Tag Archives: recipe

Caramel Armadillos

Posted on May 14, 2016 by Ruthanne

Caramel Armadillos1

Caramel Armadillos. Because Caramel Turtles are soooooo yesterday.

I have this great, really easy, caramel filling. It’s great on ice cream, in brownies, in cupcakes and even by the spoonful. I love it. I decided this week that I wanted to make turtle cookies with it, and I was struck by how boring and predictable caramel turtles are. Why turtles? Who started this trend? I turned to Wikipedia for answers. I was still bored.

I decided to make caramel armadillos instead. Not only are they WAY cuter than turtles, but it’s really fun to say “caramel armadillos”.

Try it… five times fast!

You know you want to… 🙂

Caramel Armadillo A couple weeks ago I was waiting for a friend to meet me for coffee and I stumbled upon these cute little chocolate molds on Amazon. They are supposedly Easter eggs, but when I decided to make Armadillos they came to mind as the perfect thing to use! All I needed was a tail and ears… and a tootsie roll would suffice!

SO caramel armadillos were born- and they are neither boring nor predictable!

Armadillo3 Here’s how I made them: (printable recipe)

INGREDIENTS: (makes about 20 armadillos)

32 Kraft Caramels (unwrapped)
1 can (14 oz.) of sweetened condensed milk
1 stick (1/2 cup) of butter
Whole pecans- about 3 per armadillo
1 bag (32 oz/2lbs) of Merckens Milk chocolate wafers.
about 40 candy eyes
20 pink candy balls for noses
at least 25 tootsie rolls, unwrapped

DIRECTIONS:

Make caramel in a large saucepan over the stove by heating together the caramels, condensed milk and butter. Stir constantly until melted and smooth.
Pour into a small bowl and allow mixture to cool a bit (so it doesn’t melt chocolate when poured in).
Melt chocolate wafers in the microwave in 30 second increments, stirring in between until melted and smooth.
Use a food-grade brush, or pastry brush to “paint” the inside of the egg mold with chocolate. Paint two layers to make it nice and thick- you should not be able to see any of the mold showing through.
Freeze until hard (5 minutes or so)
Place cooled caramel into a large zip-top bag, zip tightly closed and clip a corner off the bag using a pair of kitchen scissors.
Squeeze a little bit of caramel in each cup, set three pecans on the caramel, pushing them gently into it, then fill the remainder of the cup up with caramel.

**Note: If you are making just armadillos, don’t fill to the top because you will add a layer of chocolate on top once the caramel is hard. If you are placing these on cookies, you can fill to the top and spread flat with a knife.

Place these in the freezer to harden (5-10 minutes) and then paint a layer of chocolate on the top of the hardened caramel and freeze again until hard.
Gently peel silicone mold away from chocolate and set on a plate to be decorated!
Unwrap 20 tootsie rolls and place for just a few seconds in the microwave to soften a little.
Pull and roll these into tails and use the side of a knife to press grooves along the length. Keep these on parchment paper until they harden up.
Unwrap 4 to 5 tootsie rolls and cut them into little circles. Shape these into ears and keep with tails on parchment paper.

To assemble, use dabs of melted chocolate to attach ears, candy eyes, nose and tails.

I made cookies for them to sit on. My original idea was for caramel turtle cookies, so I went ahead with the cookie plan and it does add stability to that tail (otherwise they are a little awkward to pick up!)

I used my favorite chocolate cookie cut-out recipe from here, and it made a few more cookies than I had armadillos for, but they are yummy cookies all alone!!
I used an egg-shaped cookie cutter a bit larger than the armadillo.
I added melted green candy wafers to the top- just spooned some on and spread it near the edges- and set a “open” caramel armadillo on top. The green wafers seal up the bottom and keep caramel from leaking out!
I set the tail on the melted green wafers and added flower sprinkles! Once everything hardened up I added the eyes, ears and nose.

So….cookies??? Candies???? It’s up to you! I think they would be fun on a cake.

How awkwardly wonderful would a caramel armadillo cake be???

