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.

Advertisement

Summer’s Sweet End

Oh 2020 you’ve given us lots of heartache and worry, however, you’ve also given us the longest summer break we have EVER had. Thank you! With school starting next week we figured we better devote our Saturday sweet treat to something very summery. And nothing says summer like S’mores! However, in true Sister Sweetly fashion these can’t be your typical S’mores. That’s just not us. Instead, we’re making Smore’s Brownies…ooey gooey brownies with a buttery graham cracker crust topped with melted marshmallows. A sweet end to a sweet summer!

INGREDIENTS:

For The Crust:

• 12 full-size graham crackers
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 6 tablespoons butter melted

For The Brownies:

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

• 1 bag of dark chocolate chips

For The Topping:

• 2 heaping cups mini marshmallows about 3.5 ounces

INSTRUCTIONS:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare an 8×8 inch baking pan by spraying with nonstick spray or lightly greasing with oil. Line the pan with a strip of parchment paper so that some is overhanging on two sides. Set aside.
• In a food processor, blend up the graham crackers and sugar until they reach a fine crumb consistency. Pulse in the melted butter until all of the crumbs are evenly coated . Add the graham cracker mixture into the prepared pan. Press down on the crumbs with the bottom of a cup or a spatula to ensure the crust is very compact and even.
• Bake the crust in the oven for about 15-20 minutes, or until the edges look golden brown and the crust looks slightly puffed up. Set aside to cool slightly.
• Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, make the brownie batter according to the back of the box. Fold in the chocolate chips. The batter will be thick and fudgy.
• Gently pour the brownie batter over the crust in the pan, and carefully use a knife or small offset spatula to spread it evenly over the crust. Bake in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes, until everything looks set and the middle is no longer jiggly. 
• Remove the brownies from the oven and set the oven to broil, leaving a rack in the middle of the oven to ensure the parchment paper won’t burn. Evenly sprinkle the mini marshmallows on top of the brownies, and place them under the broiler for about 2 minutes, checking frequently.
• Let the brownies rest for at least 30 minutes at room temperature before cutting and serving. To ensure clean slices of the brownies, run your knife under hot water first and wipe the knife between each slice.

• recipe inspired by Giadzy

Hello Sweetheart

There are a whole bunch of reasons why this Saturday’s treat will win your Sweetie’s heart! It makes no difference whether you call them Hello Dollies, Magic Bars, or 7 Layer Bars. What matters is how incredibly yummy they are! These easy to make goodies are everything plus a little bit more guaranteed to make your Sweetheart’s day!

Ingredients:

½ cup butter (melted)

1½ cups graham cracker crumbs

1 cup coconut flakes

1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

1/2 cup red M&Ms

1/2 cup butterscotch chips

1/2 cup Heath Bits

1 cup pecans, chopped

1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

While the oven is preheating, melt the butter in a 9×13 baking pan.

Sprinkle the graham cracker crumbs evenly over the butter in the bottom of the pan, press lightly into the butter.

Evenly cover the crust with the coconut flakes, chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, and pecans. Drizzle the sweetened condensed milk evenly over the top.

Bake for 20-25 minutes. Watch it closely until the edges are golden brown. You want to be careful not to burn the coconut and it can happen very quickly.

Let cool about 5 minutes and run a knife around the edges of the pan to prevent sticking.

Allow to cool completely before slicing into squares.

Sweet Surfing

Consider yourself extremely lucky if you get to live near the ocean! Don’t get us wrong. There are many great things about living smack dab in the middle of the country. However, since it’s already 90+ degrees outside it would be so awesome to submerge ourselves in the salty sea. It’s times like these that we have to get a little creative and channel our inner Houdini. This Saturday we’re doing a little wizardry by baking Caramel Magic Bars and enjoying them while we hang ten with our peeps. How? You ask. Driveway and deck surfing! No need for waves or surfboards. Treating in our lawn chairs while shooting the breeze with our pals is the only requirement. It’s trickery at its sweetest!

