Cinnamon Bun Cake

Ingredients:

Cake:

• 4 eggs
• 1 box yellow cake mix
• 8 oz sour cream
• 5 oz vanilla pudding mix
• 2/3 cup water
• 3/4 cup vegetable (or canola) oil
• 2 oz orange juice (optional)

Cinnamon Swirl:

• 1 cup brown sugar 
• 3 tsp cinnamon

Glaze:

• 2 cups powdered sugar 
• 4 tbsp milk
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp orange zest (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F. 
2. With a hand mixer, mix all cake ingredients together. 
3. Spray 9x13" cake pan or cast iron skillet. 
4. Pour 1/2 cake mixture into pan
5. In a separate bowl, mix the cinnamon swirl ingredients together.
6. Pour the cinnamon swirl over the batter in pan.
7. Pour the remaining cake batter over cinnamon swirl and run a knife through the cake and swirl mixture.
8. Bake about 50-55 minutes at 350 or until knife comes out clean
9. A few minutes before cake is done, mix together the glaze ingredients until a smooth consistency. Pour glaze over cake as soon as it is removed from the oven. 
10. Sprinkle orange zest over the icing (optional). 
11. Serve cake either hot or cold. 
    

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Banana Foster Monkey Bread

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
• 1 16.9 oz package buttermilk biscuit dough (I used Pillsbury Grands), cut into quarters
• 3 ripe bananas, coarsely chopped
• 1/4 cup pecans, chopped
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1 tsp vanilla

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease either a loaf pan or a bunt pan.
2. Place sugar and cinnamon in large plastic bag. 
3. Cut biscuit dough into quarters using a pizza slicer.
4. Add dough, bananas, and pecans to bag. Shake well to coat.
5. Pour mixture into pan.
6. Melt butter in measuring cup in microwave (I did mine in 30 second intervals to prevent splattering).
7. Stir in brown sugar until completely dissolved.
8. Add the vanilla and stir well.
9. Pour mixture over biscuit dough.
10. Bake in oven for 30 to 40 minutes until golden brown. Allow to cool 10 minutes before serving.

Recipe courtesy of : Allrecipes.com

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The Best Chocolate Cake Ever with Pudding Frosting

Sorry the picture isn't up to my usual standards but I decided to take this in a hurry and after the cake was half gone. This was the moistest, most wonderful chocolate cake I have ever tasted! I was a little skeptical when I put it in the oven because the batter was so runny but it turned out great! I had also never tried pudding frosting before and I am sold on it now. I was curious about the coffee and buttermilk addition, but no worries, you can't taste either at all. They just enrich the chocolate flavor. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

Chocolate Cake

• 1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour 
• 2 cups sugar 
• 3/4 cup baking cocoa 
• 2 tsp baking soda 
• 1 tsp baking powder 
• 1 tsp salt 
• 2 large eggs 
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil 
• 1 cup black strong coffee (1 Tbsp coffee with 8 oz boiling water brewed then cooled to room temp) 
• 1 cup buttermilk OR 1 cup equivalent of buttermilk powder & water 
• 1 tsp vanilla extract 

Pudding Frosting

• 1 cup milk 
• 1 3.4 oz box instant vanilla pudding 
• 8 oz cream cheese (room temperature, leave out for at least an hour or two) 
• 12 oz Cool Whip (thawed, leave out for at least 10-15 minutes)

Directions:

Cake Directions:

1. Coffee Prep: Brew your coffee and let it cool. You want it to room temp by the time you need to mix it in the cake. 
2. Pan Prep: Grease and flour either a 13x9 inch cake pan or 2 9" round cake pans. Cut either wax paper or parchment paper to size and line bottom of pan(s). 
3. Oven Prep: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
4. Mix all dry ingredients into one mixing bowl. Sift flour and cocoa together.Whisk together to ensure an even mixture.
5. Mix all wet ingredients into another mixing bowl. Mix well.
6. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix. Use an electric mixer until well blended but do not over mix.
7. Pour evenly into pan(s).
8. Bake at 350 for 28-30 minutes. When a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, your cake is done.
9. Allow cakes to cool in pans for at least 15-20 minutes before removing onto cooling racks. Allow cakes to cool completely before attempting to frost.
10. Frost cake using rubber spatula and enjoy!

