Tag Archives: chocolate

Leprechaun Truffles

Posted on March 13, 2015 by Ruthanne

These fun truffles are made with green apple (or lime!) Kool Aid filling and they are SO yummy!

It’s the time of year when all things green are made. One of my favorite truffle fillings is made with Kool Aid, which makes the flavors limited only to what little packets of flavor you can find! I made these with green apple Kool Aid, but I’ve made them with lime before too- and they are delicious! This tart fruit filling is SO creamy and smooth. I absolutely love it!

Here’s how we made these delicious little green treats: (printable recipe)

INGREDIENTS:

1 (8 oz) package of cream cheese (softened to room temperature!)
3 cups of powdered sugar
3 cups of white chocolate chips
1 tsp vanilla
1 (0.16oz) packet of Kool-Aid drink mix (any flavor- I used green apple)
2 bags of Wiltons Candy Melts (in whatever colors you wish)

DIRECTIONS:

Cream together cream cheese, powdered sugar and Kool-Aid in a large mixing bowl.
Melt white chocolate chips in the microwave in 30 second increments (stirring in between) until smooth and creamy.
Add melted chips and vanilla to cream cheese mixture and combine until completely smooth.
Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Remove mixture from refrigerator and use a small cookie scoop or melon baller to make small balls of filling (I placed these on a plate and put them back in the fridge to chill while I prepared my chocolate to dip)
Melt the Wilton’s Candy Melts in the microwave in 30 second increments, stirring until smooth and creamy.
Dip chilled balls of filling in the melted chocolate, draining away excess and placing on parchment paper to harden (if you want pictures of how I dip things click here for a previous recipe) The balls of filling need to stay cold, so keep them in the fridge until you are ready to dip them.
Decorate with drizzles of fun colored chocolate.
Enjoy!

My thoughts: Aren’t they cute? They are SO yummy too… my only recipe tip is to make sure those balls of filling are chilled and your melted candy isn’t super hot. I allowed my candy melts to cool a bit before I dipped. You just don’t want that soft filling to start melting while you dip.

These are as fun as can be using all sorts of fillings, which makes them a good treat for any holiday!

Here they are in other fun flavors. Click on the photo to see how I did them!

Finally, one of our most popular recipes on Easybaked is a St. Patricks Day treat! Bailey’s cupcakes are everyone’s favorite! You should probably try them. 🙂 Again, click on the photo to see the (oh so yummy!) recipe:

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Posted in Uncategorized and tagged best, candy, chocolate, Cream Cheese, creative, dessert, filling, fun, green apple, holiday, kool-aid, Kool-Aid dessert, Kool-Aid recipe, leprechaun, lime, recipe, St. Patricks Day, Truffle, white chocolate chips. Bookmark the permalink.

Lucky Charms Truffles

Posted on March 6, 2015 by Ruthanne

If you like Lucky Charms Cereal, you will love these chocolate-covered treats!

I was walking down the cereal aisle and a box of Chocolate Lucky Charms jumped into my cart and begged me to make a dessert with it.

That’s almost how it happened…! I love Lucky Charms and I adore the chocolate version. Did you know that just before St. Patrick’s Day they have a limited time version full of shamrocks and pots of gold. Too cute!

I had actually been wondering if the oft-used technique of Oreos + Cream Cheese, rolled into a ball and covered in chocolate would work with cereal. Perfect opportunity to try!

These are yummy little chocolate-y and marshmallow-y treats that are SO cute for the month of March!

Here’s how we put them together: (printable recipe)

INGREDIENTS: (makes 24-36 truffles, depending on how big you make them)

4 cups of Lucky Charms Chocolate cereal (marshmallows and all)
1 bar of Philadelphia Cream Cheese (at room temp)
1 bag of Wilton’s candy melts (in any color you like- I used up some leftover bags in a variety of colors)

DIRECTIONS:

Finely crush cereal into crumbs (I used a food-chopper).
Combine with cream cheese until it forms a soft ball of dough.
Roll dough into small balls.
Melt candy melts in the microwave in 30 second increments, stirring between, until melted and smooth.
Use a fork to dip balls of cereal into the melted candy. Tap the fork on the side of the bowl to drain off excess melted candy, and slide fork along edge of bowl to remove excess.
Place each truffle on parchment paper to harden. Top with marshmallow bits from the cereal, or sprinkles.
Allow them to harden completely.

