Wednesday, November 30, 2016

Milky Way Blondies

These Blondies are.... Decadent. Divine. and Dangerous. ;) You won't want just one. And, as her recipe states, they're flexible with what you can put into them. I make a great caramelita. These kind of remind me of them except without the oatmeal. I also thought they'd be good using leftover Halloween candybars like in Heidi's candybar cookies. SO many possibilities with this blondie recipe. I had to include it on my blog for that reason. The purpose of my blog has *always* been to have it be an external recipe box of nearly all my favorite recipes.... whether they are tried-and-true recipes passed down within our own family, ones I've received from others and made my own, ones I tweaked to my preferences from other websites, or even recipes from other bloggers. I so appreciate good food and the time that goes into making a recipe. I always link back to the original recipe and indicate any changes made. With that in mind, here is the recipe for Milky Way Blondies!

2 cups brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 eggs
1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups flour
1/2 cup Caramel Bits (or chop caramel squares into fourths)
3/4 cup mini chocolate chips
15 Fun Size Milky Way Candy Bars, chopped 

I used my Bosch for this recipe with the paddles. If using an electric mixer, use a large bowl!

Cream brown sugar and butter. Add eggs and vanilla. Combine and then sift in flour, baking powder, and salt. I mix the flour in only until incorporated. You'll be mixing it more when you add the caramel bits, chocolate chips, and candy bars. I prefer not to overmix. Add in your bits, chips, and bars! 

Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking sprain over anyone... especially someone who LOVES chocolate and caramel! y. If desired, line the pan with parchment and spray with cooking spray. The original recipe calls for foil. Myself, I do not prefer foil when baking these kinds of things. I'm kind of a parchment gal. When using parchment, use one section going long ways in the pan and another section going the width of the pan. Leave some hanging over the edge on all sides. Just be sure to use spray! ;) Spread the blondie mixture into the pan and bake at 350 degrees for 22-24 minutes.  Err on the side of looking not done-ish on these. You don't want hard, dry blondies on the outer edge. Mine took about 23 minutes. But every oven is different. They will continue to cook and set up as they cool. Cool completely before cutting. I did these bars the night before like I do for my caramelitas and they were perfect to cut with a good, sharp knife. I cut them to get 15 bars. 

The result is a delectable dessert that will win over anyone.... especially someone that loves chocolate and caramel! ;)

Refer to original recipe for other mix in ideas.

Tuesday, November 29, 2016

Ridiculously Delicious Lemon Butter Cookies

I found this recipe while looking for a different recipe. Naturally, I love new recipes and simply could not resist a cookie recipe with cream cheese in the batter. And, as an added bonus, it came from a recipe blog with the name "wicked good kitchen." How could it not be amazing!? haha.... These cookies are RIDICULOUSLY delicious. So soft. So delicate. Full of lemon flavor but not over the top. I'm totally in love with them. I prefer to double this recipe. It makes about 40 cookies when doubled.

2¼ cups flour (can also be gluten free, see original recipe for how)
2 tsp baking powder
1 8oz pkg cream cheese, softened (I like Philadelphia best)
½ cup butter, softened
1½ cups sugar
2 Tbsp freshly grated lemon zest, from 2-3 large lemons
1½ Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp pure lemon extract (or 1/8 tsp lemon oil or, if using essential oils, one drop for a double batch)
1/8 tsp natural yellow gel based food coloring -I chose to omit this and it was okay
3/4 tsp salt 
1 large egg plus 1 large egg yolk
1 cup powdered sugar for rolling & dusting cookies

I used my Bosch for this recipe with the paddles. If using an electric mixer, use a large bowl.

Cream the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add sugar, zest, lemon juice, vanilla, lemon extract or oil, food coloring -if desired, and salt. Mix until light and fluffy, scraping sides as you go. Add egg and egg yolk and beat at medium speed for 2 minutes. At this point, the batter will look very light and creamy and airy. YUM! Sift in flour and baking powder gradually, on low speed. Mixing only until incorporated. You don't want to over mix this batter.

At this point, I like to scrape all the batter into a glass bowl and put a lid on it rather than just covering my Bosch and placing it in the fridge. The batter must refrigerate at least 2 hours but is best if left in the fridge overnight. 

