Chubby Bunny Cake Cookies

I also made these for Easter along with the Birds' Nests, I just haven't got around to writing the actual blogs.

Because these cookies are made from a cake mix, they're extremely soft and are super easy to make.  They cook very quickly and would be fun to make with kids if you don't care too much about the appearance of the cookie.  Personally, I did at first, then I decided I just wanted to finish the second batch and ended up making cookies that looked more like bears than bunnies.  But that's beside the point.  Quite simply, these are easy and require little effort, so have fun with them.

Ingredients

1 package of yellow cake mix

2 eggs

1/2 cup of water

Red food coloring (or whatever color you prefer)

Chocolate chips

Instructions

Combine the cake mix (just the powder), eggs, and water in a large bowl.  You could do it the complicated way and beat on low speed for thirty seconds, then on medium for two minutes, or you could do what I do and mix it with a whisk until everything is completely mixed together.

Set aside one cup of the batter, then add red food coloring to the remaining batter in the large bowl.  Since this is supposed to be an Easter recipe, you can make the bunnies kind of pink.  Another thing that I wish I'd done is make multiple colors of bunnies, all in pastels of course.  Whatever color you'd like your bunnies to be, add that to the batter now.

Cut a hole (about one fourth of an inch) in the corner of two plastic bags, a sandwich bag is big enough, don't worry.  Fill the bags with the batter and grease two baking sheets.  Pipe an oval of color for the face, as well as two oval for the ears.  Fill in the ears with uncolored batter, and make the cheeks as well.  Then fill in any gaps with colored batter.  Press the chocolate chips into the batter for eyes and a nose (you can also use the bottoms of gumdrops for the noses).

Bake the cookies at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for four to six minutes, allow to cool for one to two minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.

Enjoy!!

Birds' Nests

Seeing as it was Easter about two weeks ago, I thought I'd make some Easter-themed recipes.  I'd like to clarify though, that I made these before Easter, I just really suck at posting my blogs on time.

For my first Easter themed recipe I decided to do the traditional / stereotypical Birds' Nests.  They're basically an Easter staple, yet I had not made them before now.  I'm slightly ashamed.  Personally, I don't think they live up to the hype, but they're good enough.  It's probably because I don't actually like Cadbury Eggs (cue gasp - sorry).  They look really good though and are super easy to make, so if you are mildly competent in the kitchen have at it!

Ingredients

6 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate chips (basically half the bag)

6 ounces of butterscotch chips (again, basically half the bag)

1 cup peanut butter (creamy!)

6 ounces of chow mein noodles (and yet again, basically half the bag)

Mini Cadbury Eggs

Instructions

1.  Generously grease a muffin pan with butter or non-stick spray.  If you don't it'll be a lot harder to get the actual nests out when they are done cooling / being refrigerated.

2.  In a microwave safe bowl, melt the chocolate and butterscotch chips.  It'd be helpful for later if you use a rather large bowl, as this is what you'll add the chow mein noodles to.  As with all other times melting chocolate chips, do so in thirty second increments, stirring after each one.

3.  While melting the chocolate chips, or before if you want to be super cool, measure out one cup of peanut butter.  When you've completely melted the chocolate and butterscotch chips until the mixture is smooth, add the peanut butter and mix in completely.

4.  Pour about half of the bag of chow mein noodles to the mixture and stir, being sure to completely coat each piece.  I ended up using about three fourths of the bag, and probably could have used it all, because I felt that the chocolate was too thick on the noodles.  It all comes down to personal preference.

5.  Use a large spoon / your fingers to mold the chocolate covered noodles into the muffin cups.  Leave a bit of an indentation in the center of the nests, that's where the eggs will go.

6.  Place the nests in the refrigerator to chill, this should take about an hour.  Keep in mind that when you set them out (if you do) the chocolate will be prone to melting so it's to leave them in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve them.

7.  To remove the nests, use a butter knife to pop them out, applying a very small amount of pressure.  Add the Cadbury Eggs.  I was able to fit one or two, but I also didn't make very large indents for them.  If you don't like Cadbury Eggs (like me) then you could try using jelly beans, but it doesn't have quite the same aesthetic effect.

