Peppermint Creme Bars

These are delicious. They are like a peppermint patty with an oreo layer. Pretty easy to make, just need a food processor and time (they are a bit time consuming, it seemed to me at least).

• 1 package crushed chocolate sandwich cookies with white filling
• 
  
  6 tablespoons butter, melted
• 
  
  6 cups powdered sugar
• 
  
  6 tablespoons butter, softened
• 
  
  6 tablespoons milk
• 
  
  2 teaspoons peppermint extract
• 
  
  1 pkg. semi sweet chocolate chips (or 1 1/2 depending on how chocolatey you like it)
• 
  
  4 teaspoons shortening

1.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 9x13-inch baking pan with foil, extending foil over the pan edges; set aside.

2.

In a medium bowl, combine crushed cookies and melted butter. Press mixture into the bottom of prepared pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 8 minutes. Cool slightly in pan on a wire rack.

3.

Meanwhile, combine powdered sugar and softened butter in a food processor. Cover and process until butter is evenly distributed. With processor running, add milk and peppermint extract to make a paste. Spread peppermint mixture evenly over the prepared crust. Put in freezer for 45 minutes.

4.

In a saucepan, melt chocolate and shortening over low heat. Pour chocolate over mint layer and spread evenly. Freeze again, or let set out until chocolate in firm (I put in freezer for about 20ish minutes). Using the edges of the foil, lift the uncut bars out of the pan. Cut into square.

*I added Christmas sprinkles to the mint part, and snowflake sprinkles on top the chocolate part (before the chocolate hardens).

*adapted from HERE. The original recipe is in a 8x8 pan which I thought was way too small for the amount of time put into these, and I made a change in the peppermint layer part, I like more peppermint creme, so I more than doubled the original recipe, but don't worry, it's been tested and works just great.

Oreo and Peanut Butter Layered Baby Lattice Pies

I saw this on Picky Palate and decided to make it for my husband's lunch club dessert. I thought they were pretty easy, and I have never done anything lattice before. They were also pretty delicious; I thought at least. The only things I would change would be to not be skimpy on the peanut butter. I wish I would have added twice as much in the layers, and the lattice actually looked pretty neat (although you can't see in the picture) but I would make the strips thicker. The recipe says to make long thin strips, so I did that, but on the pies that had thicker strips so that the lattice completely covered the top looked better. I also used a 4 inch round cookie cutter to cut out the dough instead of just "eyeing it" like the recipe says to. Someone at my husband's lunch club suggested to crush the oreos and then do the peanut butter, which I thought would be neat too, however you wouldn't get those cool looking layers. I also thought of putting chocolate chip cookie dough instead of the oreos but I didn't know how well that would transfer for cooking times, ect.

Click here to go to the recipe at Picky Palate.

Cake Bites

These little cake bites seem like they are all the rage right now. I made these to go along with my son's birthday cake. They are very rich; but delicious and very versatile. You can pick any cake mix flavor and any frosting you want. Mix and Match. Be Creative. Here's how I did it:

First bake the cake mix (I used the party chip flavor) in a 9 x 13 pan according to box directions. Wait until it is COMPLETELY COOLED, (I waited several hours even), and then just spoon out the cake mix into a big mixing bowl.

Spool a whole jar of frosting into the bowl and mix together. I used a small cookie scoop thing to scoop out the cake into balls, and then put on a cookie sheet to chill in the fridge. Let chill for awhile.

I used white melting chocolate to do this part, but you could use whatever you like. I melted it and then rolled the chilled cake ball into it and put some sprinkles on top. Then I also melted some milk chocolate, put it in a bag, snipped the end and made the zig zag design over the cake balls/bites.

Let the cake bites chill again until the chocolate has set. Then enjoy! My kids loved helping me make these.

Smore's Stuffed Brownies

This recipe is from Picky Palate, which is an amazing recipe blog! I made these twice in a week, they are very good. I would recommend making them with plenty of time to have the chocolate set up. I made them in the morning for the after dinner dessert, and they turned out perfect! Here is the recipe:

Batch Prepared in 8×8 inch baking pan

1 box of your favorite brownie mix

4 1/2 full Graham Crackers

3 1/2 Full size Hershey’s Bars

16 large marshmallows

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare brownie mix according to package directions. Line foil into an 8×8 inch baking pan and spray generously with cooking spray. Pour half the brownie batter into lined pan. Layer graham crackers over brownies following Hershey Bars and marshmallows. Pour remaining brownie batter over marshmallows. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until toothpick comes mostly clean from center. Remove from oven and let cool completely. Carefully remove foil and brownies from pan. Peel any foil from away from edges and cut into squares.

