Homemade Funfetti Cupcakes

Many, MANY months ago my brother had a birthday.  We all planned to get together for dinner to celebrate.  But instead of sharing a silly little scoop of ice cream between 8 people, I offered to make cupcakes.  And in my family we have a tradition of making "party in your mouth cake", aka funfetti to the rest of y'all.  But this year I decided to make homemade party in your mouth cupcakes!

Homemade Funfetti Cupcakes
makes 12 cupcakes


1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 whole eggs
1 tbs vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup milk
1/3 cup assorted brightly colored sprinkles, plus more for top of frosting

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Cream butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer until fluffy, about 3 minutes.  Add eggs and vanilla and beat until combined.
3. Combine dry ingredients in a bowl.  Add half of the dry ingredients, mixing until just combined.  Add the milk.  Once mixed, add remaining dry ingredients.  Fold in assorted sprinkles.
4. Pour into cupcake tins and fill 2/3 of the way full.  Bake for 18-20 minutes.  Let cool, then frost.

Vanilla Buttercream
2 sticks of butter, softened
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 tbs vanilla extract
1 tbs of milk, if needed

1. Cream butter in the bowl of an electric mixture until completely smooth and creamy.  With the mixer on low speed, add in powdered sugar slowly.  Gradually increase mixer speed and add vanilla, then beat for 2-3 minutes, scraping down sides and bottom of the bowl.  If frosting is too thick, and milk 1 tsp at a time until desired consistency is reached.  If its too thin, add sugar gradually until it thickens.  Frost cupcakes and top with sprinkles.

And boy were they good!

Recipe from the ever fabulous How Sweet It Is

(the accidental) Coconut Caramel Cookies

For my New Year's Eve party I thought it would be fun to make Samoa Bark, but instead of shortbread cookies I thought I'd use graham crackers.  Because I had them.  Well, probably a bad idea.  The coconut caramel mixture didn't want to stick to the graham crackers at all.  So, the CC topping came off and ended up being a "no bake coconut caramel cookie".  And they were a hit!  To get the real Samoa Bark recipe, click the link above.  For the flubbed up recipe keep reading...

Ingredients:
14 oz bag of caramels
3 cups sweetened flaked coconut
2 tbsp water
2 oz semi-sweet chocolate for drizzling

Instructions:

1. Line a baking sheet with foil.  Set aside.
2. In a non-stick skillet on medium-low heat, toast your coconut, stirring occasionally. This will take about 10 minutes or so, but be watchful because once it starts to brown it happens quickly and you don't want to burn the coconut!  When the coconut is toasted, set aside.
3. Meanwhile, unwrap all your caramels and place them in a medium saucepan along with 2 tbsp water over medium-low heat.
4. Stirring continuously until the caramel has JUST melted.  You don't want to over heat the caramel, as it will make it hard.  Immediately fold in your toasted coconut.
5. Spread of plop caramel mixture onto foil.
6. Melt your 2 oz chocolate using whatever melting process you prefer and drizzle over the top of the caramel/coconut.
7. Put in freezer for 5 minutes to set the chocolate.
8. Cut, or remove from foil, and enjoy!

Coffee Chocolate Cupcake with Irish Cream Frosting

 I made these cupcakes for Christmas this year, and they were a huge success!  And easy too!

Cupcakes:
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup buttermilk
3 heaping tbsp cocoa
1 stick butter
1/2 cup coffee
1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla

In a small bowl, dissolve baking soda in room-temperature buttermilk.  In a saucepan, melt butter and cocoa together at a low temperature.  When smooth, add coffee.  In a separate bowl, sift together sugar, flour, and salt.  Add cocoa mixture and egg and mix at low speed.  Add buttermilk mixture and vanilla and beat until smooth.  Bake at 350F for 20 minutes or until inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Frosting:
1 stick butter
4 cups confectioners sugar
1/4 cup irish cream
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp milk
2 tbsp coffee

Beat ingredients together until smooth.  Spread on cupcakes.

And what do you do with the bowl when you're done...?

Lick it of course!

Source: Ming Makes Cupcakes, #24

Layered Mud Pie

Ingredients:
4 oz, baker's semi-sweet chocolate
1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 pkg pie crust (store bought or make your own)
1/2 cup pecans (or nut of choice)
2 cups milk
2 pkg chocolate pudding mix, 3 oz boxes
1 tub cool whip (8 oz tub)

Instructions:

1. Melt the chocolate in microwave.  Make sure to stir it every 30 seconds or so, so that it doesn't scorch.  When melted, mix the chocolate and condensed milk in a bowl.
2. Put your pie crust into a pie plate.  Then, pour chocolate mixture into your prepared crust and sprinkle with nuts.
3. Beat milk and pudding mix, spoon 1 1/2 cups of the mixture over the nut layer; mix half of the tub of cool whip with remaining pudding and spread onto pie.
4. Top with remaining cool whip and refrigerate 3 hours.

