Desserts

99 Flavors of Bars: #2 Oreo Cheesecake Blondies

/ Leslie / 1 Comment

I just love blondies.  I love oreos too.  So why not combine the two into a wonderfully gooey bar?  These Oreo Cheesecake Blondies have a wonderful caramel, brown sugar flavored base topped with soft, pillowy cheesecake and crunchy oreo pieces.  Yum.

I used the same blondie base as my Peach Streusel Bars, just omitting the extra egg white so these aren’t as cakey.

blon

Next comes the layer of oreo cheesecake.

oreo cheesecake brownies before baking

Of course you can’t go wrong with more oreos, so why not add some to the top?

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These bars turned out ooey, gooey, and delicious.

Oreo Cheesecake Blondies

Oreo Cheesecake Blondies

  • Servings: 16 small bars
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A blondie bar topped with oreo cheesecake and crushed oreos

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup butter, melted
  • 1 cup light brown sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 ts vanilla extract
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 ts baking powder
  • 1/4 ts salt

Cheesecake topping ingredients

  • 8 oreos, crushed
  • 8 oz cream cheese, softened
  • 1/4 cup white sugar
  • 1 ts vanilla extract
  • 1 egg

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line an 8×8 inch baking pan with parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl, stir the brown sugar into the melted butter.  Beat in the egg.  Blend in the flour, baking soda, and salt until fully mixed.  Spread the batter evenly into the prepared baking pan.

3. In another bowl, beat the cream cheese with an electric mixer on medium speed until softened.  Add the sugar and beat until fluffy.  Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat for another minute until the mixture is smooth.  Fold in half of the crushed oreos.

4. Pour the cheesecake mixture on top of the blondie mixture.  Spread to cover, then using a knife, gently swirl through the cheesecake mixture.  Sprinkle the other half of the crushed oreos on top.

5. Bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Let cool and cut into squares (you can use the parchment paper to lift the bars out of the pan).  Store leftovers covered in the fridge.

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99 Types of Cookies: #4 Red Velvet Cookies

/ Leslie / Leave a comment

Honestly, baking a cake, especially a layer cake is a bit of work.  These Red Velvet Cookies taste just like a miniature red velvet cake.  They have a cake-like texture with cream cheese icing.

To achieve the red velvet color and taste, I added red velvet cake mix to a basic cookie recipe.  Adding an extra egg white gives a very cakey texture.

red velvet cookie batter

These cookies don’t look like much when they come out of the oven (hence the lack of pictures), but once the icing is added they are divine.

Red Velvet Cookies

If you’re craving red velvet, but don’t want to go to the trouble of baking a cake, these cookies do the trick.

Red Velvet Cookies

  • Servings: about 2 dozen cookies
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Cake-like red velvet cookies with cream cheese icing

Ingredients

  • 1 cup plus 2 Tb all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup red velvet cake mix
  • ½ ts baking soda
  • ½ cup butter, softened
  • ¼ cup white sugar
  • ¼ cup light brown sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 egg white

Frosting ingredients

  • 8 oz cream cheese, softened
  • ¼ cup butter, softened
  • 2 ½ cups powdered sugar
  • 1 ts vanilla extract

Directions

  1. Beat butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until creamy. Stir in egg and egg white, then add the red velvet cake mix.  Blend in the flour and baking soda until all ingredients are fully incorporated. The dough will be sticky – refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
  2. After dough has chilled, preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Drop tablespoons of dough onto cookie sheets and bake for 8-9 minutes.
  3. Meanwhile, prepare frosting.  Using a mixer, beat butter and cream cheese on medium speed until well mixed.  Add vanilla and powdered sugar and continue beating until completely smooth.
  4. Remove cookies from the oven and let cool.  Spoon frosting into a pastry bag fitted with a star tip.  Frost cookies with swirls of frosting (you may have some extra frosting left).

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99 Flavors of Bars: #1 Peach Streusel Bars

/ Leslie / 2 Comments

It is peach season here in Georgia.  Yesterday we went peach and blackberry picking at a local farm.  The peach trees laden with heavy fruit look just beautiful.

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The peaches were so plentiful it took only a few minutes to pick a peck of peaches.

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Now I have to use all of these peaches.  My daughter dreamed up the idea for these Peach Struesel Bars.  I’m glad they turned out so perfectly.

They start with a blondie base.

blondie base

Which is then topped with sweetened chunks of peaches.

sweetened peach chunksAnd finally, a streusel crumb is added to the top.

peach streusel bars before baking

I love that these bars aren’t overly sweet.

Peach Streusel Bars

If you can get your hands on some fresh peaches, definitely give these a try.

