Chocolate Chip Macaroon Bars

Do you use your seasonal cookbook all year long?
Yea, me too. For the most part. 

There is always a recipe that can be made year round. 

(you can order this cookbook HERE!)

This recipe for Chocolate Chip Macaroon Bars is one of them. 

Chocolate Chip Macaroon Bars

1/2 cup butter

1 cup plus 2 T. all-purpose flour, divided

1 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed and divided

2 eggs, beaten

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup chopped pecans

1 1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Mix together butter, one cup flour and 1/2 cup brown sugar.

Pat into the bottom of a 13 x 9 greased baking pan.

Bake at 325* for 15 minutes.

In a medium bowl, blend together remaining flour, brown sugar, 

eggs, salt, pecans, coconut, vanilla and chocolate chips.
Spread mixture onto baked crust.

Bake for an additional 25 minutes.

Cut into bars when cool. 

Makes 2 dozen

Sweet, chewy, crunchy and delicious!

Triple Chocolate Bundt Cake

 It happened again...unexpected company, 

(children who call and say
"Hey mom! We're coming for supper!")

....plenty of food on the table but no dessert. 

I found this quick and easy cake in the Gooseberry Patch cookbook

Our Favorite Christmas Recipes.

I had all the ingredients on hand and it was so easy to just whip it up, 

pour it in the pan and pop it in the oven.
55 minutes later, dessert was ready.

I served it up right out of the oven.

Oh my goodness, was it ever good!

Triple Chocolate Bundt Cake

16 oz pkg devil's food cake mix

4 1/2 oz pkg instant chocolate pudding mix

1 3/4 cup milk

12 oz pkg semi-sweet chocolate chips

2 eggs, beaten

Garnish: powdered sugar

Combine cake mix, pudding mix, milk, chocolate chips and eggs in a large bowl. 

Mix until well blended, about 2 minutes. 

Pour batter into a greased and floured Bundt pan.

Bake at 350* for 50 - 55 minutes, 

until cake springs back when touched.

No not over bake.

Turn out onto a serving plate; sprinkle powder sugar over top before serving.

Just look at all the yummy chocolatey goodness!

Ho-Ho Cocoa Mix

Nothing better than coming in from the cold to a steaming hot cup of Hot Cocoa loaded with marshmallows! I'm not a coffee drinker like most of my family and friends are, but I look forward to the colder months so I can drink this without breaking a sweat!
You can find this recipe in the Christmas Cookbook on pg. 142.

Ho-Ho Cocoa Mix

1 1/2  cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 cup non-fat powdered milk
1/2 cup baking cocoa
1/2 cup non-dairy creamer
1 1/2 cup mini marshmallows
(I don't add the marshmallows until I make the cup of cocoa. Not
everyone likes marshmallow!)

Combine all ingredients, stirring well. Store in an airtight container up to 2 months. For each serving, add one cup hot water to 1/2 cup cocoa mix; stir well. Makes 8 servings.

White Maple Fudge

Maple

Pecans

Fall

The three just go together.

I do believe that White Maple Fudge will become a new Fall family tradition. 

It's rich, sweet, maple flavor...

it's addicting. 

You can't eat just one. 

Now, you may ask...why is my White Maple Fudge not white?

My maple flavoring was a dark color. 

The fudge was white until I added the maple, then it became tan.

Not that it really matters.

The flavor is still just as delicious.
I believe it favors a maple color now anyway.

Yea..so in the end.

It all worked out...

accidentally perfect!

White Maple Fudge

(I think I'll re-name Maple Pecan Fudge)

3 cups sugar

5 oz can evaporated milk

(1/2 cup plus 3 TBSP)
3/4 cup butter

12 oz pkg white chocolate chips

7 oz jar marshmallow creme

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 TBSP maple flavoring

1/2 to 1 cup pecans, chopped or halved

In a large saucepan, mix together sugar, 

evaporated milk and butter over medium heat, stirring constantly.

Bring to a full rolling boil; continue stirring constantly at a full boil for 4 minutes.

Remove from heat. 

Stir in white chocolate chips and marshmallow creme; 

then stir in vanilla and maple flavoring.

Add chopped pecans, if using, or wait if using pecan halves.

(I used both)

Pour warm fudge into a greased 11 x 7 baking pan.

If using pecan halves, press into top of fudge.

Let set for several hours to overnight.

Cut into squares.

Makes 2 1/2 dozen squares.

From Gooseberry Patch
101 Autumn Recipes

Cream Cheese Fudge Brownie Pie

I found an old recipe for Brownie Pie. I went to the store to buy the mix the recipe asked for and found that they don't make it anymore. Soooo...I used my head and came up with my own version of this delicious pie!
But, before you bite in to it...let me warn you!
You'll need a cup of coffee or glass of milk to wash it down with.
It's rich, but fudgy moist with a creamy middle.