My thoughts: These are delicious. They are also a lot of work (being honest!). It would help to have your tails and ears shaped ahead of time and I was wishing SO hard for an additional mold. That would save time too. That said- I will totally make these again!!!! They were well- loved by adults and kids alike! If this recipe seems like too much craziness for you, just make the caramel. Put it on ice cream and be happy! Enjoy!! ~r

Other recipes kids will love (click on a photo to see the recipe!):

12 Comments

Posted in Candy, Cookies and tagged Armadillo candy, Armadillo dessert, Armadillos, best, caramel, caramel candy, Caramel turtles, chocolate, creative, creative candy, creative cookies, dessert, fun cookies, Kids party dessert, pecans, recipe. Bookmark the permalink.

Cookie Dough Layer Cake

Posted on February 27, 2016 by Ruthanne

Creamy cookie dough filling surrounded by rich chocolate cake and topped with a delicious chocolate glaze. An easy, beautiful and oh-soo-yummy dessert!

I’m in love with cookie dough. When I go to those fancy yogurt shops where you make your own sundae I am always tempted to skip the yogurt and just fill my dish with those little cookie dough bites. This easy (super, super easy) layer cake is filled with my favorite creamy cookie dough. I’ve used it to top cupcakes and to fill brownies— and now to fill cake. I love it. I think you will too!

As in most of my recipes, this dessert is made simple with the use of a cake mix (I used a Duncan Hines Dark Chocolate Fudge here), but you can substitute your favorite cake recipe instead. More work… but that’s up to you!

Here is how we put this cake together: (printable recipe)

INGREDIENTS:

Cake/Filling:

One boxed chocolate cake mix (plus water, oil and eggs to make according to package)
2 sticks (8 oz.) unsalted butter(softened)
2 sticks (8 oz.) salted butter(softened)
2 c. powered sugar
1 c. brown sugar (packed)
3 T. vanilla
1/3c. flour
1 (12 oz) bag of mini chocolate chips.

Glaze:

1 1/2 sticks of salted butter
1 12 oz. package of semi-sweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS:

Make cake mix (or your favorite cake recipe) and bake according to box/recipe in 2- 8 or 9 inch round pans.
Cool cakes completely.
While cakes are baking and cooling, make your filling.
Place all filling ingredients except mini chips into a large mixing bowl and beat with mixer on low until combined and then high until light and fluffy.
Add mini chips (keep about 1/3 of a cup aside to sprinkle on sides and top of cake) and beat on low until fully combined.
Make glaze by melting butter and chips together and set aside.
Once cakes are cool, trim the tops so they are flat.
Place 1 cake on serving plate, cut side up, and spread a little of the glaze on top.
Spoon all of filling on top and spread all the way to the edge of the cake.
Place second cake on top, cut side down, and use a knife to smooth edges of filling flat between the two cake layers.
Sprinkle edges of filling with extra chocolate chips, and then pour glaze over the top and add the rest of the chips.
Refrigerate until firm.

My thoughts: I wondered if the filling layer was too thick (it’s a lot of filling!) I knew that I would love all that cookie dough, but would others? They did. It got rave reviews and even a 2 thumbs up from a frosting-hater 🙂 You could make half of the filling recipe if you want- but it is honestly soooo yummy to have a big bite of cookie dough with every bite of cake. Wish I had some left…! Enjoy! ~r

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

18 Comments

Posted in Cakes, Cookies and tagged best, cake, chocolate, chocolate chip cookie dough cake, chocolate fudge cake, chocolate glaze, cookie dough, cookie dough cake, cookie dough dessert, creative cake recipe, creative dessert, dessert, layer cake, recipe, unique dessert. Bookmark the permalink.

Berry Bomb Cupcakes

Posted on January 15, 2016 by Ruthanne

These delicious cupcakes are topped with a dome of raspberry cream and a touch of black raspberry jam- a perfectly pink Valentine’s Day treat!

I love berries over vanilla cake- it reminds me of summer and makes me smile. I got a little creative with the presentation, but I think that makes them just perfect as a Valentine– don’t you?

These are incredibly delicious and fun to make. They use a fun (and inexpensive) silicone mold that I got here and have used before on my Peanut Butter Bomb Brownies. I just love how beautiful the dome of white chocolate looks atop these cupcakes! There are so many possibilities for fillings….!

Want to know how we made these cute little desserts? Here you go: (Printable recipe)

INGREDIENTS:

One boxed white cake mix (with water, oil and eggs to make according to package)
1 large jar of black raspberry preserves
1 can of strawberry frosting
2 packets of Dream Whip
3/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon of raspberry extract
6 tablespoons powdered sugar
Pink food color gel (to desired shade)
2 bags of Wiltons candy melts in bright white.

