Category: Desserts

Posted in Baked goods, Baking, cookies, Desserts, Food

Best Pecan Chewies

Posted on by lmc

I recently baked these Pecan Chewies for a family birthday party. This is an incredibly easy recipe with lots of big flavor. No need to pull out the electric mixer as it’s best to mix this recipe by hand. The combination of butter, pecans and brown sugar provide a mouthful of chewy goodness you won’t easily forget.


Ingredients


1 cup butter, melted
2 cups light brown sugar, packed
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 eggs 
2 cups self-rising flour
1 cup pecans, chopped
2 teaspoons powdered sugar optional, for dusting

Instructions


Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Grease a 9×13 inch baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.
Melt butter on stove top or microwave oven.
Combine brown sugar and flour in large mixing bowl. Add the slightly cooled melted butter and thoroughly combine. Add vanilla, eggs and pecans, stirring until well mixed.
Evenly pat mixture into baking pan and bake for 30-35 minutes. Cool completely before cutting into bars.  Optional: dust with powdered sugar 

Posted in Baked goods, Baking, Cake, Chocolate, Desserts, Food

Chocolatey Brownie Cake

Posted on by lmc

This cake combines a box of chocolatey cake mix with a box of decadent brownie mix. Adding a cup of coffee and a dollop of sour cream makes for a moist, dense, and flavorful delight.

Chocolatey Brownie Cake

  • 1 (18 oz) box chocolate fudge cake mix 
  • 1 (15.25) box fudge brownie mix
  • 4 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 cup canola oil
  • ⅓ cup sour cream
  • 1 cup coffee, cooled
  • 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a Bundt pan with cooking spray. Combine cake mix, brownie mix, oil, sour cream, coffee, and eggs in a large bowl; beat until well combined. Stir in chocolate chips. 
  2. Pour into the prepared pan.  Bake until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, about 50 to 60 minutes.
  3. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Run a table knife around edges to loosen. Invert carefully onto a serving plate or cooling rack.
  4. Let cool, before topping with your favorite chocolatey icing.
Posted in Baked goods, Baking, Chocolate, cookies, Desserts, Family, Food

Best Chocolate Chip Bars

Posted on by lmc

Lately, our family game nights have been focused on tile games like Mah Jongg and Dominoes. This is a great way to gather family for a mid-winter night of food and fun. I usually serve a no-fuss crock pot meal for dinner. Making this incredibly simple dessert adds to the carefree atmosphere. I simply mix up a few convenience ingredients for this delicious after dinner treat! …Always a hit!

Dominoes

Best Chocolate Chip Bars
1 (15.25oz) package yellow cake mix
⅓ cup oil or melted butter
2 large eggs, beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
1½ cups chocolate chips
1 cup walnuts, chopped

Preheat the oven to 350°. Grease a 9×13″ baking pan with cooking spray.
In a large bowl, mix eggs with oil or melted butter and vanilla. Add the cake mix; mix until combined.
Fold the chocolate chips and nuts into the stiff dough. Press dough into the to the prepared baking pan.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the edges are light golden brown.
Cool completely in the pan before cutting. Store cooled bars in an airtight container.

Mah Jongg
Posted in Baked goods, Baking, Cake, Desserts, Food

Lemon Cake Mix Bars

Posted on by lmc

I bought several lemon cake mixes at the beginning of the summer as I like to make a lemon jello cake every once in a while. This week, while going through my recipe box, I remembered a quick cake mix bar that I used to make for my kids lunch box meals. It’s a moist and dense bar with a lemony glaze that packs a punch! My family likes to top this bar with a dollop of vanilla ice cream for a summer evening treat.

