Vanilla Brownies with Peanut Butter Frosting

Vanilla brownies? Whaaatt?

I was feelin’ creative when I made these and thought, “Why not?”

So yes, brownies made with vanilla pudding mix = vanilla brownies.

Add some peanut butter frosting on top and you’ve got yourself a vanilla/chocolate/peanut butter masterpiece. They’re ooey and gooey and awesome.  You really just can’t go wrong with peanut butter and chocolate.  One of my friends who doesn’t like brownies told me he loved it.

I thought I’d give you guys this recipe before I start going crazy with pumpkin/fall/Halloween recipes.  So enjoy it because they’re coming soon.

Vanilla Brownies with Peanut Butter Frosting

Ingredients

·         3/4 cup butter

·         3/4 cup white sugar

·         3 eggs

·         2 teaspoon vanilla extract

·         1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

·         1 package vanilla pudding

·         3/4 cup all-purpose flour

·         1/2 teaspoon salt

·         1/2 teaspoon baking powder 

      1 cup chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour an 8 inch square pan.
2. In a large saucepan, melt 1/2 cup butter. Remove from heat, and stir in sugar, eggs, and 2 teaspoons vanilla.
3. Beat in cocoa, 1/2 cup flour, salt, vanilla pudding, and baking powder. 
4. Fold in chocolate chips. Spread batter into prepared pan.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes. Do not overcook.
6. Frost with this frosting.

Vanilla Cinnamon Donuts with Vanilla Cinnamon Glaze

When I was exploring my town the other day, I found a cute little donut pan!  They’re all over the blogosphere and I’m probably the last to jump on the donut pan train, but I finally did!!

Reasons why you should get a donut pan:

1.  They make donuts healthier.  Donuts are usually deep-fried, but with a donut pan, you can bake them!
2.  All of these delicious baked donut recipes:


Brown Eyed Baker’s Baked Donuts with Cinnamon Sugar:

Mama Pea’s Chocolate Glazed Cake Donuts:

Amy’s Baked Chocolate Donuts:

Megan’s Strawberry Doughnuts:

Katie’s Cake Batter Donuts:

Got No Milk’s Blueberry (Dairy Free) Donuts:

Angela’s Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Glazed Doughnuts:

Don’t those all look so good???

The donuts I made were so awesome!  They were moist and vanilla-y witch just a hint of cinnamon.  The glaze was the BOMB, too!

Vanilla Cinnamon Donuts with Vanilla Cinnamon Glaze
Adapted from: The White Library

Ingredients:

2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
2 eggs,beaten
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 tsp vegetable oil
4 tbsp applesauce
1 tsp cinnamon


Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325 F. Whisk flour and baking powder in a medium bowl, then combine with sugar.
2. Beat egg one at a time with milk, oil, applesauce, cinnamon, and vanilla extract until well blended. Then combine with flour mixture.  Mix vigorously until well blended.
3. Lightly spray donut pan with cooking spray. Pour batter into molds up to 2/3 full. *Optional: Sprinkle the unbaked donuts with brown sugar before baking.
4. Bake 10 -15 minutes or until tops spring back when lightly touched and donuts are golden brown. 
5. Remove from oven and let cool down before glazing.


Glaze:


Ingredients:

• 1 cup confectioner’ s sugar
• 1 1/2 tbsp. milk
• ½ tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 tsp. cinnamon 

Directions:
In small bowl, stir together sugar, milk, cinnamon, and vanilla extract until sugar is completely dissolved. If mixture is too thick, add a little more milk. If too thin, add more sugar.  You can add a couple of drops of food coloring for different colored glazes. Dip top of donuts in glaze and let the glaze set and dry before serving.

Coconut Cream Cheese Balls (AKA Heaven)

I love my new town!

It’s full of Victorian houses, side roads filled with gravel, a cute little downtown of “mom and pop” stores, greenery everywhere, etc.  But, the best part about it is the feeling I get when I drive around the area.  For me, it’s a sort of nostalgic feeling.  I couldn’t describe it myself, so I looked it up and I think this is perfect: “I think it’s the feeling you get when you are overwhelmed with passion and longing for the favorite things from your youth. And the satisfaction you get when you re-live them.”

I spent my Saturday exploring and just taking it all in.  Please indulge me and check these out (all via Google… none of these are mine):

To top off all this goodness, I made my moms Coconut Cream Cheese Balls.  They are the best quick and easy dessert ever. I’m not exaggerating.  Unless you don’t like cream cheese or coconut, you will agree with me and I guarantee that.  These are heaven in a small bite-sized ball.  Please try them… they won’t disappoint you!

What do you guys love about your town?
Give links to your favorite fast and easy desserts!

Coconut Cream Cheese Balls

Ingredients:
1 8 oz. block of cream cheese, room temperature
5 cups powdered sugar (*If you don’t want these super sweet, sub 1/2 cup flour for 1 cup powdered sugar)
1-2 cups shredded coconut
1 teaspoon vanilla
*1 cup pecans, optional

Directions:
1. Beat the cream cheese until it’s smooth.
2. Slowly, cup by cup, beat in the powdered sugar, until it reaches a semi-doughy consistency.  It will be a bit gooey, but still hold it’s shape when formed into a ball.
3. Beat in vanilla.  If using pecans, fold them in now.
4. Roll each ball in the coconut.
5. Chill for about an hour before serving.

