Graduation Treats!

YAY! Last post... ever. I never really understood the idea of blogging. I mean, the entire idea is a bit juvenile to me. Posting your feelings on line so that others can A- feel sorry for you, or B- judge you. Ok well now that I am through ranting, time for the treats! Graduation Treats! Why you ask? Well, because I am graduating in 15 days! I saw a recipe for cupcackes that look soo cute! And the best part is, you can uses a store bought mix!!





You'll need:
Cake mix
Cupcake Wappers
Your choice of frosting
Reese's Peanut Butter cups
                                                   Airhead Xtremes
                                                       mini M&M's
Ghirardelli chocolate squares for the caps,
And you will need some of the melted chocolate to fasten everything together.


First, you need to make the cupcake! So follow the instructions on the box! Next, let them cool down and frost them. Peel the wrappers off of the Reese's, but it helps if you stick them in the freezer first. Then the chocolate won't stick to the wrappers. Cut the Airhead Xtremes into pieces, pop your chocolate squares out of the molds, and then you're ready to assemble your caps. Put the Peanut Butter Cup upside down and add some melted chocolate on top to hold the chocolate square. After you put the chocolate square, place an Airhead strip on top using the melted chocolate and finish it off with a Mini M&M!

 Next up are the cutest Graduation marshmellow pops! They are cheap, easy and they follow the "cakepop trend". Perfect for graduation parties! Im thinking about making them for my class so we can all have a treat after we graduate!

You will need the following items:

• Marshmallows

• Fudge-covered graham crackers or cookie squares

• AirHeads Xtremes (Rainbow Berry)

• Plain M&M’s

• Dark chocolate candy melts

• Lollipop sticks

• Styrofoam rectangle

Insert lollipop sticks into marshmallows.

Melt candy pieces in double boiler.  Dip marshmallows in chocolate liquid until evenly coated.  Use foam base to keep them upright.

While chocolate coating is still wet, center one square-shaped cookie over the top of each marshmallow.  Allow to dry completely.

For buttons, choose one red, blue, yellow, or green M&M, and secure to the top of each cap using a small amount of the remaining melted chocolate.

To create tassels, carefully separate AirHead stripes with a clean pair of kitchen shears.  Wrap flexible candy strips in matching colors around buttons and drape over the edge.  Snip ends to desired length.

ENJOY

Cool Cupcakes!

 Have you ever seen Cupcake Wars? Well its sorta my secret obsession. I watch every single one and I have always wanted to be a judge on that show! Seriously? Eating Cupcakes on TV for money.. ya life would be hard. They Cupcakes are always really amazing and sound so good, but they are never decorated so great. These are a few that I have come across that I think are so COOL. I love the ice cream cone one! Its great because you can eat the cone too! The Tooth one is weird but so accurate looking. I also think the burger one is so cute! I thought it was real when I first saw it, but the "meat" part is actually a brownie! The cookie monster one is pretty well known, I am sure everyone has seen it before, but it is so cute! I have always wanted to make one! My best friend's Birthday cake was a giant Cookie Monster face just like it! The Christmas cup one is so festive! It makes me want to wrap up in a blanket! And, of course, the Muppet one rocks! I cant believe how accurate they are! If you have a favorite share them!!!

Mini Oreo Cheesecakes

Mini Oreo Cheesecakes Recipe!!
I have seen this Recipe in so many places (tumblr.com, Pinterest.com, Foodnetwork.com) and I have always wanted to try them! I never really got around to it because I thought it was going to be way to hard to make, but when I read the "How To".. it actually wasn't so bad! So I decided to make them! I was so exited, I went to the store, go all the stuff to make it, followed the instructions and baked them. When I was waiting for them to cool off, I went to watch TV upstairs. Well, 2 hours latter I was reminded by the growl in my stomach, and went down stairs for my well deserved treat... but to my surprise, my brother and his friends ate them all. I guess I will never know how they taste, because I am way to lazy to make them all over again. But I hope you enjoy them.. tell me how they are!

Makes 30

Ingredients:
42 cream-filled sandwich cookies, such as Oreos, 30 left whole, and 12 coarsely chopped
2 pounds cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 large eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten
1 cup sour cream
Pinch of salt


1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Place 1 whole cookie in the bottom of each lined cup.

2. With an electric mixer on medium high speed, beat cream cheese until smooth, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Gradually add sugar, and beat until combined. Beat in vanilla.

3. Drizzle in eggs, a bit at a time, beating to combine and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in sour cream and salt. Stir in chopped cookies by hand.

4. Divide batter evenly among cookie-lined cups, filling each almost to the top. Bake, rotating pan halfway through, until filling is set, about 22 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Refrigerate at least 4 hours (or up to overnight). Remove from tins just before serving.