Lemon Cake Mix Bars

Ingredients

For the bars:

  • 1 box lemon cake mix
  • 1/2 cup oil
  • 1/2 cup white baking chips
  • 2 eggs

For the glaze:

  • 2 Tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 Tbsp lemon zest, optional
  • 1 cup powdered sugar

Instructions

Prepare a 7×11” or 9×9” baking pan with cooking spray. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

  1. Combine cake mix, oil, and eggs. 
  2. Stir until blended. 
  3. Stir in baking chips. Pat into baking pan.
  4. Bake at 350 degrees for about 15-22 minutes or until light golden brown. 
  5. Cool completely.
  6. Mix powdered sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice to make a glaze. 
  7. Pour and spread over cooled bars. Cut and serve.
Posted in Baked goods, Baking, breakfast, cookies, Desserts, Food

Easy Cherry Oat Bars

Posted on by lmc

If you’re looking for a quick and delicious recipe to satisfy your sweet tooth, this is it! These tasty bars are packed with flavor and are great for a quick, on-the-go breakfast, a packable lunch box treat, or an after dinner dessert served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. If desired, switch up the filling with whatever flavors you have on hand… I’ve used strawberry- rhubarb jam, strawberry preserves, and blueberry spice spread.

Easy Cherry Oat Bars

  • 18 1⁄2ounce box white cake mix
  • 2 cups quick cooking oats
  • 3⁄4cup butter, melted 
  • 1 cup cherry preserves
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • 1⁄2cup  pecans, finely chopped

Directions

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray with cooking spray a 9×13” pan.
  • In a large bowl, mix together the cake mix, oats and butter until butter has been evenly distributed and mixture is crumbly.
  • Press two-thirds of the oat mixture evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan. (I use the bottom of a square plastic bowl to firmly pack the mixture in place.)
  • In a separate bowl, mix the preserves with water and carefully spread over the crust.
  • Add pecans to the remaining one-third of the oat mixture and crumble this over the top of the cherry layer.
  • Bake 375 for 28-35 minutes or until the top is lightly browned and the center doesn’t collapse when you press lightly.
Posted in Baked goods, Baking, Cake, Chocolate, Desserts, Food

The Very Best Chocolate Cake Ever

Posted on by lmc

This cake is dense and full of chocolate flavor… our very favorite chocolate cake recipe!

Best Chocolate Cake Ever

FOR THE CAKE:

3 cups flour

2 cups sugar

6 tablespoons cocoa powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups water

2/3 cup canola oil

2 teaspoons vinegar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

FOR THE CHOCOLATE FROSTING:

1 cup cold milk

1 package (3.9 ounces) instant chocolate pudding mix

1 carton (8 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed

Directions

In a bowl, combine the first five ingredients. Add the water, oil, vinegar and vanilla. Beat on low speed for 1 minute. Beat on medium for 1 minute. Pour into a greased 13×9” baking pan. Bake at 350° for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.

For frosting, in a mixing bowl, beat the milk and pudding mix for 2 minutes. Beat in thawed whipped topping. Spread evenly over cooled cake. Refrigerate.

Posted in Baked goods, Baking, Cake, cookies, Desserts, Food

Chewy Cake Mix Brownies

Posted on by lmc

Even though I have plenty of made-from-scratch brownie recipes, this is my “go to” for a quick, easy, and tasty bar. It’s a jiffy of a recipe and one of my favorites.

Chewy Cake Mix Brownies

1 (15 oz) box chocolate cake mix
1/2 cup canola oil
2 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1 cup pecans, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 7×11” baking pan. Combine cake mix, oil, eggs, and vanilla extract in a medium bowl; mix until well combined. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts.
Transfer the batter to a greased 7×11” or 8 X 8” baking dish.
Bake at 350 degrees for 20 – 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow brownies to cool completely before cutting

Posted in Baked goods, Baking, Brunch, Cake, Chocolate, Desserts, Uncategorized

Hazelnut Dump Brownies

Posted on by lmc

We had a very snowy 2021 Valentine’s Day. The light and fluffy flakes had been coming down for days and my yardstick inserted in the snow was clocking in at a whopping 17”. We had intended to go out for dinner but decided to settle in at home. I made a batch of these Hazelnut Dump Brownies to have with a scoop of ice cream for dessert.
Everything is basically dumped into a bowl, mixed together and tossed in a greased baking pan. Then, the mini chocolate chips are sprinkled over the top… easy enough! This is a super simple recipe with extraordinary results.
PS. It’s still snowing! ❄️❄️❄️

