Chocolate Parfait.....YUM

This stuff is DELISH. It will fulfill your chocolate cravings! The best thing about it is it is SO easy to make.

For the crust:
1 cup chopped nuts (can be almonds or walnuts)
1 square of butter
1 cup of flour

Melt butter and add nuts and flour. Mix well and press into a lightly greased 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Let cool.

Cheese filling:
8 oz cream cheese
8 oz cool whip
1 cup powdered sugar

Beat until creamy. Spread carefully onto crust.

Pudding filling:
1 3 1/2 oz instant vanilla pudding
1 3 1/2 oz instant chocolate pudding
3 cups milk

Use a whisk to mix well until pudding thickens and spread on top of cheese filling.

Topping: top with another container of 8 oz cool whip. Garnish with Hershey's chocolate bar-grated.

ENJOY!!

Eclair Pie

Oh my gosh can you say Heaven! This was delicious a little rich, so you can only have so much, but taste so much like an eclair, which I love! This recipe also comes from real mom kitchen...thank you again Laura this one is a keeper. original recipe posted here.

• 2 (3.5 ounce) packages instant french vanilla pudding mix (I used regular vanilla)
• 1 (8 ounce) container Cool Whip, thawed
• 3 cups milk
• 1 (16 ounce) package graham crackers or 3 sleeves
• Frosting:
• 4 Tbsp. butter, softened
• 3 Tbsp. cocoa powder
• 2 1/3 cup powdered sugar
• 3/4 tsp. vanilla
• 2 Tbsp milk or more if needed

1. In a bowl, blend together the pudding for 2 minutes until thick.
2. Fold the Cool Whip into the pudding mixture.
3. In a 9 x 13 pan, arrange graham cracker to cover the bottom of a the pan. I am kind of a perfectionist about this and trim down some of the graham crackers with a serrated knife to completely cover the bottom. Just cover the bottom the best you can.
4. Pour half of the pudding mixture over the crackers and spread out evenly.
5. Top pudding with another layer of graham crackers. Pour the remaining pudding mixture over the crackers and spread evenly.
6. Place one more layer of graham crackers over the pudding mixture.
7. Prepare the frosting. In a bowl, beat the butter until fluffy.
8. Beat in the cocoa, vanilla, and half the powdered sugar until well blended.
9. Blend in the remaining powdered sugar and milk. Blend until smooth. You want the frosting to be on the thinner side so add some more milk if needed. You want it closer to a glaze but still thick.
10. Spread the frosting over the last layer of graham crackers in the 9 x 13 pan.
11. Refrigerate the pie for at least 2 hours but overnight or even longer is best. You need to let the pudding mixture soften the graham crackers.

Banana Cupcakes With Whipped Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

I haven't posted in a long time, but I just had to share these delicious cupcake/bread and frosting recipes.  They are SO yummy I find myself craving them all the time.  The whipped chocolate buttercream frosting is the best I've ever had, but I warn you, it is not very good for you.

If you make this recipe as cupcakes, I would suggest keeping the frosting refrigerated until just prior to serving. I made the banana recipe as both cupcakes and bread, and I recommend both! 

(Please pardon the picture, it was taken with my iPhone and doesn't do the cupcake justice.)

Banana Cupcakes

(May also use this recipe for bread)

2 eggs, beaten

1/3 c. buttermilk

1/2 c. vegetable oil

1 c. mashed, ripe bananas (about 3 bananas)

1 1/2 c. white sugar

1 3/4 c. flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Blend wet ingredients together, then add sifted dry ingredients and mix.

Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full or spray 1 loaf pan with non-stick spray and fill for bread.

Bake cupcakes for 22-25 minutes or bread for 1 hour 20 minutes.

Top cupcakes with whipped chocolate buttercream frosting and enjoy!!

Whipped Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

3 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped*

3 1/2 c. powdered sugar

1 1/2 T. unsweetened cocoa

3 sticks unsalted butter

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 c. heavy whipping cream

Melt chocolate and let cool. Blend butter until creamy, then add powdered sugar and cocoa.  Add cooled melted chocolate, vanilla and whipping cream.  Whip for 5 minutes, then chill in refrigerator for 2 hours before frosting.

