Deborah's Lime Cookies

5 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

½ tsp sal

2 ½ cups sugar

1 ½ cups butter, soft

1 – 2 tsp lime zest (no substitutions)

2 tsp vanilla

½ tsp butter extract

4 eggs

(You'll need about 2 – 3 limes total for lime zest and juice.)

 

In a medium bowl, add flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

 

Beat together sugar, butter, lime zest, vanilla and butter extract until creamed. Add eggs, mixing between each, until well incorporated. (The longer you beat, the fluffier the dough.) Slowly add the flour mixture and combine well.

 

Divide the dough into thirds. Make into logs, roll in parchment paper (or wax paper) and refrigerate for at least one hour.

 

Slice dough into pieces about an inch thick. Place on cookie sheets lined with parchment paper. Flatten pieces to ¼ to ½ inch thickness using a spatula or rolling pin. (If you top with parchment paper first, it will keep the dough from sticking to the spatula or rolling pin. Or you can periodically spray the spatula with cooking spray.)

 

Bake on 350 for 9 – 10 minutes. Cookies will not brown.

 

 

Lime Frosting

 

4 cups powdered sugar

3 ½ tsp lime juice

½ tsp lime zest

3 TBSP corn syrup

1 T milk

½ tsp butter extract

½ tsp almond extract

1 tsp vanilla

 

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl with a spoon until smooth. It should be thick but gooey.

 

When cookies are completely cool, ladle a spoonful onto the center of cookie and spread in a circular motion. The frosting should spread but be thick enough not to spill over the side. Let the cookies sit for at least an hour in order for the frosting to harden/form a shell. Let them set overnight if you plan to stack them to store or transport. Otherwise the frosting won’t be hard enough and the cookies will stick to each other.

 

 

*D*: This is a recipe my mom and I created together. She made the base and I tweaked it with lime until I loved it. This recipe makes about 5 dz cookies. USE REAL LIMES! If you're like me, you don't have limes on hand, but you do not want to skimp to make this recipe. You'll want the real zest and fresh juice. I'm a big fan of lime juice from a bottle, but not for this. Trust me. And the zest adds these charming green specks in the frosting and they're beautiful.

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The Best Brownies Ever with Fudgy Frosting

3 cubes butter

2/3 cup cocoa

6 eggs

3 cups sugar

1 tsp salt

3 tsp vanilla

3 cups flour

 

Melt butter and cocoa together in a pan. Add all other ingredients and mix. Grease a cookie sheet/jelly roll pan (9 1/2 x 13 x 1) Bake at 350 for 20-25 min.

 

FROSTING

 

1 cube butter

5 tbsp milk

3 tbsp cocoa

1 tsp vanilla

4 cups powdered sugar

pinch of salt

 

Melt butter, milk and cocoa on medium low heat until it starts to thicken (3 - 5 minutes). Add vanilla, powdered sugar and a pinch of salt.

 

ENJOY!!!

*D: These are so stinking delicious. The brownie is light, yet still has the density of brownie rather than cake. The frosting really tastes like a layer of fudge to me.

When making the brownies, I added all the ingredients into my mixer, melted the butter and cocoa on then stove, then added that to my mixer. I dirtied two pans, but I think the process was smoother that way.

A note on the frosting. When I added the 4 cups of powdered sugar, it was too thick to stir. I added a tsp of milk and tried again. I probably ended up adding 4 tsp of milk before the frosting turned smooth.

These are delicious and dangerous. Look at the recipe. It takes an entire pound of butter! Luckily it makes a TON. So instead of hoarding them, cut them up and share them. Your thighs, and your friends, will thank you. :)

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Creme Brulee French Toast

1/2 cup butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 TBSP corn syrup
1 loaf Texas toast bread
5 eggs
1 1/2 cups half & half
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla

In a small sauce pan, melt butter, brown sugar and corn syrup over medium heat until smooth - stirring occasionally. Pour mixture onto a lare greased jelly roll pan (18x13x1). Spread to cover surface. Place 12 slices of Texas toast bread in a single layer to cover pan. Mix together eggs, half & half, salt and vanilla. Spoon mixture over each piece of bread. Bake uncovered at 350* for 30 minutes. Remove from pan and serve with syrup butter.

