a trio of culinary sins

I found a very sinful recipe via pinterest for candied bacon chocolate chip cookies - which you know I just HAD to try.  I call it my trio of sins with bacon, chocolate, and sugar being in the mix.  Actually I should make that 4 sins because it's got a lot of butter in it too.  I will also say the candied bacon by itself it divine! =)

As I was making the dough, something seemed off to me with the original recipe.  From my mies en place I realized that there was not enough bacon (thank goodness I made way more than the recipe called for) and way too much chocolate.  Not only that, but I also felt that the chips should be milk chocolate, not semi-sweet to further balance the flavors.  The end result of my concoction?  My official taste tester who is NOT a fan of sweets said that they were *THE* best chocolate chip cookies he's ever had.  I have to agree, although I must say I am a bit biased...

candied bacon chocolate chip cookies

For the candied bacon:
12 slices of good thick center cut bacon (from your butcher would be best)
3/4 cup brown sugar

for the cookie dough:
2-1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup butter, melted and slightly cooled
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
1 tbs pure vanilla extract
1 whole egg + 1 egg yolk
1-1/2 cups milk chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Arrange bacon in a single layer on a foil lined cookie sheet with a rim. Sprinkle brown sugar over the top of the bacon.  Bake for 10 minutes.  Remove from over and flip pieces over.  Bake an additional 10-15 minutes, or until crispy.  You may have to do this step twice to accommodate all the bacon.
3. Remove from over and place on a wire rack to cool.  DO NOT put bacon on a paper towel or anything of the sort.  The melted sugars will stick a bit to whatever you put it on so make sure it's something you're not going to be picking off it later.  Dice bacon to around chocolate chip size once fully cooled.
4. Reduce your oven temperature to 325 degrees F.
5. In a large bowl, cream the butter with both the white and light brown sugars.
6. Add the vanilla, egg and egg yolk to the bowl and beat until light and creamy.
7. Add the flour and baking soda, mix well.
8. Add the candied bacon and chocolate chips.  Stir by hand until combined.
9. Line your cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Make golf ball sized balls of the cookie dough and place on the cookie sheet about 2" apart.  Bake for 13-15 minutes or until edges are brown.  Remove from oven.  lLt the cookies sit in the pan for about a minute before removing to a wire rack.

Makes about 3 dozen cookies.  Enjoy! =)

sweet, salty, buttery goodness

i am a pretty regular watcher of ABC's "The Chew" and a while back Carla Hall made some potato chip cookies which i have been DYING to try for quite some time.  finally i decided i was going to make them this weekend, mainly as a treat for sticking to my half-marathon training program for 5 weeks now.   these cookies are fantastic in all forms - as raw dough, as a plain cookie, or with the chocolate and potato chip toppings.  they remind me of salerno butter cookies when plain, something i ate a lot of as a kid.  but enough already, i know your mouth is probably watering.  here's the recipe as i made it:

potato chip cookies

1 cup butter, partially melted
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1-1/2 cup crushed kettle cooked potato chips, divided
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
confectioners sugar
1 bag hershey's milk chocolate chocolate chips

1. preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. mix together with a mixer the butter and sugar til well blended.  change to a low speed and blend in 3/4 cup of the crushed potato chips.  add in the vanilla extract and mix til combined.  add the flour and use the mixer just a bit to get it somewhat blended.  finish by hand with a spatula as you do not want to overwork the dough.
3. make 1" balls and place them on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper about 2" apart.  flatten them with your fingers.  dust with confectioners sugar.
4. bake cookies for 10 - 15 minutes (mine took about 12 minutes) or until golden brown.  allow to cool.
5. melt the chocolate chips, but not all the way.  with a small spatula, "frost" the cookies with the melted chocolate.  while chocolate is still soft, sprinkle more crushed potato chips on top.

makes about 3 dozen cookies.  enjoy! =)

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download a printable copy of this recipe at...
http://www.oncupcakemoon.com/recipes/potatochipcookies.pdf

let's talk turkey

well, maybe not turkey, but how about a holiday dessert? like something with maybe - eggnog? i loooooooove me some eggnog and when i discovered something called "eggnog pie" i was in heaven. as usual, i changed the recipe a bit - more eggnog, less milk, added almonds, and removed a layer of caramel and pecans.  it's super easy to make, and i think this is going to take the place of pumpkin pie during the holidays in my house from now on.  the hardest part is to wait the 3 hours while it is in the refrigerator!

