Diary of a Recipe Addict (2024)

I made this delicious cake to celebrate my favorite fathers on fathers day. Make it for your next specialoccasion...you won't regret it!

Chocolate Oreo Cake

For cake:

2 c. sugar

1-3/4 c. all-purpose flour

3/4 c. Hershey's Cocoa

1-1/2 tsp baking powder

1-1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2 eggs

1 c. milk

1/2 c. vegetable oil

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 c. boiling water

10-15 oreos twisted to separate cookies and reveal cream center

15 oreos, chopped directly in half through cookie

For icing:

1/2 c. (1 stick) butter, melted

2/3 c. Hershey's Cocoa

3 c. powdered sugar

1/3 c. milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

For filling:

1/3 c. whipping cream

2 tsp powdered sugar

small dash vanilla extract

1/8 c. oreo cookie crumbs, made from reserved oreo sides

Directions:

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare two 9-inch round baking pans, lining with parchment. -On one layer of cake, place cookie halves that have been separated into the bottom of one pan, cream side up.

-Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl.

-Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes.

-Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin).

-Pour batter very carefully into prepared pans.

-Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.

-Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans and place onto wire racks.

-Remove parchment and cool completely.

-Meanwhile, make frosting:

-Stir melted butter into cocoa.

-Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency.

-Add small amount additional milk, if needed. -Stir in vanilla. (About 2 cups frosting.)

-Meanwhile, make filling:

In the bowl of an electric mixer, whip the cream, sugar and vanilla until stiff.

-Gently fold in the cookie crumbs.

-Scoop the mixture into a piping bag (or gallon sized ziploc bag).

-When cake is completely cooled, make icing dam around the top edge of the layer of cake that has oreos baked into it.

-Fill icing dam with a layer of cream filling.

-Place other cake layer on top, and frost with chocolate frosting.

-Place oreo halves around bottom edge and top of cake.

-Serve or store in refrigerator.

It is 9 am and the windows of my house are all completely fogged up. I think I will take that as a hint that the humidity has not improved at all from yesterday. I heard that we might be reaching the triple digits today. Couple that will the humidity and UGH. Maybe I will just put my swimsuit on, sit outside, and pretend I am in a sauna.

These brownies are from Cooking Light! That must mean they are healthy, right? OK, maybe not. They aremuch healthier than many other brownie recipes though. My husband thought these were incredibly rich and he couldn't believe they were a "lighter" brownie. They are delicious! The entire pan lasted about a day here. Give them a try!

Here are the ingredients you will need:

Ooey-Gooey Peanut Butter-Chocolate Brownies

3/4 cup fat-free sweetened condensed milk, divided

1/4 cup butter or stick margarine, melted and cooled

1/4 cup fat-free milk

1 (18.25-ounce) package devil's food cake mix

1 large egg white, lightly beaten

Cooking spray

1 (7-ounce) jar marshmallow creme (about 1 3/4 cups)

1/2 cup peanut butter morsels {I confess. I used more like 3/4 cup.}

Preheat oven to 350°.

Combine 1/4 cup condensed milk, butter, and next 3 ingredients (butter through egg white) in a bowl (batter will be very stiff). Coat bottom of a 13 x 9-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Press two-thirds of batter into prepared pan using floured hands; pat evenly (layer will be thin).

Bake at 350° for 10 minutes. Combine 1/2 cup condensed milk and marshmallow creme in a bowl; stir in morsels. Spread marshmallow mixture evenly over brownie layer. Carefully drop remaining batter by spoonfuls over marshmallow mixture. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Cool completely in pan on a wire

Need an over-the-top fantastic sweet recipe to take somewhere? PLEASE, try these! You won't regret it! They are so rich and fantastic, they beg to be shared. This is my new favorite brownie recipe, hand down! I apologize for the poor picture! It was late, dark, and you can see the hand of my 2 youngest battling for "who gets the first brownie after mom takes her picture". Oh, the joys of sibling rivalry!

Knock You Naked Brownies

1 box (18.5 Ounce) German Chocolate Cake Mix

1 cup Finely Chopped Pecans

⅓ cups Evaporated Milk

½ cups Evaporated Milk (additional)

½ cups Butter, Melted

60 whole Caramels, Unwrapped {one 14 oz. package}

⅓ cups Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

¼ cups Powdered Sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, mix together cake mix, chopped pecans, 1/3 cup evaporated milk, and melted butter. Stir together until totally combined. Mixture will be very thick.

