Longest Brownie Name Ever

(take a deep breath...)

PB Cup Brownies with Shortbread Crust and PB Glaze.

Imagine how much longer that'd be if I didn't abbreviate peanut butter. Whew.



 Let's work our way from the bottom to the top.

Bottom floor: A Girl Scout cookie Trefoil shortbread crust.
Cookies + Sugar + Butter + Flour =  A crispy match made in heaven.



Middle layer: Fudgy, dark chocolate brownies with miniature peanut butter cups mixed throughout.

Read that again.

Ok, moving on.

Penthouse: A peanut butter, powdered sugar, thick and creamy glaze. Also great on ice cream, cupcakes, spoons, etc.

Move over horse racing, this brownie is the winning trifecta this year.

PB Cup Brownies with Shortbread Crust and PB Glaze

Prep Time: 45 min. (including baking crust)

Total Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes

Yield: 9x13 pan

 

Ingredients:

 

Crust:

12 tbsp. unsalted butter

1/2 c. white sugar

1/2 c. flour

1 c. (1 sleeve) finely ground Trefoil (shortbread) cookies

 

Brownies:

1 box 9x13 size brownie mix (yep!!) and ingredients listed on box recipe

1 c. mini peanut butter cups (or chopped regular size PB cups)

 

Glaze:

2/3 c. powdered sugar

1 tbsp. creamy peanut butter

6 tsp. water

 

First, make the crust. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream the butter and sugar together with a mixer for 3-4 min. Add flour and ground cookies to the mixture and mix until incorporated. Press the mixture into a foil lined and greased 9x13 pan. It will spread out as it bakes so don't worry if it doesn't completely cover the bottom of the pan. Bake for 30 minutes or until lightly brown. Let cool completely.

 

Next, mix together brownie mix as directed. Stir in PB cups. Pour on top of cooled crust and bake as directed on package. Let cool.

 

Lift by foil to remove the brownies from the pan. Mix together glaze ingredients and microwave for 20 seconds or until smooth and pourable. Pour into a Ziploc bag or piping bag and snip the corner off. Drizzle over brownies.

 

Cut and serve!

 

Or cut and keep them all to yourself. I won't tell.

 

Enjoy!

Laura

 



 



Holiday Gifts: On My List

To close out our holiday gift round-up week, here are some things that are on my own wish list for this year!

Ruffle Pie Shield

(to fit my Emile Henry Ruffle Pie Pan)

 

Patagonia Vagabund Vest

 

 

Lakeland Cotton Cable Throw

 

 

BareMinerals Heavenly Face Brush

Reversible Grill and Griddle

 



Still perusing, too!

 

I hope y'all have gotten some good ideas of gifts to give to your loving family and friends or to add to your own list this year! Here is a link to all the gifts this week:

Kitchen Edition
Beauty Edition
Fashion Edition
Random Edition

You better believe Christmas music is playing full force in this house already!
Laura



Salted Nut Bars

Paydays are totally underrated.

Not the kind at your job where you get a check and money, I think we can all agree those are awesome.

I mean the caramel and peanut candy bar. Salty + Sweet = True Love 4 Ever.

These Salted Nut Bars remind me of a Payday on steroids.

A peanut butter cookie crust, layers of caramel, peanuts, marshmallow and candy corn.

Take a second and read that sentence again. All the good things in life, right there.

 



I will note that this recipe has multiple steps, it's messy to make and, although simple, it's time consuming. But once I took one bite, I forgot about all of that. Amazing.

I feel like that is what pregnancy is like, too. It's tiring, uncomfortable and time consuming but I am assuming once you meet your precious baby, you forget about all of that. I don't know why people would have multiple children if that's not the case. I'll keep you updated.

So, I didn't plan on comparing these Salted Nut Bars to pregnancy and childbirth but that just happened. Hm.

On that note, click here for the original recipe by Just A Pinch!

Enjoy!
Laura

P.S. Happy Birthday to my wonderful mom! Read how amazing she is here!

Pumpkin Cinnamon Chip Muffins

I'm sure y'all have seen this same concept around- a muffin with only 2 ingredients! Or 3 ingredients! Or heck- only one ingredient!