layered eggnog pie

9" pre-made graham cracker crust (see below, or use a premade one from the grocery store)
2 packages vanilla instant pudding (3.4 oz. size)
1/2 cup cold milk (i used 1%)
1-1/2 cups cold eggnog (i used store-bought lite eggnog)
1 tub of whipped topping (i used lite cool whip)
1/2 cup sliced almonds

1. whisk together pudding mixed with milk and eggnog, about 2 minutes.  spoon 1-1/2 cups of this into pie crust.
2. stir in half of the whipped topping to the remaining pudding mixture; mix well.  spread over the top of the pudding layer.
3. spread a third layer of the remaining whipped topping over the other two layers.
4. top with sliced almonds.
5. chill for 3 hours.

makes about 10 servings.  enjoy! =)



graham cracker pie crust

2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup melted butter
1/3 cup sugar

1. combine all ingredients. press to the bottom and up the sides of 9-inch pie plate. bake at 400° for 10 minutes.

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download a printable copy of this recipe at...
http://www.oncupcakemoon.com/recipes/eggnogpie.pdf

sometimes you need to take 5

sometimes life doesn't go as planned, as the last month has been for me.  i had big plans of handmade gift guides, wearing handmade wednesdays AND weekends, and many recipe postings of all my holiday baking.  instead i feel like i've been crazy doing things i HAD to, and didn't get much time to devote to things i really WANTED to do...  the holidays seem to do that to me.  maybe that's why i'm not the biggest fan of them.

anyway, one of the things i did manage to get to was making these cookies.  i really love all the flavors of hershey's take 5 candy bars (chocolate, pretzels, caramel, peanuts, and peanut butter) and was looking for something that was similar in cookie form.  i spent hours looking for recipes a few months ago and found nothing remotely close so of course, i decided to make up my own.  i'm pretty pleased with them as i ate a lot of them in the last couple of weeks.  i'll be seeing the treadmill a bit more in the next couple of weeks, lol!

deb's "take 5" inspired cookie bars

3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/3 cup butter, melted
1-1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 eggs
1-1/2 cups flour
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 11.5 oz bag (2 cups) hershey's milk chocolate chips
1 cup (or more if you like more pretzel taste) pretzel sticks chopped into 1/2" pieces
heath bits o' brickle toffee chips

1. preheat oven to 350.  spray a 13 x 9 x 2 pan with non-stick cooking spray.
2. in a large bowl beat peanut butter, butter, brown sugar and eggs til well blended.
3. sift together flour, baking powder and salt.  add this to the mixture and beat just a little bit (dough will be dry at this point).  add in milk and vanilla and beat until all is well blended.  when done, spread the dough in the pan.  use a lightly floured glass as a rolling pin if needed.
4. bake for 15 minutes.  add the entire bag of chocolate chips to the top and bake 3 minutes more (you may need an extra minute or so for the chocolate to melt thoroughly - test by trying to spread the chocolate with a spatula).  remove from oven.  sprinkle pretzels over the top of the chips.  immediately start to spread the chocolate and pretzel mixture into a nice layer across the top with a spatula.  when finished, sprinkle toffee chips over the top.  if needed, put in refrigerator to harden the chocolate.
5. to serve, cut into bars.

makes about 3 dozen cookies.  enjoy! =)

♠ ♠ ♠

download a printable copy of this recipe at...
http://www.oncupcakemoon.com/recipes/take5inspiredcookiebars.pdf

pumpkin cupcakes!

when i found a recipe for pumpkin cupcakes i was ready to make it immediately.  now add some cheesecake flavor to the pumpkin.  yes, please!  then top it with cream cheese frosting...  i am one happy, happy girl!  these cupcakes are so moist and tasty, and a great alternative to vanilla and chocolate.  they're perfect for the season too and were a big hit last year.  while sampling my finished cupcakes yesterday, i had an idea.  i think i'm going to try a marbled version of this next time i make them by using a toothpick to swirl the cheesecake layer throughout the cupcake.

i also tested out Reynolds Baked For You StayBright baking cups in their black and white damask pattern.  it's foil lined on the inside so that the pattern on the liner stays vibrant after baking.  i'd say they worked well!

