A Sweet To Say So Long

Is it just us or has January seemed like the looongest month? The dark, gloomy, cold days seem never ending . The only thing keeping us going is our morning coffee and our Saturday sweet treats. This Saturday, we are combining both. Dark Chocolate Espresso Brownies should do the trick to send January on its way and give us a little oomph to enter February bright-eyed and happy. So long January!

Ingredients

1 box of dark chocolate brownies, plus ingredients on the back of the box

1 cup Nestle dark chocolate espresso chips

Direction

Make brownie batter according to the directions on the back of the box. Stir in espresso chips. Underbake for 25 min at 350 degrees. Indulge and enjoy!

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A Sweet Reminder

After visiting a local coffee shop last week, we were reminded of the extreme yumminess of cream cheese filled pumpkin muffins. We are pumpkin fans through and through, but when you bite into a warm pumpkin muffin and inside is a little surprise of cream cheese frosting oh my. Heart burst! Inside-Out Pumpkin Muffins = love sweet pumpkin love!

Ingredients

Streusel

• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup packed light brown sugar
• ¼ cup old-fashioned rolled oats or quick oats
• ⅛ teaspoon sea salt
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened at room temperature

Filling

• 1 cup cream cheese, brick style, softened at room temperature
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Muffins

• 1 cup pure pumpkin puree
• 2 large whites eggs
• ½ cup packed light brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons canola oil
• ¼ cup maple syrup
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• 1 ½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ⅓ cup almond milk, room temperature
• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a 12-cup standard muffin pan.
• Make the streusel by whisking together the flour, sugar, oats, and salt. Cut in the butter using a fork or pastry cutter. Set aside.
• Make the filling by beating together all the ingredients until smooth and creamy. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, egg whites, sugar, oil, maple syrup, salt, spices, baking powder, soda, and almond milk.
• Add the flour all at once and whisk just until combined
• Drop 2 tablespoons of batter into the prepared muffin cups. If needed, use the back of a spoon to spread the batter to cover the bottom. Top with 1 tablespoon of filling, followed by an additional 2 tablespoons of batter. Sprinkle with streusel.
• Bake for 18 – 20 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the side of the muffin comes out clean.
• Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

*recipe inspired by The PKP Way

Hello My Sweet Dollies

You may have wondered how we got started baking together. Well, we were encouraged and inspired by the original “Cookie Lady” herself. You see, our grandma’s last name was meant to be. Grandma BAKER loved baking cookies, but even more she loved to share them with others. Lucky for us she passed on this love to her twin “dollies”. This Saturday we will be reminiscing and remembering her fondly as we bake up Candy Bar Hello Dolly Bars. Grandma your dollies are extra proud to carry on your traditional! We miss you!

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter melted
• 1 cup graham cracker crumbs about 10-12 whole crackers
• 2 cups candy bars broken into bite size pieces
• 1 6-oz pkg. butterscotch chips
• 1 cup flaked coconut
• 1 15-oz can sweetened condensed milk

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9×13-inch pan with foil or parchment paper.
2. Pour melted butter evenly over bottom of a 9×13-inch baking pan.
3. Sprinkle graham cracker crumbs evenly over butter.
4. Sprinkle candy bar pieces and butterscotch chips over crumbs.
5. Sprinkle coconut over chips.
6. Pour sweetened condensed milk evenly over all.
7. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 25 to 30 minutes, until edges are golden brown.
8. Cool completely and cut into bars.

A Simple Sweet Treat

We’ve made this recipe many many many times. Each time we bake Candy Bar Brownies, we are reminded how yummy yet simple they are to make. Grab a couple boxes of your favorite brownie mix. Add the ingredients on the back of the box and place bits of broken candy bars of your choice in the middle and on top. Bake and enjoy. So simple. So sweet!

Sweet Cookie Butter Dreams

Cookie Butter-you never disappoint. We wonder if you dream about us as much as we dream about you. You are always welcome in our homes. Thanks for all you do to make our lives so much sweeter. We love you so much and will invite you to many baking days to come. Including today as we make you the main ingredient for our Dreamy Cookie Butter Frosted Cookies. Sweet Dreams, Cookie Butter. Sweet Dreams all!

