Knock You Naked Brownies

Posted on May 23, 2012 by Emily

These chocolate-caramel brownies come from Ree Drummond’s new book The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Food From My Frontier. I’ve tried a couple of different, yet similar recipes, and so far this is my favorite. Check out the book for set-by-step photographic instructions. Unfortunately, no origin story is provided for the name!

Ingredients

1/3 cup plus 1/2 cup evaporated milk
One 18.5 oz box German chocolate cake mix
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
1 cup finely chopped pecans
60 caramels
1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 9 x 9 inch baking pan.
Begin by pouring 1/3 cup evaporated milk into a bowl with the cake mix.
Add the melted butter.
Add the chopped pecans. (I skipped this step, though I do have visions of later stirring chopped peanuts into the caramel for a Snickers-like experience.)
Mix the ingredients together.
Divide the dough in half down the middle.
Press one half of the dough into the bottom of the pan to make the first brownie layer.
Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until set, then remove it from the oven and set aside.
While the brownie layer is baking, in a double boiler, combine the caramels and 1/2 cup evaporated milk.
Stir occasionally until the caramels are totally melted and the mixture is smooth.
Pour the caramel mixture over the first baked layer, spreading it so that it’s evenly distributed.
Sprinkle the chocolate chips all over the top.
On a clean surface or sheet of wax paper, press the remaining brownie dough into a square shape slightly smaller than the baking pan. (I thought this was the hardest step.)
Carefully set it on top of the chocolate chips. (OK, this was actually the hardest step!)
Bake for 20-25 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and let the brownies cool to room temperature. Cover the pan and refrigerate the brownies for several hours to allow them to set.
When you’re ready to serve them, sprinkle them generously with the powdered sugar and cut them into large rectangles before removing them from the pan.

Best Ever Red Velvet Cake with Red Velvet Cake Frosting

Posted on April 24, 2012 by Cindy

I wanted to make special cupcakes for my granddaughter’s Emma’s birthday, last week, so the search was on, for a new recipe. When the title , “Best Ever Red Velvet Cake” caught my eye, I decided that this was the one! I will have to say, that I made 24 of the best red velvet cupcakes ever. I can’t wait to make a layer cake next time. Instead, of cream cheese frosting, I used a recipe called the, Red Velvet Cake Frosting. This frosting was not only fluffy and delicious but made the red velvet cupcakes look gorgeous,also.

Author: Divas Can Cook – Monique

Ingredients

2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon of salt
2 Tablespoon of unsweetened, cocoa powder
2 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoon of vanilla
1-2 oz. red food coloring
1 teaspoon of white distilled vinegar
1/2 cup of prepared plain hot coffee (don’t skip this ingredient)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, cocoa powder and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the sugar and vegetable oil.
Mix in the eggs, buttermilk, vanilla and red food coloring until combined.
Stir in the coffee and white vinegar.
Combine the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients a little at time, mixing after each addition, just until combined.
Generously grease and flour two round cake pans with crisco and flour.
Pour the batter evenly into each pan.
Bake in the middle rack for 30-40 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Do not over bake as cake will continue to cook as it cools.
Let cool on a cooling rack until the pan are warm to the touch.
Slide a knife or offset spatula around the inside of the pans to loosen the cake from the pan.
Remove the cakes from the pan and let them cool.
Frost with cream cheese frosting when the cakes have cooled completely. (or frosting of your choice).

THE RED VELVET CAKE FROSTING

1 c. granulated sugar (I use pure Cane sugar)
1 tsp. vanilla
3 tbsp. flour
1 c. butter
1 c. vitamin D whole milk (don’t substitute)

Instructions: Cook flour and milk ion low temperature, stirring constantly. Cool. Cream sugar, butter and vanilla until as fluffy as possible. Beat cooked mixture with creamed ingredients until fluffy.

I doubled this recipe to frost 24 cupcakes.

This icing must stay refrigerated, will fall apart at room temperature.

Dave Kirk’s Mississippi Mud Cake

Posted on November 2, 2011 by Cindy

In sauce pan, melt 2 sticks of butter, add ¼ cup cocoa

Add:

2 Cups sugar

4 eggs

1 ½ cup self rising flour

1 Cup nuts-chopped

1 Tablespoon vanilla

Mix well: pour into a greased 9 x 13 pan bake

Bake: for 25-30 minutes at 350 or until done,

Add 1 bag of mini marshmallows to the top of cake, as soon as it comes out of the oven. ( 7 ounce jar of cream marshmallow in place of mini marshmallows).

Let Cool

Melt 1stick of butter

Add:

1 box confectioners’ sugar

½ cup evaporated milk

1/3 cup Cocoa

Mix well:

Pour over marshmallow topping

Enjoy!!!

Candy Bar Dessert

Posted on August 5, 2011 by Cindy

Chill out, it’s too hot to turn on the oven! Just marinate some meat, fire up the grill, toss some salads, whip up a creamy candy bar dessert and the party’s good to go. This is a dessert you’ll have a hard time resisting until the end of the meal. It’s every bit as yummy as it looks.

