Category Archives: Miscellaneous

April Fool’s!!! (a collection of our best “fooled-ya” recipes!)

Posted on March 25, 2021 by Ruthanne

spaghetti-cupcakes5

I love April Fool’s! I remember getting some pretty crazy stuff in my lunchbox at school on this day every year. Green milk, raisins stuck in my apple, “moldy” bread… 🙂 Food is a fun way to trick someone- or maybe just to make them smile- on April Fool’s Day. We have shared many “tricky” recipes here on Easybaked, and I wanted to put them all in one place for you.

First up: Eggs and Bacon anyone?

fried-egg3

When your kids sit down for breakfast, they will be delighted to find that these eggs are actually cookies! The toast is toasted pound cake and the bacon is, well, bacon… because salty and sweet. 🙂

If you want a funny, sweet way to kick off April 1, find the recipe here.

Breakfast not your thing? How about dinner on a cupcake?

Next up are our Spaghetti and Meatball Cupcakes!

spagetti-and-meatballs-cucpakes1

The first time I made these, I set them down on the table and the kids were all like, “Ewwww!!!” because they thought I’d put actual spaghetti on a cupcake. Which is a *win* on April Fools 🙂

If you want a dinner laugh, find the recipe here.

And then there are the gross foods (like green milk- thanks mom!)

How about worms? You could add these to any food plate. We put them on cupcakes, but how fun would they be on a sandwich? Or in a salad? They are pretty realistic. These are no gummy worm.

worm2

You need to prepare ahead for these (they have Jello-O as an ingredient), but if you want to gross out your family, coworkers or friends, click here for the recipe.

You thought worms were gross?

How about poop? especially if you have a dog or cat, you *might* convince your kids that an accident happened right on their plate! Ewww…. 😂

emojipoo2

These are actually delicious chocolate cookies… but when you pick one up to try it, you will add even more to the gross factor!

Want to add poo to dinner? The recipe is here!

If you are serving poo, you might want to add this fun little cake to the table too:

LTUA0334

I made this TP cake in the height of the TP shortage of COVID, and it was deliciously funny 😂 If you want to give it a try, click here.

One last “gross” recipe 🙂 Imagine you accidentally cut yourself making these cupcakes- but decided to serve them anyway?

broken-glass-cupcakes-1

You’d have these Broken Glass Cupcakes! Get this gross, yet super tasty recipe here.

Finally, I leave you with a collection of “mini” treats. They won’t trick anyone, but they are so fun, I just had to add them to this post. Click on a picture to see the recipe! Hope you have a SUPER fun day playing tricks! 😊 ENJOY! ~r

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Posted in Miscellaneous, Seasonal dessert and tagged April Fool's recipe, April Fool's recipe collection, April Fool's recipe ideas, April Fools, April Fools dessert, Funny Recipes. Bookmark the permalink.

Pumpkin Guts!

Posted on October 17, 2014 by Ruthanne

This delicious coconut cream pie dip is disguised as gooey pumpkin guts (with sliced almond “seeds”)~ a perfect Halloween treat!!

I love carving pumpkins. The smell is my favorite part, it reminds me of being very small and in a homemade costume anxiously awaiting trick-or-treat time. We always carved pumpkins several days earlier, but we lit them on Halloween and all evening the lids would quietly cook in the candle flame, filling the house with an indescribably wonderful scent that still reminds me of childhood whenever I smell it.

I carved a pumpkin for this recipe.

1. To serve this dip in.

2. To use as a reference in coloring this dessert!

Isn’t it fun? I savored the smell and enjoyed the squishy guts between my fingers…I even roasted a few seeds and ate them with salt as a reward for getting my pictures taken!

Want to know how to make this yummy fall treat? It is SUPER easy! (Printable recipe)

INGREDIENTS:

3 cups of shredded sweet coconut (to desired consistency)
1 cup of sliced almonds
1 box (3.3 oz.) Jello Brand White Chocolate Pudding (instant)
Milk (to make pudding according to package)
Orange and yellow food coloring
Chocolate cookies for dipping!

DIRECTIONS:

Make pudding as directed on package and color to desired shade with food colors
Place coconut in a large zip-top bag and add the same food colors to the bag. Toss and mix coconut until colored as well.
Mix pudding with enough coconut to make a gooey pumpkin consistency.
Mix about half of the almonds in, and use the rest to sprinkle on top.
Serve with chocolate cookies or graham crackers for that “Almond Joy” taste!
Enjoy!