*If you are like me and do not keep unsweetened baking chocolate on hand, use 9 T. of unsweetened cocoa plus 3 T. oil in place of the 3 oz. melted chocolate. This is in addidtion to the other 1 1/2 T. the recipe calls for.

Banana Chocolate Chip Bread

My fabulous sister in law gave me this recipe long ago and it became a family favorite quickly.  This bread is so moist and succulent, and as a result doesn't last long in my house.

ingredients
6 mashed bananas
4 eggs
4 c sugar
1 1/3 c oil
1 c sour cream
2 t vanilla
2 1/2 t baking soda
1 1/2 t salt
4 c flour
1 bag chocolate chips

instructions
Mix all ingredients together, in order given.  Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour or until toothpick comes out clean in the middle.  Makes 4 loaves. (Often times I HALF this recipe, because often I make this on a whim and I don't have six bananas layin' around.)

Dr Pepper Chocolate Cake

Dr Pepper in a cake you say? I say, can you think of any good reason why not to add Dr Pepper to a cake, especially when it makes it taste so good?

I found this recipe on Tasty Kitchen posted by missamy. I printed it several weeks ago and have been waiting patiently for a reason to bake it (other than to satiate my cravings for cake).

Bake sale patrons, you will not be dissapointed tommorow if you plop down some cash for one of these babies, I know I'm going to!

Dr Pepper Chocolate Cake
From Tasty Kitchen

For the cake:
1 1/2 cups Dr Pepper Soda (this is exactly one full can of Dr Pepper, don't take any sips first!)
1/2 cup Vegetable or Canola Oil
1 stick Butter, Salted (8 tablespoons)
4 tablespoons Cocoa Powder (they recommend dark cocoa powder, I used the regular old stuff - it's still good)
2 cups Sugar
2 cups All-Purpose Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
2 whole Eggs
1/2 cup Buttermilk

For the Frosting:
1 stick Butter, Salted (8 tablespoons)
4 tablespoons Cocoa Powder (again they say dark, I say use whatever)
8 tablespoons Milk
4 cups Confectioners Sugar (powdered Sugar)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and grease or spray with cooking spray a 13x9x2" baking pan. (*I used the individual square portions pan and I greased and floured because I needed them to come out clean) Combine the Dr Pepper, oil, butter and cocoa powder in a large saucepan over medium heat. When it comes to a simmer, mix well and turn the stove off.
Mix dry ingredients together (sugar, flour, and baking soda); add to the mixture in the saucepan and mix well but don't over beat.
In a separate small bowl, lightly beat the eggs and buttermilk together, then add them to the saucepan and combine the batter well. (Note- My chocolate mixture was not completely cool, so I added a couple of spoonfuls to the egg mixture to tempur it before adding the eggs to the rest of the mixture. Avoiding curdled eggs is a GOOD thing.)
Pour into a greased baking pan and bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Directions for the frosting:
In a saucepan, combine the butter, cocoa powder and **milk together over medium heat, stirring occasionally until melted and smooth. Add in the powdered sugar a little at a time, combining after each addition until smooth. Pour over the warm cake.

*Cooking time was relatively the same for my small squares, I would check it at 20 minutes and then add time as needed if you are going to cook it this way. My pan has 12 small squares and I had enough batter to make 7 additional cupcakes which cooked for the same time as the squares.
**Next time I will add less milk to the frosting if I am using the small square pan. Because each cake was domed on top most of the frosting ran off the sides and dripped off. Less milk would make it less runny, more likely to stick to the cake.

