I have to admit, I am not a big chocolate fan, I would take a cupcake, cookie or cheesecake over a brownie ANY day. But we were headed to a get together with friends and since I know most love chocolate I decided to give these a go. They were rather simple to throw together.

They are like the name says KILLER brownie! They are SOOO rich and sweet, no one can have more then one piece. We managed to eat half a pan between the BBQ, and lunches. I left the other half of pan “accidentally” at my moms. Make sure to make these for a get together and not to have around. Because I doubt you’ll be able to finish a whole pan, but they are good.

Killer Brownies (From: Sweet and Savory Tooth)

• 1 package dark chocolate brownie mix
• 2/3 cup pretzels, chopped (I used honey roasted and they gave it excellent flavor)
• 1/2 cup peanuts, chopped
• 2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup milk chocolate chips
• 1 cup chopped dark chocolate
• 1 1/4 cups creamy peanut butter
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups Rice Krispies cereal
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Prepare brownie mix according to package directions. Spread into a greased 9 x 13-inch baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out with moist crumbs .

Sprinkle with pretzels and peanuts and semisweet chocolate chips. Bake 4 to 6 minutes longer, or until chocolate is melted. Cool on a wire rack.

Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, combine the milk chocolate chips, dark chocolate, peanut butter, butter and salt. Cook and stire until the chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Remove from the heat, stir in the cereal and vanilla. Carefully spread over the brownies. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before cutting.

I have always disliked mint, I just don’t like it peppermint, ice cream, anything. Well lately I have noticed I am liking more and more mint, I have eaten my far share of thin mints this year, and have been enjoying mint flavoring in things. When I saw these were the cookie carnival recipe of the month I decided although I normally turn my head at mint I would give it a try.

Sure enough I liked these… not only liked them LOVED them, there are excellent. I want to try it with different flavoring as I think they would be just as good.

I am not a nut person and were bringing these to work and was unsure of allergies so I left out the walnuts and just used an almost full box of nilla wafers, I took about 5 out, as of course I had to make sure they were edible. Everyone at work enjoyed these as well and Adam and I fought over who would get the last one.

These would be the perfect dessert for St. Pattys day this week.

Walnut Mint Bars (From: Hersheys)

Heat oven to 350°F. Melt 1/2 cup margarine in medium saucepan; stir in crumbs, walnuts, sugar and cocoa. Press firmly on bottom of ungreased 13x9x2-inch baking pan.

Beat cream cheese, remaining 2 tablespoons margarine and cornstarch in small bowl until fluffy. Gradually beat in sweetened condensed milk then egg, peppermint extract and food color, if desired. Pour evenly into prepared pan.

Bake 25 minutes or until center is set. Cool. Drizzle chocolate drizzle over top. Refrigerate until thoroughly chilled. Cut into bars. Store covered in refrigerator. 24 to 36 bars. bars.

Chocolate Drizzle: Melt 1 cup Chocolate Chips with 1-1/2 teaspoons shortening (do not use butter, margarine or oil).

I needed another dessert to take to my family get together. I have had my on this tart forever and have had a tart pan sitting in the cupboard for years and have never used it.

I am SOOO glad I made this, it was easy, delicious and everyone raved about it.

Peanut Butter Truffle Tart (From: Pillsbury Best of the Bake-off Winners)

• 1 roll (16.5 oz) refrigerated peanut butter cookies
• 6 peanut butter crunchy granola bars (crushed 1 heaping cup)
• 2 bags semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup whipping cream
• 1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter
• 1/3 cup chopped peanuts (I used honey roasted)

Heat oven to 350. In large bowl, break up cooking down stir or kneat in crushed granola bars until well mixed. Press dough in bottom and up side of ungreased 10inch tart pan with removable bottom. Baked 12 to 17 minutes or untli light golden brown.

With back of spoon, press down crust on bottom and side; bake 3 to 5 minutes longer or until deep golden brown. Press down crust again with a spoon.