My thoughts: Well, I love coconut, almonds and chocolate- so this was a given “perfect” dessert for me! I think it would be fun to serve this with a “murdered” pumpkin, I just didn’t have time to draw a dramatic face and stick a big knife in mine! Serve it up classy, or make it into a funny Halloween treat- either way, it is easy and soooooo yummy! ~Enjoy!!!!! ~r

Other fun fall desserts here on Easybaked (click on a photo to see the recipe)

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Posted in Easy recipes, Miscellaneous, Pies, Seasonal dessert and tagged almond joy dip, almonds, chocolate, coconut, dessert, dip, fall, fun, Halloween, halloween party dessert, party, pudding, pumpkin dip, pumpkin guts, unique. Bookmark the permalink.

Shamrock Parfaits…the unplanned dessert.

Posted on March 15, 2014 by Ruthanne

These lovely layered St. Patty’s Day treats were supposed to be a cake…but ended up even better!

I am in the middle of the Navajo Nation without a Bundt cake pan. That is how this tale begins. I am almost 3 hours from a store that sells Bundt pans. In my mind, I wanted to make a lovely bundt cake full of swirls of various shades of green, topped with melted Key Lime frosting. SO- I did what any enterprising blogging girl would do- I ordered a pan on ebay, with free shipping. It took a week, but once I got it I was ready to go! I divided my cake mix into 4 parts and colored each part an increasingly darker shade of green and swirled the colors together in the pan. After it baked, I tipped it out on a cake rack and…..

Sadness.

I let the disaster cool and re-thought my recipe. I brought my favorite little Weck jars with me, and I had some heavy cream to whip… how about parfaits!!

Here’s the recipe: (printable version)

INGREDIENTS: (makes 10-12 small parfaits)

One boxed white cake mix (Plus water, oil and eggs to make according to box)
Green food coloring gel
One tub of Pillsbury Key Lime Frosting
2 cups heavy whipping cream
3 Tablespoons of powdered sugar

DIRECTIONS:

Make cake according to boxed mix, adding green food color to make batter green (you can make several shades of green if you want, but you don’t have to).
Bake as directed in any cake pan you want (lol!)
Allow cake to cool completely.
Put heavy cream and powdered sugar in a large mixing bowl and beat on high until cream is whipped and light, holding stiff peaks.
Take the lid and foil wrap off the tub of frosting, and heat in the microwave for 20-30 seconds. Stir until it is a nice smooth liquid.
Assemble your parfaits by spooning a bit of frosting into each glass, followed by a bit of crumbled cake, followed by a dollop of whipped cream. Repeat these layers until you are at the top.
End with a swirl of whipped cream and some sprinkles.
Enjoy!

My thoughts: These ended up being the yummiest dessert! I had a family over to visit that night and they gobbled up every last bit of it and loved it. That key lime frosting is the BOMB! Yum! Anyway, thanks for joining me on my latest Navajo kitchen adventure! Happy St. Patricks Day!! ~rUsually I give you another four recipes related to this one. But today I leave you with one. These are seriously some of the best cupcakes I’ve ever made, and they are perfect for St. Patrick’s Day….just click on the photo and you’ll be magically transported to the yummy recipe. I present: Bailey’s Irish Cream Cupcakes….Enjoy!!!! ~r

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Posted in Cakes, Miscellaneous and tagged baking disaster, best, bundt, cake, dessert, green, key lime, key lime frosting, new, parfaits, Pillsbury Key lime frosting, recipe, sprinkles, St. Patricks Day, unique, whipped cream. Bookmark the permalink.

Cookie Dough Whoopie Pies

Posted on May 17, 2013 by Ruthanne

Rich cocoa whoopie pies filled with a creamy cookie dough frosting. Yum.

One of the benefits of being a food blogger is that all of your friends see cool kitchen stuff and get it for you! My sweet friend Danielle gave me a Whoopie Pie Pan for my birthday and I had to google what a whoopie pie was because I’d never had one. Now, I am obsessed with this incredible dessert. Oh. My. Word.

A few months ago I made a cupcake that is my FAVORITE recipe on this blog (yes, I have a favorite!) It’s a cookie dough cupcake and I so wanted an excuse to make that frosting again, so I made it for these! Perfect! Everyone loves them….and I am eating the leftover frosting out of a bowl while I write this post…really– right out of the bowl {sigh of pure joy}

You know you want to try these….here’s how: (printer friendly recipe)

INGREDIENTS: (makes 16-18 whoopie pies)

Whoopie Pie:

2 sticks (8 oz) salted butter (softened)
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
2 Tablespoons vanilla
3 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups cocoa powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder

Cookie Dough Filling:

2 sticks (8 oz.) unsalted butter(softened)
2 sticks (8 oz.) salted butter(softened)
2 cups powered sugar
1 cup brown sugar (packed)
3 Tablespoons vanilla
1/3 cup flour
1 12 oz bag of mini chocolate chips.