Peach Streusel Bars

Peach Streusel Bars

  • Servings: 16 small bars
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A blondie bar base topped with diced peaches and streusel

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup butter, melted
  • 1 cup light brown sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 egg white
  • 1 ts vanilla extract
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 ts baking powder
  • 1/4 ts salt

Peach topping

  • 3 large peaches, pealed and chopped
  • 1/3 cup white sugar
  • 1 Tb all-purpose flour

Streusel topping

  • 2 Tb butter, melted
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup white sugar
  • 1 dash cinnamon
  • 1 dash salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line an 8×8 inch baking pan with parchment paper.

2. Stir together the peach topping ingredients in a microwave safe bowl.  Microwave on high 2-3 minutes until the mixture is bubbly.  Let sit while preparing the blondie base.

2. In a large bowl, stir brown sugar into melted butter until well combined.  Stir in egg, egg white, and vanilla.  Blend in flour, baking powder, and salt until fully combined.  Spread the mixture evenly into the prepared baking pan.

3. Using a slotted spoon, spread peach chunks all over the blondie base.  Let most of the juice drain away as you’re scooping.  Slightly press the peaches into the base.

4. Prepare the streusel topping: fluff all of the streusel toppings in a small bowl until small balls of crumbs form.  Sprinkle over the top of the bars.

5. Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

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99 Flavors of Ice Cream Sandwiches: # 1 Double Pistachio Ice Cream Sandwiches

/ Leslie / 1 Comment

This might quite literally be one of the most amazing, delicious desserts I have ever had.  The chewy, sweet cookies combined with the slightly sweet, creamy ice cream is simply divine.  I wish I had an ice cream truck to share these…

The cookies are simple and can be whipped up in just 20 minutes.  I used my Pistachio Pudding Cookies recipe without chilling the dough.

pistachio pudding cookies for ice cream sandwiches

I used Talenti brand pistachio gelato for the inside of my ice cream sandwich.  I love the extra creaminess of gelato.  You can sit the ice cream or gelato outside of the freezer for about a half an hour to make scooping and squishing between the cookies easier.

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Rolling the outside edges of ice cream in slivered almonds adds a little bit of crunch.

Double Pistachio Ice Cream Sandwich

Double Pistachio Ice Cream Sandwich

Sink your teeth into this green beauty – the textures and flavor are truly amazing!

Double Pistachio Ice Cream Sandwich

Double Pistachio Ice Cream Sandwiches

  • Servings: 8-9 sandwiches
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Two chewy pistachio pudding cookies filled with pistachio gelato.

Ingredients

Directions

1. Follow the recipe for Pistachio Pudding Cookies, but do not chill the dough.  After mixing the batter, drop by large tablespoonfuls onto parchment lined cookie sheets.  Bake in the 375 degree oven for 8 minutes.  Do not roll in powdered sugar.  Let the cookies cool.

2. Take the ice cream or gelato out of the freezer 30 minutes before serving the ice cream sandwiches, if desired (for ease of scooping).  Crush the slivered almonds into smaller pieces onto a small plate.

3. Sandwich a scoop of pistachio ice cream/gelato between two pistachio pudding cookies.  Roll the outside edges of the ice cream in the crushed slivered almonds.

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99 Types of Cookies: # 3 Banana Pudding Cookies

/ Leslie / Leave a comment

These Banana Pudding Cookies are AMAZING and EASY!  They are another concoction thanks to my daughter.  After taste testing, she described them as “sweet, with melty, gooey chips, and a surprising crunch.”  The crunch is provided by vanilla wafers, which are paired with white chocolate chips in a banana-flavored cookie dough.  Banana pudding turned cookie!  Yum!

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You can whip these cookies up in 20 minutes.  No chilling required, just mix and drop and they turn out beautifully chewy.

banana pudding cookies ready for baking

I think these are a new favorite of mine.

Banana Pudding Cookie

This recipe bakes up 24 cookies, perfect for sharing.

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Banana Pudding Cookies

Banana Pudding Cookies

  • Servings: about 24 cookies
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Chewy banana pudding cookies studded with white chocolate chips and vanilla wafer pieces

Ingredients

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • ½ ts baking soda
  • ½ cup margarine, softened (use one with a high vegetable oil content like Land O’Lakes)
  • 2 Tb white sugar
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar
  • 1 3.4 oz pkg instant banana pudding
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup white chocolate chips
  • 8 vanilla wafer cookies
  • yellow food coloring, optional

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

2. Beat margarine, brown sugar, and white sugar until completely creamy. Beat in banana pudding mix until fully combined with the butter mixture, then beat in the egg.  Add a few drops of yellow food coloring, if desired.  Mix in flour and baking soda until fully incorporated.  Break the vanilla wafers into pieces and add them to the cookie dough, along with the white chocolate chips.  Stir until combined.

