What's Baking? December- The BEST Ever Brownies

Did you know that December is National Brownie Month?

I love brownies and normally make a boxed brownie (like these babies!) but our hostess, Nicole, wanted us to go beyond the box and make a homemade brownie. I had a recipe that I had used previously with these brownies but had another saved that I had been wanting to try! 

I'm definitely a purist when it comes to brownies. I love just the chocolately goodness that brownies can give!
My favorite thing to do is make hot fudge sauce and have brownie sundaes!

Be sure to visit Nicole tomorrow for the brownie round up!!

The Best Ever Brownies

recipe adapted from this recipe at Joyful Momma's Kitchen

1 cup butter, melted 

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Hershey Special Dark)

1 1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 tsp salt

4 eggs

1 1/4 cup all purpose flour

2/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1.  Preheat oven to 350.

2. Spray a 13x9 pan with cooking spray.

3.  In a large bowl, combine butter and cocoa.  Mix well

4. Add brown sugar, granulated sugar, and salt. Mix well

5. Add eggs.  One at a time and mix well each time in between eggs.

6. Add flour. Mix well

7. Gently stir in chocolate chips 

8. Bake 30-35 min until the edges pull away slightly from the pan and center is done. Enjoy!

Merry Christmas!!

I hope that everyone has a wonderful and happy Holiday!!!

Mountain Dew Pancakes- Secret Recipe Club

That's right! Your eyes are not deceiving you! These are really pancakes that were made with Mountain Dew Soda and they are surprisingly good!!

This month, for Secret Recipe Club, I was assigned the blog A Dusting of Sugar. Rebecca says that she has been cooking since she could ride and bike and I could definitely relate! I've loved cooking since I was seven! She is extremely sweet  (The girl is baking cookies as a giveaway and sending them out to 2 readers!!) but yet realistic in her cooking because she is still a college student.

I really went back and forth on making these pancakes mainly because I'm not a Mtn Dew person. I know that there are lots of other baked goods with soda products in them such as these Apple Dumplings and 7UP Biscuits. So, why not Pancakes?

My favorite pancakes actually have sour cream in them and not a liquid so I decided to play around a little and add some sour cream to the batter. It took me a few tries to get the batter to a good consistency but it happened. My family thought I was crazy but all of them said they were "Surprisingly good and different and why aren't there more of them!"

Mtn. Dew Pancakes

recipe adapted from this recipe at A Dusting of Sugar

makes 5-7, 4 inch pancakes

1 cup pancake mix

3/4 cup Mtn Dew Soda

3 tbsp. sour cream

1 tbsp. melted butter

• 1. In a large bowl, add the pancake mix. (I used the good old Walmart Brand- Rebecca didn't have any on hand and has a homemade version on her site!)
• 2.Make a well in the center of the pancake mix and add the Mtn. Dew, sour cream, and melted butter; mix until smooth.

3. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium heat. Pour the batter onto the griddle, using about 1/4 cup for each pancake. 

4.Brown on both sides and serve hot.

Week 12 of 12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies- Holiday Snickerdoodles

We made it! Here we are at the LAST week of 12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies!

We started way back in September with my boys favorite! 

Now we have an updated and holiday version of one of my favorite cookies! 

I started baking when I was seven and Snickerdoodle Cookies were one of my favorite cookies in my 3 cookie rotation that I always made! Chocolate Chip, Snickerdoodle, and Gingersnaps were constantly made by me when I was growing up! My mom would buy me commercial size baking supplies at Sam's to keep all my baking needs met!

These are not your average snickerdoodles. These are Holiday Snickerdoodles kicked up a bit but still having that snickerdoodle flavor and cinnamon and sugar that we all know and love. White Chocolate Chips and Dried Cranberries hope to add the Holiday flavor!

