Pumpkin Crisp

Remember last year when my awesome bat cookies didn’t win the Halloween dessert contest at work? Well, you may not but I do! They were awesome and I was very hurt.  I mean, it was a lot of work putting those tiny bat ears on those Nutter Butters. Whatever. Well THIS is the dessert that beat me. I will accept that defeat since this is one of the best desserts you’ll put in your mouth. I couldn’t share it last year because the wounds were too fresh but I’m ready to tell you about it this year. I’ve made this dessert about 4 times now and it just gets better every time. This will be perfect for your thanksgiving table, trust me! Now if you aren’t a pumpkin person, don’t discard this. I don’t like pumpkin pie, but I love this dessert. The cake mix and pecans on top make such a decadent crust that you’ll add this to your favorite recipes, hands down. Make it at least once so you can see what all the hype is! I believe this originally came from Southern Living, but today Dawn's Blogalicious has it for you! Start planning your Thanksgiving menu around this now!

 

Ingredients:

 

1 can (15 oz) pumpkin

1 cup evaporated milk

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 package (18.25 oz) butter flavored yellow cake mix

1 cup chopped pecans

1 cup melted butter

whipped cream (optional)

nutmeg (optional)

 

Directions:

 

Mix together first five ingredients

 

Pour into lightly greased 13x9 baking dish.

Sprinkle cake mix evenly over pumpkin mixture, sprinkle evenly with pecans and drizzle butter over coating evenly (again). Yes, I used evenly quite a lot in that sentence but it seems to work.

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until golden brown. Remove from oven and let stand 10 minutes before serving. Serve warm or room temperature. Add a dollop of whipped cream if desired and sprinkle with nutmeg. Now just try to eat one serving....I dare you! Enjoy!

 

Salty Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Cookies

 

One thing I love is a chocolate chip cookie warm out of the oven. I mean who doesn’t really? I also love an Oatmeal Raisin cookie. Who knew I could combine the two and have the best cookie ever made?? Well, thank goodness I listen to my friend Ina all the time. If you’re unsure who that is, I mean Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa….duh, right? She and I are close (in my head). I decided to browse through her new cook book that Eli and Henry gave me for Mother’s day and came across this delicious concoction. When I tell you these are the best chocolate chip cookies on earth, believe me! You should stop what you are doing and make these right now! Let me show you how….

Ingredients:

½ pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
¾ cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1¾ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1¼ cups old-fashioned oats (I used Quaker)
¾ pound bittersweet chocolate, chopped in chunks
¾ cup dried cranberries (optional and I chose to omit)
Fleur de sel (Ina says to use this, I didn’t have any so I used kosher salt and they were perfect)

 

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line 3 sheet pans with parchment paper. I use parchment paper when Ina tells me too, but I’m sure you’ll be fine spraying a cookie sheet with non-stick spray.

 

Take your chocolate bar and just chop into chunks. This part was fun!

In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar on medium-high speed for 3 minutes, until light and fluffy. Scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula. On low speed, add the vanilla then the eggs, one at a time. Scrape down the bowl again. You want to be sure to keep all the goodness mixed well in the bowl.

Just try and stop me from sticking my finger in there!

Meanwhile, sift the flour, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl. Mix in the oats. With the mixer on low, slowly add the flour mixture to the butter-sugar mixture. If you're like me, stand back so the powder doesn't hit you in the face. Ina always says “don’t overbeat it”! With a rubber spatula, stir in the chocolate (and cranberries if you so choose) until the dough is well mixed. With a 1¾-inch ice cream scoop (or two spoons), scoop round balls of dough onto the sheet pans. Like so....

 

 

Sprinkle lightly with kosher salt or fleur de sel if you are fancy. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until nicely browned. Serve warm out of the oven for maximum pleasure!

Tip from Ina……If you prefer cookies thin and crisp, bake them straight from the mixing bowl. If you prefer them chewy in the middle and crisp outside, chill the balls of dough. She has great tips so I have to include them.  Let me know how you like these!  Makes about 2 dozen cookies sent from heaven.

