Tag Archives: birthday

Cupcakes for Puppies!!!

Posted on May 15, 2015 by Ruthanne

These delicious little peanut butter cupcakes are a yummy treat for puppies and people!

(Just don’t sprinkle the people-ones with dog treats!)

So, I have this dog named Casper.

He was an answer to prayer 6 years ago and he has been making me smile and cheering my heart ever since. His 6th birthday is coming up in June and I wanted to celebrate with a dessert made just for him. I took my peanut butter cookie recipe (which is delightfully simple, using pup-friendly ingredients) and scooped it into mini-muffin tins to bake. They bake up into adorable little bite-size treats. I topped the puppy ones with whipped cream and puppy treats. Then I added a little chocolate on top of the “human” variety.

Here’s how we made them: (printable recipe)

INGREDIENTS: (makes 24-30 mini cupcakes)

1c. creamy peanut butter
1c. sugar
1 egg

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
Mix peanut butter, sugar and eggs together in a mixing bowl.
Use a medium size cookie scoop to scoop dough into mini cupcake liners placed in a mini cupcake tin.
Bake at 350 degrees for 12-14 minutes. Cool completely.
Serve plain, or top with a little whipped cream and dog treats (for dogs)
I like a little chocolate with my peanut butter (for humans ONLY though- chocolate makes puppies sick!)
Enjoy! (and help your pup with that paper wrapper!)

Just like that, his “pupcake” is gone! (he needed a little help with the paper wrapper…)

Then we played with the extra whipped cream a little bit…just for fun.

Love him!!!!!

My thoughts: Easy, fun and yummy for both you and your furry friends. Casper and I shared these with both human and puppy friends and they were a hit! There are only 3 basic ingredients in these, but you’ll want to make sure that neither dog nor human have allergies to them before serving! ~Enjoy!!!

Don’t miss Casper’s other recipe feature here: “Cupcakes for Casper”

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Brownies!

Posted on January 30, 2015 by Ruthanne

These soft brownies topped with cookie dough and fudge are an easy family favorite!!

I’m back! Thanks for your patience this past month. This was the 1st break I’ve taken from Easybaked in nearly 4 years, but there are just some times in life that knock you over and even your favorite things (like baking and blogging!) hold no appeal.

We lost my beautiful mom very quickly last month to aggressive cancer. She is woven through this collection of recipes in so many ways. She taught me how to bake, she shared her best dessert ideas, and she helped me brainstorm new and creative ways to remake a recipe.

She was my biggest fan. As I post this recipe later this week, I will miss her text; “Honey, I loved your blog post- are you bringing those home this weekend? They look so good!”

These cookie dough brownies are mom’s recipe- with a new twist. Mom made these all the time, with mint filling. They have been featured here on Easybaked many times- with all kinds of different fillings. If you’d like to see these other recipes, just click on the photo!

As you can see, almost any filling is a wonderful addition to these dense, rich brownies. Cookie dough is no exception- it is WONDERFUL, cuts beautifully into squares, and can be kept refrigerated for three to four days or frozen for up to a month. (I love make-ahead desserts!!!) Want to know how to make these? Here you go: (printable recipe)

INGREDIENTS:

Brownie:

Two sticks (1 cup) butter
2 cup sugar
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups flour
1 cup milk

Filling:

4 cups of powdered sugar
1 stick (1/2 cup) of butter, melted
1 tablespoon of vanilla
1 cup of brown sugar
1 cup of flour
1/4 cup of water (more or less, to desired consistency)
1 bag of mini chocolate chips

Chocolate Topping:

12oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips
12 tablespoons butter

DIRECTIONS:

Brownie:

Preheat oven to 350.
Cream butter and sugar together.
Beat in eggs, cocoa, vanilla and salt.
Add flour and milk (alternating them and mixing well in between)
Pour batter into a jellyroll pan (12 1/2 x 17 1/2 x 1″)
Bake at 350 degrees for 14-16 minutes or until done in center and pulling slightly away from sides.
Cool.

