Caramel Pecan Brownie Bites

Caramel, pecans, brownies, chocolate; what could be more wonderful? These little bite sized beauties are sure to have your friends impressed before they take the first bite!  They will be taken over when they find a pleasant caramel surprise in the middle!  In case you haven't noticed, I love small portioned desserts and treats - that way you have enough room to try one of everything.  With that said, I think you should try these!

You will need:
36ct Mini muffin pan(s)
1 - brownie mix and ingredients
1 cup Marzetti Caramel Dip
7oz. Hershey's Chocolate
1/2 cup Chopped pecans
36 pecan halves
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1 Tbsp coconut oil

1.) Preheat the oven according to brownie box directions (my mix calls for 325*).
2.) Mix brownie batter according to package directions.

3.) Add 1/2 cup pecans (chopped) to the batter.
4.) Spray two mini muffin pans (36 total brownies) with non stick spary.

5.) Fill the muffin cups by putting the brownie mix in a quart sized bag or pastry bag. Cut off one corner of the bag, making it just big enough so the nuts can fit through.
6.) Bake the brownie bites for about 15-17 minutes, the tops will be a little crackled and they will give slightly when you tough them with your finger.
7.) Cool the brownies in the pan for 6 minutes.

8.) Indent each brownie bite with a melon baller while they are still in the pan.
9.)  Remove from the pan.  Use a knife to help you get the brownies out of the pan.  I had to gently squeeze a few of mine back together with my fingers.
10.) Set on parchment paper and allow the brownies to cool completely.

11.) Pipe caramel into brownies.  Using the plastic bag or pastry bag method evenly divide 3/4 to 1 cup of caramel among the brownies.  The caramel filling will be about the size of a small gumball.
12.) Melt the chocolate.  Again, in a plastic freezer bag break up the 7 oz bar of Hershey's chocolate and melt in the microwave about 20 seconds at a time.  It's important to melt all of the chocolate, but do not over heat it.  Squish the bag gently between 20 second microwave intervals.
13.) Seal the brownies with chocolate.

14.) Top with a pecan half.  While the chocolate is still warm, gently press a pecan half onto the brownie.
15.) Melt the white chocolate.  This time I had white chocolate chips, which tend to melt thick and lumpy so I combined a 1/2 cup chips with 1 tablespoon of coconut oil to get the right consistency.  You can use use chips designed for melting and you wouldn't need the oil.  Melt in 20 second intervals, the same as the Hershey's.

16.) Drizzle with white chocolate.  Snip a very small corner of the bag, so you get very fine lines and drizzle the brownies with chocolate. Here's the reason why you cooled the brownies on parchment; because you're about to make a mess.
17.)  Cool and Enjoy!

There were a few left to take home from our Thanksgiving party; they may have melted a bit, but they were equally as yummy!

Printable Recipe

Peanut Butter Oreo Shooters

Yeah, you heard me right.  Peanut Butter Oreo Shooters, YUM!  My mom and I fashioned this recipe over Thanksgiving and it was a big hit at both parties I took it to.  It all started with an ordinary bag of Holiday Reese's Peanut Butter Cups {like these}, a casual discussion of easy-to-make desserts and soon we had the idea for the perfect sweet treat - miniature sized, because after a big dinner you don't really need a whole lot of dessert. (Or in my case the idea that if I only have a little bit, I can try one of everything!)

The Oreo's: Take some Oreo's (Double Stuff are my favorite), put them in a quart sized freezer bags {like these} and crush them with a rolling pin. The frosting between the Oreo's will make some for sticky sweet goodness. I used about 1/3 of the package - one row of cookies (probably 10).

The Cups: We used 20 - 2oz. square shooter cups {here they are}for our creation. Use a teaspoon to put the crushed Oreo's into the shooter cups. Try to divide them up as evenly as possible.

The Filling: Beat 4 oz. soft cream cheese with a hand mixer until it's smooth (that's my trick to make sure you don't have any lumps in your filling). Add 1 cup of powdered sugar slowly and mix in completely.  Add 1/2 cup Smooth Jif Peanut Butter and fold in 8 oz. Cool Whip.

Filling the Cups:  Place the peanut butter filling mixture in a quart sized freezer bag, snip the corner off and pipe the filling into each of the mini dessert cups evenly.

The Topping: Again, fill a quart sized bag with 8 oz of whipped cream, snip the corner off and top each of the desserts.  Avoid using spray whipped cream as it will deflate rather quickly and you'll end up with a soupy creamy mess on top of your fancy little desserts.  Chop up about 12 of the Reese's Peanut Butter Cups (as mention above) with a knife and sprinkle the candy over the whipped cream.