DIRECTIONS:

Make cake mix according to package and divide into 24-28 cupcake liners placed in a muffin tin. Fill only about 1/2 full so that they bake up flat and not mounded up and over edges. Bake according to package.
Make Berry Bomb filling by combining Dream Whip, milk, extract, and powdered sugar in a mixing bowl and blending together with mixer until stiff peaks form. Add coloring to desired shade of pink.
Melt Wiltons candy melts and use a brush to “paint” the melts into the inside of the silicone mold. Do two layers and then freeze until hard (5 minutes).
Place filling into a large zip-top bag and clip a corner. Pipe filling into hardened cups- about 3/4 full- and then top with a little jam.
Use a knife to spread jam flat and freeze another 5-10 minutes.
Carefully remove berry bombs from mold and place, round side down and sticky jam side up, on a wax-papered plate. Keep these cool until all bombs are made.

Open strawberry frosting and warm in the microwave for about 15 seconds- just until it softens a bit when stirred,
Spoon frosting over tops of cupcakes, allowing it to spread to edges.
Gently set a bomb on top of cupcake, pressing it into the soft frosting (I used wax paper to touch chocolate to prevent fingerprints)
Allow frosting to firm up and hold the bomb in place.
Drizzle with a little red or pink melted candy melts if desired. Keep refrigerated until serving.
Enjoy!!!!!!!

My thoughts: These are a fun and refreshing twist on a berry-topped cupcake. The bombs take a little time to make- since you have to to do them in batches of 6. I recommend you start making them when you start the cupcakes. You can be in and out of the freezer while you are baking and save a little time. My other thought- serve these with a fork!!! When you bite into them and that white candy shell breaks it is too much to hold onto. I promise. Use forks 🙂 I hope you enjoy making and eating these as much as I did!! ~r

Other Valentines Day treats to try (click on a photo to see the recipe)

12 Comments

Posted in Cupcakes and tagged berry cupcake, best, black raspberry, chocolate bomb, cupcake, cupcakes, dessert, raspberry, raspberry cream, recipe, strawberry, Valentines day cupcake, white chocolate. Bookmark the permalink.

NYE Ball Drop Cupcakes!

Posted on December 28, 2015 by Ruthanne

Delicious chocolate cupcakes topped with whipped chocolate buttercream and a white chocolate truffle all dressed up for New Year’s Eve! Happy New Year to you!

These fun little cupcakes are an easy and fun way to ring in the New Year. I used Lindt White Chocolate Truffles for the NYE ball, and my very yummiest chocolate buttercream. Aren’t they cute???

Ball Drop Cupcakes4

Here is how we put these fun little party desserts together:

INGREDIENTS:

One boxed chocolate cake mix (or your favorite recipe) plus eggs, water and oil to make according to package.
2 sticks of salted butter, softened
2 sticks of unsalted butter, softened
3 cups of powdered sugar
1/2 cup of cocoa powder
24 Lindt white chocolate truffles
24 decorative picks (I got mine at Target)
24 New Year picks (I got mine at CK products)
Gold food coloring dust (I got mine at CK products)

DIRECTIONS:

Unwrap 24 Lindt truffles and put a decorative pick all the way through each one.
Use a clean (food only) paint brush and some water to paint the truffle gold using the coloring dust. Hold the truffle by the pick and mix dust with water until it forms a thick paste and can be painted onto the truffle. This may take two coats to smooth it out.
Allow painted truffle to dry on a plate or some parchment paper.

Ball Drop Cupcakes1 Ball Drop Cupcakes2

Make cake mix according to box instructions and divide evenly among 24 cupcake liners placed in a cupcake tin.
Bake according to box, and cool completely.
Make frosting by adding softened butter, powdered sugar and cocoa together in a large mixing bowl and beating on high until light and fluffy.
Place frosting in a large zip-top bag fitted with a decorating tip, and pipe frosting on each cooled cupcake.
Decorate with a truffle and with NYE cupcake picks.
Enjoy! (and remind everyone to NOT eat the picks!) 🙂

My thoughts: These are fun and yummy treats!!! It takes a little time to paint the truffles, but they are such a creamy and yummy addition to this cupcake!