Nutella Lava Cake

When I came across this cake on Pinterst.com, I was so confused.. It says it was only 2 ingredients!Yes, it’s only 2 ingredients. And I mean really two ingredients. Not one of those recipes that say two or three ingredients and then one of the ingredients is something like “pre-made dough” or “cake mix.” (Not that there is anything wrong with those recipes.) This cake can be dangerous.. BEWARE. You are literally eating pure Nutella...
 With only 2 ingredients, it is by definition the most simple cake to make! 
I have always loved Nutella! My dad used to put something similar on my sandwiches when I lived in Israel. In Israel, we have "Shachar", pretty much the same thing.. but, like everything else in Israel, better... My family has always been obsessed with the stuff! We make toast in the morning with it, put it on bananas, and (my personal favorite) on matzoh during Passover.


Anyways, I hope you enjoy this as much as I did!

ingredients:

4 eggs
8 1/2 ounces Nutella

directions:

1. Grease a 6 or 8 inch round springfoam pan. Line with parchment paper on sides and on bottom.Preheat oven to 350F. Whip eggs on high speed in mixer until more than double the volume, about 5 minutes.

2. Measure out Nutella into a glass bowl. Microwave Nutella for about 20 seconds to make it softer. Add in 1/3 of the egg mixture. Fold with a spatula in a clockwise direction until all of the egg is mixed in. Then add another 1/3 of egg mixture and fold again until no egg streaks remain. Pour in remaining third and repeat.

3. Pour batter into springfoam pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes until knife inserted comes out clean. Let cake cool before cutting and serving. 

"Slutty Brownies"

Slutty Brownies- Were do People come up with these things? Wow. It looks so good. I think they are called Slutty Brownies because they are easy and satisfying.... Every guy's dream...

I found this recipe on PINTEREST... my single handedly most time consuming obsession. It pretty much like "War of Warcraft" for women... I literally sit there living vicariously through other people's pictures planing trips and parties that I will never get around to doing. Food is another huge tease on Pinterest, there are sooo many amazing recipes that I will never make, but this one is so easy I just may get around to it. 

Ingredients

For the Brownie layer:
• 10 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 1/4 cups white sugar
• 3/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup AP flour

For the Oreo layer:
• 1 package of Oreo (regular stuffed or double stuffed)
For the Cookie Dough layer:
• 1 cup unsalted butter (at room temp)
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cup AP flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions

1. For the Brownie layer:
2. In a medium sauce pan, melt the butter over medium high heat. Add the sugar and cocoa powder once the butter is melted. Whisk to combine and remove from heat. Add the salt, vanilla and eggs and continuously whisk until the eggs are combined. Add the flour and continue to mix. Set batter aside.
3. For the Cookie Dough layer:
4. Cream together the butter and sugars in a mixer. Add the eggs and vanilla, making sure to scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl. Add the flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder and mix on low until everything is incorporated. Fold in the chocolate chips. Set dough aside.
5. Assembly:
6. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.
7. Line the bottom of a 9x9 baking pan with tin foil and then spray the tin foil with a layer of baking spray.
8. Layer 1/2 of the cookie dough on the bottom of a 9x9 baking pan, pressing down to form the bottom of the slutty brownies. Reserve the remaining cookie dough to be used to make cookies later in the day.
9. Layer as many oreos that will fit on top of the cookie dough. No need to overlap. One single layer will do.
10. Pour the brownie batter on top of the oreo layer and make sure it's evenly layers on top.
11. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Test with a knife to see if the center is done. If the knife comes out clean, let the brownies rest before serving. If the knife comes out with batter still on it, allow the brownies to bake about 5 minutes more.
12. Serve with milk!

Chocolate Chip Peanut butter Balls

This recipe is from one of my best friends, Sivan. Every event or party she ever had, There have always been peanut butter balls. This is a little spin on what she normally does. For the chocolate lover in me, the peanut butter ball has been intensified. Sivan usually drizzles most of them with chocolate, but I have taken it one step further and put chocolate inside and also dipped them in melted chocolate.You can really change it up how ever you like. I have also seen M&Ms and Oreos in them. I hope you use your imagination and change them up! Enjoy! ps... they are so easy to make!

Ingredients:

1 Jar of peanut butter (creamy works best)

2 1/2 cups of powdered sugar

1 bag of mini chocolate chips

10 oz of Semi sweet chocolate (to melt an coat with)

1. Place peanut butter in the bowl of an electric mixer. Gradually beat in sugar at medium-low speed until well blended. Stir in Mini Chocolate Chips.
2. Roll into 66, 1” balls, place in a single layer on waxed paper-lined pan. Freeze 1 hour. Melt the chocolate a few minutes before removing peanut butter balls from freezer.
3. Dip  ball in chocolate; gently shake off excess chocolate. Return balls to pan. Refrigerate 30 minutes or until chocolate is firm. Keep refrigerated.

Baked S'mores!!!

