Magic Bar Cookies

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Alright, so let me tell you about this delish cookie recipe that is totally jam-packed with goodies! Have you ever heard of the dessert called Magic Bars? For the few of you poor souls who have sadly not experienced this wonderful dessert, let me explain: It is a 7 layer bar that is layers of graham cracker crust, coconut, butterscotch, caramel, pecans (or other nuts), chocolate chips, and sweetened condensed milk. Two words: FOOD. COMA
This cookie recipe has some slight modifications but tastes just like the bar…or dare I say…even better! I adapted this recipe from the wonderful Sally’s Baking Addiction’s “Magic 5 Cookies” (original link at bottom of post). Her cookies call for molasses but I decided to not add it in and then her’s called for butterscotch chips but I changed it to toffee bits.
You really could call this cookie a kitchen sink cookie because you can add any combinations of mix-ins you want and it’ll still be delicious! Maybe that’s why they call them “magic” cookies because no matter what you add in they still somehow “magically” taste great!

-XO Emily

Magic Bar Cookies

prep time: 1 hour, 30 min (includes chilling) |  total time: 2 hours |  yields: 12-18 cookies

Ingredients:

-3/4 cup all-purpose flour

-1/2 tsp baking soda

-1/4 tsp cinnamon

-1/4 tsp salt

-1 1/2 cups rolled oats (I use Quaker brand)

-1/2 cup butter, softened (salted or unsalted)

-1/2 cup packed brown sugar (light or dark)

-1/8 cup (2 Tbs) granulated sugar

-1 large egg

-1 tsp vanilla extract

-1/4 cup each: semi-sweet chocolate chips, toffee bits (I use Heath brand), shredded coconut (sweetened), chopped pecans

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
  2. Whisk the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and oats together and set aside in bowl.
  3. Use a hand mixer or stand mixer to cream the butter and granulated sugar and brown sugar together for about 1 min until smooth and creamy.
  4. Add the egg and beat until combined.
  5. Add the vanilla and mix on high until combined.
  6. Add the dry ingredient mixture to wet ingredients and mix until combined.
  7. While the mixer is running on low speed, slowly add in the chocolate chips, toffee bits, coconut, and pecans.
  8. The dough will be very thick, chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
  9. Roll balls of dough (about 1 tablespoon per cookie) and place on baking stone or silicone/parchment lined baking sheet.
  10. Bake for 10-14 minutes until edges are slightly golden brown.
  11. Let cookies cool before placing on plate to serve and enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2016/06/01/magic-5-cookies/

⇑⇑ seriously, you should check out her blog it is one of my absolute favorites!! ⇑⇑

The Best Coffee Ice Cream You’ll Ever Have!

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So I know I haven’t posted anything in awhile but I’m back now and I am so excited to share this recipe with y’all! Just to preface everything, this actually isn’t my recipe, this is King Arthur Flour’s recipe (original here: http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/mocha-madness-ice-cream-recipe) .

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“MOCHA ICE CREAM.” *drops the mic* *walks away*

Okay, okay, that may be a bit dramatic but really it’s not because this ice cream is that good. I made this about a week ago because I was really craving ice cream, specifically coffee flavored ice cream (that’s a normal craving right? Right.) So I decided to try to find a recipe for coffee ice cream and I stumbled across King Arthur Flour’s Mocha Madness recipe and it had a bunch of good reviews so I gave it a go and made it. Let me tell you…this might just be the best ice cream I have ever had and trust me I’ve had plenty upon plenty of ice cream in my day. The great thing about this recipe is it’s so simple and only requires a couple of ingredients which you most likely have in your house already. The ice cream has cocoa and espresso powder and also calls for chopped up Oreos which just enhances the ice cream even more but I’m sure it would be just as good without them. I used mini Oreos instead of full size because they were cheaper and I mean who can turn down mini Oreos?? Next time I make it I might try adding chopped pieces of dark chocolate, toffee bits, or some other chocolate candy. Enjoy this ice cream and try to restrain yourself from eating the entire thing in one sitting. Or eat the entire thing. I won’t judge. It’s worth it.