Directions:

Whoopie Pie:

This recipe can be made on a cookie sheet, but to get that perfectly shaped, every-one-is-the-same-size look you really should invest in a Whoopie Pie Pan. They aren’t terribly expensive and these turn out SO much better if you use one!

Preheat oven to 400F degrees
Spray a whoopie pie pan with non-stick cooking spray.
Use a mixer to cream together butter and sugar.
Add milk, eggs and vanilla and beat until combined.
Add dry ingredients (add flour last and gradually) and beat until smooth. (My mixer had a hard time with this, as it is a thick cookie-like mixture. My mixer is 15 years old though and died the next day….so …? I finished mixing by hand…)
Use a large Cookie Scoop (2-3 Tablespoons) to drop dough into each whoopie pie cavity. Gently press dough into cavity.

Bake for 8-10 minutes- don’t overbake- cake should be springy to the touch, not hard like a cookie.
Cool on a wire rack.

Filling:

Place all filling ingredients except mini chips into a large mixing bowl and beat with mixer on low until combined and then high until light and fluffy.
Add half of mini chips and blend in well.
Scoop about 2 Tablespoons of filling onto one half of a whoopie pie.
Press the other half on top very gently until filling spreads to edges.
Pour remaining mini chips into a bowl and roll edges of filling in them to coat the sides.

My thoughts: These are just exactly right, in my book. I love the deep cocoa flavor in the cake and that FROSTING….!

If you want to reduce the amount of filling you can certainly cut the recipe for it in half. I was very generous with the filling and had just a little left at the end. I hope you get a chance to try these– and if you want a similar flavor in smaller bites hop over to the cookie dough cupcake recipe and give them a try. Happy baking, friends!!!

Happy Valentines Day….sharing a little blog love!

Posted on February 14, 2013 by Ruthanne

Happy Valentines Day!

This post is long overdue. There’s a wonderful thing that happens in the blogging world when a fellow blogger sends you an award because they enjoy your blog so much. These awards are a great way to say thanks to someone you admire and also a great way to highlight some of your favorite blogs for your readers. I have met so many of my friends here because of these awards! Usually, an award is offered and you post about it. You post the name of the award and offer up a thanks to the blog that awarded it to you and then offer that same award to other blogs that you admire and love.

I am a failure at this.

I’m so focused on recipes and photography that I have back-burnered all awards offered to me. This post is my (belated!) attempt to show some love back to the wonderful blogging community around me.

All that said– if you are hoping for a recipe, this post will not contain one…but I promise to be back tomorrow with some cookie dough butter cream cupcakes!! (you’re gonna love them!) If you want to know a little more about who I am and the other baking and photography blogs I love….then keep reading.

The Leibster Award:

This award was offered to me by two blogs.

Sweet Twist of Fate and Sweets and Brains.

The requirements for accepting the award were entirely different from each other on the two blogs- even though it is the same award? So I’m winging it.

One blogger wants me to pay it forward to 5 new blogs– ones with less than 200 followers- that I enjoy. I love this idea, as half the battle of blogging is having people know you exist! Here are 5 blogs I LOVE with less than 200 followers. Show them a little love today:

I Sing in the Kitchen is a blog that pairs incredible recipes with music of many genres….such a fun idea!!!

Lemon Cake is a collection of cakes (and other yummy things) created by Farheen out of England. YUM.

Yorkes Girl is a blog out of Australia full of food, travel stories and incredible photography. Love it.

Devos by Chaps is written by a friend and mentor who is also a navy chaplain. Every post is incredible, thought provoking and encouraging to me. This is a blog to follow!!

Happily Ever After Cakes is a combination of amazing (I could NEVER make these!) cakes and heart-warming stories of family life and the ups and downs it brings. Love this family!!!

The other blogger asked a series of questions.

1. What are the 1st three things you think of when you see the color purple? Grapes. Bruises. and um…Grapes. Yeah. That’s how I roll.

2. What instruments do you play, if you could learn any what would they be? I play piano, flute, penny whistle and a variety of percussion instruments. I‘d love to learn guitar.