Ingredients • 2 cups graham cracker crumbs • 3 tablespoons sugar • 1/2 cup butter, melted • 1 jar (11-3/4 ounces) hot fudge ice cream topping •

FILLING: • 1/2 cup cold milk • 2 packages (3.4 ounces each) instant vanilla or chocolate pudding mix • 2 cartons (16 ounces each) frozen whipped topping, thawed • 6 to 7 (2.07 ounces each) Snickers candy bars, chopped, divided.

* For variation you can substitute Snickers Bars, with your favorite candy bar. Butterfingers and Reese’s Cups work well.

Directions • In a small bowl, combine the crumb and sugar; stir in butter. Press • onto an ungreased 13-in. x 9-in. dish. In a small bowl microwave • fudge topping until warmed; pour evenly over crust. •Cool. • In a large bowl, beat the milk, pudding mix and whipped topping for • 2-3 minutes or until stiff, scraping sides of bowl often. Stir in • Three-fourths of the candy bar pieces. Pour over crust. Sprinkle • with remaining candy bar pieces. Cover and refrigerate for 2-3 hours • or overnight. Refrigerate leftovers.

Yield: 15 servings.

Recipe:Taste of Home

Mountain Dew Apple Dumplings

Posted on June 13, 2011 by Cindy

Yahoo, Mountain Dew! Bring these delicious apple dumplings to your next get together and everyone will want the recipe. The texture of the rolls becomes something entirely different during the baking process: the top gets delightfully crisp, while the underneath side remains soft and mushy and more “apple dumpling-y”. And the Mountain Dew, coupled with the large amount of butter, creates a yummy, sweet sauce at the end. Serve them with ice cream, or a dollop of sweetened whipped heavy cream and you’ll be left wondering how such ordinary ingredients can be so sublime

Ingredients

4 large Granny Smith apples, peeled and cored
2 (10 ounce) cans refrigerated crescent roll dough
1 cup butter
1 cups white sugar
½ cup brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle Mountain Dew ™

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9×13 inch baking dish.
Cut two apples into 8 wedges and set aside. Separate the crescent roll dough into triangles. Roll each apple wedge in crescent roll dough starting at the smallest end. Pinch to seal and place in the baking dish.
Slice and add the remaining two apples and place between the apple dumplings.
Melt butter in a small saucepan and stir in the sugar and cinnamon, add vanilla. Pour over the apple dumplings. Pour Mountain Dew over the dumplings.
Bake for 35 to 45 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown.

Carrot Cake

Posted on June 3, 2011 by Cindy

I have been making amazing cakes from the Cake Mix Doctor cookbook for several years now. I must say I am never disappointed with the results. To many cooks, especially today’s younger generation, mixes are a homemade cake, as compared to a bakery cake not baked at home. Purists may flinch, but when you fire up the oven, rev up the mixer, add fresh eggs, and soften a little butter, you’re baking. The cakes are made in a fraction of the time and you are almost guaranteed a success! My mother made this cake for my sister’s 40th birthday party last week. Needless to say, it was a big hit, with many saying, it was the best carrot cake that they had ever had!

Carrot Cake

Solid vegetable shortening, for greasing the pans and flour for dusting the pans

1 package (18.25 ounces) plain yellow cake mix

1 package (3.4 ounces) vanilla instant pudding mix

2/3 cup fresh orange juice

½ cup vegetable oil, such as canola, corn, safflower, soybean, or sunflower

4 large eggs

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

3 cups grated carrots (5 medium carrots)

½ cup raisins

½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans

1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 F. Generously grease two 9-inches round cake pans with solid vegetable shortening. Dust with flour, then shake out the excess flour. Set the pans aside.

2. Place the cake mix, pudding mix, orange juice, oil, eggs, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Blend with an electric mixer at low-speed for 1 minute. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes more scraping the sides down again if needed. The batter should look thick and well blended. Gently fold in the carrots, raisins, and nuts with a rubber spatula. Divide the batter between the prepared pans, smoothing it out with the rubber spatula. Place the pans in the oven side by side.

3. Bake the cakes until they are golden brown and spring back when lightly pressed with your finger. 30 to 35 minutes. Remove the pans from the oven and place them on wire racks to cool for 10 minutes. Run a dinner knife around the edges of each layer and invert each onto a rack, then invert each again onto another rack so that the cakes are right side up. Allow them to cool completely, 30 minutes more.

4. Meanwhile, prepare the Fresh Orange Cream Cheese Frosting.

5. Place one cake layer, right side up, on a serving platter. Spread the top with frosting. Place the second layer, right side up, on top of the first layer and frost the top and sides of the cake with clean, smooth strokes.