White Chocolate Cranberry Cream Cheese Snickerdoodles

recipe adapted from this recipe on Joy's Hope

1 pouch snickerdoodle cookie mix (Betty Crocker and Krusteaz makes a snickerdoodle cookie mix!)
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 tablespoon water
1 egg
1 cup sweetened dried cranberries
1 cup white chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 
2. Beat together cream cheese and butter until smooth.
3. Open cookie mix. Set Cinnamon Sugar packet aside for later use.
4. Add water, egg and cookie mix to cream cheese mixture.
5. Stir until soft dough forms.
6. Add in cranberries and white chocolate chips.
7. Cover & refrigerate 30 minutes.
8. After the 30 minutes are over, drop rounded spoonfuls of dough into cinnamon sugar.Roll to coat.
9. Place two inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.
10. Bake a 375º for 8-9 minutes until edges are set.
11. Cool one minute then transfer to cooling rack.
12. Enjoy! 

Wordless Wednesday

Coley having fun with one of his favorite people, Uncle Jas.

Biscuit Sticky Bun

Ah, Pinterest. How I love you! I wish I could spend more time with you but for now I will try to make more ideas you keep sending me!

Like this Biscuit Sticky Bun! Easy, peasy! I love breakfast (I'm sure you already know this though!) and love sweet treats with breakfast so when Carrie posted this on Pinterest I knew it had to be made!

There is even an orange version that I've seen floating around- which will be made soon too!

Biscuit Sticky Bun

recipe adapted from this recipe on All Things Delicious

2 small tubes refrigerator buttermilk biscuits 

3 Tbsp. butter, melted

1/2 C. pancake or maple

1/3 C.  brown sugar,packed

1  tsp. cinnamon

1/4 C. chopped pecans, optional

1/4 C. chopped almonds, optional

Spray a fluted pan with non-stick spray. Combine the melted butter and syrup in a small bowl and set aside. In another bowl, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, and nuts (if desired).

Place about half of the syrup mixture in the bottom of the pan. Then sprinkle half of the brown sugar mixture on top.


Lay the biscuits on the bottom of the pan, overlapping edges (closely together) to form a ring.Top with remaining syrup and sugar mixtures.


Bake at 375 degrees for approximately 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Cool for 1 minute in the pan, then invert onto a serving platter and enjoy!

Pecan Dreams- The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap

A few weeks ago I remember seeing a tweet from Lindsay at Love and Olive Oil about The Great Food Blogger Cookies Swap. I love cookies and love sending people gifts so I signed up immediately! I couldn't wait to get going on the cookies! I debated a lot about what I was going to send and kept going back and forth on a few recipes but kept coming back to these cookies. I'm not a big nut person but for some reason these just screamed Christmas Cookie to me. 

Sometimes I am a procrastinator but yet these cookies had to be out and in the mail by December 5th. Well, December 3rd I decided to go down our stairs too fast and ended up banging and stubbing the daylights out of my right foot to the point where we thought I had a few broken toes. I didn't want to go to the ER knowing there is nothing they can do for them anyway so we pulled out my old boot, iced the toes, and kept going!- I did go to the Dr. Last Monday and luckily nothing was broken! But my foot is still black and blue!

Here we are with Pecan Dreams. My mom thought these were like Mexican Wedding Cookies but honestly a great little ball of sugar powdered goodness. (Speaking of mother's, my mom is used to trying everything I make so she snuck a few of these cookies and I had exactly 38- a dozen to send out to each person and then a few to try- She ate 4! So my matches got 10 of these and then some of the Peppermint Krispies to make up for my dozen.)

Pecan Dreams

recipe adapted from Starr Recipes at Greystone Cookbook

2 sticks butter, softened

1/2 cup powdered sugar

2 1/4 cups flour, sifted

2 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. water

1 cup pecans, chopped

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Cream together butter and powdered sugar. Add flour, flavoring, and water.  Mix well and add pecans. Once dough is mixed, make rounded teasponful into a ball. Place balls of cookie dough on cookie sheet. Bake at 300 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes (until cookies are light brown). Roll cookies in powdered sugar as soon as they are removed from the oven.

