Peanut Butter Snickers Stuffed Brownies

Hurricanes tend to ruin a lot of plans...
Unfortunately, weather doesn't seem to care about our plans, and we have to roll with the punches. My heart really does go out to everyone who lost their homes and neighborhoods in the storm. I can't even begin to imagine the heartache that comes with losing your home. For a lot of people, the houses they lost were ones they had grown up in, or raised their families in.
I hope that's a loss I never have to experience.

I know houses are just material things, but there are so many memories built into a home. It's more than a building, but a refuge. That place you can't wait to get back to after a hard day, or a long vacation; that place that family gathers for holidays and football games and many great meals, and fun times are shared.

Remember to take time to pray for those families that are hurting.

On a lighter note, I am in a dilemma because of this storm.

Trick or treating was supposed to be this past monday. But, because of the storm, it was cancelled until November 4th.

NOVEMBER 4TH!!!!

Do you have any idea how much candy I have in my kitchen right now, waiting for cute little kids to snatch it up?!

Tons.

And now, I have to have it in my kitchen for another 4 days. And I have to try to not eat it.

Obviously, resisting completely is......well, impossible.
So I've been sneaking a few here and there.

And tomorrow is the day after Halloween  so everything will be 50% off......I''ll just replenish then.

But I made brownies with some of the snickers that have been taunting me and they were some of the best brownies me and my husband EVER had!!!!!

Peanut Butter Snickers Stuffed Brownies
Pre-heat oven to 350

-1 Box of your favorite brownie mix, or THIS recipe doubled, which is what I used!
-1 cup smooth peanut butter
-27-30 mini snickers bars
-1 cup milk chocolate chips

Line and an 8x8" baking dish with wax paper or tinfoil, and lightly grease.
Prepare your brownie batter.
Spread half of the batter into prepared dish.

Place unwrapped (duh) snickers close together onto first layer of brownie batter.

In a microwave safe bowl, heat up peanut butter at 30 second intervals, stirring well until smooth and liquid.

Pour peanut butter evenly, all over snickers.

Carefully pour and spread the other half of your brownie batter over snickers and peanut butter layer.

Bake for 40-45 minutes.

Immedeately spread chocolate chips all over the top and let melt for a couple minutes before
spreading around melted chocolate smooth all over the top.

Allow to completely cool before removing tin foil or paper from pan and cutting into squares!
Enjoy these babies!

Toasted Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ugh, I know. Chocolate chip cookies. How much more boring can we get?!?!

I feel ya.

In my world, people that make chocolate chip cookies and brownies are missing out on the joy of all the amazingness of the millions of amazing wonderful, delicious, creative cookies and and bars that there are to experience in life.

Buuuut, sometimes, you don't feel like being creative or crazy.

And a classic cookie makes you happy.

Today, that's what I was feeling- except when you throw in the toasted pecans it really takes these cookies to the next level! We had some friends over today that were absolutely raving about these! 

And I kill myself to come up with crazy concotions................why???

These  cookies are soft, chewy and loaded to the max with chocolate and chunks- everything a cookie ought to be. Trust me.

Toasted Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies

• 1 cup softened butter
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1 Tbsp. vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups toasted pecans, chopped
• 3 cups chocolate chunks/chips
• 2 1/2 cups AP flour
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt

In an electric mixer, beat together butter and sugars for one minute on high.

Add in vanilla and eggs, mixing well.

Add in flour, baking soda and salt all at once, mixing just until combined. 

Mix in pecans and chocolate chips/chunk, just until combined.

Form small golf ball sized cookie dough balls with your hands and place on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake for 12 minutes.

Let cool for 2 minutes then remove from cookie sheet to a wire cooling rack.

EAT.

Antipasto Bake

I made this last week for dinner....Now remember, it's just me and my husband and our 14 month old daughter...

This stuff didn't even last 24 hours.

We LOVED it! 

I've been doing this new rating system thing, where I ask my husband what he thinks of our meals on a scale of 1-10. This way I know if I should waste my time making the dish again or just throw it in the trash....I don't usually have a thick enough skin for these types of things, but I figured I would give it a try anyways.

This antipasto stuff was a 9.

Meaning it was pretty great..............I HIGHLY suggest you make this for your man. If I have learned nothing else since I have been cooking for my husband, it's that men love simple food. With a lot of meat. And cheese. They don't care how it's made- so long as it's hearty and flavory.

