingredients with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Spread over cooled brownies. Refrigerate about 1 hour or until set.
3.  Meanwhile, in 2-quart nonstick saucepan, heat topping ingredients over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until melted and smooth. Cool about 10 minutes or until lukewarm.
4.  Pour topping over filling; spread to cover. Refrigerate uncovered about 2 hours or until set. Before cutting into bars, let stand 10 minutes at room temperature. For bars, cut into 5 rows by 4 rows. Store covered in refrigerator.

Dessert Number Two…
Rice Krispie Treats with M&M’s
Ingredients

3 Tablespoons butter (or margarine)
4 cups miniature marshmallows (or one 10 ounce Pkg regular size)
6 cups Rice Krispies (or other crisp rice cereal)
1/2 to 3/4 cups Pastel Easter M&M’s or in my case regular M&M’s but make sure not to include the brown ones :)

Directions

1.  Melt butter in large pan over low heat.
2.  Add marshmallows to melted butter and stir until completly melted. Remove from heat.
3.  Add crisp rice cereal and mix until thoroughly combined.

4.  Add M&M’s now – after you have mixed everything together! The cereal should be completely mixed into the melted marshmallows and still be warm and gooey. Now sprinkle the M&M’s over the mixture and gently fold them in. You don’t want to break the M&M’s if possible. Turn the mixture over with your spoon or spatula several times until they are mixed in.
5.  Press into greased dish.
6.  If you want to add any more M&M’s to the top, now is the time! Work quickly while the mixture is still pliable and push more of the M&M’s into the top of the treats. When the mixture cools it will be too late and the M&M’s will not stick.
Both these recipes were so easy and such a hit with everyone!  Did anyone else make any delicious sweet treat for Easter?