3. If your house caught on fire and you could only grab 2 things what would they be? My dog Casper and my laptop.

4. Pizza or pasta? Pizza!!!

The Sunshine Award

Presented by: Miss Marzipan

The requirements for accepting are to pay it forward to 10 of my favorite blogs and to answer the following questions:

Who is your favorite philosopher? I do not have a favorite. I took this class in college and hated it passionately!
What is your favorite number? 3
What is your favorite animal? My puppy casper (coton de tulear)
What is your favorite time of day? Morning
What are your Facebook and Twitter? https://www.facebook.com/easybaked.net
What is your favorite holiday? Thanksgiving (food, family, rest, football) and Easter (the very best reason to celebrate!)
What is your physical favorite activity? Long distance walking. Did a mini marathon last spring and loved it…I also like long bike rides.
What is your favorite non-alcoholic drink? Sweet tea!!!
What is your passion? Only one? I have so many. Top of the list: God. Learning about him, building a relationship with him, helping others see him clearly…. then there is baking, photography, travel, friendships, design, overseas missions…. I might be a little too passionate about too many things 😉
What is your favorite flower? Daisies. They are like smiles on a stem. I love them

My Blog nominations:

1. My Healthy ‘Ohana Maura writes this beautiful blog from her home in Hawaii and it’s a joy to read. ‘Ohana means family in Hawaiian and these posts speak on all things family- with lots of yummy recipes!

2. Clever Muffin Aimee is from Australia and she is one of the funniest food bloggers I have ever met. I’ve loved her food blog since the very beginning of mine. Beautiful food…great stories!!!

3. On Sugar Mountain The author of this blog, Jess is creative and fun and obviously loves life- her recipes and photos are just beautiful. I’m a recent fan and so glad I found her!

4. Inspire and Indulge Leah, from upstate New York, is my favorite Pinterest junkie blogger. Her wonderful blog is a collection of recipes and crafts and fun. Love it!

5. Wandering for Good This site will floor you. It is one of my favorite blogs ever. Stephanie is a friend of my friend Angie (we were both in her wedding). She is a world traveller who is convinced that if we all gave a little we could change the world. She started the #give10 campaign. Seriously, go check this blog out- you will love it. It will love you. Amazing stuff. Not food….but amazing.

6. Anna Shortcakes Beautiful food….beautiful photography….beautiful blog.

7. Cooking up a storm, dish by dish Felicia, the writer of this blog, will steal your heart with her stories of family near and far and intrigue you with all of her international dishes. Such a unique and heartwarming blog!

8. Rufus’ Food and Spirits Guide There’s a special place in my heart for this blog. They were the 1st non-friend/family members of the Easybaked family and their support and comments in those early days always made my day. This blog is an incredible (almost daily!) collection of unique recipes. Incredibly unique…!

9. Just a Smidgen A shout out to Canada and Barbara (aka “smidge”) for her elegant collection of recipes, photography and art. Just a beautiful quiet place to settle in for a good read.

10. Hoof Beats and Foot Prints Not all of my blogging addictions are food related, I have a fair number of photography sites I love as well. Emily, from Bella Remy Photography captures everything from international travel to simple every day items in gorgeous photos. A picture says 1,000 words and Emilys speak volumes.

The Sisterhood of the World Bloggers Award

Given to me by: Happy Domesticity

My ten questions to answer with this award are mostly already answered in the previous award. Here’s whats left:

1. What’s your favorite color? Blue.

2. What’s your favorite pattern? The pattern of sunlight through palm trees when you lay by the beach on vacation with your eyes closed.

3. Do you prefer getting or giving presents? Giving.

4. Favorite day of the week? Sunday….rest!

5. Why did you start to write your blog? Because I was tired of writing out recipes for people and thought if they were all online it would make things easier.

More blogs I love:

Last, but certainly not least, the Addictive Blog Award.

This was awarded by my far-away friend Felicia from Cooking up a Storm, Dish by Dish

No questions this time. I’m supposed to tell you about how I got started in blogging, but I sort-of already did that…? I’m also supposed to share another 10 of my favorite blogs…but I’ve already shared 25 of them….so here’s what we are going to do. We are going to break the rules….ready?

Things I love about blogging: the people I meet, the challenge of thinking up something new and unique, the few days when my stats go through the roof, the way it is teaching me about photography, learning about other cultures and traditions.

Things I hate about blogging: when a recipe doesn’t work for someone, when people tell me cake mix is a mortal sin, when I publish a typo, when I think very long about how many of you are reading this (that is paralyzing!), when I don’t have time to post.

In the spirit of breaking the rules I am going to share with you just two more blogs.

The first is Kids Parties 1-2-3. The writer of this blog is Kit Bennett and to her I owe many thanks. She contacted me early on in Easybaked’s history and asked me to write for Ganz (of Webkinz fame), where she is editor. She offered, in return, to help me with blogging. She explained SEO to me and how to improve mine. She explained the concept of monetizing a blog and gave me much encouragement. She is a treasure- trove of information in all things parties and all things kids and her site is just wonderful. Thanks Kit!!!!

