Baked Vanilla Donuts with Chocolate Frosting

Happy weekend! :) I hope you're staying warm and DRY - things around here are getting interesting, with another round of snow and ice followed by RAIN all day Saturday. It's going to be a MESS. I haven't left the house since last Sunday, so we've been doing lots of baking and cooking. :)

These Vanilla Donuts with Chocolate Frosting are one of the things I've made, brought to you from Call Me PMC,

Now, because it's snow/ice, there is no running to the store to get one or two things, as you well know. :) So I didn't have any Greek yogurt; I used lemon juice in my milk, as the recipe says you can. And I didn't use any canned frosting - YUCK! - but some chocolate frosting I've been saving from a past cake recipe to use. :)

I don't think any of us were knocked out with the TEXTURE of these. They were a LOT like sponge cake, which is okay when that's what I'm EXPECTING in my donut. :) And Kenn said they were very filling. :D I'm keeping the recipe in my "Good Recipes to Have" file, but it probably won't be one I go back to. (I'm trying another baked donut recipe this weekend, I THINK, so I'm excited about it. :D )

OK, I'm leaving you alone now. :) Have a WONDERFUL weekend, and may you be richly blessed!

Sugar Cookie Bars

Welcome to Wednesday!! :) Have you had a good week so far?

Today, I want to share this recipe that I've made several times since I found it, but always gave away before I could shoot a photo! This recipe is for Sugar Cookie Bars from High Heels & Grills. :D

So, this is obviously a YES, PLEASE! recipe, since I continue to make it. :D They're rich, sugary cookies with a wonderful frosting; as you can see here, I jazzed the latest batch up with fall sprinkles. They're easy to dress up or down, and SO easy to transport!!! That's the best part - taking them to someone who needs a meal means they'll have something sweet to grab and go for a while.

I didn't change the recipe in any way, shape, or form. :) Isn't that amazing?? :D

OK, I'm outta here. Have a WONDERFUL day, dear friend. BE BLESSED!

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with Tangy Yogurt Frosting

Welcome to Wednesday! :) How are you today? Are you having a good week?

This recipe is for Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with Tangy Yogurt Frosting, a recipe from Confessions of a Cookbook Queen.

This one is a mixed one. I, personally, didn't like the cupcake. It was lacking SOMETHING, and to me, it smelled better than it tasted. The frosting was REALLY runny - I added an extra cup of confectioner's sugar, in an attempt to get it to spread better. Yeah, didn't work. By the time my husband ate it, it had pooled into the wrapper and dried mostly there.

Now, my mom liked the cupcake, not the frosting. My husband thought it was "really tasty", even though he swears he doesn't LIKE pumpkin. I just didn't tell him what kind it was. LOL

So, how to rate it. I'm going to give it a NO, THANK YOU; I might remember the icing as a glaze for something, but not as a true frosting. The cupcakes didn't last long before they started to grow mold - too moist? No clue, but YUCK.  If you decide to try them, I'd love to know what you think of them!

OK, I'm outta here! Have a WONDERFUL day! Be BLESSED!!!

Moist Chocolate Cake

Happy Friday! :D I decided we'd celebrate me doing a whole week again with CHOCOLATE CAKE! :D

Yes, this is Moist Chocolate Cake from Foodess.com.

And yes, it IS moist. It's also super easy, easy to divide in half so you don't have a bunch of this cake hanging around (your HIPS, cuz you'll want to eat it all by yourself!!!!!).

I guess I gave it away that this is a YES, PLEASE! recipe. :D I LOVE easy AND yummy, and this fits the bill. I'm also going to give you an extra review on what the recipe calls "Easy Chocolate Buttercream", but I'm not sure calling it that is correct. I mean, it's JUST chocolate chips and butter. Period. no confectioner's sugar! But again, SUPER easy, and RICH and YUMMY. :D

Have I convinced you to make this yet?!?! It's worth turning on your oven for! Seriously! :D Let me know if you try either of these. Oh, the sprinkles are some Valentine's ones that I have hanging around that I thought complimented the chocolate color. :D

Have a wonderful day! BE BLESSED!

Gingerbread

Happy Friday! I hope you've had a great week!

Here's another one of those recipes you really want to have on-hand; it's a Martha Stewart recipe for gingerbread.

These are the gingerbread men I made for the open house; I had a bit of a time with the icing being too runny, but it was mostly being glue for the mini M&Ms. :D

Don't omit the pepper in the recipe. I thought about it, but left this one as-is (except for the currants for the eyes!); it's a really GOOD gingerbread, not too crunchy but not super-soft, either. It rolls beautifully.

I really need to get a gingerbread GIRL cookie cutter....

This is one of two cookie recipes I'm going to use with my nieces and nephews - they want to decorate cookies, so that will be one of our craft projects. :)

Of course you don't have to go all out with these; just making a basic shape with no icing would be fine. I won't say it's BORING, but.... :D

OK, I'm outta here! It's another BUSY weekend! I hope YOU get a chance to rest, and try something new! :) Be BLESSED!

Candy Cane Kiss Brownies

Good Friday Morning! I don't know where you are; here in middle Tennessee, it's a brisk 31 degrees with a wind chill that's making it feel like 21! Today's not supposed to get very warm, which is OK with me. :D Now, if I could just get a LITTLE snow. (I know some places have been hammered with a blizzard; I used to enjoy them, if we didn't lose electricity!) Please stay safe and warm as you finish your Christmas preparations!

