Thursday, July 30, 2009

Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

1 plain yellow cake mix
1 c peanut butter
1 stick butter, melted
2 eggs
2 c semisweet choc chips
1 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk
2 T butter
1 c coconut
2 t vanilla

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Set aside ungreased 13x9 pan.

Place mix, peanut butter, melted butter, eggs in mixing bowl. Blend on low for 1 minute. The mixture will be satiny and thick. Reserve 1 1/2 cups for the topping. Transfer mixture to pan. Using fingertips, press evenly onto bottom of pan.

For filling, place chips, milk, and 2 T butter in saucepan over low heat. Stir and cook until chocolate is melted and mixture well combined. Remove from heat and stir in coconut and vanilla till well distributed.. Pour over crust and spread evenly with spatula so it reaches edge of pan. Using fingertips, crumble to reserved crust mixture and scatter it evenly over the chocolate. Place pan in oven.
Bake till cake is light brown, 25-30 min. Cool 30 minutes.

Devil's Food Hearts

makes 5 dozen 2 1/2" cookes.

1 devils food cake mix
1 1/2 sticks butter at room temp.
1 egg
1 1/2 t vanilla
flour for rolling out the cookies
1/4 c sugar

Place ingredients in mixer for 1 minute. The dough will be thick and come together into a ball. Cover in wrap and chill at least 3 hours, or overnight. Remove dough from fridge. Dust counter with flour. Roll out and cut with cookie cutters. Sprinkle with sugar. Make till puffed up, then sink back, 8-12 min.

Icing:?
1 cup powdered sugar
2 T milk
Food coloring
Fill with squeeze bottles. Outline cookies, then fill, or make polka dots or other designs. Let rest for 1 hour before packing away.

Quick Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies

1 pkg butter recipe golden cake mix
1 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk
1 c creamy peanut butter
1 egg
1 t vanilla
hersheys kisses, unwrapped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place cake mix, milk, peanut butter, egg, and vanilla in mixing bowl. Blend for 1 1/2 minutes. The dough will be thick and will come together in a ball. Pinch off pieces of the dough and roll them into 1" balls. Place them on sheets. Bake till they puff up and lightly brown, 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately place kiss in center of each.

Cookies and Bars


I like to have some sort of goody always in the cookie jar, and so its a good thing that there are a ton of delicious recipes out there!

Chocolate Cherry Chip Cupcakes

Serve with Martha's Chocolate Icing (previous cake)

1 devils food cake mix
1 can 21 oz cherry pie filling
2 eggs
1 t almond extract
1 cup semisweet choc chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tins.

Place ingredients into bowl and mix on low 1 min. Scrape down sides and mix 2 min. Fold in choc. chips. Spoon into batter till 3/4 full.

Bake till toothpick comes out clean. 20-25 min. Cool 15 min. on rack before frosting. Prepare icing. Spread a heaping tablespoon onto each cupcake till smooth. Let rest 10 min.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Muffins

Cake:
1 devils food cake mix
1 pkg choc. pudding mix
1 1/2 c buttermilk
1/2 c creamy peanut butter
1/2 c veg oil
4 large eggs
1 cup peanut butter chips
1/2 c semisweet choc chips

Peanut butter Drizzle:
2/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1 T powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin cups.

Place cake ingredients and blend on low 1 min. Scrape down sides, then mix 2 minutes more. Stir in chips. Spoon into muffin cups, filling 3/4 full.

Bake till springs back when lightly touched. 22-25 min.

Microwave drizzle till just melted, 30 seconds. Stir, then drizzle with a dinner knife over muffins.

Chocolate Surprise Muffins

Filling:
1 pkg cream cheese at room temp
1/3 c sugar
1 t vanilla
1 egg
1 c mini semisweet choc. chips

Cake:
24 paper liners
1 devils food cake mix
1 1/3 c water
1/2 c veg oil
3 eggs

Mix cream cheese and sugar till combined. Add vanilla and egg. Beat till incorporated. Stir in chips. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line tins with paper liners.

Mix cake ingred. together on low till combined. Scrape bowl and mix 2 min. Spoon batter into cups, filling 2/3rds full. Spoon a heaping teaspoon of the filling onto the center. Bake till spring lightly back when touched, 23-27 min. Cool 15 min. before serving.

