Reece's Pieces Cookies

As you might have already guessed, I LOVE peanut butter.  I saw this recipe a few days ago and it went straight to the top of my baking to-do list.  This cookie has Reece's Pieces, peanut butter chips, and chocolate chips.  I think the cookie might have been better if it was a peanut butter cookie with the add-ins, but this cookie was still delicious!  I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as i did!!

This recipe is adapted from The Sweet's Life

Recipe - Yield 4 dozen

Ingredients:

3 1/2 Cup Flour

3/4 Teaspoon Salt

3/4 Teaspoon Baking Soda

1 Cup Brown Sugar

3/4 Cup Sugar

1 Cup Butter, unsalted and room temperature

2 Eggs

1 Tablespoon Vanilla

2 Cups Mix-ins (A combination of Reece's Pieces, chocolate chips, and peanut butter chips)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Mix together flour, salt and baking soda is small bowl.
3. In a large mixing bowl, or in your Kitchen Aid mixer, cream the butter and sugars.  Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until combine.
4. Add the flour mixture, and beat until combine.  Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
5. Add the mix-ins, and mix just until combine.
6. Drop the dough onto the cookie sheet, and bake until lightly brown.  About 8-10 minutes.
7. Cool the cookies and Enjoy!!

Happy Birthday Bryan!

Today I made a cake for one of my young readers.  He turns 6 today and really wanted an Advengers birthday cake with flames!  So here is what I made!  I hope you have a great day Bryan and you love your cake!

Crispy Oatmeal Cookies

This recipe I made today with the 2 1/2 year old twin girls I babysit.  The mom had the idea that these would be granola bar like cookies and some what healthy.  Whether these are healthy or not is debatable, but I will tell you that they are delicious!  There is a tablespoon of cinnamon which I love and will make your home smell wonderful!  

Recipe - Yield 4 dozen

Ingredients:

1 Cup Butter, unsalted, room temperature

1 Cup Sugar

1 Cup Brown Sugar

2 Eggs

1 Teaspoon Vanilla

1 1/2 Cup Whole Wheat Flour

1 Tablespoon Baking Soda

1 Teaspoon Salt

1 Tablespoon Cinnamon

1/2 Cup Chopped Pecans

3 1/4 Cups Rolled Oats

Directions:

1. Combine the dry ingredients in a small bowl - the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.
2. Cream the butter and sugars together.  Add eggs and vanilla and mix until smooth.
3. Add dry ingredients and mix until combine.  Add pecan and oats and mix.  
4. Divide into 4 balls and roll into a log.  Refrigerate for at least an hour.  
5. Cut log into 1/2 inch cookies and bake until brown and crispy, about 15-18 minutes, or for a softer and chewier cookie, bake for 12-14 minutes.  Cool on rack.
6. Enjoy!!

Guest Blogger Post: Monster Cookies

Happy President's Day!  It is a great day as for I had the opportunity to be a guest blogger on Sweet As Sugar Cookies! She has been blogger for over a year and I am her first guest blogger!  She makes some amazing treats and is a great cook too!  Today I made some delicious monster cookies, I encourage everyone to go check it out HERE!  

Better Than Crack Brownies

So this recipe has been gaining popularity over the last few weeks. I have been seeing it everywhere so I decided it was time to try it for myself.  I also had all the ingredients in my pantry just waiting to be used.  I still had leftover marshmallows, Rice Krispies, and peanuts, as well as lots of those Reece's Christmas tree leftover from Christmas.   So I gathered all the ingredients and went to work!  I used the Oooey Goooey Fudgey Brownie recipe from How Sweet It Is because it had marshmallows in the batter and with a name like that, I had to try it!  Its kinda magical because all the marshmallows disappear in the oven and leaves you with a fluffy fudgey delicious brownie.  Anyways, the brownie recipe alone is ridiculously amazing, but with all the other goodies on top, it becomes better then crack status!  Once you try these, i don't think you will ever want to eat regular brownies again!  Its not much more work, but yet the outcome is triple the taste!  You get the crunch from the Rice Krispies and peanuts, as well as a creamy peanut butter from the middle layer of Reece's!  You really cant go wrong, and I am sure this will be a hit wherever you serve it!  I hope this encourages all you bakers out there to try this recipe!!

Somebody took a bite....

