Just Make Stuff

Chocolate Marshmallow Pound Cake...

I have used this cake recipe time and time again (from the Cake Doctor) and add various things in like toffee chips or chocolate mints. This time I had a leftover bag of mini marshmallows so I tossed them in the batter and they melted into the cake to make it extra good.

Chocolate Marshmallow Pound Cake

• 1 package devil's food cake mix
• 1 (4 ounce) box instant chocolate pudding mix
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup room tempertature water
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 4 large eggs
• 3 cups mini marshmallows

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 12-cup bundt pan generously with cooking spray. In a large bowl use an electric mixer to blend together cake mix, pudding mix, sour cream, water, oil and eggs until well combined. By hand, stir in 3 cups mini marshmallows. Pour batter into bundt pan and bake in the oven for 45 to 50 minutes. Cool in the pan, on a wire rack, for 20 minutes. Run a long knife around the edge of the cake and invert it onto the rack to cool completely. Or remove to a cake plate and serve slices while it is still warm.

Banana Hot Fudge Cake

This cake was inspired by one in a Cake Doctor cookbook that I have had for so many years that it's falling apart. I had ripe bananas and needed a treat for a cheer board meeting, so I used the Cake Doctor recipe as a guide and put this together. As most people know, Sean is usually the baker around here...but he may have some competition with this cake.

Banana Hot Fudge Cake

• 1 box yellow cake mix
• 1 box (3.4 ounce) Jello cheesecake pudding mix
• 1 cup ripe banana; mashed (approximately 2 large or 3 medium bananas)
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 4 tablespoons brown butter; cooked and cooled 
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 jar (16 ounce) hot fudge 

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Spray a 9x13 pan well with cooking spray. Place cake mix, pudding mix, buttermilk, mashed bananas, brown butter, and eggs in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer until the batter looks well incorporated, Slightly warm half the hot fudge sauce in a separate bowl so it is easy to stir and set aside. Pour half of the mixed cake batter into the prepared pan. Spoon the slightly warm fudge onto the batter and sprinkle with half of the chopped walnuts. Top with remaining batter and place into oven for 42-47 minutes. Remove from oven and allow cake to cool. Heat the remaining hot fudge sauce so it is slightly warm and easier to spread. Carefully spread on the top of the cake and sprinkle with remaining walnuts. Store cake, covered tightly, in the refrigerator.

Caramel Brownies

This week I was notified that I had been given an outstanding professor award from the disabled student services department and that I had missed the ceremony. To say I felt like the most reprehensive person to walk the earth is an understatement. In addiditon to apologizing a hundred times, which they were exceptionally kind about, I hoped the situtaion might be made a little better with a batch of brownies. We learned about these caramel brownies around ten years ago now from a math teacher I worked with when I was a high school instructional aide and they are easily a top five favorite family recipe around here. 

Caramel Brownies

14 ounce bag of individually wrapped caramels

2/3 cup of half & half – divided in half

Package of German Chocolate cake mix

½ cup of butter, melted

6 ounce bag of chocolate chips

Set oven to 350 degrees, melt caramels and 1/3 cup of half & half until smooth (it is not neccesary to stir constantly). Mix remaining half & half (1/3 cup), melted butter & cake mix with electric beater. Divide mix (it’s really thick) into 2 parts, spread ½ in 9x13 pan sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Bake for 6 to 7 minutes. Take pan out of the oven, top with chocolate chips, then caramel mixture, and then rest of thick batter (batter best if dropped on in pieces since it’s too thick to spread without mixing everything up). Return the pan to the oven to bake for another 20-25 minutes (closer to 25) and make sure to cool completely.

Heart Projects:06

Can't have Valentine's week without a batch of hearts baked from our favorite sugar cookie recipe.

Our favorite chocolate chip cookies...

I first mentioned these Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies a couple summers ago and they have been made at least 100 times since. We follow this recipe exactly. Granted when I say "we" I mean Sean since he is the baker around here. I credit these cookies for getting me through graduate level statistics because Sean would bake up fresh batches for me to have at study sessions with my fellow students. I joked that I was never able to bring much statistical expertise, but at least I could bring cookies. 

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients

1/2 cup room temperature butter

1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 egg

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup rolled oats

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a medium bowl, cream together the butter, sugar and brown sugar until smooth. Stir in the peanut butter, vanilla and egg until well blended. In a separate bowl combine the flour, baking soda and salt; stir into the batter just until moistened. Mix in the oats and chocolate chips until evenly distributed. Drop tablespoons of dough on to lightly greased cookie sheets.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven, until the edges start to brown. Cool on cookie sheets for about 5 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

Mini Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

Mac has been requesting muffins to take as a snack at school and this week I thought they should be pumpkin muffins since that's what I wanted as a snack too. Sean does all the baking around here, but I do all the recipe searching. I found this recipe on Delish and we decided to try out a few changes and bake them up as mini muffins. These are an official new favorite around here...

Mini Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

Ingredients:

1 2/3 cups flour

3/4 cup brown sugar; packed

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips

2 large eggs

1 cup canned solid-pack pumpkin (do not use pumpkin-pie filling)

1/2  cup (1 stick) unsalted butter; melted and cooled

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Spray two mini muffin pans lightly with nonstick cooking spray.

In large bowl, mix first six ingredients; add chocolate chips, tossing to coat. Make sure melted butter is cooled before mixing with the eggs. In another small bowl, whisk together remaining ingredients; add to flour mixture and stir just until combined (do not over mix). Fill each muffin cup about two-thirds full.

