Happy Birthday Kira Dog

Yesterday was our little Kira dogs birthday and she turned 9 years old. I have had her since she was 8 weeks old. I look back at pictures of her when she was a baby and can't believe she is so big now, Haha! I decided to do something different for her this year and bake her a birthday cake. We normally just get some toys and treats to give her but a cake sounded more fun, plus she got toys and treats from Grandma for Christmas. :) I have found a couple different recipes on Pinterest for dog birthday cakes, so I picked on and made it last night.

Peanut Butter Delight: Dog Birthday Cake

This is the little piece we gave her last night with peanut butter frosting.

Ingredients:
1 cup white or whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup shredded carrots
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup honey
1 egg

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix together flour and baking soda. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Pour into a ring mold sprayed with a nonstick spray. I just used a bread pan to make it in.
3. Bake for approximately 40 minutes

Once cake is cool, frost cake with low fat cottage cheese and decorate with carrot pieces. Store in refrigerator for up to one week, or slice thinly and freeze in individual plastic baggies. (One this step I didn't use the cottage cheese like she did, I used peanut butter instead. Kira loves PB so this was the perfect frosting for the cake).

Of course I took some pictures of her enjoying her first birthday cake!

She was excited to see what she was getting!

The peanut butter kept sticking the paper towel so we had to help her get if off. Haha

She really enjoyed her cake and wanted more. I didnt' want to just let her dig into the whole cake b/c I didn't know if she would get an upset tummy or not with eating something new, but she did fine. We are going to give her some more tonight when we get home. She will be so excited!

Chocolate Cake w/ Whipped Frosting

For my brother's birthday I made a chocolate cake with whipped chocolate frosting. It turned out super yummy, a little sweet but very good! The whipped frosting I made this time is by far my favorite!

I made the chocolate cake recipe before but instead of doing a cake I just made cupcakes. I got lots of positive feed back on this cake so that made me feel good! I always get nervous making things from scratch and people not liking them, but this was a success! I look forward to making this cake again and maybe trying a Vanilla frosting and tone down the sweetness. :)

For the Cake

Ingredients:

3 cups flour

2 cup sugar

2 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. salt

2/3 cup cocoa powder

1 cup oil

2 cup water

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 tbsp. vinegar

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Mix all ingredients together until moist & well blended

3. Bake 30-35 minutes.

4. Frost with your favorite icing



For the frosting:

Ingredients:

I doubled this recipe just to make sure I had enough to frost the cakes

1 cup heavy cream

1 regular bag of chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Bring cream to almost boil….but don’t boil it

2. In large mixing bowl, pour over the chocolate chips and stir until chips are melted and well blended

3. Cool for 1 hour on counter

4. I let it sit in the fridge overnight then whipped it. I'm sure letting it sit for a couple hours will work too.

Oreo Cookie Fudge

This fudge is SO GOOD!! It's a must try if you like fudge

Ingredients:

3 cups sugar

3/4 cup butter or margarine (1 1/2 sticks)

5 oz. can of evaporated milk

12 oz. package milk chocolate chips

7 oz. marshmallow crème

1 tsp. Vanilla

12 Oreo cookies, broken into 6 pieces

8 Oreo cookies, finely crushed

Directions:

1.      Line a 9x9 inch square pan with foil, spray lightly with non-stick cooking spray

2.      Break your 12 Oreo cookies by hand. I broke each cookie into about 6 pieces. Set them aside. Finely chop the other 8 Oreo cookies. A food processor works great. Chop it with the Oreo filling-this will keep it moist.

3.      In a large saucepan bring the sugar, butter and evaporated milk to a full rolling boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil 4 minutes or until 234 degrees Fahrenheit on your candy thermometer. Stir it the whole time!

4.      Remove from heat and add vanilla, chocolate chips, crushed Oreo crumbs, and marshmallow crème. Stir until well blended and chocolate chips are melted.

5.      Pour into prepared pan and smooth stop with spatula. sprinkle broken Oreos on top. Use hand or spatula to push Oreos gently into fudge.

