Chocolate Surprise Muffins

So my baby turned 4 a little less than a week ago and I made these amazing Chocolate Surprise Muffins for him to take into his Preschool. I frosted them and made them into cupcakes for all the kids to enjoy. This recipe comes from the Cake Mix Doctor and is super easy to make. I first had these at my sisters house and I am not a fan of chocolate but they were so good I ate two! You Defiantly give them a try!

Chocolate Surprise Muffins

Filling:

~ 1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese, at room temperature

~ 1/3 cup sugar

~ 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

~ 1 large egg

~ 1 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

Cake:

~ 24 paper liners for muffin pans

~ 1 package (18.25 oz.) plain devil’s food cake mix

~ 1 1/3 cups water

~ 1/2 cup vegetable oil

~ 3 large eggs

1. Place the cream cheese and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed until combined. Add the vanilla and egg. Beat on low until the egg is incorporated. Stir in the chocolate chips. Set the filling aside.

2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners. Set the pans aside.

3. Place the cake mix, water, oil, and eggs in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 1 minute. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat for 2 more minutes, scraping down the sides again if needed. The batter should look thick and well combined. Spoon the batter into the lined muffin cups, filling each liner two thirds of the way full. Spoon a heaping teaspoon of the filling onto the center of each muffin. The filling will sink into the batter as the muffins bake. Place the pans in the oven.

4. Bake the muffins until they spring back when lightly pressed with your finger, about 23 to 27 minutes. Remove the pans from the oven and place them on wire racks to cool for 5 minutes. Remove muffins from the pan and cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes before serving.

* You can frost these and they make wonderful cupcakes or enjoy on their own.

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Chocolate Surprise Muffins

Famous Chocolate Icebox Cake

Every since I was little I can remember my grandma making this amazing Icebox Cake’s and if you talk to my mom she can remember her grandma making them as well. They are super simple to make and only require a few ingredients but they will defiantly have people coming back for more. I made these to take to an event and my husband got so upset that I was taking them and not keeping them at home. The next day I had to go out and get some more Chocolate Wafers to make them again for him.

The key to this recipe is finding the Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafers. They are usually in the cookie aisle and usually on the top shelf. Now not all your local grocery stores will carry them so don’t be surprised if you have to go to a large chain. My local Winco didn’t have them but Savemart did.

Famous Chocolate Icebox Cake

~ 1 1/2 cups cold heavy cream, plus additional for thinning

~ 3 Tbsp. powdered sugar, plus more to taste

~ 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

~ 1 (9 oz.) package of Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafers

For Garnish: chocolate covered espresso beans, chocolate shavings, or leftover ground wafers

1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the heavy cream until it just starts to thicken. Add the sugar and vanilla and continue whisking until soft to medium peaks form; the cream should be floppy and light.

2. Place a chocolate wafer on a sheet pan. Drop a rounded teaspoon of whipped cream. Use the back of the spoon to pat the mound of whipped cream into a flattened disk, leaving about 1/8 inch space around the edge of the cookie. Gently press another wafer on top of the whipped cream until the frosting is flush with the edges. Continue until you have stacked 3 cookies to make one “mini” cake, finishing off with a coat of whipped cream.

3. Repeat the process with the remaining chocolate wafers. If the whipped cream starts to firm up while you are assembling the cakes (you want it to be fairly loose), stiff in a tablespoon or two of heavy cream as needed to keep it malleable.

4. Transfer the sheet pan to the refrigerator and chill for a minimum of 6 hours, but preferably overnight. Garnish cakes with chocolate covered espresso beans, chocolate shavings, or leftover ground wafers before serving.

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Famous Chocolate Icebox Cake

World Nutella Day

Happy World Nutella Day! Today is the day to enjoy the goodness of Nutella. Since it is World Nutella day I think that everyone has an excuses to eat Nutella for Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner. Nutella is such a wonderful treat in our house and if you are looking for a great recipe check out a couple of my favorites below. Enjoy World Nutella Day!

Peanut Butter Nutella Swirl Cookies

Grilled Nutella & Raspberry Sandwich

Cinnabon Cinnamon Roll Cake

If you are like my house and have somebody who is totally obsessed with Cinnamon Rolls then this cake is for you. My husband loves cinnamon rolls and while homemade are amazing they take a lot of work that I am not willing to put in early in the morning. Bonus of this recipe was that it made such a big pan that we were also eating it as dessert in the evening. Not sure that fits into healthy eating but hey it was homemade so I controlled the ingredients, right?

I found this over at Six Sisters Stuff and to be honest I am kind of obsessed with their blog. They have some amazing recipes that are super easy and are right up my families alley. I can’t wait to try out a few more of their recipes.

