Peppermint Pretzel Bark

My pantry is overflowing with half-full bags of pretzels and lots of chocolate chips. Some festive bark is just the way to use them up.

After reading a bunch of online recipes, I decided that making bark was the next best thing to slaving away over Christmas cookies.

Making this holiday dessert couldn't be easier. (Although my husband will tell you that the crunching sound that comes from breaking up pretzels is disturbing if you're trying to watch TV. LOL)

The bark is also nice to give as gifts when you wrap it up in a cute little box or bag and a bow.

What treats are you making this year?

Mangia! Mangia!
Andrea

Peppermint Pretzel Bark

1 16 ounce package of chocolate or vanilla candy coating
2 12 ounce bags of chocolate or vanilla chocolate chips
1 to 2 cups broken pretzels (any shape) crushed into small pieces
About 12 candy canes, crushed (or buy 2 of the 2 ounce bags of crushed peppermint)

Note: To crush pretzels, place in a gallon size ziplock bag. Smash with the bottom of a metal measuring cup to break into pieces.

Line a large baking sheet or 2 smaller ones with parchment paper.

Place candy coating in a large bowl and microwave for 1 minute. Add chips and microwave another 1 minute. Stir well. Microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring after each one until chocolate is smooth.

Add pretzels and mix well, until all pretzel pieces are coated. Mix in about half of the crushed peppermint.

Pour mixture onto prepared baking sheet and spread out into a layer that is about 1/4 inch thick.

Sprinkle with remaining crushed candy canes and gently press them down with the back of a spatula.

Place baking sheet in refrigerator for about 30 minutes.

Remove tray and break up bark by hand, or use a sharp knife to cut into pieces. Store in airtight containers. 

4-Layer Birthday Cake

Both of my boys celebrate their birthdays in March – just nine days apart. And each year they get to pick what kind of birthday cake they want.

In the past we've done the traditional chocolate cake with chocolate frosting or yellow cake with chocolate frosting. One year lemon cake topped with fruit was the highlight.

This year, my oldest (now age 11) spotted a video on social media of a four-layer chocolate cake filled with caramel and chocolate, covered with a chocolate glaze and drizzled with white chocolate.

He showed it to me once, but apparently watched it himself multiple times. When we couldn't find the video a few weeks later to make sure we knew how to make his chosen birthday dessert, he was able to describe every step in full detail.

For me, the best part about this dessert was the fun of making it with my boys and my brother, who was in town for a visit.

When my youngest's birthday rolled around a week later, we made the cake again, with a few variations to suit his tastes. He (now age 8) wanted a yellow butter cake – with Nutella as the filling between every layer. I don't even want to imagine the calorie count!

We tried a mirror glaze on the first cake, but it required lots of ingredients and didn't thicken on its own, so we ended up adding chocolate spread to it. The second time around we went with a simpler chocolate topping that was much easier to work with.

If you try this out, let us know what you use for the filling between your cake layers.

Mangia! Mangia!
Andrea

4-Layer Birthday Cake

1 box of your favorite cake mix or your favorite recipe for two-layer cake
Caramel spread and chocolate spread
or
Nutella hazelnut chocolate spread
Chocolate glaze (see recipe below)
Chocolate shavings
1/4 cup white chocolate chips
Optional: Raspberries

Prepare cake according to package directions, using 2, 8-inch pans. Bake cake per instructions. Let cool, then turn out onto wire racks and cool completely.

Once cake layers are fully cool, carefully slice each one in half lengthwise, using a serrated knife. You will end up with four cake layers.

Set one cake layer on a cutting board.

Alternatively, you can use an angel food cake pan with the center piece removed to build your cake and hold it in place. (We tried this the first time around, but the layers slide around inside the pan. If you use this method, top the cake pan with a cutting board and invert so allow layered cake to slide out before glazing.)

Putting the cake together on a cutting board allowed us to gently move layers into place if they started to slip.

Also, if you have a cake lifter, life will be easier as you assemble and glaze the cake. You can also use a cutting board to help move and lift the cake layers.

Using a flexible spatula, gently spread filling on the bottom layer of cake. Top with second cake layer and spread on the second filling. Place third cake layer and spread the top of it with your third filling choice. Top with final piece of cake.

Transfer the cutting board with cake to try refrigerator so that it can firm up a little while you make the chocolate glaze.