 
3. Use a cookie scoop or large spoon to drop by tablespoonfuls on cookie sheet.  Bake in upper third of oven for 8-9 minutes.  Do not over bake.  Cookies will appear underdone, but will set while cooling.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

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99 Types of Cookies: # 2 Strawberry Pudding Confetti Cookies

/ Leslie / Leave a comment

These Strawberry Pudding Confetti Cookies are a variation of my Pistachio Pudding Cookies.  My daughter came up with the idea, and after making these she thought they’d be great for a birthday party, which they would!  They are easy, sweet, and chewy.  The sprinkles add festive color and the dough is just barely pink, but you could add food coloring to make it brighter.

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The drops of dough look like little balls of strawberry ice cream with sprinkles.

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These cookies bake up really soft, so be careful when transferring to a rack to cool.

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These cookies are sweet, soft, chewy, and gooey – just like the pistachio version!

Strawberry Pudding Confetti Cookies

Super simple – just mix, drop, and bake and you’ve got a sweet treat.

Strawberry Pudding Confetti Cookie

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Strawberry Pudding Confetti Cookies

  • Servings: about 18-20 cookies
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Soft and chewy strawberry flavored cookies with rainbow sprinkles

Credit: 99Taste original by Leslie

Ingredients

  • 1 cup plus 2 Tb all-purpose flour
  • ½ ts baking soda
  • ½ cup margarine, softened (use one with a high vegetable oil content like Land O’Lakes)
  • ¼ cup white sugar
  • ¼ cup plus 2 Tb light brown sugar
  • ¼ ts vanilla extract
  • 3 Tb instant strawberry pudding, dry
  • 1 egg
  • 1/3 cup rainbow sprinkles
  • pink food coloring, optional

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

2. Beat margarine, brown sugar, and white sugar until creamy. Beat in strawberry pudding mix and vanilla until fully combined. Beat in egg. Mix in flour and baking soda, dough will be stiff.  Blend in pink food coloring to desired color, if using.  Stir in rainbow sprinkles.
3. Use a cookie scoop or large spoon to drop by large tablespoonfuls on cookie sheet.  Bake for about 10 mins, until bottoms are just barely golden.  Cookies will appear underdone, but will set while cooling.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

99 Types of Cookies: # 1 Pistachio Pudding Cookies

/ Leslie / 2 Comments

I absolutely love pistachios – both the taste and the color.  These Pistachio Pudding Cookies have the most amazing flavor and texture!  They are easy to make and perfect for St. Patrick’s Day, since they are green, or delicious enough to have any time.

The pistachio pudding mix makes the dough a split pea soup color, so I added about four drops of green food coloring to get a prettier hue.

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The cookies bake up perfectly.

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Let the cookies cool slightly before rolling in powdered sugar.  Be careful if they are still a bit warm, because they will be soft and fragile.

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These cookies are sweet, soft, chewy, and gooey.

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Try them for yourself!

Stack of Pistachio Pudding Cookies

Pistachio Pudding Cookies

  • Servings: about 2 dozen cookies
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Soft and chewy pistachio-flavored cookies

Credit: 99Taste original by Leslie

Ingredients

  • 1 cup plus 2 Tb all-purpose flour
  • ½ ts baking soda
  • ½ cup margarine, softened (use one with a high vegetable oil content like Land O’Lakes)
  • 2 Tb white sugar
  • ¼ cup plus 2 Tb light brown sugar
  • ¼ ts vanilla extract
  • 1 4 oz. package instant pistachio pudding dry mix
  • 1 egg
  • ½ cup powdered sugar
  • green food coloring

Directions

1. Beat margarine, brown sugar, and white sugar until creamy. Beat in pistachio pudding mix and vanilla. Beat in egg. Mix in flour and baking soda.  Blend in green food coloring to desired color.
2. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Roll tablespoonfuls of dough into round balls and place 2 inches apart on parchment lined cookie sheet.
4. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until bottoms are just slightly browned. When cookies have cooled slightly, carefully roll in powdered sugar.

99 Ways with the Instant Pot: # 1 Instant Pot Upside Down Peach Pudding

/ Leslie / Leave a comment

I’m new to the Instant Pot game.  But I really want to expand my instant pot recipes.  For this peach pudding, I re-vamped a baked version from Southern Living magazine to work in the instant pot.  The result is a spongy pudding that is just slightly sweet, perfect with vanilla ice cream.

For this recipe you will need a 6 qt Instant Pot and a 7″ springform pan or another deep-sided dish that fits inside your Instant Pot.

One large ripe peach that is sliced fits perfectly in the bottom of a 7″ springform.

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Chopped peaches and buttermilk are blended to add moistness to the pudding.

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After you mix all the ingredients, the batter will be thin.  I loved the hint of cinnamon.

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Pour the batter over the sliced peaches.