*D: This is such a delicious, SWEET treat of a breakfast! It takes a little preparation, but it's so worth it.

The "jelly roll pan" is just a cookie sheet.

We used Texas toast, but we didn't get 12 pieces to fit. Just squish in what you can. Any sides that touch will stick together. It's no big deal because you can just cut them apart with a spatula.

When the toast is done, I flip it over so the sugary side is on top and custardy side is on the bottom. My husband didn't like that the two sides were different at first, but then I explained that's why it's called creme brulee. There is custard on the bottom and a burnt sugar layer on top.

Really, this is decadent and divine. So worth trying at least once. Pin It

Minty Bells

2/3 c. brown sugar (packed)
1/3 cup of butter (I have only used real butter)
1 TB water
1 c. of semi sweet chocolate chips
1 1/4 cup flour
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 package of Andes mints

On medium heat, stirring constantly, melt brown sugar, butter and water. Add chocolate chips and stir until melted. Remove from heat and let cool 10-15 minutes.  Then add flour, egg and baking soda.

Beat thoroughly.  Cover and chill 1 hour. Shape in balls (I use a cookie scoop) and bake on greased cookie sheet at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes (they are better cookies soft rather than crunchy--my oven takes 10 min).  Remove from oven and while still on cookie sheet place an Andes mint (or part of one depending on how big your cookies are) on each cookie and gently press down.  Once it has melted use a knife to 'frost' each cookie with the melted mint and move to cooling racks.

Enjoy!

*D: Oh. My. Goodness. These cookies are DELICIOUS!!! You will want to double the batch - at least - every time. SO good.


Use real butter and semi-sweet chips for best results. Once the mint is melted onto the cookie, you can eat it. But, when the mint cools, it forms a bit of a hard frosting, and that is almost better.


Seriously, these are so good. Pin It

Fruit Filled Oatmeal Bars

AKA Jam Bars

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup quick-cooking rolled oats
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup margarine or butter
Raisin Filling, Apple-cinnamon Filling, Apricot-Coconut Filling, 10 oz (1 1/4 cup) preserves

In a mixing bowl, combine flour, oats, brown sugar, and baking soda. Cut in margarine or butter till mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Reserve 1/2 cup of the flour mixture. Press remaining flour mixture into the bottom of an ungreased 9x9x3 inch baking pan. Spread with desired filling. Sprinkle with reserved flour mixture.

Bake at 350* for 30 - 35 minutes, or until the top is golden. Cool in the pan on a wire rack. Cut into bars. Makes 25.

Raisin Filling: In a medium saucepan, combine 1/2 water, 2 tablespoons sugar and 2 teaspoons cornstarch. Add 1 cup raisins. Cook and stir till thickened and bubbly.

Apple-Cinnamon Filling: Peel, core and chop 2 medium apples (about 10 oz). In a medium saucepan, combine apples, 2 TBSP sugar, 2 TBSP water, 1 TBSP lemon juice, 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon, and a dash ground cloves. Bring apple mixture to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer for 8 to 10 minutes or till apples are very tender.

Apricot-Coconut Filling: In a medium saucepan, combine 1 cup snipped dried apricots and 2/4 cup water. Bring apricot mixture to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, combine 1/4 cup sugar and 1 TBSP all-purpose flour. Stir into apricot mixture. Cook and stir about 1 minute more or til very thick. Stir in 1/4 cup coconut.

*D: If you skip making a filling and just use your favorite jam, this is about the easiest recipe in the world.

A few modifications: I greased the bottom of my pan! I also reserved about 3/4 of a cup of topping, and it worked out great.