Well, I'm on that same train but mine are a super complicated 4 ingredients! Whew.

My best friend from college's mom always made these muffins for us and they are now a fall staple.



Pumpkin, cake mix, water and cinnamon chips combined to make a moist, flavorful treat. Yep, still 4 ingredients. You can do it, I promise.

The cinnamon chips are made by Hershey's and can be a little tricky to find so stock up when you do. My mom and I found them at Reasor's in Oklahoma when I was back in the summer and I loaded up for this recipe. You can always use chocolate chips, too. I have and they are still delicious!



This is a great recipe that you can always have the ingredients on hand for unexpected guests or a surprise treat for your friends and neighbors!

Pumpkin Cinnamon Chip Muffins

Yield: 24 muffins

Prep Time: 5 min. Total Time: 30 min.

 

Ingredients:

1 box yellow cake mix

1 can pumpkin (actual pumpkin, not pie filling)

1 c. water

1 c. cinnamon chips

 

Directions:

Mix cake mix, pumpkin and water in a large bowl until smooth. Fold in cinnamon chips. Scoop into greased muffin tins or tins lined with cupcake liners.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 min. until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let cool.

 

Enjoy!

Laura

 

Caramel Apple and Pumpkin Spice Bread

I've heard that indecisiveness is common when you're pregnant.

Well, when you have delicious options like Caramel Apple Swirl and Pumpkin Spice Swirl bread, how is anyone supposed to chose just one? Pregnant or not.



Needless to say, I bought both at the grocery store last week.

Let the taste test begin!

First up, toasted with a thin layer of butter. Hands down- Caramel Apple Swirl bread takes the cake. The apple flavor is strong but not overpowering. It tasted actually very fresh and made me feel like I was smack dab in the heart of Autumn. Despite the heat blazing outside.

The Pumpkin Spice Swirl bread was still delicious, don't get me wrong, but this was a competition and like all good competitions, there can be only be one winner.

I knew both of these breads would be even better as french toast.

And I was right.

The Pumpkin Swirl bread got the normal French toast treatment.

But the Caramel Apple Swirl Bread got kicked up a notch.

An apple and cinnamon-cream stuffed notch.

Reminiscent of the Peaches 'n Cream Stuffed French Toast but with a fall twist.

 Caramel Apple 'n Cream Stuffed French Toast

Prep Time: 15 min. Total Time: 25 min.

Yield: 2 servings

Adapted from Two Peas and Their Pod

For the apples:
1 thinly sliced apple
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
Dash vanilla extract
1/2 tbsp. white sugar
1 tbsp. water

For the filling:
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cooked apple

For the French toast:
4 slices Caramel Apple Swirl Bread
4 large eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Diced apples and maple syrup, for serving

Directions:
First, cook the apple. Combine all the apple ingredients in a small saucepan and cook over medium-low heat until the apples are tender but still have a slight crunch. About 15 minutes.

To make the filling, in a small bowl, mix cream cheese, powdered sugar, cinnamon and vanilla extract, until smooth. Spread cream cheese filling on slices of bread; top with cooked apple slices. Make two French toast "sandwiches."

In shallow pan, whisk eggs, milk, vanilla, and cinnamon. Dip the sandwiches in the egg mixture, on each side. Do not let the bread sit in the egg mixture for very long.

Heat a large skillet or griddle to medium-high heat. Cook French toast sandwiches, on both sides, until golden brown, about 4-5 minutes each side. Serve warm with diced apples and maple syrup.

Enjoy!
Laura

Another Monday List

1. Jackpot. An entire list of pumpkin recipes that are all low-fat and healthy. Click here to feel like you've won the lottery. I'm most excited about the Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake Yogurt Cupcakes.

 

2. Apple season is just starting up and I am excited to hopefully do some canning this week! I'll keep you updated.

 

3. Free advice: keep one dish sponge in your dishwasher and one to use in the sink. Every time you run your dishwasher, switch them out as you unload your dishes. That way your sponges stay as germ-free as possible. And when one starts to bite the dust, switch it out with a new one!

