#5 DZP: Transform a recipe to your own - Lemon Gooey Butter Cookies

Who doesn't love a soft, melt-in-your-mouth cookie? Really, who doesn't?!

Last week I found a Paula Deen recipe called Chocolate Gooey Butter Cookies. It was an awesome cookie all around. Easy to bake and definitely easy to eat. Because of the ingredients, it's like eating cake, but so very much a cookie.

So why not try LEMON! Oh Ya!

Note: the picture is not my proudest one, but they flew out the door like hot cakes, so I had to stop a coworker so I can at least take a snap shot!

Lemon Gooey Butter Cookies

Recipe Slighty Adapted from Paula Deen

Ingredients:

½ cups Butter (1 Stick), Softened/Room Temp

8 ounces, weight Cream Cheese, Softened/Room Temp

1 whole Large Egg

1 teaspoon Lemon Extract (or Juice from 1 Large Lemon)

1 whole Large Lemon, Zest Grated

1 package (18.25 Oz. Size) Lemonade Flavor Cake Mix

Granulated Sugar, For Rolling

Confectioners Sugar, For Dusting

Directions:

1. Mix the cream cheese and butter until mixture is smooth. Beat in the egg, lemon extract/juice and lemon zest until combined. Add the cake mix and beat just until mixed.
2. The dough is too sticky to roll into balls, so cover the bowl and refrigerate the dough for 1-2 hours.
3. Preheat the oven to 350 F.While that's warming up, take out covered bowl from refrigerator.
4. Place some granulated sugar into a separate bowl or plate. Scoop out dough into 1-inch to 1 1/4-inch balls. Drop each dough ball into a plate of granulated sugar and roll it in the sugar to coat completely.  
5. Place the dough balls 2″ apart on ungreased/parchment paper covered cookie sheets; flatten slightly. Bake at 350 F for 12 minutes. DO NOT overbake. Take the cookies out of the oven when they look a little underdone.
6. Let the cookies cool on the pan for 1-2 minutes, then remove them from the pans to wire racks and cool completely.  
7. *Optional* Dust with confectioners sugar

Store the cookies in an airtight container. Makes about 2 1/2-3 dozen.

S'mores Bars

These just look so good to eat all in one seating!

S'mores Bars
Recipe adapted from Taste of Home

Prep Time: 20 min. Bake: 25 min. + cooling
Yield: 18 Servings

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1-1/3 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

5 milk chocolate candy bars (1.55 ounces each)

1 cup marshmallow creme

 

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine the flour, cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture. Set aside 1/2 cup for topping.

 

2. Press remaining mixture into a greased 9-in. square baking pan. Place candy bars over crust; spread with marshmallow creme. Crumble remaining graham cracker mixture over top.

 

3. Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. Cut into bars. Store in an airtight container. Yield: 1-1/2 dozen.

 

Nutritional Facts: 1 bar equals 213 calories, 9 g fat (5 g saturated fat), 28 mg cholesterol, 114 mg sodium, 30 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 3 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 2 starch, 1 fat.

Banana Cream Pie Cupcakes

Banana Cream Pie Cupcakes

Again while searching through the lovely Pinterest, I came across these bad-boys: Banana Cream Pie CUPCAKES! Yes I said it! Cupcakes! And over at the Betty Crocker site, Arlene Cummings with Cooking with Sugar posted this recipe and I had to try it!

Recipe adapted from Arlene Cummings

Ingredients:

For Cupcakes -  
1 Box of Betty Crocker® FUN da-Middles™ yellow cupcake mix with creamy vanilla filling
3/4 cup water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1/2 box (3.4-oz size) banana cream instant pudding and pie filling mix
12 vanilla wafer cookies

For Frosting -  

1 cup butter, softened
4 cups powdered sugar
1/2 box (3.4-oz size) banana cream instant pudding and pie filling mix
3 tablespoons whipping cream
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 teaspoons banana extract

For Garnish -  

1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs (I forgot to do this haha)
12 vanilla wafer cookies

Directions:

1. Make cupcake batter as directed on cupcake mix box, using water, oil, eggs and adding 1/2 box of pudding mix. (Other half of box will be used in frosting.)

2. Before filling paper baking cups as directed on box, place 1 vanilla wafer cookie in bottom of each paper cup. Fill cups as directed on box. Bake and cool cupcakes.