Press half the mixture into a well-greased 9 x 9 inch square baking pan. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove pan from oven and set aside.

In a double boiler (or a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of boiling water) melt caramels with additional 1/2 cup evaporated milk. When melted and combined, pour over brownie base. Sprinkle chocolate chips as evenly as you can over the caramel.

Turn out remaining brownie dough on work surface. Use your hands to press it into a large square a little smaller than the pan. Use a spatula to remove it from the surface, then set it on top of the caramel and chocolate chips.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from pan and allow to cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate for several hours. When ready to serve, generously sift powdered sugar over the surface of the brownies. Cut into either nine or twelve helpings, and carefully remove from the pan.

Let me just say that this cake pictured above may lookinnocent, but it is actually very dangerous. This may be one of the easiestdesserts that I have even made. Combine that with how incredibly delicious it is, and I think I may have a problem. I am not going to tell you how many pieces of the cake that I had because I am moving on with my life. That said, you canchoose to make this cake lighter by using reduced-fat or fat-free milk and whipped topping. That way, your frosting is the only big offense;) The only change I might make next time is to use a homemade frosting. I am kind of partial to this onethat I like to frost cupcakes with. In my opinion, canned frosting just isn't as good. If you want to keep it simple though, go ahead and use canned, it is still delicious! This was one of MANY dishes that I made for Easter so I was glad to keep this one simple this time around!

Chocolate Eclair Cake

2 (3.5 ounce) packages instant vanilla pudding mix

1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed

3 cups milk

1 (16 ounce) package graham cracker squares

1 (16 ounce) package prepared chocolate frosting

In a medium bowl, thoroughly blend the pudding mix, whipped topping, and milk.

Arrange a single layer of graham cracker squares in the bottom of a 13x9 inch baking pan. Evenly spread half of the pudding mixture over the crackers. Top with another layer of crackers and the remaining pudding mixture. Top with a final layer of graham crackers.

Spread the frosting over the whole cake up to the edges of the pan. The frosting will be easier to spread if the cake is covered and chilled for about 30 minutes before spreading.Cover, and chill at least 4 hours before serving, butpreferablyovernight so that the graham crackers really get a chance to soften.

Today, my daughter and I holed up in the kitchen and whipped up some comfort food. For dinner, we had Cheesebuttons, a family tradition. For dessert we had this Strawberry Shortcake Cake, per request of Grace. It was very good even though I did mess up the recipe a bit! I divided the batter between 2 round cake pans instead of putting all the batter in one, then cutting it in half like the recipe states. The reason you need to have those cut halves is that the inside serves as a wonderful "sponge" for the strawberries in their juices. I knew mine wouldn't absorb the sauce right, so we spooned it over the top. Still delicious, but I am looking forward to giving it another go!

Frosting Ingredients:

Cake Ingredients (salt is hiding behind the cute blonde;)

Delicious!

Cake

1-½ cup Flour

3 Tablespoons Corn Starch

½ teaspoons Salt

1 teaspoon Baking Soda

9 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter, Softened

1-½ cup Sugar

3 whole Large Eggs

½ cups Sour Cream, Room Temperature

1 teaspoon Vanilla

_____

Icing

½ pounds Cream Cheese, Room Temperature

2 sticks Unsalted Butter

1-½ pound Powdered Sugar, Sifted

1 teaspoon Vanilla

1 pound Strawberries

Preparation Instructions

IMPORTANT: Be sure to use a cake pan that’s at least 2 inches deep! Before baking, the batter should not fill the pan more than halfway.

Sift together flour, salt, baking soda, and corn starch.

Cream 9 tablespoons butter with the sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well each time. Add sour cream and vanilla and mix until combined. Add sifted dry ingredients and mix on low speed until just barely combined.

Pour into greased and floured 8-inch cake pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes, or until no longer jiggly like my bottom. Remove from cake pan as soon as you pull it out of the oven, and place on a cooling rack and allow it to cool completely.

Stem strawberries and slice them in half from bottom to top. Place into a bowl and sprinkle with 3 tablespoons sugar. Stir together and let sit for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, mash the strawberries in two batches. Sprinkle each half with 1 tablespoons sugar and allow to sit for another 30 minutes.

Make icing: combine cream cheese, 2 sticks butter, sifted powdered sugar, vanilla, and dash of salt in a mixing bowl. Mix until very light and fluffy.