Better Then Crack Brownies

Yield - 24 Brownies

Ingredients:

1 Batch of Brownies (box mix, oooey gooey fudgey brownies from below, or your favorite recipe)

1/2 Cup Peanuts (salted or unsalted)

1-2 Cups Chopped Reece's Peanut Butter Cups

1 1/2 Cup Chocolate Chips

1 1/2 Cup Peanut Butter (I used creamy)

1/2 Tablespoon Butter

2-3 Cups Rice Krispies

Directions

1. Mix brownies according to recipe.  Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until almost done in a 9x13 pan.
2. Remove from oven and top with peanuts and Reece's peanut butter cups, then bake for another 4-6 minutes.
3. While they are finishing baking, melt the butter, peanut butter, and chocolate chips together.  Stir in the Rice Krispies.  
4. Remove the brownies from the oven and top with the cereal mixture.
5. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.
6. Enjoy with a glass of milk!

Ooey Goooey Fudgey Brownies

Yield - 24 Brownies

Ingredients:

1 Stick Butter, unsalted

1/2 Cup Semisweet Chocolate Chips or bakers chocolate

2 Cups Sugar

4 Eggs

1 Cup Flour

1 Teaspoon Vanilla

1 Cup Chocolate Chips

2 Cups Mini Marshmallows

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Melt butter and 1/2 cup chocolate in a microwave safe bowl.
3. Pour the melted mixture into the bowl of your kitchen aid.  Cream the mixture for 2 minutes.
4. Add in the sugar and vanilla and beat for 2-3 minutes.
5. Add in eggs one at a time.  Add flour just until combine.
6. Fold in chocolate chips and marshmallows.
7. Pour into a greased 9x13 pan, and bake for 20-25 minutes or until just done.
8. Continue with the Better Than Crack recipe from above, or eat plain.
9. ENJOY!!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Today I decided to make something classic and simple for one of the wonderful staff at Working Wardrobes.  She has helped me with the job search process so I thought she deserved some cookies!  These chocolate chip cookies are amazing! Perfectly soft with lots of chocolate chips!!  I am sure most people have their own chocolate chip cookie recipe they use, but I urge you to try this one!!  It is sure to impress!  I got this recipe from Lovin From The Oven.  

Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
Yield - 2 Dozen
2 Cups Flour
1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
3/4 Cup Butter, unsalted, melted
1 Cup Packed Brown Sugar
1/2 Cup Sugar
1 Tablespoon Vanilla
1 Egg
1 Egg Yolk
2 Cups Semisweet Chocolate Chips


Directions:

1. Sift flour, baking soda, and salt together and set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar until well blended. Beat in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until combine. 
3. Mix in the sifted ingredients until just blended. Add the chocolate chips and mix just until combined.
4. Refrigerate the dough for at least an hour.  Preheat the oven to 325.
5. Spoon cookie dough onto cookie sheet.  I used a cookie scoop, but a spoon or tablespoon measurement works fine too depending on what size cookies you want.
6. Bake for 14-16 minutes or until the edges are lightly toasted. Cool and then EAT!
7. Enjoy!!

Nutella Chocolate Souffles

I hope everyone had a wonderfully valentines day!  My boyfriend took me to dinner but I insisted on making dessert.  I love chocolate and I love nutella, so when I found this recipe for nutella chocolate souffles, I knew this would be a winner recipe!  I was very nervous while making this, I did some research and there were so many tips and things to make sure the souffles came out perfect.  Needless to say, my first attempt was a SUCCESS!  They were perfect!!  They were very light and fluffy, chocolaty and moist!  The nutella had just sunk to the bottom, but it was a nice surprise when you got there.  Overall, I would recommend this recipe to anyone with a love for nutella!!   Sorry the pictures are not the best, I was so anxious to try it i just snapped a few while they were cooling.   

Nutella Chocolate Souffles - Adapted from Chocolate and Carrots

Yield - 2 Souffles

Ingredients:

1/4 Cup Flour

1/4 Cup Unsweetened Cocoa

1/4 Teaspoon Baking Powder

1/4 Cup Semisweet Chocolate Chips

4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1 Egg

2 Egg Whites

1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla

1/4 Cup + half of 1/4 Cup Sugar

1/8 Teaspoon of Salt - or just a pinch

2 Spoon Scoops of Nutella

Directions:

1. Preheat Oven to 350.
2. Spray 2 ramekins with PAM.
3. In a small bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa, and baking powder together.
4. In a small microwaveable bowl, melt the chocolate chips and butter together.  It should take 1-2 minutes and be sure to stop and stir every 30 seconds.  Stir til smooth.
5. In another bowl, preferably glass, beat together the eggs, vanilla, sugar and salt with a hand mixer.  Mix on high speed for about 5 minutes or until a light yellow color.  
6. Mix in the chocolate mixture just until combined.
7. Fold in the dry ingredients, just until combine.
8. Spoon the batter 1/2 way into the ramekins, then drop a spoon full of nutella into the middle, then fill the rest of the way with the last of the batter. 
9. Put in a roasting pan and then bake for about 25- 30 minutes or until the cakes have risen and they are little cracks on the top!
10. Let cool for 5 minutes, and server immediately!  Serve with ice cream or whipped cream, or eat plain!
11. Enjoy!! 