So, Happy 2016 to each of you!!! Enjoy!!! ~r

Other fun New Year’s dessert ideas: (click on the photo to see the recipe)

1 Comment

Posted in Candy, Cupcakes and tagged Ball drop cupcake, best, chocolate, chocolate buttercream, cocoa, confetti, cupcake, gold ball, gold food coloring, Lindt truffle, New years cupcake, New years eve, new years eve cupcake, New years eve dessert, New years eve party, New years eve recipe, NYE cupcake, recipe, sparkles, stars. Bookmark the permalink.

Candy Cane Brownies

Posted on December 22, 2015 by Ruthanne

Nothing says Merry Christmas like peppermint and chocolate! These beautiful little brownies combine those two flavors in a colorful, layered treat!

These brownies are an Easybaked staple. I’ve swapped that peppermint filling up for everything from cookie dough to caramel. I love recipes that can be changed up with different flavors and looks!!! This peppermint candy cane flavor is the most beautiful filling I’ve used in these though. The guests at every party I’ve shared them at have all commented on how pretty and festive they are. They just make me smile- and they really aren’t that difficult to make! Promise.

This recipe makes a lot of brownies. The good news? They freeze really well and can be made ahead for all your Christmas gatherings. Just pop them out of the freezer and thaw!

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

INGREDIENTS:

Brownie:

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

Peppermint Filling:

5 cups powdered sugar
8 tablespoons melted butter
2 teaspoons peppermint extract
red and pink food coloring

Fudge Topping:

12oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips
12 tablespoons butter (do not substitute margarine here!)
Wilton Candy melts in Red, Pink and White (if desired for design on top)

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)
Spread evenly in greased jelly roll pan (12 1/2 x 17 1/2 x 1″).
Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until done in center and just starting to pull away from sides.
Cool.

Mint Frosting:

Add melted butter to sugar and extract.
Mix well, using water to bring it to a thick but spreadable consistency.
Divide into 3 parts and use food coloring to color one part red, and one part pink.
Place little dollops of each colored filling all over the cooled brownies (I placed the fillings in small zip-top bags, clipped a corner off and piped these on.
Spread colors together into one even layer that covers entire top of brownies.

Fudge Topping:

Melt butter and chocolate together in the microwave in 30 second increments, stirring in between until completely melted and smooth.
If desired, melt about 1/8cup each of Wilton’s Candy Melts in White, Red and Pink. Place in small zip-top bags and clip corner on each.
Pour melted chocolate and butter mixture over peppermint filling and spread evenly over top.
Immediately, pipes lines in all three candy melt colors across the entire top of the brownies.
Immediately after piping, use a toothpick or a cake-tester to drag across these lines- first one direction and then back the opposite to make the colorful design on top.
Chill until top layer is hard and cut into squares.

My thoughts: Love them! This brownie recipe never fails me, and I love experimenting with different flavors of filling! These will add a festive and fun layer to any dessert tray at your Christmas celebrations! Enjoy!! ~r

Take a look at some of the other fillings we have used in these brownies: (click on a photo to open the recipe)

9 Comments

Posted in Brownies and tagged best Christmas brownies, brownies, candy cane, candy cane dessert, chocolate, christmas, Christmas dessert recipe, colorful dessert recipe, layered, mint, peppermint, peppermint dessert, peppermint filling, pretty Christmas dessert, recipe. Bookmark the permalink.

Praline Fudge Brownies

Posted on December 8, 2015 by Ruthanne

A dense brownie covered in creamy praline filling and topped with chocolate fudge and pecans. This will satisfy the most demanding sweet tooth!!!!

I adore pralines. Especially around Thanksgiving and Christmas when anything with pecans is somehow better. Some people say they are just too sweet- and this filling is no exception! Paired with this not-too-sweet brownie, I think it is perfect though. These got rave reviews and several people exclaimed, “These taste like Christmas!”

So let’s make these yummy little treats! (printable recipe)

INGREDIENTS:

Brownie:

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

Praline Filling:

1 cup whipping cream
12 Tablespoons of butter
3 cups of brown sugar (packed)
1 1/2 cup of finely chopped pecans (divided)
3 cups of powdered sugar
2 teaspoon of vanilla

Fudge Topping:

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

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)
Spread evenly in greased jelly roll pan (12 1/2 x 17 1/2 x 1″).
Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until done in center and just starting to pull away from sides.
Cool.

