Tag Archives: chocolate

Ice Cream Cake!!!

Posted on September 2, 2011 by Ruthanne

Easy and yummy- this ice cream cake will serve a ton of people and they will be so surprised that you didn’t get it at the store!  I just made it for a group of people and it easily served 18.  Quick– before summer is over– bring on the ICE CREAM!!!

INGREDIENTS:

  • 10-12 ice cream sandwiches (any flavor- I used cookies and cream ones)
  • 2 half-gallon containers of ice cream (any flavor- pick ones that go well together!)- you will not use all of both flavors in this cake.
  • 2 jars of hot fudge sauce at room temperature
  • 1 package of Oreo cookies
  • 1/2 tub of Cool Whip

DIRECTIONS:

  • Line the sides of a 9-Inch Springform Pan
    with strips of parchment paper.  Use non-stick spray to hold the strips in place.


  • Cut ice cream bars into 4 like this: (YUM!!)

  • Place the cut bars along the edge of the spring form pan like this: 

  • Crush the Oreos in a plastic bag- or in a food processor.
  • Press 1/3 of the Oreo crumbs in the bottom of the pan.  
  • Spoon both jars of fudge into a large sturdy ziplock bag.  Clip the tip off and drizzle about 1/3 over the top.
  • Spoon softened ice cream (about 1/3 of tub) over layer. (I scoop ice cream into bowl and stir it until it’s smooth- like a thick shake– it’s easier to spread then.)  Repeat twice, reserving a few cookie crumbs and a little fudge for decorating.  (You will use one flavor of ice cream twice and one only once.)
  • Spoon Cool Whip over top, sprinkle with cookies and drizzle with fudge.  Chill immediately overnight.   
  • Before serving, remove outer ring of pan and peel away parchment paper.  Allow cake to sit at room temperature for a few minutes so it is easier to cut.


  • ENJOY!!!

My thoughts:  I love this recipe— I’ve made this cake many many times over the years- it is the perfect recipe for when you need to make something ahead of an event.  WORK FAST!!  Cut your ice cream sandwiches fast (I sometimes keep 1/2 of them in the freezer until the 1st half are cut)  Have everything ready and put it together quickly and get it in the freezer.  If you linger the ice cream will begin to drip from the bottom of the pan (which is still ok- just get it on a plate and into the freezer. )  You can freeze between layers if you want to take your time.  I just throw it all together at once and YUM!!! Hope you enjoy this summer treat!

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Raspberry Truffle Tart

Posted on July 9, 2011 by Ruthanne

Smooth dark chocolate and tangy raspberry filling topped with a shiny glaze make this tart one of the richest and creamiest desserts you’ve ever had!

INGREDIENTS:

  • One refrigerated pie crust
  • 1c. Ghirardelli Bittersweet chocolate chips
  • 2c. Ghirardelli Semi-sweet chocolate chips (divided)
  • 5 egg yolks
  • 5 T. heavy whipping cream
  • 3 cups plus 5 T. powdered sugar
  • 2 T. vanilla
  • 12 T. butter (divided and melted)
  • 2t. raspberry flavoring
  • red food coloring

DIRECTIONS:

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Spray an 8 or 9 inch tart pan with cooking spray and line with pie crust.  Poke holes into bottom with fork and set on a cookie sheet.
  • Melt together 1 cup of bittersweet chips and one cup of semi-sweet.  Allow this to cool to room temperature.
  • In a separate bowl combine eggs, cream, vanilla and 5 T. powdered sugar.
  • Add cream mixture to chocolate and blend well.  Pour into crust and bake for 20 – 25 minutes until center is set.
  • Cool tart completely and then remove outer ring.
  • For filling: Combine remaining 3 c. of powdered sugar with 6 T. melted butter and blend well. Add raspberry flavor and food color. Blend well (add extra powdered sugar if needed for thick frosting-like consistency) and spread over the top of cool tart.
  • For Glaze: Melt 6 T. butter (do not use margarine here!) with remaining cup of semi-sweet chips and stir until smooth.  Pour over top of tart and smooth to edges.
  • Garnish with fresh raspberries if desired.