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Pour 1 cup of water into the bottom of the instant pot.  Set the trivet down inside.  Wrap both the bottom and top of the pudding with aluminum foil, then make a long strip of foil and place it under the pan.  Make sure it is long enough that you can hold the ends to lower and lift the pan out of the instant pot.

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Once you’ve lowered the pudding into the instant pot, seal on the lid.  Make sure the steam release handle is set to “sealing.”  Select “pressure cook” and set the timer to 50 minutes.  When the timer goes off, turn the steam handle to “venting” to quick release the steam.  Once the pressure valve has gone down, you can remove the lid and use the handles from the foil sling to lift out the pan.

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Dig in with your spoon, and you’ll find the tender peaches on the bottom.

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To take this dessert to the next level, serve with vanilla ice cream.  Yum!

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Instant Pot Upside Down Peach Pudding

  • Servings: 6
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Tender peaches topped with a lightly sweetened spongy cake topping

Credit: adapted from Southern Living magazine

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup flour
  • 1/2 ts baking soda
  • 1/2 ts baking powder
  • 1/2 ts salt
  • 1 large peach, sliced
  • 1 large peach, chopped
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk
  • 1/4 cup butter, softened
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 large egg

    • vanilla ice cream

Directions

  1. Grease a 7″ springform pan, or another deep-sided dish that will fit inside your instant pot.  Lay sliced peaches on bottom of pan.
  2. In a blender, puree the chopped peaches until smooth.  Add the buttermilk and blend until mixed.  Set aside.
  3. Beat butter and sugar at high speed in a stand mixer or with a hand beater until light and fluffy.  Beat in egg.  Pour in your reserved peach buttermilk mixture and stir by hand until blended.  Fold in flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt until well mixed.  Pour batter over peaches in springform pan.
  4. Cover bottom and top of pan with aluminum foil.  Make a sling out of a long piece of foil and place under the pan so that the sides are tall enough to hold onto.  Pour 1 cup of water into the bottom of the instant pot and place the trivet inside.  Holding the ends of the foil sling, lower the springform pan into the instant pot.  Place and seal on the lid, making sure the steam release handle is turned to “sealing.”  Set the instant pot to pressure cook for 50 minutes.
  5. When the instant pot timer is done, quick release the steam handle.  When the pressure valve has gone down, open the lid and remove the pan by lifting the ends of the foil sling.  Serve the peach pudding warm with vanilla ice cream.

 

99 Flavors of Cake Balls: # 1 Chocolate Chip Little Muffin Cake Balls

/ Leslie / Leave a comment

While staring at my daughter’s pile of half-eaten bags of little muffins, I had a genius idea.  Why not make cake balls out of them? – thereby, cutting out the need to bake a cake first!

I tried it out right away and they came out perfectly the first time.  No baking a cake required – I just crumbled the little muffins right into a bowl!

20180204_103455Mixing, or should I say mushing, in the frosting was a lot of fun.

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I was able to make 18 little muffin cake balls, ready to go in the freezer before dipping.

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I used a Wilton chocolate melting pot to make dipping easier.  It keeps the chocolate at a perfect low, but warm temperature for velvety smoothness.  You can dip all of your balls without the chocolate hardening and having to reheat it.

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When I took my first bite – yum! – exactly what I was hoping for.  Chewy, dense, chocolatey and sweet.

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I used Entenmann’s Chocolate Chip Little Muffins and Duncan Hines Creamy Classic Chocolate frosting for this recipe.  Using pre-packaged ingredients makes this recipe easy.  Enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Little Muffin Cake Balls

  • Servings: 18 balls
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

No-bake cake balls made with mini chocolate chip muffins

Calories per ball = 169

Ingredients

  • 20 mini chocolate chip muffins (5 packages)
  • 8 oz chocolate frosting (1/2 of a 16 oz container)
  • 4 oz semi-sweet baking chocolate
  • 1 ts coconut oil

Directions

1. Crumble all of the mini muffins in a bowl.  Blend in half of a 16 oz container of chocolate frosting.  Form the mixture into small balls, about 1 inch in diameter.  Place the balls in the freezer for at least 1 hour.

2.  Shortly before removing the balls from the freezer, melt 4 oz of semi-sweet baking chocolate with 1 ts of coconut oil in 30 second increments in the microwave.  Stir the chocolate after each 30 seconds until smooth and fully melted.  (I used a Wilton chocolate melting pot for this step, placing the chocolate and coconut oil on high until melted,then reducing to low.)

3.  Remove cake balls from the freezer.  Lay out a sheet of wax paper.  Dip and roll each cake ball in the melted chocolate until completely covered.  Place on waxed paper to set.  Once partially set, place the muffin cake balls in the fridge to set completely.  Store in the fridge in an airtight container.

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