The second blog is Bon Bon Break. Kathy and Val connected with me and asked me to write some articles for them and I just fell in love with this site. This is an incredible collection of blog posts (new each week) and I just think it is a genius idea. The best part? You can submit to write for them too! Such a great way to get your blog out there and read. This site is truly worth checking out.

We are done. (whew!) If you made it all the way through, I’m impressed. If your blog was mentioned I think you can consider yourself nominated for the award and you can pass the joy on to others….you ummmmm– might want to look up the rules if you want to follow them more thoroughly than I did. Just visit the sites that nominated me and you will see exactly what to do. My approach was a little less organized than most, but I hope you all know how much I love and appreciate you and the incredible blogs you are publishing!

Happiest of Valentines Days to each of you! ❤ ~r

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Posted in Miscellaneous, Not-a-recipe!! and tagged blog awards, how to find good food blogs, thank you. Bookmark the permalink.

Dulce de Leche Caramel Sauce

Posted on November 25, 2012 by Ruthanne

This creamy sweet caramel sauce couldn’t be easier to make. Ingredients? One can of Sweetened Condensed Milk and a very brave spirit…..

I had heard from several people about the “boil a can of condensed milk to make caramel” idea, and I knew someday I would try it. That “someday” arrived when I was asked to bring a birthday cheesecake for my brother this weekend. He likes PLAIN cheesecake. For those of you who have followed easybaked for awhile, you know I don’t do “plain” anything. I take plain and add peanut butter, chocolate, glazes, ganache, frosting, candy….nothing plain. But for my wonderful brother John….I present: a plain white cheesecake…..

so…..plain. In case you are wondering, this recipe is the basis for almost all of my cheesecakes, and you can click on one of the following pictures to get the recipe using white chocolate (plus fun toppings!!!!) Using other chip flavors gives you chocolate, peanut butter, cinnamon or even butterscotch cheesecakes.

In any case, I made the plain cheesecake, but I wanted a fun topping sauce to serve with it. Dulce de Leche. Now, I don’t know about you, but in my mind boiling a can of any sort sounds like a disaster….so I looked up the technique- just to be sure I did it right and didn’t explode anything.

I found a cute blog called Not Without Salt that gave instructions….scary instructions….and I quote:

“In a large pan, completely submerge the can of sweetened condensed milk in water. Make sure it is covered by at least one inch of water and remains covered throughout the entire process – this is VERY important otherwise it could explode. Cover the pan with a lid and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for three hours. Continually check to make sure the can is completely covered with water.”

Yes, it could explode. Needless to say, I obsessively checked my water level for 3 hours. I never needed to add any…but I imagined lovely dulce de leche covering my ceiling and walls and I obsessed.

After 3 hours of fear, I took the pan off the stove and had a debate with my friend Danielle about if I should leave it in the hot water to cool…or take it out…? I took it out. And I set it outside on my sunporch to cool- or explode.

It cooled beautifully and when I opened the can….oh my.

I love it. I would do this again in a heartbeat— it is SO good. I’m so excited to serve it with my cheesecake in a few hours. It would be good over ice cream or apples…so many possibilities. ENJOY!!! (and be very careful that your water doesn’t evaporate!!) ~r

Happy Birthday!!!

Dulce de Leche in your coffee???

Other recipes you might enjoy: Click on the image to be taken to the recipe.

Shop Amazon – Cyber Monday Deals Week

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Posted in Candy, Cheesecakes, Easy recipes, Miscellaneous and tagged baking, brave spirit, candy, caramel, caramel sauce, cheesecake, dessert, dulce de leche, easy recipe for caramel, food, how to make dulce de leche by boiling a can of sweetened condensed milk, sweet caramel, sweetened condensed milk, white chocolate. Bookmark the permalink.

DIY Caramel Corn and other great gift ideas from Easybaked!

Posted on November 22, 2012 by Ruthanne

I love making and getting creative edible gifts. I’m not talking just a plate of Christmas cookies here…I’m talking unique and different. Take Caramel Corn, for example. It is my grandmother’s favorite and I remember spending long evenings watching my parents try various caramel corn recipes in search of the perfect (yet not too messy!) one. There was the giant brown sack method (where you shake the caramel in) and the cookie sheet one where you pour the caramel on and try to mix it on the sheet (my dog liked that method– lots of popcorn on the floor!)