My thoughts…soooo rich (take a small slice!) and so flavorful!  This tart recipe (minus the toppings) is one of my last-minute go-to recipes.  Its SO quick and easy and you can serve it right out of the oven warm -with cool-whip or ice cream.  The toppings are a bonus if you have a little more time- mix those flavors up!  Great with mint and peanut butter and maple and coconut– such a fun and versatile recipe!  ENJOY!!!

A special thanks to my friend Brie from Color Canvas Media who is teaching me about my camera and who helped me take these photos far better than I could have alone!  I’m addicted to Foodgawker and thus far I’ve had 36 photos rejected and 2 accepted (lol!!) I’ve never had any interest in photography and now I think I’m addicted- fun new hobby!   So here’s to better blog pictures! Thanks Brie!!!!!

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Homemade Caramel Turtles

Posted on July 4, 2011 by Ruthanne

Soft creamy caramel tops chocolate and pecans– a quick and easy treat.

INGREDIENTS:

  • about 2 cups of whole pecans.
  • 12oz (one bag) of Wilton Dark Candy Cocoa Melts
  • 32 Kraft caramels (unwrapped)
  • 1/2c. butter
  • 1 (14oz.) can of sweetened condensed milk

DIRECTIONS:

  • Line pecans  up in squares on parchment paper

  • Melt candy melts in microwave in 30 second increments, stirring in between until smooth.
  • Spoon chocolate over pecans, filling in the center space and spilling it over about half of each pecan.
  • While this hardens, make caramel sauce (this recipe makes more caramel than you need, but you can refrigerate the rest and use as an ice cream topping later…or you can cut this part of the recipe in half- you will just have 1/2 a can of sweetened condensed milk left…?)
  • Melt unwrapped caramels, butter and sweetened condensed milk over the stove until smooth.
  • Spoon caramel into the center of each turtle (try to keep as much as you can on the chocolate- it will harden some, but it is a soft caramel)
  • Allow these to harden (refrigerate if necessary) and ENJOY!!!!!


My thoughts: Easy and yummy!  I was surprised at how good the candy melts tasted in this- obviously using real chocolate would be a bit fussier and probably a much better flavor- but everyone loved these and I think the melts worked just fine.  These are messy looking turtles- I wouldn’t fuss over making them look perfect- I think the messy look makes them fun and DEFINITELY home-made!!!! 🙂

This recipes was shared on these wonderful blogs: The Girl Creative, Sweet as Sugar Cookies, Bacon Time with the Hungry Hypo, This Chick Cooks, At Home With Haley, Cupcake Apothecary

 

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German Chocolate Disaster.

Posted on June 30, 2011 by Ruthanne

I like recipes— love them in fact!  I usually prefer to create my own recipes, but once in awhile someone will recommend a recipe so highly that I simply have to try it.  This was the case with this german chocolate cake.  It is from allrecipes.com and you can click here to get the original recipe.  The friend who recommended it (Spencer) is a chef and literally everything he makes is amazing– so here goes:

The cake is incredibly time consuming in my opinion….MUCH too time consuming for a blog called EASYbaked anyway 🙂 ….I made this crazy from-scratch cake and had all three pans stick (I should have added a circle of parchment paper to the bottoms….) and fall apart.

only two 1/2 layers were useable- saved the rest for a trifle

The recipe involves separating eggs and whipping into stiff peaks and melting german chocolate and adding buttermilk and cake flour…….yeah- buy a german chocolate cake mix– the cake was good- probably one of the best scratch cakes I’ve made- but it was not quick or easy….your call 🙂 .  The icing, on the other hand, was TO DIE for!  I will never buy German chocolate frosting again— easy and quick and soooooo good!!    so….

