Archive for the ‘Desserts’ Category

  • Pink Lemonade Sprinkles Cake Mix Cookies

    Pink Lemonade Sprinkles Cake Mix Cookies

    It's quick and easy to whip up these pretty and tasty Valentine's Day Pink Lemonade Sprinkles Cake Mix Cookies! Great for sharing!

  • Valentine’s Day Oreo-Stuffed Brownies

    Valentine’s Day Oreo-Stuffed Brownies

    Adding "hugs and kisses" to your favorite brownie recipe, with an Oreo surprise inside is sure to win the heart of your favorite Valentine!

  • I “Heart” Valentine’s Day Jell-O Cookies

    I “Heart” Valentine’s Day Jell-O Cookies

    A new take on favorite recipe - put a little "heart" into your Jell-O cookies!

  • Bucket of Cake Pops

    Bucket of Cake Pops

      I have heard, albeit in a somewhat politically disparaging way, that one should never let a crisis go to waste.  I have, in my own creative realm, decided that I will not let a good project (ie, recipe, paper art, helpful hint, etc.) go to waste.  So when “Sister Friendly” (that’s me!) was trying to decide on what treat she was going to take to the Primary children yesterday, only one obstatical came my way…how do I display over 30 cake pops?  They are just too cute to hide in a brown paper bag!  I love finding colorful containers, especially when they’re on sale!  This bucket, along with a lavendar striped one, came from Bath and Body Works.  It measures 4 1/2″  in diameter on the bottom and 6 1/4″ across the top.  This is a bit bigger than the ones you find in the dollar bins at Target, and the broader base helps to stabilize it.  Galvinized buckets can also be found, so I’m sure you can find something similar.  Here’s how I do it! Take  your empty bucket and put a wad of packing or tissue paper in the bottom.  I wouldn’t use newspaper because it might make your sticks dirty from the newsprint ink.  This will keep the sticks going straight down and they won’t slide around.  Start lining up the first row of cake pops.  Keep them down, close to

  • Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

    Oct 13, 12 • Helen • Cupcakes, Desserts, Recipes, Sweet Treats1 CommentRead More »
    Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

    I love to bake, but I am basically a lazy baker.  It has been a really long time since I baked a cake from scratch.  I am not a very discriminating cake-eater.  I was thrilled when I discovered that adding melted butter instead of oil to a cake mix seriously changes the texture and taste of the finished product.  I can, however, recognize when I’ve eaten something good.  This is a really good recipe! Thanks Amy and Pam for letting me share! Banana Cake Cake 1 1/2 cups ripe banana, mashed (about 4 – 6 medium-large) 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 3 cups flour 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 3/4 cup butter, room temperature 2 1/8 cups white sugar 3 large eggs 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 1/2 cups buttermilk Cream Cheese Frosting 3/4 cup  butter, softened 12 oz. cream cheese, softened 6 to 7 cups powdered sugar 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1. Pre-heat oven to 275°…yes, it is 275° – this is not a typo!  Grease or spray  2 – 8″ round cake pans with baking spray and set aside; for cupcakes, put paper liners in a cupcake pan and set aside. 2. In a small bowl, mix mashed bananas and lemon juice; set aside.  In a medium size bowl, sift the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside. 3. In a large bowl (or mixer bowl),

  • Heath Toffee Cream Cheese Apple Dip

    Oct 8, 12 • Helen • Desserts, Sweet Treats1 CommentRead More »
    Heath Toffee Cream Cheese Apple Dip

    This dip is out-of-this world delicious!  Enough said…or is it?  I could go on and on…everyone that tries it does!  One of the main reason behind serving this with apples is because it eliminates the need for utensils.  Using a slice of an apple helps you get some of your daily servings of fruit in.  You will learn early on that you should get a good scoop of it on each slice, since double-dipping is socially unacceptable…and yes, you will have to keep an eye on the dip – the dip-partakers might just forget their manners!  You could always encourage your guests to use plates, but you might want to double this recipe or there won’t be enough to go around.  If there does happen to be any left, lock the frig or it will mysteriously disappear overnight.  Yep…this Heath Toffee Cream Cheese Apple Dip is THAT good! Heath Toffee Cream Cheese Apple Dip 2 – 8 oz. packages cream cheese, softened 1/2 cup white granulated sugar 1/2 cup brown sugar, well packed 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla 1/2 a 8 oz. package Heath Toffee Candy Bits Let the cream sit out until it softens.  Add the two sugars and the vanilla. Whip together until smooth and creamy.  Add about 1/2 the package of the Heath Toffee bits and whip it up a little more.  Chill for a few hours or overnight.  This will

  • Candy Corn Krispie Treats

    Oct 2, 12 • Helen • Desserts, Halloween, Recipes, Sweet TreatsNo CommentsRead More »
    Candy Corn Krispie Treats

