Cookie Cake

Summer is in full swing for our boys, and we started it off with swimming lessons.
All of the boys did really well and worked very hard.
I wanted to get them a treat to celebrate their good behavior and job well done.

(Yes, good behavior.. there were other kids there that were absolutely horrible. Pushing other kids in the water, screaming, crying, and not listening. I want them to know that I appreciate that they listen and can be taken into public without us having to say anything.)

Went off topic there, sorry. Anyway.

My first thought was just to go pick up a cookie cake from American Cookie. Everyone loves those but I really didn't want to pay the price for one, so, I decided to make one of my own.

Here's the recipe I came up with.

Ingredients:

• 1 c. Butter, softened
• 1 c. Brown Sugar
• 2 tsp. Vanilla
• 2 Eggs
• 1 Large Box Vanilla Pudding
• 2 c. Flour
• 1 tsp. Baking Soda
• 1 Bag of Hershey Dark Chocolate Chips

Instructions:

In a large mixing bowl, add together your butter and sugar.
Once creamed, add vanilla, pudding packet, and eggs (one at a time).
Cream as well.
Add baking soda, stir until blended in and then add flour.
Mix until creamy and then hand stir in chocolate chips.

Pour into a greased 9" round cake pan.
Cook at 350 for 40-50 minutes.

 ***** You may think your cookie is burning, be assured that it is not.

***** I frosted around the edge and sides just to make it look pretty. I may not next time, frosting made it a little too sweet for my liking. 

Mississippi Mud Trifle

I couldn't decide if I wanted the Mississippi Mud Pie or Cake... so I came up with the Mississippi Mud Trifle, which is a mix between the two.

Ingredients:

• 2 boxes Brownie Mix
• 3 oz. Chocolate Instant Pudding
• 4 oz. Vanilla Instant Pudding
• 3 c. Milk
• 7 oz. Jar Marshmallow Creme
• 4 oz. Powdered Sugar
• 2 tbsp. Butter
• 1/2 tbsp. Cocoa Powder
• 2 tbsp. Milk
• 1/4 c. Chopped Pecans
• 1 tsp. Vanilla

Yes, you will need to boxes of brownies, simply because they aren't as fluffy as cake.
Bake them together in the 13x9 according to instructions. Let them cool completely before crumbling into pieces, set aside.

The pudding boxes do not come in these sizes, so I measured them out to what I wanted. Trust me, you don't want have too much pudding in your trifle. Once you have your two puddings measured out, pour them in a small mixing bowl and whisk in the milk until it's fluffy or the consistency of pudding. Set aside.

Get your trifle dish and place half of the crumbled brownie into the bottom. Pour all of the pudding on top of the brownie. Now carefully pour the remaining crumbled brownies on top of the pudding.
Your next layer is your marshmallow creme, which can get sticky. Carefully spoon the creme on top of the brownie and spread as evenly as possible. Set aside.

Turn your stove on to a med-low heat. Add the butter, milk, and cocoa. Stir until it comes to a boil, remove from burner. Add your powdered sugar, vanilla, and nuts. Let it cool about 3-5 minutes and then pour on top of your marshmallow.

All done!  Place in fridge until you are ready to eat.

Pumpkin Spice Streusel Muffins

Simply because most people enjoy pumpkin, besides who says you have to wait until fall to enjoy it?!

Muffin Ingredients:

• 2 cups Flour
•  1 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
•  15 oz Can Pumpkin 
• 1/2 cup White Sugar 
• 1/2 cup Brown Sugar 
• 3/4 cup Softened Butter
•  1 tsp Vanilla 
•  1 tsp Cinnamon 
• 2 Large Eggs

Preheat oven to 350.
In a medium bowl, mix flour and baking soda; set aside.
In a mixing bowl, add pumpkin, sugars, eggs, cinnamon, vanilla, and butter. Beat with beaters for 5 minutes or until fluffy.
Add flour mixture and beat until combined.
Place muffin cups in pan, if not using cups make sure to grease well.
Add muffin mix to just above half way point.

          ******DO NOT BAKE YET****


Streusel:

• 1/2 cup Flour 
• 1/4 cup Brown Sugar, packed
• 1/2 stick Softened Butter 
• 1/2 tsp Cinnamon

Combine flour, sugar, and cinnamon. Mix well. 
Add softened butter and fork until crumbly. 
Sprinkle of top of muffin mixture. 

Bake at 350 for 15 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. 

Banana Lemonberry Bread

How does this bread even come together?? It goes something like this...