6.      Cover and chill for at least one hour until firm. Store in fridge in airtight container for up to 3 days

 

 



Oreo Fluff Dip

Sunday we had the family over to plan Thanksgiving. Instead of making a meal I decided just to have some snacks while everyone was over, I wanted to make a yummy dessert too. So, I hopped on Pinterest and started searching through my dessert pins and found this Oreo fluff dip that sounded easy and super yummy! 

Ingredients:

• 24 Oreos, crushed
• 2 cups mini marshmallows
• 8 oz. cool whip
• 1 box white chocolate instant pudding mix
• 2 cups milk

Directions:

1. In large bowl whisk together milk and pudding mix for 2 mintues.
2. Add cool whip, Oreos and marshmallows
3. Stir well
4. Refrigerate until ready to serve
5. I served mine with Oreos and Grapham crackers



Funfetti Gooey Bars

This past weekend I was in the mood to bake yet again. So, I went through my desserts on Pinterest and decided to make these little guys.

I did change a couple things in the recipe, nothing major, I used St. Patty's Day sprinkles instead of the colorful ones just to use them up and I also added chocolate chips and white chocolate chips together. These turned out pretty good. They made a bunch so I sent some to work with Shane for his group so we didn't eat them all. :)



Ingredients:

• 1 box yellow cake mix (I used my own recipe)
• 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, softened
• 1 egg
• 2/3 cups sprinkles, divided
• 1/2 cup (from a 14 ox. can) sweetened condensed milk
• 1 cup white chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Line 9x9 pan with foil and spray with cooking spray.
3. Add cake mix, butter and egg to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix until a thick dough forms.
4. Add 1/3 cup sprinkles and stir until incorporated.
5. Press about 2/3 of the dough into the bottom of the prepared pan.
6. Sprinkle with white chocolate chips and remaining 1/3 cup sprinkles.
7. Pour sweetened condensed milked over the top.
8. Separate the remaining dough into small balls and evenly space over the top of the bars. Press down to flatten.
9. Bake for about 30 minutes or until they just begin to brown.
10. Cool completely before slicing.

Cookies ‘N Cream Oreo Fudge Brownies

I have a TON of dessert recipes on Pinterest, so a couple weekends ago I wanted to make a yummy dessert. I jumped on my Baked Goods board to see what I should make. I can came across these little babies and thought they looked awesome, so I gave them a try.

They didn't turn out like the picture, but I know nothing ever does, but I think they should have come out a least close to it. These were good but I believe the could be much better. I'm going to have to give these a try again to see if I can get them more fudgey.

Ingredients:

• 1 box brownie mix (I used my own recipe)
• Eggs & Oil (as directed on the brownie mix)
• 1 heaping cup (6 oz) Cookies & Cream Ice Cream
• 1/4 cup hot fudge (chilled or room temp.)
• 1 pkg Oreo cookies (I used double stuffed)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven according to the brownie box.
2. Spray 8x8 pan with cooking spray
3. Combine brownie mix, eggs & oil as directed on the box, but do not add the water.
4. Add ice cream and hot fudge to brownie batter and stir to combine.
5. Pour half the mix into the baking dish, layer with Oreos, then top with the remaining batter.
6. Bake 40-50 minutes or as directed on the box.

Smore Fudge Bars

A few weeks ago we were having the family over for a BBQ, and I wanted a yummy dessert to make. So, I remembered on Pinterest that I had a smore bar recipe that I wanted to try. What better dessert to have with BBQ then Smores, right?? :)

These turned out AMAZING I do say. They were super yummy and very addicted so watch out if you make them. LOL 

Ingredients:

Crust:

· 2 cups graham cracker crumbs

· 1/2 cup butter, melted

· 1/4 cup granulated sugar

· 1/2 tsp. salt

Fudge Layer:

· 2 cups milk chocolate chips

· 14 oz. sweetened condensed milk

Fluff Layer:

· 3/4 cup sugar

· 1/2 cup light corn syrup

· 1/4 cup water

· 1/4 tsp. salt

· 2 egg whites

· 1/4 tsp. cream of tartar

· 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Line a 9x9 baking with foil. Set aside
3. Mix all the ingredients for your crust together and press evenly into pan.
4. Bake for 10 mins. Remove from oven and set aside
5. Next make your chocolate filling. In medium sauce pan combine chocolate chips & condensed milk together over medium-low heat. Stir until melted. Pour immediately onto crust.