pumpkin cheesecake cupcakes

1 pkg (8 oz.) package of cream cheese at room temperature
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar (powdered sugar)
1 large egg white
1-1/2 tsp vanilla, divided (1/2 tsp, 1 tsp)
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
2 eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1-1/2 cups flour
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

1. preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. using a mixer, beat the cream cheese and confectioner's sugar for 2-3 minutes in a bowl.  add in the egg white and 1/2 tsp vanilla and beat for another 2 minutes.
3. in another bowl, mix the pumpkin, eggs, sugar, oil and 1 tsp. vanilla.  mix well.  add in the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, and salt.  continue mixing til all is well blended.
4. line a muffin pan with foil lined baking cups (i've found they work best).  put a heaping tablespoon of pumpkin mixture into the bottom of each cup.  layer with a measured tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture.  top with another tablespoon of pumpkin mixture and level it off a bit if needed.  don't worry if it doesn't look pretty, it will bake nicely.  bake for 25 minutes in the lower third of your oven.  let cool and frost with cream cheese frosting (recipe below).

makes 1 dozen. enjoy! =)


cream cheese frosting

1 pkg (8 oz.) cream cheese at room temperature
1/4 cup butter, melted
4 cups powdered sugar
1-1/2 tsp vanilla

1.  beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla in large bowl with mixer until well blended.  add sugar gradually and continue beating until well blended.

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download a printable copy of this recipe at...
http://www.oncupcakemoon.com/recipes/pumpkincheesecakecupcakes.pdf

freshly baked

once halloween is over, the thing i look forward to is holiday baking.  i make cookies, a cinnamon & sugar bread, cakes, cupcakes (lots of these recipes to come)...  yeah, i am in the gym A LOT in the winter, haha.

but since i have not done a dessert recipe in a while, i thought i'd start with these peanut butter & chocolate chip cookies that i was craving madly while working today.  it's a dreary, rainy thursday and what better way to catch up on the blog recipes by sharing this one!

peanut butter & chocolate chip cookies

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
1 egg
1-1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1-1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (i use hershey's brand)

1. preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. in a large bowl, combine all ingredients except for the peanut butter and chocolate chips.  once combined, add the peanut butter.  when that is well mixed, fold in the chocolate chips.
3. form into firmly packed 1" balls and drop onto ungreased cookie sheet about 2" apart.  flatten to about 3/8" with the bottom of a glass.
4. bake 5-7 minutes.  remove from cookie sheet and let cool.

makes about 4 dozen cookies.  enjoy! =)

♠ ♠ ♠

download a printable copy of this recipe at...
http://www.oncupcakemoon.com/recipes/peanutbutterchocolatechipcookies.pdf

peanut butter perfection

Today I thought I'd share a little background on me and my cooking/baking...

I've never taken home ec.  I've never had a cooking class.  I'm completely self-taught and the biggest motivator is that I'm a VERY picky eater.  Recipes that I don't particularly care for I will work on until they can tickle my taste buds.  This one is no different.  I love peanut butter and chocolate together, but as I've said before I'm not a big fan of chocolate cake.  I researched and tried many from scratch chocolate cake recipes before I found one that i could amend to my liking, and then the hard part - adding the peanut butter to work well with it as a standalone cupcake.  Then I worked on the frosting, and was inspired by the local grocery store's chopped reese's peanut butter cups as a garnish on top of chocolate cupcakes.  It finally all came together a couple weekends ago and I must say, this one is so, so good.  Pair it with a tall, cold glass of milk and you have a dessert to die for.

peanut butter and chocolate cupcakes

1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
3/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup hershey's unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil or vegetable shortening
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup hot water

frosting:
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup sweet cream salted butter, melted
4 cups confectioner's sugar
1/3 cup half and half

garnish:
reese's peanut butter chips
8 reese's peanut butter cups, chilled and chopped


1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Combine and stir the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, cocoa powder, and salt in a large bowl.
3. In another bowl, combine together the egg, milk, oil, and vanilla with a hand mixer.  Add peanut butter.  Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients until you can get them as smooth as you can.  Add the hot water and continue mixing until all are mixed together.
3. Prepare a cupcake pan with baking cups (I use foil lined cups for best results).  Fill cups 3/4 full.  bake for 15-18 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.  Do not overbake.  Let cool before frosting.

