Tag Archives: dessert

Frosty Pudding Pops

Posted on August 22, 2012 by Ruthanne

Finish off the hot days of August with these creamy popsicles made with pudding!

INGREDIENTS:

1 box (4 servings, 3.9 oz)instant chocolate pudding
1 box (4 servings, 3.9 oz)instant vanilla pudding
3 cups of cold milk (divided)
1 (8oz) container of Cool Whip topping (divided)
12-14 popsicle or sucker sticks
12-14 (3oz) paper disposable cups

DIRECTIONS:

Empty vanilla pudding into a mixing bowl and add 1 1/2c. of cold milk.
Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes.
Add 1/2 of Cool Whip to pudding and mix well.
Repeat this process with the chocolate pudding.
Place each mixture into separate large zip-top bags and seal.
Clip a corner off of each bag and squeeze into cup in layers (tap cup on counter to flatten each layer before adding the next)
Freeze overnight.
Clip into the top of each cup with scissors and tear/peel cup away from frozen pudding pop.
Serve and ENJOY!

My thoughts: These are so easy to make and so yummy to eat! I love how rich and creamy they are. You could use any flavor of pudding. My next batch will be chocolate with coconut! Enjoy!!!

14 Comments

Posted in Easy recipes, Frozen desserts and tagged chocolate, cool whip, creative popsicles, dessert, frozen dessert, popsicles, pudding pops, pudding popsicles, summer dessert. Bookmark the permalink.

Kool-Aid Truffles

Posted on August 18, 2012 by Ruthanne

These chocolate-dipped truffles have creamy sweet centers made with the unique flavors of Kool-Aid drink mixes! Your kids will love them!!!

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- see my choices below)
2 bags of Wiltons Candy Melts in White chocolate or Dark chocolate
Sprinkles, cookie crumbles or colored candy melts (I used Blue and Red)

Blue Raspberry Truffle

Lemon-Lime and Graham Cracker Truffle

Chocolate-covered Black Cherry Truffle

White chocolate Mango-Peach Truffle

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 one hour.
Remove mixture from refrigerator and use a small cookie scoop 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 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)
Decorate with sprinkles, cookie crumbles or drizzles of fun colored chocolate.

My thoughts: These are so much fun to make!! I just love them. I actually divided the recipe in half (and used just 1/2 of a packet of Kool-Aid) so that I could try lots of flavors and not make 4 full batches. One batch makes quite a few truffles- about 40 if you use a small cookie scoop to measure them out.

My warning???? These are SO sweet. (SOOOOOOOO sweet!) They almost make your teeth hurt they are so sweet. They are great with a cup of coffee though, and they will cure you of your sugar cravings fast!

Dipping them in chocolate is always the hard part if you haven’t done much candy making. Keeping the fillings chilled helps and (of course) practice helps. They are MUCH easier to dip than cake pops though. If you don’t want to dip them, I’d suggest chopping chocolate up fine (or cookie bits, or candy bits) and just rolling the finished truffle filling in toppings instead. Be amazing and create your own flavor combinations– I’d LOVE to hear about what you and your family create!!! Enjoy! -r

23 Comments

Posted in Candy and tagged candy, dessert, dipping candy in chocolate, drink mix, fancy dessert, fruit truffles, kids candy, kids recipe, kool-aid, Kool-Aid dessert, Kool-Aid recipe, recipe, truffles, unique candy, white chocolate, wiltons candy coating. Bookmark the permalink.

Carrot Cookies with Creamy Orange Frosting

Posted on August 14, 2012 by Ruthanne

These moist cake-like carrot cookies are topped with a thick orange cream frosting.

INGREDIENTS:

Cookies:

1 cup shortening
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup mashed carrots (I used canned)
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Frosting:

5 T butter (melted)
3 cup powder sugar
3 T fresh squeezed orange juice
4 t finely grated orange rind

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Beat together shortening, sugar, eggs and carrots until smooth.
Add flour, baking powder and salt.
Mix together until smooth and creamy.
Using a Small cookie scoop, scoop batter onto parchment paper lined cookie sheets.
Bake for 10 minutes at 400 degrees F.
Cool completely.
To make frosting, add all ingredients together and beat until smooth,
Frost cookies and enjoy!