Chocolate Glaze

1 cup heavy cream
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Pinch salt

Place chocolate chips and salt in a medium bowl. In a small saucepan, bring cream to a boil, then remove from heat and pour over the chocolate chips. Whisk until smooth. Let cool until mixture becomes slightly thickened.

Now it's time to glaze the cake. It helps to have a second set of hands for the glazing.

Set a large bowl on the counter and place a wire rack on top of the bowl. Carefully transfer the cake from the cutting board to the center of the wire rack. Slowly pour glaze over the cake, ensuring that glaze covers all sides.

You might want to repeat the process to make sure every centimeter of the cake is thoroughly coated in chocolate.

If you do, carefully lift wire rack with cake and set the wire rack on the cutting board. Pour excess glaze from large bowl back into small bowl. Replace wire rack and cake on top of large bowl and slowly pour glaze over cake again.

(My boys did close inspections of each cake we made. It took three pours of glaze to get their seal of approval!)

Let glaze drip off cake. Carefully transfer cake to a cake plate. Dust with chocolate shavings. Return cake to refrigerator to allow glaze to harden.

Place white chocolate chips in a small bowl and melt in microwave for 30 seconds. Stir and heat another 30 seconds if needed. Transfer melted chocolate to a small plastic sandwich bag and seal. Gently squeeze melted chocolate into one corner of bag. Snip a tiny hole in the corner.

Drizzle top of cake with white chocolate. Top with raspberries if desired.

This is the butter yellow cake filled wth Nutella. Luckily, I took a photo before we ate it all!

Pumpkin Brownies

It might still be 90 degrees in Charlotte, but it's Fall, that time of year when everything comes up pumpkin. For example, while reading my People magazine (guilty pleasure) the other day, I found a recipe for The Cake Boss Buddy Valastro's "Pumpkin Chocolate Brownies."

I decided to try them out — minus the chocolate sauce, because my kids don't like frosting or icing. Plus, nine eggs, one and a half cups of butter and four cups of sugar make these brownies plenty sweet. In fact, the recipe called for four and a third cups of sugar and two and two thirds cups of butter, so I trimmed a bit. I also added a generous pinch of cloves, because you can't have pumpkin spices without the cloves.

The verdict: Pumpkin brownies deserve their place next to pumpkin lattes, pumpkin bread and pumpkin beer. Yum!

Happy Fall, y'all!

XOXO,
Amy

Pumpkin Brownies
Adapted from The Cake Boss Buddy Valastro's recipe in the Sept. 26 issue of People magazine

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon table salt
Generous pinch of ground cloves
9 large eggs
2 (15 ounce) cans plain pumpkin puree
4 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, melted
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Equipment note: This recipe makes two 9X12 pans of brownies! The batter barely fit in the bowl of my KitchenAid blender and some of it was sloshing out. Next time I will use a hand mixer and my largest bowl.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium bowl, stir together the flour and next five ingredients. Set flour mixture aside.

Using an electric mixer, beat eggs and pumpkin on medium speed until combined. Beat in sugar.

With mixer running, add in the melted butter in a steady stream. Next, gradually add in the flour mixture, stopping now and then to scrape the sides of the bowl. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Lightly grease two 9X12 baking pans and divide the batter between the two. Bake for 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the middle of the brownies comes out clean.

Three Ways to Bake with Bananas

Ripe bananas are regular residents on my kitchen counter – and in my freezer – and I'm always on the lookout for new ways to put the fruit to work in our daily diets.

We love banana bread, but I wanted to jazz up our snack and breakfast routine, and find ways to add more fiber and vitamins to my boys' between-meal munchies.

So I've been recipe testing. I've hit on three yummy ways to turn those sweet bananas into something special – in the form of cookies, blondies and muffins.

My boys and their friends tried these treats and gave them a thumbs up. They're also approved by several moms and a few dads, too!

Mangia! Mangia!
Andrea

Oatmeal, Banana, Date & Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Inspired by this recipe from the Food Network.

Note: I made a few batches of these cookies. The kids didn't really like the original recipe (above). Adding banana and putting chocolate chunks on top made them a hit with the kiddos.

2 cups of rolled oats
2/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
8 tablespoons (1 stick) of unsalted butter at room temperature
1 large egg
2 medium to large bananas
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour or white whole wheat flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 plus 1/8 teaspoon fine salt
1 cup pitted dates, chopped
1 cup chocolate chunks or chips, divided

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spread oats on a baking sheet and bake in oven until golden brown, about 10 to 12 minutes. Turn or mix once during cooking time. Transfer toasted oats to a bowl to cool. Wait until you taste the nutty flavor the toasted oats add to the cookies!

Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

Beat sugar and butter on medium high speed until the mixture is slightly fluffy, about 5 minutes. Scrape down the sides as needed. Add egg and vanilla and beat until very fluffy, about another 2 to 3 minutes. Add one banana and bet until fully combined. Set aside.

Add the flour, cinnamon, baking powder and salt to the mixing bowl with the oats. Whisk or stir to combine. Add flour mixture to butter mixture and beat until just combined. Mash the second banana and stir it into the cookie dough with a wooden spoon. Add dates and 1/2 cup chocolate chunks or chips and mix by hand.

Drop level tablespoons of cookie dough on the baking sheet. Leave about 1 inch between cookies. (You should get 28 to 30 cookies out of this recipe.)

Top each cookie with 2 or 3 chocolate chunks.

Bake for about 12 minutes or just until cookies are a light golden color. Let cookies cool on a wire rack and enjoy!

Chocolate-Bottom Banana Blondies
Inspired by this recipe from the New York Times.

Note: There seemed to be too many cookie crumbs and not enough butter the first time I made these blondies, so I tweaked the recipe a bit. I also left out the nuts because my boys won't eat them.

3 sticks unsalted butter, plus more to grease pan
2 1/2 to 3 cups chocolate graham cracker crumbs (you can make your own in a food processor.)
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
2 ripe bananas, mashed
2 large eggs
2 1/2 cups dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup white whole wheat flour
Flaky sea salt for sprinkling on top

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Line a 9-by-13 inch pan with parchment paper and grease with butter.

Melt 1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) of butter in the microwave or in a saucepan.

In a food processor, combine 2 1/2 cups cookie crumbs, melted butter, light brown sugar and a pinch of salt. Process until the mixture is like damp sand. If the mixture is too wet, add the rest of the cookie crumbs.

Dump cookie crumb mixture into prepared baking pan and spread out evenly. Press crumbs down into an even layer. Bake for 7 to 10 minutes until the surface is firm. Remove from oven and set aside.

Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt 1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) of butter and let cook until foamy. Stir and continue to cook until the foam goes away and the melted butter turns a nutty brown color. (Hint: Use a metal or light colored pan so that you can see the color change when it happens.) Remove browned butter from heat and let it cool.

In a large bowl, whisk together bananas, brown sugar and vanilla. Add browned butter and whisk until incorporated. Add flour and salt and stir to combine. Pour mixture over the prepared crust and spread out evenly. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt if using.

Place pan in pre-heated oven and bake until tooth pick inserted in center comes out clean, or whiter just a few crumbs attached, about 45 to 55 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool.

Lift blondies out of pan using the edges of the parchment paper. Cut into squares (about 24) and indulge.

Healthy Banana Oat Muffins
From this Food Network recipe.

Note: These muffins were delicious the first time, but they seemed to dry out as they cooled, so I added more banana to keep them moist.

1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons rolled (old fashioned) oats
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup reduced fat sour cream
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 medium bananas and 1 smaller banana, mashed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with muffin liners.

Melt the butter in a small pan over medium heat and cook until it gets foamy. Continue cooking while stirring until the foam goes away and brown specks start to appear. Pour into mixing bowl and let cool.

In a large bowl combine flour, 1/2 cup of oats, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Set aside.

To the browned butter, add sour cream, sugar and vanilla. Whisk to combine. Add the eggs and whisk. Fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Add bananas and mix. A few lumps are OK.

Divide batter evenly among the muffins cups. Sprinkle remaining oats on top.

Bake until golden brown on top and when a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean – about 20 to 24 minutes. Cool in pan. Enjoy as a snack or for breakfast.

Slow Cooker Chocolate Cake

When it comes to cake, my kids will take the icing any day over the actual cake. Until now.

This dessert is the most moist chocolate cake I have ever eaten. The taste is so rich, there's no need for any icing on this baby.

I was a little wary about making a cake in a slow cooker, but I've been wanting to make a treat like this ever since I saw this recipe in Allrecipes magazine last summer.

I must say it was easier than I thought and definitely worth the 3 1/2 hour wait.