Meanwhile, in large microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips and whipping cream on High 1 minute. Stir; microwave 1 to 2 minutes longer, stirring every 30 seconds to prevent chocolate from buring, until completely melted and smooth. In small microwavable bowl, microwave peanut butter on high 1 minute or until melted.

Spread warm peanut butter in bottom of crust. Pour chocolate mixture over peanut butter mixture. Sprinkle peanuts evenly over the top. Refrigerate atleast 2 hours or until serving time. For easier cutting, let tart stand at room temperature 15 minutes before serving. Store in refrigerator.

My mom and aunt found this recipe on the Star Tribune website. I was a little unsure as I am not a big nut person, but I figured I could gift them out… well unless I make another batch there wont be any gifted. Yes they were that good. These are WONDERFUL!

I want to try them with different kind of nuts. Try these as soon as you get time.

Almond Triangles (From: Star Tribune)

• 2 c. (4 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature, divided
• 3/4 c. granulated sugar, divided
• 1 egg
• 3/4 tsp almond extract
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2-3/4 c. flour
• 1 c. packed brown sugar
• 1/3 c. honey
• 1/4 c. heavy cream at room temperature
• 1 lb (about 5-1/4 c.) sliced almonds

Use a 10×15 inch jellyroll pan.

In a bowl of an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat 2 sticks butter until creamy (about 1 min).  Gradually add 1/2 c. granulated sugar and beat until light and fluffy (about 2 min).  Add egg, almond extract and salt, and beat until thoroughly combined.  Reduce speed to low, add flour and mix until just incorporated.  Press dough evenly into pan and push dough up the sides.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 30 minutes.  Note:  the directions say to line the pan with heavy-duty foil, shiny side up; we used a non-stick pan without lining it with foil and had no problems removing it from the pan.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Use a fork to prick dough in 24 places all across and bake 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and cool on wire rack.

In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine brown sugar, honey, remaining 2 sticks butter and remaining 1/4 c. granulated sugar.  Cook, stirring occasionally until sugar dissolves.

Increase heat to medium-high, bring mixture to a boil, and cook for 3 minutes without stirring.  Remove from heat and stir in cream, then stir in almonds.

Spread almond mixture evenly over the crust.  Return pan to oven and bake until bubbling, about 15 minutes.  Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.  While bars are still slightly warm, cut into triangles.  Note:  we slid the bars onto a large cutting board before cutting.

Makes 6 dozen.

It’s been a boring few weeks in our kitchen. No baby yet but just not big desire to cook, I can’t seem to stand for as long before I get really sore, I am counting down the time until I get back into the kitchen, for now we have been living off of kraft mac and cheese, pancakes, frozen pizza, and take out.

I made these for a Halloween potluck at work, I made them in a cake pan and cut them figuring it would be easier then doing individual for work. These were excellent, they had a slight pumpkin flavor but not over pumpkiny. I have changed the recipe to a 9 X 13 pan, if you want to make them individually go to Pick Palates blog.

Pumpkin Magic Bars (From: Picky Palate)

• 1/2 Cup melted butter
• 1 1/2  Cups graham cracker crumbs
• 4 oz softened cream cheese
• 1 1/2 Cups pumpkin puree
• 6 Tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 Cup chocolate chips
• 1/2 Cup coarsely chopped cashews (I omitted)
• 1 1/2 Cups sweetened shredded coconut
• 8 oz sweetened condensed milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Place melted butter and graham cracker crumbs into a bowl; mix to combine.  Press into the bottom of  pan.  Bake for 12 minutes then remove from oven.

In a bowl beat the pumpkin, softened cream cheese, sugar and cinnamon until smooth.  Spoon evenly over each graham cracker crust, about 2 small spoonfuls.  Next layer chocolate chips evenly over pumpkin layer following with cashews, coconut and condensed milk.  Bake for 40-45 minutes or until top is golden brown.  Remove and let cool.

I have missed the last few cookie carnival recipes and that kind of bummed me out. I love a reason to make new cookies. This month it was cookie but a bar. I love coconut but Adam doesn’t so this was the perfect reason. I brought these to the neighborhood BBQ and everyone described them as a brownie with a macaroon on the top.

