Sheet Cake

For the cake

2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1/4 tsp salt
4 Tbsp Cocoa
2 sticks butter
1 cup boiling water
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 whole eggs, beaten
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla

For Frosting
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
1 and 3/4 cup butter
 4 tbsp cocoa
6 Tbsp Milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 pound minus 1/2 cup powdered sugar

Use an 18x13 sheet cake pan

In a mixing bowl combine flour, sugar, and salt

In a saucepan melt butter, add cocoa and stir together.  Add boiling water, allow mixture to boil for 30 seconds, then turn off heat. Pour over flour mixture and stir lightly to cool.

In a measuring cup pour the buttermilk and add beaten eggs, baking soda, and vanilla.  Stir buttermilk mixture into butter/ chocolate mixture.  Pour into sheet cake pan and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

While cake is baking make the icing.  Chop pecans finely.  Melt butter in a saucepan.  Add cocoa, stir to combine then turn off heat.  Add the milk, vanilla, and powdered sugar.  Stir together.  Add the pecans and stir together.  Pour over warm cake.

Cut into squares, and enjoy.

I found this recipe here.

Nothing Bundt Cake Copycat

Pete's Birthday Cake

I found this recipe here and on pinterest.

1 pkg. devils food cake, German chocolate cake, or chocolate cake mix
1 pkg. instant chocolate pudding
1 c. sour cream
4 large eggs
1/2 c. water
1/2 c. oil
1 1/2 c. mini chocolate chips
2 (8 ounce) pkgs. cream cheese, softened
1/2 c. butter, softened
3-4 c. powdered sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
Mix first six ingredients together with a beater. Add chocolate chips. Pour into a greased bunt cake pan (cooking spray works best). Cook in oven at 350 degrees for 45-50 mins. Remove from oven. Let cool for 20 mins. Remove from pan. (I think it tastes best if you put it on a serving plate, wrap it well in Saran Wrap, and let it sit overnight in the fridge before frosting and serving..) In a medium bowl, cream together the cream cheese and butter until creamy. Mix in the vanilla, then gradually stir in the powdered sugar (start with 2 cups then keep adding more until it is nice and thick).

Authentic Brazilian fudge (Brigadeiro)

1 can sweetened condensed milk
4 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 tablespoon butter
Optional: 1/3 teaspoon vanilla extract
sprinkles to decorate

Mix first four ingredients together in pan.  Stir over medium high heat continuously to avoid burning.  When it starts to stick to the pan and you can scrape it off with a spatula it is ready.  Once it is like a paste consistency, put it in the freezer for an hour to get hard enough so you can roll it into balls.  Make sure your hands are greased well so it won't stick.  Then roll in sprinkles and place on a tray to serve.  Keep in the refrigerator.

I found this recipe here.

Easter Bunny Smores in a Jar

You will need:

1 sleeve of graham crackers crushed.

6-8 peeps

1/3 cup of brown sugar

1 cup pastel colored M&M's

1 qt mason jar

fabric and ribbon for the top of your jar, and paper to print out the instructions.

Easter Bunny Smores

Empty the contents of the jar into a bowl.  Snip the bunnies into pieces and return to the mix.  Add 1/2 cup melted butter and 1 tsp of vanilla and mix well.  Pat into a greased 9X9 inch pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 15 mins.  Cool and cut into bars.  You can also leave the peeps whole and just place them on top of the mix before baking.

I saw this idea here.  I thought they were so cute.  I decided to make them for the people that Pete home teaches, and the ladies that I visit teach.  The ones I made first weren't quite as cute.  They are the yellow ones.  Later I figured it was better to layer the graham crackers first, then the peeps.  I put the brown sugar in a sandwich baggie and then stuffed that in the middle between the peeps.  I put the M&M's on top.  Then I just cut some spring looking fabric from my scraps to add to the top.  After the picture was taken I attached the recipe using ribbon and a hole punch.  Super Easy and Super Cute!

You could do these for any holiday using the other kinds of holiday peeps and colored M&M's.

Low Fat Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 box Spice Cake Mix
1 15 oz can unsweetened pumpkin
1 C. Mini Semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. Spray cookie sheet with Pam. Ina a large bowl, stir cake mix and pumpkin together until blended. Stir in chocolate chips. Use a cookie scoop or spoon to drop tablespoons of dough on cookie sheet. Bake for 12 -14 minutes. Remove to cooling rack after 1 min on sheet.

Smores Bars

I found this recipe here. They turned out really good.

1/2 cup butter, soft

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

1 large egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/3 cups all purpose flour

3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs

1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 king-sized Hershey's milk chocolate bars
1 small jar marshmallow cream

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan.

2. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light. Beat in egg and vanilla. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt. Add to butter mixture and mix at a low speed until combined.

3. Divide dough in half and press half of dough into an even layer on the bottom of the prepared pan. Place chocolate bars over dough. Spread chocolate with marshmallow creme or fluff. Place remaining dough in a single layer on top of the fluff. This is tricky, I made balls as if I was making cookies and flattened with a rolling pin then arranged them on top.

4. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool completely before cutting into bars.

Grate Cupcakes for Father's Day

I saw these in a Family Fun Magazine and thought they would be really cute for Father's Day!

