Picture Me Seeetly

Close your eyes. Forget everything you know about ordinary brownies. Now picture them as a decadent Dark Chocolate Pumpkin Cookie Butter Oreo Brownie Tart. Presto! Bring on the sugar buzz!

Dark Chocolate Pumpkin Cookie Butter Oreo Brownie Tart

  

INGREDIENTS

1 brownie mix 

6 ounces dark chocolate chopped 

½ cup almond milk

½ cup Trader Joes Pumpkin Cookie Butter Spread

1/2 cup crushed mini Oreos

INSTRUCTIONS

Prepare tart pan with a generous application of cooking spray.

Prepare brownies according to package or recipe directions.

Cool brownies completely.

In a medium sized bowl, heat almond milk in microwave until steaming hot but not boiling (about 1 minute)

Pour dark chocolate chips into hot almond milk, and allow to sit for 1 minute.

Gently stir chocolate until it begins to melt.

Allow to cool for 3 minutes, then pour over cooled brownie.

Swirl Pumpkin Cookie Butter in the dark chocolate granache.  

Garnish with crumbled Oreo cookies. 

* recipe adapted from Lemon Sugar

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Sweet Relief

We know what the calendar says, but it feels more like October around here! We’re getting a much needed break from the summer swelt making it feel more like Indian Summer instead of mid-August weather. With this relief comes the hankering for pumpkin. Since we are still keeping things healthy(ier), our sweet treat this week is a waist-friendly version of our favorite Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Oat Bars. With this recipe why stop with one! 

Healthy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Oat Bars

  
Ingredients

3 cups gluten free oats

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

pinch of ground cloves

1 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/2 cup agave syrup

1 tablespoon olive or coconut oil

1/3 cup carob chips 

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 8×11 or 9 inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.

Make oat flour: Place oatmeal into blender or food processor and blend for 1-2 minutes until oatmeal resembles flour. You may need to stop blender and stir oats a couple of times to ensure that all oats have been blended.

Measure out just 2 1/2 cups of the oat flour and place in a medium bowl. Whisk in baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices; set aside.

In a separate large bowl, whisk together pumpkin, agave, vanilla extract, oil, and applesauce for 1-2 minutes until the consistency is smooth and creamy. Slowly add in oat flour mixture and mix until just combined.

Gently fold in 1/3 cup of carob chips. Pour batter into prepared pan and sprinkle remaining 2 tablespoons of carob chips on top. Bake for 15-25 minutes or until knife inserted into center comes out clean or with just a few crumbs attached. Timing will depend on what size pan you use, but definitely check around 15 minutes. Once finished baking, cool 10 minutes on wire rack. Cut into 16 slices.

*recipe adapted from Ambitious Kitchen

The Motherload of all Sweet Treats

Around here we’re all about fitness. However, lately we’ve been nursing some injuries and not feeling so willing to over-indulge. But after some time of tightening our calorie belts we’re ready to spoil ourselves. Prepare yourself people for the supreme, the outrageous, dare we say, the motherload of all sweet treats! We present to you The Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie n’ Oreo Fudge Brownie Bar! Leave it to chocolate to make us feel much, much better! 

Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie n’ Oreo Fudge Brownie Bar

  
Ingredients

Cookie Dough

3/4 stick Crisco® Baking Sticks Butter Flavor All-Vegetable Shortening 

1 1/4 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons almond milk

1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 large egg

1 3/4 cups  All Purpose Flour

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups chocolate chips

Directions

HEAT oven to 375ºF.
COMBINE shortening, brown sugar, milk and vanilla in large bowl. Beat at medium speed of electric mixer until well blended. Beat in egg. Combine flour, salt and baking soda. Mix into shortening mixture until just blended. Stir in chocolate chips. 

* recipe adapted from Crisco
1 pkg Oreos

1 Family Size (9×13) Brownie mix + eggs and oil as called for on the back of the box

¼ cup hot fudge topping

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9×13-inch baking dish with foil. Coat generously with nonstick cooking spray.