 

4. Staying on the cleaning topic, after washing and drying your towels (bath, kitchen, etc.), and are putting them away, put them on the bottom of the stack in the closet or drawer. So, you are pulling your towels from the top of the pile and replacing the recently washed ones on the bottom. That way you aren't using the same few towels over and over again and wearing them out. I heard this from Martha (Stewart, if you aren't on a first name basis like we are) once.

 

5. I can't stop perusing Etsy for little girl headbands. How are there so many cute options? But what if I buy newborn size and she's born with a massive head (like my husband keeps telling me that he had) and none of them fit? These are the things that keep me up at night. Oh, and my top-heavy, kool-aid man-esque self (see photo for example).

 

via

 

Oh yaaaaaa (said like the kool-aid man, of course),

Laura

Pumpkin Spice Kisses

I am all over Fall, y'all. It officially starts tomorrow and I think these Pumpkin Spice Kisses are the perfect way to celebrate!

 



Don't believe me? Let me convince you.

1. They are simple. Like so simple that after I baked them, I was pretty sure I forgot something because it was so simple.

2. They have pumpkin in them! And we are all about pumpkin this season!

3. They even look like Autumn! Perfect colors.

4. 4 ingredients- that's it!

That's all I got.

I hope it's enough.



Pumpkin Spice Kisses- see here for the original recipe!

Side note: The dough is extremely sticky and I substituted the sanding sugar for cute Autumn colored sprinkles from the Target $1 section (love that place!). It's also super important to throw them in the freezer or refrigerator to keep the kisses from melting. Nobody likes melted kisses.

I love that Fall and y'all rhyme.
Laura


Blog Highlight: papery and cakery

Papery and Cakery is a super cute stationary and sweets online company.

I mean, I guess that is pretty self explanatory by their name.

But their blog is so much more than that!

Monday-Thursday the blog is filled with cute fashion and beauty ideas,

lots of glitter DIY projects...

 



and lots of non-glitter DIY inspiration...

 

 

party planning ideas and home decor tips!

 

And every Friday, a delicious new recipe from the cakery side!

 

Such as Apple and Honey Challah,

 

 

Nutella Cupcakes,



 

 

Lemon Butter Cookies,

 

and Hot Chocolate Cookies.



 

An adorable trio of sisters runs this business and addictive blog!

 

Check it out here: papery and cakery blog.

 

Great inspiration here!

Laura



Apple Juice Pound Cake with Apple Juice Glaze

There are pumpkins on our front porch, an apple cinnamon candle burning in the kitchen and a Halloween candy bowl in the entry way.

And it's at least 85 degrees outside.

In Colorado.

In mid-September.

What is happening?!

It has not stopped me from pinning all things Fall, buying pumpkin spice flavored everything and baking a delicious apple flavored pound cake.

Take that, global warming.

 



This cake is perfect to convince yourself that it is Fall. It's moist on the inside, crunchy on the outside and so very yummy.



 

Apple Juice Pound Cake with Apple Juice Glaze

Yield: 1 loaf

Prep Time: 10 min. Total Time: 1 hr. plus cooling

 



Ingredients:

1/2 c. butter, softened

1/8 c. applesauce

1 1/2 c. sugar

2 eggs

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. baking powder

1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

1/2 c. apple juice

 

For the glaze:

1 1/2 c. powdered sugar

1/4 c. apple juice

 

Directions:

Cream butter, applesauce and sugar together with an electric mixer.

 

Beat in eggs one at a time.

 

In a small bowl, combine salt, baking powder and flour. Whisk to combine. Add to butter mixture, alternating with the 1/2 c. apple juice until completely mixed.

 

Pour into a greased 9x5 loaf pan and bake in a 350 degree oven for 50 minutes or until lightly browned. The center might appear moist- just watch the top for browning.

 

Let cool on a wire rack. Whisk glaze ingredients until smooth and pour over cake. I poured it over while the cake was still warm to create a crunchy top layer but you can also wait until completely cooled.

 

Enjoy!

Laura

Reese's S'mores Bars

Last Friday, I tweeted this:

"I just made up a dessert so delicious that I wish I'd never made it up."

I'm serious.

I took one bite, immediately set it down and walked away so that I wouldn't devour the entire pan right then and there.

When you are wearing elastic waisted pants because you're pregnant, you have to be extra careful about decisions like eating an entire pan of Reese's S'mores Bars.