Hazelnut Dump Brownies

2 cups sugar
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup baking cocoa
1 teaspoon salt
5 large eggs, room temperature
1 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup hazelnuts, chopped
1 cup semisweet mini chocolate chips

Directions

  1. In a large bowl, mix in the first 8 ingredients. Pour into a greased 13×9” baking pan. Sprinkle with mini chocolate chips.
  2. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack.
Posted in Baked goods, Baking, Bread, breakfast, Brunch, Cake, Desserts, Uncategorized

Easy Blueberry Coffee Cake

Posted on by lmc

I have been without a proper kitchen for a number of months as the Corona Virus has ushered in a major kitchen appliance shortage in the US. We started a home remodel in May and everything is complete with the exception of a fridge, wall oven, cooktop, microwave and dishwasher. Ugh, this has been a bit of a pain.
Full disclosure, I have a second kitchen in my home and I’ve been using it to make quick and easy recipes. Most have a shortcut that I use so that I don’t have to pull out too many ingredients (many ingredients have been packed away in boxes from the original kitchen demo.)
I have to credit https://vintagerecipetin.com/blueberry-coffee-cake/ for this adapted recipe as I wanted to make a Sunday morning coffee cake with ingredients that I had on hand. This one included simple ingredients that made for a moist and delicious breakfast cake. I made a few changes to make the process even easier and to add a bit more flavor. I set up a small coffee bar and let everyone dig in while I pulled the rest of the meal together.

Easy Blueberry Coffee Cake

For the streusel:
1/2 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup butter, softened
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

For the batter:
15.25 oz. white or yellow cake mix
3 eggs
8 oz. cream cheese
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 cup oil
3 cups blueberries

Optional drizzle:
1 cup powdered sugar combined with 1 tablespoon of milk. Thin with extra milk, if needed.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9×13” pan with non-stick cooking spray. In a small bowl add the streusel ingredients. Mix with a fork until combined; set aside.
In a larger bowl add the cake mix, cream cheese, eggs, water, extracts and oil. Mix together with a hand mixer until smooth; fold in blueberries. Sprinkle streusel evenly over batter.
Place in the oven on the center rack. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the middle of the cake. Place on a cooling rack; cool. Drizzle with powdered sugar and water mixture. Serve warm or room temperature.

Posted in Baked goods, Baking, Bread, breakfast, Desserts, Food

Glazed Pear Cake

Posted on by lmc

I recently purchased a bag of pears, brought them home and placed them in the fruit bowl on my kitchen table. Those pears sat there all week as the family seemed to choose every other fruit in the bowl when snacking. I watched as the pears began to get overly ripe. Not wanting to waste the fruit, I remembered an apple cake recipe that I frequently make during the fall months. I thought I could easily substitute the pears into the apple recipe. So, I peeled and chopped the remaining pears and tossed them in. I was making a Father’s Day meal and thought this would be a lovely dessert.

Well, I was right… this cake was super moist, and tasted delicious pared with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.  I’ll definitely be making this one again!

Glazed Pear Cake

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

3 eggs, slightly beaten

1 cup oil

2 teaspoons  vanilla

3 cups  flour

1 teaspoon  salt

1 teaspoon  baking soda

2 teaspoons  cinnamon

4 cups pears, peeled and diced (apples work well too)

1 cup chopped walnuts

TOPPING:

1⁄2 cup  brown sugar

1⁄4 cup  milk

1 stick of  butter

Cake:

Preheat over to 350 degrees.  Grease a 9X13” baking pan.   Mix all cake ingredients by hand in order the  listed. Pour batter evenly into prepared pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes; remove.

Topping:

In small saucepan mix topping ingredients; bring to a slow boil for 3 minutes.

Pour over hot cake and return to oven for 4 minutes. Cool completely before slicing.