Mile High Mississippi Mud Pie

Remember how I said I was horrible at making layered cakes? Ok, so maybe just ones that involve various types of layers. When Stephen begged me to make this Mississippi Mud Pie from the Baked Explorations cookbook, I was really hesitant! It's not often that he requests that I make a dessert for him, or at least a very specific and complicated one :) But I wanted to give it a try, so I shopped for the ingredients and told him that if he would help me tackle it, I'd be happy to do it. The book has the recipe split up it steps, but I've made some adjustments to help things flow a little more smoothly (I love to simplify recipes and make it easier on home cooks). I also added a few ingredients and cut down the portions of others. I think that with these changes it turned out to be one tasty pie! I mean, look at all of those layers, how could you go wrong?! Oreo crust, flourless chocolate chip cake, dark chocolate pudding, marshmallows and homemade whipped cream... mmm. Stephen loved how dark and rich it was and I did too! I know the picture above is a little less than perfect, but it's mud pie right? It's bound to get a little messy when you cut into it!

Mile High Mississippi Mud Pie
Ingredients
Crust:

2 c. (16 oz.) Oreos, about 40 individual cookies, finely crushed
6 tbsp. butter, melted

Flourless chocolate chip cake:

1 c. sugar

6 oz. dark chocolate (60-70%), chopped
¼ c. warm water + 1 tbsp. espresso powder (dissolved in water)

4 tbsp. (½ stick) butter
6 eggs, separated

¼ tsp. salt

1 tbsp. vanilla

½ c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

Dark chocolate pudding:

¼ c. + 2 tbsp. sugar

¼ c. dark unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tbsp. cornstarch
1½ tbsp. butter
2 egg yolks

1¼ c. milk

¹⁄₈ tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1½ oz. dark chocolate (60-70%), chopped

1½ c. miniature marshmallows, set aside for assembly

Homemade whipped cream:

1 c. heavy cream

1 tbsp. granulated or powdered sugar

½ tsp. vanilla

pinch of salt

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Lightly spray a 9" springform pan with baking PAM, then line with parchment paper, lightly spray again with PAM, set aside.
2. In a food processor or blender, grind cookies until they become fine crumbs. Place crumbs into a medium size mixing bowl and pour melted butter over top. Mix with a spatula until the crumbs are coated.
3. Firmly press crumb mixture into the bottom and sides of the springform pan, leaving about ½" inch between the top of the crust and top of the pan. It may take several minutes, but you want to make sure it's thin, even and it climbs up those sides! Place crust in oven and bake for 8 minutes, remove and allow to cool.
4. Meanwhile, to make the flourless cake, increase oven to 350 degrees.
5. Using a double boiler, melt butter and chocolate, mixing until smooth. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
6. In a 1 c. glass measuring cup, dissolve espresso powder in warm water. Add salt and vanilla, set aside.
7. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (note: I have two KitchenAid bowls so I used one for the whites and one for the yolks), beat the egg whites until foamy, about 2 minutes. Gradually increase speed to high and slowly add ½ c. sugar, beating until soft peaks form. If you've got the ice cream cone top when you lift your whisk out, you've gone too far! Set aside.
8. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the egg yolks with the remaining ½ c. sugar until the eggs are light and have almost doubled in volume, about 3-4 minutes. Add the cooled chocolate mixture and beat until just combined. Scrape down sides and bottom of bowl and with mixing speed on low, add the coffee mixture. Beat until just combined.
9. Remove the bowl from the stand and gently fold in 1 c. of the beaten egg whites. After about 30 seconds of gentle folding, add remaining egg whites and continue folding until almost completely combined, do not overmix.
10. Pour the batter into the cooled crust, gently sprinkle chocolate chips over top and place in oven to bake for 38 to 40 minutes. The cake will have a semi-crisp top and will still jiggle a bit. Remove from oven and allow to cool to room temperature. The center and edges of the cake will fall- this is normal. Once the cake is cool, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.

11. While the cake is baking, to make the pudding, in a medium saucepan, whisk together sugar, cocoa powder, cornstarch, salt, egg yolks and milk. Whisk until no clumps remain. Set pan over medium heat. Whisking constantly, bring mixture to a boil. Once the mixture has boiled it will begin to thicken immediately. Cook for one minute then remove from heat. 

12. Whisk in chocolate chunks, butter and vanilla. Pour into a bowl and let sit for 15 minutes before covering with plastic wrap (directly onto the surface of the pudding to prevent a skin from forming) and placing in the refrigerator for 2 hours.

13. While cake and pudding are cooling, to make the whipped cream, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat together all ingredients for 1-2 minutes until soft peaks begin to form. We like our whipped cream extra firm so we go until stiff peaks. Remove whipped cream from bowl, transfer to a smaller bowl, cover and refrigerate until needed.

14. Once the cake and the pudding have cooled for two hours (really you can let them go longer if you want), remove from refrigerator and spread the pudding over the top of the cake in an even layer. Gently press the marshmallows into the top of the pudding. Spread the whipped cream over the marshmallows, filling in the cracks and spreading until smooth. Refrigerate for 2 more hours before serving.

Adapted from Baked Explorations, Mississippi Mud Pie | Makes one 9" round cake or approximately 8-12 servings

Hershey's Chocolate S'mores Bars

Happy National S'mores Day!!! I'm super excited to share this recipe with you today. It's inspired by the graham cracker s'mores bars I made a few years back, only these bars are all chocolate! I was trying to come up with something to "snack on" over the weekend, something that would last a few days and that wouldn't require a lot of work. These bars were the perfect solution. All you need to do is whip up a batch of chocolate cookie dough and assemble the bars as you go. They only take 18 minutes to bake and are perfectly gooey and toasty when they come out of the oven- no campfire needed! I cut our bars into generously sized squares, but these are rich, so miniature squares would be perfect too. I hope you eat something wonderful today, even if it's just a classic s'more!