A few years ago a friend handed me an adorable little Christmas package with mysterious items inside (all tied up with a cute tag and bow) and when I opened it I found ingredients for caramel corn. All I needed was butter….. I promptly made it and YUM!!! Quick, easy, delicious and SUCH a creative gift. This post is dedicated to the recipes you can use this Christmas to make creative and memorable gifts for your friends and families.

CARAMEL CORN:

Place 1/2c. packed brown sugar in a small bag and zip or tie it tightly.
Place 8 large marshmallows in a small bag and zip or tie it tightly.
Place both of the above ingredients in a larger bag or gift box with one packet of microwave popcorn.

Close the bag or box with the following directions:

Pop corn in microwave according to package
Place brown sugar, marshmallows and 1/2 stick (4T) butter into a 2 qt. bowl
Microwave for 3 minutes, stirring well at 1 and 1/2 minutes. Syrup should be smooth and bubbly.
Pour over popped corn and enjoy!

Click on the photo below to get free printable tags to use with this gift:

OREO POPS:

These fun chocolate-covered Oreos on a stick are great for any season. I made them for the 1st time last spring for a baby shower. Change up the sprinkles and tie some cute Christmas tags on and you have a great stocking stuffer- or even a holiday centerpiece bouquet! All the how-to tips, including pictures are available if you just click HERE. I also made up some free tags for you to tie on your pops~ Click on the picture below to get the free printable file:

HOT CHOCOLATE POPS:

I made these as gifts for SO many people last year. I made extra for myself. These are so easy and SO delicious~ everyone will LOVE them. What are they? Chocolate (in a variety of flavors and colors) hardened over a marshmallow on a stick. You stir them into hot milk and make the most creamy, delicious hot chocolate ever. The best part? You can make them WAY ahead. I made some in December and used them in March…still wonderful. The recipe and directions can be found by clicking HERE. If you want to print some free tags to tie on your pops click on the image below:

SPICED MOCHA MIX:

My cousin Eden made little jars of this wonderful mix for us several years ago at Christmas and I’ve used the recipe ever since. It’s just wonderful, easy to make, keeps for months in a sealed bag or jar and makes a great gift. Want the recipe and easy directions? Click HERE. Free printable tags? Click on the picture below to get them: (I actually printed these on full-sheet labels, cut them apart and made stickers for my jars…just another idea…)

I hope that these ideas have inspired you to create your own fun and unique Christmas gifts!!! Enjoy! ~r

Want to try some other fun Christmas recipes by Easybaked? Click on an image below to be taken to the recipe:

Shop Amazon – Black Friday Deals Week

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Posted in Beverages, Cake Pops, Candy, Cookies, Easy recipes, Miscellaneous, Seasonal dessert and tagged baking, candy, caramel, caramel corn recipe, caramel corn recipes, chocolate, Chocolate covered Oreo, christmas, Christmas candy, Christmas printables, Cocoa mix, cooking, creative dessert, creative gifts, dessert, desserts, DIY gift ideas, edible gifts, food, free Christmas tags, free printable tags, Gifts in a Jar, great stocking stuffer, Holiday treats, Hot chocolate pops, Mocha mix, Oreo on a stick, oreo pops, popcorn, stir in hot chocolate. Bookmark the permalink.

Summer adventures…

Posted on July 11, 2012 by Ruthanne

Yay!!!! It is time again for English Camp! For those of you who have followed Easybaked for at least one year, you will remember my two week break from blogging last summer to take a group of college students to Slovakia to teach English. We are going again this year, and our trip is about to begin. I am taking a team of 16 people over via an organization called Josiah Venture to teach English and work with a team from a local church there to teach about God. I’m so excited to see the students I met last year and to meet new ones!

Never fear— I have created ahead for you and have yummy treats/recipes that will automatically post for me while I’m gone. I will have very limited access to internet to approve/moderate your comments and questions though. I just wanted to let you know that I haven’t forgotten you– and I will be excited to catch up when we are back!

Happy July to each of you! R-

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Posted in Miscellaneous and tagged English Camp, Josiah Venture, Slovakia. Bookmark the permalink.

Frostings, Fillings and Fun!

Posted on June 15, 2012 by Ruthanne

One of the most frequent questions I’m asked about this blog is this: How do you keep coming up with new and original recipes?

The answer is this: I find elements (usually a filling, topping or frosting) that I love in one recipe and imagine ways to use it again in a totally new recipe.

Here’s an example: My friend Dawn’s friend Lily gave her a recipe for caramel chip bars. I changed a few elements in the recipe and made it my own. The bars are reeeeaaaaalllly good. The best part about them is the amazing caramel sauce that makes up the middle layer. How have I used this caramel sauce since?