Slice cake in half through the middle. Spread strawberries evenly over each half (cut side up), pouring on all the juices. Place cake halves into the freezer for five minutes, just to make icing easier.

Remove from freezer. Use a little less than 1/3 of the icing to spread over the top of the strawberries on the bottom layer. Place the second layer on top. Add half of the remaining icing to the top spreading evenly, then spread the remaining 1/3 cup around the sides.

Leave plain OR garnish with strawberry halves.

IMPORTANT: Cake is best when served slightly cool. The butter content in the icing will cause it to soften at room temperature. For best results, store in the fridge!

My family has a real weakness for ice cream. I should also mention, we are a bit snobbish about our ice cream. Not just any will do. No, it has to be of the rich premium variety. Whenever I see our favorite brands go on sale, I stock up. Yes, I have been known to load my cart with 10 containers of ice cream. Gotta problem with that? OK, maybe I need an intervention. Seriously though, I always think that if I stock up, we will be good until next time it goes on sale. That never happens though. No, if we have more ice cream, we eat more ice cream.

Anyway, we just LOVE hot fudge sauce with our ice cream. I really like this recipe because it uses everyday ingredients that I always have on hand. If you don't have a family of 5 that eats ice cream like there is no tomorrow, you may want to half this recipe.

Hot Fudge Sauce

2 cups sugar

4 Tablespoons flour

2/3 cup cocoa

2 cup milk (I used whole. If you want it EXTRA rich, try subbing out some milk for cream:)

4 Tablespoons butter

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (per 1/3 of recipe, optional)-I omitted

1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract (per 1/3 of recipe, optional)-I omitted

In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.

Over medium heat, combine milk, butter and vanilla until the butter has melted.

Add dry ingredients to the milk mixture, constantly whisking.

Boil, stirring constantly until thick and smooth, about 5 minutes.

Let cool and refrigerate. Will last a week if you don’t eat it all first.

makes 3.5 cups

Hershey's Perfectly Chocolate Chocolate Cake

Ingredients (cake):

2 Cups Granulated Sugar

3/4 Cup Hershey's Cocoa

1 1/2 Teaspoons Baking Soda

2 Eggs

1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil

1 Cup Boiling Water

1 3/4 Cups All-Purpose Flour

1 1/2 Teaspoons Baking Powder

1 Teaspoon Salt

1 Cup Milk

2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract

-

Directions (cake):

Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl or mixer. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat until combined evenly. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin) Pour into 2 9-inch round greased and floured cake pans. Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes in pans and then remove to wire racks to cool completely. Frost and serve.

-

Ingredients (frosting):

1 Stick Butter

2/3 Cup Hershey's Cocoa

3 Cups Confectioners Sugar

1/3 Cup Milk

1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

-

Directions (frosting):

Melt butter in the microwave or in a saucepan, and then pour into a large bowl. Stir in cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating to a spreadable consistency. If needed, add a small amount of additional milk. Stir in vanilla.

Note: DO NOT use pans smaller than 9 inches or you will end up with a hot mess in your oven. Just trust me.

Source: Hershey's

When it comes to zucchini's, I am apparently a very naive soul. I planted an entire row of them in my garden. Yes, you read that right, a whole row. How was I to know that 7 zucchini plants would be enough to feed an entire army? What you see below is today's zucchini harvest. After I used 2 large ones for a vegetable saute and the delicious brownies that you see below, that is.

If you are like me, you might think that zucchini in brownies is a little gross and weird. Well, please don't judge before you try them, because they are downright, positively delicious. After I let my kids each have a small brownie (which they devoured), I even TOLD them the "secret" ingredient. My oldest said that it was gross, then all 3 kids proceeded to beg for another. Give this recipe a try, and, if YOU have any delicious zucchini recipes to share, PLEASE do so! I need lots of creative uses here!

Zucchini Brownies

1/2 c. Canola oil

1 1/2 c. sugar

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 c. all-purpose flour

1/2 c. unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

2 c. shredded zucchini (chunking it and throwing it in the food processor works fabulously)

1/2 c. chopped walnuts (optional-I do not add)

Frosting:

6 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 c. butter, softened

2 c. confectioners' sugar

1/4 c. milk

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9 x 13 inch baking pan.