My thoughts: Aren’t they cute? They are pretty yummy too. I thought the consistency was a little weird, but once they are covered in chocolate it’s not as noticeable. I got a thumbs up from friends who tried them and kids LOVED them. Just a fun little St. Patricks Day project! Enjoy! ~r

Other yummy St. Patrick’s Day treats here on Easybaked: (click on image to see recipe)

5 Comments

Posted in Candy, Cookies and tagged best, candy, chocolate, Cream Cheese, dessert, easy, fun, Lucky Charms, Lucky Charms Cereal, melted chocolate, party, philadelphia cream cheese, shamrocks, St. Patrick Day, truffles. Bookmark the permalink.

Learning to make Scones

Posted on February 21, 2015 by Ruthanne

These dense, rich scones can be made with a variety of flavors, and they are SO good!

One month ago I could say that I had never even tasted a scone before, much less made one. Today I made nearly 80 of them and they are one of my new favorite treats!

About a month ago, I offered to help with a baby shower for my friend Heather. I asked if they needed help with food, thinking cake or cupcakes or fancy cookies- typical shower requests. Heather’s mom Sharla explained that they were having an English tea for Heather and could I please make scones?

Scones…? I agreed and started to read up on scones. They sounded difficult. They sounded dry and crumbly and b-o-o-o-ring…. yawn.

I started with a basic recipe for chocolate chip scones. I won’t tell you where I got it, because it wasn’t very good. At the time, I thought it must just be how scones are supposed to be (since I’d never tasted one before). Yuck.

I was explaining my dislike for scones in a group of friends one night, and one family started protesting that they make the best scones ever. The mom (my friend Beth), got the recipe from her mother-in-law, who sold them in a tea shop she ran years ago.

It sounded promising, and Beth sent me home armed with the recipe, tips and two scone pans (I didn’t even know those existed, but I LOVE them!).

I started with Apricot White Chocolate Scones, and the rest is history. I love them. They are easier than cookies and so much yummier!

Here is how to make them: (printable recipe)

You really need to have a pastry cutter (you can cut cold butter in with a knife, but it is SO much harder). You might also want to consider a scone pan. Those links will take you to products on Amazon, and if you get them I will get like 6% of what you spend. And then I will buy a scone pan for myself. *smile* If you want, you can cut the scones and bake them on a cookie sheet too- but they aren’t quite as moist and amazing that way.

INGREDIENTS:

2 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons of sugar
4 teaspoons of baking powder (fresh!)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup of dried fruit, chocolate chips, nuts, or any combination of those three
1 stick (1/2 cup) of cold butter
2 eggs (beaten)
3/4 cup of whipping cream
Milk (as needed)
Sugar/ Cinnamon to sprinkle on top.

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F, and spray pan (or sheet) liberally with cooking spray.
In a large mixing bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
Add stick of butter and cut into crumb-like pieces using the pastry cutter.
Add nuts or chips (if using) and toss together with dry mixture until coated.
In a medium mixing bowl, mix together whipping cream and eggs until well combined.
Add dried fruit (if using) and toss together with wet mixture until coated.
Make a “well” in the center of the dry ingredients and pour the wet ingredients into it.
Combine and then gently knead with hands until it holds together in a ball. Add milk if mixture is too dry (this is most often the case when no fruit is added). Don’t over-knead this dough (you’ll melt all those little pieces of butter with the heat of your hands!)

If using a scone pan, set aside about 1/4 of the dough to bake in a second batch. I overfilled my pan and they rose too high (as you can see in my pictures). When I made them for the shower, I used less dough and it was perfect!
Press remaining dough into a square on a floured counter and cut into triangles as shown (I used a pizza cutter and a knife- both worked fine).
Set into pan (or on cookie sheet) and brush tops with milk. Sprinkle with sugar (I used cinnamon and sugar).
Bake at 400 degrees F for 12-15 minutes.

Allow them to cool in pan for about 5 minutes and pop out with forks.
Enjoy!!!