Praline filling:

In a large saucepan, mix cream, butter and brown sugar.
Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until mixture comes to a boil.
Cook for one minute, stirring constantly and then remove from heat.
Stir in powdered sugar, vanilla and 1 cup of pecans (you may need to do this in a separate bowl if your saucepan isn’t big enough)
Cool for 5 minutes, stirring often until it thickens up a bit.
Spoon mixture over cooled brownies and spread into a smooth layer over the top.

Fudge Topping:

Melt butter and chocolate together in the microwave in 30 second increments, stirring in between until completely melted and smooth.
Pour over praline filling and spread evenly over top.
Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup of chopped pecans.
Chill until top layer is hard and cut into bars.

My thoughts: These aren’t hard to put together and they are oh-so-yummy!!! I froze about half of the batch in an air-tight container for several weeks and just pulled them out for a party I was having- they freeze GREAT. In fact, they are pretty yummy frozen. 🙂 I hope you get a chance to try these and enjoy them as much as I did!

Other yummy Christmas desserts: (click on a photo to see the recipe)

6 Comments

Posted in Brownies and tagged beautiful brownies, best, brown sugar, brown sugar frosting, brownies, candy, chocolate, christmas, dessert, fun, layered brownies, pecans, praline filling, pralines, recipe. Bookmark the permalink.

Spiderweb Cookies

Posted on October 22, 2015 by Ruthanne

Delicious sugar cookies covered in chocolate spiders and webs. Too cute to be scary!

I’m on a spider kick for Halloween. I’ve had some decently horrifying experiences with spiders at my house this fall, so when I think scary- this is it! My last post featured them on cupcakes and this week it’s cookies. These are delicious, easy, and so much fun to put together!

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

INGREDIENTS: (makes about 24 cookies)

2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter (softened)
1 1/2 cups of granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1 teaspoon of butter flavoring
3 cups of flour
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 bags of Wilton’s Candy Melts in whatever colors you choose (I used orange and purple)
1 bag of Wilton’s Candy Melts in dark chocolate
Vanilla Wafers
Candy eyes

DIRECTIONS:

Make spider “faces” first so they have time to harden up. Melt chocolate candy melts in the microwave in 30 second increments, stirring in between until melted and smooth.
Dip vanilla wafers entirely in the melted chocolate until coated. Remove using a fork, tap against side of bowl and slide bottom along edge.
Place on parchment paper and place 2 eyes on each. Allow these to harden completely. Save excess chocolate to use for web on cookies.

Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth.
Add eggs, vanilla and butter flavoring and mix well.
Add all dry ingredients and mix until able to knead into a firm ball of dough (add additional flour if necessary).
Roll out on a floured counter with a flour coated rolling pin to desired thickness.
Cut into spider webs with a cookie cutter (I used this one– totally got it at Wal Mart)
Place cookies on cookie sheets covered in parchment paper and bake at 350F degrees for 10-12 minutes.
Slide baked cookies and parchment paper together onto a counter to cool completely.
Re-melt the chocolate candy melts and spoon them into a small zip-top bag.
Melt colored candy melts in the microwave in 30 second increments, stirring in between until melted and smooth.
Place cookie on a baking rack that has been set over a plate and spoon melted candy over the top of the cookie, spreading it to the edges and over. Use a fork to lift cookie, tap excess off and slide onto parchment paper.
Take bag of melted dark chocolate and clip a corner off. Pipe a swirl of chocolate onto the still- melted candy on the cookie and immediately pull line through this from the center out using a toothpick or skewer.
Set a spider “face” in the center of the cookie and allow everything to harden up.
Enjoy!

Aren’t they cute?????

My thoughts: These really are fun and delicious. It takes a little time and patience to cover the basic cookie in the candy melts- but I love how the color goes all the way over the edge! Since these harden up, they are perfect to make ahead and tie up in cello bags for fall parties. Enjoy!!!! ~r

Other fun fall recipes to try: (click on a photo to be taken to a recipe)

12 Comments

Posted in Candy, Cookies and tagged candy melts, cookies, cut-out cookies, Halloween, halloween cookies, kids recipe, recipe, spider cookies, spider eye cookies, spider web cookies, suagr cut-out cookies, sugar cookies. Bookmark the permalink.