In a large bowl, mix together the oil, sugar, and 2 tsp. vanilla until well blended. Combine the flour, 1/2 c. cocoa, baking soda, and salt; stir into the sugar mixture. Fold in the zucchini and walnuts, if desired. Spread evenly into the prepared pan.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until the brownies spring back when gently touched.

To make the frosting, blend the softened butter with the cocoa powder, preferable with an electric mixer. Add the confectioners sugar, milk, and vanilla extract and blend until smooth. Stir in the cocoa powder and continue to mix until well-combined.

Spread frosting over cooled brownies before cutting into squares.

Hello. It is a new day, I think, but I am still at it, shampooing my carpets. I finished my entire upstairs yesterday (spending nearly 3 hours getting paint out of my daughters carpet before finally giving up) and today I am working on my downstairs. Oh, then I will go BACK upstairs to shampoo where my dog got sick last night on my freshly shampooed carpets. Some days, I feel like I am fighting a losing battle. Oh well, there are worse problems in the world than a house that your family/dog will not let you really get clean. I am thankful I have 3 healthy children that have the energy and curiosity necessary to turn my home upside down most days. Now say that 10 times.


Here are some fabulous chocolate chip cookies that my kids (and husband...and me) absolutely adore. Yes, they are "just" plain chocolate chip cookies, but they really are anything but plain.

Famous Chocolate Chip Cookies

1/2 c. butter, softened (DO NOT MELT!!!)

1/2 c. shortening (You can also just use more butter instead. The cookies won't go flat (like mine are) if you chill the dough 1 hour before baking.)

3/4 c. granulated sugar

3/4 c. brown sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

2 eggs

2 1/2 c. flour

3/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

1 package milk chocolate chips (2 cups)

Mix butter, shortening, and sugars--do not overmix (the key to this recipe is minimal mixing - try it with a wooden spoon instead of a mixer). Add vanilla and eggs. Sift together the dry ingredients and add them next. Mix until everything is combined. Add chocolate chips. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Remove them from the oven when they are barely brown. Serve warm out of the oven with a tall glass of cold milk:-)

I am feeling a little bit down today, I should really bake myself some of these bars for comfort. I received this recipe (along with a few other fantastic rhubarb recipes) and some fresh rhubarb from my neighbors garden my first summer in my house. Now, several years later, we have our own rhubarb plants but this is still a favorite recipe of everyone. Try this, even if you think you don't like rhubarb, it is to die for!

Some days, you just have to love ND. We woke up today, May 7th, to snow. So far, it isn't melting either. I wouldn't mind so much, but my oldest is headed for a field trip today out of town. His class is going to be touring Fort Mandan. I hope they are still able to enjoy themselves and learn a lot while they are trudging through the snow.

Not long after I met my husband, he introduced me to these sinful bars, Oatmeal Caramelites. They are a favorite in his family and I can see why. They aren't something that I make too often due to their high calories content (maybe a couple times a year) but there isn't much that can beat them.

While I have been making these for years, I recently saw them featured on The Sisters Cafe . I was so glad that I looked at their recipe because it cured me of my least favorite part about making these! Unwrapping the bag of caramels and melting them! I don't know why I never though of it, but their recipe uses caramel ice cream topping thickened with a bit of flour. Genius! Now those pesky wrappers won't keep me from making these. Jeans, beware!

Oatmeal Caramelites

1 c. flour

1 c. quick oats (can also use regular oats)

3/4 c. brown sugar

1 c. chocolate chip (semi-sweet or milk are both fine)

3/4 c. caramel ice cream topping

1/2 tsp. soda

1/4 tsp. salt

3/4 c. butter, melted

3 Tbsp. flour

Mix flour, oats, sugar, soda, salt, and butter. Press half of mixture into a 11 x 7 inch pan and set the other half aside. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Remove from oven.

Sprinkle with chocolate chips. Blend 3/4 c. caramel with 3 Tbsp. flour. Drizzle over chocolate chips. Sprinkle the remaining oat/flour mixture over the top.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until light brown. Cool, then slice.

I realize that St. Patrick's Day is over and done with, but I really wanted to make sure that I saved this cupcake recipe. It really was fabulous, both the cupcake AND the frosting. Besides, green is also a wonderful spring color AND both my boys' favorite color (although you really could do them any color you heart desires)!