Chocolate Sugar Cookies

Here is just a picture post because I wasn't very happy with the recipe.  I made the chocolate sugar cookies from Joy of Baking thinking that they would be good, but that was far from my experience today.   They had a very weird texture that I didn't like and were difficult to roll out.  Maybe I didn't make the dough correctly or something else went wrong, but I wasn't impressed.  I decided to decorate them anyway in the spirit of Valentines day.  I hope you like them!

Valentine's Day Vanilla Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream

I have been dying to make a homemade vanilla cupcake and today was the day.  I spent some time researching recipes but I don't like to bake with sour cream, and I didn't want to use milk.  I eventually gave up finding one without milk and picked this one from The-Crafty-Penguin.  I really liked the recipe because it only made 8 cupcakes which is perfect for me.  Now if you make this you must follow the directions carefully!  It is not the normal process for making a cupcake batter, so don't be alarmed, it will turn out okay in the end.  I was thrilled with the results and this will definitely be my go to recipe!  It really is just as quick and easy as a box mix!!  I also decided to spice it up a little bit and do different color layers.  I think it looks very Valentine's Day festive!  Enjoy!!!

Vanilla Cupcake
Yield - 8 Cupcakes
Ingredients:
1 Cup Flour
3/4 Cup Sugar
1 1/2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
A Pinch of Salt
3 Tablespoons of Butter, unsalted, room temperature
1/2 Cup Whole Milk
1 Egg
1/4 to 1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla - depending on how vanilla-yy you like it


Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325.
2. In bowl of stand mixer, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and butter with paddle on slow. 
3. When the mixture forms a sandy consistency (this will happen pretty quickly), slowly pour in half the milk. Stop mixing once combined.
4. In a small bowl, whisk the other half of the milk together with the egg and vanilla (this will just take a few seconds.) Pour into flour mixture and mix until smooth (no more than a couple minutes.) Scrape the bowl as you are mixing.
5. Extra Step if you want color - Divide batter evenly into the number of colors you want.  Mix in the color completely with a spoon, then continue on...
6. Pour into a muffin tin that is lined with cupcake wrappers. Each wrapper should be no more than 2/3 full. This will make 8 cupcakes. 
7. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes at 325 degrees F. Cupcakes are done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
8. Enjoy!!

Vanilla Buttercream

Yield: Enough for 8 Cupcakes

Ingredients:

3 Cups Powdered Sugar

1/3 Cup Butter, unsalted, room temperature

1 1/2 Teaspoons Vanilla

2 Tablespoons Milk - depending on what consistency you want

Directions

1. Beat butter for a couple minutes on high, using paddle attachment. Turn mixer to low and slowly add powdered sugar.
2. Add vanilla extract and slowly add milk. Increase speed and beat for another minute or two, until fluffy. 
3. For thicker frosting, add more powdered sugar. For thinner frosting, add more milk.
4. Pipe or spread and ENJOY!!

Rocky Road Brownies

This again is a recipe I made because I had stuff in my pantry that I need to use.  Marshmallows were my item this time and so I decided to make these delicious rocky road brownies.   They were super easy and so delicious!!  I hope you enjoy making these as much as I did!!

Recipe adapted from Savory Sweet Life
Recipe: Yield 16 brownies


Ingredients:
3/4 Cup Butter, Melted
1 1/2 Cup Sugar
2 Teaspoons Vanilla
2 Eggs
3/4 Cup Flour
1/2 Cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1/3 Cup Chopped Peanuts (or whatever nuts you like)
1/2 Cup Chocolate Chips
1/2 Cup Mini Marshmallows


Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
2. In a medium-large bowl, mix by hand melted butter, sugar, and vanilla until blended. Add one egg at a time mixing/beating well. 
3. Add flour, cocoa, and salt and stir the batter until fully incorporated making sure you scrape the sides of the bowl including the bottom. 
4. Spray an 8×8 square pan with non-stick spray. Spread brownie batter inside the pan as evenly as possible. 
5. Evenly distribute the marshmallows/chocolate/almond mixture all over the top of the brownie batter. Using the back of a clean spoon, gently press down the topping mixture into the batter just enough so the topping is slightly packed down. 
6. Bake for 25 minutes or until done. Marshmallows will have a slight crisp edges. 
7. Allow to cool slightly before serving.  Brownies slice really nicely if completely cooled.
8. ENJOY!!