I would also like to give a big thank you to the bloggers I got cookies from!

Lindsay at The Lean Green Bean

Melissa at I Was Born to Cook

Renee at The Way to My Family's Heart

12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies- Peppermint Rice Krispies

So after seeing this bag of marshmallows at the store, I knew exactly what I had to do....

Peppermint Rice Krispie Treats!

Nothing really special added to them. I just like plain rice krispies.

The peppermint flavor in the marshmallow wasn't too overwhelming but was a nice touch and definitely Christmasy! I loved how they turned pink too!

Next Thursday is our last week of Christmas Cookies! I can't wait to show you what it will be! 

Peppermint Rice Krispie Treats

recipe adapted from the Rice Krispie Box recipe for Rice Krispie Treats

1/2 stick butter or margarine

1 10 oz. bag Peppermint Marshmallows 

(I've seen them multiple places Walmart, Target, KMart)

6 cups Rice Krispies cereal (or any other puffy rice cereal)

1. In large saucepan melt butter over low heat. 

Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat. 

(I normally make them in microwave melting the marshmallows and butter together until melted.)

2. Add  cereal. Stir until well coated.

3. Using a well greased spatula or wax paper evenly press mixture into 13 x 9 pan coated with cooking spray. 

4, Let Cool. Cut into desired size. Enjoy!

Wordless Wednesday

(Does this show you how spoiled my child is already? He is drinking his own Starbucks Hot Chocolate with a straw. Much thanks to his daddy for this one!)

Oven Baked Apple Pancake

I honestly think that every Sunday I have the same routine. I get up. Walk into the kitchen and then figure out what cool or new thing I am going to make for breakfast. I really don't know how I found this recipe but it was a great breakfast and would be a great dessert too!

While I am not a big fan of pie fillings, my mom is so she had multiple cans and luckily this uses 2 cans of pie filling. This would probably be really good with some of the other fillings that are out like cherry or blueberry.

I loved how easily this came together and then poof was in the oven! I didn't add the confectioner's sugar that was called for because I thought it was sweet enough but feel free to add if you want!

• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
• Oven Baked Apple Pancake
• recipe adapted from this recipe on Food Network
• 
  
• 2 cans apple pie filling
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon sour cream
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a 10-inch cast iron skillet, warm the apple pie filling, butter, and cinnamon.
3.  In a bowl, beat the eggs until well beaten and frothy. Add the milk, flour, sour cream, lemon zest, and salt. Beat just until batter is smooth.
4.  Pour over the hot apple mixture in the skillet, and immediately put the pan in the oven. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the pancake is puffed up and golden brown. 
5. Lightly dust the pancake with confectioners' sugar. Serve warm.

Linked to Mouthwatering Monday at Southern Fairytale

12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies- Cake Mix Cookies

Here we are in December!!!! We are on week 10!!!

I have seen this recipe for cake mix cookies on quite a few blogs and it is so interesting to me how quickly these came together! The powdered sugar really makes this cookie! I made them with a strawberry cake mix but I can imagine any flavor would be great! Foodbuzz recently offered their tastemakers some Duncan Hines cake mix so that is the brand I used. I did find that I had to bake these a little long than the recipe called for but I was using stoneware so I imagine that was why. I can't wait to make these with Lemon!

Cake Mix Cookies
recipe adapted from this recipe at Abby's Sweets

1 box cake mix, any flavor (I used Duncan Hines)

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 carton whipped topping (Cool Whip), thawed

2 cups powdered sugar

Mix the cake mix, egg, and cool whip together until combined. This will be thick, but not so thick that you can roll it into balls. Put the powdered sugar into a shallow bowl.

Once you mix the dough, put the scoops of dough into the powdered sugar and roll it to coat. You can shape it once it is covered with the powdered sugar.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

Disclosure: As a Foodbuzz Tastemaker, I received coupons for Duncan Hines cake mixes. All opinions are my own.