Hershey's Chocolate S'mores Bars
Ingredients
¾ c. all-purpose flour
¼ c. cake flour
¼ c. Hershey's natural unsweetened cocoa powder
½ c. sugar
¼ c. brown sugar
8 tbsp. (1 stick) butter, room temperature
1 egg + 1 egg yolk
½ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. vanilla
⅔ c. Hershey's semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted
½ c. Hershey's semi-sweet chocolate chips
⅓ c. miniature marshmallows

1 sleeve chocolate graham crackers, more if needed
1½ c. miniature marshmallows
1 Hershey's milk chocolate candy bar
1 Hershey's dark chocolate candy bar

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9x13 or a quarter baking sheet with parchment paper. Use the chocolate graham crackers to cover the parchment, set aside.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together butter, sugars and vanilla for 2-3 minutes. Add melted chocolate chips, mix until combined. Add egg, then egg yolk, mixing just until combined.
3. In a medium size mixing bowl, whisk together flours, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. With mixing speed on low, add dry ingredients. When no flour pockets remain, turn off and remove bowl from stand. Fold in ½ c. chocolate chips and ⅓ c. miniature marshmallows. Spread cookie dough over the graham crackers, in an even layer.
4. Place in oven and bake for 6 minutes, remove and gently press in remaining graham crackers (broken into pieces), marshmallows, and candy bar pieces. Place in oven and bake for an additional 10-12 minutes or until the marshmallows become golden brown in color. Remove and allow to cool in pan for 25-30 minutes before removing and cutting into bars.
Inspired by Graham Cracker S'mores Bars | Makes approximately 12 bars

The Ultimate Peanut Butter Cookie Cake

For those of you that know me, or frequently follow the recipes posted here on Life Made Simple, you know I'm kind of obsessed with peanut butter! I'll take it any form, but today it's a cookie cake! Being almost 9 months pregnant, I've been trying to scale down the amount of time I spend in the kitchen. Sad, I know, but with some dislocated ribs it's been hard to bend over and prep and wash dishes. So I've been simplifying meals and baking treats that require minimal work. Although cookies aren't the most difficult or time consuming thing to make, I wanted to whip up something that I could just pop in the oven and forget about for a few minutes. I decided to make a peanut butter version of this M&M Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake that I made for Stephen's birthday last year. I mixed in a handful of peanuts, peanut butter M&Ms, peanut butter chips and of course, peanut butter! It baked up perfectly in my Wilton cookie cake pan and I topped it with some peanut butter frosting once it had cooled. It was a fun and easy treat to make that was perfect just for the two of us to snack on, but would be great for birthdays or parties too!

Peanut Butter Cookie Cake

Ingredients

1½ c. all-purpose flour
¾ c. sugar
½ c. brown sugar
1 c. creamy peanut butter
½ c. butter, room temperature
2 eggs
2 tbsp. heavy cream milk
¾ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
½ c. peanut butter M&M's or peanut butter cups, coarsely chopped

½ c. peanut butter chips
½ c. dry roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped

Creamy Peanut Butter Frosting:

1 c. powdered sugar

8 tbsp. (1 stick) butter, room temperature

¼ c. creamy peanut butter

1 tbsp. heavy cream

pinch of salt

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line one giant (11") cookie pan with parchment paper, set aside (I usually just cut out a large circle for the bottom).
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together sugars, butter and peanut butter until smooth, about 2-3 minutes. With mixing speed on low, add vanilla, heavy cream and one egg. Mix until incorporated, then add remaining egg.
3. In a medium size mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. With mixing speed on low, gradually add dry ingredients, mixing until no visible dry ingredients remain. Remove bowl from stand and gently fold in M&M's (or peanut butter cups), peanut butter chips and chopped peanuts.
4. Using a spatula, place the dough into the pan, pressing to create an even layer. Place the pan in oven and bake for 16-20 minutes or until the edges become golden brown in color. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 45 minutes before frosting.

5. Meanwhile, to prepare the frosting, beat all ingredients together for 3 minutes or until mixture becomes light and fluffy. Place into a piping bag with desired tip and pipe onto the cooled cookie, around the edges or in the center if you want to write something on it.

Recipe adapted from Smitten Kitchen, Peanut Butter Cookies | Makes 1 (11") Giant Cookie Cake

Blueberry Crumble Cheesecake Bars

I love baking with fresh blueberries, don't you? They undergo a magical transformation when exposed to heat that makes them turn that beautiful color and burst on impact. The other day I knew I wanted to bake something for National Cheesecake Day, I mean, I'm kind of obsessed with cheesecake. Instead of doing something with chocolate or candies, I decided to use the fresh blueberries I had in my refrigerator. Stephen loves blueberry truffles so I figured he'd really enjoy these bars. I started off with a traditional graham cracker crust, then filled it with a vanilla cheesecake, topped it with those delicious berries and then cover it with a layer of sugary buttery crumble. Perfection! These bars scream summer to me! I think they'd be great with mixed berries or even peaches too! I know we'll be eating a few of these to celebrate, how about you?! For more cheesecake inspiration, click here!

Blueberry Crumble Cheesecake Bars
Filling ingredients
12 oz. cream cheese
½ c. sour cream
½ c. sugar
2 eggs
½ tsp. salt
1½ tsp. vanilla or vanilla bean paste

Blueberries:
2 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 c. fresh blueberries, rinsed and patted dry

Graham cracker crust:
10 graham crackers, finely crushed
3 tbsp. sugar
4 tbsp. (½ stick) butter, melted

Crumble topping:
1 c. all-purpose flour
¼ c. brown sugar
¼ c. sugar
7 tbsp. butter, cold

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line an 8x8 square baking pan* with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on at least 2 sides for easy removal.
2. In a medium size mixing bowl combine crust ingredients, then spread into prepared pan, creating an even layer. I pressed mine flat with the bottom, of a measuring cup. Place in oven and bake for 10 minutes. Remove and allow to cool while preparing the remaining components.
3. In a small mixing bowl, combine all blueberry ingredients, toss gently to combine, set aside.
4. In a medium size mixing bowl, combine all ingredients for crumble topping. Cut the butter in with a pastry blender until the mixture is coarse, set aside.
5. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together cream cheese, sour cream and sugar until smooth. NOTE: it's really important that the cream cheese, sour cream and eggs are at room temperature, otherwise you'll end up with a clumpy batter! With mixing speed on low, add vanilla, salt and one egg. Mix until combined, then add the remaining egg, mixing until incorporated.
6. Pour the cheesecake batter over the baked (and slightly cool) crust. Spread evenly with a spatula. Carefully place blueberry mixture over top, evenly covering the cheesecake. Finally, top with crumble. Place in oven and bake for 40-45 minutes or until the cheesecake has set and the crumble is lightly golden brown in color. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 1½ hours or until it reaches room temperature. Place in refrigerator and chill for at least 4 hours before removing, cutting and serving.
NOTE: *The pan will be completely full almost to the top, so make sure it's 2" in height! Also, this can be baked in a 9" round cheesecake pan... although the baking time may vary and the result will be a thinner cheesecake. I have not yet tried this, so I can't give exact time amounts.
Adapted from Tyler Florence, Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Bars | Makes approximately 12 bars

Lemon Pound Cake with Vanilla Bean Glaze

 
When I came across a version of this recipe it was love at first sight. I've always been a huge fan of pound cake, but this recipe promised a pound cake that was moist and fluffy. That sounds a little weird for pound cake, right? But really, who wants to bite in to a dense, dry cake? So I went to work adjusting things here and there so that it would be extra moist and so that the lemon flavor would really pop. Instead of doing a lemon glaze for the top, I opted for a light and simple vanilla bean glaze. That was a great decision! The cake turned out to be everything that I had hoped for- moist, fluffy and flavorful. Stephen was circling the cake as it sat on the counter and kept asking me when it would be ready to eat. As soon as I had photographed it we cut ourselves a few slices and dug in. He agreed that it would be perfect with poppyseeds and I thought it would be great with a handful of fresh blueberries! I hope that you'll give this recipe a try, you won't be disappointed! Enjoy this lovely summer treat!