Ingredients

COOKIE DOUGH

• 1 cup butter flavored Crisco
• 2 TB water
• 2 Tb cookie butter
• 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 egg whites
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 3 cups flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup Heath bits

FROSTING

• 1/2 cup butter, salted
• 2 Tb cookie butter
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 3 Tbs water
• 1/4 cup (about 4) biscoff cookies, finely crushed

Instructions

COOKIE DOUGH

1. Preheat oven to 350° and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

2. Beat together Crisco, water, cookie butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar. Add vanilla and one egg at a time. Continue to beat until light and smooth.

3. Add 3 cups of flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt until combined.

4. Add Heath bits and mix until combined.

5. Scoop into 2″ balls with cookie scoop and bake for 8-10 minutes. 

6. Let cool for a few minutes on cookie sheet, then transfer to a clean, flat surface. 

FROSTING

1. Beat the butter, cookie butter and vanilla for 1-2 minutes until smooth and fluffy. 

2. Add powdered sugar one cup at a time until incorporated. 

3. Add 3 Tb of water and continue to beat until frosting becomes fluffy.

4. Frost cooled cookies. Sprinkle crushed cookies on top. Sweet Dreams!

A Perfect Christmas Sweet

We are in full holiday baking mode. And this weekend we continue with Red Velvet Brownies. They are the perfect color for Christmas time. Perfectly perfect for an imperfect year. Creating silver linings one Red Velvet Brownie at a time.

Ingredients

• 10 tablespoons butter flavored Crisco
• 1 1/4 cup white sugar
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 2 large egg whites
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 tablespoon red food coloring
• 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon white vinegar
• 1 cup white chocolate chips

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350F degrees and position the oven rack in the middle of your oven.
• Line an 8×8 inch metal baking pan with parchment paper,
• Add the Crisco to stand alone mixing bowl.
• Whisk in the sugar and cocoa powder. Whisk vigorously for 20-30 seconds.
• Whisk in the egg whites, vanilla extract and red food coloring.
• Carefully fold in the flour and salt using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon.
• Whisk in the vinegar. 
• Stir in the chocolate chips.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 28-32 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean or with a few damp crumbs. 
• Cool the brownies in the pan for at least 4 hours, or until completely cooled before slicing. To slice, lift the bars out of the pan using the overhang of the parchment paper. Then cut with a sharp knife of a cutting board.

*recipe inspired by Just So Tasty

A Night At The Movie, Sweet!

Do you have a favorite Christmas movie? Seems like our list grows longer every year. Elf, The Polar Express, and Christmas Vacation are a few of our favorites. The jury is still out on whether we think Die Hard is actually a Christmas movie. The guys would say yes. No matter what you have streaming this weekend, why night bake up a batch of our Holiday Movie Night Cookies. All the movie snacks mixed into a yummy cookie. Candy bars, m and ms, even popcorn. A perfect way to sweeten up your favorite holiday flick with your favorite people for a festive night at home.

INGREDIENTS

• 3/4 cup butter flavored Crisco
• 1 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 egg white
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup Holiday Peanut M&Ms
• 1/2 cup Holiday Dark Chocolate M&Ms
• 1/2 cup Rolos or Heath
• 60-90 pieces popcorn set aside

INSTRUCTIONS

• Heat oven to 350°F.
• Use a stand mixer to beat Crisco, brown sugar, egg white and vanilla in large bowl until fluffy. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt.
• Stir in the candies.
• Drop a tablespoon of the mixture onto a baking sheet lined with Parchment Paper.
• Bake 10 to 12 minutes until lightly browned. Carefully press 2-3 pieces popcorn into the top of each cookie.
• Place the cookies onto a wire rack to cool completely.
• Turn on your favorite Christmas movie and enjoy!