Enjoy!!

Candy Brownies

This just might be the easiest thing I've ever posted, because there are basically no baking skills required.  All you have to be able to do is measure, crack an egg, and stir.  I think anyone can do that.

I also think that basically everybody loves brownies.  They're chocolate, kind of like a cake but not really, and normally easy to make (since basically everybody gets the box recipe).  But, as with all good things, too much of a that thing is a bad thing.  So, to justify having even more brownies, you can add a little twist so that it is just different enough for it to be unique.  There are a lot of different things that you can do to make the brownies taste a bit different yet still be a brownie, but in this blog I'm going to focus on what you can add prior to baking the brownies.

Now if you'd like to, you can use a personal recipe to make the actual brownies.  If you're like me and don't have much time to make them from scratch, however, you can do what I do most often and buy a boxed mix.  Follow whatever directions you have for whichever brownies you please.  If you buy a boxed mix make sure you have eggs, oil, and water so you don't have to ask your neighbor for something (guess who did...guilty).  In addition to the traditional ingredients, go out and get some of your favorite candy.  Stay in the chocolate and caramel related candies, Sweet Tarts or Jelly Beans might taste a bit weird in brownies.  Personally, I added Twix, M&M's, Reese's, Hershey's chocolate, and chocolate chips.

Make sure to cut the candy into smaller pieces, you don't want to go for a bite of brownie and get just a Reese's (unless you do want that).  I cut the Reese's into sixths, the Twix into little slices, and I broke the Hershey's squares into halves.  The M&M's and chocolate chips don't need to be smaller, obviously.

Once you've made the brownie mix, pour it into the pan in preparation of putting it in the oven.  If you'd like to use chocolate chips, you could add them before pouring the mix.  If you'd like to, then about one cup should be a good starting point, and keep in mind that you will be adding more candy.  You can also sprinkle the chocolate chips on as a filler between the other candy.

Sprinkle the candy on while attempting to achieve an even distribution, this way you'll get a variety of candy in the brownies and it's not all centered in certain areas.  Once you're happy with your sprinkling of candy, bake the brownies according to directions.

Enjoy!!

P.S.
I apologize for the lack of pictures in this post, I was a bit too busy at the time and may have forgotten to take some.

Caramel Chocolate Layered Cake

I think I've said it before in a previous post, but I don't like chocolate cake.  However I do sort of like this cake, mainly because it's denser and has caramel in the middle, so it doesn't seem like a chocolate cake.  The first time I had this was at a friends house for a birthday party, and they added some extra things that I will add in the notes at the end of this post.  Also, I'd like to apologize in advance for not adding pictures.  I was in a bit of a rush when I made these, so I didn't have time to stop and take pictures.

Ingredients

1 German Chocolate Cake mix

3 eggs (may differ for your mix)

1 1/2 cups water (may differ for your mix)

1/3 cup oil (may differ for your mix)

2/3 cup evaporated milk

3/4 cups melted butter

14 oz bag of caramels
1 cup milk chocolate chips

Instructions

First comes the German Chocolate cake mix.  Make the batter as directed.  The box I bought directed me to add three eggs, one and one half cups of water, and one third cup of oil.  After you've mixed the primary ingredient together, add one third cup of evaporated milk and three fourths cups of melted butter.  Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit at this point, and grease a nine by thirteen pan.  Pour half of the batter into the pan, then bake for six minutes.

As the cake is baking, or before you put it in if you'd like to be cautious and/or proactive, melt the caramels and the rest of the evaporated milk.  I microwaved them in thirty second intervals and stirred after each stopping point.  When the cake has been in the oven for six minutes and the caramel is melted, pour the caramel in a layer over the half-baked chocolate cake.  Sprinkle the chocolate chips over the caramel layer, then pour the rest of the cake batter onto the cake and caramel layers.  Bake the cake for the remainder of the time, typically about 15 to 18 minutes.