4. For the frosting: using a hand mixer combine all 4 ingredients til smooth.  If needed, add additional half and half to get it smooth.  Garnish with chips and chopped peanut butter cups.  Side note:  after several attempts I found the most aesthetic way to frost them was to hand frost, then hand pipe frosting in the center, only about 2/3 out.  Then when the garnish is added, it looks so much nicer.

Makes 12-16 cupcakes.  Enjoy! =)

four banana, three banana, two banana, one...

oh, the banana splits!  i watched them a lot as a kid, and i love the dessert too.  so back in january when i was emailed a banana split dessert recipe i was so excited to try it - til i made it.  it was very runny, the cream cheese layer was waaaaaaaay too sweet even for me, and overall it didn't remotely remind me of one of my favorite desserts.  it was from one of those email recipe-a-day sites too, so i was pretty disappointed.  of course, my sweet tooth and i set out to make our very own version of this summer goodie...  i guarantee you won't be disappointed with this!

banana split layered dessert

8 tbs. (1 stick) butter
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
2 packages (8 oz.) cream cheese (lite or regular only), softened
3/4 cup sugar
3 tbs. milk
2 cups whipped topping, thawed
2 cups crushed pineapple, drained
4-6 large strawberries, sliced
2-3 medium bananas, halved & sliced
1 package (5.9 oz.) chocolate pudding
2 cups cold milk
optional garnishes:
whipped cream
chopped nuts
maraschino cherries

1. preheat oven to 200 degrees F.  melt butter.  in a 9"x13" pan stir together butter and graham cracked crumbs.  press with a fork or bottom of glass to make a crust.  bake for 5 minutes.  let cool.
2. beat cream cheese, sugar, and 3 tbs. milk with electric mixer. add in whipped topping.  beat til smooth and creamy.  spread over crust and refrigerate for about 2 hours.
3. spread a thin layer of crushed pineapple over the cream cheese layer.  add strawberry slices and banana slices (see picture below).
4. make chocolate pudding with 2 cups cold milk.  when well blended, spread as a layer on top of the fruit layer.  refrigerate.
5. before serving, garnish with whipped cream, nuts and a cherry on top.

fruit layer and side note: it would be prettier to put the fruit on top of the chocolate pudding.  however, the bananas brown quickly if you do that.  so putting them under the chocolate is the best solution.

makes about 15 servings.  enjoy! =)

♠ ♠ ♠

download a printable copy of this recipe at...
http://www.oncupcakemoon.com/recipes/bananasplitlayereddessert.pdf

graham crackers and marshmallows and chocolate, oh my!

i think i may have stated before that i'm not a fan of chocolate cake.  it always seems to be too dry and tastes fake to me.  couple that with every s'mores cupcake recipe that i have come across has chocolate cake based cupcakes.  that began my quest to make my own recipe for s'mores cupcakes that was graham cracker cake based instead...  i literally put together the best parts of 5 different recipes (some s'mores, some not) to come up with this one, and i have never made a cake that wasn't from a box mix that was this incredibly moist - trust me, you will want to eat this cake batter before baking it!  it is a bit of work to get to the finished product, but i *swear* it is worth every bit of your sweat and time to make them.  so party at my house this weekend if you want one!

two last things before i get to this recipe... adorning my s'mores cupcake is one of my new skully love cupcake wrappers which will be in my etsy shop later today.  isn't it cute?!!!  and i have to give a BIG thanks to sue, pili and rhi for their assistance with creating it!  you'll each be getting a set! =)

yes, i know you probably want to lick the screen right about now.  so here it is!

deb's birthday cupcakes, aka graham cracker s'mores cupcakes

5 c. graham cracker crumbs, divided (3 cups, 1-1/2 cups, 1/2 cup)
1 tbsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
3 eggs, separated
1-1/2 c. milk
3/4 c. shortening
1-3/4 c. sugar, divided (1-1/2 cups, 1/4 cup)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
bag regular sized marshmallows
milk chocolate frosting (see recipe below)
a couple of hershey bars broken into the little rectangles for garnish
mini marshmallows for garnish
foil lined baking cups for best results

1. preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  turn graham crackers into crumbs using a food processor or blender.  empty contents into large bowl.  repeat until you have 5 cups.  in another large bowl mix together 3 cups of graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt.
2. put egg yolks, milk, shortening, sugar and vanilla into a blender.  cover and process until smooth.  add to graham cracker mixture and mix well.
3. beat egg whites with mixer until stiff.  fold into cracker mixture.
4. place 1-1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs, 1/4 cup sugar, and melted butter in a large bowl; stir until well combined.
5. place 1 tablespoon graham cracker mixture into the bottom of each baking cup.  use the bottom of a small glass (a shot glass works really well, lol!) to pack crumbs into the bottom of each liner.  transfer baking cups to oven and bake until the edges are golden, about 5 minutes.
6. fill baking cups about 3/4 full with cake batter.  bake 18 minutes.
7. while cupcakes are baking, flatten as many marshmallows as you have cupcakes with your fingers.  slide oven shelf out far enough to reach without burning yourself.  place one flattened marshmallow on top of each cupcake.  slide cupcakes back in and bake for 4 minutes more.  side note: marshmallows will lose their puffiness once you remove them from the oven and look like a flat icing on the cupcake.
8. let cool completely.  if you would like more marshmallow taste like i do, flatten another marshmallow per cupcake and put under the broiler for about a minute.  this will toast them nicely (see photo below).  just make sure to keep an eye on them so they don't burn!
9. frost cupcakes with milk chocolate frosting.  sprinkle with remaining graham cracker crumbs on top.  garnish with a hershey bar piece and mini marshmallow.

makes at least 2 dozen cupcakes.  ENJOY!!!! =)

toasted marshmallow photo:

milk chocolate frosting

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
2/3 cup hershey's cocoa
3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 to 1/2 cup half and half (the hershey's recipe calls for milk but i think half and half makes it taste way better)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. melt butter.  stir in cocoa.  alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency.  add small amount additional milk, if needed.  stir in vanilla.

makes about 2 cups frosting

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download a printable copy of this recipe at...
http://www.oncupcakemoon.com/recipes/grahamcrackersmorescupcakes.pdf

a chocoholic's dream

droooooooool!  if you like chocolate, this week's dessert recipe is perfection.  the bottom part of this bar has a similar taste to a brownie, but it has a much lighter texture to it.  the mousse part is wonderfully light and tasty too.  next time i make it, i might add some nuts to the "brownie" layer to add a little variety - and because it was a suggestion from my designated taste tester.  amazingly these bars aren't as rich as you might expect them to be either...  ok, ok, i'll stop and just get on with the recipe!! =)

chocolate mousse bars

1 pkg Baker's semi-sweet chocolate squares, divided
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk, divided
4 eggs
1 pkg (3.9 oz.) chocolate instant pudding
1-1/2 cups thawed whipped topping

1. heat oven to 325°F
2. melt 6 chocolate squares in a bowl in the microwave in 30 second increments, stirring in between.  mix melted chocolate with sugar, flour, 1/4 cup condensed milk and eggs until well blended.  pour into 8" or 9" square pan sprayed with cooking spray.
3. bake 35 minutes for an 8" pan, 25 minutes for a 9" pan or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.  make sure not to overbake.  let cool completely.
4. beat dry pudding mix with remaining condensed milk with a whisk for about 2 minutes.  stir in whipped topping and spread over dessert.  melt remaining 2 chocolate squares same way as above.  drizzle over pudding layer.  refrigerate until drizzle becomes firm.  another option is to drizzle chocolate designs on wax paper.  refrigerate.  peel and place on top of each square before serving.

hint: to get nice clean cuts of the bars when you choose to drizzle the chocolate on top, refrigerate for about an hour after adding the pudding layer.  cut but leave in the pan.  then drizzle the chocolate over the top and refrigerate again.  the chocolate on top will need to be cut for serving but it will be much easier to do so if it is just the chocolate.

makes about 16 servings.  enjoy! =)

♠ ♠ ♠

download a printable copy of this recipe at...
http://www.oncupcakemoon.com/recipes/chocolatemoussebars.pdf

more cool wHip

ok, i admit it.  my sister and i used to sneak and eat cool whip out of the tub as kids.  and i think since making my faux ice cream cake, i can't seem get it off my mind!  now that strawberries are in season i was looking for something to make with them and cool whip.  these squares have a perfect balance of sweet and salt to them between the strawberry, cheesecake, chocolate and pretzel tastes.