Frosting Directions:

1. While cake is baking, mix milk and pudding in a small bowl using an electric mixer for 1-2 minutes, then allow pudding to set. 
2. Using an electric mixer, whip cream cheese until fluffy. 
3. Add Cool Whip to cream cheese and continue to mix until well blended.
4. Add pudding to cream cheese mixture and continue to mix until well blended.
5. Place frosting in refrigerator until needed. 

Store cake in refrigerator after frosting. 

Recipe Courtesy of The Little Kitchen

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Butterfinger Brownie Cookies

This recipe follows the Chocolate Mint Brownie Cookie Recipe but substitutes crushed Butterfingers in place of the Andes Mints. It was so good I thought I would share it as a separate recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 stick unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup + 1 tbsp all purpose flour
• 1/8 tsp baking soda
• 2 cups chopped Butterfingers candy bars (7.8 oz - 2 of the 6 packs you find on the candy aisle worked perfectly) (food processor or bag and hammer method work to obtain the chopped pieces)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper/baking sheets
2. Place butter and chocolate chips in glass microwave safe bowl/measuring cup.
3. Microwave for 1 minute 30 seconds, stir, then microwave an additional 15 to 20 seconds if needed until the mixture is melted and smooth. (or if you want to go old school, you can use the double boiler method to melt the chocolate and butter)
4. Stir in sugar, salt and vanilla into the chocolate mixture.
5. Add 1 egg, stir in completely, then add the 2nd egg and stir in completely.
6. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and baking soda. Blend flour mixture in the chocolate mixture.
7. Stir vigorously (or use the hand mixer on low) for 2-3 minutes until thick, glossy, and smooth. 
8. Once batter has cooled, stir in the Butterfingers.
9. Drop heaping tablespoonfuls of batter onto cookie sheets, leaving 2 inches between cookies. 
10. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until they look crackled but still soft and gooey. 
11. Transfer onto cooling rack after they have sat on cookie sheet for a few minutes to finish cooling.

Courtesy of Butterfinger Brownie Cookies

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Chocolate Mint Brownie Cookies

Yields ~ 2 1/2 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

• 1/2 stick unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 5 tbsp all purpose flour
• 1/8 tsp baking soda
• 1 pkg Andes Creme de Menthe Baking Chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper/baking sheets
2. Place butter and chocolate chips in glass microwave safe bowl/measuring cup.
3. Microwave for 1 minute 30 seconds, stir, then microwave an additional 15 to 20 seconds if needed until the mixture is melted and smooth. (or if you want to go old school, you can use the double boiler method to melt the chocolate and butter)
4. Stir in sugar, salt and vanilla into the chocolate mixture.
5. Add 1 egg, stir in completely, then add the 2nd egg and stir in completely.
6. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and baking soda. Blend flour mixture in the chocolate mixture.
7. Stir vigorously (or use the hand mixer on low) for 2-3 minutes until thick, glossy, and smooth. 
8. Once batter has cooled, stir in the Andes Mints.
9. Drop heaping tablespoonfuls of batter onto cookie sheets, leaving 2 inches between cookies. 
10. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until they look crackled but still soft and gooey. 
11. Transfer onto cooling rack after they have sat on cookie sheet for a few minutes to finish cooling.