And it's

Oh. My. Goodness. Good!!

Cream Cheese Fudge Brownie Pie

1 refrigerated pie crust, softened
1 8 oz pkg cream cheese
3 TBSP sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
3 eggs
1 Ultimate Fudge Brownie Mix
(I used Better Crocker)
1/4 cup oil
1 TBSP + 2 tsp water
1/2 cup chopped pecans
(my pecans apparently didn't make it home from the store
and I didn't realize it until I needed them for this pie!)

Heat oven to 350*

Place pie crust on a cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes or until edges are light golden.

In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar, vanilla and 1 egg.
Beat until smooth. Set aside.

In a large bowl, add brownie mix, oil, water and remaining two eggs.
(set aside fudge packet)
Stir with a spoon or whisk until combined and mixed together.

Spread 1/2 brownie mix in pie crust.

Spread cream cheese mixture on top of brownie mix.
(may need to use spatula to spread cream cheese to the sides)

Top with remaining brownie mix.Spread evenly.

Top with pecans
(optional)

Bake at 350* for 40 - 50 minutes,
until edges of crust are golden brown.
Center will be puffed and slightly 'crispy' to the touch.

Squeeze hot fudge, from packet, in to a small bowl and microwave 5 - 10 seconds,
just until heated and thin.
If you don't believe that this will be enough fudge topping, you can add chocolate syrup or other fudge topping. I used chocolate syrup this time...and it was delicious!)
Drizzle the fudge on top of pie.
(I only drizzled half of it and saved the rest
for each person to drizzle more if needed)

Allow pie to cool.
Center of pie will fall as the pie cools.

Cut in to 8 pieces.
Drizzle each piece with more fudge if needed.

Enjoy!

Chocolate Bread

I picked up the Better Homes and Gardens Fall Baking magazine and fell instantly in LOVE with the recipes! I look forward to baking in the Fall...and like always, I start my baking early. It's so hard to wait with all of these mouth watering, tummy tempting recipes!

While digging through my freezer, in an attempt to make out a Fall/Winter grocery list, I came across a bag of chocolate chips. And what a coincidence...it was just after finding the Chocolate Bread recipe in this magazine!

Chocolate Bread

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup sugar

3 TBSP unsweetened cocoa powder

1 TBSP baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 egg

1 1/4 cups milk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 cup semisweet chocolate pieces

Preheat oven to 350*

Grease bottom and 1/2 inch of sides of 9 x 5 loaf pan.

Line bottom of the pan with wax paper or parchment paper, then grease the paper.

Set aside.

In a large bowl, stir together flour, sugar, cocoas powder, baking powder, and salt. 

Make a well n the center of the flour mixture and set aside.

In a medium bowl, beat egg with a fork, stir in milk and oil. 

Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened (batter should be lumpy).

Fold in chocolate pieces.

Spoon batter into pan, spreading evenly.

Bake for 45 - 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes.

Remove from pan and remove paper.

Cook completely on wire rack. 

Wrap and store over night for easier slicing. 

I didn't. It was cool enough to slice without it crumbling.

14 servings

268 calories per serving

Chocolate-Chocolate Chip Pound Cake

 Chocolate-Chocolate Chip Pound Cake

1 box yellow cake mix (moist deluxe)
1 small box instant chocolate pudding

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup oil

3/4 cup water

4 eggs ( room temp)

8 oz sour cream

12 oz mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350*.

Butter and flour Bundt Pan.

Mix cake mix, instant pudding, sugar, oil and water.

Add eggs, one at a time.

Stir in sour cream and chocolate chips.

Fold into Bundt Pan.

Bake at 350* for 50 - 60 minutes.

Cool one hour in pan.

Remove from pan and sprinkle with powder sugar. 

Yummy.

Moist.

Full of chocolately goodness!

Chocolate Frostie

I love to find copycat recipes.

Especially when they really do taste just or a lot like the real thing!

We love Wendy's Frosties!

So, when I found this recipe on Pinterest,

(Trains and Tutus blog)

I knew we had to try it.

And guess what?

It's so close to being identical in taste,

we all decided that this recipe is a 'real' keeper!

Chocolate Frostie

 1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 8 oz carton of whipped topping

1/2 gallon chocolate milk

Mix together the condensed milk, whipped topping

half the container of chocolate milk.

 Mix together until smooth and creamy.

Pour in to your ice-cream freezer,

then add the remaining chocolate milk.

Freeze according to your freezer's directions.

Allow to sit for approx 20 minutes

 And this is what it looks like when you forget to take the final photo 

until it was almost all gone and had begun to melt!