* recipe inspired by The Cookie Rookie

Sweet Making

Saturdays are for bakers and makers! Somethings just go better together! While our ooey-gooey Flourless Brownie Cookies baked in the oven we were busy crafting up some more holiday goodies to make our homes extra festive. And isn’t it fitting that National Cookie Day was yesterday and today we bake them! Baking and making our way through another Saturday makes us super joyful!

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup white sugar 
• 1/2 cup brown sugar 
• 6 T butter 
• 2 large egg whites
• 1 teaspoon vanilla 
• 1 cup dark cocoa powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt 
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup toffee bits

• Combine the sugars and butter in a microwavable bowl (or in a pot on the stove). Heat until bubbly, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and beat well with a hand mixer. 
• Add in the egg whites and vanilla and beat with a mixer for two minutes (this, along with melting the butter and sugar, helps create a crackly crust on top of the cookies). 
• Stir together the cocoa and salt and add them to the batter. Beat for another 30 seconds.
• Fold in the chips and toffee. The batter maybe be thin. Allow the batter to rest while you preheat the oven to 350°F and lightly grease a cookie sheet. The batter should thicken as it rests. 
• When the batter is scoopable (but still very sticky), scoop by about 3 tablespoons full onto pan.
• Bake cookies for about 12-15 minutes. When they come out of the oven, you can press a few more chocolate chips into the tops of the cookies.

recipe adapted from Yammie’s Noshery

Pink, Green, and Sweet

Around here Christmas is in full swing. We’re even seeing Santa today! Even more reason to come home and bake up a holiday goodie. Pink and green (our choice for holiday colors) frosted sugar cookie bars will do the trick. Merriment and sugar! Sounds like a perfect way to spend a Saturday!

Ingredients

• 5 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup butter softened
• 1/3 cup milk
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 egg whites
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 6 drops green food coloring
• 6 drops red food coloring

Frosting

• 3 3/4 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup butter room temp
• 1/2 cup Butter Flavored Crisco
• 5 tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a 13″ x 9″ pan with parchment paper.
• In a small mixing bowl combine flour, salt and baking soda; set aside.
• Using an electric mixer cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
• Beat in egg whites one at a time. Stir in vanilla extract and milk.
• Then with the mixer on low, slowly add the flour mixture, mixing until just combined.
• Evenly divide dough into two small mixing bowls.
• In one bowl add 6 drops of green food coloring, stir to mix in the coloring. Continue to mix in more green food coloring until you get the color you desire.
• In the other bowl add 6 drops of red food coloring, stir to mix in the coloring. Continue to mix in more red food coloring until you get the color you desire.
• Spread the dough to the prepared pan, I added the green first but you could do either one. Then add the remaining dough on top and spread, this was red for me.
• Bake for 25-30 minutes. Test at 20 minutes with a toothpick to check the baking process, then recheck at 25 minutes. Tester should come out clean when bars are done baking. Allow to cool completely before frosting the bars.

Frosting

• In a large bowl, cream together the powdered sugar, Crisco and butter until smooth. Gradually mix in the milk and vanilla with an electric mixer until smooth and stiff, about 5 minutes. Spread over cookie bars. 
• Top with red sprinkles. Cut, serve, and share. Merry Christmas!

*recipe inspired by Dash Of Sanity

Sweet Gingerbread Recipe

Grab your holiday apron because today is National Gingerbread Day. I mean, our tree is up, our lights are on, and the Christmas shopping has begun, so let’s just add the smell of fresh baked gingerbread wafting from our oven. Ginger doodles will definitely add to our early start of all things Christmas. Happy holiday baking friends!

INGREDIENTS

• 3/4 cup butter flavored Crisco
• 1/2 sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar packed
• 1 egg white
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup 
• 3 1/4 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tarter
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Cinnamon Sugar Coating:

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl cream together Crisco, sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg white and pure maple syrup.
2. In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, salt, cream of tarter, and nutmeg. Slowly beat into the creamed mixture.

1. In a small bowl combine cinnamon and sugar for the coating. Scoop out the dough and shape into one inch balls. Roll in the cinnamon sugar coating. Place 3 inches apart on an engrossed baking sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes or until lightly brown. Cool on wire rack.

*recipe inspired by The Recipe Critic