Inspired from Butterfinger Brownie Cookies

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Super Easy Banana Pudding

I love finding old recipes I had forgotten about! I came across this recipe I found back in college that I used to fix for potluck dinners for my fraternity (For those of you who are wondering: yes, it is a fraternity, and yes I'm a girl, and yes it is a co-ed professional fraternity). Any-who, I only had to collect my dish at the end of the night and not worry about leftovers (well, it would have been nice if there were a little left over). This was super easy and delicious! I hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces sour cream
• 1 (8 oz) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
• 1 (5 oz) package instant vanilla pudding mix
• 2 cups whole milk
• 1 (16 oz) package vanilla wafer cookies
• 4 bananas, peeled and sliced

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, combine sour cream, whipped topping, pudding mix and milk. Mix well.
2. In the bottom of a glass serving dish, place a layer of cookies, then a layer of pudding mixture, then a layer of bananas. 
3. Repeat until all ingredients are used.
4. Refrigerate before serving.

Courtesy of: Uncooked Banana Pudding at Allrecipes

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Butter Pecan Cake Batter Cookies

I have to admit, Cake Batter Cookies may be my new obsession. Like with my Cake Ball obsession, you gotta try the variations of an awesome recipe. First was the Golden Butter Cookies,  then the Mint Chocolate Chip. Now we have moved onto Butter Pecan. I personally LOVE Butter Pecan and was excited to say these are my favorite yet. I added 1/2 cup pecan pieces in addition to the 1 cup of chocolate chips. Here's what I used:

Ingredients:

• 1 (18.25oz) box Butter Pecan Cake Mix
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a medium bowl, combine cake mix and baking powder.
3. Stir in eggs & oil. Mix until well blended. 
4. Stir in chocolate chips and pecans.
5. Drop rounded spoonfuls of dough onto cookie sheets
6. Bake 10-15 minutes (depending on size of cookie/oven).
7. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. 

Adapted from Stephanie Cooks via Six Sister's Stuff

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Mint Chocolate Cake Batter Cookies

Now for the variations to the Cake Batter Cookies recipe. The first time I made the cake batter recipe, I  tried Butter Golden cake mix with semi-sweet chocolate chips. They had a wonderful melt-in-your-mouth soft butter cookie taste. I wanted to see if I could duplicate the yummy-ness of the Mint Chocolate Cake Ball recipe - those were reminiscent of Thin Mint cookies. I think I'm on the right track. I didn't have the Andes' Creme de Menthe Baking Chips in the pantry this time, so I had to settle to try with just the semi-sweet chocolate chips. These came out with a better than I expected Mint Chocolate cookie taste. Next time I will try the Andes Mint trick to see if that makes a big difference and update this post. I would not have a problem making this recipe again as is. This batch of cookies barely lasted 2 days in the house. I didn't hear any complaints. :) Here's what I used:

Ingredients:

• 1 (18.25oz) box Butter Golden Cake Mix
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/4 tsp peppermint extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a medium bowl, combine cake mix and baking powder.
3. Stir in eggs, oil, & peppermint extract. Mix until well blended. 
4. Stir in chocolate chips.
5. Drop rounded spoonfuls of dough onto cookie sheets
6. Bake 10-15 minutes (depending on size of cookie/oven).
7. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. 

Adapted from Stephanie Cooks via Six Sister's Stuff

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Cake Batter Cookies

I stumbled over this recipe and had to try it. The thought of a box of cake mix to make cookies intrigued me. I was pleasantly surprised that the recipe was super easy and very delicious!

Ingredients:

• 1 (18.25oz) box cake mix of choice
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 vegetable oil
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips or other goodies

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a medium bowl, combine cake mix and baking powder.
3. Stir in eggs and oil. Mix until well blended. 
4. Stir in chocolate chips.
5. Drop rounded spoonfuls of dough onto cookie sheets
6. Bake 10-15 minutes (depending on size of cookie/oven).
7. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. 

Courtesy of Stephanie Cooks via Six Sister's Stuff

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Blackberry Cobbler (seedless)

Sorry for the lag time between posts! Life got busy, summer happened, vacations to be taken etc. Blah, blah, blah. Well, I'm back now and I hope to continue on with more delicious recipes, especially now that summer produce is in full swing!

