Layered Cake Bars

 These suckers were so easy to make and quite delicious! Sweetened condensed milk mixed together with cream cheese for the top layer, what could be better than that!? The next layer is white chocolate chips and dark chocolate chips...oh my gosh, good right! Finally, the bottom layer is what makes this such an easy dessert, it's just your favorite box of chocolate cake mix! Enjoy these super easy desserts :) I found this awesome recipe on Pinterest from Averie Cooks! 

Ingredients:

1 box devil’s food cake chocolate cake mix (or your favorite boxed chocolate cake mix)

1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

1 to 2 tablespoons cold brewed coffee or water, optional if necessary

3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

3/4 cup white chocolate chips

1 can (14-ounces) sweetened condensed milk

1/2 cup (4 ounces) cream cheese, softened 

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (clear imitation vanilla extract will keep this layer whiter)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F and prepare a 9-by-13 inch pan by lining it with aluminum foil and then spraying it with cooking spray. In a large mixing bowl, combine the cake mix, butter, egg, vanilla and mix either with a mixer, with a spoon, or with your hands, kneading it together. The batter will be extremely thick and will be difficult to combine, but keep stirring or use your fingers and knead it together, adding the coffee (will deepen the flavor and does not make them taste like coffee) or water if necessary. Press the dough it into the prepared pan. It will be tacky, sticky, and a bit tricky to work with, but keep pressing, spreading, and finessing it. Sprinkle the white and dark chocolate chips evenly over the top.

In a mixing bowl, combine the sweetened condensed milk and cream cheese, stir until well combined, and pour mixture evenly over dough, using a spatula to gently spread and even it if necessary. Bake for 24 to 27 minutes, or until edges of bars begin to barely brown and pull away slightly from the sides of the pan, or until the middle has barely set, taking care not to overbake. When they are done cooking, carefully lift them out of the pan and let set. Note that the middle will not seem very well set and will be jiggly upon removing from oven and that is okay, you want to keep these gooey. They will continue to set up more after they have cooled. Allow bars to cool well before slicing and serving. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week or freeze for up to three months.

White Chocolate Snickerdoodle Blondies

These blondies were so delicious! They were soft, chewy and the pieces of white chocolate are sweet surprises. I loved these so much and so did everyone in the family! The white chocolate is a must in snickerdoodles bars! I took these goodies to a party and they were a huge hit, everyone loved them! The beauty of these blondies, is it's so simple to make, anyone can do it!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup four
1/2 cup white chocolate chips + 1/8 cup
1 Tablespoon sugar & 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, mix together

Directions:
In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until fluffy and light. Beat in salt, egg and vanilla until combined. Stir in flour until combined, and then stir in white chocolate chips (1/2 cup). Batter will be thick.
Spread and press evenly into pan. Sprinkle the 1/8 cup of white chocolate chips on top and sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture over the top. Bake for 30 minutes, or until edges are lightly browned. Let cool completely before cutting.

I adapted this recipe from somewhere on Pinterest, but I have no idea what blog!

Homemade Ice Cream Sandwiches with Homemade Ice Cream

This weekend we are celebrating my little sisters big 14th birthday! For this wonderful celebration, my amazing mom decided to make 100% homemade ice cream sandwiches for my sisters friends at school! Yes, the whole shabang...homemade ice cream and homemade cookies! The homemade cookies and ice cream truly make this the BEST ice cream sandwich ever! All her friends and everyone in the family absolutely loved them. The ice cream was so rich, creamy and smooth. Seriously the best ice cream you will ever have! In fact, we liked it wayyyy better than store bought! The cookie was perfect for this ice cream too. We found these two amazing recipes on the Brown Eyed Baker blog and FYI you don't have to make them in hearts or put the pink stuff on them, we just did that for her party :)

This recipe is from the Brown Eyed Baker! :)

For the Cookies:
½ cup vegetable shortening
1¼ cups light brown sugar
½ teaspoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon salt
½ cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
½ teaspoon instant espresso powder
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour, divided

DIRECTIONS:

1. Line a 9x13-inch baking dish with foil, allowing excess to hang over the edges.

2. If you're using homemade ice cream, immediately after churning, spread the ice cream into the prepared pan. If using store-bought ice cream, soften it slightly and then spread it into the prepared pan. Freeze overnight.