Fluff:

1. Combine sugar, corn syrup, water and salt in small sauce pan over medium-high heat. Boil together until a candy thermometer reads 240 degrees.
2. While mixture is boiling beat 2 egg whites and cream of tartar together until soft peaks form.
3. When syrup is ready, turn mixer onto low & drizzle the syrup along the side of the bowl slowly combining it into the egg whites.
4. When all the syrup has been added turn mixer up to medium high & beat for 7-8 mins until thick and glossy. When there is about 1 min left add in the vanilla extract.
5. Spread about 1 1/2 -2 cups of the fluff on top of the chocolate layer.
6. Turn over onto broil & place pan under for 1 minute or until the top of the marshmallow layer gets lightly golden.
7. Cut into squares when ready to serve.

Store bars airtight at room temperature for up to 2 days or refrigerated for up to 5 day.



Homemade Brownies

Over the weekend I made some delicious homemade brownies! This was a recipe yes that I found on Pinterest. LOL I couldn't believe how good these turned out, we can't stop eating them! They were super easy to make and I added some chocolate chips to ours. Yum! I can't wait to make these again.

Ingredients: 

·         1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

·         1 tsp baking powder

·         1 tsp salt

·         2/3 cups unsweetened cocoa powder

·         2 cups white sugar

·         ¾ cup oil

·         3 eggs

·         1 tsp vanilla

·         ½ cup chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Mix dry ingredients together until well mix then add the wet ingredients.
3. Bake for 20-25 mins.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Here is yet another recipe I got off Pinterest and decided to try last weekend. :)

I thought homemade chocolate chip cookies would be a great treat on our 3rd snow storm! These turned out super yummy and I can't wait to make them again. I had to keep telling myself not to eat so many at once they were so good. LOL



Ingredients:



·         1 cup butter

·         1 cup sugar

·          1/2 cup brown sugar

·         2 eggs

·         2 tsp vanilla

·         2 1/4 cups flour

·         1 tsp baking soda

·         1/2 tsp salt

·         1 12 ounce bag semi-sweet chocolate chips. 

Directions:

1.        Preheat oven to 375

2.       Cream together butter and sugar, beat in eggs and vanilla.

3.       In a separate bowl, combine flour, salt, and baking soda.

4.      Gradually beat into butter/sugar mixture, add chocolate chips and stir in.

5.       Spoon onto ungreased cookie sheet.

6.       Bake 8-10 mins

Ice Cream Cupcakes

For my sister's birthday I made ice cream cupcakes and OMG they were the best cupcakes EVER! I couldn't believe how good they were and I just wanted to keep eating them. We have some leftovers and I love having one for dessert after dinner. So good, if you get a chance I feel everyone should try these at least once.

I made the cake mix and frosting all from scratch , next time we want and try to make the ice cream from stratch too. I can't wait to make these again! I also want to try this in a cake form and see how that turns out. Yummy stuff!

Ingredients:

• Yellow Cake Mix
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (do not sift the flour)
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1-teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 cups milk
• Vegetable oil
• 1 stick butter (not margarine), softened
• 1-tablespoon vanilla extract
• 3 large eggs
• Cupcake Liners
• Cake Batter Ice Cream
• Whipped Chocolate Frosting
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 4 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1/2 pint heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

• Yellow Cake Mix
• In a large mixing bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt, mixing well.
• Measure the 1-1/4 cups of milk in a 2 cup measuring cup….then add enough vegetable oil to bring the liquid up to 1-1/3 cups.
• Add the milk/vegetable oil mixture, butter and vanilla to the flour mixture and beat with an electric mixer on medium to medium-high speed for 2 minutes, scraping sides of bowl as needed.
• Add the eggs and continue beating an additional 2 minutes.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
3. Put cupcake liners into a muffin tin and measure out 1 Tbsp. of batter into each liner- the batter is only meant to fill the bottom.
4. Bake for about 15 minutes or until they bounce back. Do not take the cupcakes out of the pan.
5. Once cooled leave the liners and cake inside of the muffin tin and put your softened ice cream on top of the cake until it reaches the top of the liners. Freeze in the freezer until the ice cream is hardened (about 2 hours). Right before serving top with the whipped cream frosting and some sprinkles!