My thoughts: Goodness…this sounds complicated, doesn’t it? I thought so too, but now that I’ve made a bunch of them I really do think they are easier than cookies! Today for the shower I made 4 kinds. I added white chocolate chips and apricots to the first (I cut the dried apricots into smaller pieces using kitchen scissors). I added dried berried (cherries, blueberries and cranberries) to the second. I added mini chocolate chips to the third, and I added Hershey’s cinnamon chips to the fourth.

Here’s Heather, the beautiful mom-to-be at her English tea baby shower- SO much fun! Enjoy!!~r

Other fun shower desserts here at Easybaked (click on a photo to see the recipe):

16 Comments

Posted in Pastry and tagged best, bridal shower, chocolate, chocolate chip scone, chocolate chips, dessert, easy, fruit, party, pastry, recipe, scones, white chocolate scone. Bookmark the permalink.

Raspberry Fudge Layer Cake

Posted on February 13, 2015 by Ruthanne

Layers of pound cake, chocolate and raspberry are sure you make your Valentine smile this year!

You know those desserts that look incredibly difficult and are super easy? This is one of those. The cake is simply a frozen pound cake sliced and stacked with chocolate and raspberries. Makes you smile, doesn’t it?

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

INGREDIENTS:

One frozen pound cake
1 bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup of red raspberry jam
1 cup of sliced red raspberries
1 stick of butter
1/2 cup of whipping cream

DIRECTIONS:

Remove pound cake from packaging and use a large serrated knife to slice it into 3 or 4 layers
Divide the bag of chocolate chips into 2 separate microwave-safe bowls.
Add the stick of butter to one, and the whipping cream to the other.
Melt each bowl of chocolate, one at a time, in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds until melted and smooth.
Set aside the butter/chocolate glaze.
Lay the bottom layer of the pound cake on a baking rack set over a cookie sheet.
Spread chocolate/whipping cream mixture generously on the top of this layer and sprinkle with fresh raspberries.
On the “bottom” of the next layer, spread raspberry jam and then gently place (jam side down) on top of the raspberries.

Repeat this process until all layers are used.
Refrigerate until layers firm up a little (10 minutes or so)
Pour remaining chocolate/butter glaze over the top and sides of cake, allowing excess to run through the baking rack and onto the cookie sheet below.
Refrigerate until glaze firms up.
Cut into slices and enjoy!!!

My thoughts: This is so easy. A tiny bit messy with all of that melted chocolate, but once it is made, it stores well for a couple of days and makes a beautiful layered dessert. I think you could fill these layers with so many different things for different times of the year. Yum. Enjoy!!! Happy Valentine’s Day! ~r

Other fun (and creative!) Valentine’s treats, just click on a picture for the recipe:

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Posted in Cakes and tagged cake, chocolate, chocolate glaze, dessert, easy dessert, fudge, ganache, layer cake, pound cake, raspberry, raspberry jam, recipe, valentines day. Bookmark the permalink.

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cupcakes

Posted on February 6, 2015 by Ruthanne

Easy and fun, these are the perfect Valentine’s Day cupcake!

The story begins: “I had an extra tub of strawberry frosting….”

Last fall, as I was preparing to leave the Navajo reservation and move back to the Midwest, I committed to using up everything in my cupboards rather than buying any new food that I would have to fit in my car for that long trip home.

One of the items in the back of my baking cupboard was one tub of strawberry frosting, and it was the inspiration for this yummy (and incredibly easy!) cupcake idea.

I used a chocolate mix for these cupcakes (also remaining in my cupboard), but you could certainly make your favorite chocolate cupcake recipe for these.

When they all were done and I’d taken some pictures, I decided to hold this recipe for February as a fun Valentine’s Day treat! Here it is!!! (printable version)

INGREDIENTS:

One boxed chocolate cake mix (with water, oil and eggs to make according to package)
One tub of strawberry frosting
1/2 cup of whipping cream
1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips
24 Pink Sixlets candies and sprinkles (as desired for decoration)

DIRECTIONS:

Make cake mix according to package and bake in 24 cupcake liners placed in tins as directed. Cool.
Make chocolate sauce by melting whipping cream and chocolate chips together in a sauce pan, stirring often, until fully melted and smooth.
Spoon strawberry frosting into a microwave-safe bowl, and heat for 15-30 seconds until smooth and liquid when stirred.
Grasp a cooled cupcake by the bottom and dip the entire top of the cupcake into the softened strawberry frosting. Set each cupcake on a cookie sheet and set these in the refrigerator to harden up for 5 to 10 minutes.
Gently spoon a dollop of chocolate onto the center of a cupcake and smooth it toward the edges, trying to keep it from running over. A couple of mine did and they were fine once they hardened up, just a little messy.
Place decorations on immediately and refrigerate until both chocolate and strawberry frosting are firm. They should be fine at room temperature once they have hardened.
Enjoy!