When the cake is cooked thoroughly, let it cool then refrigerate it to set the caramel layer.

Enjoy!!

Notes:

~My friend put thick vanilla frosting on top of the cake, and added some sprinkles.  It was really really really good and 10/10 recommend.

Caramel Fleur de Sel Mug Cake

I've made a couple of other mug recipes, and they have all been successful.  This one has been especially popular among my family, and has been requested quite a few times since I first made it earlier this week.  It is a very spongy cake with a contrasting taste between the salt and caramel, and it's all the better for being a 10-minute recipe.  Plus, it has caramel in it.  Of course it is going to be delicious.  If you're lazy and love eating great desserts with very little effort, this recipe is for you.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

1/4 cup sugar

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons milk

1 tablespoon caramel sauce

6 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon fleur de sel

4 caramel squares

Instructions

1.  With a fork, 'beat' the butter and sugar together.  It helps if the butter is room temperature, then you can actually work with it.

2.  Add the egg, vanilla extract, milk, and caramel sauce.  Stir until mostly smooth, there will still be lumps unless you want to go above and beyond (I didn't.)

3.  Add the flour and continue stirring until smooth, lumps should be minimal, if not absent.  Add the salt and stir again.

4.  Pour half of the mix into a mug, then microwave it for 30 or 45 seconds, then drop the caramels into the mug.  If you want the caramels to be right on top of the cake, then do 45 seconds, if you want the caramels mixed into the cake, then do 30 seconds.  I made one of each and both were equally good.

The cake should look similar to this halfway through.

5.  After dropping in the caramels, microwave for another 45 seconds to 1 minute.  I usually added about 10 to 15 seconds on the end of the time to ensure they were fully done.

Notes:

~ The batter rises to about twice the original height, so don't overfill the mug.  This recipe actually makes two mugs, unless you have a huge mug, in which case this is a single serving recipe.

~ If you would like more salt, you can sprinkle some on before or after microwaving, I prefer not to, but I'm sure it would still taste just as good.
~  If you refrigerate your caramel sauce like you should, then pop it in the microwave a bit to thin it out.  This way you don't add more caramel than you were expecting to, and it does not overpower the taste of the cake.

Frozen Hot Chocolate - Or Something Similar

Personally, I don't like hot chocolate, but my family sure does.  I think my issue is that warm or hot beverages bother me, I have no idea why, but that's how it is.  When I found this recipe, I figured I'd go ahead and make it because it is super easy and requires absolutely no cooking or baking experience and I knew that my family would enjoy it.  It's also much healthier than a hot chocolate or an equivalent recipe, because the only ingredients that are used to sweeten it are the bananas and dates which just so happen to be fruit.  Basically the only sugary, unhealthy part of the smoothie is the cocoa powder, and even that can be decreased to suit personal preference.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups of milk (skim, soy, or almond)

1 1/2 bananas, frozen (peel before freezing)

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

3 dates, pitted

Ice (optional)

Instructions

Throw all the ingredients in a blender, and blend on high until smooth.  It really couldn't get any easier.

Notes

~  I added ice because it was too soupy for my liking.  If you are going to add ice, don't do it to the end.  Only add a couple cubes at a time.

~  Despite the name, it doesn't taste exactly like a hot chocolate, but according to my brother it's pretty close.

~  This made two glasses, but I used relatively skinny glasses so if bigger ones are used it could easily be a single serving recipe.  It probably made two glasses because I added ice to thicken it up.

~  Apparently dates are by the raisins, oops. (I spent a while looking for them and I'm too socially awkward to ask for help, so I wandered around and called my mom until I found them)

~  Before freezing the bananas, peel them.  I wasn't thinking and ended up whittling away the peels with a very sharp knife, peeling before will save a lot of time.

~  If you don't want a super rich and chocolaty smoothie, then decrease the cocoa powder to something like 1 1/2 teaspoons.

~  I made mine with plain skim milk, but I think it would taste really good with almond milk.

~  It doesn't matter in what order you add the ingredients, but I usually add the frozen and solid ingredients first.