 

 

 

 

 

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 German chocolate cake mix (with oil and water to make according to box) -or be brave and make it from scratch (it is really yummy)- remember the parchment paper!!!
  • FROSTING:
  • 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
  • GANACHE:
  • 1/4c. whipping cream
  • 1/2c. semisweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS:

  • Prepare cake mix as directed, baking in two 8 or 9 inch round cake pans (or make cupcakes even— the star of this show is the icing!)
  • FROSTING :  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.
  • Slice each cake in half, forming 2 layers.
  • Layer cake with icing.
  • GANACHE: Heat whipping cream in a small saucepan until bubbling at edges (about 30 seconds).  Add chocolate chips, cover and allow to sit for 5 minutes.  Stir until smooth.  Pour over top of cake and allow this to drizzle down the sides.
  • ENJOY!!!

YUM!

This recipe was shared on these wonderful blogs: 

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Cookie Cutter Brownies

Posted on June 25, 2011 by Ruthanne

Make a dessert that everyone will love at your holiday parties!  Brownies cut into shapes and dipped in white chocolate— so. much. FUN!!!!

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1c. butter
  • 2c. sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 tsp. vanilla
  • 2 c. flour
  • 1/2c. cocoa
  • 1/2tsp. salt
  • 1c. milk
  • 1 1/2 bags of Wiltons Candy Melts (in whatever colors you want!)

DIRECTIONS:

  • 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)
  • Spread evenly in greased jelly roll pan.
  • Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until done in center and just starting to pull away from sides.
  • Cool completely
  • Using a sharp cookie cutter, cut small shapes out of the brownies. (I just used my finger to gently push the brownie out of the cutter and onto a cutting board.


  • Place excess brownie pieces into a freezer bag and freeze for another day (we are having brownie sundaes later this week!) 🙂
  • Melt each color of candy melt in separate bowls, microwaving for 30 second increments and stirring in between until smooth.
  • GENTLY set brownie cut-out into melted chocolate and scoop chocolate over the top.  Lift out with fork and tap excess chocolate off.  Place on parchment paper to harden.


My thoughts:  These are SO much fun to make!!!  The brownies are very easy to cut into shapes- its a good “cake- like” brownie recipe (you would not want to use a fudge brownie with this!)  The hardest part is dipping them in the candy melts.  Its not NEARLY as difficult as those crazy cake-pops, but you do have to be gentle and really keep your fork and bowl edge clean as crumbs can get into the melted chocolate and ruin the texture of it.  If you want to skip the chocolate coating part you could easily just decorate these cute little brownies with frosting too!  Enjoy!

 

Dedicating this recipe to all the people in my life who serve or have served our country in the military— THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This recipe was shared on these wonderful blogs:

Bacon Time, Somewhat Simple, Fireflies and Jelly beans, Little Brick Ranch, Sweet as Sugar Cookies, Pinch of this, that and the other, Something Swanky, Two Maids a Milking

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Salted Caramel Cookie Cups

Posted on June 17, 2011 by Ruthanne

Salty meets sweet in these crunchy pretzel cookie cups dipped in chocolate and filled with creamy caramel.

INGREDIENTS:

  • 2 cups of crushed pretzel rods
  • 1 tube of refrigerated sugar cookie dough
  • 6 ounces (1/2 bag) of Wilton Dark Candy Cocoa Melts
  • 32 Kraft caramels (unwrapped)
  • 1/2c. butter
  • 1 (14 oz.) can of sweetened condensed milk.

DIRECTIONS:

  • Using your hands, knead 1 cup of pretzel crumbs into cookie dough.
  • Form into 12 balls and place into a greased muffin tin.
  • Bake at 350 degrees for 16 minutes. Remove from oven and press centers into a cup using a mini-tart shaper or the end of a wooden spoon. Allow these to cool completely. When cool, gently run a knife around edges and remove from pan.
  • Melt candy melts in the microwave in 30 second increments until smooth.
  • Dip top edges of cup into melted chocolate and then into remaining crushed pretzels. Pipe any remaining chocolate into the bottom of each cup (save just a little bit to drizzle on the top!) Allow this to harden while you make your caramel.