Cinnabon Cinnamon Roll Cake

~ 3 cups flour

~ 1/4 tsp. salt

~ 1 cup sugar

~ 4 tsp. baking powder

~ 1 1/2 cups milk

~ 2 eggs

~ 2 tsp. vanilla

~ 4 Tbsp. butter, melted

~ 2 sticks (1 cup) butter, softened

~ 1 cup brown sugar

~ 2 Tbsp. flour

~ 1 Tbsp. cinnamon

~ 2/3 cups nuts (optional)

Glaze:

~ 2 cups powdered sugar

~ 5 Tbsp. milk

~ 1 tsp. vanilla

1. With an electric mixer, mix flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, milk, eggs, and vanilla. Once combined well, slowly stir in 4 Tbsp. melted butter. Pour batter into a greased 9 x 13 baking pan.

2. In a large bowl, mix the 2 sticks softened butter, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nuts until well combined. Drop evenly over cake batter by the Tbsp. and use a knife to marble/swirl through the cake. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out nearly clean from center.

3. Place powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla in a large bowl. Whisk until smooth. Drizzle over warm cake. Serve warm or at room temperature.

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Cinnabon Cinnamon Roll Cake

Bordeaux Candy

Anyone who lives in or has lived in California probably knows about See’s Candies. I can remember getting See’s candies for Christmas since I was a little girl. When my husband and I were first dating we would frequently go in and just get some Bordeaux Candy since they were his favorite. When we lived in Utah for a bit Bordeaux candy was something that we missed and couldn’t wait to get our hands on when we visited California.

This year my husband was feeling ambitious and decided that he was going to try and make a copy cat version of his favorite candy treat. He found the recipe over at The E Wife Blogs Again and of course we were skeptical at first. They didn’t take long to make and tasted pretty darn close to the original thing. Defiantly a sweet treat that he will probably be making again.

Bordeaux Candy

~ 1 cup brown sugar

~ 1/2 cup butter

~ 1/4 cup whipping cream

~ 1/2 tsp. instant coffee

~ pinch of salt

~ 2 cups powdered sugar

~ 12 oz. milk chocolate

1. Melt butter and brown sugar together in heavy pan. Bring to a boil and boil for two minutes. Stir in cream, coffee, salt and bring to a boil again stirring constantly. Boil for 30 seconds and remove from heat. Let cool for 10 minutes.

2. Add powdered sugar to mixture. Stir well to combine. Chill until mixture holds shape of a small ball. Roll into 2-inch balls. melt chocolate according to package instructions. Dip candy balls into melted chocolate. Makes approx. 30. Best if stored in refrigerator.

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Bordeaux Candy

Snickerdoodle Blondies

If you are ever in need of something quick to make that you don’t need to run to the store for ingredients and everybody will love, you need to make these! I made these and in less than a day the whole pan was gone and my kids didn’t eat much. I found these over at My Own Sweet Thyme. They were everything that you love about a snickerdoodle but in a brownie form. Amazing!

Snickerdoodle Blondies

~ 2 2/3 cups flour

~ 2 tsp. baking powder

~ 1 tsp. salt

~ 2 cups packed brown sugar

~ 2 cup butter, at room temperature

~ 2 eggs, at room temperature

~ 1 Tbsp. vanilla

~ 2 Tbsp. white sugar

~ 2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 350^o. Lightly grease a 9 x 13 inch baking pan.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

3. In a large bowl, beat together the butter, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla until smooth. Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture and beat until well blended.

4. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan.

5. In a small bowl, combine the white sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the batter in the baking pan.

6. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the surface springs back when gently pressed. Remove from oven and let cool slightly on a wire rack. While still warm, cut into squares with a sharp knife.

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Snickerdoodle Blondies

Crock Pot Peanut Clusters

I am not sure why but I have had the biggest sweet tooth lately. It has been hard to curb but every once in awhile you just have to give in and have a bit of something sweet. My friend over at I Think I Can Moms made this over the holidays and my husband said we had to make it at home. The great thing about this recipe is you make it in the crock pot.

If you use Crock Pot liners then the clean up is a breeze as well. I swear by this liners, the make cleaning up your crock pot a million times easier! You must try them if you haven’t, it will change your life!

The other great thing about this recipe is you just dump all the ingredients in and let the crock pot do the rest. Super simple and super delicious

Crock Pot Peanut Clusters

~ 1 can unsalted peanuts

~ 1 can salted peanuts

~ 1 chocolate almond bark

~ 1 vanilla almond bark

~ 2 12 oz. bags semi sweet chocolate chips

Place the peanuts in the crock-pot. Then place the chocolate and vanilla almond bark on top. Dump chocolate chips on top. Cover and cook on high for 2 hours or until chocolate is melted.

* Make sure to put peanuts on the bottom of your crock pot and not chocolate or it will burn.