Here are a few other reasons my boys and I love this cake:

• It stays moist, wrapped in plastic wrap, up to 4 days (by then it was all gone.)
• The cake is firm enough to pack in school lunches.
• It is delicious with ice cream and/or with fresh fruit (raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, strawberries.)

I hope you like this chocolate dessert as much as we do!

Mangia! Mangia!
Andrea

Crock Pot Chocolate Cake

Cooking spray
1 to 2 cups sugar (I used 1 cup)
1 3/4 cups flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (Do not use Dutch-process cocoa)
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup apple sauce
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips (optional)
1/2 cup butterscotch chips (optional)

Generously spray insert of a 5-to-6 quart slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large bowl, whisk together all dry ingredients: sugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

In another bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, apple sauce and vanilla. Add boiling water and mix well.

Add wet ingredients into dry and mix well. Add chocolate and butterscotch chips if using and mix well.

Pour batter into prepared slow cooker insert.

Cover and cook on low until a toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean, about 2.5 or 3 hours. Cake will be starting to pull away from sides of insert at this time. It should look like this:

Turn off slow cooker and allow cake to rest for about 30 minutes. Let cake cool with the cover on if you want a more pudding-like consistency. Take the cover off for resting (which is what I did) for a cakey-er texture.

Run a wooden or rubber spatula around the edges of cake to loosen it. Cut pieces and serve directly from the slow cooker.

Lift leftovers out of insert and wrap in plastic wrap. Store at room temperature up to 4 days.

French Chocolate Cake

Recall from last week's post Penny's birthday dinner -- Parmesan and Yogurt Crusted Chicken, Carolina Collard Greens, scalloped potatoes and this nearly flourless French Chocolate Cake.

I made this cake exactly per the recipe in pastry chef David Lebovitz's memoir, The Sweet Life in Paris. I selected it because it offers something for everyone in the George family -- high quality dark chocolate for maman and a cake that doesn't require icing, which les enfants don't like anyhow. Plus, it is so rich that a teeny piece is perfect -- and perfect for papa who doesn't have a huge sweet tooth.

I highly recommend the cake and the book, which explained a lot about Parisians that I already knew but plenty that I didn't. Sweet Life is also full of recipes that appear easy to do -- and eat. In fact, the chocolate cake was my second dish from the book. When I made the Chicken Tagine with Apricots and Almonds, I swear my house smelled just like Chez Omar, the popular Moroccan restaurant in Paris' Le Marais neighborhood.

XOXO,
Amy

French Chocolate Cake
From The Sweet Life in Paris by David Lebovitz

9 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, roughly chopped
8 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/3 cup sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature, separated
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
Pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch loaf pan and line the bottom with a strip of parchment paper.

In a large bowl set over a pan of simmering water or likewise in a double boiler, heat the chocolate and butter together until just melted and smooth. A note about the chocolate, for this and for homemade brownies I use Scharffen Berger Baking Bar - 70% Bittersweet Chocolate. Worth the 10 bucks.

Remove chocolate and butter from the heat and stir in half the sugar, then the egg yolks, and flour. (I love this part from the book: "You don't need to measure the half-quantity of sugar exactly. Just pretend you're a French woman cooking in her home kitchen and don't worry about it.)

Whip egg whites with the salt, using an electric hand mixer or whisk. Keep whipping until the whites form soft peaks. Gradually whip in the remaining sugar until the whites are smooth and hold their shape when the whisk or beaters are lifted.

Use a rubber spatula to fold one-third of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten it. Next fold in the remaining egg whites just until the mixture is smooth and no visible white streaks remain.

Pour batter into pan, scraping sides of the bowl so you bake up all that goodness. Smooth the top of the batter with rubber spatula. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Do not overbake.

Let cake cook in pan before cutting and serving.

The cake can be stored for up to three days. Some French women believe it is better after it sits for a day or two. The cake can also be wrapped in plastic and frozen for up to one month.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

My mom used to make this cake when I was a kid and my brother and sister and I could not stop eating it. Super moist and chocolate-y, this is now a favorite snack or dessert at my house, too.

The chocolate hides all the zucchini inside, so it's a nice way to get the kids to eat extra vegetables. (And just like the Blueberry Zucchini Bread, you won't taste the squash.) The cloves add something a little unexpected to the taste.

I like to use a 9 x 13 pan and cut it into brownie-sized pieces. But you can easily use a bundt pan or muffin tins with this batter. Just adjust the baking time accordingly.

