These chocolate peanut butter bars are chewy, peanut buttery and chocolatey. I don’t know about you but, every time I eat one of these chocolate peanut butter bars it takes me back to elementary school when we would get them as a dessert with our school lunch…it was then that I fell in love with these chocolate peanut butter bars! I wonder, do they even serve these anymore? If not, kids these days don’t know what they are missing out on (poor kids).
These oh so delicious peanut butter bars are one of those treats that people just can’t get enough of–I think most people would agree with me when I say that you just can’t eat one. 🙂 Here’s some proof of that. I recently gave some to a friend and when I told him that I forgot to tell him to put any leftovers in the fridge, his response was “…I didn’t have any leftover, they were so good–I ate all 6 of them!”, my other friend’s husband and daughter told her she wasn’t allowed near the box of them because they wanted the rest to themselves (haha!), and the comment that made me laugh was from another friend and he said “…these are good and you know you can trust my statement coming from a guy that looks like he likes to eat (haha!)” When your friends are saying comments like these, you know they love them!
This recipe is spot on and taste as good as “the lunch ladies” peanut butter bars. This recipe is so easy to make and the best part is, it makes an entire cookie sheet! It’s a good thing because you may just want to share some and devour the rest!
1 cup peanut butter + about 1 and 1/2 cups to spread on top of crust
2 cups rolled oats
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
For the frosting
1 lb. powdered sugar
3/4 cup butter, room temp
1 and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
5 oz. evaporated milk
4 tablespoons cocoa powder
For the crust
Prepare and grease a standard size cookie sheet with sides and set aside. Tip: use the wrappers from the butter to grease the pan.
Cream together the butter and the sugars for 3-5 minutes until light and fluffy.
Add vanilla, eggs, and peanut butter. Mix until combined.
Add rolled oats, flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix until well combined.
Spread mixture onto the cookie sheet evenly and bake at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes. The crust may come out really puffed up and soft but, it will continue to bake and it will fall as it cools. Be careful to not over bake.
Once the crust is completely cooled, spread about 1 and 1/2 cups or as much as you need to cover the whole top of the crust. Pop it into the fridge while you make the frosting.
For the frosting
Combine all ingredients into a bowl and mix until well incorporated and fluffy.
Take the crust out of the fridge and spread the chocolate frosting all over.
Place back into the fridge and let it set for 15- 20 minutes or overnight and then cut and enjoy!
Cinco de Mayo is almost here and I’ve got two sweet treats to share with you that you can make for your next fiesta! The first recipe is for churro cupcakes! Can I just say–I LOVE CHURROS!! They are one of my favorite treats. The yummy fried pastry covered in all of that cinnamon and sugary goodness is just the perfect dessert that you can enjoy just about anywhere! These churro cupcakes are not fried but, taste just as good! They are light, fluffy, dipped in melted butter and rolled in cinnamon and sugar and topped with cinnamon cream cheese frosting. To make these extra festive, I add a Cinco de Mayo topper that I cut out with my Silhouette Cameo machine.
Here’s a little FYI for all of you fellow Target lovers. Did you know you can get churros at your local Target cafe? I know, I just made your shopping trip even better!! During your next trip, don’t forget to stop and grab yourself some fresh and delicious churros to enjoy while you browse the aisles (buying things that you probably don’t need but must have)! Keeping that little tid bit of info to myself would be mean!
The second recipe is for Coconut Lime Margarita Sugar Cookies. When I think of Cinco de Mayo, I think of chips, salsa and salt rimmed glasses filled with margaritas! When I first saw this recipe by Real Housemoms I was intrigued by the special ingredient in these cookies–coconut tequila! These cookies are bursting with flavors of lime zest and coconut and to give it that extra “margarita” taste–sprinkle the cookies with a tiny bit of salt as soon as they come out of the oven. Let them cool and enjoy these delicious cookies!
If you love red velvet and cream cheese, you will fall in love with these delicious Red Velvet Sandwich Cookies! Can I just tell you how soft these cake cookies are? SUPER SOFT!! Cake cookies have become my new favorite type of cookie. My family, friends and coworkers who I’ve shared them with would all agree. I normally make red velvet treats in February for Valentine’s Day but, when you get a craving for red velvet there is no right or wrong time to have a red velvet treat! Am I right?! I know all you fellow red velvet lovers would agree with me! Because what’s better than cream cheese frosting smooshed between two soft and chewy red velvet cake cookies! So, if you’ve never had a cake cookie, you’re missing out and should probably make these pronto! They are like pillows of heaven! And another plus, they are super easy to make!
Red Velvet Sandwich Cookies with Cream Cheese Filling
Preheat oven to 375° F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
Combine cake mix, eggs and oil in a large bowl.