Blackberry Cobbler

Let’s don’t even get into the fact that I’m a crappy blogger. Let’s focus on Blackberry cobbler! My husband went to Sprouts (a Farmer’s Market type chain) and bought the best fresh fruit today. That sounds like a great idea, but my husband’s motto is “more is better” (thanks to Bill Stewart) so we are overflowing with fruit that I’m afraid we can’t eat before it goes bad! So when you are faced with that situation.....make a cobbler! Sounds like a great solution to me. I love eating and making cobbler. Not only is it delicious, it’s so simple to make. Who doesn’t love a delicious, quick dessert? Most of my cobblers are made with frozen fruit but tonight I used fresh berries and this is the best cobbler I’ve ever eaten! I’m not even exaggerating. This is for realz! I had to beg my husband not to go back for THIRDS so we’d have some for tomorrow night! I can’t keep it from you any longer. Here’s the recipe my friend, The Pioneer Woman, shared with me....

Okay, this isn't a cobbler, but doesn't it look delicious?? Just a sample of our haul from Sprouts!

Ingredients:

• 1 stick Butter, melted
• 1-1/4 cup Sugar
• 1 cup Self-Rising Flour
• 1 cup Milk
• 2 heaping cups Blackberries (frozen Or Fresh)

Instructions:

Melt butter in a microwavable dish. Pour 1 cup of sugar and flour into a mixing bowl, whisking in milk. Mix well. Then, pour in melted butter and whisk it all well together. Butter a baking dish.

Now rinse and pat dry the blackberries. Pour the batter into the buttered baking dish. Sprinkle blackberries over the top of the batter; distributing evenly. 

Sprinkle ¼ cup sugar over the top.

Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 1 hour, or until golden and bubbly.

Ooey Gooey Butter Cake

Not the best picture. I'll try it on a different plate next time.

How could you resist this recipe by the name alone?? What’s better than something named Ooey Gooey?? Okay, maybe something chocolate, but this is a mighty fine cake in its own right. I have heard about Paula Deen’s Gooey Butter Cake and always made a mental note to try this one day. Well, lucky for all of us, this day finally arrived. See, I was watching her sons’ cooking show, Not My Mama’s Meals, and Paula was actually on it. They were each making a version of this cake, Bobby’s a lighter version. Hands down, Paula’s had to win that contest. I’m sure his cake was fine, but it couldn’t have even been close to this version. Sure there are two sticks of butter in it, but why is that a bad thing? Everything in moderation people. I will give you a recommendation now…..don’t eat the cake all at once. Cut a slice and enjoy one at a time….over a few days. See, now you’ve been warned so don’t judge me for the amount of butter and sugar in this cake. But do trust me on this, it is delicious! Make this for your family, make this for a party, or like I did, just make it for two. J I think you’ve learned by now that we are gluttons and love to eat. Let’s just all accept that and move on. Now let’s get down to the nitty gritty and make this Ooey Gooey Butter Cake. Yes, I added an Ooey in there so now this makes my cake original!

 

Here’s what you’ll need to make this little gift from heaven:

·         1(18 1/4 oz) package yellow cake mix

·         1 egg

·         16 tablespoons butter, melted, divided (use separate bowls so you don’t melt together like I did….big mistake!)

·         1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened

·         2 eggs

·         1 teaspoon vanilla

·         1 (16 oz) box powdered sugar

 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°.

 

Combine the cake mix, egg and 8 tablespoons butter and mix well with an electric mixer.

 

Pat the mixture into the bottom of a lightly greased 13 by 9-inch baking pan. Excuse my finger indentions all of the crust.

 

In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the eggs, vanilla and 8 tablespoons butter and beat together.

 

Next, add the powdered sugar and mix well. Spread over cake batter and bake for 40 to 50 minutes. 

Make sure not to over bake as the center should be a little gooey. I would actually check after 35 minutes, if the top has browned, take it out of the oven. I think I cooked mine about 5 minutes too  long. Next time I’ll make it a little gooeyer (yes, it’s a new word).

 


It might not look fancy, but that is heaven in a pan waiting for me to take a bite!

Now cut a piece and enjoy this ooey gooey goodness! Also, feel free to sprinkle on a little sifted powdered sugar before serving. That just makes it so purdy.

 

Crack! (or you could call it Saltine Toffee)

 

I've heard it called many things, but Crack is my favorite!