Lucky Green Velvet Cupcakes

1 box yellow cake mix

4 eggs

1/2 c. water

1/2 c. vegetable oil (I used Canola, I never use Vegetable oil anymore)

1 small box instant vanilla pudding mix

1/2 c. plain yogurt or sour cream (I used light sour cream)

5-8 drops green decorators paste (I just used the regular old food coloring that I had on hand. It worked just fine although it took much more than the decorators paste would to get a nice green)

Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a stand or electric mixer, add cake mix, eggs, water, oil, pudding, and sour cream or yogurt. Beat on medium for 1 1/2 minutes. Slowly beat in decorators paste or food coloring until you get your desired color.

Scoop batter into paper-lined cupcake tins. Bake 15-18 minutes or until cooked through. Let cool completely.

Frost cupcakes with cream cheese frosting and add sprinkles if desired.

Cream Cheese Frosting

8 oz. cream cheese (I used 1/3 less fat)

4 Tbsp. butter, softened

4 c. powdered sugar (the recipe calls for it to be sifted, but I can't be bothered with that;P)

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Mix cream cheese and butter until smooth and creamy. Mix in vanilla. Mix in powdered sugar, one cup at a time.

Ahhhh...what a beautiful day. After all the fog/snow we have had in ND, I am so appreciative of days like today. NO wind, sun shining, nearly 50 degrees (pretty much shorts weather in ND!). I can't wait to get outside today to play with my daughter. We will need to go for a walk, because our yard and driveway are still extremely wet but I just cannot wait to feel the sunshine on my face. So, onto my recipe! Today is not a day to spend too long on the computer!

This recipe is for Ree Drummond'sBest Chocolate Sheet Cake. Ever.

I made these Fudge Puddles on a lazy Saturday afternoon a couple of weeks ago. I thought we could have them with our Super Bowl spread but it didn't work out. The reason it didn't work out, is that they didn't lastthat long. Nope, they were goneby Sunday afternoon.

Fudge Puddles

Cookie Crust Recipe:

1/2 c. butter, softened

1/2 c. creamy peanut butter

1/2 c. sugar

1/2 c. brown sugar, packed

1 egg

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 1/4 c. all purpose flour

3/4 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

In a large mixing bowl, combine butter, peanut butter, and sugars. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Next, in a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add the flour mixture to the creamy mixture. Chill dough in the fridge for 1 hour or the freezer for 15 minutes. Remove from fridge and form into 1-inch balls (you may use a small melon scoop to make it easier to get them to be uniform in size). Grease a mini muffin pan and drop 1 ball in each cup (you should end up with 48 balls). Bake in a 325* oven for15 minutes or until very lightly browned. Remove from the oven and make an indentation in the center of each ball to form a cup. Let them cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack.

When your cookies are finished baking, it is time to make the fudge filling mixture.

Fudge Filling Recipe:

1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 c. milk chocolate or butterscotch chips

14 oz. can of sweetened, condensed milk

1 tsp. vanilla

chopped nuts or sprinkles (optional)

In a microwave-safe bowl or saucepan, combine all ingredients except nuts or sprinkles. Microwave for 1 minute. Stir well. If there are still unmelted chips, continue to microwave for 15 seconds at a time, stirring well each time you remove it from the microwave. Be careful to not over-cook.

Today is my son's 7th birthday. Happy birthday Quinn!!!!!! So, in preparation, last night, I decided to make cupcake cones for him to share with his friends at school today.

This, my friends, is how you SHOULD NOT make cupcake cones.

DO NOT use one cake mix for 18 cones.

DO NOT think that the regular recommended baking time of 18-22 minutes will suffice.

DO NOT keep opening the oven door because you can't understand why they aren't done yet.

Go ahead, DO NOT listen to me, and this will be your result:

Unless, of course, you are going for that melted conelook.

Here is attempt #2 (thank God I bought more than one mix):

No, they aren't perfect, but they aremuch better. Once I got them frosted, they really didn't look too bad at all.

Here are some tips that I learned along my cupcake cone journey;p

DO divide your boxed cake mix batter evenly between 24 cones.

DO preheat the oven to 500* (This helps give the cones that rounded cone look. This is also a good tip to use when baking muffins or regular cupcakes. It is what the bakeries do.)

DO turn it back down when you pop the cones in to 350*

DO bake your cupcake cones for 25-30 minutes WITHOUT repeatedly opening the oven.

Would I do this again? YES!! My kids had no idea about my struggles and they were VERY impressed with them this morning.