About 2 years ago I made like a million half pints of plum jam, and I still have about 50 jars (not joking) left in my basement. This was a great way to use those! So I've had this recipe with strawberry jam and plum jam, both ways are delicious. I'm considering making a peach version as well.

Seriously, this is really easy and very delicious. It's not to heavy, so I don't feel guilty going back for seconds. :) Pin It

Amish Cookies

1 cup white sugar
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup butter (2 sticks)
1 cup cooking oil
4 scant cups flour
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
3/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp cream of tartar
1 1/2 tsp almond extract

Cream all wet ingredients. Addy dry ingredients. Add flour until it doesn't stick to the bowl. Chill. Roll into balls, dip in sugar and softly press with fork. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. They will be very light, as if they are not done.

*D: Disclaimer: I have NO idea why these are called Amish Cookies. They might as well be called Almond cookies. Don't ask me, I just write the recipes as they come.

I made these last night and Tyler loves them. They have the consistency of a snickerdoodle, but the light cherry type flavor of almonds.

I got this recipe from a fellow volunteer in Ecuador, so this recipe is exactly how she gave it to me. I followed it, but I have a few notes. If you cream all the wet ingredients you get clumps of butter that don't cream in because the eggs and such are too slippery. What I will probably do in the future is cream the granulated sugar and butter, then add the rest of the wet ingredients, and then the dry. I added the flour last, but I don't think it's really all that necessary. I didn't add any more or less flour. Just the 4 cups, regardless of how it reacted to the edge of the bowl.

I used the cooking oil, but if someone wants to be brave and use applesauce and tell me how it is, I'd be interested to know.

I baked them for 10 minutes and pulled them out even though they didn't look done. I think 11 minutes is better, though.

Don't use too much dough. These are better smaller. They do plump a lot in the oven. Pin It

Chocolate Cream Pie

1 2/3 cups water
3 tablespoons cornstarch
5 tablespoons cocoa
1 (14 ounce) can of sweetened condensed milk
3 egg yolks, beaten
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 9 inch baked pastry shell (aka a pie crust)

Mix water, cornstarch and cocoa until smooth. Stir in sweetened condensed milk and egg yolks. Cook until think in saucepan or microwave. Stir in 2 tablespoons butter and vanilla. Cool slightly, stirring occasionally, and pour into a pie crust. Top with meringue (and brown at 400*) or top with whipped cream after pie is chilled.

*D: I can only take partial credit for this pie. My husband made it yesterday and I only helped. But let me tell you, it was delicious! Tyler was sheer genius and added a few dashes of cinnamon. It was like Aztec Chocolate. Mmmm. So good.

It only took about 10 minutes on the stove top to thicken the filling to pudding consistency. In my opinion, it could have maybe even cooked a few minutes longer to make it thicker.

Use a store bought crust or this recipe for a pie shell.

After pouring the filling into a pie crust, we covered the pie with plastic wrap. That prevented it from forming a skin, and really, the plastic did not stick as bad as you'd think.

We topped it with whipped cream and thoroughly enjoyed. Pin It

Easy Pie Crust

2 1/3 cup flour
1 cup soft butter
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup ice water

Mix well, but don't beat. Dough may be a little sticky. Let rest 5 minutes, then roll out on a floured surface. Put in pie dish and trim extras off the edges. Poke sides and bottom with a fork and bake for 12 minutes in a 375* oven.

*D: I am not a pie crust maker. I hate making pie crust because I always think it's harder than it is and that it doesn't turn out good. This crust is rather easy and tastes really good.

Be aware that the crust will shrink about half an inch as it bakes, so make sure there is a little extra around the edges.