Cheesecake Brownies

Ingredients
1 Box of Brownies Mix + ingredients on Box + 1 extra egg

Cheesecake filling:
8oz Cream Cheese
2 egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla
1/4c sugar

Icing: 8oz Cream Cheese
1 tsp vanilla
1/3c sugar

Instructions
1. Mix the brownie mix together following instructions on box, adding the extra egg
2. Pour into greased pan
3. Beat the cheesecake filling together until smooth
4. Place cheesecake filling on top of brownie mix and marbleize by cutting cheesecake mixture into brownie mix
5.Follow baking instructions on Brownie Box
6. Beat icing ingredients
7. Once Brownies have cooled, you can flip them over onto a flat serving tray if you would like, then cover with icing and serve

My Mother's Peanut Butter Cup Bars

In the Thompson home there were a few qualifications for a dessert that would work for us. This one exemplifies the rule: it can be made with chocolate and without chocolate (for those who don't know, I've been allergic to chocolate since I was about 2 years old.) I liked this one especially because if those prepared with out chocolate ran out first, I could easily pop the chocolate top off and eat the lower layer. Yum, yum.


Ingredients

*1 c butter, either room temp (my preference) or melted
*12 oz peanut butter (though I use a 16 oz jar since I can't find 12 oz. Also, I've only used creamy, but I bet it would be yummy with crunchy too)
*1 lb powdered sugar (if you also use a 16 oz jar, I add one extra cup of sugar)
*1 c crushed graham crackers (this is about one sleeve worth, though again, if using 16 oz PB, use a little extra crumbs too)
*1 bag chocolate chips (you can use semi-sweet or milk chocolate - whatever you prefer. Having never eaten chocolate, I don't know the difference - though I made them with milk on Friday for some friends and with semi-sweet on Saturday for other friends and they both received compliments.)

Instructions

Mix the butter and peanut butter until totally smooth. Add the graham cracker crumbs until again totally smooth. Add the powdered sugar and mix until it's seems like it's a bit dry, the mixture is kind of crumbly, if that makes sense. That's when you know you added enough sugar.

Spread the mixture into a cookie sheet or a 9"x13" cake pan depending on the thickness and the quantity of the bars you want out of the recipe.

Melt the chocolate chips. I use a double boiler, but everyone has their method that they like best. Spread the chocolate over the PB mixture (don't forget to leave some w/o chocolate for me).

Allow them to cool in the fridge, or if the season permits, in the garage on top of the car like my mother did.

Once the chocolate has cooled and hardened, cut up the individual bars (I use a pizza cutter), and serve.

(They don't have to be stored in the fridge, but it doesn't hurt.)

Double Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread

* 3 cups all-purpose flour
* 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
*3 TBS. cocoa
* 3 eggs
* 2 cups white sugar
* 1 cup vegetable oil
* 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
* 2 cups grated zucchini
* 1 cup chopped pecans
* 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
* 1 tablespoon orange zest
* Whipped cream, for serving
* Zucchini ribbons, for serving

Directions

Preheat oven at 350 degrees F. Grease (2) 9 by 5-inch loaf pans.

Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, spices and baking soda.

In a large bowl, beat eggs until light and fluffy. Add sugar, and continue beating until well blended. Stir in oil, vanilla, zucchini, pecans, chocolate chips, and orange zest. Stir in sifted ingredients. Pour into prepared loaf pans.

Bake for 50 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove loaves from pans and cool. Chill before slicing. Serve with whipped cream and ribbons of zucchini.

Red Robin Sky High Mudd Pie

Sorry, I only had a quick minute to snap a shot
before we put the candles in and started singing Happy Birthday.

I make the dessert for all my friends' bdays. It's been that way for years. When I run low on ideas, I find a way to contact my friend's family for some favorite or traditional birthday desserts. This weekend was my first attempt at Red Robin's Sky High Mudd Pie following the suggestion of my friend's sister. Please note, this dessert is not a quick put together treat. I started it Friday and finished it Sunday - but that's also because of my weekend's schedule. It's also not cheap - so plan in advance, watch for sales on the ingredients. And make sure you have room in your freezer. It was all worth it. The birthday girl loved it, as did the 15 other guests at the party. Here's how you make it:

Ingredients
6 c chocolate ice cream (I just used a whole carton)
1 c peanut butter cookie pieces (I used my food processor)
6 c vanilla ice cream (again, I just used the whole 1/2 gallon)
1 2/3 c creamy peanut butter (I used a whole jar)
Chocolate graham crackers pieces (I used chocolate gold fish & again, food processor)
1 c-ish fudge topping
1 bottle chocolate topping (they recommend 20oz, but we only used half of it, if that)
1 bottle caramel topping (same as the chocolate re: the size)
1 can whipping cream (used the whole can)
3/4 c chopped peanuts
12 Maraschino cherries (or enough for how many slices you cut)

Instructions
This is where you need to pay attention...
1 - Soften the chocolate ice cream and pack it into the bottom of a 3qt mixing bowl (note - the shape of your bowl will be the shape of your dessert, so be creative.) Be sure the ice cream is smooth and level. Spread or sprinkle the peanut butter cookie pieces over the chocolate ice cream, packing the cookies into the ice cream. Cover and place the bowl in the freezer for at least an hour to allow the ice cream to harden.
2 - Soften the vanilla ice cream and pack it on top of the chocolate ice cream & peanut butter cookies. Again, be sure it's smooth and level. Cover and place back in the freezer to harden.
3 - Spread half of the peanut butter on top of the vanilla ice cream. (It's a little tricky.) Spread or sprinkle the chocolate crackers over the peanut butter, pressing he crackers into the ice cream. Cover and place the bowl into the freezer for another hour.
4 - Place the bowl in warm water for just a minute to soften the surface ice cream, the dessert should just fall out (I prompted it a little with a butter knife) onto a plate or flat surface. Cover and put right back into freezer for at least 2 hours.
5 - Remove dessert from the freezer and, without first heating it up, spread the room temperature fudge topping all over the top of the dessert (again, a little tricky like the peanut butter). Cover and place back into freezer for at least an hour.
6 - Remove and spread the rest of the peanut butter to create a smooth layer over the dessert. Cover and freeze.
7 - The instructions recommend after the peanut butter layer freezes, to remove from freezer and use a warm knife to slice the dessert, to place wax paper between the slices. We has a difficult time peeling off the wax paper though, so do what you like.
8 - When you are ready to serve, take the chocolate and caramel topping. Make creative little patterns on your serving dishes. Set the piece of dessert on the plate. Then cover the dessert top with the canned whipping cream, again a few quick squirts of the chocolate and caramel topping, sprinkle with peanut and place a cherry on top. Serve right away.

Good luck! This is a fun one.

chocolate crinkle cookies.

my sister, heather, made these delicious cookies & brought me a plate {lucky me!}. i had to share the recipe:

ingredients:
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup hershey's cocoa powder
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
powdered sugar

directions:
in a large mixing bowl, combine sugar & oil. add cocoa; blend well. beat in eggs and vanilla. combine flour, baking powder & salt; add to cocoa mixture blending well. cover; chill at least 6 hours. heat oven to 350. shape dough into 1 inch balls. roll in powdered sugar. place 2 inches apart on greased cookie sheet. bake 12 to 14 minutes or until almost no indentation remains when touched. remove from cookie sheet; cool on wire rack. makes 4 dozen.

Pretzel Hugs

Here is a quick and easy snack for after school or to share with your neighbors. I had my niece and Tyler help make them and they loved it. Especially sneaking M&M's every few minutes. We used Halloween colored M&M's but any color is fun.

Pretzel Hugs

1 bag pretzels Regular or Waffle style
1 pkg. M&Ms
1 pkg. Hershey "Hugs"

Place pretzels on baking stone or sheet. Place a Hug on each pretzel and bake at 200 degrees for about 8 minutes (just watch for the Hugs to melt). Remove from oven and promptly place a couple of M&Ms on each pretzel, pressing into the melted chocolate. Allow to cool before serving. At room temperature, this takes SEVERAL hours. I would recommend making these the day before you plan on eating/delivering. Or you can put them in the refrigerator to speed up the process.

Hope you and your kids enjoy!