For the Cookie Dough
Spread the cookie dough in the bottom of prepared pan. Top with a layer of Oreos. Mix together brownie mix according to directions, adding an optional ¼ cup of hot fudge topping to the mix. Pour the brownie batter over the cookie dough and Oreos. Bake at 350 degrees F for 45-55 minutes. Let cool completely before cutting. Brownies may still be gooey in the middle when still warm, but will set up perfectly once cooled. Enjoy!!
* recipe adapted from Kevin and Amanda

Our Sweet Friends

We love getting together with our BFFs. And one of the best things is the excuse to make GORP. We’ve shared this wonderful recipe a few times. Essentially it’s a mix of our favorite ingredients, including m&ms, Rolos and chocolate chip Teddy Graham’s. Since our girl time took place on Friday, we decided to carry over our love of GORP and make GORP infused chocolate chip cookies for our Saturday sweet treat. It’s the treat that keeps on giving!

Gorp Cookies

  
Ingredients

3/4 stick Crisco® Baking Sticks Butter Flavor All-Vegetable Shortening 

1 1/4 cups firmly packed light brown sugar

2 tablespoons milk

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 large egg

1 3/4 cups Pillsbury BEST™ All Purpose Flour

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

Favorite GORP mix

Directions

HEAT oven to 375ºF.
COMBINE shortening, brown sugar, milk and vanilla in large bowl. Beat at medium speed of electric mixer until well blended. Beat in egg. Combine flour, salt and baking soda. Mix into shortening mixture until just blended. Stir in GORP mix. 

DROP by rounded measuring tablespoonfuls 3 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheet.

BAKE 8 to 10 minutes for chewy cookies, or 11 to 13 minutes for crisp cookies. Cool 2 minutes on baking sheet on a cooling rack. Remove cookies to rack to cool completely.

* recipe adapted from Crisco

A Sweet Gift For Grads

If you are like us, you have many graduations to attend. Besides cash, what’s something every grad will love? Homemade chocolate chip cookies! Indeed!!! Take a batch to your favorite graduate and send them on a journey to the sweet life!  

Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies 

 

Ingredients

3/4 cup Butter Flavored Crisco Stick

1 1/4 cups brown sugar

2 tablespoons milk

1 tablespoon vanilla

1 egg

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large mixing bowl, cream together Crisco, brown sugar, milk, and vanilla using an electric mixer. Beat in egg until well combined.
Sift flour, salt, and baking soda together into a separate mixing bowl. With mixer on low speed, carefully add flour mixture 1/4 cup at a time until a soft dough forms. Add chocolate chips, Heath, and M&Ms to dough, stirring by hand.
Drop rounded teaspoonfuls of dough 3 inches apart onto an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Cool 2 minutes on baking sheet after removing from oven, and transfer to a wire rack to allow cookies to cool completely.
* recipes used from Crisco

Sweet Mother Of All Treats

It’s a special time of year for us. Almost as great as our birthday. We get to celebrate the most important ladies in our lives, including each other. It’s Mother’s Day weekend and we’re taking full advantage of it. We will be enjoying some much needed “me” time, getting pampered by our families, and sweet treat cheating all weekend long. Candy Bar Poke Cake. Enough said! 

Happy Mother’s Day to all moms, especially ours! We love you! 

Candy Bar Poke Cake

  

Ingredients

• 1 box chocolate cake mix, plus ingredients on back of box
• 1 cup hot fudge sauce
• 1 tub (8 oz) Cool Whip, thawed
• 2 cups chopped assorted candy (we used M&M’s, Kit Kats, Snickers, Rolos, Hershey Bar & Heath)
• 1/2 cup caramel sauce
• 1 can of sweetened condensed milk

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 13×9 inch pan with cooking spray.
2. Make the cake according to the directions on the back of the box. Pour into the greased pan and bake for 30-35 min. Cool completely.
3. Once cooled, poke holes through the cake. Mix the can of sweetened condensed milk and 1/2 cup of caramel sauce. Pour over the holes. Sprinkle with Heath Bits. 
4. Spread the Cool Whip on top of the cake.  Top with the chopped, assorted candies. Drizzle the top with the caramel sauce and hot fudge. 
5. Eat and enjoy!