This recipe is for those of you who don't like picking seeds out of your teeth when you eat blackberries! I made a seedless version of this wonderful blackberry cobbler I found over on allrecipes.com. I broke out the juicer and juiced 6 cups worth of beautiful, locally grown blackberries. Since the juicer did a better job of pulling out the pulp that I originally thought it would, I took the pulp/seeds mixture left after the juicing process and put it in a medium hand strainer. I placed the strainer over a small mixing bowl. I took a pestle (part of the mortar/pestle set you may have to grind herbs) and pushed the pulp through the strainer to yield another 1/2 cup of blackberry liquid. This cobbler has great flavor but did turn out more on the 'cake-y' side, compared to other cobblers I've made in the past. I contribute this to using the pulverized blackberries vs whole berries. 

Blackberry pulp/seeds in strainer

 Ingredients:

What was left of the 2 quarts

• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 6 cups fresh blackberries
  
  • either use whole berries or
  • juice them as above: 6 cups fresh=3 1/2 cups juice/pulp
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups milk
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup melted butter

Directions:

1. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly oil a 9x13-inch baking dish. 
2. Whisk 1/2 cup sugar with the cornstarch in a small bowl; set aside.
3. Place the blackberries into a mixing bowl, and drizzle with 1/4 cup of melted butter. 
4. Sprinkle with the cornstarch mixture, and stir/toss to evenly coat. 
5. Spread the berries into the prepared baking dish. 
6. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, 1 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt until evenly blended. 
7. Stir in the milk, vanilla extract, and 1/4 cp melted butter until combined but still slightly lumpy. 
8. Pour the batter over the berries.
9. Bake in the preheated oven 55-60 minutes, until crust is golden brown/the berries are tender (if still whole).

 Courtesy of: Baron's Blackberry Cobbler at allrecipes.com

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Banana Bread Cobbler

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 The only thing I can say about this is: WOW. Try it yourself and you will never want banana anything else, ever, again. BTW, this is my new go-to potluck recipe. It's that good. Enough said.

Ingredients

• Streusel Topping
• 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup self-rising flour
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup uncooked regular oats (or uncooked quick oats)
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• Filling
• 1 cup self-rising flour
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 4 medium ripe bananas, sliced
• 1/4 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon

• No self-rising flour in the pantry? See How to Make Self-Rising Flour

Yummy Goodness!

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease an 11x7" dish.
2. Stir together streusel ingredients: brown sugar, flour, and butter until crumbly. Stir in oats and pecans. Set aside.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk flour, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and milk just until blended. Whisk in melted butter. Pour into prepared dish. Top with banana slices, then streusel topping.
4. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until brown.

Adapted from Bake or Break. Originally from Southern Living.

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Banana Toffee Danger Pie

When I first saw this recipe on pinterest, I thought I have found the ultimate combination for a pie. This pie combines some of my all-time favorite ingredients: toffee, banana, and whipped topping (aka Cool Whip). Being from the South, this pie had never crossed my radar before. Apparently, this pie is more popular up North and overseas - the southern equivalent, I think, is Banana Cream Pie. This is no Banana Cream Pie though.

Now you may be wondering what is the "danger" part of this pie. There actually is a dangerous element to this recipe besides its yummy goodness. Turning the sweetened condensed milk into toffee can be very dangerous if left unsupervised. To make the toffee, place a can of sweetened condensed milk into a large/tall pot of boiling water and let it boil for 2 1/2 hours. If you have any clue about how water goes through it's different phases (ice vs liquid vs vapor), water, by nature, will evaporate as it boils. If the can becomes uncovered in the boiling water, it will EXPLODE. No joke. I read comments on other posts about how people would leave their house while this was cooking (and I don't know why someone to leave a boiling pot of water on the stove and not be at home - that is beyond my comprehension) and come back to a gooey mess requiring kitchen makeovers (i.e. ruined cabinets and repainting walls). So PLEASE heed my warning: DO NOT, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE, LEAVE THIS UNATTENDED. It's not worth it. I set my kitchen timer to go off every 20 minutes to remind me to go check on it just to make sure. I did have to add water on more than one occasion.