Chocolate Macaroon Ring Cake

Macaroon Filling:
2 eggs
1/2 t almond extract
1/2 c sugar
2/3 c sweetened flake coconut
1/4 c flour

Cake:
devils food cake mix
1 large egg
1 c water
1/3 veg oil

Almond Glaze:
1 1/4 c powdered sugar
1-2 T milk
1/2 t almond extract

Pepare filling: Separate eggs, placing whites in a med-size mixing bowl and yolks in a large bowl. Add almond extract to whites and beat until frothy, 30 seconds. Gradually add sugar while beating till soft peaks form, 1-11/2 min. Fold in the coconut and flour till just incorporated. Set the bowl aside while you prepare cake.

Place rack in center and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mist bundt pan with spray, and dust with flour.

Place cake mix in bowl with egg yolks. Add the whole egg, water, and oil. Blend 30 seconds, scrape bowl and beat 2 min. Pour half batter in pan. Spoon filling on batter, making sure it doesn't touch sides of pan. Spoon remaining batter on top and smooth. Place in oven.

Bake 53-57 min till lightly springs back and pulls away from sides. Cool 20 min., remove from pan.

Whisk glaze together and spoon over cake. Let rest 10 min. before slicing.

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Quick Tunnel of Fudge Cake

Filling:
1 1/2 c milk
1 pkg (3.4 oz) chocolate fudge pudding (not instant)
1 c semisweet choc. chips
1 T butter

Cake:
devils food cake mix
1/2 c veg oil
1/2 c sour cream
1/2 c water
4 large eggs
1 t vanilla

Place milk in medium sauce-pan and whisk in the pudding mix. Cook, stirring over med. heat until the mixture comes to a boil. Remove from heat and add the rest. Stir till smooth.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare bundt pan.

Combine ingredients and mix on low 1 min. Scrape sides and mix 2 min. more till smooth. Reserve 2 cups of batter. Pour remaining batter in pan. Spoon pudding mixture in a ring on top of the batter, making sure it doesn't touch the sides of the pan. Spoon reserved batter over filling, smoothing it out with spatula.
Bake until springs back when lightly pressed with finger and is just starting to pull away from the sides of the pan, 45-50 min.
Cool.

Prepare Icing:
Martha's Chocolate Icing
1 cup granulated sugar
5 T butter
1/3 c whole milk
1 c semisweet choc chips

Place sugar, butter and milk in med-heat pan. Stir till comes to a boil, 3-4 min. Still stirring, let mixture boil till sugar dissolves, 1 min. Remove from heat. Stir in chips and stir till smooth. Spread over cooled cake.

Chocolate Orange Cake

1 devils food cake mix
1 1/3 c orange juice
1/2 c veg. oil
3 large eggs
1 t grated orange zest
orange-cocoa cream cheese frosting

Preheat oven 350 degrees. Grease 2 9" round cake pans and dust with flour.

Place ingredients and mix on low speed for 1 min. Scrape sides and mix 2 min. on medium speed. Bake in oven side-by-side.

Bake until spring back when lightly pressed with finger, 30-32 min. cool completely.

Orange-Cocoa Cream Cheese frosting

1 pkg cream cheese
4 T butter (room temp)
1/4 cocoa powder
1 t orange extract
3 3/4 c powdered sugar

Blend butter and cheese till smooth. Add the rest and beat till fluffy.

Frost the layers!

Chocolate Cream Cheese Pound Cake

1 pkg butter recipe fudge cake mix
1 8-oz pkg cream cheese
1/2 c water
1/2 c vegetable oil
1/4 c sugar
4 large eggs
2 t vanilla

Place rack in center of oven and preheat to 325 degrees. spray 10-inch tube pan with cooking spray, then dust with flour. Place all ingredients into mixing bowl. Mix on low for 1 minute. Scrape down the sides, beat on medium for 2 more minutes. Pour into pan, smoothing it out. Place in oven.

Bake until cake springs back when lightly pressed with finger and is just starting to pull away from the sides, 58-62 minutes. Cool on wire rack 20 minutes, then invert onto rack and cool 20 minutes more. Slice and serve.

Delectible Cakes




This section is dedicated to cakes, in every shape, type, and flavor. One of my favorite things is to see a luscious layer cake sitting on a kitchen's counter. That to me is the sign of an elegant home-maker!