My thoughts: Yuck. I don’t like carrots and I don’t like carrot cake, carrot muffins, carrot anything…these were no exception (I’ve gotta be honest here!!). I got this recipe from my sister-in-law who promises that people love them and rant and rave over them. I will find that out tomorrow when I serve them- and from you if you try them! They are easy as can be to make and they really are very moist and cake-like (which I prefer to crunchy cookies)…but those carrots….sigh. The frosting, on the other hand, is delicious. I love the orange flavor and I think it would be wonderful over lemon cupcakes- yum. In any case– enjoy—and do let me know if you try these and what you think! -r

13 Comments

Posted in Cookies and tagged carrot cookies, cookies, dessert, frosting, orange cream frosting, orange juice frosting. Bookmark the permalink.

Peppermint Ice Cream Pie

Posted on July 27, 2012 by Ruthanne

Creamy ice cream in a rich chocolate crust- a cold, refreshing and easy summer treat!

I love ice cream pie. My mom has been making these since I was little. It is less of a recipe and more of an idea because there is absolutely no baking involved. By far, this is the easiest dessert ever posted on this blog. Are you ready?

INGREDIENTS:

One half gallon of ice cream (any flavor- I used peppermint stick)
2 pre-made chocolate graham cracker crusts.
One jar of hot fudge sauce
Cool Whip topping (if desired)

DIRECTIONS:

Spoon all of ice cream into a large bowl and mix until softened.
Divide the ice cream evenly between the 2 pie crusts, spreading it in evenly to fill each crust.

Cover and freeze overnight.
Top with drizzles of Hot fudge and some Cool Whip topping when you serve it!

My thoughts: This is such an easy recipe to make ahead and keep in the freezer for a time when you need a dessert but don’t have time to make one. Quick and easy and so refreshing and yummy! Enjoy!!!!! -r

NOTE: This recipe will be automatically posted for me as I will be out of the country for a few weeks. I will be unable to answer your questions or respond to your comments during this time– my apologies ahead of time! I will catch up with all of you when I return! -r

5 Comments

Posted in Frozen desserts, Pies and tagged chocolate, chocolate graham cracker crust, dessert, hot fudge, ice cream, ice cream pie, party dessert, peppermint, peppermint ice cream, pie, summer dessert. Bookmark the permalink.

Mini Heath Bar Crunch Cakes

Posted on July 19, 2012 by Ruthanne

These mini Chocolate cakes are filled with a creamy Heath Bar filling and covered in a chocolate glaze.

A few weeks ago I posted a Boston Cream Pie recipe using this fun little Mini Cake Pan. Again, this recipe would work just fine as a regular cake with the cream as a filling between the layers and the glaze poured over the top– but I chose cute over practical and used these pans. This is the second dessert I’ve done in them and they just turn out beautifully! Here’s the recipe- it is an easy one!!!

Ingredients:

One chocolate cake mix (with oil, water and eggs to make according to box)
2 c. Cool Whip Topping
2 1/2 c. crushed Heath Bars
2 c. semi sweet chocolate chips
1 c. unsalted butter
1 T. corn syrup

Directions:

Make glaze 1st: Melt together chocolate chips, butter and corn syrup. Place in fridge for at least one hour
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Make cake mix according to box
Spoon about 1/2 c. of batter into each Mini Cake Pan
Place on cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes
Tip baked cakes on to a cake rack and cool completely.
Repeat this process (one cake mix will make 4-5 complete cakes)
To make filling, combine Heath bars with Cool Whip topping.
Spoon filling in the cavity in each cake.

Tip one cake layer on to a second (keeping the fillings in the middle)
Remove glaze (it will be pretty thick) from the fridge and frost tops and sides of each cake.
Reheat remaining glaze and pour over the top of each cake to make a smooth outer layer (do this on a cake rack over a cookie sheet so excess glaze can drip through).
Sprinkle tops of each cake with remaining crushed Heath bars.
Chill until glaze is hard.