Bake for approximately 12 minutes, until muffins spring back when lightly touched. Cool muffins on rack.

Sugar Donut Muffins

These muffins were found at All Recipes years ago now and are a total favorite little breakfast treat. I use only 1/2 of the teaspoon of cinnamon the recipe calls for for the sugar topping.

Sugar Donut Muffins

Ingredients:

For the muffins:

1/2 cup white sugar

1/4 cup butter, melted

3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 cup milk

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup all-purpose flour

 

For the sugar topping:

 1/4 cup butter, melted

1/2 cup white sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

 

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease 24 mini-muffin cups.

Mix sugar, butter, and nutmeg in a large bowl. Stir in the milk, then mix in the baking powder and flour until just combined. Fill each mini muffin cup about half full.

Bake until the tops are lightly golden, 15 to 20 minutes.

While muffins are baking, prepare the ingredients for the topping. Place melted butter in a bowl. In a separate bowl, mix together sugar with the cinnamon. When muffins are slightly cooled dip each one in the melted butter, and roll in the sugar-cinnamon mixture. Let cool and serve.

Lemon Sugar Cookies with Zesty Lime Salt

This recipe from the Salty Sweets cookbook my mom recently gave me for my birthday. These were such good little bites...sweet and citrus-y, and buttery too which is always important in a cookie.

Lemon Sugar Cookies with Zesty Lime Salt

Makes about 30 cookies

Ingredients:

2 coups all-purpose flour

¾ teaspoon fine sea salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 large egg yolk

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon lemon zest

Zest of 1 lime

Instructions:

1. Combine the flour and ½ teaspoon of the salt in a medium bowl and mix well.

2. In a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment cream the butter for 1 minute, then add ¾ cup of the sugar and beat on medium-high speed for 3 minutes, until mixture is light and fluffy.

3. Add the egg yolk, lemon juice and lemon zest and beat for 2 more minutes. Slowly add the flour mixture and mix on low speed until the dough comes together.

4. Combine the lime zest, the remaining ¼ cup of sugar and the remaining ¼ teaspoon of sea salt in a shallow dish or on a plate (for rolling).

5. Roll the dough into logs 1½ to 2 inches in diameter, then roll the logs into the lime zest mixture. Wrap the logs in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

6. Preheat the oven to 350’F. Line baking sheets with parchment.

7. Slice the chilled logs into ¼ inch-thick circles and place on baking sheets. Bake for 9-11 minutes, or until just lightly browned on the bottom. Let cool on the baking sheets for about 1 minute, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. The cookies will keep in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Chocolate Mint Cream Cheese Pound Cake

A favorite recipe from one of my Cake Doctor cookbooks... 

 

Chocolate Mint Cream Cheese Pound Cake

Serves: 16

Prep time: 8 minutes

Baking time: 58-62 minutes

 

Ingredients:

Vegetable oil spray for misting the pan

Flour for dusting the pan

1 package (18.25 ounces) plain butter recipe fudge   cake mix

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, at roomtemperature

 ½ cup water

½ cup vegetable oil

¼ cup sugar

4 large eggs

1 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 ¼ cups (about 28) Andes chocolate mint candies, broken in half

1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar, for garnish

½ cup fresh mint sprigs, for garnis

Instructions:

Place a rack in the center of oven and preheat the over to 325 degrees F.  Lightly mist a 10-inch tube pan with vegetable oil spray, then dust with flour.  Shake out excess flour.  Set pan aside.

Place the cake mix, cream cheese, water, oil, sugar, eggs, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl.  Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 1 minute.  Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.  Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes more, scraping the sides down again if needed.  The batter should look well combined.  Fold in the candy pieces until they are well incorporated.  Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing it out with the rubber spatula.  Place the pan in the oven.

Bake the cake until it springs back when lightly pressed with your finger and is just starting to pull away from the sides of the pan, 58 to 62 minutes.  Remove the pan from the oven and place it on a wire rack to cool for 20 minutes.  Run a long, sharp knife around the edge of the cake and invert it onto a rack, then invert it onto another rack so the cake is large side up.  Allow to cool for 20 minutes more. 

Slide the cake onto a serving platter, dust it with the confectioners’ sugar, and garnish with the mint sprigs.  Slice and serve.

Store this cake, wrapped in aluminum foil or plastic wrap, or in a cake saver at room temperature for up to 1 week.  Or freeze it, wrapped in foil, for up to 6 months.  Thaw the cake overnight in the refrigerator before serving.

Zucchini Bread...

In an attempt to use up the zucchini we have coming out of our garden I search through All Recipes (I always like to find four or five star recipes that have been reviewed by a lot of people...and read the reviews too because you can get great ideas on adjustments) for a bunch of zucchini bread recipes and we tried this one...SO good...Sean has baked four loaves since Thursday and is going to make two more tonight so we've had lot to share with everyone...

Chocolate Chip Orange Zucchini Bread

Yields: 24 servings

 

Ingredients:

3 eggs

2 cups white sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups grated zucchini

1 cup chopped walnuts

1 cup semisweet chocolate

chips 1 tablespoon orange zest

3 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

 

Instructions:

Sift together flour, baking powder, soda, salt, and spices.

In a large bowl, beat eggs until light and fluffy. Add sugar, and continue beating until well blended.

Stir in oil, vanilla, zucchini, nuts, chocolate chips, and orange rind. Blend in sifted ingredients.

Turn batter into two greased 9 x 5 inch loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes, or until bread tests done.

Remove loaves from pans, and cool. Chill before slicing.