       While walking to the register on my typical grocery shopping day I passed fresh organic blueberries, which looked simple irresistible and I couldn't pass up. A few thoughts ran through my mind... I could make smoothies, pancakes, or maybe even muffins. All sounded good to me at the moment. I get home and place them on the counter to wash and notice from the corner of my eye, 3 perfectly ripe bananas that are screaming use me use me. The only thing I really enjoy using bananas for is banana bread, so I thought I could make banana bread and put blueberries in there, that would taste great. As I kept unloading groceries and placing cold stuff in the fridge, I see lemon juice and think lemon and blueberries are a great team, and wonder if these three items would good together.......

      I made the bread and waited until after dinner to try it. My husband who practically hates bananas all together, ate half the loaf in a matter of minutes. He ranted about how much he liked it (which he hardly does to this extent), so now I am thinking he is just trying to make me feel good until I tried it... it was perfect! Not one ingredient was overly empowering.

      Here is what I did::


Bread:

• 2 c. Flour
• 3/4 tsp. Baking Soda
• 1 c. Sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp. California Lemon Peel (Found it in the seasoning aisle)
• 1/4 c. Butter, melted
• 1/3 c. Sour Cream
• 2 tsp. Vanilla
• 2 Eggs
• 3 Ripe Bananas, mashed (if they are mushy they are too overly ripe and the banana will dominate the taste)
• 1 (6 oz) Container Fresh Blueberries

Preheat oven to 350.

• In a large mixing bowl, add the first four ingredients, blend. 
• In a separate medium sized bowl, add butter, vanilla, and eggs. Beat until well combined and then whisk in sour cream. 
• Pour batter into flour mixture and beat until creamy. Add bananas, stir. 
• Fold in blueberries. 

I've made this recipe using 1 large loaf/bread glass pan and then tried it using two smaller loaf/bread pans. I preferred the two smaller ones, but do as you would like.

• Grease your pan or pans of choice. 
• If using 1 large pan, bake for 1hr 20min-1 hr 40 min., or until knife comes out clean. 
• If using 2 smaller pans, bake for 1 hr- 1 hr 15 min., or until knife comes out clean. 

Let cool 5 minutes before taking out of pan and sitting on dish or wire rack to cool completely.



Cream Cheese Glaze:

•  2 oz. Cream Cheese, softened
• 1 tsp. Vanilla
• 1/2 tbsp. Milk
• 1/2 tbsp. Lemon Juice
• 1/2 c. Powdered Sugar

 Whisk all ingredients together in a small mixing bowl until there are no clumps.
Once your loaf/loaves has cooled, you may ice them.
Serve!

Caramel Apple Cheesecake

I love apples and applesauce but when it comes to putting apples on or in things, such as pie, lets just say I don't exactly like it. Seeing that it is apple season, I bought a bag full. I am very picky when it comes to my apples, I will only eat Gala apples..... oh so sweet and crisp! If you get this apple make sure you pick them right, the redder the better, just remember that saying and you'll do fine. As the apples sat in my fridge for a few days, I tried to think of something I could make with some of them. I didn't think I would ever be brave enough to try an apple cheesecake, let alone bake one. It just doesn't sound very appetizing to me but you never know unless you try it.

This is what I got:

I can honestly say I NEVER care to eat another kind of cheesecake again!!

Crust:

• 2 c. Flour
• 1/2 c. Brown Sugar
• 1 c. Butter, softened

Mix all ingredients and pour into a greased 9x13 glass baking dish, make sure to press it.


Cheesecake:

• 2 (8 oz) Cream Cheese, softened
• 1 c. Sugar
• 1 tsp. Vanilla

Beat or whisk these ingredients until thick and fluffy. Pour on top of your crust.


Apples:

• 4 Apples, peeled and diced/chopped
• 1/2 tbsp. Cinnamon
• 1/8 c. Sugar
• 1/8 c. Brown Sugar
• 2 tbsp. Butter
• 1/2 c. Water
• 1/4 c. Cold Water + 1 tsp. Cornstarch

Once you have peeled and diced/chopped your apples to your liking of size add them to a pot.

Add your cinnamon, sugars, butter, and 1/2 c. water to your pot and cook on medium heat for 4 minutes. At this time, in a separate cup add your
 cornstarch to your 1/4 c. cold water and once
blended pour into your pot. Continue to cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 10-15 minutes. Apples should be tender. If you have remaining juice, just drain it, the spices have already cooked into your apples. Pour on top of your cheesecake.