(click on a picture to see the whole recipe)

This post is dedicated to sharing my favorites in the frosting, topping and filling world– I hope you can use some of these elements to create your own yummy treats (and if you do, please share them here with the rest of us!!!)

FROSTINGS:

Buttercream Frosting:

By far, my favorite frosting recipe ever. Light and whipped and a perfect blend of sweet and a touch of salty. If you want it flavored use extract in place of the vanilla. You can also add colors.

Ingredients:

1 stick (4 oz.)of salted butter (room temp)
1 stick (4 oz.)of unsalted butter (room temp)
1 1/2 c. powdered sugar
3 t. vanilla (use clear if you want white frosting)

Directions:

Place all ingredients in a mixing bowl and beat on high until light and fluffy.
This is enough to frost 12-18 cupcakes. Double this recipe to frost more or to frost an entire layered cake.

German Chocolate Frosting:

Ingredients:

1c. sugar
1c. evaporated milk
1/2c. butter
3 egg yolks (beaten)
1 1/3c. flaked coconut
1c. finely chopped pecans.
1 t. vanilla extract

Directions:

In saucepan combine sugar, evaporated milk, butter and egg yolks. Cook over low heat (stir constantly!) until this thickens considerably (took me about 8 minutes).
Remove from heat and stir in pecans and coconut.
Chill until thick enough to spread.
This makes enough frosting to frost a layer cake.

Kool-Aid Frosting:

Just plain fun. Use different flavors to be as creative as you want!

Ingredients:

2- 8oz. packages of Philadelphia Cream Cheese (softened to room temp.)
1 packet (0.23oz.) of Kool-Aid
Food coloring (to deepen color if desired)
1- 7oz. container Jet-Puffed Marshmallow Creme
1/3 c. powdered sugar
8 oz. Cool Whip Topping

Directions:

Cream together cream cheese, Kool-Aid and food coloring (if desired) until smooth.
Beat marshmallow creme and powdered sugar in and then fold in Cool Whip until completely smooth.
This makes enough frosting to frost a layer cake.

Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting:

Ingredients:

2 packets of Dream Whip (4 come in one box)
3/4 c. milk
1/2 t. vanilla
4 oz. (1/2 brick) of softened Philadelphia Cream Cheese
1/3 c. powdered sugar (divided)

Directions:

Cream together softened cream cheese and about half of the powdered sugar. Set aside.
Add remaining ingredients together in a large mixing bowl and stir until all powder is combined.
Mix with an electric mixer (beaters are ok, but I like to use my whisk attachment if you have one) on high until very stiff peaks form.
Add cream cheese mixture and continue beating on high until stiff and thick.
This makes enough frosting to frost a layer cake.

Royal Icing:

Not my favorite frosting to work with, but perfect for a smooth and hard topping for cookies. Beautiful but a lot of work…

Ingredients:

1 lb of powdered sugar
3 T. meringue powder
6 T. water
1t. vanilla (use clear if you want white frosting)
Food coloring

Directions:

Add all ingredients together and mix with a mixer for at least 2 minutes until smooth and fluffy. Color as desired.

FILLINGS:

Mint Filling

This is perfect for layering inside of brownies and cakes. I’ve even made a peppermint patty tart using this filling as a layer inside.

Ingredients:

5 c. powdered sugar
8 tbsp. (one cup) melted butter or margarine
2 tsp. peppermint extract
food coloring (if desired)

Directions:

Add melted butter to sugar and extract.
Mix well, using water to bring it to a thick but spreadable consistency.
Add food coloring if desired.

Kool-Aid Filling

Perfect for making a cream pie or putting in little cookie cups- this filling’s potential is as endless as the flavors of Kool-Aid on the shelf! Kids will LOVE this!

Ingredients:

8oz. Philadelphia Cream Cheese
1 (0.22 oz.) packet Kool Aid in any flavor
2c. marshmallow fluff
8 oz. Cool Whip (refrigerator temp)

Directions:

Cream together Kool Aid and Philadelphia Cream Cheese
Add Marshmallow fluff and blend well.
Fold in 1c. of Cool Whip.

Chocolate Mousse:

A perfect creamy filling for a layer cake–YUM!

Ingredients:

2 packets of Dream Whip
3/4 c. milk
1 t. vanilla
3T. cocoa powder
3T. powdered sugar

Directions:

Put Dream Whip, milk, vanilla, cocoa powder and powdered sugar into a mixing bowl and blend together.
Using a mixer, beat until stiff peaks form (3-4 minutes)

Easy Cheesecake Filling:

I’ve used this no-bake cheesecake filling for years- I like to make it and fill a pre-made graham crust for a super easy dessert!