Notes:

• I love sweetened condensed milk.  I could eat it with a spoon.  Oh wait, I do.
• Instructions don't say to, but your pie crust should be baked, not raw.
• 1% milk was used.  Slightly healthy.
• I had a bunch of hodge podge pudding mixes in the little 1.5 oz packages, so I used 4 of them. Oh, and they were all the fat free (or is it sugar free) kinds.
• I got lots of raves about this pie.

Brownies (homemade from scratch!)

When I make brownies, I pull out the box.  Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, etc. I don't discriminate.  But then in February I was tasked with making brownies for an event.  Brownies from an old church cookbook.  They didn't have box mixes back then.  So I had to make it from scratch.  And I did.  They were good too.  Not that I doubted myself.

Ingredients:
1/4 lb butter
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
2 squares unsweetened chocolate, melted
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup nuts

Instructions: (exactly as they were written out...)
(Very good to double recipe).  Mix together and pour into a greased pan.  Bake at 350F for 20 minutes.  FROSTING:  Melt chocolate chips (as many as desired) and coat on top for frosting.

Notes:

• I didn't do the frosting.  Frosting brownies never works for me.  You know the paper thin flaky top that forms when the brownies are cooled?  Yea, frosting pulls that stuff up.
• I probably doubled the recipe.  Honestly I can't remember.
• Nuts - they don't belong in brownies.  But since the recipe called for them I put them in.  Pecans I think.  I don't know.  Whatever my mom had in her freezer since I didn't have any.

Lemon Crunch Bars

I was asked by my bible study leader if I could make 2 desserts for an event that happened at church a couple weekends ago.  Being that 1) I love to bake, and 2) had a reason to bake that didn't cause me to keep the desserts at home, I said yes, of course.

Here's a recipe for Lemon Crunch Bars.  I was a bit skeptical at first, but I forged ahead.  Let's just say...this dessert didn't last long in the sea of other desserts.  It.was.gone!  And that's a good thing.

Lemon Crunch Bars
Combine:
2 1/2 c flaked coconut
1 1/2 c soda crackers, rolled finely
2/3 c sugar
1 c flour
1 c soft margarine*
Mix well and place 1/2 of this mixture in a 9x13" pan and pat down firmly.
Combine:
1 c sugar
1/2 tsp salt
5 tbs cornstarch
Stir in 2 2/3 cup milk.  Cook until thick, stirring constantly.
Mix:
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 c lemon juice**
Stir a little of the hot mixture into egg mixture (to temper it).  Then add all to hot mixture.  Cook and stir a few minutes longer.
Add:
2 tbs margarine*
1/2 tsp vanilla
Pour this mixture over crust in pan.  Top with remaining half of crumbs and pat down lightly.  Bake at 375F for 20 minutes or until light brown.  Chill and cut into bars.  Store in the refrigerator.

Alternatives
*I'm anti margarine.  I used butter.  Hello!  I live in a HUGE dairy community!  Butter is my friend and I always have a back-up box in the freezer.
**My parent's have a lemon tree full of lemons, so I used freshly squeezed juice instead of the stuff you buy at the store in the green container.

Brownie Covered Oreos

These little creations... I had high expectations for them!  I had complete confidence that I could make brownie mix, dip an oreo in it, then bake it.  And I'm pretty sure I flubbed something up along the way because out of 36 (every oreo in package) or so "brownies", only 11 turned out.  I don't know what went wrong.  Maybe not enough non-stick spray.  Either way, the 11 were good.  And the crumbs of the other 25+ were good too.

Brownie Covered Oreos

Makes entire package of Oreos

Ingredients

1 brownie mix (or use your own brownie recipe)

1 package Oreos

White chocolate, melted for drizzle

Sprinkles

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350F.  Prepare brownie batter according to package directions.  Leave in mixing bowl.  Dip Oreos in brownie batter then place in the bottom of cupcake tins that have been generously sprayed with cooking spray.  Bake for 12-15 minutes, until brownies are cooked through (doesn't take long).  As soon as you remove, take a plastic knife and run along edges, (this is very important so you get the cookie out with brownie not stuck to pan).
2. Let cool for 5 minutes, remove, drizzle with melted white chocolate, sprinkle, and enjoy!