S'mores are one of my favorite desserts but I like to kick it up a notch by replacing the chocolate bar with a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup. So when I saw this recipe, I knew I had to make the same switch.



And I still can't decide if I'm glad that I did that or not. This could be detrimental to me getting back in shape post-baby.



Have you gotten the point yet that these are really, really, really delicious?!

Ok, good.



Reese's S'mores Bars

Recipe adapted from Lovin' From the Oven

Yield: 16 bars

Prep Time: 15 min. Total Time: 45 min.

 

Ingredients:

1/2 c.  (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 c. granulated sugar

1/4 c. brown sugar

1 large egg

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 1/3 c. all purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

3/4 c. crushed graham crackers (I used my food processor)

1/4 tsp. salt

1 1/2 c. marshmallow fluff/creme (not melted marshmallows!)

12 Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, unwrapped (6 packages/2 in each)

 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and thoroughly grease an 8 in. square pan.

 

With a mixer, cream the butter and both sugars together. Add in the egg and vanilla extract and mix until combined.

 

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt.

 

Slowly add the flour mixture to the butter and sugar and mix until combined.

 

Divide the dough in half and press half into the bottom of the prepared pan. Top with 12 Reese's (3 rows of 4) and cover with the marshmallow creme/fluff.

 

Place remaining dough in a single layer on top of the fluff. (This is best done by pressing the dough into flat shingles with your hands and laying on top.)

 

Bake for 30 minutes or until lightly browned. Let it cool completely before cutting into bars.

 

Let me know if you make them and if you love them as much as I do!

 

Enjoy!

Laura

 



Nanaimo Bars

Wait...what?

Yeah, I have no idea how to pronounce it either.

But that doesn't matter once you eat one.

You'll just call it that incredible, Canadian goodness bar thing.

Works for me.



Our good Canadian friend introduced me to Nanaimo Bars about a year ago when he brought some back from Canada, knowing my affinity for sweets. The three layers combine chocolate, coconut, nuts, powdered sugar, graham crackers...you know, all the good things in life.

It's a great no-bake recipe that is perfect for this still hot weather we've had lately!

He recently house sat for us while we were on vacation and I recreated these bars as a thank you for him. I must say, they turned out absolutely delicious!



Nanaimo Bars

Adapted slightly from Joy of Baking

Prep Time 30 min, overall Total Time: 2 hours, including cooling

Yield: 25 bars

 

Ingredients:

 

Bottom Layer:

1/2 c. unsalted butter, room temperature

1/4 c. granulated white sugar

1/3 c. cocoa

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 c. crushed graham cracker crumbs (I used the food processor)

1 c. shredded coconut

1/2 c. coarsely chopped walnuts (food processor again)

 

Middle Layer:

1/4 c. unsalted butter, room temperature

3 tbsp. cream

2 tbsp. vanilla pudding powder

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 c. powdered sugar

 

Top Layer:

1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

2 tbsp. unsalted butter, room temperature

 

Directions:

Spray an 8x8 pan with nonstick spray.

 

Bottom Layer:

In a saucepan over low heat, melt the butter. Remove from heat and stir in the sugar and cocoa powder and then slowly whisk in the beaten egg. Return the pan to low heat and cook 1-2 minutes, stirring, until the mixture thickens. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla, graham cracker crumbs, coconut and chopped nuts. Firmly press the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Cover with wrap and refrigerate until firm, about an hour.

 

Middle Layer:

Using your mixer, beat the butter until smooth and creamy. Add the remaining ingredients for the middle layer and beat until smooth. If the mixture is too thick to spread, add a little more cream. Spread over the bottom layer, cover and refrigerate about 30 minutes.

 

Top Layer:

In a microwave safe bowl, melt the chocolate chips and butter in 30 second increments, stirring in between, until melted. Spread the melted chocolate over the middle layer, cover and refrigerate until set, about 10 minutes. Cut into squares using a sharp knife.

 

Store in the refrigerator.

 

Enjoy!

Laura



Bundt Part 2

Y'all. This is so exciting. After writing yesterday's post on Nordic Ware Bundt Pans, I went downstairs to look at the bundt pan that was my grandma's and she brought it up here in May.