My thoughts: These are such an easy cupcake to make, but they are SO yummy- and cute! I love the chocolate and strawberry combination. I hope you have a chance to make these for YOUR sweetheart this year! ~Enjoy!

Other fun Valentine recipe ideas (just click on a photo to see the recipe!)

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.

Caramel Crisp Cookies

Posted on December 6, 2014 by Ruthanne

These crisp, caramel- filled cookies are absolutely delicious, can be decorated for any season and are SO easy!

These cookies have made a bigger impression on people than almost any dessert I’ve made. Everyone LOVES these! I love them too and they really are one of the easiest cookie ideas I’ve ever posted. Plus they are cute, and cute always gets bonus points in my book!

These are made by pressing melted Rolos between Ritz crackers and then dipping them in chocolate… as easy as that! You almost don’t need a recipe, but for those of you who like having one, here you go: (printable version)

INGREDIENTS: (makes about 50 cookies)

One box of Ritz Crackers
One bag of Rolo caramel candies
Two bags of Wilton’s Candy Melts in dark chocolate

DIRECTIONS:

Unwrap all those little Rolos…this is the hardest part of this recipe….booooring!
Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
Place Ritz Crackers, bottom side up, on a cookie sheet and set one unwrapped Rolo on each one.
Put these into the oven and leave them for one to two minutes until the Rolo is soft enough to press flat with another cracker- I actually just kept checking until they were soft enough.
Remove them from the oven and use another Ritz cracker to make a little sandwich of that soft Rolo.
Allow these to cool completely- I put mine in the fridge for 20 minutes or so until they were nice and firm
Melt Candy Melts in the microwave in 30 second increments, stirring in between until they are completely melted and smooth.
Cover each cookie with melted chocolate and use a fork to lift the cookie up. Tap the fork against the side of the bowl to allow excess chocolate to drain off, slide bottom of cookie along edge of bowl to remove extra off bottom, and tip gently off fork and allow cookie to slide onto parchment or wax paper. Sprinkle/ decorate as desired and allow cookie to harden completely.

If you want to skip the chocolate-dipped part, these are still a fun and yummy treat:

My thoughts: As I said earlier, these are really yummy. I like that you can decorate them any way you want for any season- they are like Oreo pops- and you ALL know how much fun I have decorating those here! Use any color of Candy Melt, use sprinkles or drizzles….sky is the limit! My dad tried them and said, “When you put these on your blog, tell people they are the best cookies I’ve ever had.” So there you go. The best ever. Thanks dad!

Other Christmas cookie recipes you’ll have fun trying~ just click on the photo to see the recipe:

Need a fun and unique gift idea? Easybaked has adorable boxed sets of notecards. They have an Easybaked dessert photo on the front and a recipe on the back! The come in a cute box and the best part? They are ON SALE for Christmas, include free shipping and the site that is hosting them offers $10 off a $50 purchase! Enjoy!!! (Click on photo for more information)

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Posted in Candy, Cookies and tagged best, candy melts, caramel, chocolate, Christmas cookies, cookies, cookies dipped in chocolate, creative, dipped cookies, easy, holidays, kids, melted chocolate, recipe, ritz crackers, Rolo candy, salty and sweet, sprinkles. Bookmark the permalink.

Chocolate Chip Cake

Posted on November 28, 2014 by Ruthanne

This delicious chocolate chip cake recipe is a tried-and-true family favorite and a go-to for a winning bake-off recipe!

This recipe is my grandma’s, but my mom made it a lot when I was growing up. She didn’t tell me her secret ingredients until I loved it too much to care that there were dates in it. Man, do I hate dates. I’m not sure what happens to them in this recipe though- they are magically transformed into chocolatey goodness that doesn’t resemble dates in the slightest!