Comments

• I sprayed generously.
• I did not use plastic knife, I used metal one. 
• Maybe that's where I went wrong...
• I used the holiday peppermint oreos...yum!

 And in case you wondered what the scraps looked like...

Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge

Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge

Ingredients
3 c sugar
3/4 c butter
2/3 c evaporated milk
1 tsp vanilla
6 oz semi-sweet chocolate pieces
7 oz jar Marshmallow Creme
1/2 c peanut butter

Instructions

1. Combine 1 1/2 cups sugar, 6 tablespoons margarine and 1/3 cup evaporated milk in a medium pot.
2. Bring to full rolling boil, stirring constantly.
3. Reduce heat to medium and continue boiling for 4 minutes, stirring constantly to prevent scorching.
4. Remove from heat and stir in chocolate pieces until melted.
5. Add 1 cup (1/2 jar) marshmallow creme and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Beat until well blended.
6. Pour into greased 13 X 9 pan.
7. Repeat with remaining ingredients substituting peanut butter and spread over chocolate.
8. Cool at room temperature and cut into squares.

Bakerella  is the best!

Cake Batter Chocolate Bark

Cake Batter Chocolate Bark

Ingredients
6 oz good dark chocolate
12 oz good white chocolate
1 tsp yellow cake mix
sprinkles of your choice (at least 3 tbs or more)

Instructions

1. Melt dark chocolate either in the microwave or a double boiler.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and pour chocolate on.  You can smooth it with a spatula to the thickness you desire. Stick in the freezer for 20 minutes.
2. Melt white chocolate.  Whisk in cake mix, stirring well until no lumps remain.  Let it set for 3 full minutes (or at least until it slightly thickens).  Remove baking sheet with dark chocolate from the freezer and immediately pour white chocolate on top.  Sprinkle on sprinkles.  Freeze for 20 minutes.
3. Once set, break into chunks.  Keep refrigerated.

Comments

• The recommended "good chocolate" of Lindt (70% dark and regular white) was too expensive, so I went the cheap route (semi-sweet chocolate chips and white chocolate chips).

Recipe from Jessica at How Sweet It Is

Crustless Pumpkin Pie

As a healthier option to the pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving this year I decided to make this recipe that was given to me at a weight watcher's meeting.  It was good, really good.  The consistency wasn't as dense as normal pumpkin pie filling.


Ingredients:
1 can pumpkin (15 oz.)
1 can evaporated skim milk (12 oz.)
3/4 cup egg substitute (or 3 egg whites)
1/2 tsp salt
3 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp vanilla
2/3 c splenda or sugar (or to taste)

Instrustions:

1. Combine all ingredients and beat until smooth.
2. Pour into a 9" sprayed pie pan.
3. Bake at 400F for 15 minutes, and then 325F for 45 minutes or until a knife inserted comes out clean.

Serves 8
Whole Pie:  8 WW Points (or 1 pt for 1/8 of the pie)
Although, WW just revamped their point system, so I don't know how many PlusPoints the pie is yet.

Graveyard Grave (aka fudge balls)

So why not add fudge to the arsenal that I made last Friday night for a Halloween party?

Ingredients:
3 c semisweet chocolate pieces
1 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk
2 tbs butter
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
dash of salt
2 cups mini marshmallows
unsweetened cocoa powder mixed with an equal amount of powdered sugar
powdered sugar

Instructions:

1. Line a 9x9x2 or an 8x8x2 inch baking pan with foil; set aside.
2. In a medium saucepan, heat and stir chocolate pieces, condensed milk, butter, vanilla, and salt over medium heat until melted and smooth.  Remove from heat; stir in marshmallows just until combined.  Spread mixture evenly in the prepared pan.  Using a table knife or thin metal spatula, swirl marshmallows through fudge in pan until marshmallows are mostly melted.  Cover and chill about 2 hours or until firm.
3. Using a small scoop, scoop fudge and shape into rocks (fudge will be sticky).  Roll some in cocoa powder mixture and some in powdered sugar.  Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.  Makes about 80 pieces (2 1/4 lbs.).

 Recipe from Better Homes and Gardens

Gooey Pumpkin Butterscotch Brownies

Ummm...hello... pumpkin, butterscotch, and brownies.  Sure, I'll give it a try!