-XO Emily

King Arthur Flour’s Mocha Madness Ice Cream

Ingredients
-1 cup cold whole milk
-3/4 cup sugar
-2 tablespoons espresso powder (I used Medaglia D’oro)
-2 tablespoons cocoa powder, Dutch-process preferred but regular is totally fine
-2 cups cold heavy cream or whipping cream
-1 teaspoon vanilla extract
-8 Oreo cookies, broken into small pieces (I used one container of mini Oreos, cut into quarters)

Directions

-Whisk together the milk, sugar, espresso powder, and cocoa till the sugar has dissolved
-Stir in the heavy cream and vanilla.
-Freeze in ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s directions
-Stir cookie bits into soft ice cream about 2 minutes before ice cream is done churning.
-Place in the freezer for 2 to 3 hours, until ice cream is as hard as you like it. **At 3 hours it was still soft serve consistency so I froze it for about a total of 4-5 hours**

-Yields 6-8 full servings but if you’re like me it actually yields approximately 1 serving eaten in 5 minutes ;))

**I find that ice cream makers work best in making creamier ice cream but if you don’t have an ice cream maker click the original link I provided and they give you directions if you do not have one**

 

Fresh Peach Ice Cream

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Summer is finally here and that means three things: swimming, sun, and ice cream! I love ice cream…like really love ice cream. I’m one of those people that eats ice cream year round, I’ll eat ice cream in 40 degree weather and I’ll eat ice cream in 140 degree whether, (okay that may be a bit of an exaggeration, but honestly you guys, it sometimes feels like 140 degrees here in Texas during the summer). Okay, now back to this ice cream! This peach ice cream is so delicious! It’s absolutely creamy, peachy, and refreshing with tart yet sweet chunks of peaches sprinkled throughout. I mean how much more summer-y can it get?! I made the ice cream with fresh peaches since they’re in season right now and I really wouldn’t do it any other way. The deal with frozen peaches is, when you’re making this ice cream you have to make a homemade peach syrup so if you use frozen peaches you won’t get all the juice that you would normally get with fresh peaches so I would say fresh is better! Also a little added bonus is 1/2 teaspoon of Mexican vanilla that gives it a little boost of flavor! I hope you enjoy summer in a bowl aka this ice cream!

-XO Emily

Fresh Peach Ice Cream (makes 1 quart)

ingredients

-2 cups finely chopped fresh peaches, peeled (about 5-6 large peaches or about 8-10 small peaches)

-1 1/4 cups sugar

-juice of 1/2 lemon

-2 large eggs

-2 cups heavy or whipping cream

-1 cup whole milk

-1/2 tsp. Mexican vanilla

directions

  1. Combine the peaches, 1/2 cup of sugar, and the lemon juice in a medium bowl. Cover and refrigerate the mixture for 2 hours and stir every 30 minutes (this process creates the peach syrup that you will add to the ice cream base)
  2. Remove the peaches from the refrigerator and drain the juice with a strainer into a large bowl. Return the peach chunks to the refrigerator. (You will add them to the mixture later)
  3. Whisk the eggs in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy, about 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk in the remaining 3/4 cup sugar, a little at a time, then continue whisking until completely blended, about 1 minute extra. Then pour in the cream and whole milk and whisk to blend. Add the peach juice(syrup) and blend.
  4. Transfer the mixture to an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
  5. After the ice cream stiffens, about 1 minute before its done, add in the peach chunks, then freeze until the ice cream is ready.
  6. Store in airtight container in freezer or eat all of it at once like I do!