Caramel Magic Bars

Ingredients 

1½ cup graham cracker crumbs

6 Tbsp butter, melted

1-14oz can sweetened condensed milk

50+ pretzels 

1 cup caramels bits  

1 cup dark chocolate chips

1 cup sweetened coconut flakes

1/2 cup Heath Bits 

Directions:

Mix graham cracker crumbs with melted butter & press in a sprayed 13x9in pan.

Pour about half the can of condensed milk over crust.

Layer your pretzels as close together as you like over the condensed milk/crust.

Sprinkle caramels bits, chocolate chips, & coconut flakes.

Pour remaining half of condensed milk on top.

Break up some extra pretzels & sprinkle a few extra chocolate chips, caramel bits, and Heath bits, and pretzels above the condensed milk.

Bake at 350*F for 20-30 min until lightly brown. Let cool completely before cutting.

*recipe adapted from Dessert Now Dinner Later

Magically Sweet Time of Year

It’s that time of year again. You know the one…when the kids head back to school! There’s something magical about the smell of pencil shavings, fresh paper in notebooks, and new school clothes.  At our homes there’s also the smell of warm Magic Bar Cookies baking in the oven.  After school they’ll do just the trick and are sure to vanish before our eyes.

Magic Bar Cookies

INGREDIENTS:

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) Crisco butter flavored sticks
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking soda
pinch salt
1 cup graham crackers and crumbs
1 cup dark chocolate chips
3/4 cup butterscotch chips
3/4 cup sweetened shredded coconut

DIRECTIONS:

1. To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the Crisco, sugars, egg, vanilla, and beat on medium-high speed until well-creamed, light and fluffy.
2. Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, salt, and mix until just combined, about 1 minute.
3. Add the graham crackers), chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, coconut and beat momentarily to incorporate, less than 1 minute, or fold in by hand.
4. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to 5 days, before baking. Do not bake with warm dough because cookies will spread and bake thinner and flatter.
5. Preheat oven to 350F,  spray with cooking spray. Make 2 inch mounds of dough and place on baking sheet, spaced at least 2 inches apart  Bake for 8 to 9 minutes. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes before removing and transferring to a rack to finish cooling.

* recipe adapted from Averie Cooks

The Sweet Side of Nature

Now that spring has finally sprung, have you thought about heading to the great outdoors for a camping trip? Or better yet, a “glamping” trip?!?! Glamping seems right up our alley: gourmet food, hot water, and air conditioned cabins with hotel style beds. What’s not to love about roughin it in nature when you have those kind of luxuries! Since we have no plans for a glamping trip in our near future we decided to bring a small piece of glamorous camping to our indoor kitchens by making gooey s’mores brownies. A few of these goodies might just turn a couple of girls from surburbia into the outdoorsy kind! (Or at least the outdoorsy pampered kind!)

S’mores Brownies

Ingredients
•1 (21.5 ounces) package brownie mix
•2 cups of Golden Grahams Cereal
•2 to 2 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows
•Mini chocolate bars (12 to 14 ounces total), coarsely chopped or broken into pieces

Instructions
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9×13-inch glass pan with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray. Prepare brownie mix according to package directions. Spread into prepared pan. Bake brownies halfway, approximately 20 minutes. Remove from oven.

2.In a medium bowl, prepare the topping: toss together the graham crackers pieces, miniature marshmallows, and chopped chocolate.

3.When brownies are finished baking halfway, sprinkle topping over top. Return to the oven for an addition 15 to 20 minutes, until marshmallows are golden brown, and a toothpick inserted into a non chocolate-covered area comes out clean. Allow brownies to cool completely.
4.When brownies have cooled, remove from pan by lifting the edges of the foil lining. Invert brownies onto a cutting board. Remove the foil lining. Place brownies right-side up on cutting board and cut into 24 squares. Enjoy!

*Recipe adapted from Stepable