The second I saw them.. I wanted them! They are gooey and chocolaty! I need to make these! The concept is so classic-S'MORES! Everyone has had one, but not like this. These are baked in the oven so that all the ingredients can come together in one familiar tasting bite. I want to make them for my class and share the love! S'mores are one of my favorite summer treats. In the summer, my family and I go camping or to the beach, and we NEVER forget the S'mores. One of the biggest problems with S'mores for me it that the chocolate never melts well, so I always use Nutela. It works really well, but it doesn't taste the same sat the classic Hershey's chocolate. This recipe solves the problem! 


The idea is very simple, it is one layer of cookie, another of chocolate bars, then marshmallow spread and lastly, another cookie layer. Bake it in the oven and enjoy! You can't get any easier! All of the chocolate melts with marshmallow but they stay in the little sandwich shape! The only thing that is missing is the camp fire!

I got this "How To" recipe from  http://www.theaprongal.com/2011/11/baked-smores.html.


Ingredients
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla 
1 1/3 cups flour
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs (approximately 7 full graham crackers)
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 or 3 super-sized (5 oz.) chocolate bars (e.g. Hershey’s)
1 1/2 cups marshmallow creme/fluff (not melted marshmallows)

Directions


Preheat oven to 350. Grease bottom of **8 by 8 or 11 by 7.

**Note, I have only made these in an 11 by 7 and a reader who made them in an 8 by 8 said she thought the marshmallow was too thick in that size pan. I personally loved the thinner bar in the 11 by 7, but you can do whichever you prefer, the only difference is adding an additional large Hershey's bar as seen in my pictures above.

In a large bowl or stand mixer, cream together butter and sugar until light. Beat in egg and vanilla.

In a small bowl, whisk together flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt.

Add to butter mixture and mix at a low speed until combined. 

Divide dough in half and press half of dough into an even layer on the bottom of the prepared pan. Place chocolate bars over dough. Two 5 oz. Hershey’s bars should fit perfectly [for 8 by 8] side by side, but break the chocolate (if necessary) to get it to fit in a single layer. [use 3 Hershey's for 11 by 7 pan]

Spread marshmallow fluff evenly over the chocolate layer.

Place remaining dough in a single layer on top of the creme. This is most easily done by putting the second half of the dough in a gallon size freezer bag. Use your palms or rolling pin to flatten it out, and then use scissors to cut down both long sides of the bag, so it will open up book-style. Open it up carefully, and the dough will stick on one side of the bag. Then place the bag, dough side down, on the other three layers. From there peel the bag up and carefully spread the dough where it is uneven.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool completely or almost completely for the melty factor before cutting into bars. 

Wana Be Girl Scout Cookies

Every one has a favorite.. Girl Scout cookies are iconic! My personal favorites are the Thin Mints. They are small, minty, chocolaty and crispy! Ever since I was a Girl Scout myself, I have craved Thin Mints. When I when to Girl Scout camp,  we used to use the Thin Mints as gram crackers for our smores... they are addicting,  you have been warned. 

Thin Mints are Americas cookie. Every time its Girl Scout season, there are Thin Mint flavored treats every were. I have seen Thin Mint ice cream,Thin Mint shooters, Thin Mint Blizzard from DQ, Thin Mint pie.. and the list goes on.

 So that brings us to the "Wana Be Girl Scout Cookies". They are fun to do at home and you don't have to wait for Girl Scout season to make them! There are a few steps involved, but hey... they are Thin Mints.






THE COOKIE:
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
6 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/3 cup milk (any kind)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

3/4 tsp peppermint extract

CHOCOLATE COATING:

10-oz dark or semisweet chocolate
1/2 cup butter, room temperature

In a small bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, cocoa powder and salt.
In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar. With the mixer on low speed, add in the milk and the extracts. Mixture will look curdled. Gradually, add in the flour mixture until fully incorporated.
Shape dough into two logs, about 1 1/2 inches (or about 4 cm) in diameter, wrap in plastic wrap and freeze for at least 1-2 hours, until dough is very firm.
Preheat oven to 375F.
Slice dough into rounds not more than 1/4 inch thick – if they are too thick, they will not be as crisp – and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Cookies will not spread very much, so you can put them quite close together.
Bake for 13-15 minutes, until cookies are firm at the edges. Cool cookies completely on a wire rack before dipping in chocolate.

In a microwave safe bowl, combine chocolate and butter. Melt on high power in the microwave, stirring every 45-60 seconds, until chocolate is smooth. Chocolate should have a consistency somewhere between chocolate syrup and fudge for a thin coating.
Dip each cookie in melted chocolate, turn with a fork to coat, then transfer to a piece of parchment paper or wax paper to set up for at least 30 minutes, or until chocolate is cool and firm.
Reheat chocolate as needed to keep it smooth and easy to dip into.