*recipe adapted The Domestic Rebel

No Heat Sweet

 

 Now that we are halfway through April the temperature is starting to warm up around here.  This Saturday there is no need to Crack open the windows since we are making cookies without even turning on our ovens. These Cookie Dough Pretzel Bites are super spec because they contain all our favorites: chocolate chips, Heath, mini M&Ms, and pretzels! But what makes these really exceptional is the fact that the dough is safe to eat raw. Come on! Our favorites just got even tastier! 

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter flavored Crisco
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 Tablespoons milk 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup mini M&Ms 
• 1/2 cup Heath Bits
• 40-50 pretzels
• 8 oz semi-sweet chocolate
• 1 teaspoon shortening

Directions:

1. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl beat the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar together on medium speed until light and creamy. Add the milk and vanilla extract and mix. Add the flour and salt and mix. The dough will be thick and crumbly, just keep mixing until it comes together. Mix in mini chocolate chips, mini M&Ms, and Heath Bits.
3. Roll the dough into balls, about 2 teaspoons of dough per sandwich.  Sandwich balls between two pretzels and place on prepared baking sheet. Freeze for 20 minutes.
4. While the pretzel bites are chilling, break up the chocolate and melt with the shortening for about 1 minute in mircrowave, stirring every 20 seconds. The shortening is used to thin the chocolate out. Dip the pretzel bites halfway into the melted chocolate and place bites back on baking sheet. Refrigerate the dipped bites for at least 10 minutes to allow the chocolate to set. Cover and store pretzel bites in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

*recipe adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction

Bite-Size Favorite Sweet

Everyone who knows us well knows that brownies are our hands down favorite goodie. We’ve tried them just about any way possible. That is until a cake pop maker magically made its way into our cart at Target earlier this week. (Our husbands aren’t sure how this keeps happening to us!) We have seen many cake pop recipes on Pinterest, but none appealed to us as much as brownie pops. We poured our favorite boxed batter into the pan and 5 minutes later we had a bite-sized treat worthy of a Saturday cheat!

Ingredients
* A box of brownie mix plus the ingredients on the back of the box
* white almond bark
* chocolate bars crumbled (optional)

Directions
Make the brownie batter according to the directions on the back of the box. Pour batter into the cake pop pan. Bake for 5-7 min. Remove and allow to cool. Decorate with melted almond bark and crumbled chocolate bars if desired.

Layers of Sweetness

We’ve all heard that one key to staying warm is to dress in layers. Why not dress your treats in layers? We say that’s even better way to keep warm!!! This Saturday we are layering on a bunch of our favorite ingredients to create Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars. What could ever go wrong with anything made with salted caramels and chocolate chips? Nothing at all!!!

Ingredients

12 tablespoons butter flavored Crisco
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg plus 1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups plus 2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
11 ounces caramel squares, unwrapped
3 tablespoons heavy cream
sea salt, for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 325. Prepare a 9 x 13 pan by lining with foil. In a large mixing bowl combine Crisco and sugars and mix until combined. Add egg and egg yolk and vanilla, and mix until combined. Add flour, baking soda, and salt, and mix until just combined (be careful not to over mix). Gently fold chocolate chips into the dough. In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the caramels and heavy cream, and microwave on high power at twenty second intervals, stirring in between, until melted and smooth. Spread half of the cookie mixture in the prepared pan, pushing with your hands to form an even layer. Pour the melted caramel over the top and spread to cover. Sprinkle with sea salt. Top with remaining cookie dough. Sprinkle the top with more sea salt. Bake 25-30 minutes or until very lightly golden around the edges. Remove from oven and let cool 10-15 minutes, then remove to a cooling rack. Cool almost to room temperature before slicing.

Recipe adapted from The Baker Upstairs

A Sweet Little Snack

If you are still Christmasing like us, here’s a sweet little snack you can create in no time at all. Make it for breakfast, an afternoon treat, or maybe a midnight snack for New Year’s Eve. Yummy and cute…a perfect combination!

Snowman Bagels
Ingredients:
Mini bagels
Cream cheese
Chocolate chips
Mike and Ike’s or candy corn

Directions:
1. Divide each bagel in half.
2. Spread cream cheese on each half.
3. Use the chocolate chips to make the snowman’s eyes and mouth.
4. Use the Mike and Ike’s or candy corn to make the Snowman’s nose.