Wednesday, April 2, 2025

Brownie Mix Cookies


 Ingredients:
(makes 24 cookies)

1 box 18 - 20 oz brownie mix (any brand)

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/3 cup vegetable oil

2 large eggs

Mix In Ingredient Ideas:

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup chopped nuts

1/4 cup caramel bits 

1/2 cup crushed Oreos

1/2 cup mini marshmallows

1/4 cup chopped almonds

Swirl 1/4 cup peanut butter into dough before baking

Drizzle with caramel sauce and sprinkle with sea salt after baking.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk together brownie mix and flour.  Add oil and eggs and stir until fully combined.  The dough will be thick.  Fold in Mix Ins IF using.  

Scoop 1.5 tbsp balls of dough and roll gently if needed.  

Space 2 inches apart on baking sheets.

Bake 10-12 minutes until edges are set but centers look slightly underdone.

Let cool 5 minutes on baking sheet.  Transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

Tips:

For fudgier cookies: Underbake by 1-2 minutes.

For extra decadent: Press a chocolate kiss into warm cookies.

Freeze dough: Scoop and freeze unbaked cookies for up to 3 months.




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Wednesday, February 19, 2025

Crockpot Mississippi Chicken


Crockpot Mississippi Chicken is all about fork-tender, juicy chicken that's bursting with flavor. You've got zesty pepperoncini peppers, ranch seasoning, au jus mix, and butter that slow cooks with it for some seriously amazing flavor. It's the perfect Southern comfort meal!

Prep Time: 5 mins
Cook Time: 3 hrs
Total Time: 3 hrs 5 mins

Ingredients
  • 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 10 pepperoncini peppers
  • 1/2 cup pepperoncini juice from the jar
  • 1 packet ranch seasoning powder
  • 1 packet au jus mix
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter cut into pieces
Instructions
  1. Spray the bottom of the crockpot with nonstick cooking spray.
  2. Add 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts to the crockpot.
  3. Pour in 1/2 cup pepperoncini juice from the jar and then add 10 pepperoncini peppers on/around the chicken.
  4. Sprinkle the chicken with 1 packet ranch seasoning powder and 1 packet au jus mix, then place the pieces of 1/2 cup unsalted butter on top.
  5. Cover and cook for 3-4 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low.
  6. Shred the chicken, then stir into the sauce. Serve over mashed potatoes and enjoy!

Saturday, January 11, 2025

Hashbrown Chicken Casserole


Ingredients:

1 20 oz bag Frozen Hash Brown Potatoes (Frozen)

2 cups cheddar cheese shredded

1/2 tsp salt and black pepper

1/2 bag (12 oz) Frozen peas and carrots

1/2 cup of sweet corn (canned)

2 cups regular sour cream

1 can Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup

1/3 cup whole milk

3 cups Rotisserie Chicken

Shredded Bread Crumbs

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Spray a 9 X 13 inch baking dish with PAM.  Combine cheddar cheese, peas, corn, sour cream, soup, milk, chicken, salt and pepper.  Stir to mix.

Put hash browns on the bottom of the baking dish.  Spread the cheese/chicken mixture over the hash browns.  Cover the top with bread crumbs.

Bake at 400 degrees for 60 minutes.

Loaded Potato Soup


Ingredients:

1 package (12 oz) bacon

1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onion

6 cups chicken broth (from 2 32 oz cartons)

2 lbs. baking potatoes, peeled and cubed

2/3 cup butter

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

4 cups milk

1teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 cup cooked diced ham

1 8 oz container sour cream

2 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese shredded

3/4 cup sliced green onions

Directions:

In a 12 inch skillet, cook bacon over medium heat for 6 to 7 min, drain, crumble, set aside.  Reserve 2 Tablespoons of drippings in skillet.  Cook onion in bacon drippings over medium high heat 6 min. or until almost tender.  In a 6 quart Dutch oven, mix onion, broth, and potatoes.  Heat to boiling; reduce heat.  Cook 10 minutes on low or until potatoes are almost tender.  Stir in flour with whisk until smooth.  Cook and stir 1 minute.  Gradually stir in 2 cups of milk, the salt and pepper.  Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with whisk, until mixture is thickened and bubbly.  Stir in ham, half of the bacon, sour cream, 2 cups of cheese, and half cup of green onions.  Cook until thoroughly heated and cheese is melted.  Evenly top individual servings with remaining bacon, 1/2 cup cheese and 1/4 cup green onions.