3. Meanwhile, in medium bowl, beat frosting ingredients with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to use.

4. Frost cooled cupcakes. Sprinkle tops with graham cracker crumbs; top each with 1 cookie.

For the "how-to" click here, it really helped me!

 

PB&J Sandwich Cake!

Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwich Cake

 

You better believe it!

My boyfriend came across this from our Food Network magazine and he said "you HAVE to do this!", so I made it for a BBQ party!

Now the first time I made it, it didn't come out great... I didn't bake the cake long enough, only 25 minutes. So I had to scrap it in the trash and start all over again. Thankfully I had an extra cake mix box and all the ingredients needed for it!

Recipe adapted from Food Network Magazine

Ingredients:
PAM Baking spray
1 18.25 oz box white cake mix (plus the required ingredients)
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 1/2 to 2 cups of confectioners' sugar
2 to 3 tablespoons milk
1 to 1 1/2 cup strawberry jelly (but you can use whatever jelly you like)

Direction:
1. Spray a 9-inch square pan with PAM Baking spray and set aside. Make the cake mix and fill the pan three-quarters full (you might have batter left over). Bake at 350 degrees F until a toothpick comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes (it took the full 35 minutes for my oven).

2. Let the cake cool in the pan 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack and let cool completely. Transfer the cake to a work surface. Trim off the top using a serrated knife, then slice the cake in half horizontally.

3. Beat the butter and peanut butter with a mixer until smooth. Alternate adding the confectioners' sugar and milk, beating after each addition, until the frosting is fluffy and smooth. In another bowl, whisk the grape jelly until it is loose and spreadable.

4. Spread a thick layer of peanut butter frosting on the bottom cake half.

5. Spread the jelly on top of the peanut butter frosting, making sure to reach the edges. Top with the remaining cake layer.

For a helpful how-to (incase you didn't get that issue of the magazine) click here!

 

I love PB&J sandwiches and now it's a great dessert! Thanks Food Network!

Fall Cupcakes!

Fall Cupcakes!

Decorating How-To:

Most Everyone has seen Pillsbury's Funfetti Cupcakes down their grocery store's baking aisles, but I wanted a fall-themed cupcake. I love the reds, oranges, and yellow... I just love Fall!

So I picked up Wilton's Autumn Leaves Sprinkles and decided to try them out on Lemon cupcakes. I know, I know, lemons are not really "fall-themed", but they were yellow, and my coworkers LOVE lemon cupcakes!

So once I mixed the batter up, I poured in about 1/3 of the container, and whisked them in.

Fill your cupcake liners 2/3 full (sometimes I like to fill it more), and I sprinkled some more sprinkles on top of the batter. Bake as directed and waalaa! Fall funfetti cupcakes!

 

And check out the inside!

 (I'm going to pour more in the batter next time!!)

 

 

 

 

 

Little "Fist" Fish Marshmallow Pops

Little "Fist" Marshmallow Pops!

 

 

  My dear friend Annette and her boyfriend Tom had recently lost their goldfish Fist. And while searching the amazing site that is Pinterest, I came across this DIY Goldfish Marshmallow Pops from See Vanessa Craft. So because of their loss, I made these pops and took them to our Tuesday night rehearsal for all of us guard-girls (and coaches) to enjoy and remember the little fish. Recipe adapted from See Vanessa Craft:  

Ingredients:
1 bag light blue chocolate melts (I use Wilton's Candy Melts)
1 – 10.5 ounce bag large marshmallows
1 box graham cracker crumbs (I just used the cheap grocery-store brand and only used like 4 crackers)
1 – 6.6 ounce bag cheddar goldfish (I had a huge Costco size box so I had plenty)
Large white pearl nonpareils
Plenty lollipop sticks (about 20 or more)

Instructions:
 

1: Melt blue chocolate melts according to package. I use Wilton's Chocolate Pro Electric Chocolate Melter, it makes keeping the melts warm and not over done. A lot of bakers recommend placing chocolate in a microwavable bowl and melting in 30 second increments, mixing in between. Do not over-melt or the chocolate will be difficult to work with.

2: Place lollipop sticks in marshmallows. Dip marshmallows into the chocolate. Tap excess chocolate off the marshmallow.

3: Before the chocolate dries, dip the bottom in graham cracker crumbs. Add a goldfish and 2-3 white pearl nonpareils.

4: Allow to dry and then enjoy! If you are making this a day in advance, make sure to place your pops in an air tight container or cover with saran wrap so they don’t go stale.


RIP Fist-Fist fish