Ingredients:

8 oz. of Philadelphia Cream Cheese
1/3 c. granulated sugar
2 t. vanilla
1 (8 oz) container of Cool Whip
1 c. mini chocolate chips

Directions:

Cream together softened cream cheese and sugar.
Add vanilla.
Fold in Cool Whip and 1 c. chocolate chips.

TOPPINGS:

Chocolate glaze:

This glaze is nice because it hardens just enough to still cut- like a really hard fudge.

Ingredients:

12oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips
12 tsp. butter (do not substitute margarine here!)

Directions:

Melt butter and chocolate together in the microwave in 30 second increments, stirring in between until completely melted and smooth.
Pour over dessert and spread evenly. Allow glaze to harden.

Ganache:

This is a big go-to topping for me- you’ll see it in many varieties in my recipes. You can change the flavor by changing the type of chips you use. I’ve made dark chocolate, milk chocolate, white chocolate, butterscotch, cinnamon and peanut butter ganache using this recipe— it makes a GREAT (easy to cut!) topping for cheesecakes.

Ingredients:

1/2 c. whipping cream
1 c. chips (any flavor)

Directions:

Warm whipping cream in a small saucepan until just bubbling around edges (stirring!)
Turn off heat, add chips and cover pan for 5 minutes.
Stir melted chips into hot whipping cream until smooth (add a little heat if the chips aren’t fully melted)
Pour over dessert (or into cookie cups etc.) and allow ganache to harden.

Melted Frosting Glaze:

Such a simple topping- yet so yummy!

Ingredients:

One can of pre-made frosting

Directions:

Spoon frosting into a microwave safe bowl.
Warm in microwave for about 30 seconds.
Stir until smooth and runny.
Pour over dessert and allow glaze to harden.

Wilton’s Candy Melts:

The best thing to drizzle any dessert with. These are little candy wafers in a variety of colors that you can melt and drizzle. They harden into a solid layer though- so cutting them is more difficult.

I hope this collection of my favorites inspires you to create wonderful new treats!

Enjoy your weekend– and Happy Father’s Day to all of you dads out there!! -r

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Posted in Easy recipes, Miscellaneous and tagged best frosting recipes, buttercream frosting, chocolate, filling, frosting, ganache, german chocolate frosting, mint frosting, peanut butter frosting, royal icing, store-bought frosting, vanilla, Wiltons candy Melts. Bookmark the permalink.

Leche de Chocolate (Mexican Chocolate Milk!)

Posted on March 23, 2012 by Ruthanne

Cold, creamy and sweet- this is chocolate milk like you’ve never had it before. Say hello to one of my favorite treats from the beautiful country of Mexico!

For several years I’ve led mission trips from our church down to a tiny town in Sinaloa, Mexico. We spend 10 days or so doing Bible school with the kids of the town, helping to build a church and training facility and just helping out around the town- painting, cleaning etc. We have met the most wonderful people and made friendships I will never forget. The food—authentic Mexican–is literally the best I’ve had in ANY country I’ve visited. I, of course, had my nose in the kitchen often- asking questions, watching them make tortillas from scratch and pluck feathers from chickens. I do hope to feature some of the recipes they shared with me here someday, but tonight I was craving chocolate milk, and the best chocolate milk I’ve ever had was in a tiny restaurant in Mazatlan, MX. It was a hot day of touring and we’d just climbed a HUGE hill up to the lighthouse in Mazatlan. We stumbled on this restaurant and stayed because it had air conditioning. For some reason, chocolate milk sounded good– and the rest is history!

My friend Jennifer and I enjoying chocolate milk in Mexico

I knew the ingredients because I asked our waiter, but the proportions were up to me. I will give you the amounts I use- but feel free to adjust them to your liking. Add more or less of anything to adjust the sweetness or the flavor. This is how I like it:

INGREDIENTS:

4 c. milk
1c. ice cubes
1/3 c. Hershey’s Chocolate Syrup
1/2 of a (14oz.) can of sweetened condensed milk
1 t. cinnamon
1t. vanilla

DIRECTIONS:

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
Pour into fun glasses (mine were a gift, but I found more like them here: Tall Irish Coffee Glass)
Serve cold and frothy!
ENJOY!!!!

My thoughts: My 1st sip of this made me smile and I had to just close my eyes and remember all the wonderful people I met on these trips to Mexico. Isn’t it fun when a taste brings back happy memories? I hope that this easy recipe becomes a favorite in your family! Enjoy! -r