Ingredients

• Brownie batter
• Black food coloring
• White frosting
• Orange sugar

• Caramel creams
• Red, yellow, and green candy fruit slices
• Hot Tamales candies

Instructions

1. To make a batch of 12, place liners in a muffin pan, oil them, and fill them two thirds full of your favorite brownie batter, then bake according to the recipe directions. Let the brownies cool.

2. In a small bowl, mix one or two drops of black food coloring with 1/4 cup white frosting. Transfer the frosting to a ziplock bag and snip a small section from the corner. Pipe grate lines onto each brownie and let them set for 20 minutes. Add embers with a sprinkle of orange sugar.

3. Prepare the grill food as instructed below and press it in place atop each brownie.

   
   Kebabs = A caramel cream and red, yellow, and green candy fruit slices, cut into small pieces + toothpick skewers

   
   Pork chop = two thirds of a caramel cream, molded with fingers + black food coloring, applied with a toothpick

   
   Hot dogs = Hot Tamales candies + black food coloring, applied with a toothpick

We made these for Pete for Father's Day. They turned out cute but the ones that Family Fun did were better so I attached their photo.

Easey Brownie Torte

This is another recipe from my Betty Crocker Calendar.

1 box Brownie Mix
water, vegetable oil, and eggs called for on brownie box

1 container of chocolate frosting

Chocolate curls if desired.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 13x9 inch pan with foil so foil extends about 2 inches over sides of pan. Spray foil with cooking spray.

Make and bake brownies as directed on box for 13x9 pan using water, oil, and eggs. Cool completely about 1 hour and 30 minutes. Remove fromm pan by lifting foil. Peel foil away. Cut brownie crosswise into thirds. Place one piece on serving plate.

Spoon frosting into microwavable bowl. Microwave uncovered on high for 15 to 20 seconds. Stir frosting until smooth.

Pour 1/3 of the frosting over brownie piece on serving plate. Place another brownie on top, and pour half of remaining frosting over second brownie. Top with remaining brownie piece, and then remaining frosting. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to set. Garish with chocolate curls. Store loosely covered.

Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup shortening
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup sugar
2 eggs (beaten)
2 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 package chocolate chips

Cream shortening and sugars together. Add eggs, vanilla and rest of ingredients. Bake at 350 degrees for 7 minutes.

Gourmet Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

From Natalie Littlefield

Ritz Crackers
Peanut Butter/ or Nutella (Hazelnut Spread) or if you have a peanut allergy you could try frosting.
White or Regular Almond Bark

Make sandwiches with crackers and peanut butter- set aside.
Melt Almond Bark in glass bowl in microwave. Start 1 minute, then 30 seconds until melted.

Wax paper- dip peanut butter sandwich in almond bark pick up with a fork scraping the bottom on the side of the glass bowl, place on wax paper. Use the opposite color of almond bark to swiggle on top of cookie.

Dad's Favorite dessert ( Striped Delight)

1 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup melted butter
1 8 oz package cream cheese
1/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp. milk
1 8oz Cool Whip
2 pkgs. 4 servings chocalate instant pudding
3 1/2 cold milk

Combine graham cracker crumbs,1/4 cup sugar and 1/3 cup melted butter, press firmly into a 9x13 pan. set aside.
Beat cream cheese with 1/4/ cup sugar 2 tbsp. milk until smooth fold in half of the cool whip . Spread over the crust.
Prepare instant pudding with the 3 1/2 cups milk. Pour over the cheese layer. Chill several hours or overnight. Spread remaining cool whip over pudding, can top with chopped nuts or chocolate shavings.
You can use Pistachio,lemon, or butterscotch pudding in place of chocolate. Alternate crust which is also good.
1 cup sugar
1 c flour
1/2 cup margarine or butter 2 tbsp. milk
Mix together and spread on bottom of 9x13 pan instead of graham cracker crust.

Symphony Fudge

4 cups sugar
1 pint whipping cream

Bring the sugar and whipping cream to a boil.

Add
2 sticks of butter

Turn temperature down. Stir butter til it melts, but don't scrape the sides or bottom of the pan.
Cook it to a soft ball stage. (280 degrees F)

If you don't have a thermometer, take a small amount of water in a glass, take a few drops of liquid from the pan and drop it into the water. If it forms a small ball, it is ready.

Add 2 large sympony bars of your choice. Mix with a mixer, and pour into a greased 9x 13 pan.

Cool, cut into squares and serve.

This was submitted by Tara Lemos, for Carolyn Spendlove.

Dreamy Chocolate peanut butter fudge

Tara I know you can't make it this way, but I think you could use the soy butter stuff that you have and it would be just as good. But you need to try it cause it is pretty tasty for only having 68 calories!

Ingredients:
One 18.3 oz box Betty Crocker Fudge Browines Traditional Chewy Brownie Mix
2 Cups canned pure pumpkin
2 Tbs reduced-fat peanut butter, at room temp

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Combine pumpkin with the brownie mix in a large bowl and stir until smooth. ( batter will be very thick, but don't add anything else.)

Spray a square baking pan (9x9) works best) with non stick spray and pour in the mixture. Spoon peanut butter on top and use knife to swirl it around the top of the batter. Bake in oven for 35 minutes. ( The batter will remain very thick and fudgy, and it should look undercooked.) Allow to cool.

Cover pan with foil and place pan in the fridge for at least 2 hours. Cut into 36 squares.
Receipe from Hungry girl

I know it sounds weird with the pumpkin, but you seriously can't taste it at all.