I had to laugh when I was reading my friend, Trisha Yearwood’s, cookbook. She loves this recipe because her mother always wanted something sweet after dinner and then immediately needed something salty. That is totally my husband! He always needs something salty after his sweet snack, whereas I am happy as a hippo ending with a sweet snack. I’m going to look like a hippo if I don’t keep ending with a sweet snack too!

 

A friend of mine brought these to a party we had years ago too. She gave me the recipe, but I lost it. I’m pretty sure this is it though. Angie, if you are reading this, is this it?? I fell in love with them at the party and couldn’t believe how easy they were to make. I love toffee and I love easy so this was right up my alley! I wanted to make a special treat for friends this Christmas so I pulled out my cookbook and found this recipe again. You definitely need to try this one. It’s so easy and worth every minute of effort put in!

 

Ingredients:

35-45 saltines

2 sticks (1 cup) butter

1 cup light brown sugar

8 (ish) ounces semi sweet chocolate chips*

*cooks note – I used one full bag (12 oz) of milk chocolate chips and it turned out great. I tried 8 oz first and it looked like I needed more to spread around so I added the whole bag.

 

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees

 

Line 1 large or 2 small jelly-roll pans with aluminum foil, spray with nonstick spray and arrange the saltines salt-side down in a single layer. My jelly roll pan held 48 crackers and that was perfect.  

As you can see, I didn't listen to directions and place them salty side down. Uh oh!

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and brown sugar together and boil until it turns a caramel color, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and pour over the crackers, covering them evenly.

 

Put the jelly-roll pan into the oven and bake for 3 to 5 minutes, or until just bubbly, watching carefully. 

can you see how bubbly and delicious it is looking right now?? Yum!

Remove from the oven and pour the chocolate chips over the crackers. When the chips melt a bit, spread them over the crackers with a knife.

 

and viola! Doesn't that look yummy already?

Transfer the pan to the freezer for 15 to 20 minutes, or until completely cold. My chocolate was still wet to touch after 20 minutes so I left it in for about 30 minutes. 

This will form one big sheet. Break it up into random pieces, any size will do. Store in an airtight container. Package for friends for holiday treats or just enjoy! My husband loves these because it was the perfect combination of his sweet and salty snack. These are a keeper. I think I’ll be making these again to take to my parents for Christmas.

 

Crockpot Dulce de Leche Sauce

Okay so this is possibly the coolest thing I’ve ever seen! I was watching one of my favorite weekend shows, on the Food Network of course, and Katie Lee taught me how to make Dulce de Leche sauce in the crockpot. Yes, you heard me right. I said in the CROCKPOT! What?? Now I love my crockpot but who knew I could make a yummy, creamy caramel sauce in it? And did I mention that you just need one ingredient? This recipe still blows my mind! I made it today and will be trying it drizzled over some apple pie shortly. So far I’ve only tried it drizzled over my finger. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed licking it off my finger but I think it will be even better drizzled on ice cream, pie, or added to coffee. Let’s just get down to this easy recipe.  Here’s what you need:

 

Crockpot

mason jars – I used three 8 oz jars
condensed milk – I used two 14 oz cans
water

 

Easiest directions ever:

Equally pour the 2 cans of condensed milk in the three mason jars. Seal lid securely.

 

Place jars in crockpot and fill crockpot up to the lids, without covering.

 

Cook on low for 8-10 hours. I cooked mine 9 hours and it was the perfect caramel color. You can cook longer for a deeper caramel color. If you keep peeking at the color by removing the lid, like I did, then you probably need to cook a little longer.


Remove jars from crockpot with tongs. They will be very hot. Let cool for a bit on a dish towel. Remove lid, stir to combine, and then eat a big spoonful! Okay, maybe not a whole spoonful, but at least get a little sample to make sure it's delish.

 

Look how beautiful it turned out! I’m totally giving this to a couple of friends as Christmas gifts. Did I mention that I made this in the crockpot??? I'm still amazed!


This will keep in the fridge for up to 4 weeks. Just remove lid and heat in microwave or you and just scoop some out and microwave a little at a time.