*RECIPE ADAPTED FROM BEN AND JERRY’S “FRESH GEORGIA PEACH ICE CREAM” from their “Homemade Ice Cream and Dessert Book”

Banana Pudding Pie

banana pudding pie 1

One thing you may not know about me is that banana pudding is my favorite dessert! I’ve grown up in the south specifically Texas, where BBQ, burgers, and banana pudding are the 3 main food groups. With that said, I don’t think I’ve ever met a banana pudding I didn’t like….more like devour, so coming up with a recipe like this was inevitable. I came up with this pie recipe on a Saturday afternoon when I had a really random craving for banana pudding but I wanted to change it up and not make the traditional dessert. And then it hit me….banana pudding….but in pie form! This pie has everything including a vanilla wafer crust (yes, you read that right), layers of bananas, pudding, and cool whip. I mean how more banana pudding-y can it get?! After testing this pie out, I am proud to say it is amazingly, scrumptiously delicious and I totally didn’t eat like 5 slices in one sitting;) Enjoy this pie, my fellow banana pudding connoisseurs!

 

Banana Pudding Pie

servings: 8-10          prep time: 30 min          set time: about 3 hours        total time: 3 hrs 30 min

for the crust:

-1 box reduced-fat vanilla wafers minus about 22 wafers for topping** (I use the reduced-fat kind because they are a little crunchier than the regular making the crust not soggy)

-1/3 cup melted butter

-1/4 cup sugar

-1/2 tsp. salt

for the filling:

-1 3.4 oz pckg banana cream pudding mix

-2 cups whole milk

-1 banana, thinly sliced

-cool whip, for topping

-extra 22 wafers, for topping

directions:

1. preheat oven to 350ºF

2. to prepare the crust, grind up vanilla wafers in a food processor or ziploc bag into fine crumbs

3. In a large bowl mix wafer crumbs with melted butter, sugar, and salt

4. Lightly spray a pie pan with non-stick spray and press in crust mixture to pan and bake for 10 minutes, then let cool

5. to prepare the filling, prepare the pudding with the 2 cups of whole milk and let set

6. for the assembly, Layer one layer of thinly sliced bananas on bottom of pie dish, add  a layer of pudding

7. Repeat once more with bananas and pudding

8. Top with a thin layer of cool whip and garnish with extra 22 wafers and banana slices **(I arranged it like in the picture)

9. Let pie set in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours and then dig in!

 

 

 

 

 

The Best Sugar Cookies

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So, I got this recipe from a friend, Brooke, about a year ago and I can honestly say I have not made any other sugar cookies since. There is a store in my hometown that sells the most delicious decorated sugar cookies and this recipe tastes JUST like them! I was so excited after I made these for the first time because after searching for years, I had finally found a sugar cookie that tastes just like the ones I love plus I can make them at home, anytime I want to. I’m guessing you want to know what sets these cookies apart from any other basic sugar cookie…well… the secret is…almond extract! The almond is what makes this cookie absolutely irresistible! (I’m sorry friends with nut allergies, you can skip the almond and just go with the vanilla extract and I’m sure it will still be delicious.) I usually like the cookies just plain but I have also included an icing recipe that my friend gave me along with the cookies. I hope you enjoy the cookies as much as I do!

prep time: 10 min        total time: 20 min      servings: approx. 12-16

for the cookies:

  • 3/4 cup softened butter (salted or unsalted)
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • 2 3/4 cup flour
  • 2 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/3 tsp. almond extract

for the icing: 

  • 1 Tbsp. corn syrup
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/4 tsp. almond extract

directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 400°F**

**The best way to get soft cookies is to bake them in a really hot oven for a shorter amount of time**

2. Combine butter and sugar until creamy

3. Add in eggs and vanilla extract and almond extract and mix just until combined

4. Slowly add in the mixed dry ingredients of flour and baking powder

5. Once that is all combined, lay dough out on a hard surface and then roll it up in Saran wrap and form into a log and put the dough in the refrigerator for 30 min-1 hour

6. After dough has chilled, cut into 1/4 inch rounds and then bake for 10-12 minutes just until the cookies are cooked through

7. Let cool and enjoy (see icing directions if you prefer icing on them)

for the icing:

  1. Combine corn syrup, powdered sugar, water, and almond extract until you have a glaze-like consistency
  2. Spread a thin layer of icing onto cooled cookies
  3. Let the cookies set and enjoy!