Sunday, December 22, 2024

Chocolate Marble Banana Bundt Cake


Author: Sally 
Prep Time: 30 minutes 
Cook Time: 65 minutes 
Total Time: 6 hours (includes cooling) 
Yield: serves 12

This is buttery moist banana Bundt cake swirled and topped with real chocolate ganache. Feel free to halve the ganache and only use it as the swirl. See step 1 below. For other garnish options, use salted caramel or the chocolate peanut butter topping from this chocolate chip loaf cake instead.

Ingredients

Ganache Swirl & Topping
  • two 4-ounce quality semi-sweet chocolate bars (113g each), finely chopped
  • 1 cup (8 ounces; 240ml) heavy cream or heavy whipping cream
Cake
  • 1 and 1/2 cups (345g) mashed bananas (about 4 medium or 3 large ripe bananas)
  • 3 cups (375g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
  • 1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup (12 Tbsp; 170g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
  • 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup (100g) packed light or dark brown sugar
  • 3 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1 and 1/3 cups (320ml) buttermilk, at room temperature*
Instructions
  1. Preliminary Note: This cake is swirled and topped with chocolate ganache. If you aren’t topping the cake with ganache, halve the ganache recipe so you’re only making what you need for the swirl. (Use one 4 ounce chocolate bar and 1/2 cup (120ml) heavy cream.)
  2. Make the ganache: Place chopped chocolate in a medium heat-proof bowl. Heat the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat until it begins to gently simmer. (Do not let it come to a rapid boil– that’s too hot!) Pour over chocolate, then let it sit for 2-3 minutes to gently soften the chocolate. Very slowly stir until completely combined and chocolate has melted. The finer you chopped the chocolate, the quicker it will melt with the cream. You should have about 1 and 1/2 cups of ganache. Set half aside (3/4 cup or 180ml) at room temperature uncovered until it has thickened into a gravy-like consistency, about 30 minutes. Use this in step 7. Cover and refrigerate the rest of the ganache to use as the topping in step 10. Ganache topping can be refrigerated for up to 5 days before using.
  3. Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C) and generously grease a 10-inch Bundt pan. To guarantee the Bundt cake releases seamlessly, I strongly recommend using a heavy coating of nonstick spray. Our favorite pans include this one and this one.
  4. Make the cake: Mash the bananas until there’s hardly any lumps. I usually just use my mixer for this! Set mashed bananas aside.
  5. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt together. Set aside.
  6. Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. Add both sugars and beat on high speed for 2 minutes until creamed together. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add the eggs and the vanilla. Beat on medium-high speed until combined, then beat in the mashed bananas. Mixture will be chunky and appear curdled—that’s ok. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl as needed. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients in three additions alternating with the buttermilk and mixing each addition just until incorporated. Do not over-mix. The batter will be thick with some lumps. Makes about 6 cups of batter.
  7. You will use the slightly thickened ganache reserved for the swirl in this step. Pour about 1/3 of the cake batter (about 2 cups) evenly into prepared pan. Drizzle half of the ganache on top (about 6 Tablespoons). Swirl with a knife or toothpick. Evenly pour another 1/3 of the cake batter on top, followed by the rest of the ganache (about 6 Tablespoons), then the rest of the cake batter. Swirl everything together with a knife or toothpick. See photo above for a visual.
  8. Bake for 60-75 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean with just a couple lightly moist crumbs. This is a large, heavy cake so don’t be alarmed if it takes a little longer in your oven. If the cake is browning quickly in the oven, tent it with aluminum foil to help it bake more evenly.
  9. Once done, remove from the oven and allow to cool for 2 hours inside the pan. Then, invert the slightly cooled cake onto a wire rack or serving dish. Cool completely before topping, slicing, and serving.
  10. The ganache topping will be very thick by now. Warm it over low heat on the stove stirring constantly until thinned and drizzle-able consistency. Do not over-heat it. Or warm in 10 second increments in the microwave, stirring after each until thinned. Drizzle over cake, then slice and serve.
  11. Cover leftover cake tightly and store at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Cake tastes unbelievable warmed in the microwave for a few seconds and served with vanilla ice cream.
Notes
  1. Make Ahead Instructions: You can prepare the ganache used for the swirl and topping up to 5 days in advance. Make sure both are warmed/thinned out before using. The ganache used for the swirl should be a gravy-like consistency and the topping can be pretty thin. To warm/thin out, see step 10 above or step 5 in the chocolate ganache post. Cake with or without topping freezes well up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then bring to room temperature before serving.
  2. Chocolate: You can use high quality chocolate chips if needed (I prefer Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate chips), but I recommend using real chocolate baking bars. You can find them right next to the chocolate chips in the baking aisle. They are sold in 4 ounce bars. I like Bakers or Ghirardelli brands. You can use other varieties of chocolate too, such as milk chocolate (aka German Chocolate) or Dark Chocolate. Do not use white chocolate.
  3. Buttermilk: Buttermilk is required for this recipe. You can make your own DIY buttermilk substitute if needed. Add 1 Tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice to a liquid measuring cup. Then add enough room temperature whole milk to the same measuring cup until it reaches 1 and 1/3 cups. (In a pinch, lower fat or nondairy milks work for this soured milk, but the cake won’t taste as moist or rich.) Stir it around and let sit for 5 minutes. The homemade “buttermilk” will be somewhat curdled and ready to use in the recipe.
I will try this recipe one more time as a 9 X 13.  The bundt version was horrible!!!  