This recipe makes 2 pie crusts. If you only need one pie, the leftovers can be rolled in a ball and refrigerated for a few days OR you can put it in a pie pan and freeze baked or thawed. Pin It

Old Fashioned Coconut Cream Pie

3 cups half-and-half
2 eggs
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup flaked coconut, toasted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (9 inch) pie shell, baked

1 container frozen whipped topping, thawed

1. In a medium saucepan, combine half-and-half, eggs, sugar, flour and salt. Bring to a boil over low heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, and stir in 3/4 cup of the coconut and the vanilla extract. Pour into pie shell and chill 2 to 4 hours, or until firm.
2. Top with whipped topping, and with remaining 1/4 cup of coconut.  
3. Note: To toast coconut, spread it in an ungreased pan and bake in a 350 degree F (175 degrees C) oven for 5 to 7 minutes, or until golden brown, stirring occasionally.

(Toasting the coconut under Broil for about 3 minutes)

 (Before adding toasted coconut)

(After adding toasted coconut)

*D: I found this recipe here on Allrecipes.com. I asked my husband what he wanted for Christmas dinner and he requested coconut cream pie. I know his mom makes a coconut cream pie, but she was out of town. So I decided to just search for one. I was really lucky when I found this recipe. It was delicious! It was creamy and the coconut flavor was subtle.

Some of the reviews on the website suggest using coconut milk in connection with half and half (2 cups coconut milk, 1 cup half and half). My husband thinks the flavor would be too strong if we had done that, but I don't know.

I followed the recipe exactly. The only think I would caution you on is that my filling never boiled. But after being on the stove top for almost an hour, the consistency was nice and thick, so I decided it was probably done.

Don't forget your pie crust needs to be baked! I do not make my own pie crust, I buy from the store. Store bought crusts are not cooked. They are just dough. Instructions will be on the package, but basically you thaw the crust for 15 minutes, prick the sides and bottom with a fork, then bake in a pre-heated oven for 10 minutes. 

Seriously, this recipe is so good! It's creamy and delicious! The only thing that would make it better is a homemade crust and possibly home whipped cream instead of whipped topping from the store. But who knows. Pin It

Pistachio Salad

1 package instant pistachio pudding mix (4 serving size)
1 can crushed pineapple with juice
1 cup small marshmallows
1/2 container of frozen whipped topping

Remember me telling you how you can say "Salad" in any recipe and it instantly sounds healthy? Yeah...this is one of those.

In a bowl mix pistachio pudding mix (NOT PREPARED PUDDING) and the crushed pineapple and juice. Fold in whipped topping. And marshmallows and gently mix.

Optional ingredients: chopped walnuts, pecans or almonds. Sliced bananas.

*D: This little salad has great flavor and color. It's very green which is festive for Christmas or St. Patrick's day. Let the pudding and pineapple juice thicken a little before adding the rest of the ingredients, and make sure it has a chance to set up in the fridge for an hour before serving.

Also, I use probably 2 cups of marshmallows when I make it. Pin It

Apple Cake

4 cups finely diced apples
2 cups sugar
2 eggs, beaten
2 cups flour
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cups nuts
2 tsp vanilla

Topping:

1 cup brown sugar
1 cup sugar
4 TBSP flour
2 cups water
1 cup butter
 2 tsp vanilla

Mix apples and sugar together. Let stand until sugar is dissolved. Add eggs and beat well. Stir dry ingredients together. Stir in to apple mixture. Add nuts and vanilla. Pour into a 9x13 pan. Mix topping together and spread over top of apple mixture. Bat at 375 for 40 - 45 minutes or until done.

*D: This is a fairly easy recipe, but it takes a while to make, for some reason. Probably because you have to chop apples. It took me 5 small apples to get 4 cups. It would probably take 3 or 4 store-bought apples.

The cake mixture is very thick, and the topping is very runny. It's like pouring soup over a cake. This makes it hard to tell when the cake is done cooking, because the apples caramelize, and it almost turns out to be a custardy spice cobbler. It'd say when the top is cooked and crunchy the cake is done.

Put a cookie sheet UNDER the cake because it will boil over the edges.