When you are ready to bake the cookies, preheat oven to 325 degrees, with rack in the lower third of your oven. I like to use a cookie scoop that is about a 1 Tbsp size. This helps immensely for getting similar sized cookies. The batter will still be pretty sticky. I prefer to put the powdered sugar on a plate to roll my cookies. I've done the ziploc method. I feel the plate does a better job getting the cookies coated to my liking. Using a Tbsp measuring spoon, or a cookie scoop of the same size, scoop a generous 1 tbsp size dollop of dough and place it on the powdered sugar plate. Using your hand, make the dough into a round ball coating it well in powdered sugar as you go around. Place on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. You'll want to keep the spacing about 2 inches apart for optimal baking.
Bake for 14 minutes. These cookies should not be golden brown. If they are browned, they'll be over cooked. They will have slightly soft centers. This is okay! Remove from oven and allow them to cool on the cookie sheet while the next batch is baking. I like to use a fine sifter and very lightly dust the top of the cookies with additional powdered sugar to give it a more finished look. Not too much. Just a little dusting. ;)
Transfer cookies to a wire rack to finish cooling. When I am doing a double batch, I am always sure to use fresh parchment each time I put another pan in the oven. Also be sure your pan is cool before you put another round of dough balls on it.

These cookies are so delicious. Not sure if I mentioned that! haha. They're a light cookie and always very well received when I make them for someone.

Thursday, November 17, 2016

The BEST Chocolate Cake.... Ever!


This recipe is from Six Sister's Stuff who got it from Taste of HomeIt is by far one of the best chocolate cake recipes and it is my go-to recipe for chocolate cake or cupcakes. It is easy and always delicious! It is even super yummy right out of the oven with a scoop of ice cream. No frosting, just warm cake and ice cream!

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup baking cocoa (I prefer dutch cocoa)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cube (1/2 cup) butter, melted
1 cup buttermilk

2 tsp good vanilla (I like mexican or Kirkland brand)
2 eggs
1 cup boiling water


Chocolate Ganache or desired frosting to go on top
(Ice Cream is also delicious if you put a scoop on top of a hot chocolate cupcake in a bowl right out of the oven. It is amazing!) So many options! There's a reason it's our FAVORITE cake! Don't overcook and it will be your favorite too.

Ganache instructions:
Heat 1 cup of heavy cream just to boiling. Pour over chopped chocolate in a bowl and allow to sit for about 5 minutes then stir until smooth with a whisk. I like to use a 4oz semi sweet and a 4oz milk chocolate Ghiradelli baking bar for ganache. Mix and match to your liking. I haven't used chocolate chips. I'm more a baking bar girl, but you can experiment if you'd like. I use 1 Tbsp on the top of each cupcake and allow to setup. Or eat right away with a fork and spoon for ooey gooey goodness. ;)

*Frosting*: (I use my cream cheese frosting recipe here) *A note: For cupcakes, you may want to do a double batch of frosting depending on if you pipe it or just spread it on. I found a regular batch only pipes about 18 cupcakes. One batch works great for a 9x13 cake. Follow recipe directions for chocolate frosting.

Cake Instructions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Put a small pot of water on the stove to boil (or if you have REALLY hot tap water, you can use that as well. You'll only need one cup but I always boil a little extra. ;)


I usually make this recipe in my Bosch, but a large bowl and a hand mixer works great as well. Just remember, you don't want to over mix. 


Combine all dry ingredients. Add in the butter, buttermilk, vanilla, and eggs. Don't mix this too high. You want to just get it fully incorporated. I stay on low speed. Pour in 1 cup of hot water. Mix. At this point, your batter will seem runny, but it's going to be okay... I promise!. At this point, either grease muffin liners or a  9×13″ pan. Fill cupcakes 2/3 full (which is about 1/4 cup for a larger muffin pan). You don't want them fuller than that! Bake for 12-15 minutes. If not quite done, do 2 more minutes. Mine are almost always done right at 15 minutes. I usually set the timer for 10 minutes and peek on them and add 2 more minutes and take them out. For a cake, bake for 30-35 minutes (or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean). Just don't overcook so that it isn't dry. This cake is perfection when cooked just the right length. When everything is cooled (cupcakes cool quick!), frost as desired, and decorate if you'd like.


This recipe makes about 32 cupcakes (depending on the size of your pan) or ONE 9x13" pan of cake. I use an IKEA muffin tin which is about a 1 1/2 sized cup. I use the jumbo liners for these found in the cake decorating isle at Walmart. I only fill the cups with a 1/4 cup measuring cup and it makes 27 cupcakes exactly every time. Or you can make a bundt cake (heavily buttered and floured inside in all those creases!) and then pour ganache over top and enjoy!