Double Chocolate Coca Cola Cake

1 cup Coca Cola (real thing, not diet)
1/2 cup oil
1 stick butter
3 Tablespoon cocoa
2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla

Frosting:

1 stick butter
3 Tablespoon cocoa
6 Tablespoon of cream or milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 3/4 cups confectioner's sugar

In a saucepan, mix Coca Cola, oil, butter and cocoa and bring to a boil. In another bowl, combine the sugar, flour and salt. Pour the boiling Cola mixture over the flour mixture and beat well. Add the eggs, buttermilk, soda and vanilla and beat well. Pour mixture into a greased and floured 13 x 9 inch baking pan and bake at 350 degrees or 20 to 25 minutes. Remove pan. Cool for about 10 minutes before frosting.

Frosting: In a saucepan, combine the butter, cocoa, and milk. Heat until the butter melts. Beat in the remaining ingredients and spread on the cake while it's still warm. Enjoy!

Brownie Bliss

1- 18.4 oz brownie mix
1 cup chopped peanut butter cups*
1 container whipped vanilla frosting
4-6 graham crackers, crumbled

1. Heat oven to 350°. Line a 9x9 pan with foil, allowing foil to extend over pan edges.
2. Prepare brownie mix according to package instructions. Stir in 1/2 cup of peanut butter cups. Spread batter into pan. Bake according to package instructions. Cool completely.
3. Spread frosting, top with graham crackers and remaining peanut butter cups. Use foil to lift brownies from pan.

*Make it nut free by substituting malted milk balls for peanut butter cups.

I actually made mine in an 8x8 so they were just really thick but oh so delicious! They were even great without the frosting and extra toppings.

Tres Leches Cake

Prep Time: 45 Minutes  |  Cook Time: 1 Hour  |  Difficulty: Easy  |  Servings: 12

Ingredients

• 1 cup All-purpose Flour
• 1-½ teaspoon Baking Powder
• ¼ teaspoons Salt
• 5 whole Eggs
• 1 cup Sugar, Divided
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla
• ⅓ cups Milk
• 1 can Evaporated Milk
• 1 can Sweetened, Condensed Milk
• ¼ cups Heavy Cream
• _____
• FOR THE ICING:
• 1 pint Heavy Cream, For Whipping
• 3 Tablespoons Sugar

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 x 13 inch pan liberally until coated.
Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Separate eggs.
Beat egg yolks with 3/4 cup sugar on high speed until yolks are pale yellow. Stir in milk and vanilla. Pour egg yolk mixture over the flour mixture and stir very gently until combined.
Beat egg whites on high speed until soft peaks form. With the mixer on, pour in remaining 1/4 cup sugar and beat until egg whites are stiff but not dry.
Fold egg white mixture into the batter very gently until just combined. Pour into prepared pan and spread to even out the surface.
Bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Turn cake out onto a rimmed platter and allow to cool.
Combine condensed milk, evaporated milk, and heavy cream in a small pitcher. When cake is cool, (or not) pierce the surface with a fork several times. Slowly drizzle the milk mixture onto the cake—try to get as much around the edges of the cake as you can.
Allow the cake to absorb the milk mixture for at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator. To ice the cake, whip 1 pint heavy cream with 3 tablespoons of sugar until thick and spreadable.
Spread over the surface of the cake. Decorate cake with whole or chopped maraschino cherries. Cut into squares and serve.

This cake is just pure goodness. Very moist and will keep you coming back for more. This is one of Rachel's favorite cakes.

Indoor Smores

3/4 cup light corn syrup

1 pkg. chocolate chips

1 tsp. vanilla

3 tbsp. butter

1 box of Golden Graham Cereal

3 c. mini marshmallows

Heat syrup, butter, and chocolate chips to a boil (be sure to stir constantly). Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Pour over cereal in a bowl. Be sure to coat all of the cereal. Add marshmallows 1 cup at a time. Finally, place cereal in a 9×13 pan. I like to press down the mix and let stand for one hour before serving.

***This recipe used to be on the box of Golden Grahams but it isn't any more so when I found it I had to write it down somewhere!  So good!!

DANISH APPLE BARS

These are super YUMMY!