Lemon Pound Cake

Ingredients

1¾ c. all-purpose flour

1¼ c. sugar

16 tbsp. (2 sticks) butter, room temperature

5 eggs

⅓ c. sour cream

½ tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. salt

Zest of 3 lemons

3 tbsp. fresh lemon juice

½ tsp. lemon extract (optional)

½ tsp. vanilla 

¾ c. blueberries *see note below

OR 3 tbsp. poppyseeds

Lemon simple syrup:

¼ c. sugar

¼ c. fresh lemon juice

Vanilla bean glaze:

½ c. powdered sugar

1 tbsp. milk

¼ tsp. vanilla bean paste
pinch of salt

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place your rack in the middle of the oven (mine was the second "shelf" from the bottom). Lightly grease one 9x5 loaf pan with butter, then lightly dust with flour, set aside.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together butter, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, lemon oil, and vanilla for 3 minutes (on medium-high) or until light and fluffy. Add sour cream, beat until incorporated. Add eggs one at a time, mixing to incorporate after each addition. 

3. In a small mixing bowl whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. With mixing speed on low, gradually add dry ingredients, mixing for an additional 45 seconds after all of the dry ingredients have been added. Remove bowl from stand and fold in any "mix-ins" (blueberries* or poppyseeds), if desired.

4. Pour batter into prepared pan and spread evenly. Place in oven and bake for 1 hour or until the top becomes golden brown in color. Remove from oven and allow to cool in pan for 20 minutes.

5. Meanwhile in a small saucepan over medium heat, combine sugar and lemon juice to create a syrup. Once sugar has dissolved allow to gently simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from heat.

6. Remove loaf from pan after 20 minutes of cooling. Using a toothpick or cake tester, poke holes into the top of the cake- lots of 'em! Brush the syrup over top (and the sides too) so that it seeps into the cake. Allow the loaf to cool for another 1½ hours before frosting with glaze.

7. To prepare the glaze, in small mixing bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, vanilla bean paste, and salt. It may not look like a lot, but a little goes a long way, trust me! Spread over the loaf and allow to drip over the edges and sides. Allow to sit for 20 minutes to harden before serving.

NOTE: If you are planning on folding in blueberries, toss them in flour before adding, this will help prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the loaf.
NOTE: You can find vanilla bean paste (Nielsen-Massey brand) at Williams-Sonoma, Sur La Table, King Arthur Flour and many other baking stores.

Adapted from Best Summer Desserts, Lemon Pound Cake | Makes one 9x5 loaf

M&M Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

The other day I had a HUGE craving for oatmeal cookies! I turned to my mom's oatmeal chocolate chip cookie recipe and halved it. I decided to adjust a few of the ingredients, using only brown sugar and adding an extra egg yolk to keep the cookies extra moist, chewy and thick. Since I'm a big fan of vanilla I also increased the amount to help flavor the cookies a bit more. Now you don't have to chill the cookie dough, but ever since I made these cookies, I've been obsessed with refrigerating my dough! I just think that it helps create a nice stiff dough which allows the cookies to better hold their shape during the baking process. Being the M&M lover that I am, I loaded mine up with them, and chocolate chips too :) These cookies definitely hit the spot- it's a recipe I'll be using time and time again!

M&M Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients

1 c. all-purpose flour

1¼ c. old-fashioned rolled oats (not quick cooking)

1 c. brown sugar

8 tbsp. (1 stick) butter, room temperature

1 egg + 1 egg yolk

½ tsp. baking soda

¼ tsp. salt

1½ tsp. vanilla

½ c. chocolate chips

½ c. M&Ms

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a Silpat mat, set aside.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together butter, brown sugar and vanilla for 3-4 minutes on medium-high. Add egg, mix, then egg yolk, mixing just until combined.

3. In a medium size mixing bowl, combine flour, oats, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to combine. With mixing speed on low, gradually add dry ingredients, mixing until no flour pockets remain. Remove bowl from stand and fold in chocolate chips and M&Ms. Allow the dough to chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour before baking.

4. Scoop chilled dough onto the prepared cookie sheets. Gently pat down each ball. Place in oven and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies begin to turn golden brown in color. The centers should look slightly underbaked, they will firm up once cooled. Remove from oven and allow cookies to cool on sheets for 3-4 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Adapted from my Mom's Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies | Makes approximately 24 cookies

Biscoff Peach Crisp

Ok folks, it's summer which means that it's crisp time! Let's start out with this one... Biscoff Peach Crisp. If it weren't for the fact that Stephen and I were taking this over to our friends for an after dinner dessert, we probably would have eaten the whole thing by ourselves... in one sitting... seriously. I had been dreaming about making this crisp for months, and now that it's finally peach season I told Stephen that we had to make it! I literally threw this together in a matter of minutes. It was a good thing Stephen wasn't watching at the time because I snuck in a few ingredients that he's less than keen on. #1 oats- but really, a crisp just wouldn't be a crisp without a few oats in the topping. #2 cinnamon- for some reason he's not a big fan of it, but the flavor here is just to enhance the sweetness of the peaches and brown sugar, it by no means overwhelms the crisp. And #3 Biscoff cookies- I crumbled them up and used them as part of the topping. He was smitten and so was I! We served it up with a nice big scoop of vanilla ice cream- talk about the perfect summer treat! Enjoy!

Biscoff Peach Crisp

Ingredients

5 ripe peaches, skin removed and sliced

3 tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. cornstarch

¹⁄₈ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. vanilla

Topping:

⅔ c. all-purpose flour

⅓ c. old-fashioned rolled oats (not quick-cooking)

¼ c. sugar

¼ c. brown sugar

4 Biscoff cookies, crushed to your liking

6 tbsp. (¾ stick) butter, cold and cubed

¼ tsp. cinnamon

¹⁄₈ tsp. salt

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Set aside an 8x8 or 8x6 glass baking dish.

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the sliced peaches (don't slice them too thin), sugar, cornstarch, salt, cinnamon, and vanilla. Toss gently and allow to sit while preparing the topping.

3. To prepare the topping, in a medium size mixing bowl, combine the flour, oats, sugar, brown sugar, crushed Biscoff cookies, cinnamon, and salt. Mix to combine. Using a pastry blender, cut in the cold butter. Mix until medium size clumps remain, about the size of dime, maybe a little bit smaller.

4. To assemble, pour the peaches into the baking dish, cover with topping. Place in oven and bake for 25-30 minutes. Keep a careful eye on the top, making sure that it doesn't get too dark- if the peaches are not soft yet and the top is getting too dark, cover with foil. I didn't have a problem with mine, but all ovens are different!

5. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 20 minutes before serving warm.

NOTE: For a 9x13 pan you will need to double the recipe.

Life Made Simple Original Recipe | Makes 4-6 servings

Triple Chocolate Brownies

My search for the ultimate fudgy brownie is over. It's been a long journey but I think I've finally found a brownie recipe that I really love! It's dark, it's fudgy and it's really rich! Best of all, it's got a nice crisp top that cracks when you bite into it. Adding espresso powder helped to enhance the chocolate flavor and adding baking soda gave these an extra lift which eliminated any battery goo that might have otherwise resulted. I tossed in three kinds of chocolate to create the ultimate chocolatey brownie, but I think peanut butter chips or maybe even thin mints would be really good too! I took these to a family reunion and they were gone in about 15 minutes, everyone loved them! I hope you'll give this recipe a try, because I think you're going to love them too! P.S. See the note below if you're using an 8x8 pan.

Triple Chocolate Brownies

Ingredients

1 c. all-purpose flour

1¾ c. unsweetened cocoa powder

2½ c. sugar

1⅓ c. (2 sticks + 6 tbsp) butter

4 eggs

¼ tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. espresso powder

1 tsp. vanilla

½ c. milk chocolate chips

½ c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

½ c. bittersweet chocolate chips (60%)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a 9x13 inch pan with parchment or foil, set aside.

2. In a large double boiler, melt butter then add espresso powder, mixing to dissolve. Add sugar and cook until the mixture becomes smooth and glossy. Remove from heat and allow the mixture to cool for 20 minutes. 

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the cooled (really it can be slightly warm) butter mixture and vanilla. With mixing speed on low add one egg at a time, mixing just until incorporated. 

4. In a medium size mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. With mixing speed on low, gradually add dry ingredients. Mix until no flour pockets remain. Remove bowl from stand and fold in the three kinds of chocolate chips. 

5. Spread the brownie batter evenly into the prepared pan. Place in oven and bake for 25-30 minutes or until the brownies are set. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 45 minutes before cutting and serving.

NOTE: This recipe is for a 9x13 pan. You can make a half recipe and bake it in an 8x8 square pan for the same amount of time.

Adapted from Bittersweet, by Alice Medrich | Makes approximately 24 brownies

Chocolate Chunk Zucchini Muffins

One of my all-time favorite breads is my mom's zucchini bread. It's sweet, moist and loaded with garden-fresh zucchini. The other day I was craving something chocolaty for a late afternoon snack and I realized that I had a few extra zucchini laying around. I didn't want to bake anything that would require frosting, but I did want it to be a little decadent. So I decided to make some muffins that incorporated both chocolate and zucchini. I had the first batch of these in the oven and when it occurred to me that I forgot to add the sugars! Yep, we'll blame that one on my "pregnancy brain."I immediately pulled them from the oven and tossed them. A sad day indeed. Thankfully I had another zucchini on hand so I started over, this time being really careful to remember the sugars. I did. In my attempt to be slightly more healthy (slightly because this is a chocolate recipe), I used 1 c. all-purpose flour and ¾ c. whole wheat flour. The recipe below uses only all-purpose (for convenience), but I must say, the chocolate does a great job of masking any wheaty flavor that you might otherwise be able to detect (side note: my favorite brand is King Arthur Flour Premium 100% Whole Wheat Flour, in fact I use a lot of their products and get great texture and taste in my baked products). Anyway, these muffins turned out great! I ate three within about 15 minutes! No joke. There's something about the zucchini that convinced me that it was ok to keep eating more... or maybe it was all of the gooey chocolate bits ;) I'll let you decide!

Chocolate Chunk Zucchini Muffins
Ingredients
1¾ c. all-purpose flour
½ c. sugar
¼ c. brown sugar
¼ c. oil
½ c. sour cream
½ c. milk
1 egg
2 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
3 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
¼ tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
½ c. grated zucchini, pressed to remove moisture
½ c. chocolate chunks + ¼ c. for on top (one 4oz Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate bar, chopped)

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line or lightly spray one standard size muffin tin, set aside.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together sugars and oil for 30 seconds. Add sour cream, milk, vanilla and egg, mix until just combined.
3. In a medium size mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa powder, and salt. With mixing speed on low, gradually add dry ingredients until the mixture becomes smooth and no flour pockets remain.
4. Remove bowl from stand and fold in zucchini (I used the smaller "cheese" holes on my grater for the zucchini, the large ones would have been too thick and chunky) and chocolate chunks. Scoop batter into prepared muffin tin, filling each ¾ of the way full. Top with additional chocolate chunks.
5. Place in oven and bake for 16-18 minutes or until the tops spring back. Remove from oven and allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Life Made Simple Original Recipe | Makes 12 standard size muffins

Patriotic Funfetti Cupcakes

I know what you must be thinking - this girl is obsessed with funfetti. Yeah, you're pretty much right :) The other day when I was at work, I was organizing our baking shelf and an idea for patrotic cupcakes popped into my head... funfetti with a surprise star in the middle! What could be more fun?!?! Since Stephen and I celebrated early (we went to a BBQ tonight), I thought it would be a great treat to take and I'd be able to share it with you just in time for the 4th! These are soft and moist vanilla cupcakes that are bursting with red, white and blue sprinkles. They've got a swirled star in the middle and are topped with a light and fluffy vanilla buttercream. These may not be apple pie, but they're pretty darn good and festive too! Happy 4th of July- enjoy the fireworks!

Patriotic Funfetti Cupcakes
Ingredients
1 c. all-purpose flour
¾ c. cake flour
¾ c. sugar
¼ c. brown sugar
8 tbsp. (1 stick) butter, room temperature
1 egg + 1 egg yolk
¼ c. sour cream
¾ c. whole milk
½ tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. vanilla bean paste
¼ tsp. almond extract

Red and blue food coloring
½ c. red, white and blue jimmies

Vanilla buttercream:
3½ - 4 c. powdered sugar
16 tbsp. (2 sticks) butter, room temperature
3 tbsp. heavy cream
1¾ tsp. vanilla extract

Pinch of salt

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line one standard cupcake pans with liners, set aside. Line the bottom of one standard size loaf pan with parchment paper, lightly coating it with baking spray and flour, set aside.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add vanilla bean paste, vanilla extract and almond extract. With mixing speed on low, add egg, then egg yolk, mixing until just combined.
3. In a medium size mixing bowl whisk together flour, cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a glass measuring cup mix together sour cream and milk. With mixing speed on low, alternate dry and wet ingredients, mix until batter is smooth and homogeneous (being careful not to over mix).
4. Remove bowl from stand. Portion out ¾ c. batter into on small mixing bowl, and ¾ c. of batter into another mixing bowl. Dye one red, and the other blue. Gently swirl the two together in the prepared loaf pan (don't go too crazy or you'll end up with purple). Bake for 15-18 minutes or until the cake is set. Once the cake has cooled, remove from pan and cut out star shapes (you'll want to use a small star, about 1" in diameter and ½"- ¾" thick/depth so that it fits nicely into the cupcake liner with room for the cupcake to bake around it).