• Whipped Chocolate Frosting
• Dissolve sugar and cocoa in cream. Beat until thick.
• Add vanilla, beat well.
• Spread on cakes, cupcakes, etc. Can also be used for filling between cake layers



Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake & Frosting

We were having a friend over to celebrate his birthday last night. I wanted to bake him a cake and he said his favorite was a cookie cake. So I started looking for a great recipe to try. I have made a cookie cake once before but it didn't turn out very well and I haven't tried it again since. The cake I made this weekend turned out AMAZING!!! We all were amazed at how delicious the cake and frosting was. I look forward to making this again soon! :)

Ingredients for Cake:

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (11 1/4 oz)
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt**
• 8 oz unsalted butter (or use 4 oz butter and 1/2 cup shortening for 1 cup total)
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 bag semi sweet regular 

Directions for Cake:

1. Preheat oven to 300° F. Line a 12 inch round pizza pan with a circle of parchment or non-stick foil. Alternatively, you can make your own pizza pan by molding non-stick foil into a giant 12 inch circle.
2. Mix flour, baking soda and salt together; set aside.
3. Cream butter and both sugars by hand or with an electric mixer. Beat in the eggs and vanilla. When well mixed, add flour mixture and stir until blended Fold in chocolate chips.
4. Put all the batter in the pan and press it into a circle. Stop the circle about 1 ½ to 2 inches from the rim. Press M&M’s decoratively into top.
5. Bake on center rack for 32-35 minutes or until cookie is golden around edges and appears set.

Ingredients for Frosting:

• 4 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 5 Tbsp Milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Food coloring

Directions for Frosting:

1. Combine all ingredients in stand mixer except for food coloring.
2. Beat on medium-high speed until smooth 4-5 mins. 
3. Stir in food coloring
4. Pipe onto cake.

Here is the cake all decorated!! So yummy!! :) It's not perfect so no judging. LOL

Chocolate Cupcakes

These are the cupcakes Shane and I made my brother for his birthday. The cupcakes and the frosting both were homemade, they were so yummy! I'm really enjoying all this homemade stuff we are making and I love sharing it with everyone. :)

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup oil
• 1 cup water
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp vinegar
• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix all ingredients together until moist and well blended.
3. Bake for 20-25 minutes
4. Frost with your favorite icing.
5. To make a layer cake, double the recipes and put in 2 round cake pans.
6. Increase baking time to about 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 

Funfetti Vanilla Cake

At the beginning of the new year I made Shane a homemade Funfetti cake, these are his favorite and since he didn't get one on his actually birthday I thought I should make him one! I decided instead of getting the box stuff it was time to try a all homemade cake. It turned out pretty good. :)

 The cake turned out purple on the inside..I think that's because we got the wrong baking jimmies to put inside. LOL but it still turned out good.

Ingredients:

·         4 egg whites from large eggs

·         1 cup milk, divided

·         1 teaspoon vanilla

·         ½  teaspoon almond extract

·         3 cups cake flour

·         1 ½ cups white sugar

·         4 teaspoons baking powder

·         ½  teaspoon salt

·         4 tablespoons unsalted butter, very soft

·         8 tablespoons non-hydrogenated shortening

·         1/3 cup multi-colored jimmies

Directions:

1. Heat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease two 9-inch round cake pans. (Or, for a four-layer cake, grease four cake pans.) In a small bowl mix the egg whites, 1/4 cup milk, vanilla and almond extract. Set aside.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer mix the cake flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Mix for 30 seconds or until well-combined. Add the butter and shortening and mix for another 30 seconds, or until well-combined with the flour mixture. Pour in the remaining 3/4 cup milk and continue mixing on medium speed for about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
3. Gradually pour in the egg white mixture, mixing for 30 seconds after each addition. Mix for one more minute. Gently fold in the multi-colored jimmies.
4. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cake pans. If baking four layers, bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until the tops are slightly golden and spring back when pressed. If baking two layers, bake for 25 to 30 minutes.
5. Remove from the oven and place the pans on baking racks to cool for about 10 minutes. Turn the pans over onto the rack. Flip the cake layers over and let them cool completely before icing.