3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

4. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the shortening and the brown sugar with an electric mixer for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the baking powder, salt, cocoa powder, espresso powder and vanilla. Mix until incorporated. Mix in 1 cup of the flour, followed by 2 tablespoons of water, and then add the remaining 1 cup flour and another 2 tablespoons of water, mixing well until no dry ingredients remain (give it some time, up to 5 minutes of mixing). The dough should be soft and pliable but not sticky; if necessary, add more water, a teaspoon at a time, until the dough comes together.

5. Turn out half the dough onto a lightly floured surface and roll to an even 1/8-inch to ¼-inch thickness. Cut the dough into 2x4-inch rectangles (you could also cut into squares, or use a cookie cutter to make circles).

6. Transfer the cookies to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Using a skewer (or the tip of a thermometer - works awesome!), poke a pattern of holes on each cookie's surface. Roll out, cut, and poke remaining dough, rerolling the scraps as you work. Place the sheets of cookies in the freezer for 10 minutes before baking.

7. Bake 7 to 8 minutes, or until the cookies are just set. Do not overbake.

8. Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool 2 to 3 minutes on a baking sheet. Transfer to cooling racks and cool to room temperature. Freeze cookies for at least 1 hour before assembling the sandwiches.

9. To assemble the sandwiches, have everything ready and work quickly! Match up cookies of the same size and have them laid out and ready for the ice cream. Use the edges of the foil to lift the block of firm ice cream from the baking pan and place it on a cutting board. Working quickly, cut the ice cream into 2x4-inch rectangles (you'll have a little ice cream left over). Using a narrow stainless steel spatula, place a rectangle between two chilled cookies and press the cookies lightly to adhere. (I found it easiest to do this one at a time. Cut one or two rectangles, assemble those cookies and place on a tray, then do one or two more, etc. until you're finished.) Return the sandwiches to the freezer for at least 30 minutes. Wrap individually in plastic wrap and store in an airtight container or zip-top plastic bag in the freezer.

**NOTES**

We made our cookies using a heart cookie cutter, but you can do yours in squares like she says in the directions! We also made homemade cookies and cream ice cream from her blog, but you can use store bought if you want. Also, the next time we make them, we are going to make the cookies thinner, because it got kind of thick. It was still so good though...just a thought :) 

For the Ice Cream, here is the amazing recipe from her blog! Cookies and Cream Ice Cream

Mom's Coffee Cake

My mom has been making this amazing breakfast my entire life. It's truly the best coffee cake I have ever had! It's so moist and flavorful and it's one of the best things to wake up too. The aroma that fills the house is just incredible. This coffee cake is a huge downfall for my mom and I, we nibble on it all throughout the day..it gets bad. It's Ellie's birthday, so she requested this for her breakfast. It's always a popular request for a birthday breakfast in the family :)

Ingredients:
Layer and Topping
Combine ingredients and set aside
1 cup brown sugar
4 tablespoons flour
4 teaspoons cinnamon
4 tablespoons butter, melted

Wet mixture. In another bowl, work sugar and shortening together with a fork & add the eggs and milk to the mixture and set aside:
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
2 eggs
1 cup milk

Dry Ingedients
Sift together:
3 cups flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

Have a 9x13 pan greased and ready. Combine dry and wet ingredients together and QUICKLY pour 1/2 the batter into the prepared pan. Evenly spread 1/2 of the layer mixture over batter. Pour the remaining batter on top of the layer, then quickly spread the remaining layer/topping mixture on top.
 ** The batter can be difficult to work with, so make sure and have more batter for the 2nd layer because it's easier to cover the sugar mixture with more batter.**

Bake at 375* for 25-30 minutes.
Must server with real butter melted on top!
This heats up great the next day!