5. Gently fold in sprinkles to the remaining "white" batter. Scoop a small bit into the base of each of the  cupcake liners. Place a start standing upright into each, then pour the remaining batter around the start, just covering the top. Place in the oven and bake for 18-22 minutes or until the cupcakes spring back when touched and are slightly golden brown on top.

6. Remove from oven and allow to cool in pans for 5 minutes before removing and transferring to a wire rack to cool completely (about 25 minutes).
7. While cupcakes are cooling, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine butter, salt, and vanilla. Beat until fluffy (2-3 minutes). With mixing speed on low, add heavy cream, then gradually add ½ c. powdered sugar at a time until the mixture becomes soft but firm enough to hold it's shape. Beat frosting for an additional 3 minutes until light and fluffy. Pipe on cooled cupcakes as desired, decorate with festive sprinkles.
Adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction, Easy Homemade Funfetti Cupcakes | Makes approximately 12 standard size cupcakes

Toll House Chocolate Chip Blondies

Yesterday we had my brother and sister-in-law over for dinner. Earlier that afternoon I was trying to come up with some kind of treat to make and decided that a batch of blondies was the way to go. I turned to a recipe out of my Ina Garten Foolproof cookbook. I could tell that the recipe wasn't perfect, I read some reviews online and knew it needed some work. So I adjusted some ingredients here and there and came up with a recipe for blondies that is both crunchy and chewy and loaded with the right balance of chocolate chips and walnuts. Also, can I just tell you that I love how moist and thick they were?! Yum! I think this recipe is a keeper and I hope you will too!

Toll House Chocolate Chip Blondies

Ingredients

2 c. all-purpose flour

¾ c. sugar

¾ c. brown sugar

14 tbsp. (1¾ stick) butter, room temperature

2 eggs

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

2 tsp. vanilla

½ c. chopped walnuts

¾ c. Nestlé® Toll House® chocolate chips

¼ c. Nestlé® Toll House® mini chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9x13 inch pan with parchment paper (don't use butter/spray or the bottoms will be too moist), set aside.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together sugars and butter until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Add vanilla, then eggs one at a time, mixing until just combined. 

3. In a small mixing bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt, whisk together. With mixing speed on low, gradually add the dry ingredients, mixing until no flour pockets remain. Remove bowl from stand and fold in chocolate chips and walnuts.

4. Spread the dough into the pan creating an even layer. Place in oven and bake for 27-30 minutes or until the blondies are medium golden brown in color. Remove from oven and allow to cool in pan for 30 minutes before cutting and serving.

Adapted from Ina Garten, Chocolate Chunk Blondies | Makes approximately 15 bars

Blueberry Peach Coffee Cake Muffins

The other morning I woke up wanting to make muffins. So far with this pregnancy I've been craving two things: fruit and peanut butter. With a counter full of fresh peaches and blueberries, I decided to make a batch of coffee cake muffins. I was a little hesitant about using so much fruit in one muffin but these turned out to be one of the best muffins I've made in a while- I loved them!!! They're light and fluffy and topped with a crunchy cinnamon crumb topping. The thing I like the best about these is that they just get better with time. The following day I ate two for breakfast and the flavors were even more bright and delicious! I think these would be great with blackberries or raspberries too... the options seem endless!

Blueberry Peach Coffee Cake Muffins
Ingredients
½ c. all-purpose flour
¾ c. cake flour
½ c. sugar
6 tbsp. (¾ stick) butter, room temperature
1 egg + 1 egg yolk
¼ c. sour cream
2 tbsp. milk
¼ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
1½ tsp. vanilla extract

1 peach, sliced thinly and skin removed
⅓ c. blueberries

Cinnamon crumb topping:
½ c. all-purpose flour
3 tbsp. sugar
3 tbsp. brown sugar
4 tbsp. (¼ stick) butter, melted
¾ tsp. ground cinnamon

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line one muffin tin with regular baking cups, tulip baking cups or panettone baking cups, set aside.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine butter and sugar. Beat on medium until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Add egg, mix then egg yolk. Mix in vanilla until just combined.
3. In a medium size mixing bowl, combine flours, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Whisk to combine. With mixing speed on low, alternate dry ingredients with sour cream and milk. Mix until the batter is smooth and no flour pockets remain.
4. To make the cinnamon crumb topping, in a small bowl whisk together flour, sugars and cinnamon. Pour the melted butter over and using your hands, mix until it becomes clumpy.
5. Scoop 1 tbsp. of batter into the bottom of each muffin cup, spread to cover the entire base. Place a few slices of peaches over. Cover with remaining batter, then top with remaining peaches and the blueberries. Sprinkle the crumb topping over each, gently pressing it down. You will notice that there is a generous amount of topping, you'll want to use it all!
6. Place into oven and bake for 25-28 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean and the tops of the muffins are golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool in pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Life Made Simple Original Recipe | Makes 12 standard size muffins

Homemade Eclairs

A few weeks ago I shared this recipe over at Lil' Luna as part of my guest post for May. Now it's time for me to share it with you! Eclairs have always been one thing I have really wanted to master. The whole concept seemed foreign to me and I thought I'd fail a few times before I found success. Well, not so long ago I was at work and I had the opportunity to make them for a class. I learned a few tips and tricks along the way and I have included them in the recipe below. Stephen reaped the bounty of my first at-home batch and deemed them a recipe worthy of remaking in the future. I now know that there's no need to fear when it comes to baking. Sure failures or flops happen, but you never know unless you try! These are easy to make, the only key thing is time... you've got to give yourself at least 2 hours from start to finish. If you're interested in more ideas for eclairs, you can always fill them with jam or whipped cream. If you don't want to make an entire batch of eclairs, just pipe the paste into circles to make cream puffs- you can find my recipe for those here. Happy baking!