Depending on how "homemade" you want to make this pie will depend on the ingredients needed. I confess, I didn't make a homemade graham crust or the homemade whipped topping - I used the pre-made. Here are the ways to make it from scratch:

Homemade Graham Crust:

• Refer to my Eggnog Cheesecake Bar recipe and follow steps 1-3. 
• Use a pie pan instead (and no aluminum foil like I used in that recipe)
• Bake about 10 minutes, until it is just slightly brown around the edges. Watch it so it won't burn!
• Let cool before use.

Homemade Whipped Topping:

• I have read that freezing a large mixing bowl and beaters for about 10 minutes prior to making is a good idea. 
• Using electric mixer, whip 2 cups whipping cream (heavy cream) until peaks are about to form.
• Add 2 tsp of vanilla and 2 tbsp confectioner's sugar and beat until stiff peaks form.
• (Courtesy of Paula from Allrecipes)

Now onto the main show...
Ingredients:

• 3 bananas
• 1 tin of sweetened condensed milk
• 2 cups whipped topping, thawed
• 1 graham cracker crust
• 1 small bar of chocolate (optional for garnish)

Directions:

• 

  Warning: Danger!

  
  

  
  

  Bring large/tall stock pot of water to boil. Remove the label from the sweetened condensed milk. Place unopened can in boiling water, completely submerged. Cover and boil for 2 1/2 hours. KEEP CAN COVERED and SUBMERGED IN WATER AT ALL TIMES!!!! (see above for details) **This step can be done hours to days to months ahead of time. I went ahead and prepped 2 cans since I was going through the trouble of watching a pot for 2 1/2 hours.

• 

  Your Toffee

  Take the pot off the stove and allow the can to cool. This will take some time. Don't expect it to cool in 30 minutes - you can place it in the refrigerator or freezer if you need it in the more immediate future. 

• Once the can has cooled you can start the rest of the pie prep. 
• Make the crust and whipped topping if you are making from scratch.

• 

  Bananas Sliced

  Slice bananas and place into pie crust. 

• Open toffee can and stir with a knife until smooth.

• 

  Toffee Spread

  Pour toffee onto bananas and smooth.

• 

  Final Product

  Spread whipped topping over pie.

• Grate chocolate over top for garnish (optional).
• Cool in refrigerator for at least one hour to set.

(Courtesy of Brooklyn Limestone's Banoffee "Danger" Pie)

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Pineapple Upside Down Cake Shot / Drink

     One of my favorite drinks of all time is the Pineapple Upside Down Cake. I've had it both as a shot and a drink. I primarily like it as a drink because it is so DELICIOUS that I want to savor it for as long as possible! It really tastes more like dessert with a subtle kick than drinking alcohol. I may also be partial to it because of the great memories with friends that come to mind. In leui of the new year, I thought I would share the recipe. 

For the Shot:

 Ingredients:

• 1/2 oz pineapple juice (chilled)
• 1/2 oz vanilla vodka
• splash of grenadine

Directions:

1. Mix pineapple juice and vanilla vodka in a shaker with ice until chilled. Strain into shot glass.
2. Add a splash of grenadine and let settle to the bottom. 
3. Serve and enjoy!

(Courtesy of BarMeister)

For the Drink: 

Ingredients:

• 3 oz (1 double shot) of vanilla vodka
• 5 to 13oz pineapple juice (chilled), depending on the size of the glass/your taste
• splash of grenadine

Directions:

1. Fill a tall glass with ice.
2. Mix vodka and pineapple juice in a shaker. I would suggest tasting before straining into glass to see if the drink is strong enough/too strong for your taste. Add more pineapple juice if too strong or more vodka if not strong enough. That's the beauty of mixing at home - you can mix until it tastes perfect! 
3. Strain into glass.
4. Add a splash of grenadine. Let it settle to the bottom.
5. Enjoy!