Can't forget the milk! 

Turtle Brownie Bars

The title does not do these brownies justice. There are no words to describe how amazingly good they are! My taste buds have never had something as good as this! The brownie is so moist and the caramel and walnuts on top are A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! This brownie is so rich and sinfully good! It's safe to say this is my new favorite brownie! You will without a doubt love this recipe! Pinterest for the win!

Turtle Brownies

Ingredients

For the brownie:

3/4 cup all-purpose flour, plus an additional 2 tablespoons

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

1 ounce (1 square) unsweetened chocolate, broken into pieces

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 large eggs

For the caramel topping:

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup light corn syrup

3 tablespoons water

Pinch of salt

1/3 cup heavy whipping cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 and 1/2 cups walnuts, lightly toasted and coarsely chopped

For the garnish:

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Instructions

1. For the brownies: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Prepare a 8×8-inch square pan by buttering it and lightly flouring the surfaces.

3. In a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat, melt the chocolate chips, unsweetened chocolate, and butter.

4. Stir the mixture until smooth, and then remove from the heat.

5.  While the chocolate mixture cools, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl.

6. Add the brown sugar and vanilla to the chocolate mixture, mixing well.

7. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.  ***The batter should look thick and smooth.

8. Add the flour mixture to the chocolate, and mix until just combined.

9. Pour the batter evenly into the prepared baking pan and bake until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 30-35 minutes.  Let cool.

10. For the caramel topping: I waited until the brownies had about 10 minutes left, then started the caramel.  In a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the sugar, corn syrup, water, and a pinch of salt and stir until the sugar is dissolved.

11. Bring the mixture to a boil and let boil without stirring until the color turns a light amber, about 8 minutes or so. **Keep a close eye on it & don’t let it get too dark**

12. Remove the saucepan from the heat, and add the cream and vanilla, stirring until thick and smooth. **Be careful, it will bubble and splatter.

13. Pour the caramel evenly over the brownies.

14. Sprinkle the toasted walnuts on top of the caramel, and let the brownies cool completely. (To toast the walnuts, put them in the oven on broil for about 3 minutes). **I stuck mine in the fridge for about 20 minutes.

15. For the garnish: In a small bowl, microwave the chocolate chips at 10-second increments, stirring after each interval, until smooth.

16. Cut a very small piece off a corner of a plastic sandwich baggie, and spoon the chocolate into the bag. **Or use a pastry piping tip.

17. Use the open end to quickly drizzle the melted chocolate over the top of the brownies. Let cool.

Yummy oozing caramel! 

I slightly adapted this amazing recipe from The Curvy Carrot.

Cinnamon Swirl Banana Bread

New Pinterest Recipe of the Week

In the Abbott house, when we have something that needs to be used, we like experiment with a new recipe. Well today, bananas were on their last leg and thanks to handy Pinterest, I found this yummy Cinnamon Swirl Bread on a blog called Lovin' From the Oven. This bread turned out great and we actually had it for breakfast :) It's super moist and the cinnamon and sugar is SO good on top! You can even add nuts or chocolate chips! We will make this in the future for sure.

Ingredients

For the bread:
• 3 over-ripe bananas, smashed up
• 1/3 cup melted butter
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp baking soda
• dash of salt
• 1 1/2 cups flour
For the swirl:
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 Tbs cinnamon

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350. Butter and four a loaf pan. Mine was 9 x 5, but you could use any sort, I suppose. Just keep a close eye on it in the oven, and adjust the time as needed
2. Mix bananas, butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla together. sprinkle baking soda and salt around on top of the banana mixture. Then gently stir in flour. Be careful not to over-mix!
3. In a small dish, mix together the 1/3 cup sugar and 1 Tbs cinnamon.
4. Add 1/2 of the batter to the loaf pan and then sprinkle half, or a little more than half of the cinnamon-sugar mixture all over the batter in the pan. Add the rest of the batter, and then sprinkle the leftover cinnamon-sugar on top.
5. Bake for 50-60 minutes, but remember, if you’re using a different-sized loaf pan, be careful and keep a close eyeball on it.