If there are any leftovers, this cake freezes perfectly.

Mangia! Mangia!
Andrea

Chocolate Zucchini Cake
Inspired by my Mom

2 cups all purpose flour (or 1 cup all purpose and 1 cup whole wheat flour)
1 cup white sugar or Splenda
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
4 eggs
1 cup applesauce
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 cups grated zucchini
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Preheat over to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9x13x2 inch pan.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and cloves. Add the eggs and oil and mix until everything is well combined.

Add zucchini, stirring well. Fold in chocolate chips.

Pour batter into pan. Sprinkle top with mini chocolate chips.

Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

Let cake cool in pan on a wire rack before cutting. Garnish with raspberries or strawberries.

As you can see in the photo above, this cake remains very moist.

Triple Almond Chocolate Banana Pudding

As you all know, I'm on the hunt for healthy snacks to feed my boys. We need tidbits packed with protein, energy that lasts — and just enough sweetness to make them appealing.

After I shared my popcorn marshmallow bars, the fine folks at Nuts.com invited me to try using almond flour. I love an excuse to get to work in the kitchen and boy, was I pleasantly surprised. I'm a newbie at using gluten-free flours. Almond flour works just like all-purpose white and whole wheat flours and is high in protein and vitamin E.

I'm trying to clean up our diets in general, so I'm thrilled that my kids liked this no-sugar chocolate dessert.  The sweetness comes from extremely ripe bananas. For even more fun, you can make the consistency closer to ice cream by using frozen bananas.

And I definitely suggest eating this power pudding for breakfast! Such a nutty way to start the day. (Sorry, I couldn't resist!)

Mangia! Mangia!
Andrea

Triple Almond Chocolate Banana Pudding
Inspired by Williams Sonoma and The Sprouted Kitchen

2 overripe bananas (fresh or frozen or some of each)
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/3 cups almond butter
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch of sea salt
1/3 cup almond milk, divided
1/4 cup almond flour
Optional: for extra sweetness, add 1 or 2 tablespoons of maple syrup or honey

Place bananas, cocoa powder, almond butter, cinnamon and salt in a blender or food processor. Add about 1/8 cup almond milk. Blend until everything is mixed together but not yet smooth. Use a rubber spatula to scrap down the sides of blender or food processor.

Add almond flour and another 1/8 cup almond milk. Blend until smooth, adding more splashes of almond milk as needed to smooth out texture. (Adding the almond flour at the end prevents clumping in the bottom of the blender.)

Transfer to four small bowls. Enjoy immediately, especially if you used frozen bananas.

If you used fresh bananas, this pudding tastes great chilled. Cover bowls with plastic wrap and pop in the fridge for an hour or more. You can make this pudding ahead. It holds up well in the refrigerator for about three days.

Sprinkle with banana slices and nuts, like sliced toasted almonds or chopped pecans. My Sam says it's even better with whipped cream on top.

Popcorn Marshmallow Bars

Lately it seems my boys never stop eating.

They are hungriest right after school. I've been struggling to find semi-healthy snacks they want to eat — that also make them feel full.

They love rice krispie treats these days, so I started thinking about ways to bulk up the current snack du jour. If you can mix cereal with melted marshmallows, why not popcorn?

The salty-sweet results are pretty delicious. Drizzle a little chocolate on top and the kids will think it's extra-special. In fact, my 9-year-old asked for some in his lunch box and told me, "Mom, if you make these every week, you'll never have to buy snacks again!"

Score one for Mom.

Mangia! Mangia!

Andrea

Popcorn Marshmallow Bars

20 ounces mini marshmallows

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

20 cups air-popped popcorn 

1/4 to 1/2 cup chocolate chips 

**A note on the popcorn. If you don't want to pop your own corn, grab a bag of air popped popcorn at the grocery store. If it's lightly salted, omit the kosher salt.

Line a 9 x 13 inch baking pan with enough parchment paper so that paper hangs over edges of pan. Lightly coat parchment with cooking spray.

In a large Dutch oven or pot, combine marshmallows, butter and salt. Melt over medium heat, stirring constantly until smooth.

Remove from heat. Stir in popcorn and combine until all of the popcorn is coated in marshmallow mixture. (Depending on the size of your pot, it may be easier to mix popcorn and melted marshmallow in a giant bowl.)

Transfer popcorn mixture to pan. Press down using spatula or parchment paper coated in cooking spray.