My thoughts: I’m a huge fan of heath bars and chocolate together, so this was a dream dessert in my book! I really like how the white filling is a “surprise” when you cut into the cake. These are VERY easy to make and put together- my only dilemma was the glaze. I tried it with the Boston cream Pie recipe and struggled with it then, but it was SO YUMMY that I used it again here. I didn’t get the smooth finish I was hoping for…sigh. If any of you have a good smooth glaze that you use– please share!!!! Enjoy!!! -r

1 Comment

Posted in Cakes and tagged baking, cake, chocolate, chocolate cake, chocolate glaze, chocolate heath bar cake, cool whip, dessert, heath bar filling, heath bars, mini cake pans, party cakes, party desserts, unique dessert, wilton cake pans. Bookmark the permalink.

Mini Pineapple Upside Down Cakes

Posted on July 5, 2012 by Ruthanne

A fun twist on the traditional pineapple upside down cake– little mini cakes that are so pretty and fun to serve!

The Mini cheesecake pan is back! I love this Chicago Metallic pan so much!!! I know lots of you have gotten this pan for previous recipes (Cookie cheesecakes and Frozen S’mores) and love it– so here’s another! These little cakes could be made in muffin tins- but in the mini cheesecake pan the bottom comes right out and you can keep your toppings in place and pretty– no sticking to the bottom of the pan. Love it! Here’s the recipe: so easy!

Ingredients:

One boxed white cake mix (plus the oil, water and eggs to make according to box)
2/3c. packed dark brown sugar
1/3c. melted butter
1 (20oz.) can of pineapple chunks
24 maraschino cherries

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Place disks in the bottom of your Mini cheesecake pan and spray well with non-stick spray.
Mix together brown sugar and melted butter.
Spoon half of the sugar mixture evenly into the bottom of each cup in the pan (this recipe makes 24 mini cakes, so if you only have one pan you will need to do this in 2 batches).
Place one cherry in the center of each cup.
Break apart pineapple chunks and place around cherry in each cup.
Make cake mix according to box (I used the whole egg method)
Spoon half of batter evenly in each cup over cherry and pineapple.
Place pan on a cookie sheet (important– these will leak a little!!!)
Bake at 350 degrees for about 22-24 minutes.
Allow pan to set and cool.
Gently push up on bottom disk and remove each mini-cake from pan.
Place bottom up on a cake rack and gently remove disk from top (replace any fillings that stick)
Wash your sticky fingers and pan and repeat to make 24 cakes (unless you are lucky enough to have two pans- then you can do them all at once!)
Allow these to cool completely. Once they set they hold together beautifully- they are just a little fragile when they are still warm.

My thoughts: Well, I hate cooked fruit. I have to admit that I didn’t try these. I did, however, enlist many friends and coworkers in the tasting process and got a unanimous thumbs up on them. They are (of course!) more work than just a regular cake. They are sticky and the toppings slide off a bit and I wished I had 2 pans so that I could do them all at once. I’m thinking of getting a second one…. the end result was so cute and so much more fun than just a plain cake though. I really like that everyone gets pineapple and a cherry. Enjoy!!!!!!! -r

18 Comments

Posted in Cakes and tagged baking, cake, cake mix, cherry, creative dessert, dessert, fun dessert, mini cakes, mini cheesecake pan, party cakes, pineapple, pineapple upside down cake. Bookmark the permalink.

Mini Boston Cream Pies

Posted on June 28, 2012 by Ruthanne

These miniature Boston Cream Pies are the CUTEST treat! Covered in chocolate glaze with a surprise yummy filling in the middle, these are sure to make you and your family smile!

When you are as obsessed with desserts as I am, you get really fun kitchen presents! For my birthday last year, my friend Angie got me the most adorable Mini Cake Pan ever. They are made by Wilton and they create cute little layer cakes that have a square of filling on the inside. I love them and decided to use them with this Boston cream Pie recipe instead of just a plain old regular size cake. If you want to try the pans out just click on Mini Cake Pan and you can see them on Amazon– if you don’t want another kitchen gadget (I totally understand the dilemma!) just make this recipe in two regular round cake pans- put the filling in the middle and just pour that glaze right over the top.