(Adaption from BarMeister's Recipe) 

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Cast Iron Skillet Cookie

(Picture is before baking)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 1 tablespoon heavy cream (or milk or half and half - whatever is on hand)
• Chocolate Chips - I used 1/2 bag Semi-Sweet & 1/2 bag Milk Chocolate (I would suggest adding whatever flavor of "chips" you like... I want to expirament with butterscotch and toffee chips in the future. Don't worry - there will be an update)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease skillet with a light coating of canola oil (Rubbed on via a paper towel).
2. In bowl, stir together flour, baking soda and salt
3. In separate bowl, mix butter and sugars until light and creamed together
4. Add egg, vanilla, and cream and stir to incorporate
5. Combine with flour mixture until well mixed
6. Stir in chocolate chips
7. Press lightly into cast iron skillet
8. Bake about 35-40 minutes or until edges are golden 
9. To remove from skillet: Allow to cool completely and place plate over the top of cookie. Turn skillet upside down while holding plate in place. If your skillet is well seasoned, it will fall out without a problem. Place your serving plate on the backside of the cake and hold in place as you flip it right side up again. 

(Courtesy of My Messy, Thrilling Life)

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Eggnog Cheesecake Bars

Ingredients:

• 1½ cups of graham cracker crumbs
• ¾ cup + 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 16 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• 2 eggs
• 1 egg yolk
• ¾ cup eggnog
• 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon brandy (optional)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon + 1½ teaspoons all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, plus extra for dusting
• ¼ teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8-inch or 9-inch square baking pan with aluminum foil and coat with cooking spray; set aside.
2. Stir together the graham cracker crumbs, 3 tablespoons of granulated sugar, and the melted butter.
3. Press into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake until the crust is just brown around the edges, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool.
4. Meanwhile, beat the cream cheese with a mixer on medium speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the remaining ¾ cup granulated sugar and beat for an additional couple of minutes, until smooth. Add the eggs and yolk, eggnog, brandy and vanilla and beat again until completely combined and smooth. Finally, beat in the flour, nutmeg and salt and mix until smooth.
5. Pour the filling over the crust. Set the pan in a larger pan (a 9×13-inch works for this), and add enough hot water to come halfway up the sides of the baking pan. Bake until just set, 40 to 45 minutes. Remove the baking pan from the water bath, and transfer to a wire rack. Let cool for 30 minutes, then refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight.
6. Cut into 1½x3-inch bars. Lightly dust the tops of the bars with freshly grated nutmeg just before serving. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

(Courtesy of Brown Eyed Baker and Martha Stewart)

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Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars

Ingredients:

• 1 can (13.5oz) graham cracker crumbs 
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 sticks butter, melted
• 4 tsps. pumpkin pie spice, divided 
• 2 eggs
• 1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
• 1 (14 oz.) can Eagle Brand® Sweetened Condensed Milk
• 1 (15 oz.) can pumpkin (about 2 cups)
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 cup chopped nuts

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 
2. Combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar, butter and 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice in large bowl until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. 
3. Press into bottom of 15 x 10-inch jellyroll pan.
4. Using a hand mixer, beat cream cheese in large bowl until fluffy. Gradually beat in sweetened condensed milk; beat in remaining 2 eggs, pumpkin, remaining 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice and salt; mix well. Pour over crust; sprinkle with nuts.
5. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until set. Cool. Chill. Cut into bars.

Pumkin cheesecake portion courtesy of Eagle Brand Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars, graham cracker crust portion courtesy of my aunt

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Mint Chocolate Cake Balls

Secret Ingredient - Andes' Creme De Menthe Baking Chips

Ok, I admit, I may have a problem with Cake Balls, but they are just so yummy, bite-size, and hard to resist. I came across this idea for Mint Chocolate Cupcakes and thought this would be a great idea for cake balls, especially with the holidays approaching. If you love Thin Mints, this is the Cake Ball for you.

• Refer to Red Velvet Cake Balls for complete recipe directions.

