Category: Desserts


Dec
2022

Christmas Tree “Gumdrops”

categories: Candy, Desserts, Holidays!
3 Shares
Pin3
Share
Tweet
Yum
Email

Make festive, lime-flavored Christmas tree gumdrops for the holidays! Only use 4 ingredients (and small cookie cutter) to make these treats.
Make festive, lime-flavored Christmas tree gumdrops for the holidays! Only use 4 ingredients (and small cookie cutter) to make these treats.

If you’re looking for a unique and fun treat to make for the holidays, how about checking out this recipe for Christmas tree gumdrops? If you have a small Christmas tree cookie cutter (or any favorite Christmas cookie cutter for that matter) and four simple ingredients, then you’re ready to roll!

The ingredients you’ll need for this recipe are unsweetened applesauce, granulated sugar, lime jello powder, and unflavored gelatin (like Knox). Basically- you will cook the ingredients, pour them into a greased baking pan, let cool completely until firm, then cut into shapes with the cookie cutter. It’s a fairly easy recipe that will yield about 20 Christmas tree gumdrops. You can get more out of the recipe if your cookie cutter is smaller then the 2″ one I use. Here’s how to make them:

Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page

Ready? GREASE That Pan!

The first thing you will need to do is generously coat a 9″ x 13″ baking pan with non-stick baking spray on the bottom and sides of the pan. This is a crucial step to ensure the candy mixture can be easily removed from the pan in one entire slab. Set the pan aside.

A 9x13 inch baking pan is greased on the bottom and sides before adding cooked gelatin mixture.

Cooking The Gelatin Mixture

Place applesauce, granulated sugar, lime jello powder, and unflavored gelatin in a large saucepan. Turn the heat to Medium, and stir to combine. Bring this mixture to a boil, continuing to stir constantly as it cooks. Once it comes to a boil, let the mixture cook for one full minute (still stirring!).

Applesauce, lime jello, sugar, and unflavored gelatin are placed in a large saucepan to cook.Envelopes of unflavored gelatin powder are used to make the Christmas tree gumdrops.The lime flavored gelatin mixture is boiled for one minute before removing it from the heat..

Remove the pan from the heat, and immediately pour the hot gelatin mixture into the prepared baking pan. Place the pan into the refrigerator, and refrigerate it until the gelatin is completely “set” in the pan. This typically will take about 2 hours or a bit more to set completely.

Hot lime gelatin is poured into prepared baking pan, then refrigerated until set.

Getting The Gelatin Slab Out Of The Pan

Generously dust a large cutting board with additional granulated sugar. Now comes the FUN part! Once the gelatin mixture is firm and set up, it’s time to get it out of the pan in one piece.

Gently use a spatula to loosen the jello mixture from the sides of the pan. I also try to gently lift and go under the slab as much as possible, to loosen the gelatin from the pan. Be careful not to tear the gelatin, but loosen as much of it as possible before flipping the pan over.

Flip the pan over and turn out the gelatin in one piece onto the sugared board. If it has been loosened enough, it should easily come out of the pan onto the board. If you have trouble, don’t panic! Just flip it back over, continue loosening it with the spatula, and try again. Once on the cutting board, dust the top of the gelatin with more granulated sugar.

A spatula is used to gently loosen the gelatin mixture from the baking pan.The entire baking pan full of lime gelatin is flipped onto a sugar coated cutting board.Granulated sugar is lightly sprinkled over the top of the lime gelatin mixture.

Cut Out The Christmas Trees

Use your cookie cutter (my tree cutter was about 2″ tall) and cut out as many Christmas tree gumdrops as possible from the gelatin. I get about 20 in total, with some small pieces left over (they taste good, too). The amount you get in total will obviously depend on the shape and size of the cookie cutter you are using. The smaller the cookie cutter, the more treats you will end up with!