Using a mini ice cream scooper, scoop out dough and roll into balls. Place on baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Tip: **It's best to bake one sheet at a time.**
Bake 8-9 minutes or until edges are set. FYI--The cookies will look under baked when you pull them out. That is alright because once they cool they will be soft and chewy. **Don't over bake them. Let cookies cool for 2-3 minutes on baking sheet. Transfer to cooling rack and let them cool completely.
Cream Cheese Filling
In a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat the cream cheese and butter on medium speed until well combined and smooth, about 2-3 minutes.
Mix in the vanilla extract.
Gradually add in the powdered sugar until desired consistency is reached and smooth--should be thick but, not too thick.
Transfer the cream cheese filing to a pastry bag fitted with a plain, round tip.
Assembling the sandwich cookies
1. Pair the cookies up by size and shape as best as possible.
2. Flip one cookie of each pair over so that the flat side is facing up.
3. Pipe frosting onto the flat sided cookie of each pair, keeping the edges clear.
4. Sandwich the cookies together so the flat sides are facing each other and press gently and evenly to help the filing reach the edges but, not spilling out.
5. To store, refrigerate in an airtight container.
These soft, cheesecake flavored cookies with fresh strawberries and lemon zest are perfect for a spring dessert or to take along on your next picnic! I was at the grocery store the other day, roaming through the produce section and caught the sweet smell of strawberries. I immediately made a beeline to them! The super red, plump and sweet smelling strawberries had me craving these cookies and with the nice spring weather, it was the perfect time to make some!
With berries being in season now, it’s a great time to pick up some fresh berries at your local grocery store or farmers market and give these delicious cookies a try!
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the sugar and butter until light and fluffy.
Add in the cream cheese and continue to beat until the batter is completely smooth.
Beat in the egg and vanilla.
In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, cornstarch, and pudding mix. Stir together and then slowly add to the wet ingredients.
In the same bowl you used for the dry ingredients, combine the strawberries, lemon juice, lemon zest, and 1 teaspoon flour.
Gently fold the strawberries into the batter being careful not to over mix (tip: over mixing or mixing too hard will dye your batter red from the strawberries).
Using a small cookie scoop, scoop batter and place on cookie sheet.
Optional: garnish cookies with lemon zest.
Bake for 10-13 minutes or until the bottoms are slightly brown.
I know cake pops are so-4-years-ago, but they are tastier than you remember, less complicated than you think and a fun way to celebrate your favorite person or holiday. So read on and give them a try!
Like most ideas I have, this idea for a Spring-y treat came while wandering the aisles of Target. I’m sure you all know the feeling when you walk through those red double-doors and suddenly begin to see unreasonable potential in your creative self and/or your timetable to accomplish such creative endeavors. “Sure, I’ll buy twelve of these gold and mint shelf organizers at the Dollar Spot. This is totally the solution to my cluttered, drab pantry woes.” But then somehow those gold/mint organizers never make it to the pantry and end up cluttering some other closet.
This time the “Dollar Spot” wowed me with some fun, patterned tins (you know the ones, they have them every season just with a different pattern), I saw a few weeks ago. I had visions for some sort of Easter treat basket for my nieces. However, much like those gold and mint shelf organizers, I failed to transform these tins in a timely fashion (why was Easter so early this year???). I should know by now never to pick a time-sensitive creative project, it never works for me (as evidenced by the foam sticker hearts and yet-to-be-painted wood shamrocks in my closet). With Easter long gone and my strong resolve not to put these in the closet for next year (clearly, I already have two projects waiting in the wings already), I thought it would be fun to turn these into a springtime treat…Easter/Spring, same thing, right? As I stared at these pastel tins, it popped into my head to make cake pop “flowers” and to fill the tins with Oreo “dirt” for a fun, blooming treat for my nieces (a peace offering, really, since I failed them on the Easter baskets).
Now I don’t know if you’ve been following the blog long enough to realize that I am not the baker of this sweet lemon group—that’s Ashley—and I have only attempted cake pops one other time in my entire life, and, I’ll be honest, that endeavor belongs on one of those “Pinterest FAIL” blogs because it was seriously the worst. The middle of the cake pops were too gooey due to an inappropriate frosting-to-cake ratio and the supposed thin, chocolate outer-coating was more like a lumpy, rock-hard slab of confection, all on a stick. I took them to my coworkers and they about lost a tooth just attempting to take a bite.
Naturally I was a little nervous to try again, especially knowing that I was going to be putting it out there for all the blogging world to see (I know, it’s only 12 of you, but still), but I was determined to get these tins outta my closet! So I called up Ash and bamboozled her into helping me with this spring cake pop project (note: one of my favorite parts about Ashley is that she is easily bamboozled by my crazy ideas—bless her).
