Nutella Cookie Cups

Ingredients 1 cup butter (softened) 1 cup white sugar 1 cup packed brown sugar 2 eggs 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 3 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt Jar of Nutella(12 tablespoons per batch) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease your mini muffin tin (unless it is nonsticklike mine). Cream butter and both sugar in bowl until light, smooth and fluffy! Beat in eggs and vanilla until fully incorporated. Gradually add dry ingredients (flour, salt, baking soda) until all the flour is mixed in! Roll dough into balls 1.5 inches thick. Pop them in the mini muffin tin and bake for 10-12 minutes, until golden brown but not too dark around the edges. When done, remove from oven and let sit for about 2 minutes. Then make wells for the nutella with a shot glass, a similar object or a spoon. Add 1 tbsp Nutella to each cup – it will start to melt quickly so you can swirl it around and make it nice and smooth. Let cool 15-20 minutes in tin. Remove from tin and place in your mouth. Repeat. Nutella will solidify in about an hour, which then makes them safe to transport! To share.. you know? Sharing? This recipe made enough for 3 batches for me. I kept the dough in the freezer and rolled/baked them from frozen and they were perfect!

Salted Caramel Pretzel Bark

http://mamasaywhat.com/salted-caramel-pretzel-bark/


fantastic and easy - better if served straight out of the freezer

Chocolate Crack

http://www.recipesnobs.com/2011/11/chocolate-crack.html

I didn't care for this.  Although I had compliments on it, I won't make it again.

Chocolate Orange Ganache Cookies

http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2011/10/chocolate-orange-cake-mix-cookies-with.html

These were delicious!

Peanut Butter Cocoa Krispies Smores Bars

http://www.loveveggiesandyoga.com/2012/01/peanut-butter-cocoa-krispies-smores-bars.html?printthis=1&printsect=1

Chocolate Marshmallow Cake

There really is no explanation needed.  This cake is amazing.  If you make one cake this year, it should be this one.  SOOOO delicious!

Chocolate Marshmallow Cake with Chocolate Satin Frosting

PB and Banana Choc Chunk Cookies

I tried to make these but they weren't a big hit.


Peanut Butter and Banana Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Chocolate Gooey Butter Cookies

Alex said that the cookies taste doughnuts.
Jasmine and Bret both liked them as well.

Easy to make - but I don't like things that aren't instant - I had to chill for at least two hours (which for me usually means overnight)

These were in the Food Network Cookie email - I'm getting one every day for them. So far there have only been two that I want to make.

Chocolate Snowstorms

1 1/4 cups brown sugar
1 stick butter
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda


Mix butter and brown sugar. Add egg and vanilla. Wisk in flour, baking soda, cocoa powder, and salt. Stir into butter mixture.
Chill 30 minutes.
Roll into balls and bake 12-15 minutes at 350.
Roll finished cookies in powdered sugar.


I made these tonight and kept some home and took some to Bev Ashcroft for teaching my sunday school lesson - Thanks Bev!

Chocolate, Peanut Butter and Banana Cupcakes

Ingredients
Cupcakes:

* 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter (recommended: Skippy)
* 1 cup sliced and firmly packed, ripe banana
* 1 tablespoon canola oil
* 3 tablespoons water
* 1 large egg
* 1 tablespoon Dutch process cocoa powder
* 1 (9-ounce) package devil's food cake mix without pudding (recommended: Jiffy)

Peanut Butter Frosting:

* 2 1/2 tablespoons softened unsalted butter
* 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter (recommended: Skippy)
* 1/3 cup plus 2 1/4 teaspoons powdered sugar
* 1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons whole milk
* 2 1/2 tablespoons roasted and lightly salted chopped peanuts
* 10 dried banana chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Place a medium-sized platter in the freezer.

Line 10 standard (2 3/4-inch wide) muffin cups with paper liners. Set aside.

To make the cupcakes, in a medium bowl and with an electric mixer, beat the peanut butter, sliced banana, oil and water together on medium speed until mostly smooth or only a few very small pieces of banana are visible. On low speed beat in the egg, cocoa powder and the cake mix. Increase speed to medium-high and beat for 1 minute or until batter is well blended.

Spoon an equal amount of batter into the lined muffin cups, filling each about 2/3 full. Bake on the center rack for 15 to 20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted into the center of cakes comes out clean.

Remove cupcakes from the pan and place on the platter in the freezer. Freeze for 8 minutes to quickly cool the cupcakes.

While the cakes cool, make the frosting, with an electric mixer beat together the butter and peanut butter until smooth. Gradually beat in the powdered sugar and 1 1/2 teaspoons milk until frosting reaches a spreadable consistency. (If needed, add up to an extra 1/2 teaspoon of milk to make frosting smooth.) Frost cupcakes. Sprinkle the tops with an even amount of the chopped peanuts. Garnish the tops of each cake with a dried banana chip.

A viewer, who may not be a professional cook, provided this recipe. The Food Network Kitchens chefs have not tested this recipe and therefore, we cannot make representation as to the results.

The frosting didn't turn out so fabulous. Jasmine thought there were too many flavors combined. Waiting to hear what our "banana" friends think....

Chocolate-Lemon Bars: Not so much

Not sure if it was me or the recipe, but these tanked!

Prep Time:
20 min
Total Time:
55 min
Makes:
16 servings, 1 bar each
What You Need
20 FAMOUS Chocolate Wafers, finely crushed (about 1 cup crumbs)
2 Tbsp. margarine or butter, melted
2 eggs
1 Tbsp. grated lemon peel
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 cup granulated sugar
2 Tbsp. flour
1/4 tsp. CALUMET Baking Powder
2 Tbsp. powdered sugar
Make It
PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Mix wafer crumbs and margarine; press firmly onto bottom of 8-inch square baking pan. Bake 5 min.
MEANWHILE, beat eggs, lemon peel and lemon juice with wire whisk until well blended. Add sugar, flour and baking powder; mix well. Pour over crust.
BAKE 25 min. Cool on wire rack 10 min.; sprinkle with powdered sugar. Cut into 16 squares. Serve warm. Store leftover bars in tightly covered container at room temperature.

Golden Grahams Indoor Smores

YUM! made this for a RS luncheon today. Pretty sure there wasn't anyone that didn't like it (except for the fools who didn't try it because they were dieting!)

INDOOR S'MORES (From Golden Grahams Cereal box)
Makes 48 squares
2/3 c Light corn syrup
2 tb Butter or margarine
11 1/2 oz Nestle milk chocolate morsels
1 ts Vanilla
10 oz Golden Grahams cereal (about 8 cups)
3 c Miniature marshmallows
Grease a 13x9x2" rectangular pan. Heat corn syrup, butter and chocolate morsels to boiling in 3-quart saucepan, stirring constantly; remove from heat. Stir in vanilla. Pour over cereal in large mixing bowl; toss quickly until completely coated with chocolate. Fold in marshmallows, 1 cup at a time. Press mixture evenly in pan with piece of waxed paper. Let stand until firm, at least 1 hour. Cut into 1-1/2 inch squares.

Baking for Christmas

I spent a whole day in the kitchen baking for Christmas goodie plates. The kids even helped! We made homemade peanut butter cups, peppermint cupcakes, sugar cookies, and attempted to make Denise's yummy brownies! I had cute Christmas plaid plates that we put the items on and took them out to deliver them to friends.