  • To make caramel sauce: place unwrapped caramels, butter and sweetened condensed milk into a saucepan and heat until completely melted. Stir this constantly to prevent scorching. (about 6-8 minutes).

*note: this makes about twice as much caramel sauce as you will need.  You can cut the ingredients in half, but then what to do with 1/2 of a can of condensed milk?!?  I say make the full batch and use the leftovers on ice cream! 

  • Spoon caramel into hardened cups.
  • Drizzle with more melted chocolate if desired.
  • ENJOY!!! 🙂

My thoughts: I made this dessert for my friend Dawn. I just love the salted caramel hot chocolate from Starbucks and we both thought that the saltiness of pretzels plus the sweetness of caramel would be perfect together. I forgot that I HATE eating pretzels with sweet things…can’t stand chocolate covered pretzels….so this dessert is not my favorite. If you like your pretzels covered in chocolate, this is the recipe for you though! I really hope you enjoy it 🙂 r-

6-14-12: I love it when readers try a recipe and share their process (changes and all!)- here’s Kitchen Mischiefs  with her version of these cups using chocolate chip cookie dough—YUM!

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Toasted Coconut Cheesecake Bonbons

Posted on June 14, 2011 by Ruthanne

I just found out that the word bonbon comes from the French word bon which means “good”…so these are goodGOOD!!!! (GOOOOD!) With toasted coconut on the outside and chewy coconut and cream cheese on the inside they couldn’t get any better! Oh- wait—yes they can!  Bite into one of these bonbons and you’ll find creamy dark chocolate and almonds inside!  YUM!

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 bag (24-30 pieces) of Dove chocolates (dark chocolate with almond)
  • 8 ounces of Philadelphia Cream Cheese
  • 12 ounces (one bag) of white chocolate chips
  • 1 tbsp of coconut extract
  • 2 cups of all-purpose flour
  • 5 cups of shredded sweetened coconut (divided)
  • 1/2 cup of butter (melted)

DIRECTIONS:

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Unwrap all of your chocolates.
  • Soften Philadelphia Cream Cheese in the microwave for about 30 seconds- until it is warm and smooth after stirring.
  • Melt white chocolate chips in the microwave in 30 second increments, stirring in between until they are melted and smooth.
  • Add softened cream cheese to the melted white chocolate and stir well.
  • Stir in coconut extract.
  • Add flour and mix until it forms a thick, sticky dough.
  • Fold in 3 cups of coconut.
  • Using your hands, take about 2T of dough, press it into your palm, place a chocolate in the center and wrap the dough completely around it.
  • Smooth the dough by rolling it a little between your hands and set it on an un-greased cookie sheet. Repeat this process with remaining dough and chocolates.
  • Brush melted butter over tops of cookies and press remaining coconut on the tops and sides of the cookies.
  • Brush the coconut topping with butter and place in the oven.
  • Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. If coconut is not sufficiently toasted on the tops of the cookies at this point, turn your broiler on high and finish toasting it. (This will happen quickly under the broiler, so keep an eye on them!).
  • Remove cookies from the cookie sheet and place on parchment paper to cool. They can be served warm or cooled to room temperature first– either way they are delicious!

My thoughts: mmmm…..I love these!  I created this recipe for Real Women of Philadelphia and it took me awhile to decide which chocolate to use in the middle and how to get the cookie part to taste REALLY coconutty (I just made that word up!)  These cookies remind me of the Chocolate Coconut Cream Cheesecake at the Cheesecake Factory– seriously one of my favorite desserts and now in cookie (BONBON!!) form 🙂  ENJOY!

I shared this recipe on these wonderful blogs:

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Nutter Butter Flip Flops!!!!

Posted on June 11, 2011 by Ruthanne

 

These just make me smile!!  I’ve seen several versions of these recently on blogs and in stores and I had to try them- talk about quick and easy!  I have no idea who originally came up with this – but kudos in the creativity department!!!  Love ’em!