It’s an ugly cake. I mean, it’s just a plain old chocolate cake, and it’s sweet enough without frosting. I was hoping my photos could adequately convey how delicious it is. My mom used to lay paper lace doilies on top, just before serving, and sprinkle it with powdered sugar. When she removed the paper lace it really was pretty. Plus it routinely won our church bake-offs each year… I love beautiful desserts, but for this one it truly is the inside that counts! Plus it is ridiculously easy to make. Here’s how: (printable recipe)

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup of pitted and chopped dates
1 cup of hot water
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 cup of margarine
1 cup of sugar
2 eggs
1 3/4 cups of flour
2 teaspoons of cocoa powder
1 teaspoon of salt
1 bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used mini- chips because it was all I had- and they worked great!)

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350F degrees and spray a cake pan with non-stick spray.
In a medium bowl, combine the dates, water and baking soda, and allow the dates to soak while you put the rest of the ingredients together.
Cream together margarine and sugar. Add eggs and blend together.
Add dry ingredients (except for chocolate chips) and blend well.
At the end, add date and water mixture. Blend well and add chocolate chips.
Pour into cake pan and bake 40-50 minutes, until a tooth pick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Enjoy!

Our family recipe made me smile. Oleo (??) is margarine… and bake “til done” is nice too. Gotta love the way grandmas bake! This is my mom’s recipe card and she graciously added “40 minutes” at some point in the history of making this cake for us.

My thoughts: Well, I love this cake. It is so moist and sweet (probably from those dreaded dates!) and it genuinely doesn’t need frosting. (As a frosting addict, that is saying something!) This is SO easy to put together and it is great served warm with a little ice cream! Yum… I hope you get a chance to try it and make it one of your family favorites! Enjoy! ~r

Other family tried-and-true recipes~ just click on a picture to see the recipe:

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Posted in Cakes and tagged best, cake, chocolate, chocolate cake, chocolate chips, dates, easy cake recipe, family recipe, holidays, recipe. Bookmark the permalink.

Tepee Cupcakes!

Posted on November 7, 2014 by Ruthanne

These adorable little tepees are filled with yummy chocolate cake and are sure to make everyone smile at YOUR Thanksgiving feast!

Since I spent 8 months on the Navajo Nation and learned to love their culture and traditions, I thought I’d skip the Pilgrim themes and go straight for the Indians this Thanksgiving. My first trip out to the reservation I wondered if Tepees were even used by the Navajo. They are- but only for special ceremonies. The Navajo traditionally lived in round or multi-sided structures called hogans.

Here is a picture of a ceremonial tepee and of my friend Rod by his family’s hogan.

I had quite a time making these cute little desserts, but I hope that my experimenting will help you make this perfectly the 1st time! They really aren’t difficult once you figure out what the best system is! I will give you my recipe 1st (that’s what you’re here for, right??) But after the recipe I will share my trials and tribulations in the process!

Here’s how to make these cute little treats: (printable recipe)

(The links to Amazon in this recipe are affiliate links. Your purchases help to support future recipe creations here on Easybaked- thank you!!!)

INGREDIENTS:

24 pointed ice cream cones
One boxed cake mix in chocolate (or any flavor you like!), plus water, oil and eggs to make according to box.
One bag (12 oz) of Wilton Candy Melts in dark chocolate.
Leaf sprinkles (at least one to two cups of them)
Straight pretzel sticks
DIRECTIONS:
Cover the entire top of a large springform pan with aluminum foil, wrapping it around several times.
Use a small knife or scissors to make a tiny slit in the center.
Push the pointed tip of one ice cream cone through the slit until the tip rests on the inside bottom of the pan.
Repeat this with the rest of the cones (depending on the size of your pan you may need to bake these in two batches).

Update 11.17.25!!! New equipment has been created that you can use to bake cones. You can still use the above method to bake these if you don’t wish to purchase anything new, but Wilton has created a cone holder just for this purpose. Find it here.

Directions (continued)

Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
Make cake mix according to box, and spoon or pipe into cones, filling them about 2/3 full.
Bake at 350F degrees for about 15-20 minutes.
Allow them to cool before removing.

