Death By Chocolate Cake!

Our neighbor brought this over and John could not stop raving about how good it was. So I asked her for the recipe:

Bake a German Chocolate Cake according to the box instructions.  As soon as it comes out of the oven, poke holes all over the cake with a skewer or large-pronged fork.  Be careful not to poke through to the bottom of the cake.  Mix a can of sweetened condensed milk with a jar of butterscotch topping and pour it over the hot cake - the sauce will drip through the cake and make it moist and gooey.  Let it set for an hour, and then put it in the fridge for an hour.

When the cake is totally cold, I whip up heavy whipping cream and add a few tablespoons of powdered sugar, and then spread it over the top of the cake.To simplify, you can use cool whip, but real whipped cream always tastes so much better to me!

For the fudge sauce topping, I make my own. Here is the recipe:
1 can (1 1/3 C) evaporated milk
1/2 C butter
2 C powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Instructions
Melt chips, butter, milk and powdered sugar
Bring to a boil
Cook for 4 minutes - stirring constantly
Take off heat and allow to thicken
Add vanilla

Last but not least, I chop up 4 Heath bars and put it on the top.  Not the healthiest cake, but it is one of Mike's favorites.  Enjoy!

Caramels

These are good by themselves, or with apples, pretzels...

Allrecipes

• 2 cups white sugar
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 cup corn syrup
• 1 cup evaporated milk
• 1 pint heavy whipping cream
• 1 cup butter
• 1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract

1. Grease a 9x11 inch pan.
2. In a medium-size pot, combine sugar, brown sugar, corn syrup, evaporated milk, whipping cream, and butter. Monitor the heat of the mixture with a candy thermometer while stirring. When the thermometer reaches 250 degrees F (120 degrees C) remove the pot from the heat.
3. Stir in vanilla. Transfer mixture to the prepared pan and let the mixture cool completely. When cooled cut the Carmel into small squares and wrap them in wax paper for storage.

Smores' Bars

John said he liked these better than the Smores' Bars with the Golden Grahams.  They do take longer to make however.

Endless Simmer
2 cups graham crackers
2 tablespoons sugar
7 tablespoons butter melted.
16 oz of dark chocolate (65% cacao), melted
1 cup of whole milk
2 cups of Cocoa Pebbles
4 cups mini marshmallows, divided use

Instructions:

1. Place graham crackers, sugar and melted butter in a bowl and mix to blend. Firmly press mixture into the bottom of an 11×13 pan and bake for 10-12 minutes at 350 degrees F. Set aside to cool.
2. Melt chocolate with milk in a pan over medium low heat and whisk to combine. Transfer mixture to a new bowl and set aside for 10 minutes to cool (transferring the mixture to a new bowl will help to cool it faster).
3. Add cocoa pebbles and 2 cups of marshmallows to cooled chocolate mixture and mix to combine. Pour mixture over crust. Pour remaining 2 cups mini marshmallows on top and place under the broiler for 2-3 minutes to toast tops of marshmallow layer. Transfer completed dessert to fridge and chill for at least 2-3 hours or overnight.

A few notes:

You can of course skip the cocoa pebbles. But we liked the extra crisp in the chocolate bite.
Keep a careful eye when toasting the marshmallow portion in the broiler, as the 2-3 minutes can fluctuate depending on your broiler set up. We recommend you check it after the first minute.
For nice clean slices, wash or wipe knife off between cuts.

Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie n’ Oreo Fudge Brownie Bar

Kevin & Amanda

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups (12 ounces) milk chocolate chips
1 pkg Double Stuffed Oreos
1 Family Size (9×13) Brownie mix
1/4 cup hot fudge topping

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cream the butter and both sugars in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed for 3-5 minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix well to thoroughly combine. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt, then slowly incorporate into the mixer until the flour is just combined. Stir in chocolate chips. Spread the cookie dough in the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish that’s been lined with wax paper and sprayed with cooking spray. Top with a layer of Oreos. Mix together brownie mix, adding an optional 1/4 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.

To half this recipe for an 8×8 brownie mix, just half the chocolate chip cookie dough ingredients. Enjoy!

BYU Mint Brownies

BYU Dining

1 cup butter

1/2 cup cocoa
2 Tbsp. honey
4 eggs
2 cup white sugar
1 3/4 cup flour
1/2 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

12 oz. chocolate icing (Use your own icing recipe or purchase some chocolate frosting.)

MINT ICING
5 Tbsp. butter
dash of salt
3 Tbsp. milk
1 Tbsp. light corn syrup
2 1/3 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. peppermint extract
1-2 drops green food coloring

1. Melt butter and mix in cocoa. Allow to cool. Add honey, eggs, sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix well. Add nuts. Pour batter into a greased 9-by-13 baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Cool.

2. Prepare mint icing: Soften butter. Add salt, corn syrup, and powdered sugar. Beat until smooth and fluffy. Add mint extract and food coloring. Mix. Add milk gradually until the consistency is a little thinner than cake frosting.

3. Spread mint icing over brownies. Place brownies in the freezer for a short time to stiffen the icing (very important step I realized since I was impatient). Remove from the freezer and carefully add a layer of chocolate icing. We liked ours stored cold in the refrigerator or you can store them at room temperature.

Microwave Kettle Corn

Frugal Homemaking

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp. popcorn kernels

2 tsp. oil 

1 Tbsp. sugar or sugar substitute (I use 2 packets of Ideal)

Dash salt

Directions:

• Pour the kernels, oil, sugar and salt in a small bowl.  Mix until all kernels are well coated with sugar, salt, and oil.  
• Pour the bowl's contents into the paper bag.  Place the bag on a plate and fold the top of the bag over 1" twice.  You can also use a microwave-safe bowl and a vented lid (like a microwave-safe colander or splatter shield),
• Place in the microwave on popcorn setting or for about 1 minute, 15 seconds. Either way, shut off microwave when popping slows to less than a pop every second to avoid burning.
• Open slowly and carefully, as steam will be hot.  

Cookies & Cream Cookies

Culinary Concoctions by Peabody

Ingredients

2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. Baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 ¼ cup granulated sugar
10 Double Stuff Oreos
½ tsp. vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 package Hersey’s Cookie and Cream Drops

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375° F.

Using a stand mixer, cream butter, sugar, and vanilla extract together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

Add the Oreo Cookies and mix until the cookies are just left in small pieces.

Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

With the mixer on low speed, add the flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix until fully incorporated.

Fold in the Cookies and Cream Drops and try to distribute them evenly (ha).

Bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.