*Recipe copied from here!

Honey Nut Granola

Don't spend money on granola,the price is outrageous! So here is a recipe that taste better than store bought and way cheaper. I don't know why I've never made it before, but I did today and it turned out great! The thing I love about granola is you can add just about anything to it...walnuts, pecans, peanuts, crasins, almonds, rasins...anything. So here is a really simple recipe that only takes about an hour to make. Everyone in my family loved it and is so good on yogurt and it makes a great cereal. 

Ingredients:

3 cups quick cooking oats (I used old fashion & it worked fine)

½ cup chopped peanuts (or nuts of choice)

¼ cup wheat germ  or (I used flax seed)

1/3 cup honey + a little more when mixing

1/3 cup brown sugar (a little less than 1/3 cup)

¼ cup vegetable oil

2 tablespoon warm water

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/8 cup crasins or rasins (optional) 

Directions:

 1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C). Lightly grease a baking sheet. 

2.  In a large bowl, combine oats, peanuts, and wheat germ (or flax).  In a separate bowl, combine honey, brown sugar, vegetable oil, water, salt, and vanilla. Stir well; then pour into the oat mixture, and stir. Spread out on a cookie sheet (it is really helpful to line it with parchment paper). Bake for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Remove from oven, and cool before serving.

**I cooked mine for about 1 hour and 20 minutes, but I think it's because I used old fashion oats** I was worried because it wasn't getting hard in the oven, but it hardens after you take it out of the oven and let it set. So don't worry if its still moist...it will harden up! 

More granola combinations to come! This recipe was adapted from All Recipes

Best Ever Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

We are a pie family. We absolutely love pies. At any family gatherings we have at least 10-15 different types and we all use the same pie crust, just with different fillings. Well today I am so excited to share one of my most favorite pies ever...Strawberry Rhubarb. Luckily, my mom freezes rhubarb so we can have it throughout the year and today we broke some out (yikes, not that much left)! Of course this mouthwatering pie comes from my grandmas cookbook. Grandmas always do know best :) 

Before you make this...I'm warning you...all self control WILL be lost. It is quite possible you will have it for breakfast, lunch and dinner...I do! 

Pie Crust:

4 cups flour
1 3/4 cups vegetable shortening (Crisco)
1 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 egg
1 tablespoon vinegar
Ice water

Sift dry ingredients. Cut in crisco(using fork)- very slowly. Then combine in clear a pyrex 2 cup measuring cup: 1 egg- beaten plus 1 tablespoon vinegar. Fill with ice cold water till it reaches 1/2 cup in liquid. Then mix this into the flour and crisco, again, very slowly, stirring with a fork.
This dough is hard to work with, so roll out immediately. I pat it out a bit, then roll it out on a floured piece of wax paper. (This makes it easy to transfer, or cover with another piece of wax paper, and freeze in a zip lock bag.)
This recipe makes 2 pies, or 4 single pie crusts. Freeze the dough that is not used.

Same pie crust used in my Lemon Meringue Pie

Now for the oh so good filling: 
4 cups chopped rhubarb, peel out the tough strings
2/3 cup sugar
2-3 drops of red food coloring
If you do not have enough rhubarb, add enough strawberries to make a full 4 cups! Even if you do have enough, you can still add 5-7 sliced strawberries for added flavor.
If you do not want strawberries, you don't have to add any! Just make a Rhubarb Pie :)

Directions:
Mix together the ingredients for the filling and place in the prepared pie crust. Put the crust on top and join the edges together. Cut three notches on top for air to escape. Bake at 350* for 45 minutes and enjoy!

Wondering why this picture isn't as nice as the one above? The answer is...lack of self control. When my favorite pie comes out of the oven, I do not have the patience to let it set up and get all pretty. I have to have it then and there!