Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie

Photo credit to ourbestbites.com

Oh sweet gooey deliciousness...how I love thee. Especially when I can add ice cream. And fudge. And caramel. I pretty much make a dessert for any reason. This reason? We had friends come and eat leftovers. I couldn't leave them without dessert!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie
Makes 9" Pie
1 unbaked 9-inch pie crust, homemade or store-bought.
2 large eggs
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup white granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup real butter, softened (1 1/2 sticks)
1 cup chocolate chips (semi-sweet or dark works best, you might find milk too sweet) {Semi-sweet was perfect!}
1 cup chopped pecans (you are welcome to make it without nuts) {Although...don't. Love the texture}
Vanilla ice cream, or sweetened whipped cream for serving

Preheat oven to 325° F.

Beat eggs in large mixer bowl on high speed until foamy. Beat in flour, granulated sugar and brown sugar. Beat in butter. Stir in morsels and nuts. Spoon into pie shell {Its pretty runny...don't worry}.

Bake for 55 to 60 minutes or until knife inserted halfway between edge and center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack or serve slightly warmed. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream.

Recipe Source: Our Best Bites

Strawberry-Lime Shortcakes with Coconut Cream

Photo credit to ourbestbites.com

LOVE this recipe. Super easy and de-lish. It's basically strawberry shortcake..."island style."

Strawberry-Lime Shortcakes with Coconut Cream
Angelfood or Pound Cake
4 cup sliced fresh strawberries
½ cup white sugar
4 tablespoons fresh-squeezed lime juice (about 2 limes)

For the Coconut Whipped Cream:
1 cup whipping cream
½ cup powdered sugar
2 teaspoon coconut extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ cup toasted coconut

Mix sliced strawberries, sugar, and lime juice. Stir well and set aside. Stir occasionally over about 15 minutes. You want the sugar to dissolve and form a light syrup.
For the cream, place whipping cream in a bowl and beat with an electric mixer for about one minute. Slowly add in powdered sugar, and both extracts. Continue beating until soft peaks form.
Slice cake and spoon a layer of strawberries on top. Include the lime-syrup! Top with a generous dollop of whipped cream and sprinkle with coconut.
This serves about six, but it could be more or less depending on how what size you make them.

{Serve them with a quarter of lime so those that want to can add an extra kick of lime. Again...de-lish!}

{Also, use this coconut cream on LOTS of stuff!}

Recipe Source: Our Best Bites

Cream Cheese Chocolate Frosting

Photo Credit to marthastewart.com

I can't decide if I "wrote" this recipe, or if Martha did. I found a recipe for chocolate cake that referred to a chocolate frosting recipe. However, I didn't love all the bittersweet chocolate (also I didn't have enough!) So I will give you the link for the original and call this my own!!

Cream Cheese Chocolate Frosting
2 1/2+ cups confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
Pinch of salt
6 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled slightly
1/3-1/2 cup sour cream

Mix together sugar, cocoa, and salt in medium bowl.
Beat cream cheese and butter with a mixer on medium-high speed until smooth. Reduce speed to medium-low; gradually add sugar-cocoa mixture, and beat until combined. Pour in chocolate in a slow, steady stream. Add sour cream; beat until combined. {I added more powdered sugar to taste}

Recipe Source: Extremely adapted from Martha Stewart

Peanut Butter Cup Cupcakes

Make these. Right now.
I've already posted this recipe "Snicker style". I like peanut butter even more than caramel and...dang. These are amazing. I made these for L's baby blessing. They were a huge hit!
Sinful, my friends...sinful.

Photo Credit to mybakingaddiction.com. Isn't her photography gorgeous?!

Peanut Butter Cup Cupcakes

Makes about 24

Cupcakes

1 (18.25 ounce) package devil’s food cake mix
1 (5.9 ounce) package instant chocolate pudding mix
1 cup sour cream
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon instant espresso granules dissolved in 1/2 cup warm water {I didn't use these-still insanely delicious}
24 Reese’s Miniatures; frozen (this prevents them from disappearing into the batter)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin tin with paper liners or spray with non-stick cooking spray.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat together the cake and pudding mixes, sour cream, oil, eggs, vanilla and espresso water mixture. Beat for about two minutes on medium speed until well combined.

Using a large cookie scoop, distribute the batter between 24 muffin wells; about 3 tablespoons of batter per well. Press one frozen Reese’s Miniature into the center of each cupcake.

Bake in preheated oven for 18-22 minutes or until the tops of the cakes spring back when lightly touched. There will be a small sink hole in the top of the cupcakes from the Reese’s Miniatures, that’s okay - you’ll cover that with frosting. Allow cupcakes to cool inside muffin tins for about 10 minutes.

Remove cupcakes from muffin tins and allow to fully cool on a wire rack. Once cupcakes are cool, prepare your frosting.

Frosting

3 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 cup creamy peanut butter
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
2 pounds confectioners’ sugar, sifted
6-8 tablespoons heavy cream (if using milk, amount will be less)

In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, cream butter and peanut butter on medium speed until fluffy. Turn your mixer down to low speed and slowly add in the confectioner’s sugar, and continue mixing until well blended.