Either way...it's delicious!!

ENJOY!

Chocolate No-Bake Cookies

An all time favorite cookie...of most everyone I know! 

The perfect little cookie to make during the holidays...

or year round!

So simple to make!

But, be careful....they're addicting!

Chocolate No-Bake Cookies

½ cup margarine
½ cup milk
4 T. baking cocoa
2 cups sugar
1 t. vanilla
½ cup smooth peanut butter
3 cups quick cooking oats, uncooked


Mix margarine, milk and cocoa together in a saucepan.
Bring to a boil and continue to boil for 1 ½ minutes.

Add sugar, vanilla, peanut butter and oats; stir well.



Drop by teaspoonfuls onto wax paper. Let cool to harden.
Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

Oh sooo simple...oh so chocolatey...oh so good!

Chocolate Cream Pie

I'm sure you're familiar with Chocolate Dream Pie. Most everyone I know has made this delicious pie using the recipe on the back on the Dream Whip box. I know it's always been one of our favorite pie recipes. But, you know me...I always have to tweak a recipe to fit the taste buds of my family. We like it to be a bit more rich than the original recipe calls for.

Chocolate Cream Pie

2 envelopes Dream Whip Whipped Topping Mix

3  cups cold milk, divided

2 tsp vanilla

3 pk (4 serving size) chocolate instant pudding

1 graham cracker crust

Beat whipped topping mixes and 1 cup of milk and vanilla in a large bowl with an electric mixer on high speed 6 minutes or until topping thickens and forms peaks.

Add remaining 2 cups of milk and pudding mixes. 

Beat on low speed 2 minutes.

Then beat on high speed 3 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. 

Pie filling will be thick. 

Spread pie filling in to graham cracker crust. 

Place in refrigerator until cold and pie filling has set.

Or if your in a hurry to serve, place in the freezer for 20 minutes. 

Top with whipped topping and serve! 

You can use just about any instant pudding mix flavor that you chose. 

This pie recipe is also delicious with coconut flavor pudding mix with 1/2 - 1 cup of shredded coconut added when you add the pudding mixes and milk.
Or another good one is banana flavor pudding, and add slices of bananas to the bottom of the pie crust.
You may want to use a dough crust for that one though.
Oh, and Pistachio pudding...you can use it also! Yum!
The pudding options are endless!!

Chocolate Cola Cake

To some folks, those tasty carbonated drinks are called Coke's.

Someone comes to your house 

and you ask them if they want a Coke. 

Then you might ask them "what kind of coke?" 

I call them Soda's. Is it a southern thing? Not sure. 

My cousin calls them 'sodi's'

and she's about as southern as they come.

So...it may be. I just don't know.

Some of my friends call them Cokes. Some call them soft drinks. 

My momma just says "something cold to drink".

But she always gets a Pepsi. 

My youngest son says "drinks".

"Mom, we need to buy more drinks!"

Maybe I should research this a little further.

You are welcome to call it what you'd like. 

It's all the same in the end.

You still end up with a nice, cold, refreshing drink!

I seem to have this thing about cooking with 

these carbonated beverages lately. 

First the 7-Up biscuits, 

then the Diet Coke Brownies, 

and I've even made Pull Pork with Rootbeer before....

now it's a Chocolate Cola Cake.

My momma has baked this cake a time or two,

but I can't seem to locate her recipe.

When I saw this on Pinterest, 

(which led me to this blog )

I knew it looked exactly like the one Momma use to make. 

And I was right....it tastes just like it!

Chocolate Cola Cake

 Preheat oven to 350

 CAKE

2cups flour
2cups sugar
1/2tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder

 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 cup butter

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup coca-cola
1/2 cup buttermilk

 2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract

 GLAZE

1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup coca cola

 4 cups powdered sugar

In a mixing bowl, add first five ingredients.

 Stir to mix together.

 In a small saucepan over medium high heat, 

heat the following (while stirring) until it boils.
  butter, cocoa powder, buttermilk, coca-cola

Add to the flour mixture and mix on low speed until combined.

Add the eggs and vanilla. Mix until combined.

Pour in to a greased, 9 x 13 baking dish.

Bake for approx 30 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

When the cake is almost done, make the glaze.

Add the following ingredients to a medium saucepan:

 butter, cocoa powder and coca cola.

Heat (while stirring) until boiling.

 Remove from heat and add powdered sugar.

I apologize...no photo for this step!

When cake is removed from the oven, 

immediately pour glaze over the top of the cake and spread to cover entire cake.

This rich chocolatey cake can be enjoyed warm or cold. 

It can also be reheated and it will taste like it just came out of the oven!

The cake has a mild cinnamon and very chocolatey flavor.

And the glaze....well, it's just down right tasty!