Enjoy!  Store these treats in the refrigerator until you're ready to serve them.  Teeny tiny spoons {so cute} are very fun and super cute too!

Ingredients:

10 Oreo cookies

16 oz. whipped cream, divided

4 oz. cream cheese, soft

1 cup powdered sugar

1/2 cup smooth peanut butter

12 Reese's peanut butter cups, mini

20 - 2 oz. dessert cups

Directions:

Crush Oreo's and a quart sized freezer bag with a rolling pin.  Evenly divide Oreo crumbs between 20 dessert cups.  For the filling beat 4 oz. soft cream cheese in a medium sized mixing bowl. Add 1 cup of powdered sugar slowly and mix in completely.  Add 1/2 cup Smooth Jif Peanut Butter and fold in 8 oz. Cool Whip. Place the peanut butter filling mixture in a quart sized freezer bag, snip the corner off and pipe the filling into each of the mini dessert cups evenly. Fill a quart sized bag with 8 oz of whipped cream, snip the corner off and top each of the desserts. Chop the Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and sprinkle the candy over the whipped cream.

Here's the PRINTABLE version.

Corn Candy Treats

Here is a recipe that I made for my son's first birthday party.  I always love the combination of sweet and salty.  And candy corn is a fall favorite!

1 yellow cake mix
1 stick butter, melted
1 egg
13 oz. marshmallow creme
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
14oz. bag caramels
1 Tbsp. milk
12 oz. bag corn candy
1-2 cups salted peanuts

Combine dry cake mix with melted butter.  Mix in one egg.  Pat evenly into a jelly roll pan and bake for 12-15 minutes at 350*.  The dought should be baked evenly and barely golden brown.  While the crust is baking combine the marshmallow creme with the powdered sugar.  Pour the marshmallw mixture over the warm cake crust and let cool.  Melt caramels together and stir in milk.  Drizzle most of the caramel over the bars, reserving about 1/2 cup.  Sprinkle the candy corn and peanuts evenly over the caramel layer.  Press down on the candy to secure it to the bars.  Drizzle with remaining caramel.

Printable Recipe

Bran Muffins with Golden Raisins

Who doesn't love a great homemade breakfast?  But, really, who has time?  Here's a great make-a-head (or make anytime) breakfast idea for you!  Our family loves these tender, sweet and hearty muffins in the fall.  The best part is that it makes a huge batch.  I mix them up and store them in the refridgerator for up several weeks.  It's so nice to be able to have warm homemade muffins in a short time with only a little bit of work.

I always get all of my ingredients out before I start a baking.  This acheives two things: 1. I make sure I have everything that I need before I get half way through a recipe and realize I'm out of eggs.  And 2. I put the ingredeints away as I use them which makes for less clean up time!

First, crack four eggs into a LARGE bowl.  This is a big recipe, I use a 24 cup stainless steel mixing bowl.  Add 3 cups of white sugar, 5 teaspoons of baking soda and 2 teaspoons of salt. Mix well.

Stir in1 cup of vegetable oil, then 1 quart of buttermilk.

Add 5 cups of flour.

The batter will be lumpy after you add the flour.

Crush a box of bran flakes and stir them in.  The recipe calls for 5 1/2 cups.  I used a 17.3oz bag, try to use a box that is about the same size; a litte more or a little less won't hurt.

Here's the good part!  Golden raisins; two cups.  My mom always made this recipe with regular raisins.  When I was a kid I would eat the muffin and pick out the raisins.  I've grown up a little since then and can tolerate raisins but, when my sister-in-law made my mom's recipe with golden raisins a few years ago at Christmas time I knew these muffins would never be the same...

Set the oven to 375 degrees and fill  regular sized muffin cups 2/3 full.  Bake for 20-22 minutes.

Of course they are best served warm with lots of butter ;)

 

Bran Muffins with Golden Raisins

4 eggs

3 cups sugar

5 tsp baking soda

2 tsp salt

1 cup vegetable oil

1 qt buttermilk

5 cups flour

5 1/2 cups bran flakes, crushed

2 cups golden raisins

Combine eggs, sugar, soda and salt.  Mix in oil.  Add buttermilk.  Sitr in flour, batter may be lumpy.  Crush 17.3 oz box of bran flakes and add to batter.  Stir in raisins.  To bake fresh muffins allow the batter to set for about 30 minutes so the bran flakes absorb some of the liquid.  Bake muffins for 20-22 minutes in a 375* oven.  Store muffin batter in an air tight container in the refridgerater for up to four weeks.

Printable Recipe