Tuesday, December 10, 2024

Sugar Cookie Cups

These adorable Sugar Cookie Cups filled with buttercream are the tastiest little treats - perfect for any occasion!\
Prep Time: 30minutes mins
Cook Time: 12minutes mins
Total Time: 42minutes mins
Servings: 35 cookie cups

Equipment
Mini Muffin Tin

Ingredients
Sugar Cookie Dough*
3/4 cup salted butter softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon almond extract optional
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 cups flour
Buttercream Frosting*
1/4 cup salted butter softened
1 1/3 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon milk or heavy whipping cream
food coloring optional
sprinkles optional

Instructions
Make the Sugar Cookie Cups
  1. Preheat oven to 350F and grease 36 mini muffin cups with cooking spray.
  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar until well-combined.
  3. Stir in the egg, vanilla and almond extract (if using).
  4. Add the baking powder and flour and stir until combined.
  5. Scoop the dough by rounded tablespoons (about 1" in diameter) and roll into a ball. Place one in each muffin tin cup and flatten with your fingers (no need to form a "cup"....just flatten).
  6. Bake for about 10 minutes, or until golden brown around the edges.
  7. Use the cap of a bottle (I use the cap of my vanilla extract bottle) to press into each cookie to form a "cup."
  8. Let cool for 5 minutes in the pan and then remove to a wire cooling rack.

Make the Frosting and Assemble
  1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, stir the butter until smooth.
  2. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla and stir to incorporate.
  3. Add the milk (or cream) and beat until smooth, adding an addition 1/2 - 1 tablespoon of milk, if needed for desired consistency. Stir in food coloring, if desired.
  4. Scoop the frosting into a piping bag or resealable baggie and pipe into each of the cooled cookie cups.
  5. Top with sprinkles, if desired.
Notes
*You can also make these using store-bought sugar cookie dough and store-bought frosting.  You'll follow the recipe just as you would once the dough has been made.

Monster Cookie Dough Truffles

If you love the taste of cookie dough, these little morsels are for you!! With peanut butter, M&M's, chocolate chips and oats, these Monster Cookie Dough Truffles always hit the spot!

Prep Time: 20 mins
Dipping Time: 30 mins
Total Time: 50 mins
Course: Dessert
Servings: 36 Calories: 178kcal
Author: Kelsey

Ingredients
  • 1/4 cup butter softened
  • 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 1/4 Cup brown sugar
  • One 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups quick oats
  • 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup M&M's (or mini M&M's)
  • 12 ounces Semi-sweet chocolate chips OR peanut butter chips
  • 2 tablespoons shortening (ie Crisco)
  • additional M&M's, oats, etc for garnish

Instructions
  1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the butter, peanut butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy.
  2. Add the sweetened condensed milk and vanilla.
  3. Stir in the oats, mini chocolate chips and M&M's.
  4. Let mixture chill in the fridge for at least an hour (it'll be easier to work with!).
  5. Roll the mixture into balls; set in fridge while you make the coating.
  6. In a microwave-safe bowl, stir together the chocolate chips (or peanut butter chips) and shortening.
  7. Microwave at 50% power for 45 seconds. Stir. If it's not completely melted, microwave in 15 second intervals (at 50% power) until melted.
  8. Dip the balls in the coating and place on a waxed paper-lined baking sheet.
  9. Sprinkle with M&M's and oats.
10. Let chill and enjoy!