Before dipping

What I used this time:

• Dark Fudge Chocolate Cake Mix
• Follow normal cake directions and add 1/4 tsp Peppermint Extract to mix before baking
• Allow to cool completely and crumble cake as usual 
• Mix 1 pkg Andes Creme de Menthe Baking Chips before adding 1/2 can Cream Cheese Frosting 
• Roll into balls and dip in chocolate almond bark

Green decors to finish!

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Raspberry Lemonade Cake Balls

Here's a modification of the Red Velvet Cake Balls and Pink Lemonade Cake recipes that I tried tonight that came out pretty tasty, if I don't say so myself. Click on the above links for those recipes.

Final Product

My Modifications:

• Primarily follow the Red Velvet Cake Ball recipe 
• Use raspberry lemonade frozen (thawed) concentrate instead of water in cake mix. 
• Use prepared cream cheese frosting instead of pink lemonade butter cream frosting
• Use vanilla (white) almond bark instead of chocolate  

Cake after going thru the food processor

After being mixed with frosting and rolled into balls

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Red Velvet Cake Balls

Ingredients:

• 1 box Red Velvet Cake Mix
• 1/2 can cream cheese frosting (not whipped)
• 1 package chocolate almond bark
• 1/4 package white almond bark
• wax paper

 Directions:

1. Bake cake mix to box directions in a greased and floured 13x9" cake pan.
2. Allow to cool completely then place in food processor to crumble to a fine consistency.
3. In a large mixing bowl, use your clean hands to blend in 1/2 can cream cheese frosting (enough frosting to "wet" the cake mix completely - this will determine how cakey/gooey the inside of the cake balls will remain)
4. Roll mixture into 1" balls and place on wax papered cookie sheets
5. Chill in freezer for ~15 min or the refrigerator for a few hours
6. Place ~1/2 package of chocolate in a large measuring cup and melt chocolate in microwave per package directions.
7. Dip cake balls in melted chocolate (I use a fork to scoop them out of the chocolate) and place on fresh wax paper-covered cookie sheets. Add and reheat chocolate as needed to complete all of the cake balls.
8. Allow cake balls to cool/set up completely.
9. Check the bottom of the cake balls to make sure they haven't sprung a leak. If so, redip only the bottom of the cake ball and allow to setup again.
10. Use the melted white almond bark and a fork to drizzle a decorative white flourish over the top.

Inspired from Bakerella's Red Velvet Cake Balls 

Modifications to Make It Your Own

• Use any number of flavor combinations - combine any cake flavor with any frosting flavor of your choice.
• With lighter cakes (white/yellow) add food coloring before baking to get wacky & bright combinations.
• Use candy melts instead of almond bark to change the outer coating color.
• Add sprinkles/cake decors before the cake balls set up.



Raspberry Lemonade Cake Balls

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• Use Wilton's Mini Cookie Cutters to gently press cake mixture thru to make shapes other than balls. This can be very time consuming and the simpler the shape, the easier it is to press.

Mint Chocolate Cake Balls
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Classic Pecan Pie

Prep Time:  15 minutes

Cook Time:  55 to 60 minutes 

Yield:  1 pie

Ingredients:

• 3 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup Karo® Dark Corn Syrup
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 & 1/2 cups (6 ounces) pecans
• 1 (9-inch) unbaked or frozen deep-dish pie crust

For Amaretto Pecan Pie

• 2 tablespoons almond-flavored liqueur, such as Amaretto

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. 
2. Chop pecans in blender to make pecan meal. 
3. Beat eggs slightly with fork in medium bowl. Add sugar, Karo® Corn Syrup, butter and vanilla (+/- Amaretto); stir until blended. Stir in pecans. Place pie dough in pie pan. Pour pecan filling into pie crust. 
4. Bake 55 to 60 minutes or until knife inserted halfway between center and edge comes out clean. Cool on wire rack.

   

Inspired from Karo Syrup - Classic Pecan Pie and modified by my great-grandmother 

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