Now, then. On to today's recipe review, for these Candy Cane Kiss Brownies from Bake it in a Cake.

I made these while I was visiting in Texas. The first time, my sister was hosting a Stampin' Up! party for me, and we were going to serve these - but no papers to line the mini muffin cups. Rule number 1: USE PAPERS. The Kiss has some type of ingredient that caused it or the area immediately around it - not sure which! - to really harden. The bottoms STUCK to the tin. So, I created a trifle with one brownie crumbled up, then a layer of cool whip, another brownie, more cool whip, a drizzle of chocolate syrup, and a Kiss on top. Everyone loved them! (My sister loves mint and chocolate. :D )

Well, I couldn't let this go; I had to try and get a true reviewable brownie. :D So I went to Walmart and picked up more Kisses and mini muffin papers. Monday, I got to work!

My only revision was a big one: I used a brownie mix to simplify everything. I was in an unfamiliar kitchen with limited time - I didn't have a lot of time to explore their kitchen while Naomi and I were together! Brownie mix was the way to go. And I did use the peppermint extract in the frosting.

So. With that said, I'm going to say this is a YES, PLEASE! recipe, although I'm not sure I'd put the Kiss inside the brownie again. It got too hard. I will probably make the recipe exactly as written once before I make that final call. The frosting is straight buttercream; I loved it! BIG punch of peppermint! If you're looking for chocolate with a hint of peppermint, do NOT use the peppermint extract in your frosting! It definitely takes it to being peppermint with a hint of chocolate - but it was something I definitely enjoyed. I crushed some mints, too, and used the chunks/sugar to decorate the tops of the frosted brownies.

Wow. I'm kinda wordy today! :D I also want to share my beautiful niece with you; I didn't do it often enough. She loves to kick, so she gets to lie on the changing table and do so whenever the adult-in-charge decides. :D She doesn't smile for the camera; she knows she's going to get a flash in her face. :D But I caught this one!!

Have a WONDERFUL day! Be safe out there, if you still have shopping to do. And please, enjoy each moment. Be blessed!

Coconut Clouds

Have you missed me?!?! :D I know, I disappeared - but MY GOODNESS, taking care of a little one made me pretty brain-dead. But I'm home, and eager to share with you!

Today's recipe is for Coconut Clouds - another Taste of Home recipe.

This was the first time I decided to try these cookies, for the open house.

It will not be the last. :D They got a definite YES, PLEASE! from many people, including my sister, Debbi. :D (My youngest nephew, N., thought they should make all the good things in the photo I last posted. After all, they had all the ingredients, right? :D How fortuitous that Grandma and Grandpa were coming to visit in a few days! :D )

This is my dad. He and Mom are wonderful to help me with any project I care to beg - er, ASK! - for help with. :D Here he is, frosting the Coconut Clouds for me. :D

I did not change a THING with this cookie. The cookie itself is delightfully cake-y, and very nice alone. However, the coconut frosting and the toasted coconut on top definitely make this cookie something special. It is COMPLETELY coconut-tasting. If you don't like coconut as a flavor all alone, don't make this cookie. If you do, you MUST make it. :D

OK, I'm outta here. Kenn and I are going to spend the rest of the day together; I was gone a LONG time. It will be nice to be with him, then our church family later tonight. And tomorrow is our cookie exchange! I'm trying three all-new recipes, so be on the lookout! :)

Are you ready for Christmas?

Pumpkin Bars

Good Monday Morning!
Did you have a good weekend? It was absolutely STUNNING here - probably the last fall hurrah of the year. :D Low 70s, sunny - and I know some of my friends were dealing with snow. (I say "dealing"; I'd love to have snow!!!!!!)

ANYWAY. This recipe is a Taste of Home recipe; my mom actually brought home a Holiday Recipe cookbook she found at a garage sale. She's been craving something with pumpkin, and when I looked through the book I found this recipe. It's simple; I found it on their website, too, and here is the link!

As I said, it's a simple recipe. And it makes a big pan. We're going to give this a YES, PLEASE! What I did was mix up the whole batch, then cut the pan of bars in half and cooled and wrapped one half. They're in our freezer, waiting for someone to come visit. :D They were good; the frosting was good, and I *think* I cut the frosting recipe in half - and still didn't use it all. :)

OK, I'm off! Have a WONDERFUL day! Be BLESSED!!!!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake

Happy Monday Morning! How are you doing today? Did you have a good weekend? Did you try anything new?

Here's a recipe from SimplyDelicious for Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake. And I will tell you right now: this is a YES, PLEASE - so much so that I've made it several times since I tried it on the beach in February. So much so that I had to double-check to be sure I hadn't told you to make this already. :D It's WONDERFUL cake!

What I really love is that it's not too sweet. It looks like it might taste that way, but it doesn't. It's yummy, and addictive - my sister-in-law ate about half a sheet cake by herself. :D

I haven't made it into a layer cake; I have no reason for a layer cake, and more for sheet or 13x9 cakes. I made this cake for a pitch-in, and it was a huge hit. :) It even freezes FROSTED, if you have to do that - the photo above is a piece that's not only been frozen, but thawed and squished a little. :D It's a must-have recipe!

OK, I'm out of here. I'm in Missouri right now, so there's lots to do. :) Have a wonderful day, my friend. Be BLESSED!