These were simple to make, and didn’t require a lot of ingredients but I didn’t think they were awesome, they were good but not something amazing.

Black-Bottom Coconut Bars (From: Martha Stewart)

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for pan
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)

For Coconut Topping

• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
• 1 package sweetened shredded coconut (7 ounces), 1/2 cup reserved for sprinkling

For chocolate base: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a 9-inch square baking pan with aluminum foil, leaving a slight overhang; butter bottom and sides of foil (not overhang).

Place butter in a large microwave-safe bowl; melt in microwave. Add sugar and salt; whisk to combine. Whisk in egg, then cocoa and flour until smooth. Spread batter in prepared pan.

Bake just until sides begin to pull away from edges of pan, 10 to 15 minutes (do not overbake). Let cool slightly while preparing coconut topping. Keep oven on for topping.

For coconut topping: In a medium bowl, whisk eggs with sugar and vanilla. Gently mix in flour and coconut (except 1/2 cup reserved for sprinkling).

Drop mounds of mixture over chocolate base; spread and pat in gently and evenly with moistened fingers. Sprinkle with reserved 1/2 cup coconut.

• Bake until golden and a toothpick inserted in center comes out with moist crumbs attached, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool completely in pan. Lift cake from pan, peel off foil, and cut into 24 bars. Store in an airtight container 3 to 4 days.

My favorite dessert of all time is cheesecake, if I could only have one dessert for the rest of my life it would be cheesecake. I use to be nervous about making homemade cheesecake, but then I went for it and I will never go back. It’s rather simple and always produces a yummy treat.

We hosted a Labor Day BBQ at our house and I wanted to make dessert, I decided to go with cheesecake, because well I love it, and I love trying new recipes. Cream Cheese is also the Whats Cooking Ingredient Challenge this week so I killed two birds with one stone.

These cheesecake is very different from most cheesecakes, it’s very creamy, not as dense as normal cheesecake, it was awesome, just different from what everyone was expecting, but awesome none the less. **I put my crust too high on the pan so my outside crust looked funny.**

Ultimate Cheesecake (From: Tyler Florence)

• 2 cups finely ground graham crackers (about 30 squares)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 stick unsalted butter, melted
• 1 pound cream cheese, 2 (8-ounce) blocks, softened
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 pint sour cream
• 1 dash vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

In a mixing bowl, combine the graham cracker, cinnamon, and butter with a fork until evenly moistened. Lightly coat the bottom and sides of an 8-inch springform pan with non-stick cooking spray.

Pour the crumbs into the pan and, using the bottom of a measuring cup or the smooth bottom of a glass, press the crumbs down into the base and 1-inch up the sides. Refrigerate for 5 minutes.

For the Filling:

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese on low speed for 1 minute until smooth and free of any lumps. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, and continue to beat slowly until combined. Gradually add sugar and beat until creamy, for 1 to 2 minutes.

Add sour cream, and vanilla. Periodically scrape down the sides of the bowl and the beaters. The batter should be well-mixed but not overbeaten. Pour the filling into the crust-lined pan and smooth the top with a spatula.

Set the cheesecake pan on a large piece of aluminum foil and fold up the sides around it. Place the cake pan in a large roasting pan. Pour boiling water into the roasting pan until the water is about halfway up the sides of the cheesecake pan; the foil will keep the water from seeping into the cheesecake. Bake for 45 minutes. The cheesecake should still jiggle (it will firm up after chilling), so be careful not to overcook. Let cool in pan for 30 minutes. Chill in the refrigerator, loosely covered, for at least 4 hours. Loosen the cheesecake from the sides of the pan by running a thin metal spatula around the inside rim. Unmold and transfer to a cake plate.

Slice the cheesecake with a thin, non-serrated knife that has been dipped in hot water. Wipe dry after each cut.

Adam and I were just talking about going apple picking again this fall, it’s getting to be that time of the year. I figured I better use up the apples I froze from last year before buying new apples. I still have 2 bags left so I will be making more soon.