      I am so excited…October is finally here!  I try to put off all things Halloween until October, but once it arrives, there are so many new things to try that I have to be busy.  I spied these little treats on Pinterest and knew this would be a nice and easy addition to my Halloween treat arsenal. Candy corn is one of those iconic treats that shouts Halloween, but it isn’t my favorite candy.  Don’t get me wrong…I always buy it and will use it to decorate with, but eating it is a different story.  It is way too sweet for my taste buds, but I love the tri-colored shape, so the possibility of using this as a replacement makes me happy!   Candy Corn Krispie Treats You will need to gather the following items before you start: 1 large box of Rice Krispies cereal (at least 9 3/4 cups); 2 -10 oz bags of mini marshmallows; 1 cube (1/2 cup) butter - if you cut up the cube of butter into the portions you will need, there will be an extra tablespoon to use on your hands to press the krispie mixture into the cake pan; spray vegetable oil; yellow and orange gel food coloring (like Americolor or Wilton); 2 large mixing bowls, at least one of them microwave-safe; a wisk, a bowl scraper and a large, sturdy spoon; 2 – 8″ cake pans. For the yellow ring:

  • Ridiculously Delicious Caramel and Chocolate S’More Bites

    Sep 17, 12 • Helen • Baking, Desserts, Recipes, Sweet Treats1 CommentRead More »
    Ridiculously Delicious Caramel and Chocolate S’More Bites

    I recently did a post about S’More Bites – small, two-bite treats that are really delicious.  But anytime I make something really good, I can’t seem to leave it alone.  I tell myself, “Come on…you can do better!”  While I try not to brag, I can’t let this one escape sharing simply because it is somewhat similar to the previous post.   According to my friend Kent W., these are ridiculous!   And here’s the secret ingredient… ingredients!  Megan found these Chocolate & Vanilla and Caramel & Vanilla Marshmallows at the Everything99cents store.  She didn’t buy a bunch because she wanted to try them first.  I thought it would make an interesting deviation on the original S’More Bites.  Start with the basic recipe for the graham cracker crust on the S’more Bites page.  Make the crust and press it into the mini muffin pan.  You can turn on your oven now to 350°; set the crusts aside. Prepare the fillings.  Cut the marshmallows in half height-wise.  Unwrap the caramels and cut them in half height-wise.  Kitchen shears work really well to do these steps.  For the candy bars (I used Hershey’s Milk Chocolate is 1.55 oz bars – have 2 or 3 on hand), break into the divided sections and then in half again.  If you are using other chocolate, break into smaller chunks and set aside.  You will want to do this BEFORE you bake the s’more cups, otherwise you won’t be ready when

  • S’More Bites

    Aug 27, 12 • Helen • Baking, Desserts, Sweet Treats1 CommentRead More »
    S’More Bites

    I can’t believe it!  Summer is almost over and I have yet to make it to the beach.  That’s right – no sandy feet, looking for shells or even much of a sunburn…and I got that at a garage sale!  But there’s a church beach party coming soon and I signed up to bring a dessert.  What to bring, what to bring?  Then I came upon the perfect thing - S’More Bites! I have to admit that I am not much of a traditional S’More lover.  Even though I love the taste of this traditional campfire treat, I have an aversion to so many unwashed hands reaching into the same marshmallow bag and the struggling to assemble them, not to mention the messy hands and faces that result while eating them.  I know…I’m such a old fuddyduddy!   But when I saw these little S’More Bites with the same flavors, pre-assembled and bundled up in one bite (or two), I knew that these would hit the spot, at least for me!  (Adapted from the recipe at Pampered Chef.) S’More Bites 7  whole graham crackers (1 cup, finely crushed) 1/4 cup powdered sugar 6 tablespoons butter, melted 4 bars (1.55 ounces) milk chocolate, divided into sections – I decided to make these late at night and didn’t have  candy bars, so I used a bag of Nestle’s Milk Chocolate Chips 12 large marshmallows, cut in half height-wise - I had Jumbo Kraft marshmallows,

  • Rhodes Guest Blog Post – Cinnamon Raspberry Crumb Pie

    Aug 10, 12 • Helen • Baking, Desserts, Rhodes, Sweet TreatsNo CommentsRead More »
    Rhodes Guest Blog Post – Cinnamon Raspberry Crumb Pie

      Summer is a wonderful time for fresh fruits to be incorporated into as many recipes as I possibly can. Raspberries are one of my favorites. When they are on sale I am even happier! I bought several pints of them with the intent of making jam, but when I realized that it was time for another guest blog spot with Rhodes, I knew it would be the perfect time to experiment!  You can hop on over to the Rhodes Bake-N-Serv Blog to get step-by-step directions for this easy and yummy recipe…it is good enough to heat up the oven and bake, even in the summer!   Share on: Bookmark on Delicious Digg this post Recommend on Facebook Share via MySpace share via Reddit Share with Stumblers Tweet about it Subscribe to the comments on this post Print for later Bookmark in Browser Tell a friend Pin It

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