It's the classic bundt pan made by Nordic Ware!

So, I immediately had to find a delicious recipe to fulfill my bundt cake desire. Here are some contenders...

Pumpkin Spice with Creamy Pumpkin Glaze

 

Blueberry Bundt Cake

 

Root Beer Float Cake

 

 

Apple Bundt with Brown-Butter Vanilla Bean Glaze

 

There are way too many delicious looking options and the shape the gorgeous pans provides makes the decision even harder! Can't wait to try!

 

Bundt is a funny word.

Laura

 

 



Nordic Ware

A pro of pregnancy is that after you wake up in the morning, eat, maybe start some laundry or something, it is perfectly acceptable to lay back down on the couch for a little rest.

It's for the baby, of course.

During one of these couch recovery times, I caught the last half of the Martha Stewart show when she had the family that created the Nordic Ware bake ware line on to show their gorgeous pans and make some delicious bundt cakes!

I've always seen these pans, especially during the holiday season, at Williams-Sonoma and, although I've admired them, never realized what made them so special. Well, Martha changed my outlook on that.

Nordic Ware is a family company that has been around for over 65 years. Their pans are all made in the USA and create stunning cakes that are a piece of art in themselves. The bundt pans (they make cookware, etc. as well!) are made of non-stick, lightweight yet durable cast aluminum which creates immaculate detail as well as distributes heat evenly while baking.

What really won me over was seeing all the amazing designs lined up next to each other. Look at some of these beauties...

The Original Bundt Pan

 

Platinum Fleur De Lis

 

Pro Cast Bavaria

 

Platinum Rose

Heritage Bundt

And look how gorgeous the cakes turn out when baked in these pans!

 

 

 

 

This is just a small preview of their unique bundt pans and designs! Martha even made a suet bird food bundt pan for the birds in winter! She's so good.

 

They did mention that thicker, more dense batters work best in these pans to hold up to the details it makes.

 

Click here to watch the clip of Nordic Ware founder's granddaughter baking with Martha.

 

Now to pick just one...

Laura



 



Peach Cake Bars

This recipe has been hailed as the "best" recipe on Pinterest.

And I wasn't just going to let that title go by without sampling!



Boy, oh, boy- it is good!

I made a few adaptations using fresh peaches but overall, left this recipe as is because it is delicious! Light, fresh and refreshing! Perfect to use up those scrumptious peaches that are in season right now but the base recipe would be great to throw in apples or berries, too.

Peach Cake Bars

Adapted slightly from Just a Pinch

Yield: 12 large bars

Prep Time: 15 min. Total Time: 1 hour (includes both cooking times)

Ingredients:

-1 box yellow cake mix

-2 eggs

-1/3 c. butter, room temperature

-8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature

-1/3 c. sugar

-1 tsp. vanilla extract

-Scant 4 cups of fresh peaches, peeled and sliced into 1/4 in. slices (I used 4 large peaches)

Directions:

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9x13 pan with nonstick spray.

-Combine cake mix, 1 egg and butter in a medium bowl with fork until crumbly. Reserve 1 c. for topping and press the rest into the prepared pan. Bake for 10 minutes.

-Sprinkle the peaches on top of the partially baked crust.

-With an electric mixer until creamy, combine cream cheese, sugar, 1 egg and vanilla extract. Pour and spread over peaches.

-Top with remaining 1 c. reserved crumbs and bake for 30 minutes.

-Let cool completely before cutting. Store in refrigerator...if you have any left to store!

Enjoy!

Laura



Wendy's Frosty Copy Cat

Have y'all seen this recipe floating around Pinterest?

An at home version of a Wendy's Frosty- have there ever been better words said to a pregnant woman?

Most all the recipes are similar but here is how I made our version of an at home Frosty.

Wendy's Frosty

In the bowl of your ice cream maker (I love this one!) combine 8 oz. cool whip, 7 oz. sweetened condensed milk and fill to the fill line with chocolate milk (I made mine using this combination). Turn on the ice cream maker and let run for 20-25 minutes. Pour into a freezable container and let harden to the right consistency. Yum! 

Now we just need homemade french fries for dipping!
Laura