**In the picture above, I had to use the 3/4 cup of whole wheat flour because I ran out of AP flour so your cookies will turn out a little bit of a different color than the picture above**

Skinny Chocolate Cake with Espresso Buttercream

skinny chocolate cake with espresso buttercream

Okay, so this cake is honestly the BEST chocolate cake I have ever had. And that is saying quite a lot. One of the best parts about this dessert is that the cake itself is so easy; it’s just a “doctored-up” box cake mix with no oil in it. Yes, you read right, this cake is practically guilt-free! This cake recipe is adapted from The Frugal Girls.com and it is oh so moist and chocolatey too. But the real star of the show is this buttercream. The buttercream is adapted from Barefoot Contessa’s Chocolate Buttercream recipe which is to die for because it not only has cocoa powder in it, it has espresso powder for an even deeper and decadent chocolate flavor. Enough of my blabbering and let me give you this darn good recipe…..

For the cake:

  • 1 box (15 oz) chocolate cake mix (preferably with pudding in the mix)
  • 1/2 cup vanilla Greek yogurt (I used regular Chobani)
  • 1 cup hot water (you can use hottest tap water)
  • 3 eggs

For the buttercream:

  • 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 2 sticks softened butter
  • 1 large egg (room temp)
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 Tbsp. instant coffee powder (I used Medaglia D’Oro)

Directions for cake:

  1. Preheat oven to 350° F
  2. Mix cake mix, yogurt, water, and eggs together just until combined ***be careful not to pour the hot water in too fast with the eggs so that you don’t scramble them***
  3. Spray two 9″ round cake pans or a 9×13″ pan with cooking spray
  4. Pour in batter and bake for 25-30 min until your toothpick comes out clean and then let cakes cool

Directions for buttercream:

  1. While cakes are cooling, melt the chocolate chips in a microwave or double broiler
  2. In bowl with electric mixer, beat butter on medium-high speed until it is fluffy and light yellow
  3. Add egg yolk and vanilla and continue beating
  4. Turn your mixer to low and gradually add in powdered sugar and mix until you get a smooth and cream texture
  5. Dissolve espresso powder in 2 tsp. of very very hot tap water
  6. On low speed, add in espresso mixture and melted chocolate and mix until well-blended
  7. Spread immediately on the cooled cakes—–>***

***Emily’s tip: To spread the butter cream on the cakes, get one round of cake and slap on a few good dollops of buttercream and spread that out evenly on the first layer, then carefully stack your second layer of cake on top and then cover the cake with the rest of the deliciously decadent buttercream

—ADAPTED FROM “THE BAREFOOT CONTESSA”–

 

 

Mini Cinnamon Rolls

cinnamon rolls 1

I absolutely adore this recipe. My mom made these cinnamon rolls almost every Saturday morning for my sisters and I growing up and she still makes them now! I can remember the best feeling when my mom would ask me to make the cinnamon rolls on Saturday. When I would make them, I would just kind of guess the measurements because I could eyeball it from watching my mom do it all those years. Now, I figured out the exact measurements so you all can enjoy these as much as I do. These cinnamon rolls could not be easier and they’re the perfect bite size breakfast! Here’s the recipe:

prep time: 10 min       total time: 32-36 min        Servings: 4

For the rolls:

  • 1 can Pillsbury pizza dough
  • 2 Tbsp. butter (melted)
  • 1  Tbsp cinnamon (I love cinnamon so I tend to put a little more than that)
  • 1/3 cup sugar

For the glaze:

  • 3/4 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp. milk
  • 1/2 tsp. vanilla

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 375° F
  2. Roll out dough to about 1/4 inch thick
  3. Spread/pour the butter evenly on the dough and make sure you cover all of it
  4. Sprinkle sugar evenly on the dough
  5. Sprinkle cinnamon evenly on the dough
  6. Roll the dough long ways and tuck dough under each time you roll it
  7. Slice the dough into little rolls and place in a non-stick pan
  8. Bake for 12-16 minutes
  9. For the glaze: combine powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla in a bowl
  10. After the rolls come out of the oven, while they’re still hot, drizzle the glaze all over them!!
  11. Enjoy these stinkin’ good cinnamon rolls with maybe a glass of milk or some OJ
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