Ingredients:

One white cake mix (with water, oil and eggs to make according to box)
One box (3.4 oz) JELL-O instant vanilla pudding
1 c. milk
1 1/2 c. Cool Whip Topping
2 c. semi sweet chocolate chips
1c. unsalted butter
1 T. corn syrup

Directions:

Make glaze 1st: Melt together chocolate chips, butter and corn syrup and mix well. Refrigerate at least one hour.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Make cake mix (whole egg method) according to box.
Spoon about 1/2 c. batter into each well greased Mini Cake Pan.
Place pans on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes.
Tip pans over onto a cake rack and allow cakes to cool completely.

Repeat process (one cake mix makes 4 to 5 full (two piece) cakes).
To make filling, combine pudding mix with milk and whisk for 2 minutes.
Fold Cool Whip topping in and set aside for at least 5 minutes.
Trim bottoms of cakes flat and spoon filling into each cavity.

Tip one cake on top of the other, keeping the filling in the center.
Remove glaze (it will be pretty thick) from the fridge and frost tops and sides of each cake.
Reheat remaining glaze and pour over the top of each cake to make a smooth outer layer (do this on a cake rack over a cookie sheet so excess glaze can drip through).
Chill until glaze is hard.

My thoughts: I just served these last night and they were a huge hit. Everyone loved how cute they were and the surprise filling in the center. I loved the creamy filling with the rich glaze…YUM! The glaze is a little difficult to get right (I thought!) I was hoping for a smoother finish- but it tasted GREAT! –Enjoy!!!!!!! -r

12 Comments

Posted in Cakes and tagged baking, Boston Cream pie, boston cream pie recipe, cake, chocolate, chocolate glaze, custard, dessert, filled cake, food, layer cakes, mini cake pans, mini desserts, party dessert, recipe, shower dessert, sweet chocolate chips, unique dessert, wilton cake pan, Wilton mini filled cake pans. Bookmark the permalink.

Grasshopper Mint Cupcakes

Posted on June 21, 2012 by Ruthanne

I just love anything that combines mint and chocolate. I was thinking about those yummy chocolate covered “grasshopper” mint cookies the other day and decided right then and there that I’d try a cupcake recipe in those flavors.

One of my favorite trends in the world these days is the invention of the cupcake store. We have several here in my hometown- one of which was actually invited to compete on the TV show “Cupcake Wars”. I love to see the different ideas these little bakeries have for cupcake treats.

About a month ago my friend Megan came to visit. She’s 1/2 of the team at Happily Ever After Cakes out in Pennsylvania and we met 2 years ago in Russia. Since we share a love for all things sweet AND she was flying into Chicago, we decided to try Sprinkles Cupcakes. It was amazing- really the best cupcakes I’ve had from a bakery. The cupcakes were simple– but the frostings….oh my. I’m obsessed with making the salted caramel frosting they have. It was the best frosting ever. Here’s some pictures from our trip– so much yumminess in one little store.

The flavors we tried were: Red velvet, Salted caramel, Mocha and Coconut. We loved them all- but especially the Salted caramel….!

On to our recipe this week— yummy mint grasshopper cupcakes! (Makes 24)

INGREDIENTS:

One boxed chocolate cake mix (with water, oil and eggs to make according to box)
Approximately 36 Andes Mints
1 stick of salted butter (room temp)
1 stick of unsalted butter (room temp)
1 1/2 c. powdered sugar
2 t. mint extract
green food coloring

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Make cake mix as directed on box. Evenly divide it into 24 cupcake papers in muffin tins.
Place one Andes mint candy into the center of each unbaked cupcake.

Bake at 350 degrees as directed on box.
Cool completely.
Combine butters, powdered sugar, mint and food coloring in a large mixing bowl and beat on high until very light and fluffy.
Place frosting into a zip top bag fitted with a large star decorating tip in one corner.
Pipe frosting on each cooled cupcake.
Top each cupcake with 1/2 of an Andes Mint Candy.

My thoughts: These turned out so yummy– just a note that some of the Andes mints sank all the way to the bottom of the cupcake– they still tasted really good in the cupcake– but they weren’t all as fun as the one in my picture (below). Another note– this frosting recipe makes just enough to frost 24 cupcakes– if you like lots of frosting, double the recipe. Enjoy!!!! -r

34 Comments

Posted in Cupcakes and tagged andes mint candy, Andes mints, buttercream frosting, chocolate cake mix, cupcakes, cupcakes with Andes mint inside, dessert, grasshopper, mint, mint and chocolate cupcakes, mint buttercream frosting, mint cupcakes, muffin tins, peppermint. Bookmark the permalink.