DOUGH:
2.5 Cups flour
1 Cup Margarine
3/4 Cup milk
1/2 tsp. Salt
1 egg yolk, beaten

FILLING: Mix all together
5 apples, peeled and sliced
3/4 Cup sugar
2 TBSP cornstarch
Cinnamon

Mix flour, margarine and salt. Mix egg and milk into the dry ingredients to make pastry dough. Divide the dough in half and roll to fit a 12x16 cookie sheet (the cookie sheet I used was only 9x13). Fill with the apple filling. Roll top dough and crimp the edges together. Brush the top with milk. Bake at 400* for 20-25 minutes. Drizzle with glaze made with powdered sugar, water and vanilla.

How to make a Cake Mix low-fat:

Take a normal cake mix and disregard the normal ingredients you're supposed to add (the oil, etc). Instead add the following to the cake mix:
* 1 3/4 cup water
* 2 Tbl flour
* 3 egg whites (I've also done 2 egg whites and 1 whole egg and found good results)

Mix all together and follow normal baking temperatures and cooking times on the box. Baking this way makes me feel okay about slathering all sorts of (full fat) frosting on top!

from the MADE blog...this was great we couldn't tell a difference at all.

raspberry lemonade cupcakes

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temp
3/4 cup sugar
3 large eggs, at room temp
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup milk
2 packets Crystal Light® On The Go Raspberry Lemonade mix
zest of one lemon
Frosting4 oz. Neufchâtel cheese (or cream cheese), at room temp
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temp
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
2 teaspoons water
1 packet Crystal Light® On The Go Raspberry Lemonade mix

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners.
2. In a small bowl, whisk or sift together flour, baking powder, and salt.
3. In a large bowl, beat butter, sugar, and lemon zest with an electric mixer on high speed for 2 minutes.
4. Add eggs one at a time, beating on high speed for 30 seconds between each addition. Scrape sides of the bowl occasionally with a rubber spatula.
5. In a measuring cup, combine milk and lemonade. Mix well.
6. Add flour mixture alternately with milk mixture, beginning and ending with the flour. (You should have 3 additions of flour and 2 additions of milk.) Mix just until flour is incorporated.
7. Divide batter among muffin cups. Bake for 16-18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (a few crumbs are fine). Cool on a wire rack. When cupcakes are completely cool, make the frosting.
8. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer on high speed for 20 seconds. Slowly add confectioners' sugar 1/2 cup at a time, beating on medium speed until combined.
9. In a small measuring cup, mix water and lemonade until completely dissolved. Add lemonade mixture to the large bowl. Beat on high speed until frosting is thick and creamy.

recipe found here. These are so yummy and you can change the on-the-go mix that you use to make them different each time!

Homemade Yummy Chocolate Sauce

Our family loves chocolate and we love dippin' in chocolate!

Since Valentines Day is just around the corner I thought that I would submit our family favorite as an appetiser. This is my dear sister in-laws recipe she calls it.

Leslie's Best Hot Fudge Sauce Ever....Period.

1-12oz. package of semi sweet chocolate chips

1-cube of butter

4 cups of powdered sugar

2 2/3 cup evaporated milk

Melt butter and chocolate in sauce pan. Gradually add powdered sugar and milk. Bring to a boil and boil for 8 minutes

Apple Dumplings

Ingredients

• 2 whole Granny Smith Apples
• 2 cans (8 Oz. Cans) Crescent Rolls
• 2 sticks Butter
• 1-½ cup Sugar
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla
• Cinnamon, To Taste
• 1 can (12 Oz.) Mountain Dew Soda

Preparation Instructions

Peel and core apples. Cut each apple into 8 slices each. Roll each apple slice in a crescent roll. Place in a 9 x 13 buttered pan.
Melt butter, then add sugar and barely stir. Add vanilla, stir, and pour entire mixture over apples. Pour Mountain Dew around the edges of the pan. Sprinkle with cinnamon and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Serve with ice cream, and spoon some of the sweet sauces from the pan over the top.
Saw this on Pioneer Woman Cooks, tried it and it is SOOO yummy!

Copycat Cinnabuns

• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 package (3.4 oz) instant vanilla pudding mix
• 1 cup plus 1 1/2 tsp milk
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 Tbsp granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 cups bread flour
• 2 1/2 tsp yeast
• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/4 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)
• 1/4 cup raisins (optional)
• 4 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1 1/2 cup confectioners sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1. For the rolls, place melted butter, water, instant pudding, 1 cup milk, egg, granulated sugar, salt, flour and yeast in bread machine following manufacturer's instructions. Set for dough cycle.
2. After completion of dough cycle, remove from machine and roll out to an approximate 17x10-inch rectangle
3. For the filling, mix together brown sugar and cinnamon mixture over top.
4. Roll tightly from long end, pinching edges closed when completely rolled. Slice rolled dough into 1/2 inch slices, or larger if a larger bun is preferred.
5. Place into greased cake pans or a cookie sheet. If using cake pans, use three 9-inch pans. Let rise until doubled. Bake at 350 degrees F for 15-20 minutes, until golden. Do not over bake.
6. For the frosting, combine cream cheese, 1/4 cup softened butter, confectioners sugar 1 1/2 tsp milk and vanilla extract. Spread on very warm rolls.
I'm not a bread maker at all and these were fast and EASY and delicious!