 

Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

This is going to be one of the simplest recipes you’ve ever made. This is great for a holiday party treat, or really just for any Thursday night. I’m pretty sure I’ve never made a recipe with just two ingredients other than this one. How about you? Can it really get any easier than two ingredients?? This is also one of my favorite cookies. How can it not be when it’s made with peanut butter cookie dough and a mini Reese’s cup?? Two of my favorite things.

 

Some people will make a homemade cookie for the cookie base, but I’m a fan of making this one quick and easy and using prepared cookie dough. If you want to make it a more difficult and time consuming recipe, then go ahead and whip up some homemade cookie dough. While you do that, I’m going to show you how to make it with two easy ingredients. Here’s what you need:

 

1 tube of prepared peanut butter cookie dough

12-24 (more or less) Mini  peanut butter cups

You can decide the quantity. If you just want to make a dozen to sit on the couch and devour with your husband, then you can......I cannot confirm or deny if that has ever happened. Or you can make 2 dozen or more for a party.

 

Directions:

 

Slice the cookie dough about 3/4 inch thick, then slice into fourths

 

Place each fourth in a mini muffin cup. Do not shape to fit pan, just lay the portion in each cup. Be sure you are using a mini muffin pan, not full size

 

Peel wrapping off your desired amount of peanut butter cups and get ready to use......but not yet

 

Place mini muffin tin in oven according to package and bake for 7-10 minutes. You don’t want them to get hard like a cookie. I usually stick around the 7 minute mark. The cookies are perfectly puffed up in the muffin tins. Still soft enough to press a peanut butter cup into.

 

Remove from oven and immediately press one peanut butter cup in the center of each muffin cup, pressing down until the top of the peanut butter cup is even with the top of the pan. The cookies start to hug the peanut butter cup....I can say that I really blame them. Move quickly to get them all pressed in before the melting starts to happen.

 

Now some people leave them on the counter to cool, letting the peanut butter cup melt, but I put mine in the fridge for about 5-10 minutes and let them set quickly. You might have learned that I’m a bit impatient.

 

Now, pop one of these babies in your mouth and enjoy a little taste of heaven. I’ve been making these for years. They are so easy, so delicious, and the perfect party dessert. Hope you’ll enjoy for years to come too!

Sour Cream Apple Crumb Cake

Yes, it's another apple recipe, but way better than anything I've told you about before.  Forget all of the other apple cobblers, pies, cakes you’ve seen online or baked. THIS is the one you want to make! OMG, this is the best apple dessert I’ve ever tasted. Seriously! It’s so easy, but sooooooo delicious! I mean how bad could it be when the crust is made out of butter and cake mix?? I think that’s a nice start to any recipe. The cake mix and butter blend beautifully to make the best crust ever. Make your grocery list now and add this to your Thanksgiving desserts.....or just make it on a random Saturday afternoon like I did.

 

Someone that I worked with at Delta in the late 90’s brought this dessert to work once and I begged him to ask his wife for the recipe. I have no idea where it has been, but I found it during our move back to Atlanta. I haven’t made this in about 20 years. I think God wanted me to find this recipe so I could make it today and be on a dessert high! David and I were both moaning with delight as we ate this for an afternoon treat. I’m not kidding you, it is so delicious! You need to make this now for a trial run and then again for Thanksgiving. Okay, let’s get down to the details:

 

Ingredients:

 

1 egg

1 package yellow cake mix

1 stick butter

1/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

4 apples, peeled and thinly sliced

1 cup sour cream

 

Directions:

 

Peel and slice apples

 

Combine dry cake mix and butter, mix until crumbly. I like to grate the cold butter and then combine with dry ingredients with a pasty cutter. It gets evenly distributed that way.

 

Reserve 2/3 cup of cake mixture for topping. To the 2/3 cup of topping, add brown sugar and cinnamon and combine.

 

Press remaining cake mixture on the bottom of an ungreased 13x9” pan. This will be the most delicious crust you've ever tasted!

 

Spread apples over crust

 

Blend sour cream and egg and spread over apples.

 

Sprinkle reserved topping mixture over apples evenly.

 

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes

 

Serve it up and enjoy after it’s cooled for a few minutes. Enjoy with some ice cream or whipped cream as well. I’ll take mine straight out of the oven please. You can thank me for this one later!