Homemade Eclairs
Pâte â choux:
1 c. all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. granulated sugar
8 tbsp. (1 stick) butter
4 eggs
1 c. water
¼ tsp. salt

Vanilla bean pastry cream:
¼ c. + 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
6 tbsp. granulated sugar
2 tbsp. butter
3 egg yolks
1½ c. whole milk
1 tbsp. vanilla bean paste

Chocolate glaze:
4 oz. semi-sweet chocolate, melted
½ c. heavy whipping cream, plus more if needed
pinch of sea salt

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 400˚F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, set aside.
2. To make the pâte â choux, place a medium size saucepan over low heat. Add butter, sugar, water and salt, stirring frequently. Turn heat up to a low boil, remove from head and add in flour. Stir vigorously until the mixture forms a thick paste and no flour pockets remain. Place over medium heat and cook for 1-2 minutes stirring constantly to prevent burning (a thin film will form on the bottom of your pan).
3. Place hot paste into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes until it becomes slightly cooler. Then add the eggs one at a time until incorporated. The mixture will look shiny and will stick to the sides of the bowl. Beat for an additional 2 minutes on medium. Scoop dough into a large piping bag fitted with a large tip (around a ½" in diameter). Pipe 4"-5" logs onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing each two inches apart to prevent spreading & baking into each other.
4. Place in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, open the oven, rotate the pan and reduce the heat to 350˚F, bake for an additional 20 minutes. Reduce oven heat to 300˚F and bake for 20 minutes to allow the pastry shells to dry out. That makes a total of 60 minutes or 1 hour at three separate temperatures. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 30 minutes.
5. Meanwhile to make the pastry cream, in a large mixing bowl, combine egg yolks and sugar, whisking until combined. Pour milk into a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring to a low boil then add the flour. Gradually pour the hot milk into the egg/sugar mixture to temper it, whisking constantly to prevent the eggs from scrambling. Return the mixture to the saucepan set over medium heat, add vanilla bean paste and cook until it becomes very thick. Pour over a mesh sieve to strain any eggy parts and set over an ice bath to cool (whisk for about 5 minutes or so). Store in the refrigerator until needed.
6. When the pastry shells have cooled poke three holes into the bottom of each one. Place pastry cream into a large piping bag fitted with a small round tip and fill each hole. Once the shells are filled, heat the heavy whipping cream for the glaze in the microwave for 30 seconds. Stir in semi-sweet chocolate and salt. Dip each pastry into the chocolate glaze swirling to remove any excess chocolate. Set on the baking sheet and place in the refrigerator to set for about 30 minutes. Serve and enjoy!
Recipe adapted from The Art and Soul of Baking, by Cindy Mushet | Makes approximately 16 eclairs

Monster Cookie Bars

Stephen and I just returned from a nice little vacation in California. While we were there my brother brought us a bag of gluten free monster cookies from a local bakery. I was surprised to find out that both my mom and Stephen had never tried monster cookies. As a peanut butter, oatmeal and M&M lover, I had just assumed that everyone had tasted this delicious combination. I was wrong. I made it my goal to bake up some kind of "monster treat" when we came back home. My first thought was to do my own gluten free cookie version but since I was short on time and didn't have the necessary ingredients, I turned to bars. Let me start off by warning you: these are not your typical monster cookie bars. Mine are ultra moist and topped with a creamy peanut butter spread that really puts them over the top! If you like your bars extra gooey, go ahead and stick to 15 minutes of baking time, they'll be even more soft and chewy! I took these to a picnic dinner and they were a huge hit- I hope you'll think so too!

Monster Cookie Bars
Ingredients

2 c. all-purpose flour
1½ c. quick rolled oats
1 c. sugar

1 c. brown sugar
⅔ c. peanut butter, creamy or chunky
1 c. (2 sticks) butter, room temperature
2 eggs
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
¼ c. chopped peanuts
¼ c. chocolate chips (a mix of regular and mini)
¼ c. M&Ms (a mix of regular and mini)

Peanut butter topping:
⅔ c. Reese's peanut butter
1½ c. confectioner's sugar
⅓ c. milk (more if needed)
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. vanilla

½ c. chocolate chips (a mix of regular and mini)
½ c. M&Ms (a mix of regular and mini)

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease (or cover with parchment) a full size cookie sheet with sides.
2. In a medium size mixing bowl, whisk together oats, flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together peanut butter, butter and sugars for 1 minute. Turn speed to low and add one egg at a time. Add vanilla and mix until combined.
4. Remove bowl from stand mixer. Fold in dry ingredients, then chopped peanuts, chocolate chips and M&Ms. Pour onto prepared pan and pat down until even. I like to use a my hands to get it all spread out, and then a spatula to make it smooth and even. Place in oven and bake for 15-18 minutes, or until the top begins to brown. 

5. While the bars are baking, in a medium size mixing bowl, combine all of the topping ingredients. Using a hand mixer, beat until smooth (it should be a spreadable consistency, but will it will also melt and get shiny on contact). Set aside until needed.

6. Remove bars from oven and place pan on a wire rack. Allow to cool for 8 minutes before spreading the peanut butter topping over the entire sheet. It should become smooth and melty, spread until even. Sprinkle remaining chocolate chips and M&Ms over top, allow to cool for 30-40 more minutes before cutting into bars.

Life Made Simple Original Recipe | Makes approximately 30 bars

White Chocolate Macadamia Cookies with Toasted Coconut

Congratulations to Sandie C. - You've won the mini cheesecake pan!!!

Thanks to everyone else who entered! 

Behold... a white chocolate macadamia nut cookie that won't leave you disappointed!

I've been avoiding baking this type of cookie for quite some time now, mainly because I've never found a recipe that I really love. I thought to myself, what could make these better??? Then came the aha moment. I should add both soft sweetened coconut and toasted coconut! The addition of these ingredients really helped bring these cookies to life along with the extra egg yolk and cornstarch which helped to thicken them up and gave them nice chewy texture. I also think laziness on my part was key too. Since I didn't feel like turning on the hot oven yesterday, I tossed the dough into the refrigerator and let it chill overnight. Perhaps it was a stroke of genius? Probably not, but I'd like to think it made some sort of a difference. Anyway, these cookies turned out exactly how I wanted them to- they're a keeper! Enjoy :)

White Chocolate Macadamia Cookies with Toasted Coconut
Ingredients
1½ c. all-purpose flour
½ c. sugar
½ c. brown sugar
8 tbsp. (1 stick) butter, room temperature
1 egg + 1 egg yolk
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. cornstarch
½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
¼ c. sweetened shredded coconut
¼ c. toasted sweetened shredded coconut
½ c. white chocolate chips
⅓ c. macadamia nuts, coarsely chopped

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a baking mat, set aside.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together butter, sugars and vanilla extract (about 2 minutes until nice and fluffy). Add in egg, mix, then egg yolk, mixing until just combined.
3. In a medium size mixing bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, cornstarch and salt, whisk to combine. With mixing speed on low, gradually add the dry ingredients, mix until just combined. Remove bowl from stand and fold in coconut, toasted coconut, white chocolate chips and chopped macadamia nuts. NOW- you can either bake the dough right away, or allow it to chill overnight (which I did).
4. Scoop dough onto prepared sheets using a standard size cookie scoop. Place in oven and bake for 10-12 minutes or until the edges become lightly golden brown in color. The centers might still look soft, but that's ok, you don't want to overbake these or they'll be hard! Allow to cool on sheet for 3 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Stephen + Natalie, Life Made Simple | Makes approximately 16 cookies

Homemade Cream Puffs

Happy Mother's Day!