All-American Mini Apple Pies

I was going to post this recipe anyway but I think it fits perfectly with the Halloween Treats theme, these would be great after a chilly night of trick-or-treating!

• 2 medium tart baking apples (we just used green apples from our tree)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 tsp all-purpose flour
• 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 sheet refrigerated pie crust (1/2 box)

Preheat oven to 425. Peel core and chop apples into 1/4 inch pieces. In medium bowl, combine apples, sugar, flour and cinnamon, tossing gently. Set aside.

Open and unroll pie crust flat onto work surface. Using 4 inch wide bowl or cup cut out five circles, reserving scraps. Press each circle inside 5 spaces of muffin tin.

Evenly divide apple mixture into each prepared muffin cup. Cut reserved dough scraps into 1/4 inch wide. Top each pie with strips. Fill remaining empty muffin cup 1/4 way with water.

Bake until bubbling, about 18 min. Let pies cool in muffin tin, then remove.

I doubled the recipe because I only have a 12 place muffin tin. The pre-made pie crust made these so easy to make, but there is no reason you couldn't use homemade pie crust. The recipe came from Family Favorites Made Easy (those cards you get in the mail trying to get you to sign up for things ) It says you can serve them 3 ways: hot from the oven, room temperature or cold from the fridge. They were tasty and cute (sorry no picture) and I'm glad I found something to do with all our bitter apples!

French Apple Pie

Filling:
3 C sliced and peeled apples
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 C Original Bisquick mix
1/2 C granulated sugar
1/2 C milk
1 TBL butter or margarine, softened
2 eggs

Streusel:
1/2 C Original Bisquick mix
1/4 C nuts (optional)
1/4 C packed brown sugar
2 TBL melted butter or margarine

Heat oven to 325*. Grease 9-inch glass pie plate. In medium bowl, mix apples, cinnamon and nutmeg. Place in pie plate.

In medium bowl, stir remaining filling ingredients until well blended. Pour over apple mixture in pie plate. In small bowl, mix all streusel ingredients until crumbly; sprinkle over filling.

Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes. Store in refrigerator.

Orange Julius

This is mine and Bryan's favorite orange julius recipe.

1 cup sugar
1 cup milk
1 cup water
half a can of frozen orange juice
1 tsp. vanilla
8-10 ice cubes

Poor all ingredients into a blender, leaving the icecubes for last, and blend.

Reese's® Puffs® Sticky Balls

1/4 cup margarine1 bag

(10 oz) regular marshmallows

1 box (14.25 oz) Reese's® Puffs® cereal

1/4 cup chocolate chips

1 tsp. shortening

In saucepan, melt butter and marshmallows over low heat, stirring frequently, until smooth. Stir in cereal. Spread cereal mixture on waxed paper. Cool 5 minutes. Lightly spray hands with cooking spray and shape mixture into balls.

In a small microwaveable dish, microwave chocolate chips and shortening on high 1- 2 minutes, stirring until smooth. Drizzle chocolate over cereal balls. Let stand 30 minutes until chocolate is set.

Honey Crystal Almonds

Ingredients:
2 cups whole natural almonds
1/4 cup honey
2 T butter
1 cup turbinado sugar

Directions: Spread almonds in a shallow pan. Place in a cold oven; turn oven to 350 F and roast 12-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until well roasted. Over medium heat in medium saucepan, heat honey and butter to boiling. Reduce heat to medium low, simmer 2 minutes stirring occasionally. Add almonds; simmer and stir for another 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the almonds to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper(I used wax paper) or sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Spread the almonds in a single layer and cool slightly. To coat, toss almonds with sugar in a medium plastic food storage bag.