Add vanilla and 4 tablespoons of heavy cream. Blend on low speed until moistened. Add an additional 1 to 4 tablespoons of heavy cream until you reach the desired consistency. Beat at high speed until frosting is smooth and fluffy

Pipe frosting onto cooled cupcakes and finish with chopped Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups {and make them pretty}

{Note: I would halve the frosting recipe next time because we had SO much leftover, although...I'm not sure if a half recipe would be enough. Your call!}

Recipe Source: My Baking Addiction

{The Best} Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies

I just found out that "pudding cookies" existed, but apparently there are lots of different mix and matches you can do with flavors. Who knew? Anyway...totally a winner. 
Warning: Mallory probably consumed 1/2 of the recipe in cookies. No joke. She couldn't stop.

Photo Credit to mommysavers.com

Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies

Honestly don't know how many it makes...ate them too quickly
2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup margarine or butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 3.4-ounce package instant vanilla pudding
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs, room temperature
2 cup chocolate chips {I did less, and I LOVE chocolate chips}

In mixing bowl, cream together sugars, butter, vanilla extract, and vanilla pudding mix. Beat until creamy. Add eggs. Add dry ingredients and stir until well-combined. Fold in chocolate chips. Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

Recipe Source: Mommy Savers

nts: When they're fresh, the outside has a tiny crunch and the inside is gooey and delicious. When you store them, they are the softest cookies I've ever had! 

Homemade Chocolate Cake

Well, hey. My MIL asked me to make a cake for a double birthday party. I thought..."Oh yeah, no problem." Well, of course I decide that I can't just make one out of a box. I must wow and impress. Don't ask me why. So I found this recipe on pinterest and decided to try it, and I'm so glad I did! Even though I got sick and wasn't able to go to the party. My hubby said everyone loved it (and we got the leftovers, which was awesome).
Also, pairing it with this chocolate frosting recipe was genius! (If I do say so myself).

Photo Credit to youaremyfave.com

Homemade Chocolate Cake

Makes double 9" round pan

Unsalted butter, softened, for pans
3/4 cup unsweetened Dutch cocoa powder, plus more for pans
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
3/4 cup low-fat buttermilk
3/4 cup warm water
3 tablespoons safflower {I used light olive} oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter two 8-inch round cake pans (2 inches deep); dust with cocoa {I omitted this step}. Sift cocoa, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of a mixer {Next time, I will also omit the sifting}. Beat on low speed until just combined. Raise speed to medium, and add eggs, buttermilk, water, oil, and vanilla. Beat until smooth, about 3 minutes.
Divide batter between pans. Bake until set and a toothpick inserted into the centers comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Let cool for 15 minutes. Turn out from pans. Transfer, faceup, to wire racks. Let cool completely.
As you can see from the picture, she did three layers...I followed the recipe and only did two. I wanted a break from the chocolate frosting, so I put marshmallow creme between the layers. It was an ooey gooey mess...but SO yummy!

Recipe Source: Slightly adapted from Martha Stewart

CPK BBQ Chicken Pizza

Story time. When I was in college, I went out to eat...probably everyday. I thought I was being healthy at the time because I was exercising. (I now know that I wasn't because I dropped 15 lbs when I got married...I quit going out to eat...hmm?) Point being, I know my restaurants well and which ones are my favorite. And CPK...top 5 easily. Their pizza is Ahmazing! And this has always been one of my favorites. I was surprisingly impressed with this recipe! You should try it!

Photo Credit to sixsistersstuff.com

Pizza Dough

1 teaspoon Instant Or Active Dry Yeast
1-½ cups warm water
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup olive oil 

Sprinkle yeast over 1 1/2 cups warm (not lukewarm) water. Let stand for a few minutes.
In a mixer, combine flour and salt. With the mixer running on low speed (with paddle attachment), drizzle in olive oil until combined with flour. Next, pour in yeast/water mixture and mix until just combined, and the dough comes together in a sticky mass.
Coat a separate mixing bowl with a light drizzle of olive oil, and form the dough into a ball. Toss to coat dough in olive oil, then cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and set it aside for 1 to 2 hours, or store in the fridge until you need it.

To finish the pizza:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 (20 oz) bottle of BBQ sauce
Olive oil, for drizzling
Salt, for sprinkling
1 (16 oz) block Mozzarella cheese, sliced thinly
1/2 whole red onion, cut in half and sliced very thin
Chopped cilantro, to taste

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Salt chicken breasts on both sides, then place in an ovenproof dish. Pour BBQ sauce over the breasts and turn them over to coat. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until chicken is done. Remove from oven and cut into a fine dice. Set aside.

Increase oven temperature to 500 degrees.
Roll/stretch out one pizza crust. Lay it on a sheet pan drizzled with olive oil. Drizzle a little olive oil on the crust, then sprinkle on a little salt.
Spoon a couple of tablespoons of extra BBQ sauce on the crust and spread it evenly. Top sauce with half the sliced mozzarella. Sprinkle on half the diced chicken and thinly sliced red onion.
Sprinkle again with a little salt, then bake for 15 to 17 minutes, or until crust is golden brown and toppings are bubbly.

Remove from the oven and sprinkle on plenty of chopped cilantro. Cut into squares and serve immediately. Repeat with other crust and other ingredients, or save for another time.

Recipe Source: Six Sisters' Stuff