Spider Egg Cupcakes

Posted on October 10, 2015 by Ruthanne

These delicious little chocolate cupcakes are topped with terrifyingly cute little spiders, webs and egg sacs. A perfect Halloween treat!

There is nothing worse than finding spiders hatching somewhere in or around your house. Spiders are bad. Baby hatching spiders? Way worse. That’s what makes these fun little cupcakes so terrifying! That little egg sac? A Lindt white chocolate truffle. The spiders? Drizzled chocolate and mini M&Ms. Easy, fun and so cute that you almost start liking spiders! Almost.

Aren’t they fun??? All by themselves, on cookies, on cupcakes… so many ways you could use these.

Here’s the recipe: (printable version)

INGREDIENTS:

One boxed cake mix (plus water, oil and eggs to make according to package)
One tub of white frosting
1/4 cup of Wilton’s candy melts in dark chocolate
1 cup of Wilton’s candy melts in white chocolate
One bag of mini M&M’s (usually found by the chocolate chips)
Orange food coloring
Purple food coloring
24 Lindt white chocolate truffles

DIRECTIONS:

Make spiders and egg sacs 1st, to give them time to harden up.
Melt the Wiltons dark chocolate candy melts in the microwave in 3o second increments, stirring in between until completely melted and smooth.
Clip a corner off a small zip top bag, and place a small round decorating tip in the corner.
Spoon melted chocolate into bag, and pipe spider “legs” onto parchment paper, topping each set with a brown mini M&M. Pipe spider legs directly on each Lindt Chocolate and add the M&M on top. You’ll need 24 Lindt truffles and 24 extra spiders. I made about 40, and I was glad I did because some of their legs fell off as I pulled them off the parchment paper.
Allow these to harden completely (you can put this in the fridge to speed this process up if needed)

Make cake mix according to package and bake in 24 cupcake liners placed in muffin tins. Cool completely.
Divide the frosting into two parts. Soften it a little bit (10 seconds or so) in the microwave, and color it with purple and orange food coloring.
(Optional) Cut a small, (the size of the Lindt Truffle) and shallow hole into the top of each cupcake. I did this so that the truffle would settle a little “into” the cupcake rather than just perching on top. It makes frosting these a little messy with crumbs, but I liked the way it looked a little better.
Dip the top of each cupcake into frosting, covering the top (and inside the little “dent” on top) completely.
Place a spider “egg sac” on top of each cupcake.
Melt Wiltons White Candy Melts in the microwave in 30 second increments, stirring in between until completely melted and smooth.
Place in a zip-top bag, clip a corner and drizzle liberally over the top of each cupcake in a web-like pattern.
Before the Candy melts firm up, place a couple of spiders on top.
Allow frosting and candy melts to firm up.
Enjoy!

My thoughts: These are fun, easy and just a tiny bit creepy. A perfect October treat. The spiders take a little time and patience, but they can be made ahead of time and won’t hold you up when you go to make the cupcakes. I hope you have as much fun as I did with these! Enjoy!! ~r

Other creepy and fun October treats you might enjoy: (click on a photo to see the recipe)

8 Comments

Posted in Candy, Cupcakes and tagged best, chocolate, cupcakes, dessert, easy, fall, Halloween, halloween cupcakes, kids, lindt chocolate, October, recipe, spider cupcakes, spider dessert, spider egg. Bookmark the permalink.

Mile High Key Lime Pie

Posted on October 1, 2015 by Ruthanne

A Nilla Wafer crust filled with a creamy key lime pie and topped with piles and piles of sweet whipped key lime topping. If you love key lime pie, this is your new favorite recipe for it!!

I adore key lime pie. I love that tart and smooth pie filling. Whenever I get the opportunity, I try key lime pies, and I can honestly say that this is the best I’ve had…so far! This recipe is courtesy of my friends Chuck and Heather Lane. They pinched it from a newspaper article years ago that claimed it as the recipe of one of the fancier restaurants in Fort Wayne. We were out for dinner one night not long ago, and they started talking about this pie and I (of course!) asked for the recipe. They had made a few “tweaks” to it, and I honestly think it is perfect. My only disappointment with this recipe is the pictures I took of it. I wish I’d waited to cut it until it had chilled completely. It is BEAUTIFUL when it is cut chilled. Perfect layers of happiness.