Very delicious! Especially when warm. Serve with ice cream if you want, or just the cake. Either way it's delicious. Pin It

Chocolate Sauce

In a glass bowl, mix:

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 TBSP cocoa
2 TBSP flour
1/8 tsp salt

Add:

2/3 cup milk
2 TBSP corn syrup
1 TBSP butter or margarine

Microwave 2 - 4 minutes, or until boiling. Stir well. Microwave an additional 2 - 5 minutes, stirring every 1 1/2 minutes, until sauce reaches desired thickness. Mix in 1 tsp vanilla . Let cool at room temperature and serve over ice cream.

*D: Easiest chocolate sauce ever. I realize cocoa may not be a product everyone has on hand. If you don't always have cocoa, I recommend you get some. It's a versatile ingredient that you can use for a lot of different recipes and baking techniques.

This is my Mother-in-law's recipe, and she only ever adds 1 TBSP cocoa. I usually do 2.

The longer you microwave the sauce (the second time), the thicker it is.

***Do NOT try to speed up the cooling process. It will turn into a chocolate brick. I'm not kidding.*** Pin It

Snicker's Salad

5 red apples
2 bananas
3 Snicker's bars
1 package instant vanilla pudding (3.4 oz)
1 1/3 cup cold milk
1 container Cool Whip, thawed

 Cut snickers bars into small pieces (cut the bars lengthwise, and thin into 1/4" chunks) and put in freezer for an hour. Mix milk and pudding mix; whip until smooth. Fold pudding and whipped topping together. Chop fruit and blot apples on a paper towel. Add fruits to pudding mix and chill. Add candy before serving.


*D: Have you noticed you can put "salad" on the end of anything and it instantly makes it a health food? Snicker's salad, cookie salad, Jello salad (which is full of whipped cream and cream cheese). I'm just sayin'.

I LOVE Snicker's salad! Mmmm. This is a mishmash of a few different recipes and my personal preferences. My sister-in-law says her recipe calls for strawberry yogurt instead of pudding. That's probably the more healthy option. :)

Freezing the candy pieces is not necessary, but I think it helps them stay chunky instead of mushy and gooey. The wonderful thing about this recipe is that you can add all kinds of fruits! Peaches, nectarines, blueberries, etc. I'd say stick with the basics if that's what you have, but if you've got other fruits, go wild!

This is always a crowd pleaser. Pin It

Banana Muffins

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 bananas (mashed)
3/4 cup white sugar
1 egg (lightly beaten)
1/3 cup butter (melted)
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon butter

Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees and grease 10 muffin cups (or line with muffin papers). In a large bowl mix 1 1/2 cups flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl beat together bananas, sugar, egg and melted butter. Stir banana mixture into the flour mixture just until moist and combined. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.

To make streusel - in a large brown mix brown sugar, 2 tablespoons flour and ground cinnamon. Cut in 1 tablespoon of butter until mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle streusel over the top of the muffins.

Place into the oven and bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

*D: I love these muffins! Anything with streusel is great, but these are fabulous. In all seriousness, don't over mix. You'll get whole-y tunnel-y muffins. Lumps are ok in the batter. These muffins do lack the crunch you get when you add nuts, so if you want to go ahead and put them in. But please, if you use anything other than almonds, don't tell me. Almonds are my nut of choice, and I couldn't bare to hear you put walnuts in this recipe. Shudder. Pin It

Strawberry Rhubarb Dessert Bars

Filling Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen unsweetened rhubarb, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 1/2 cups sliced fresh strawberries
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch

Crust Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups uncooked quick-cooking oats
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
3/4 cup LAND O LAKES® Butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
Drizzle Ingredients:
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 to 2 tablespoons milk

Combine rhubarb, strawberries and lemon juice in 2-quart saucepan. Cover; cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until fruit is tender (8 to 12 minutes).

Combine 1/2 cup sugar and cornstarch in small bowl. Stir into fruit mixture. Continue cooking, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil (about 1 minute). Continue boiling until thickened (1 minute). Remove from heat. Set aside.