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Crock Pot Peanut Clusters

Baked Apple Donut Holes

My husband loves donuts. He could a few donuts every morning for breakfast and be a happy man. In fact I am pretty sure that for most of high school he actually did eat a couple of donuts every morning for breakfast. While I like them they tend to be a bit too sweet for me not to mention they are defiantly not the healthiest thing to eat. So when I found this baked donut hole recipe I was super excited to make it.

I will say that while mixing up the batter I was a bit worried because it was unlike most of the recipes I make. But I was very happy with the end result. These are super moist and very flavorful. You really don’t even know that they are baked instead of fried. I took these wonderful goodies to a MOPS meeting and they were a huge hit. Hope you enjoy!

Baked Apple Donut Holes

~ cooking spray

~ 3 Tbsp. sugar (for muffin pans)

~ 2 cups flour

~ 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

~ 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

~ 1/2 tsp. salt

~ 2 tsp. cinnamon

~ 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

~ 1 egg

~ 2/3 cup brown sugar

~ 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

~ 1/3 cup pure maple syrup

~ 1/3 cup 100% apple juice

~ 1/3 cup lain low fat yogurt

~ 3 Tbsp. vegetable oil

Topping

~ 2/3 cup sugar

~ 2 tsp. cinnamon

~ 1/4 cup butter

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray mini muffin pans with cooking spray and sprinkle sugar on top, shaking out the excess.

2. In a bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice. In a separate bowl, mix together brown sugar, applesauce, maple syrup, egg, apple juice, yogurt, and vegetable oil.

3. Add the dry ingredients to the wet, and stir gently just until evenly blended. Spoon the batter into the muffin pan, filling only half way. Bake for 8 – 10 minutes.

4. While they are baking melt the butter in a bowl. In another bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon. Remove donuts from the oven and when they are still hot, dip the tops in melted butter and roll them in the cinnamon sugar mixture until evenly coated. The bottoms will still be moist from cooking, so there is not need to dip them into the butter.

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Baked Apple Donut Holes

Chocolate Crackles

So I am pretty sure that most people are in a sugar comma with all the sweets that they consumed during Christmas. I knew it was coming so I made sure to plan ahead. Instead of baking all my sweets I made a batch at a time and once they were gone waited a few days and made the next batch. This way my small little family of four didn’t consume quite as much and the cookies or treats didn’t go bad before we ate them all.  These are one of my favorites and my husband describes them as little brownies in the cookie form and rolled in powdered sugar. Super simple to make and chocolaty and chewy.

Chocolate Crackles

~ 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate pieces

~ 1 cup brown sugar, packed

~ 1/3 cup salad oil

~  2 eggs

~ 1 tsp. vanilla

~ 1 cup flour

~ 1 tsp. baking powder

~ 1/4 tsp. salt

~ 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, optional

~ powdered sugar (about 1/2 cup)

1. Melt chocolate. Combine with sugar and oil. Add eggs on at a time; beat well. Add vanilla.

2. Combine flour, baking powder and salt. Add to chocolate mixture. Stir in nuts. Chill dough.

3. Drop teaspoonful’s of dough in powdered sugar and roll to coat. Place on greased cookie sheet or baking mat. Bake at 350 oven 10-12 minutes. Cool on rack.

Makes 4 dozen.

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Chocolate Crackles

Thumbprint Cookies

These are one of my absolute favorite cookies. I remember as a young girl making these to enter into Girl Scout Baking competitions. I would have to make them all by myself, with no help from an adult. They were so fun to make and the earned me a blue ribbon as well.

This recipe comes from the Betty Crocker’s Picture Cookbook. This is a cookbook that I remember my mom cooking from as a kid and when I got married she got it for us as well. Lots of great recipes inside, but again this is my favorite.

Thumbprint Cookies

~ 1/2 cup soft shortening

~ 1/4 cup brown sugar

~ 1 egg yolk (save the egg white for later)

~ 1/2 tsp. vanilla

~ 1 cup flour

~ 1/4 tsp. salt

~ 3/4 cup finely chopped nuts (I used walnuts)

~ 1 egg white

~ favorite jelly (I use raspberry)

1. Preheat oven to 375 ^o F.

2. Mix together thoroughly shortening, brown sugar, egg yolk, and vanilla. Sift together the flour and salt and then stir into the mixture.

3. Roll into 1 inch balls. Dip in slightly beaten egg whites. Roll in finely chopped nuts. Place about 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheet. Bake 5 minutes. Remove from oven. Quickly press thumb gently on top of each cookie. Return to oven and bake 8 minutes longer.

4. Remove from oven and place in each thumbprint a teaspoon full of jelly then cool completely.

Makes about 2 dozen 1 1/2 inch cookies.

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Thumbprint Cookies