INGREDIENTS: (printer friendly recipe)

  • One package of Nutter Butter Cookies (32 cookies)
  • 6 ounces each of Wiltons candy melts in 4 fun colors: Yellow Orange
    Blue Purple
  • Candy Flowers (I found mine at Michael’s Arts and Crafts)

DIRECTIONS:

  • Melt 7oz. (1/2 a bag) of each color of candy in 4 separate bowls in the microwave in 30 second increments, stirring in between.
  • Dip one cookie at a time in the candy melts, covering it completely and then lifting it with a fork and tapping excess melted chocolate off.  Set on parchment paper to harden.


 

 

 

 

  • Spoon remainder of each color into small ziplock bags and clip a corner.  Using a contrasting color, carefully pipe a flip flop “strap” on each cookie.  
  • Add a candy flower or other candy decoration to strap before it hardens.
  • ENJOY!!!

My thoughts:  Quick easy and fun.  I’d love to serve them on brown sugar “sand” sometime…. Be sure you get the vanilla flavored chips– tastes just like white chocolate- even though its comes in such pretty colors.  The final result tastes a little like a Butterfingers (I think…)    Happy Summer to YOU!  -r

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Chocolate-covered Strawberry Cheesecake!!

Posted on June 4, 2011 by Ruthanne

White chocolate cheesecake covered with chocolate dipped strawberries??? I’ll have some of that! (in fact I went off my diet and did– just a little….)  This is my standard cheesecake recipe with a twist- it’s surrounded by Nilla Wafers and topped with loads of dipped strawberries!  Fun and fancy- you will impress your guests with this cheesecake!

INGREDIENTS:

Cheesecake:

  • 9 oz. chocolate wafer cookies (I use animal crackers)
  • 15-20 Nilla Wafers
  • 1/4 c. margarine (melted)
  • 2 (8oz.) packages of Philadelphia Cream Cheese (softened)
  • 1/2c. sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 c. white chocolate chips (melted)
  • 1 c. heavy whipping cream
  • 2 tbsp. margarine (melted)
  • 3 tsp. vanilla

Toppings:

DIRECTIONS:
Cheesecake:
  • Preheat oven to 325 degrees
  • Crush cookies into fine crumbs and add melted margarine.  Combine well and press into the bottom of a 9-Inch Springform Pan
    .
  • Gently press Nilla wafers upright along the edges of the crust.
  • Beat softened cream cheese with sugar until smooth.
  • Add eggs one at a time, beating in between each one.
  • Add remaining cheesecake ingredients, beating until smooth.
  • Pour into crust and allow to sit at room temp for 30 minutes.
  • Place on a cookie sheet and bake for 60 minutes.
  • Turn off oven, open oven door a little and allow to sit for another 30 minutes.
  • Remove from oven and run knife around edge of pan.  Remove edge of pan. 
  • Allow cheesecake to come to room temperature and then refrigerate overnight.
Toppings:
  • CHOCOLATE:  Put 1/2c. whipping cream into saucepan and heat just until bubbling at edges.  Turn heat off, add chocolate chips, cover and allow to sit for 5 minutes.
  • After 5 minutes, stir until smooth.
  • Pour over top of cheesecake and allow this to harden.
  • STRAWBERRIES: Take the top off each strawberry and wash well.  Allow these to dry completely on paper towel.
  • Melt both dark and white chocolate candy melts in the microwave in 30 second increments, stirring in between until completely melted.
  • Gently dip strawberries in chocolate (half in dark and half in white).  Use a fork to drain away excess chocolate and set on parchment paper to harden.
  • Put remaining melted chocolate in ziplock bags.  Clip a corner and drizzle each strawberry with its opposite color.
  • Allow these to completely harden.
  • Add powdered sugar to remaining cup of  whipping cream and whip with mixer (you could use Cool Whip to save time on this part).
  • Spoon whipped cream into a zip-lock bag with a decorative tip added into one corner.
  • Gently place hardened dipped strawberries on cheesecake.
  • Pipe whipped cream around edges and between berries.
  • Keep chilled.  Serve the same day as you place the berries (they will eventually get “soggy”  if they sit too long.
  • ENJOY!!!
My thoughts:
This is the only recipe I’ve ever won a contest with.  Two, in fact!  The 1st was a recipe contest through our local newspaper.  The second was a contest with Ferrara Pan Candy Company.  It isn’t a recipe thats quick and easy, but it’s fun to make and sure to impress!!!  Here’s a couple of tips:  Get more than enough strawberries- you want similar sizes and you will need to go through a few to find enough of the same size.  Start placing the strawberries in the middle with the largest.  The smaller berries are easier to squeeze in around the edges 🙂  Enjoy!!!  r-
This recipe was shared on these wonderful blogs:

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My First Attempt at Cake Pops :)

Posted on May 30, 2011 by Ruthanne

 

It’s Memorial Day.  I have extra down time and I start thinking about cake pops– they are all the rage these days…I look up some info by googling “What are Cake Pops?” and get literally hundreds of recipes for these little treats.  Cake + Frosting= balls of happiness.  Add a stick and cover them in chocolate–CAKE POPS!  So I decided to give them a try…..

INGREDIENTS:

(we went with only things I already had in the house, but these flavors were really yummy!)

  • 1 box of yellow cake mix (and water, oil and eggs to make according to package)
  • 1/2 tub of Wiltons decorating frosting
  • 1 bag of Wilton Dark Candy Cocoa Melts
  • Small amounts of Wilton colored candy melts to decorate with
  • 24 Lollipop sticks

DIRECTIONS:

  • Make cake according to directions and cool.
  • Cut cake into small pieces and scoop into a large mixing bowl.
  • Using a hand mixer, blend cake into crumbs.

Crumbs!!!

  • Add frosting and mix with mixer until combined.
  • Using hands, knead cake and frosting into a dough-like consistency
  • Use a cookie scoop to measure out scoops of dough.  Roll into balls with hands.

Cake and Frosting balls (and Casper watching for crumbs!)

  • Melt dark chocolate candy melts in the microwave in 30 second increments, stirring in between.
  • Dip the end of a sucker stick into the chocolate and press into the top of each ball of dough.  Allow this chocolate to harden.

Pre-dipped sucker sticks.

  • Dip entire ball of dough into remaining chocolate- covering completely.  Set upright by putting end of stick in a block of styrofoam (or I used a shoebox that I poked holes into!)

Dipping....

Creative use of a shoe box....

  • Melt colored candy melts in the same manner as you melted the dark chocolate ones and drizzle over the top .

Drizzle drizzle....

  • Allow chocolate to harden completely and serve!
    My thoughts:  What a glorious mess this made. wow.  In almost every answer on “how to make cake pops” I read something along the lines of- these take practice…don’t expect your first batch to be beautiful etc…and I disregarded this thinking that I’ve dipped almost everything I own in chocolate- how hard could this be???  
    The cake part is easy.  Making crumbs- easy. Mixing in frosting and making balls- easy.  Sticks- easy.  Dipping these?   CRAZY messy!   After my 1st five pops were dipped I decided that I was never doing this again.  By pop #15 I was thinking I might do this again- but not for 20 years.  I dropped pop #22 on the ground and had to eat it (well I couldn’t serve it could I??)
    One bite in and  I decide I am making these for EVERYTHING!!!!  I’d never tasted one of these and I am blown away- no wonder everyone is going through the hassle!
    Advice:
    1.  Don’t wear your favorite white shirt while making these. 😦
    2. Eat these over a plate so that when they fall apart you don’t have to wonder how clean the floor is.
    3. These take practice- don’t expect your 1st batch to be beautiful- lol 🙂
    ENJOY!!!!!!!! r-

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