Microwave chocolate chips for 30 seconds. Stir. Microwave for another 30 seconds and stir. Repeat as needed until chocolate is completely melted and smooth. Drizzle over popcorn in pan. Refrigerate until chocolate hardens, between 10 and 20 minutes.

Remove pan from refrigerator. Holding edges of parchment paper, lift popcorn mixture from pan and place on cutting board. Cut into bars. 

Chocolate Trifle

We got together recently to celebrate Kelly's birthday, and I was in charge of birthday cake. Since we were planning to stuff our faces with plenty of food and drink before Kelly blew out the candles, we wanted to keep dessert a bit lighter. Well, I'm not sure I'd consider this "lite," but I did use No Pudge brownies. It therefore qualifies as downright healthy in my book.

Now, you can certainly make all of the trifle components from scratch: homemade fudgy brownies, pudding slowly stirred in a saucepan, cream whipped to soft peaks. But I didn't this time. 'Tis the season to take shortcuts, I suppose.

Anyway, the trifle was a huge success. The best thing about it? It takes best if you let it sit in the fridge overnight, so you can make it ahead.

Chocolate Trifle
Serves 6-8

1 package brownies, baked according to package directions for an 8"x8" pan, and cooled (As I mentioned, I used No Pudge brownies to make this a "healthy" dessert.)
3.8 ounce package instant Devil's Food pudding, made according to package directions with 2 cups milk
8 ounces Cool Whip
Raspberries, for garnish

Cut brownies into 1" cubes. Gently fold 3/4 of the Cool Whip into the pudding until it's evenly blended. Layer 1/3 of the brownie pieces in the bottom of a trifle bowl. (If you don't have a trifle bowl - a glass bowl with straight sides - just use whatever bowl you have. A clear bowl is prettiest so you can see the layers.) Top brownies with 1/3 of the pudding mixture.

Repeat the layers two more times until you've used all the brownies and pudding. Top with the remaining Cool Whip and garnish with the raspberries to make it look fancy. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve, preferably overnight.

Guest Post: ROLO-ver and Die Good Brownies

Get ready for the good stuff today, folks. I asked my dear friend, Maureen (a.k.a. "Mo" to those of us to know her and, inevitably, love her) to write a post for you today featuring one of her glorious baked goods. As anticipated, the recipe she's sharing today is clutch. So, now I'll turn things over to Mo, literary genius, nurturer of souls, hostess with the mostess, and forever friend.

Last week the Homemaker Extraordinaire asked me if I would guest post here for you at HDHH. I feel so honored to be able to share one of my new favorite recipes.

I don’t know about you all, but I’ve been on a pumpkin kick since Labor Day (the unofficial beginning of all things fall, for me at least). Needless to say, my family and friends have grown weary of my pumpkin goodies, even though I’m sure I never will. So currently, I have a freezer filled with pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, pumpkin gingersnaps, and more. If you love pumpkin I don’t have to explain myself to you, however, I had to mix it up for their sake. And, luckily for me, just in time, Halloween candy had to be purchased. In typical Maureen fashion, I had to be sure to have enough for every little Batman who came to our door. And, again, typical Maureen, I overbought—by a lot. So, this recipe comes in handy. I think this is a delicious, and not pumpkin, alternative.

When I stumbled across this recipe it was the first time I’d seen brownies made all in one saucepan. I was intrigued. And then sublimely pleased. They are worth the extra effort over boxed brownies, plus you get to use up any leftover candy.

ROLO-ver and Die Good Brownies

(adapted from twopeasandtheirpod.com)

Yield: 24 brownies

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 35-40 minutes

Ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks) butter
2 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 large eggs
3/4 cup cocoa
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups chopped Rolo candy
1/3 cup caramel ice cream topping (If you use caramel sauce, microwave it for approximately 30 seconds to make the sauce more pourable).

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 x 13 pan with cooking spray. Set aside.

2. Place butter in medium saucepan on the stove. Cook over medium heat until butter is melted. Remove from heat and stir in sugar and vanilla extract. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well with spoon after each addition. Add cocoa; stir until well blended. Add flour, baking powder and salt; stir until combined. Stir in chopped Rolo candy. Pour batter into prepared pan.

3. Drizzle caramel evenly over the brownies. Using a toothpick, swirl caramel into brownies. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until brownies begin to pull away from sides of pan and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool brownies completely in pan on a wire rack. Once cool, cut into squares and serve.