Use a knife to cut the points off of each cone. I scored around the edge with the knife and then just snapped the tip off with my fingers.
Trim off tops of cupcakes to make a flat “bottom”
Melt candy melts in microwave in 30 second increments, stirring in between, until melted and smooth.
Dip the flat end of the cone into the chocolate, coating it completely.
Dip chocolate into a bowl filled with leaf sprinkles.
Set coated cone on parchment paper to harden up.
Place remaining chocolate into a small zip-top bag and clip a corner.
Pipe a bit of chocolate on the top of each tepee and then stick 3 pretzel sticks into the top.
After chocolate has hardened up, serve and enjoy!!!

The story behind the cupcakes:

These are the result of much experimenting. I saw a picture of tepee cupcakes on Pinterest and was intrigued by this idea, but I couldn’t imagine how you would bake cake batter into a pointed cup…? So I googled the idea and discovered that nobody really has any very good ideas for this…? I wondered if I could maybe cut the top point off 1st, stick the bottom into something like cookie dough and pipe batter in to bake upside down? I tried this with the following result:

These really made the most beautiful exploding volcano-type effect in the oven. It was very entertaining, although not what I was hoping for!

Many sites recommended poking the cones into disposable tin foil pans, but they all said to watch them closely because they tip…and to be careful of the hot cake batter when righting them. Oh my. Not my sort of recipe. Sounds like one big mess in my oven!

Eventually I tried the foil and springform pan idea and it was not only easy but very sturdy. Nothing tipped even a tiny bit!

My thoughts: YUM! These are just delicious and fairly easy to make once you know how to get those cupcakes baked. My only advice: make sure you cut enough off the top that all three of those pretzels fit into the opening. A few of mine were too tight, and I had to use the chocolate melts to cement them in place. I hope you have fun making these! I certainly did! Enjoy!! ~r

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

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Posted in Cakes, Cupcakes and tagged autumn, chocolate, creative, cupcake, cupcakes, dessert, fall, holiday recipe, holiday recipe for kids, ice cream cone, ice cream cones, indian, pretzel, recipe, teepee cupcakes, tepee cupcakes, thanksgiving dessert. Bookmark the permalink.

Turtle Cookie Cups

Posted on November 1, 2014 by Ruthanne

Chocolate cookie cups full of creamy caramel, chocolate and pecans. So many fun fall flavors in one little dessert!

There’s something about November that makes me think caramel and pecans. Comfort food, maybe? Thanksgiving? I’m not sure, but these yummy little treats hit the spot! They are fun to make, and a pretty mini dessert for all those November and December get-togethers.

Here’s how they are made: (printable recipe)

INGREDIENTS:

Cookies:

2 sticks (one cup) butter (softened)
1 ½ cups sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3 cups flour
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking powder

Toppings:

1 bag of Wilton’s candy melts in milk chocolate
2 cups of chopped pecans and about 60 whole pecans
32 Kraft caramels (unwrapped)
1 can (14oz) sweetened condensed milk
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter

DIRECTIONS:

Cookies:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Add butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla together in a large mixing bowl
Blend on medium speed with a mixer until smooth
Gradually add dry ingredients and mix until smooth (use clean hands at the end, and knead into a soft ball of dough
Use a small cookie scoop (I used one that holds ½ tablespoon of batter) to portion your dough into mini muffin tins that have been sprayed with non-stick spray
Use a tart shaper, or a wooden spoon to press the dough into a cup shape.

Bake at 350F degrees for 7-8 minutes and remove from oven.
Press centers in a second time and allow cups to cool for just a couple of minutes.
Use a small paring knife to pop each cup out and allow them to cool on the counter.

Toppings:

Place caramels, sweetened condensed milk and butter into a medium saucepan and heat on medium over the stove until all of the caramels are melted.
Heat milk chocolate candy melts in the microwave in 30 second increments until melted and smooth.
Place chopped pecans into a small bowl.
To assemble, dip top edge of cup in candy melts and then in chopped nuts.

Place caramel sauce into a sturdy zip top bag and clip a corner.
Pipe caramel into each cup until filled completely and top with a whole almond.
Allow caramel and chocolate to firm up.
Store in an airtight container for 2-3 days.
Enjoy!

My thoughts: These are a little time-consuming to make, but sooooo yummy. They are a perfect mini-dessert for any of the upcoming holidays, and they got RAVE reviews in my little world! That caramel….!!!! Enjoy! ~r

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