Filling:

Place powdered sugar and melted butter into a large mixing bowl, and use a mixer to beat on medium until crumbly.
Add vanilla, brown sugar and flour and continue mixing.
Add water, a little at a time, until a thick but spreadable consistency is reached.
Beat on high until smooth and creamy
Add bag of mini chocolate chips, and stir in on low until well blended.
Spoon over (cooled!!) brownies, and spread until evenly distributed over entire brownie top. (I used clean hands to press the dough into corners, and then I placed wax paper over the entire top and used my hands to press into a flat, even layer)

Chocolate Topping:

Melt butter and chocolate together in the microwave in 30 second increments, stirring in between until completely melted and smooth.
Pour over cookie dough filling and spread evenly over top
Chill until top layer is hard.
Cut into squares. Serve immediately, or stack in an air-tight container with parchment paper between each layer. Refrigerate for several days, or freeze for up to a month. (They are actually really yummy right out of the freezer!!)
Enjoy!

My thoughts: These are as good as they look. If you like sneaking cookie dough out of the bowl, these are for you! This recipe makes quite a few brownies, and I love that they can be made ahead and some of them frozen for a later date. Enjoy!!

This one’s for you mom. I love you!

More of mom’s recipes here on easybaked:

Peppermint ice cream pie– one of our summer favorites! Chocolate drop cookies– one of my first recipes with mom. Pumpkin roll- people always asked her to bring this to family celebrations. Chocolate chip cake– her go-to recipe for winning a bake off.

Have you ever visited Immeasurably More? It’s about my non-baking self and all the ways God is directing my steps. Stop by sometime by clicking the link below.

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Posted in Brownies, Cookies and tagged bar cookie, best, best brownie recipe, birthday, brownie, chocolate, chocolate chip, chocolate chip cookie dough, cookie dough, dessert, easy brownies, fudge, layer dessert, layered brownies, recipe, valentines day. Bookmark the permalink.

Ladybug Cake!

Posted on January 2, 2014 by Ruthanne

It’s my Birthday today! Yay! Birthdays were always a huge celebration as I was growing up. My mom had a big yellow box of recipe cards from Betty Crocker that had tons of fun ideas. One of the categories was “Children’s Parties” and it was full of card-after-card of fun cakes.

Every year, mom would tell my brother and I that we could pick ANY cake out and she would make it for our birthday party (this, I believe, is where my great love of beautiful desserts began!) I had all sorts of cakes- a Panda bear, an Igloo….and one year, a giant ladybug. I loved it!

So, this year we are taking a trip down memory lane, back to the mid-70’s, for this retro recipe that made me smile then and now.

Betty Crocker 70's recipe card- Lady Bug Cake!

The Original Betty Crocker Recipe Card

INGREDIENTS: (original Betty Crocker recipe can be found here)

1 box of cake mix, any flavor, plus water, oil and eggs to make according to package.
2 sticks (1 cup) of salted butter
2 sticks (1 cup) of unsalted butter
3 cups of powdered sugar
2 teaspoons of clear vanilla flavoring
Red food coloring gel
York Peppermint Patties
Wilton candy melts in red and dark chocolate (just a few!)
Mini M&MS

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350F degrees
Generously grease and flour a 2 quart oven-proof bowl.
Make cake mix according to package, and pour into prepared bowl.
Bake at 350F degrees for 50-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Allow cake to cool for a few minutes and then run a knife around edges and tip upside down on a cake rack to cool completely.
Make icing by combining butters, powdered sugar and vanilla and beating on high until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
Place cake on serving plate and spread a smooth layer of frosting over entire dome of cake.
Refrigerate about 10-15 minutes to harden 1st layer of frosting.
Use red food coloring gel to color about 2/3 of remaining frosting.
Frost over 1st layer with white over the front 1/3 of cake and red over the back 1/3.
Decorate with peppermint patties, icing and M&Ms. You can use licorice for the antennae, nose and mouth, but I just piped colored candy melts into the shapes I wanted.
Enjoy!!

My thoughts:You really can use any items you want to decorate this cake. You can see that Betty Crocker used gummy candies and black string licorice. Making this cake brought back great memories of being a kid. Many thanks to my wonderful mom for making childhood so much fun!