Anyway. I digress. Here’s the recipe~ I hope you love it as much as I do! (printable version)

INGREDIENTS:

6 Tablespoons of butter, melted
2 cups of finely crushed Vanilla Wafers
2 3/4 cups of sweetened condensed milk (divided)
3 egg yolks
1 cup of key lime juice (divided)
1 large (16 oz) tub of Cool Whip (softened in fridge)

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350F degrees
Mix together crushed vanilla wafers and melted butter until well combined. Press into a greased pie pan.
Beat egg yolks and add 1 3/4 cups of sweetened condensed milk and 1/2 cup of key lime juice.
Mix well and pour into crust.
Bake at 350F degrees for 20-25 minutes. Cool completely.
Beat together Cool Whip, 1 cup sweetened condensed milk, and 1/2 cup of key lime juice until smooth. It should have a nice shiny look.
Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Top cooled pie with whipped topping and chill for several hours before cutting and serving.
Enjoy!

My thoughts: With the exception of squeezing a million little key limes, this is such an easy recipe~ and oh so delicious! My only tip: don’t cut into it until it is cold! 🙂 Enjoy! ~r

Other bits of key lime joy (click on photo to see recipe)

5 Comments

Posted in Pies and tagged best, easy pie recipe, fresh, key lime, key lime pie, key lime whipped topping, nilla wafer, Nilla wafer crust, pie, recipe, summer. Bookmark the permalink.

Peanut Butter Bomb Brownies

Posted on August 29, 2015 by Ruthanne

What could be more yummy than a chocolate brownie covered in creamy peanut butter ganache and topped with a chocolate covered peanut butter mousse bomb? If you are addicted to chocolate and peanut butter, this dessert is for you!

Chocolate and peanut butter are a timeless combination, and these brownies combine those flavors in such a fun way!

The homemade brownies are dense, but not too rich. They compliment that sweet creamy peanut butter mousse perfectly and are such a pretty dessert!

You will need a silicone bomb mold for this, and a brush for coating it in chocolate. I found both of these at a local cake-decorating shop and they were really inexpensive.

Want to see how we did these? Here’s the recipe: (printable version)

INGREDIENTS: (makes 18-24 brownie cups)

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

Ganache:

1 cup of peanut butter baking chips
1/2 cup of heavy cream

Bombs:

1 to 2 cups of dark chocolate candy melts
1 c. creamy peanut butter
8 oz. Philadelphia Cream Cheese (softened to room temperature)
1/2 c. sugar
8 oz. Cool Whip topping

DIRECTIONS:

Bomb:

Make these first, so they are ready to use once you need them.
Melt chocolate candy melts in 30 second increments in the microwave, stirring between until melted and smooth.
Use a brush (clean, food brush) to brush the inside of each cavity of the bomb mold with melted chocolate.
Freeze for about 3 minutes and repeat, to give a nice thick layer of chocolate. Re-freeze for another 4-5 minutes.

Make filling by beating together peanut butter, cream cheese and sugar.
Gently fold in the container of whipped topping.
Place filling in a large zip-top bag and keep in the fridge until use.
Cut a corner off the bag, and squeeze filling into each chocolate coated bomb mold. Smooth tops with a spatula.

Refreeze for about 15 minutes- until filling is hardened.
Gently peel mold away from bomb. Place each one on a plate covered in parchment paper and freeze until use.

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)
Spoon into 18-24 cupcake liners placed in a muffin tin (only fill 1/3 to 1/2 full)
Bake at 350 degrees for 12-14 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Ganache:

While brownies bake, heat peanut butter chips and heavy cream in a microwave safe bowl in 30 second increments. Stir and repeat until smooth and creamy.
When brownies are out of oven, carefully remove them from muffin tins and spoon warm ganache over warm brownies. Allow both to cool until ganache is firm but still a bit sticky.
Gently place a chocolate bomb on top of each brownie, and press gently into ganache.
Drizzle a bit of white chocolate on top if you desire.
Keep refrigerated. Leave at room temperature for a few minutes to warm before serving. Yum.

My thoughts: Yum!!! These were a huge hit among my friends and family. They do take a little extra time to make that bomb on top– but the wow factor is worth it! I will definitely be using these little silicone molds again- they are easy to use and I love that fun dome of chocolate! I hope you get a chance to try these!! Enjoy!!! ~r