Frosted Chocolate Drop Cookies

Posted on June 7, 2012 by Ruthanne

These thick cake-like cookies are a recipe from my mom. She made them all the time when I was growing up. Her recipe calls for milk, but all I had on hand was whipping cream and they turned out GREAT!

This was a busy week and these were just a last-minute dessert for friends. Quick and easy- you can top them with a chocolate glaze or frosting. I used my favorite buttercream frosting- so yummy, but since it doesn’t harden completely they weren’t stackable. This is a great recipe to have handy for a busy week that still needs dessert in it!

INGREDIENTS:

Cookies:

1 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. margarine
1 egg
1/3 c. heavy whipping cream
2 1/2 c. flour
1/2 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
2 squares of unsweetened baking chocolate (melted)
1 t. vanilla

Frosting:

1/2 stick of salted butter
1/2 stick of unsalted butter
3/4 c. powdered sugar
1 t. vanilla (use clear if you want your frosting to stay nice and white)

DIRECTIONS:

Cookies:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cream sugar and margarine together.
Add egg, cream and vanilla and mix well.
Add sifted soda, salt and flour and mix well.
Add melted chocolate last and mix until completely combined.
Using a Medium cookie scoop, spoon cookie dough out onto cookie sheets covered in parchment paper (makes 24-28 cookies).
Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes.
Cool completely on parchment paper.

Frosting:

Place (room temp) butter in mixing bowl with powdered sugar and vanilla.
Beat on high until very light and fluffy.
Frost cookies and enjoy!

My thoughts: Only one– the cookie dough is AMAZING….amazing……I don’t recommend the eating of cookie dough that contains raw eggs. You definitely shouldn’t do it…..or let your kids do it……….. soooooooooo good……. 😉

4 Comments

Posted in Cookies and tagged baking, blog, buttercream frosting, chocolate, chocolate chocolate cookies, chocolate drop cookies, cookies, dessert, frosted chocolate cookies, vanilla buttercream. Bookmark the permalink.

Chocolate Pecan Tart

Posted on June 2, 2012 by Ruthanne

This pecan tart with a hint of cocoa was inspired by my recent vacation to South Carolina.

I just got back from a trip to my cousin’s wedding in Raleigh and a family vacation in Myrtle Beach. Besides the pralines (MUST learn to make these), I was tempted by all the varieties of pecan pies in each restaurant we visited (bourbon, chocolate chip, caramel, cheesecake….)

I’m visiting dear friends tomorrow afternoon and since I’ve been obsessing over pecan pies I thought I’d better give in and make one tonight to share with them. I really think you’ll love this recipe. The tart pan makes it beautiful and the cocoa makes it so rich and flavorful. Plus it is really easy. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:

Refrigerated pie crust (or your own favorite recipe!)
4 T. butter
2 T. cocoa powder
1 c. corn syrup
3 eggs
1/2 c. dark brown sugar
2 T. vanilla
2 c. pecans (one cup chopped, one cup halves)

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Lightly grease a 9 inch tart pan with removable bottom. Line the pan with your crust, pressing it into the bottom and sides of pan and pricking the bottom a few times with a fork.
Melt butter on the stove in a saucepan.
Turn heat off and add the cocoa and corn syrup.
Lightly beat the eggs with the sugar and vanilla.
Stir egg mixture and one cup of chopped nuts into syrup.
Pour into crust and arrange the remaining pecans over the top.
Bake on a cookie sheet for 35-40 minutes (until the filling is just set).
Serve warm (with ice cream, I think!) or at room temperature.

My thoughts: This is a quick dessert and it is SO yummy! I’m laughing a little about how I have to cut a piece out of everything I make (for photography purposes, of course…) and how nothing I bring to share at a dinner ever looks pretty anymore. My friends look at my chopped up dessert, roll their eyes and say– oh yeah….BLOG photos… I hope you enjoy making this recipe. I’ll leave you tonight with a couple of beach photos. Enjoy!