 Ingredients:

1 family size brownie mix
1/4 Cup water
1/2 Cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1 bag butterscotch chips
1 small box instant butterscotch pudding mix
1 1/2 Cups canned pumpkin
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 Cup butterscotch ice cream topping

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Let cool for 1 hour before removing from pan and cutting into squares.
2. In a bowl mix brownie mix, water, oil, eggs, chips, pudding, pumpkin and cinnamon. Mix until well combined.
3. Pour half of mix into a 11×7 inch baking pan that has been lined with foil and sprayed with cooking spray. Pour 1/2 Cup butterscotch ice cream topping over brownie mix. Pour remaining brownie mix over top and bake for 50-60 minutes or until toothpick comes mostly clean from center. 

Makes 12 brownies

Alterations/Recommendations:

• I think I used too much butterscotch sauce in the middle.  The top and bottom layer kinda slid around, they didn't really "fuse".

Recipe from Picky Palate

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes with Cookie Dough Buttercream Frosting

Holy butter Paula Deen! These cupcakes are not for the weak at heart.  No, seriously.  If you are watching your cholesterol, do not read further.  I repeat, close this page now or you'll regret it later.

I came across this recipe some time ago and I knew that I had to make them.  But I had to be strategic about it too.  I would only make them when I knew there would be a crowd to eat them.  The last thing I needed was a plate full of cupcakes sitting on my counter.  So I we (Kaitlin mostly) made them a few weekend ago.  I definitely have some alterations I would make next time, but for the first time we followed the recipe.  Oh, and ah, the only pictures I took are from the first step - cookie dough.  So, here it is.

To see more pictures, as they're supposed to look, you need to visit KevinandAmanda.com's site, and really you just need to check out the recipe.  Ok, on with the recipe....

Ingredients:

For the Cookie Dough:

2 sticks softened butter

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

4 tbs milk

1 tbs vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup mini chocolate chips

For the Cupcakes:

3 sticks softened butter

1 1/2 cups light brown sugar, packed

4 large eggs

2 2/3 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup milk

2 tsp vanilla extract

For the Frosting:

3 sticks softened butter

3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed

3 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1/2 tsp salt

2 tbs milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions:

To make the Cookie Dough:  

Combine the butter and sugars in a mixing bowl and cream on medium-high speed until light and fluffly (about 2 minutes).  Beat in milk and vanilla until incorporated and smooth.  Beat in the flour and salt until just combined.  Stir in the chocolate chips.  Using a 1.5 tbs scoop, shape the dough into balls or tubes.  Freeze on a parchment lined baking sheet overnight.

To make the Cupcakes:  

Preheat the oven to 350F.  Line two cupcake pans with paper liners (24 total).  In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and brown sugar.  Beat together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes).  Mix in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.  Stir together to blend.  Add the dry ingredients to the mixer bowl on low speed, alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients, mixing each addition just until incorporated.  Blend in the vanilla.

Using a 3 tbs scoop, fill the prepared cupcake liners 2/3 full with the cupcake batter.  Place a frozen cookie dough ball on the top center of each cupcake.

Bake at 350F for 16-18 minutes.

To make the Frosting:  

Combine the butter and brown sugar in a mixing bowl and cream on medium-high speed until light and fluffy.  Beat in the powder sugar until smooth.  Beat in the salt, milk, and vanilla extract until smooth and combined.

Frost the cupcakes and sprinkle with mini chocolate chips.

Makes 24 cupcakes.

Adjustments:

• My 1.5 tsp dough balls were too big.  We ended up having to take some dough off each ball.
• Honestly here, I wasn't a fan of the cupcake batter.  It kinda had a cornbread flavor.  Next time, I'm just gonna use a vanilla cake mix from a box.  Plus that'll shave 3 sticks of butter off the recipe...
• They took longer than 18 minutes to bake.  And it was hard to tell when they were done because of the raw cookie dough in the middle.
• The frosting was really good, but it was a little grainy from the brown sugar.  Not sure how to make that go away without dissolving it first.

So if you counted, there were 8 total sticks of butter in this recipe.  Coleman was so kind to do the math and calculate that that is 1/4 stick per cupcake.  Yea, I'm definitely going to have to find ways to shave that down some if I want to make them again. 

Oh man were these good!

recipe from KevinandAmanda.com

Pluot and Browned Butter Skillet Cobbler

While I was gone on my 8 day, multiple state trip a neighbor dropped off some home grown pluots (cross between a plum and an apricot).  Kaitlin put them in my fridge, and then I had a surprise upon my return.  I wasn't sure what I was going to do with so many pluots.  Luckily, I came across a recipe that sounded perfect! I've never browned butter before.  Oh my goodness did add depth of flavor!  And it's not hard!