12 brownies

Click HERE to see the recipe with additional pictures on Picky Palate.

*picture from Picky Palate

Buttermilk Brownies

These are similar to a texas sheet cake, I was told. I got this recipe from my brother's wife's family (whom I just love and pretty much consider them like my family as well). I made TWO trays of these brownies for a church activity, and they were gone in an instant, I didn't even get one. These are delicious!

Brownies:

1 cup butter

3 Tab. ghirardelli cocoa (I don't know if they brand makes a difference, but that is what they used, and told me to use, so I used it.)

1 cup hot water

2 cups flour

2 cups sugar

1/2 teas. salt

1 teas. soda

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 teas. vanilla

2 eggs

Bring butter, cocoa, and hot water to a boil. In a separate bowl, mix flour sugar, and salt. Make a well with the flour mixture and add the butter/cocoa mixture to it stirring BY HAND. In another separate bowl, mix the soda and buttermilk, add that to the flour/cocoa mixture, also stirring BY HAND. Add eggs and vanilla in BY HAND. Pour into a greased jelly roll pan and bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Let cool before frosting.

Frosting:

1/2 cup butter

1/3 cup milk

2 Tab. ghirardelli cocoa

1 teas. vanilla

1/2 pkg. powdered sugar

(nuts optional)

Heat butter, milk, and cocoa until almost boiling. Add vanilla. Stir in powdered sugar SLOWLY with a wire whisk until creamy and mixed in. Let cool before frosting.

Ladybug Cookies

I made these cookies for a friend's daughter's birthday party. She turned one and was having a ladybug birthday party. I got 2 packages of oreo cookies, some red melting chocolate from Michael's (they are called Wilton Candy Melts and come in a variety of colors for $2.99 a bag, one bag was plenty for this) , and some chocolate frosting tube (from Walmart) found by all the birthday candles and sprinkles in the baking isle. First I melted the red chocolate, then dipped the oreo in it (I just covered the front side, I didn't completely cover the whole oreo. Then I put all the oreos in the fridge for a while for the chocolate to harden. Then I took out the chocolate frosting tube and made little heads. I put them back in the fridge for about 15 minutes for the little heads to harden, then I made a line down the middle (wings) and three dots on each side. Refrigerate until ready to eat. I decided not to do eyes. I thought they looked cute just how they were. Pretty easy and the kids loved them!

I am linked to THESE parties!

Scotch A Roos

These are an amazing spin on regular rice crispy treats. My Mom got them from someone at her work, and passed the recipe on to me. Try them, they are awesome!

1 cup corn syrup

1 cup sugar

Heat until bubbling. remove from heat and add 1 cup peanut butter and 6 cups rice crispies. Spread into 9x13 pan. Melt 1 cup of semi sweet chocolate chips and butterscotch chips. Spread over squares.

***I did not have butterscotch chips but DID have butterscotch ice cream topping, so I mixed in some of the topping in when I put the peanut butter in, and it was AWESOME. Then I just melted the semi sweet chocolate and drizzled it on top.

Chocolate Banana Bread

• 1 3/4 cups flour
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1 cup granulated white sugar
• 1 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup white chocolate chips
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 3 ripe bananas, mashed well (about 1-1/2 cups)
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and place oven rack to middle position. Spray the bottom and sides of a 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pan. Set aside.

In a large bowl whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a medium-sized bowl combine the mashed bananas, eggs, melted butter, and vanilla. With a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, lightly fold the wet ingredients (banana mixture) into the dry ingredients until just combined and batter is thick and chunky. Fold in the chocolate chips. Scrape batter into prepared pan and sprinkle the top of the bread with coarse brown sugar (optional, but I always do!). Bake until bread has risen and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 55 to 65 minutes. Place on a wire rack to cool and then remove the bread from the pan. Serve warm or at room temperature.