I've been trying to hold back for quite some time now, but I guess it's finally time to share our good news :) We're having a little boy this September!!!

I'm sure that those of you who are frequent readers probably thought something was up. I have been busy with work and other projects, but I've also been lacking a sweet tooth lately. Crazy, huh?! 

This pregnancy has been really good to me so far- no morning sickness! That has been a huge blessing, especially because I work in a kitchen most of the time. I haven't had any weird cravings yet and I feel as good as I did before, just with a little person kicking, punching and tumbling in my tummy. It's been fun to feel him move- and yesterday Stephen felt his kicks for the first time, it was the perfect Mother's Day gift!

Anyway, I thought I'd share these homemade cream puffs with you today. They're easy to make and they look really elegant! I filled mine with homemade whipped cream and lightly dusted them with powdered sugar. I love how light they are- you could definitely eat a few of these in one sitting, and let me tell you, I did! I think they'd be great with a drizzle of chocolate on top or even filled with some lemon curd! Enjoy!

Homemade Cream Puffs

Pâte â choux:

1 c. all-purpose flour

1 tbsp. granulated sugar

8 tbsp. (1 stick) butter

4 eggs

1 c. water

¼ tsp. salt

1 egg, lightly beaten

Vanilla bean whipped cream:

¼ c. powdered sugar

2 c. heavy whipping cream

½ tsp. vanilla bean paste

pinch of salt

Powdered sugar, for dusting (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 400˚F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, set aside.

2. To make the pâte â choux, place a medium size saucepan over low heat. Add butter, sugar, water and salt, stirring frequently. Turn heat up to a low boil, remove from head and add in flour. Stir vigorously until the mixture forms a thick paste and no flour pockets remain. Place over medium heat and cook for 1-2 minutes stirring constantly to prevent burning (a thin film will form on the bottom of your pan, and that's ok).

3. Place the hot paste into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes until it becomes slightly cooler. Then add the eggs one at a time until incorporated. The mixture will look shiny and will stick to the sides of the bowl. Beat for an additional 2 minutes on medium. Scoop dough into a large piping bag fitted with a large tip (around a ½" in diameter). Pipe 1½"circles onto the prepared baking sheet (about ¾" in height), spacing each two inches apart to reduce the risk of them baking into each other. Gently brush a light layer of beaten egg over each, try not to allow any of the wash to drip onto the parchment (if this happens, just wipe it up so it doesn't make the cream puffs stick).

4. Place the pan in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, open the oven, rotate the pan and reduce the heat to 350˚F, bake for an additional 20 minutes. Reduce oven heat to 300˚F and bake for 20 minutes to allow the pastry shells to dry out. That makes a total of 60 minutes or 1 hour at three separate temperatures. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 30 minutes.

5. Meanwhile to make the whipped cream, in a chilled bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine powdered sugar, heavy cream, vanilla bean paste and salt. Beat on medium-high until the cream becomes stiff, about 1-2 minutes. Place in the refrigerator to keep cold until needed.

6. When the pastry shells have cooled, slice the top off of each one. Place the chilled whipped cream into a large piping bag fitted with a large round tip, pipe and fill each bottom. Place the top on each one, then lightly dust with powdered sugar. Serve immediate or store in the refrigerator for 1 day.

Recipe adapted from The Art and Soul of Baking, by Cindy Mushet | Makes approximately 25 cream puffs

Oreo Cheesecake Topped Brownies

The other day I reached for a bag of pretzels and knocked the package of Oreos off the shelf. I was watching it in slow motion as it tumbled to the floor. I knew they were crushed, no longer any good for dipping in milk. Lucky for me there was only one row left, so I told Stephen I'd figure out a way to use them. It wasn't until yesterday that the idea hit me- Oreo Cheesecake Topped Brownies. Stephen and I both really loved the Cookie Dough Cheesecake Brownies I made a while back, so it seemed like the perfect solution. Plus he could still guzzle down a glass of milk with them! I quickly got to work and within an hour I had these gorgeous chewy and creamy bars. I chilled them for a few more hours to let the cheesecake set up and after dinner we devoured them. They were a huge hit and I don't even feel bad about dropping those Oreos :) In the words of Bob Ross, they were a "happy little accident!"

Oreo Cheesecake Topped Brownies
Ingredients
½ c. all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
4 oz semi-sweet chocolate, melted (use a Ghirardelli baking bar!)
¾ c. sugar
6 tbsp. (¾ stick) butter
2 eggs
¼ tsp. salt
¹⁄₈ tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla
½ c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

Cheesecake layer:
¼ c. sugar
1 (8 oz) package regular cream cheese, softened
1 egg
¼ tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
8 Oreo cookies, chopped coarsely

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8x8 baking pan with foil so that there is enough to pull the brownies out once they are done. Butter or spray lightly with baking spray. Set aside.
2. Over a double broiler, melt butter, sugar and chocolate. Whisk until smooth. Let mixture cool on counter for 5 minutes. Pour into the bowl of a stand mixer. Add vanilla and one egg, mix, then add the other egg, mix until incorporated.
3. In a small mixing bowl whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. With mixing speed on low, gradually add the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined. Remove bowl from stand and fold in chocolate chips. Set aside.
4. For the cheesecake batter, in a medium size mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar, salt and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Add egg, then mix until just combined. Gently fold in chopped Oreos.
5. To assemble, pour the brownie batter into the prepared pan. Place in oven and bake for 10 minutes. Remove and carefully pour the cheesecake batter on top, gently spread to create an even layer. (to create the look above, place additional crushed Oreos on top of the batter) Place in oven and bake for an additional 30-35 minutes or until the cheesecake is set and is slightly golden brown around the edges.
6. Remove from oven and let cool in pan for 45 minutes before chilling in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours. When ready to serve, remove from pan using the foil overhang. Peel foil from brownies, cut and serve.
Adapted from Ready For Dessert, Brownies | Makes approximately 9 large brownies or 12 standard size brownies

Freckled Chocolate Chip Cookies

I never get tired of chocolate chip cookies. How could I? There are so many good recipes out there! Soft, chewy, crunchy, gooey- no matter what they turn out like, they're all good! Sunday afternoon I decided we need a few cookies to snack on so I opened up one of my favorite cookbooks and flipped through to see what my options were. I came across a really simple chocolate chip cookie recipe with a gorgeous picture and knew I had to try it out! I made some adjustments and added a few ingredients in hopes of keeping them from spreading and becoming too flat. I think chilling them really helped them to hold their shape and stay nice and thick. Instead of tossing in a handful of chocolate chips I chopped up a Ghirardelli semi-sweet baking bar which created the freckles and left the chocolate gooey and swirled throughout. Gosh they were good! So good that I had to bake up some more the following day!