*Place this cake, uncovered, in the refrigerator until the frosting sets. 20 minutes. Cover the cake with waxed paper and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Or freeze it, wrapped in aluminum foil, for up to 6 months. Thaw the cake in the refrigerator before serving.

Fresh Orange Cream Cheese Frosting

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, at room temperature

8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter; at room temperature

3 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted

2 tablespoons fresh orange juice

1 tablespoon grated orange zest (from one medium orange)

1. Place the cream cheese and butter in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low-speed until combined. 30 seconds. Stop the machine. Add the confectioners’ sugar, a bit at a time, blending with the mixer on low-speed until the sugar is well combined, 1 minute. Then add the orange juice and zest to the mixture. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat until the frosting lightens and is fluffy. 1 minute more.

2. Use at once to frost the top and sides of the cake of your choice.

Recipe from the Cake Mix Doctor

Luscious Lemon Bars

Posted on April 7, 2011 by Cindy

The best lemon bars, bar none…The perfect lemon bar is equal parts soft, bold lemon filling, melt-in-your-mouth crust and easy recipe. Make a simple crust. While it bakes, make a simple filling; bake again. Cool, cut, share (and sprinkle confectioner’s sugar on top if you like). Be prepared to share the recipe. Getting out of my chocoholic rut wasn’t easy, but I’m glad I did because these lemon bars are luscious and refreshing. This recipe is by Three Many Cooks and was featured in the Cincinnati Enquirer in March, 2011.

For crust: 1 cup all-purpose flour 1/8 tsp. salt ½ cup confectioner’s sugar 1 stick (8 Tbs.) butter, melted but not hot

For filling: 2 large eggs ¾ cup sugar 1½ Tbs. all-purpose flour 6 Tbs. juice from 2 lemons 2 tsps. finely grated lemon zest

Steps:

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Spray an 8- by 8-inch baking pan with vegetable cooking spray. Fit an 8-inch by 16-inch piece of heavy-duty foil across pan bottom and up the 2 sides as foil overhangs to pull bars from the pan. Spray foil with vegetable cooking spray.

Mix flour, salt, confectioner’s sugar in a medium bowl; stir in butter to form dough. Press dough into pan bottom (the bottom of a measuring cup dipped in flour helps). Bake until pale golden, about 20 minutes.

While pastry bakes, whisk eggs, sugar, flour, lemon juice and zest in a medium bowl.

Remove pan from oven. Add lemon mixture and continue to bake until just set, about 20 minutes longer; let cool in pan for a few minutes and then using foil handles, pull bars from pan and set on a wire rack. Cool until room temperature. Cut into squares and serve.

Butterscotch Cake

Posted on January 24, 2011 by Emily

I have a Milford-Miami Township Branch volunteer to thank for my discovery of this simple and delicious cake. If you need a cake that can travel, this is the perfect choice. I have found it to be a hit with pretty much any audience. If you like, chopped nuts can be sprinkled on top along with the butterscotch morsels. Serve this dessert at Halloween and call it Witch’s Warts Cake!

1 box yellow cake mix

2 tablespoons oil

2 eggs

4 individual serving packages of pre-made butterscotch pudding

1 package butterscotch morsels

Add oil, eggs, and pudding regardless of what directions for the cake mix say. Mix ingredients and pour into a greased and floured 9 x 13 pan. Sprinkle morsels on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes.

Chocolate Mint Cookies

Posted on January 5, 2011 by Emily

This tasty cookie had been a hit with family, friends, and coworkers alike.

1 cup butter or margarine
¾ cup packed brown sugar
½ cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 package (4.67 oz) chocolate sandwich mints, coarsely chopped
1 cup vanilla baking chips

Heat oven to 375F. In large mixing bowl, combine butter, sugars, egg and
vanilla. Beat at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add flour, cocoa,
baking soda and salt. Beat at low speed until soft dough forms. Stir in
mints and chips.

Drop dough by heaping teaspoons 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie
sheets. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Cool completely before sorting.

Makes 3 dozen cookies.

Want to make more cookies? Check out some of our cookie-specific cookbooks.

Angel Food

Posted on December 30, 2010 by Emily

If you ever wanted to attempt making candy, but were too intimidated to give it a try, this is an easy recipe to begin with. The flavor of this crunchy candy is reminiscent of peanut brittle and Butterfingers. My mother remembers my grandmother making tasty angel food for her when she was a child.

1 cup sugar
1 cup dark corn syrup
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 pound milk chocolate

In a saucepan, combine sugar, corn syrup and vinegar. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until sugar dissolves. Cook without further stirring until the temperature reaches 300 degrees. Remove from heat and quickly stir in baking soda. Pour into a 9 x 13 pan lined with foil. Do not spread candy; mixture may not fill entire pan. When cool, break into bite-sized pieces. Dip pieces into melted chocolate and place on waxed paper until chocolate is hard.

After you’ve mastered angel food, check out a book on candy making if you’re feeling brave enough for further experimentation!