Ingredients:
1 stick plus 2 tbsp (10 tbsp) salted butter, browned
1 cup plus 2 tbsp granulated sugar
1 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup milk
3 medium ripe pluots sliced into 8 slices, or 2 cups of fresh berries

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. In a 10" cast iron skillet, melt and brown the butter (To brown your butter, place it in a skillet over medium heat.  Let it melt and cook down until just after it stops crackling.  That’s the water cooking out of the butter.  Once the crackling stops, the butter will begin to brown.  It’ll smell rich and nutty.).  Since cast iron is black bottomed, and you can't see the butter browning, be sure to keep a close eye on it, and remove the butter from the pan as soon as it browns.  If you keep the butter in the hot cast iron, it may continue to cook and burn.  Leave just a smidgen of butter in the cast iron pan to act as a non-stick agent.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, flour, baking powder and salt.  Whisk in the milk.  Whisk in the melted butter.
4. Add the batter to the prepared cast iron skillet.
5. Arrange the pluot slices around the batter.
6. Bake for 35 minutes, until slightly golden and bubbling.
7. Remove pan from the oven and sprinkle with 2 tbsp of sugar.  Return the pan to the oven for 5 to 10 minutes to finish cooking.  Remove pan when a cake tester inserted in the cobbler comes out clean.
8. Serve slightly warm with vanilla ice cream.  Store covered, at room temperature for two to three days.

Notes:

• Browning butter = easy!
• My cast iron skillet is 9", so it took a little longer to bake.
• Oops, didn't realize that I was supposed to return it to the oven after sprinkling with sugar.  Oh, and I only used 1 tbsp sugar.
• Next time I'm going to try it with whole wheat flour.  Why not?
• Used 1/2 whole wheat and 1/2 all purpose flour, worked out well!
• Fruits I've used so far and liked in this cobbler:  pluots, peaches, plums, (frozen) blueberries

Thanks Joy for posting the recipe!

S'mores Stuffed Brownies

Ummm...YUM!  Run, don't walk, to the kitchen to make these!

Ingredients:

1 box of your favorite brownie mix
4 1/2 full Graham Crackers
3 1/2 Full size Hershey’s Bars
16 large marshmallows

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  
2. Prepare brownie mix according to package directions.  
3. Line foil into an 8×8 inch baking pan and spray generously with cooking spray.  
4.  Pour half the brownie batter into lined pan.  Layer graham crackers over brownies following Hershey Bars and marshmallows.  Pour remaining brownie batter over marshmallows.  
5. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until toothpick comes mostly clean from center.  
6. Remove from oven and let cool completely.  Carefully remove foil and brownies from pan.  Peel any foil from away from edges and cut into squares.

12 brownies

I think my pan was a 9x9, I ended up with 16 brownies.  The middle stuff is the best, especially when it's still a little gooey.

Thank you for the recipe Picky Palate.

Orange Dreamsicle Cake

My Bloggy Buddy, Bluegrass Belle, posted this recipe a few weeks ago and I knew I had to make it.  This is the perfect summer cake. especially if you're bbqing or have friends over for dinner.  And that's when I made it, when I had some friends over for dinner.  Everyone loved it!

Ingredients:
1 box white cake mix
1 small box vanilla jello instant pudding
2 small boxes orange jello
16 oz. cool whip
1 cup milk

Instructions:

1. Bake cake as directed.  While cake is still warm, poke holes in cake with the end of a wooden spoon.  Mix one box of orange jello according to package directions, and pour the liquid mixture over warm cake.  Cool before adding icing (can be refrigerated overnight before adding the icing, or just let the cake cool).
2. To make the icing:  mix the remaining box of orange jello with the pudding and one cup of milk.  Add to thawed cool whip, and spread on the cake.  Refrigerate overnight and serve.

Optional Alterations:

• To cut calories:  bake the cake with applesauce instead of oil, use reduced fat and/or sugar free pudding and jello mixes, use light cool whip, and use 1% milk.
• I didn't have orange jello, so I used raspberry.  SO good!  I bet it would be good with lemon or strawberry as well.

Sorry I don't have a picture.  I made it in a rush (oops, didn't read the "refrigerate overnight" until I started making it, 2 hours before serving. 

Thanks Jill for sharing the recipe!

Chocolate Chewies

(please don't mind the pool of cooking spray!)