Heat oven to 350°F. Combine all crust ingredients in large bowl. Beat at low speed, scraping bowl often, until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Reserve 1 1/2 cups crumb mixture. Press remaining crumb mixture onto bottom of greased 13x9-inch baking pan. Spread filling over crust. Sprinkle with reserved crumb mixture.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely.

Combine all drizzle ingredients in small bowl. Drizzle over cooled bars. Cut into bars.

*D: Rhubarb is a low maintenance plant that produces tart, fresh stalks (like celery) and poisonous leaves. :) We have a huge plant in our yard and you want to know how it got so big? Me too. Because we didn't do anything but water it once in a while. When the plant gets too big, we cut some stalks and freeze them.


So, this is a great rhubarb recipe for us to use all our rhubarb, both fresh and frozen. If you've ever had rhubarb you know it can be very tart. This recipe, although it doesn't call for a ton of sugar, is surprisingly sweet. I was almost a tad disappointed that it was so sweet and hardly tart. If you want more tart and less sweet, try cutting the sugar to a 1/3 of a cup.


We followed the directions to a "T"...because Tyler was baking :) The ONLY thing I would suggest is to follow the drizzle recipe and instructions. Tyler dumped a bunch of sugar in a bowl and added some milk. What we got was sugary milk that soggy-ed up our crumble top. So either follow the directions or don't do it at all. That might be another reason ours was so sweet, actually.


This is a great recipe! Enjoy!


PS. That is the picture from the recipe at http://www.landolakes.com/mealIdeas/ViewRecipe.cfm?RecipeID=11158 but our dessert bars looked exactly the same except our icing was just a layer of sugary milk on top :) Pin It

Peanut Butter Truffle Brownies

Brownie Base
1 box (1 lb 6.5 oz) Betty Crocker® Original Supreme brownie mix
Water, vegetable oil and eggs called for on brownie mix box

Filling

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
2 cups powdered sugar
2 teaspoons milk

Topping

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup butter


1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease bottom only of 13x9-inch pan with cooking spray or shortening. (For easier cutting, line pan with foil, then grease foil on bottom only of pan.)

2. In medium bowl, stir brownie mix, pouch of chocolate syrup, water, oil and eggs until well blended. Spread in pan. Bake 28 to 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted 2 inches from side of pan comes out almost clean. Cool completely, about 1 hour.

3. In medium bowl, beat filling ingredients with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Spread mixture evenly over brownie base.

4. In small microwavable bowl, microwave topping ingredients uncovered on High 30 to 60 seconds; stir until smooth. Cool 10 minutes; spread over filling. Refrigerate about 30 minutes or until set. For brownies, cut into 9 rows by 4 rows. Store covered in refrigerator.

High Altitude (3500-6500 ft): Follow High Altitude directions for 13x9-inch pan on brownie mix box

*D: I got this message right off of the Betty Crocker website. I love it because it's easy and takes ingredients I usually have on hand. That makes it nice when I get called to bring a dessert to a dinner party or something. However, this recipe is not a quick one. You have to wait for the brownies to completely cool before to you top them with peanut butter goodness. I used a regular brownie mix but added an extra egg to make them "cake-like." Also, if you use milk chocolate chips instead of semi-sweet, be aware that because there is more fat in them they don't harden as well. I don't know if the butter helps with that or not, so you might just end up with a gooey topped brownie...and no one minds gooey brownies! Pin It

Scotcheroos

1 cup sugar
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup light corn syrup
6 cups crisp rice cereal
6 oz chocolate chips
6 oz butterscotch chips

Combine sugar and corn syrup. Heat to a boil over medium heat. Remove from heat. Stir in peanut butter. Pour over cereal. Press mixture into a buttered 9X13 dish. Melt chips together (approximately 3 minutes in the microwave). Pour over mixture in dish. Spread smooth. Refrigerate 15 minutes. Cut and serve.