Streusel Topping:

• 1 c. Flour
• 1/2 c. Brown Sugar
• 1 tsp. Cinnamon
• 1/2 c. Butter, softened
• 1/2 c. Sugar

In a medium bowl, blend all ingredients using a fork. Spread evenly over your apples.
Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes.


Once your cheesecake is out and cooling make your caramel drizzle.

Caramel:

• 5 1/2 oz. Caramel bits (find them on the baking aisle)
• 1 tbsp. Water

Place caramel bits and water in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds, stir. Cook another 1o seconds, or until melted.
Drizzle over the top and serve!

Heaven in your mouth!

Crust Layer         Cheesecake Layer         Apple Layer         Streusel Layer        Caramel Drizzle

Strawberry Shortcake

Strawberries... I usually don't like them but my kids and husband do. However, over Spring Break we visited my grandma and she made this strawberry mixture and put them on ice cream.... they were so delicious that when we returned home I went out and bought a box of strawberries. I began to think, what is it that I could make with those strawberries. I have never eaten a pound cake nor strawberry shortcake. I wasn't sure if I was going to like it but there was only one way to find out... bake one.

Loved it!!!

Pound Cake:

• 1 (8oz) Package Cream Cheese, softened
•  1 c. Butter, softened
• 3 c. Sugar
• 6 Eggs
• 1 tsp. Lemon Extract
• 1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
• 3 c. Flour
• 1/2 c. Buttermilk

Preheat oven to 325. 
Cream butter and cream cheese. Add sugar and beat until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time. 
Stir in both extracts. Mix in flour and buttermilk, alternatively. Pour into your greased bundt pan or 2 round 9" pans (for this cake, I used the two 9" pans but you are more than welcome to use the bundt instead). 
If baking in the bundt, cook for 80-90 minutes. 
If cooking in the two 9" pans cook for 45-60 minutes. 
                                                                                

                                                                  *For a fluffier and more cake like add 1 tsp. of                                                                      baking soda after mixing in the extracts.  
 
Once done, let cool 10 minutes before removing from pan and letting it completely cool on racks. 





Strawberry Filling/Topping:

• 1 lb. Strawberries
• 1/4 c. Sugar

Cut the tops of our strawberries off and toss. 
Slice them into slivers. 
Dice into cubes. 
Place diced strawberries into a container that will seal, add sugar and mix until all strawberries are coated. 
Cover with lid and place in the fridge for 1 hour. 









I added frosting to mine, if you choose to do so:

• 1 (8oz) Package Cream Cheese, softened
• 2 sticks Butter, softened
• 1 tsp. Vanilla
• 20 oz. Powdered Sugar

Whisk all together in a bowl and set aside.




Now it's time to assemble:

Place your strawberries evenly throughout the bottom of your cake. (If your pour the juice in, it will make it near impossible for the cake to hold the frosting on)





Add just enough frosting to cover the top of the strawberries, this will help the two cakes hold together.



Place the other cake on top and frost.
Keep refrigerated until ready to eat.

Nanatella Muffins

Bananas.... a battle I can never win, I either don't have enough or have too many. There are only so many things you can make with them before you are sick of them too. This time the bananas got lucky. Since we were going out of town and prefer to leave super early before breakfast and eat on the road, I decided to make some banana muffins. I didn't want just plain banana muffins though because then they would taste too much like banana bread. As I browsed through the pantry, I decided Nutella would go good. 

Thus was born Nanatella Muffins:

Ingredients:

• 3 Ripe Bananas, Mashed
• 1 1/2 c. Flour
• 3/4 c. Sugar
• 1/4 c. Brown Sugar
• 1 tsp. Cinnamon
• 1 tsp. Baking Soda
• 1 tsp. Baking Powder
• 2 eggs, Beaten
• 1 tsp.Vanilla
• 1/3 c. Butter, Melted
• 1/4 c. Nutella

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375. 

In a medium bowl, mash bananas and set aside. 

In a large bowl, mix together all dry ingredients (flour, sugars, cinnamon, baking soda, and baking powder).  Once well blended, set aside and return to mashed bananas.

Add beaten eggs, vanilla, and melted butter to your bananas, whisk until combined. Pour on top of your flour mixture and whisk until you see no lumps. 
I decided to put the Nutella in the batter before hand and not a spoonful into each cup individually to save time but you may do as you wish. After adding your Nutella, pour into your cupcake liners (filling them only half way) and bake for 15 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. 

                                                           *This recipe made me 16 muffins.