I saw the recipe for these and decided that I had to try them.  And soon.  I had never heard of a chocolate chewie cookie, but I like chocolate and I like chewie so it sounded like a good match.  They were super easy to make.  And yummy delicious!

Ingredients:
12 oz. powdered sugar
2 oz. cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 egg whites
1/2 tsp vanilla
7 oz. chopped pecans (optional)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Sift the dry ingredients together.  Add dry ingredients to a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.  Turn mixer onto low and add one egg white at a time (the mixture will appear very dry until the last egg white).  Add vanilla and turn the mixer onto medium-high and beat for 2 minutes.  The batter will be quite thick (think brownie batter).  Optional:  Fold in pecans.
3. Spoon the batter onto parchment-lined baking sheets and place in the oven.  Bake for 15 minutes and remove from oven.  Let cool completely on baking sheet before removing.

Source: BakeSpace.com

WW's 5 Ingredient Pineapple Updside-Down Cake

Not too long ago I had friends over for Tuesday Night Dessert instead of Tuesday Night Dinner.  I did this bcause 1) I'm broke right now, 2) I had ingredients to make desserts, and 3) my house needed a reason to be cleaned.  While going to recipes in my email I came across this one...  I love cake.  I love pineapple.  I love pineapple upside-down cake.  So why not try the "diet" version.  It was so good!  You'd never know it was a weight watcher's recipe.

Points Value:  3
Serves: 10
Prep Time:  7 minutes
Cooking Time:  40 minutes

Ingredients:
1/4 cup unsalted butter, divided
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
3/4 pound canned pineapple slices (rings) in juice, reserve 1/4 cup juice
1/4 pound unprepared vanilla cake mix, about 1 scant cup
1 large egg

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375F.
2. Melt 2 tbs butter in a 9" round, flameproof, aluminum pan over medium-low heat (make sure to cover entire pan bottom); sprinkle sugar over top.  Carefully place pineapple rings (use 7 rings) in a single layer in bottom of pan.  Increase heat to medium-high and cook until pineapple caramelizes, flipping once, about 2 minutes per side; remove pan from heat.
3. Melt remaining 2 tbs butter on stove top or microwave.  In a medium-sized mixing bowl, beat egg with remaining melted butter.  Add cake mix and reserved pineapple juice; combine well.
4. Pour batter over pineapple; bake until a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, about 30-35 minutes.  Allow cake to cool for about 15-20 minutes; when still warm, loosen sides with a knife and invert cake onto a serving plate.  Slice into 10 pieces and serve.  Yields 1 slice per serving.

Dump Cobbler

They call this a dump cake for a reason.  And for being a dump, man is it good!

Ingredients:
canned pie filling (or 2)
yellow cake mix
butter

Instructions:
Preheat your oven to 350F.  Spray your baking dish.  Dump your pie filling (I used cherry) into the dish.  Depending what size your pan is you may need 2 cans.  Dump, evenly, the box of yellow cake mix over the top.  Slice chunks of butter and randomly put it on the cake mix.  Put it in the oven for, oh, about 20 minutes.  I really don't know how long.  Pull it out when the cake mix is a lovely golden yellow and the pie filling is bubbling around the edges.  Let cool for a few minutes, if you can.

My favorite part is the "crust" aka the cake mix.  YUM!

Chocolate Covered Cookie Dough

My favorite thing from Old Tyme Pastries is their chocolate covered cookie dough.  So where I came across this recipe I knew I had to make them.  You know, to compare.  Yea, purely for comparison reasons.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
14 oz. can sweetened, condensed milk
3/4 cup milk chocolate chips
Shell: 1 1/2 lbs chocolate disks or chocolate chips

Instructions:

1. In a large bowl, cream butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer at medium speed until creamy.  Add vanilla.  Gradually beat in flour and add sweetened, condensed milk.  Add chocolate morsels, mixing well.  Shape into 1" balls.  Place on waxed paper, chill 2 hours.
   *Since the dough is sticky, you can roll your fingers into flour.  This will make it easier to roll.
   
2.  Melt chocolate disks or chips in a double boiler.  Using 2 forks, dip cookie balls into candy coating to cover.  Place on waxed paper and chill to set.  Store in refrigerator for at least 1 hour.

These were good!  Not as good as Old Tyme.  But maybe because I: 1) didn't have milk chocolate chips, and 2) used semi-sweet chocolate chips for melting too.  I think they would have been better had I used the 2 different chocolates.  And, I again had problems properly coating the chocolate around the dough ball.

Make it.  Try it.  Enjoy it.  Just don't eat it all.