Adam loves pie, I am not so much a fan of fruit pie, dutch apple with a big old scoop of ice cream is about the only one I will do. So I knew that was what I wanted to make. This one was excellent and wasn’t over the top with apples.

Dutch Apple Pie (Adapted From: Taste of Home)

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 T. cinnamon
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
• 2 cups chopped peeled tart apples (about 3 medium)
• 1 unbaked pie shell (9 inches)

STREUSEL TOPPING:

• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons cold butter

In a large bowl, combine the sugar, flour and cinnamon. Stir in the egg, vanilla and sour cream; stir until smooth. Add apples; mix well. Pour into pie crust. Bake at 375° for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 325° and bake for 30 minutes more.

For topping, combine flour and sugar in a small bowl. Cut in butter until crumbly. Sprinkle topping over pie; bake 20 minutes longer or until filling is bubbly and topping is browned. Cool on a wire rack. Serve warm or chilled. Store in the refrigerator.

The Whats Cooking board on the Nest that I like to post on had a new challenge, it was an ingredient challenge, this weeks challenge was blueberries. I don’t like blueberries so I was not very excited about the challenge, but then realized that it would be a good experience to try something I don’t normally use. And Adam likes blueberries so I ran with it, and started browsing for ideas.

While getting a pedicure last week I was reading the newest issue of Gourmet, this recipe was on the cover, they looked to die for. So I decided that would be my blueberry recipe.

These sandwiches were pretty easy to make, Adam and I both felt the ice cream layer was a little too thick, I think otherwise they were very good. And simple treat to make.

Lemon Ice Cream Sandwiches with Blueberry Swirl (From: Gourmet)

For lemon ice cream

• 2 pints premium vanilla ice cream
• 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

• Equipment:

  2 (8-inch) square baking pans (2 inches deep); a small offset spatula

I was in charge of bring dessert for a family get together that we were having at my moms house. I had been craving cheesecake so that was one thing but then I wanted to make my mom something that would be diabetic friendly. She sent me this recipe and it looked delicious.

The flavor of the cake was great, but the frosting was not so good. Next time I would not do the cream cheese frosting. Otherwise this was excellent.

Double Orange Bundt Cake (From: Diana’s Desserts)

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 7 1/4 teaspoons Equal
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup cold water
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 4 egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon orange extract
• 2 teaspoons grated orange zest
• 8 egg whites
• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
• Orange Cream Cheese Glaze (recipe follows)

Combine flour, 7 1/4 teaspoons Equal® Measure, baking powder, and salt in large bowl, beat in water, oil, egg yolks, vanilla, orange extract and orange zest.

Beat egg whites in large bowl until foamy, add cream of tartar and beat to stiff peaks. Stir in about 1/3 of the egg whites into flour mixture; fold flour mixture into remaining egg whites. Pour batter into ungreased 12-cup bundt cake pan.

Bake cake in preheated 325-degree F oven until top springs back when touched, 60 to 70 minutes. Cool cake in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes, invert cake onto wire rack and cool.
Place cake on serving plate, spoon Orange Cream Cheese Glaze over cake. Sprinkle fruit with Equal® Measure to taste, serve over cake slices.

Serving size: One slice, Yield: 16, Exchanges: 1 Bread, 1 Fat, Nutrition: 127 Calories, 4g Protein, 14g Carbohydrates, 6g Fat

Orange Cream Cheese Glaze
1/2 package (8 ounce-size) reduced-fat cream cheese, softened
1/2 to 1 teaspoon orange extract
1 teaspoon Equal® Measure or 3 packets Equal®
Skim milk
Directions
Mix cream cheese, extract, Equal® Measure, and enough milk to make medium glaze consistency. Spoon glaze over cake.
Nutritional Information: Serving size: 1 1/2 teaspoons, Yield: 1/2 cup, Exchanges: Free Food, Calories: 18, 1g Protein, 1g Carbohydrates, 1g Fat.