Freckled Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients
2½ c. all-purpose flour

1 c. brown sugar
¾ c. sugar

1 c. (2 sticks) butter, room temperature

2 eggs
¾ tsp. baking soda

¼ tsp. baking powder

1½ tsp. corn starch
¼ tsp. salt
1½ tsp. vanilla extract
2 (4 oz) Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate bars, chopped coarsley

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper, set aside.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine sugars and butter, beat until fluffy (about 2 minutes). Add vanilla and one egg, mix until just combined, then add the second egg, mixing until incorporated.
3. In a medium size mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, corn starch and salt. With mixing speed on low, gradually add dry ingredients mixing until no "flour" pockets remain.
4. Remove bowl from stand and fold in chocolate chunks. You'll want to add all of the shards or shavings that result when chopping bars- that's what makes these "freckled!" Place dough into the refrigerator to chill for 1 hour. Remove and let stand for 5 minutes before scooping and placing onto the prepared sheets.
5. Place in oven and bake for 10-12 minutes- the edges will become light brown and the centers should still look slightly soft and gooey- they'll firm up once they've cooled for a bit. Remove from oven and allow to cool on sheets for 3 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Adapted from David Lebovitz, Chocolate Chip Cookies | Makes approximately 36 cookies

Orange Marmalade Cinnamon Rolls

Ever since I took part in the Willow Bird Baking challenges this past fall, I've been wanting to make orange sweet rolls. There was something about them that intrigued me and I definitely wanted to see what they were all about. This Sunday I had some free time so I gave them a try! When it came down to the recipe I decided to use as much orange flavor as possible while still trying to incorporate a traditional filling into the rolls. Turns out that was a great idea! The cinnamon flavor was subtle but really complimented the sweet and citrusy flavor of the marmalade inside. To finish them off I topped the rolls with a zesty cream cheese frosting which melted nicely over them. They were fluffy, full of citrus flavor and dripping with a gooey creamy frosting- absolutely delicious! Stephen was a huge fan and so was I! These will definitely go into my "must make again soon" pile!

Orange Marmalade Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients

4½-5 c. all-purpose flour

½ c. sugar
1 c. whole milk

6 tbsp. butter, room temperature

2 eggs

2½ tsp. yeast

1 tsp. salt

½ tsp. orange extract

zest of one orange

Marmalade brown sugar filling:

¾ c. brown sugar

6 tbsp. (¾ stick) butter, room temperature

¼ c. orange marmalade

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. vanilla

zest of half an orange

Zesty cream cheese frosting:

½ c. powdered sugar

2 tbsp. butter

4 tbsp. cream cheese, room temperature

4-5 tbsp. whole milk, or more for desired consistency

¼ tsp. vanilla

zest of half an orange

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a glass 2-cup measuring cup, warm milk in the microwave for 45 seconds on high. Sprinkle in yeast and 2 tbsp. of sugar (subtract it from the ½ c. of sugar listed above) and mix gently. Let mixture stand for 5 minutes or until bubbly and foamy. 

2. Meanwhile, combine remaining sugar, butter, eggs, salt, extract and zest into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix for 15 seconds or until mixture is just combined. Once yeast/milk mixture is bubbly, with mixing speed on low, alternate liquid and flour (use 4½ c. and then add the extra ½ c. if needed) until combined. 

3. Switch to the hook attachment and "knead" dough on the lowest speed for 6-8 minutes or until smooth and firm. Remove dough from bowl and place into a large lightly greased metal or glass bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and allow to rise for 1½ hours. 

4. Once dough has risen, roll out into a large rectangle. Spread butter on top, then marmalade. In a small mixing bowl combine brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla and orange zest. Sprinkle on top of butter/marmalade mixture. Roll the dough lengthwise into a large log. Using dental floss cut in half, then continue by cutting each section in half and repeating (I do it this way to get even cuts and an even amount of rolls). 

5. Place rolls into a large 9x13 pan or two 9" pie pans (you will want to use baking spray to prevent them from sticking to the bottoms and sides) leaving at least an inch around each roll. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise for 30 more minutes. Once rolls have risen, place in the oven at 400 degrees for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown on top. While rolls bake, prepare the glaze by combining all ingredients in a large bowl and mixing until smooth.

6. Remove rolls from oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes before pouring the frosting over top. Spread the frosting evenly. Allow to sit for an additional 10 minutes before serving.

Adapted from the Food Network, Paula Deen's Cinnamon Rolls | Makes approximately 18 rolls- depending on how big you cut them

Chewy Chunky Peanut Butter Cookies

 Lately I've been craving any treat with peanut butter or peanuts in it- dark chocolate peanut butter cups, peanut butter M&Ms, peanut butter pretzels, rocky road, trail mix- you name it, I've probably been snacking on it! So this afternoon when I wanted to make cookies I naturally gravitated towards peanut butter ones. Instead of traditional criss-cross cookies that are often dense and crisp, I wanted ones that were soft and chewy. I turned to a recipe that I found a while back and adapted it in hopes creating the cookie I was looking for. After biting into one, I have to admit- they were a huge success! The texture is perfect and the flavor is spot on! I'd like to think that the addition of an extra egg helped to give them a chewier texture and that the peanut butter chips and large peanut chunks gave them that extra boost of peanut buttery goodness. The original recipe called for the cookies to be rolled in sugar, but I'm not a fan of the sandy texture that results, so I opted for a sprinkle of sea salt which helped to enhance the flavor even more. These are a great alternative to the traditional fork print cookies and will definitely have you coming back for more! Enjoy!

Chewy Chunky Peanut Butter Cookies
Ingredients
1½ c. all-purpose flour
¾ c. sugar
½ c. brown sugar
1 c. creamy peanut butter
½ c. butter, room temperature
2 eggs
1 tbsp. whole milk
¾ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
½ c. peanut butter chips
½ c. dry roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped

½ tsp. sea salt for garnish (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper, set aside.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together sugars, butter and peanut butter until smooth, about 2 minutes. With mixing speed on low, add vanilla, milk and one egg. Mix until incorporated, then add remaining egg.

3. In a medium size mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. With mixing speed on low, gradually add dry ingredients, mixing until no visible dry ingredients remain. Remove bowl from stand and gently fold in peanut butter chips and chopped peanuts.

4. Scoop dough onto prepared sheets (I use a standard size scoop), sprinkle with salt if desired. Place in oven and bake for 12 minutes- don't be tempted to leave them in longer, otherwise they'll get hard! Remove from oven and allow to cool on sheets for 3 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy with a large glass of milk!

NOTE: To achieve the look pictured above, I sprinkled mine with extra peanuts and pressed in a few extra peanut butter chips.

Recipe adapted from Smitten Kitchen, Peanut Butter Cookies | Makes approximately 36 cookies