You Know You’re a Baker When… (Vanilla Chocolate Chip Meringue Cookies)

…Your kitchen floor is covered with flour, sugar, etc.
…Bakeries are a must on vacation.
…When you have to do a fundraiser, “Bake Sale” is your first idea.
…You bake your own birthday cake.
…Along with regular milk, you also have heavy cream and buttermilk in the fridge.
…Flour and sugar are at the top of your packing list when moving (to college…or wherever).
…You have a ‘paintbrush’ in your kitchen utensils drawer.
…You have way too many aprons.
…You walk past the baked goods/packaged cookies at the store.
…Baking at 10 p.m. is the norm.
…Your friends know who Joy is.
…You’re happy your bananas have gone bad.  Or neighbors give you their overripe bananas.
…You can make cookies out of egg whites.

All of these “You know you’re from ____ when…” groups started popping up on Facebook that saidand I was looking through them and I saw one that said   “You know you’re a baker when you have sourdough on your pajamas”.  Then I thought, “I don’t do that, but…” and started thinking of all of the things I do do…and there you have it; my “You know you’re a baker when…” list.  

I know there are a bunch more… continue the list in the comments!

Vanilla Chocolate Chip Meringue Cookies
Emeril

Ingredients

• 2 large egg whites, at room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 2/3 cup superfine granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips or finely chopped semisweet chocolate

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat egg whites until foamy.
3. Add the cream of tartar and beat until fluffy but not at all dry. (Be careful not to over beat.)
4. Add the sugar gradually, about 3 tablespoons at a time. When 1/2 of the sugar has been added, add the vanilla extract. Continue beating and adding remaining sugar in batches, until all of the sugar is dissolved and the meringue is very shiny and tight.
5. Gently fold in the chocolate chips.
6. Working one teaspoon at a time, push a teaspoonful of meringue from the tip of 1 teaspoon with the back of another teaspoon onto the lined baking sheets, leaving 1-inch of space between cookies.
7. Place baking sheets in the preheated oven and turn the oven off. Leave the cookies (undisturbed) in the oven for at least 2 hours and up to overnight, or until cookies are crisp and dry.

Cake Ball Trifle and a Linky Party!

My beautiful friend Molly awarded me with the “Stylish Blogger Award”.


I’m feeling very lucky… thanks Molly! 🙂  I’ve mentioned her blog on here a few times, but if you haven’t checked it out yet, you definitely should!


Da Rules:

1. Say seven things about yourself

2. Pass on to other bloggers

3. Contact them and let them know!

I’ve already said 7 things about myself… but I’m going to try and do it again.

1.  I’ve never been to a concert.  Local concerts, yes, but never a really famous concert.  I would love to see Adele, Norah Jones, or Jack Johnson.  


2.  I go through phases… of everything.  Exercise, a certain food, reading, etc.  So when I don’t exercise for a while, I don’t tend to worry about it because I know I’ll be back to it soon.


3.  I’m nervous about living with 3 other girls that I don’t know next year.  Last year my roommate was a good friend of mine so I wasn’t worried about it (and these year my roommates are my parents haha), but I’ve never met these girls!  Although I’m nervous, I’m also very excited.

4.  Even though my least favorite color has always been pink, I’ve started to like it more lately.  But I don’t like admitting that.

5.  I can’t stand to see anyone or anything get hurt.  Today, my cat killed a bird and all I could think about was the bird’s family lol.

He’s lucky he’s cute.

6.  I eat my baked beans with honey.

7.  My current goal right now is to win this contest I’ve entered.  I am so excited I can barely take it.  It ends on May 20th and I can’t stop thinking about it.  It would seriously make my day, year, life if I even made it to the final round.  More details later! 🙂

8.  I love linky parties.  I enter almost every single one I see and I love clicking through and finding new blogs.


Since I love linky parties so much, I decided to host my own.  No pictures, though, I’m just testing it out.  Let me know if you guys like it! Pleeeasse add your yummy treats to the list at the bottom of this post! 🙂

Cake Ball Trifle
*This is soooo adaptable, but using cake balls was probably the best idea I’ve ever had!


Ingredients

• 2 cups crushed up Cake Balls
• 1/2 (3.9 ounce) package instant chocolate pudding mix
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1/2 package instant vanilla pudding mix
• 2 cups heaving whipping cream
• 1/4 cup sugar

• • 2 cups chocolate chip

• • Instructions

• 1. Beat heavy whipping cream with sugar until stiff peaks form.
  2. In a large bowl, combine chocolate pudding mix, 1/4 cup water and 1/2 can sweetened condensed milk. Mix until smooth, then fold in 1/2 of the whipped cream mixture.
  3. In another bowl, combine vanilla pudding mix with the other 1/4 cup water and other 1/2 of the can of sweetened condensed milk.  Do not add whipped cream to this mixture!
  4. In a trifle bowl or glass serving dish, place half of the cake balls, half of the chocolate pudding mixture, half of the vanilla pudding, half of the chocolate chips and half of the whipped cream in layers. Repeat layers. Refrigerate 8 hours before serving. (or not…) 

I’m passing the “Stylish Blogger Award” on to:

Kimberley
Alaina
Jessica
Ari
Kat
Sherri Lynn
Kerry
Vicky
Xinmei
Kate
Sheila
Meghan
Clare