One of my favorite parts of this site is being able to give you creative recipes to surprise your family with on their special days! Here’s to many Happy Birthdays for you and yours in this coming year! Enjoy! ~r

Other fun birthday recipe ideas:

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Posted in Cakes, Candy and tagged baking, birthday, buttercream frosting, cake, cake baked in a bowl. recipe, cakes, celebration, chocolate, dessert, ladybug, M&Ms, peppermint patties, recipe, string licorice. Bookmark the permalink.

Favorites of 2011 and Happy Birthday to me!!!

Posted on December 31, 2011 by Ruthanne

It’s the last day of 2011. This year I started a blog (!!) and met all of you– what a fun year!

Easybaked began in March at the urging of many friends…. since then I have become a fan of many of your blogs and marveled at your creative recipes, beautiful photos and funny stories.

It is also my birthday this week, and in pursuit of the perfect birthday dessert I decided to take a trip down memory lane through some of my favorite recipes, photos and blogs this year.

Here we go: my best from 2012:

Greg from Rufus’ Food and Spirits Guide has encouraged me from almost day one of starting this blog- although we’ve never met, its been fun to share blogs! Here’s one of his posts that I tried and loved: Butterfinger Cookies!

Aimee from Clever Muffin cracks me up! When I met her she was living in London (so cool) and now she has moved back to Australia (even cooler!) Her yummy muffin recipes are great- but her sense of humor is even better– this is a blog worth following for sure!! Here’s her Chocolate Chip Yogurt Muffins:

Christine from Angry Cherry is from Canada– and she’s a pastry chef in training (jealous!) she makes beautiful things with ingredients I’ve never heard of, but I love how adventurous she is in pursuing her dreams. Red Wine Truffle Cake from her:

Since I’m addicted to photography these days, I am drawn to blogs with jaw-dropping photography. My favorite is Bravetart (plus, WHAT a fun name!) The recipes are from Stella, a pastry chef and the photography is done by a variety of friends who are professional food photographers (dream…..!) I just stare at the photographs and try to understand the angles and lighting….I really need to take a class. In any case, here is her version of Red Velvet Cake (please come to my house and make this for my birthday….!)

My favorite cake decorators are the Davis sisters (and mom). They have taken a hobby and turned it into a serious business and FUN blog- Happily Ever After Cakes!! I am amazed by how many different types of cakes and cupcakes they are willing to try. Here’s one of my favorites (I want to live on this cake!) a day at the beach (yes…this is a CAKE!)

I’m sneaking a favorite non-food blog into the lineup: this blog is one of my favorite sources of inspiration and encouragement. A good friend of mine is a chaplain with the military. He’s deployed right now and shares his thoughts on a blog called Devos by Chaps….love it!

Last, but certainly not least is the cake I would choose to have on my birthday if someone else would make it…Its from The Art of Dessert and I think the picture speaks for itself…wow. Let me present: Chocolate Wasted Cake:

so….birthday cake….

I also went through the archive of all the recipes created on easybaked this year. The one recipe I couldn’t get out of my head (I think because I wish it was summer out!) was Strawberry Lemonade Layer Cake. A summer cake for a cold January birthday— perfect! I tweaked the frosting recipe just a bit to make it thicker so that it would be more of a frosting than just a filling…and I LOVE it!! Its light, whipped, very spreadable and tart with lemon — perfect!

Here’s the recipe (tweaked) or if you want the original just click here.

INGREDIENTS:

One box of strawberry cake mix (plus oil, water and eggs as directed on box)
2- 8oz. packages of Philadelphia Cream Cheese (softened to room temp.)
1 packet (0.23oz.) of Kool-Aid Lemonade
Yellow food coloring (as desired for color)
1- 7oz. container Jet-Puffed Marshmallow Creme
1/3 c. powdered sugar
8 oz. Cool Whip Topping
Rainbow sugar crystals

DIRECTIONS:

Make cake according to box and bake in 2- 9 inch round cake pans as directed. Turn finished cakes over on cake racks and allow to cool completely.
Cream together cream cheese, lemonade and yellow food coloring until smooth.
Beat marshmallow creme and powdered sugar in and then fold in Cool Whip until completely smooth.
Cut each cake layer in half.
Alternating layers of cake with layers of frosting, assemble cake.
Cover top and sides with frosting.
Refrigerate and serve chilled. Sprinkle with colored sugar just before serving.

A light and refreshing dessert after all the heavy holiday treats– perfect!