this past weekend i did over 20 miles of cardio, so i think i can afford the little bit of butter in this recipe.  this doesn't take a lot of time to make, but a lot of refrigeration time for the layers.  so if you have the patience to keep going back and forth, they are well worth making! =)

layered strawberry cheesecake squares with a chocolate pretzel crust

2 cups finely crushed pretzels
1/2 cup sugar, divided
13 tbs butter, divided
6 squares of Baker's semi-sweet baking chocolates
1-1/2 pkg (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
2 tbs milk
1-1/2 cup whipped topping, thawed
2 cups boiling water
1 pkg strawberry flavored gelatin
1-1/2 cups cold water
1 qt fresh strawberries, sliced

1. preheat oven to 350 degrees.  mix pretzel crumbs, 1/4 cup sugar and 10 tbs of butter (melted).  press onto bottom of 13"x9" pan.  bake 10 minutes.  let cool.
2. melt chocolate squares and remaining butter.  stir well.  pour as a layer over the pretzel mixture. refrigerate.
3. beat cream cheese, remaining sugar and milk until well blended.  stir in whipped topping.  spread as the next layer but not until chocolate layer has hardened.  refrigerate.
4. in a large bowl, add boiling water to gelatin.  stir 2 minutes or until completely dissolved.  stir in cold water.  refrigerate 1-1/2 hours or until some thickening occurs.  stir in strawberries and spoon over cream cheese layer.  refrigerate 3 hours.

tip: allow squares to sit out at room temperature for about 15 minutes before serving for easier cutting.

make about 18 servings.  enjoy! =)

♠ ♠ ♠

download a printable copy of this recipe at...
http://www.oncupcakemoon.com/recipes/layedstrawberrycheesecakesquares.pdf

peanut butter and chocolate goodness

my peeps flower cake was long gone by the time yesterday arrived so i had to come up with another dessert to bring to dinner.  it was a beautiful and warm day - perfect for this peanut butter & chocolate faux ice cream cake.  with this recipe, even those who aren't big fans of sweets ended up eating more than one piece. and since i've been requested to share it asap, here it is!

peanut butter & chocolate faux ice cream cake

ingredients:
12 Nutter Butter sandwich cookies, divided
3 tbs. butter, melted
1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
½ cup peanut butter
½ cup sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tub whipped topping, thawed, divided
2 squares Baker’s semi-sweet chocolate, melted

1. crush 8 of the cookies in a resealable plastic bag with a rolling pin. mix the cookie crumbs with butter. press onto the bottom of a foil-lined loaf pan.
2. mix cream cheese, peanut butter, sugar and vanilla with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. with a spoon stir in 3 cups of the whipped topping.
3. remove ½ cup of the cream cheese mixture into a small bowl. in the small bowl stir in the chocolate until well blended and set aside.
4. spoon half the remaining cream cheese mixture over cookie crust. layer with chocolate mixture. top with the rest of the cream cheese mixture.
5. freeze 4 hours or overnight until firm. invert onto plate and remove foil, then reinvert onto serving platter so that the crumb layer is on the bottom. top dessert with remaining whipped topping. break apart or crush the last 4 cookies and sprinkle cookie crumbs.

makes about 10 servings.  enjoy! =)

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download a printable pdf file of this recipe at...
http://www.oncupcakemoon.com/recipes/pbandcfauxicecreamcake.pdf

a very cute & easy easter cake

this week's recipe isn't so much of a recipe as it is an idea.  with easter being this weekend, i thought this would be the perfect thing to post.

i originally found this recipe as a sunflower cake.  the directions are to make a yellow cake and frost it with chocolate frosting.  you arrange the peeps the same way but put graduated sized chocolate chips in the center of the flower.  i LOVE chocolate, but chocolate frosting isn't my favorite.  and i think of sunflowers being late summer, not spring.  so i thought - how can i make this cake better for me, and more "easter"?

1.  i made a strawberry box mix cake (i have yet to find a cake recipe from scratch that tastes as light and as good as a box mix).  i also made it in two 8-1/2" rounds which had a scalloped edge like petals.
2.  i frosted it with vanilla funfetti frosting.   a big hint - make sure to do the top last to make sure the peeps and sprinkles will stick.
3.  i arranged sugar-free peeps around the edge like petals (peeps facing in).  i used the sugar-free peeps because they don't come attached in rows like the regular ones.  i then took the sprinkles that came with the funfetti frosting and scattered them in the center of the "flower".  didn't it turn out cute?!