So we gathered our supplies and went to town…
For the cake pops we used Bakerella’s basic cake pop recipe, but snazzed it up a little by using Rainbow Chip cake mix and frosting (don’t be confused, rainbow chip is NOT the same as Funfetti. Rainbow chips are bigger, softer, and tastier. They are the unicorn of the Betty Crocker lineup. Try it, you’ll see).
Tip: While waiting for cake to cool cut it into slices so the heat escapes faster.
While the cake balls were chilling we prepped our pots with styrofoam (those pops have to have something to hold them up). We found that the small styrofoam balls worked better than a square, but honestly, you can use whatever you have lying around. We just chopped off some sides until it nestled in nicely. You want it to be snug so the foam and the pops don’t slide around. You also want to make sure that your foam is below the rim of the pot about an inch to allow space for your Oreo “dirt.” Once you shaped and chopped to size add the crushed Oreos to the top of the foam.
Tip: Pre-punch your holes where you will be putting your sticks into the styrofoam. Trust me, you will not want to forget this step! It is much harder to do when your cake pop is on the stick (you might end up losing a few cake pops).
This is where you gently tap and rotate the cake ball so that the candy coating lays (somewhat) flat and smooth on the cake ball. If your candy coating starts to cool down, it gets thicker and heavier, making it harder to coat the cake ball. Also, if your cake balls are no longer cold and become room temperature they are more prone to crack like this when dipping. Tip: The consistency of the candy coating should be thin enough to coat the cake pop but, not too thin that the cake pop shows through the candy coating. Use an extra cake pop to test out the consistency of the candy coating and if it needs to be thinned out add a tiny amount (1/8 of a teaspoon at a time) of vegetable oil until you reach a good consistency. Also, make sure to get your sprinkles on before the candy coating hardens.
Bake the cake as directed on the box, using the 9-by-13-in cake pan. Let cool completely.
Once the cake has cooled, line baking sheets with wax paper.
Crumble the cooled cake into the large bowl. You should not see any big pieces of cake.
Add up to three-quarters of the container of frosting to the bowl. (You will not need the remaining frosting. Save it in the refrigerator for a later use.) Mix it into the crumbled cake, using the back of the large metal spoon, until thoroughly combined. If you use the entire container, the cake balls will be too moist. The mixture should be moist enough to roll into 1 1/2-in balls and still hold a round shape. After rolling the cake balls by hand, place them on the prepared baking sheets and let them rest for about 20 minutes before chilling.
Cover the baking sheets with plastic wrap and chill for several hours in the refrigerator, or place them in the freezer for about 15 minutes. You want the balls to be firm but not frozen.
Place the candy coating in the deep microwave-safe bowl. These bowls make it easier to cover the cake balls completely with candy coating while holding the bowl and without burning your fingers. The coating should be about 3 inches deep for easier dipping. Work with about 16 oz of coating at a time.
Melt the candy coating. Microwave for 30 seconds at a time, stirring between each interval. (You can also use a double boiler.) Make sure you do not overheat the coating.
Now you’re ready to dip. Take a few cake balls out of the refrigerator or freezer to work with, keeping the rest chilled. If they’re in the freezer, transfer the rest of the balls to the refrigerator at this point so they stay firm but do not freeze.
One at a time, dip about 1/2 inch of the tip of a lollipop stick into the melted candy coating, and then insert the lollipop stick straight into a cake ball, pushing it no more than halfway through.
Holding the lollipop stick with cake ball attached, dip the entire cake ball into the melted candy coating until it is completely covered, and remove it in one motion. Make sure the coating meets at the base of the lollipop stick. This helps secure the cake ball to the stick when the coating sets. The object is to completely cover the cake ball and remove it without submerging it in the coating more than once. If you do resubmerge the cake pop, the weight of the candy coating can pull on the cake ball and cause it to get stuck in the coating. The thinner the consistency of your coating, the easier it will be to coat the cake pops. (If you find that your coating is too thick, add some vegetable oil to help thin it and make the coating more fluid.)
Remove the cake pop from the candy coating, some excess coating may start to drip. Hold the cake pop in one hand and use the other to gently tap the first wrist. Rotate the lollipop stick if necessary to allow the excess coating to fall off evenly, so one side doesn’t get heavier than the other. If you didn’t completely dunk the cake pop, this method of tapping and rotating generally takes care of that. The coating will slowly slide down the surface of the cake ball until it reaches the lollipop stick. If too much coating surrounds the base of the lollipop stick, you can wipe the excess off with your finger. Simply place your finger on the stick right under the cake ball and rotate the pop, allowing any excess coating to fall off and back into the bowl. When most of the excess coating has fallen off and it is no longer dripping, stick the cake pop into the Styrofoam block.
Repeat with the remaining cake balls and let the pops dry completely in the Styrofoam block.