*D: I also have another recipe that has you just put the first three ingredients in a pan together and heat until the sugar has dissolved. I have done it both ways and it works just fine. If you don't refrigerate, the chocolate will continue to be gooey/runny. If you cool the scotcheroos, the chocolate topping will be firm and delicious. These are my favorite treat! I could eat a whole pan if I had the stomach for it.


6 cups of rice cereal is about half a box, just FYI. Pin It

Chocolate Mint Brownies

1 cup white sugar (*D - I use 1 1/2 to 2 cups)
1/2 cup butter, softened
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups chocolate syrup
1 cup flour
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened - again
2 TBSP creme de menthe liqueur - or 1 1/2 tsp mint extract and some green food coloring
6 tablespoons butter - again
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease 9 X 13 dish.

In a large bowl, cream white sugar and 1/2 cup butter until smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in chocolate syrup. Stir in flour until just blended. Spread evenly into greased dish.

Bake for 25 minutes. Allow to cool completely in pan.

In small bowl, beat powdered sugar, 1/2 cup butter or margarine and mint until smooth. Spread over cooled brownies, then chill until set.

In a small bowl over simmering water, or in microwave, melt remaining 6 TBSP of butter and chocolate chips, stirring occasionally, until smooth. Allow to cool slightly, then spread over the mint layer.

Cover and chill for at least one hour before cutting into squares.

*D - I follow this recipe almost exactly (using the mint extract instead of liqueur, of course). It's not very rich on the whole, but in my opinion the mint part is the richest. I melt my chocolate chips in the microwave, starting at 30 seconds and then going 20 second increments after that, stirring each time.


Very delicious! Pin It

Vanilla Cupcakes

1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
2/3 cup (130 grams) granulated white sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Zest of 1 large lemon (optional)
1 1/2 cups (195 grams) all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup (60 ml) milk






Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and butter or line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.

Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract and lemon zest.

In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and milk, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Evenly fill the muffin cups with the batter and bake for about 18-20 minutes or until nicely browned and a toothpick inserted into a cupcake comes out clean. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Once the cupcakes have completely cooled, frost with icing. If you want flat topped cupcakes then slice off the dome of each cupcake, with a sharp knife, before frosting. If you want to pipe the frosting, I like to use a large Wilton 1M closed star decorating tip.

Makes 12 cupcakes

*D: I LOVE these cupcakes! They might need a little more sweet, if you ask me. So I would probably add just a dash more sugar...maybe bring it up to a whole cup. I know that's more than a dash, but really I don't think it'd do anything but help.

I used the Butter Cream Frosting that came with the recipe. You can find it here. Please make sure you follow the directions or else your frosting will come out clumpy and funky. But still RATHER tasty. I ton't have a piping bag or tip, so I shoved all the icing in a plastic bag, cut the tip, and voila.


My sister is a cake decorator and showed me how to frost the tops in what I lovingly refer to as "little poops." The secret is to start on the outside and swirl to the center, making sure not to leave gaps between the frosting loops that you'll have to fill in later.

Pin It

Easy Butter Cream Frosting

2 cups (230 grams) confectioners sugar (icing or powdered sugar), sifted
1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons milk or light cream
Assorted food colors (if desired)


In an electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, cream the butter until smooth and well blended. Add the vanilla extract. With the mixer on low speed, gradually beat in the sugar. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the milk and beat on high speed until frosting is light and fluffy (about 3-4 minutes). Add a little more milk or sugar, if needed. Tint the frosting with desired food color (you can use the paste food coloring that is available at cake decorating stores and party stores).

Make sure you follow the directions. This is a VERY simple recipe for butter cream frosting, so that's fantastic! (Some recipes call for you to add eggs and cook it down...)


However, if you don't whip long enough, your frosting comes out clumpy and funky looking. Not so awesome if you ask me. Still tasty, but not impressive. Pin It