Antipasto Bake
adapted from tidy-mom

2 cans crescent dinner rolls
1/4 lb. thinly sliced ham
1/4-1/2 lb. provolone cheese
1/4 lb. swiss cheese
1/4 thin sliced salami
1/4 lb. pepperoni
3 eggs
4 tbsp. parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. black pepper

• Pre-heat oven to 350.
• Layer 1 can crescent rolls in a greased 9x13" pan. 
• Layer the meats and cheese on the dough.
• Beat the eggs, parmesan cheese and pepper, and evenly pour 3/4 of the mixture over the meat and cheese.
• Place the second layer of dough over everything, and with your hand spread the remaining egg and cheese mixture over the the crescent dough.
• Cover with aluminum foil, and bake for 25 minutes.
• Remove foil, and bake for another 10-15 minutes, until dough is puffy, risen, and golden brown!

Enjoy! You will love this and your husband will love it even more! :)

Mini Pecan Pie Chocolate Chip Muffins

WARNING: Don't be deceived by this super boring looking picture!!!!

These are anything but! Like pecan pie? You will swoon for these!

I saw these last week on Tasty Kitchen, and loved their simplicity. But of course I had to add chocolate....just a little. Chocolate + pecans = <3

6 ingredients.

One bowl.

A mini muffin pan.

That is all! You won't even believe how amazing these are and how they taste just like a mini pecan pie!!!

Also, I have this thing against corn syrup, and you can't pay me enough to touch the stuff.
These have none of it!

Amen!

Eat them warm out of the oven, please, and thank me later.

Mini Pecan Pie Chocolate Chip Muffins
Adapted from cindydlynn atTasty Kitchen
Yield: 32 mini muffins

Pre-heat oven to 350.

1 Cup chopped pecans
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
2 eggs
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 -1 cup chocolate chips

Mix together pecans, brown sugar and flour.
In an electric mixer, beat eggs with melted butter on high for 1 minute.
Pour n pecan/sugar/flour mixture.
Mix until combined, and add in chocolate chips.
Grease your muffin tin very well.
Fill each muffin mold 2/3.
Bake for 15 minutes.

Allow to sit in pan for 5 minutes before gently removing with a butter knife.
Eat!

Soft Pumpkin Pudding Cookies

I can't even tell you all how excited I am about these cookies.
Finding a pumpkin cookie recipe that is soft and chewy, not cakey, is basically impossible.

Until now!!!

This morning I had a baking spree (rainy days call for these sorts of things), and the idea hit me like a big DUH. Why don't I make a pudding cookie, and use the 14 boxes of pumpkin pudding in my cupboard for the pumpkin flavor?! Makes sense, right?!?!

Oh my gosh you guys....

Today, I win at life...Or at least cookie making.

Soft Pumpkin Pudding Cookies
1 Cup butter, softened
1 Cup canola oil
1 cup sugar
1 cup confectioners sugar
2 eggs
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
2 packages (3.4 oz) pumpkin spice instant pudding mix
4 cups AP flour
4 tsp. baking powder
4 tsp. pumpkin pie pice
2 tsp. cinnamon

1 Cup sugar
1 Tbsp. cinnamon

Pre-heat oven to 350.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine butter, oil and both sugars together on high for 1-2 minutes until light and fluffy.
Add in eggs, vanilla and pudding, and beat for another minute.
Add in the flour, baking powder and spices and mix until combined.

In a small bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon.
Scoop heaping tablespoon sized balls of dough and roll in your hands.
Cover completetly in cinnamon sugar mixture.
Place on an ungreased cookie sheet 2 inches apart.
Bake for 10 minutes.

Lett cool for 2 minutes before removing to a plate.
Enjoy!

Better than you-know-what-cake

There are a lot of versions of this cake all over the place. And I have been wanting chocolate cake for awhile....and this just takes chocolate cake to the next level. I mean, chocolate that is drenched in SWEETENED CONDENSED MILK and CARAMEL SAUCE?! ah, yum.

My husband loved this cake. Last night he kept going to the fridge and used almost all of our forks in the drawer cause he couldn't get enough of it, and kept telling himself he would just have one more bite...

So, I'm not sure if it's better than *ahem*....but it's pretty dang amazing - and easy...

Better Than You-Know-What-Cake

• Your favorite chocolate cake recipe or mix
• 1, 7 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 recipe for homemade caramel sauce 
• 1, 16 oz container Cool Whip
• 4 Large Twix candy bars, chopped (heath or butterfinger are awesome, too!)
• 1 Cup mini chocolate chips
• 1/2 Cup mini chocolate chips melted with 1 TBSP. butter (for drizzling)

Bake your cake.

As soon as it comes out of the oven, poke holes all over with a fork. The more holes the better!

Pour the sweetened condensed milk aaall over the cake.

Immediately pour the caramel sauce over that.

Allow cake to completely cool, for at least 2 hours. This will torture you.

Spread cool whip evenly over the top.

Sprinkle chopped candy bars and chocolate chips evenly over the cool whip.

Drizzle melted chocolate all over cake...and eat!

It's even better the next day! I hope you enjoy this like we did!