*My kids LOVE this, they call it chocolate bread and ask for it all the time

Chocolate Nests

These easy no-bake sweets are the perfect addition to your Easter dessert menu, and kids LOVE helping you make them:

You'll need:

8 oz. semi-sweet chocolate

2 Tab. vegetable shortening

1 cup crisp rice cereal

1 cup chow mein noodles

mini candy coated chocolate eggs

Line baking sheets with waxed paper. In a large microwave-safe bowl, combine the chocolate and shortening. Microwave on medium stirring at 1 minute intervals until chocolate is melted and smooth (about 2 minutes). Gently stir in the rice cereal and chow mein noodles until throughly blended. Drop chocolate mixture by heaping tablespoonfuls 1 inch apart on prepared baking sheets. Using the back of a spoon, make an indentation in each spoonful of chocolate mixture to form a nest. Place chocolate nests on baking sheets in the fridge chill until set, about 1 hour. Remove nests from baking sheets. FIll each nest with candy as desired.

Chocolate Caramel Oat Bars

You'll Need:

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats

1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar

1 cup + 2 Tab. butter, melted

1 (14 oz.) bag caramels

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 bag semi sweet chocolate chips

Unwrap caramels. Melt caramels with heavy cream in a saucepan over low - medium heat. In a large bowl, combine four, baking soda, salt, oats, brown sugar, and melted butter to form a crumbly mixture. Sprinkle half of the crumbly mixture into a greased 9x9 pan. Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes. Sprinkle chocolate chips over baked mixture and top with caramel sauce. Sprinkle remaining crumbly mixture on top. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes more. Make at least several hours ahead to allow caramel to set.

*when I made these, I used a whole bag of chocolate chips and the chocolate kind of overpowered the caramel. Next time, I would use half to 3/4 of the bag.

Valentine's Heart Brownies

How cute are these, and so yummy! From Little Birdie Secrets, "I got the idea for these brownie bites from Betty Crocker. Make a pan (or two) of brownies (fudge style, not cake-like), let them cool, and cut them out with a heart cookie cutter. Then melt a scoop of chocolate frosting in the microwave for about 10 seconds (or less--don't let it boil). Spoon it over the hearts. I had mine laid out on wax paper to help with clean-up. Before the frosting sets, add sprinkles. For the pink drizzle, I mixed some red food coloring into some vanilla frosting and warmed it like the chocolate frosting, then drizzled it over with a spoon. Easy-peasy!"

Peppermint Bark

This is so easy and quick to make. I saw some peppermint bark at Godiva, and it looked delicious, but was far too expensive so I decided to make my own. I am sure white chocolate chips would work just fine, the Baker's chocolate was the only thing left in the store, so that is what I used, and it is very good. One thing I noticed too was that white chocolate is a lot better tasting than almond bark in my opinion (just FYI).

ingredients:

1 bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 box of Baker's Premium white chocolate

4-5 candy canes

Melt chocolate chip in microwave and spread onto a cookie sheet (not too thin, at least 1/8 inch thick). Put into freezer while you melt the white chocolate in microwave. (Be careful melting chocolate as it can burn). Then spread white chocolate on top of your semi-sweet chocolate layer and top with crushed candy canes. I freeze for 10 minutes or so, then break up. They don't have to be in perfect squares, so really this is pretty easy.

Chocolate Swirl Pumpkin Gingerbread Cake

This is a very good recipe that is very fallish. I got it from

Rookie-Cookie.. Very cool blog, anyway, here it is:

Chocolate Swirl Pumpkin Gingerbread Cake

6 oz. (1/2 bag) of semi-sweet chocolate chips

2 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

3/4 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1/2 cup molasses

1/2 cup pumpkin puree

1/2 cup boiling water

Whipped cream, for serving

Set oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 inch pan with non-stick spray and set aside. Melt chocolate chips in microwave.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger and salt. Whisk and set aside. In a large bowl, combine the sugar and butter and beat until light and fluffy. Add eggs and mix until incorporated. Stir in molasses and pumpkin. Finally, stir in the boiling water.

Pour half the batter into the prepared pan. Blob half the chocolate in a swirl pattern. Pour on the remaining batter and then top with the remaining chocolate. Run a butter knife through the batter to better swirl the chocolate, but not until fully incorporated.

Bake for 30-40 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Got my idea from recipezaar.com, but I changed it a little. These cookies are super easy and super yummy. Only three ingredients. Here is the recipe:

1 box of spice cake mix

1 can pumpkin puree

1 bag semi-chocolate chips

Mix the cake mix and pumpkin together, stir in chocolate chips. Spoon onto greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 12-14 minutes.

There, see, super easy.

*The original recipe calls for walnuts also