Blueberry Peach Crisp

Ingredients:
2 cups fresh, rinsed blueberries
4 peaches peeled and chopped (~2 1/2 cups)
1 1/2 T cornstarch
1/3 cup sugar
zest and juice of one lemon

For Topping:
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup quick-cooking oats
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 sugar
1/4 t ground cinnamon
1/4 t ground nutmeg
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 stick room temp butter

Directions:
Mix the blueberries, peaches, cornstarch, sugar, lemon zest and juice together in a 1 1/2 qt. baking dish. Mix topping ingredients together until crumbly and pour it onto the blueberry and peach mixture, make sure you cover all of the fruit. Bake at 375 for 40 minutes. Serve ice cream or cool whip.

{ Best for you Brownies }

My husbands family has a history of cholesterol problems and my husband isn't any different. He has to avoid partially Hydrogenated oils. Unfortunately you can find that in lots of things like twizzlers and pre done cake and brownie mixes. We are always trying to make a recipe better for you and this is our favorite.
This recipe makes a thick 13x9 pan and they are not "cakey" brownies they are scrumpious.

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup black bean puree' (blend canned black beans until a thick paste)
2 cups sugar
1 tsp.vanilla
4 eggs
3/4 cup cocoa
1/2 cup white flour
1/2 cup wheat flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1-2 cups chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts (if desired)

Heat oven to 350*. Grease 13x9 inch pan.
Melt butter in a large microwave safe bowl.
Stir in sugar and vanilla.
Add in eggs one at a time stirring well after each egg.
Add cocoa and mix well.\
Add flour, baking powder, and salt beat well.
Stir in chocolate chips and nuts.
Bake 30-35. Cool

Quick cream puff dessert

Make cream puff dough by melting:
1/2 C butter or margarine in 1 C boiling water. Add 1 C four and 1/4 teaspoon salt at once and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon. Allow to cool at least 10 minutes. Use 4 Large eggs at room temperature. Beat each egg into the cooled dough, one at a time...do not whip. Spread dough on greased jelly roll pan with spatula. Bake in preheated oven at 450* for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350* and bake an additional 15-20 minutes. There will be peaks and valleys in the dough. Let cool.

Mix large package of instant pudding according to package direction. (My favorite is to use vanilla.) Can use any flavor though. When pudding is set, beat together with 8 ounces of cream cheese. Spread on top of cooled puff dough. Next spread a layer of Cool Whip. Use one large container. Drizzle with chocolate flavored syrup. Draw a knife through syrup to make a pretty design if desired. I usually put fresh or frozen raspberries or strawberries on top. If I used banana pudding, I add cut up bananas soaked in pineapple juice to prevent browning!

ENJOY!!

No-bake Peach Cheesecake

• 2 cups honey graham cracker crumbs
• 6 Tbsp margarine, melted
• 1 cup sugar divided
• 4 pkgs (8 oz each) 1/3 less fat cream cheese, softened
• 1 pkg (3 oz) Jell-o peach flavored gelatin
• 1 (8 oz) tub cool whip (lite or regular), thawed
• 1 can (15 oz) sliced peaches, drained and chopped

MIX graham crumbs, margarine and 1/4 cup sugar; press onto bottom of 13x9-inch pan. Refrigerate while preparing filling.
BEAT cream cheese and remaining 3/4 cup sugar in large bowl with mixer until well blended. Add dry gelatin mix; mix well. Stir in peaches and whipped topping. Spoon over crust; cover.
REFRIGERATE 4 hours or until firm. Store leftovers in refrigerator.
* I made this a couple weeks ago and next time I make it I might add more Jell-O for even more peach flavor, there wasn't quite enough for my taste, but I LOVE peach. I might add more peaches too. You can also substitute 2 fresh peaches instead of the canned peaches.

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Candy Dessert

• 12 Oreo cookies, crushed
• 2 Tbsp butter, melted
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 2 cups cold milk
• 2 pkgs ( 4 serving size) Chocolate flavor instant pudding
• 2 cups thawed cool whip
• 2 Tbsp hot fudge ice cream topping (optional)
• candy coated peanut butter pieces (Reece's Pieces)

Mix crushed cookies and butter; press firmly onto bottom of 8-inch square pan

Place peanut butter in large bowl. Gradually add milk, stirring with wire whisk until well blended. Add dry pudding mixes. Beat 2 min. or until blended. ( It will be thick) Stir in 1 cup of the whipped topping. Spread onto prepared crust; top evenly with remaining 1 cup whipped topping.

Refrigerate 3 hours or until set. When ready to serve, microwave fudge topping as directed on package; drizzle over dessert. Sprinkle with candies. Refrigerate any leftovers.