First, I found that measuring all of my ingredients and laying them out on the counter before I started cooking was important. Since you have to keep stirring the warm saucepan of sugar and butter, it makes stopping to measure difficult.

I made this recipe once where I chopped the candy pretty small, and it made for a slightly less satisfying find inside the brownie. So this time I only really chopped them in quarters so the Rolo candy packs a bigger punch in each bite.

Next, I melted the butter on the stovetop, then with a wooden spoon stirred in the sugar and vanilla.

I cracked each egg and beat it in, until completely incorporated. After that, add cocoa powder. Incorporating this takes more time than I expected, but be patient.

Then, stir in flour, baking powder and salt.

Add the candy.

Pour into prepared glass pan. Drizzle caramel syrup onto batter. Then, with a toothpick swirl the caramel.

Wait. Inhale. Wait. Drool.

When completely cool, cut into pieces.

Eat one. Then sneak back and have another. After three you will probably roll over and die!

Adaptation: I’m pretty convinced brownies and candy are natural friends. Therefore I have used other candy bars and think you can do it, too. Try Milky Ways, Snickers, Peanut Butter Cups. And if you want, substitute peanut butter for caramel. (Microwave 1/3 cup for about 30 sec so it’s more pourable).

With Whip by Lady of the House

We celebrated our daughter's first birthday on Tuesday, and in what might seem an uncharacteristic post for me, I've decided to share the simple recipe we used for her chocolate birthday cake. It's light as air, fluffy goodness that if I can make, you absolutely can!

Here's what you'll need...

1 3/4 cup unsifted flour

1 3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup cocoa (unsweetened)

1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 l/2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp salt

2 eggs

1 cup milk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 tsp vanilla

1 cup boiling water

For the frosting...

1 pint heavy whipping cream

a splash of vanilla extract

a level tablespoon of confectioners sugar

And here's what you'll do...

Combine dry ingredients in large mixing bowl. Add remaining ingredients except boiling water. Beat at medium speed for 2 minutes. Remove from mixer. Stir in boiling water. (Batter will be very thin.) Pour into 2 greased and

floured 9-inch or 3-8 inch layer pans or l (13 x 9-inch). A layer of parchment paper is also helpful if you have some. And I used three varying sizes of layer pans, and pulled the little guy out at about 25 minutes.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes for layers, 35-40 minutes for 13 x 9

minutes or until tester comes out clean. cool 10 minutes. Remove from pan.

top with fresh whipped cream.

xoxo

{ Lady of the House }

Oreo Truffles

Although I never need an excuse to make something chocolate-y, delicious, and easy, I'll give you a few reasons to make these glorious Oreo Truffles:

1. You are snowed in and need to keep your kids, or yourself, occupied.  (Am I the only one stuck in the house thanks to "Snowpocalypse 2011"?)
2. They are chocolate-y, delicious, and easy.
3. Valentine's Day is less than two weeks away, and you need a treat for your honey.
4. They are chocolate-y, delicious, and easy.
5. The Superbowl is on Sunday (Go, Pack, Go!) and you want something sweet to chase the pizza, wings, beer, nachos, more beer...
6. Did I mention they are chocolate-y, delicious, and easy?

Oreo Truffles

1 18-ounce bag of Oreos, crushed
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips

Stir together the crushed Oreos and cream cheese until the Oreos are evenly distributed.  When you start stirring, you'll think it's impossible.  But don't give up!  Just keep stirring until it looks like this:

Pop the Oreo mixture in the fridge to chill for an hour or until you get bored of waiting.  Allowing the mixture to firm up will make the next step easier.  Meanwhile, line a baking sheet with parchment paper or waxed paper.

When your Oreo mixture has chilled, use a teaspoon to scoop out a small amount and roll it into a 1" ball.  Place it on the lined baking sheet, and repeat until you've used up all of the mixture.  Refrigerate the Oreo balls for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Meanwhile, melt the chocolate chips over low heat, stirring very often.  Using two forks, dip the Oreo balls into the melted chocolate.  Allow the excess to drip off, then place the truffles back on the lined baking sheets.    Refrigerate until the chocolate is set, and then enjoy!

A little somethin' extra: If you want, you can decorate these truffles with cocoa powder, more chopped oreos, candy crunch...whatever fun and delicious items you have on hand!