Roll the edges of the trees with additional sugar so that bottom, top, and sides have a nice, light coating of sugar on them. Cut any leftover small end pieces into bites that can also be enjoyed. Once cut and sugared, let the gumdrops “dry” on the cutting board (or a piece of wax paper) for about an hour. This helps the treats dry out just a bit more before they are ready to be enjoyed.

A small Christmas tree-shaped cookie cutter is used to cut out design from the gelatin.Edges of the Christmas tree gumdrops are rolled in sugar to lightly cover.

Let Dry, Then Enjoy These Christmas Tree “Gumdrops”!

After the Christmas tree gumdrops have dried for an hour, they can be served! Place them on a platter, and let the kids dive in! To store, place any leftovers in an airtight container, separating any layers with waxed paper, so they don’t stick together.

The finished Christmas tree gumdrops are allowed to sit and dry slightly on the sugar coated board.A lot of Christmas tree gumdrops on a cutting board, ready to be enjoyed.

The finished Christmas tree gumdrops are lime flavored, sweet, soft and chewy, and will be a memorable treat (especially for kids) during the holidays. Thanks so much for stopping by today, and I hope you’ll come back soon for more family-friendly recipes. Have a blessed day.

Looking For More HOLIDAY CANDY Recipes?

You can find ALL of my recipes in the Recipe Index, which is located at the top of the page. I have a wonderful variety of holiday recipes you’ll love, including:

Interested In More Recipes?

Thank you for visiting this website. I appreciate you using some of your valuable time to do so.  If you’re interested, I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with all the latest recipes, and other fun info. I would be honored to have you join our growing list of subscribers, so you never miss a great recipe!
There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right side (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use, where you can easily submit your e-mail address (only) to be included in my mailing list.

You Can Also Find Me On Social Media:

Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Pinterest: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Instagram: jbatthegratefulgirlcooks

Author's signature

Recipe Adapted From Chrysa, at: https://thriftyjinxy.com/homemade-st-patricks-day-gum-drops-recipe/

↓↓ PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW ↓↓

0 from 0 votes
PRINT
Christmas Tree "Gumdrops"
Prep Time
30 mins
Cook Time
0 mins
Inactive Prep Time
3 hrs
Total Time
3 hrs 30 mins
 

Make festive, lime-flavored Christmas tree "gumdrops" for the holidays! Only use 4 ingredients (and small cookie cutter) to make these treats.

Category: Candy, Snack
Cuisine: American
Keyword: christmas tree gumdrops
Servings: 20 (or more)
Calories Per Serving: 129 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
  • 1½ cups unsweetened applesauce
  • 2¼ cups granulated sugar
  • 6 ounces Lime Jello (powder) (two 3 oz. boxes)
  • 2 envelopes unflavored gelatin (like Knox)
Additional granulated sugar for dusting cutting board and gumdrops
    US Customary - Metric
    Instructions

    1. Generously coat 9" x 13" baking pan with non-stick baking spray on bottom/sides. Set aside.

    2. Place applesauce, sugar, lime jello powder, and unflavored gelatin in a large saucepan. Turn heat to Medium; stir to combine. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring constantly as it cooks. Let mixture boil for one minute (still stirring!).

    3. Remove pan from heat; immediately pour hot gelatin into prepared baking pan. Refrigerate until gelatin is completely "set" (about 2 hours or so).

    4. Generously dust large cutting board with sugar. Gently use spatula to loosen jello from sides of pan. Gently lift and slide spatula under jello as much as possible, to loosen it. Flip pan over and turn out gelatin in one piece onto sugared board. It should easily come out of the pan onto the board. If you have trouble, don't panic! Just flip it back over, continue loosening with spatula, and try again. Once on cutting board, lightly sprinkle top of jello with more sugar.

    5. Use your cookie cutter to cut out as many trees as possible from gelatin. I get about 20 in total, with some small pieces left over (they taste good, too). Your yield will depend on shape/ size of cookie cutter you use. The smaller the cookie cutter, the more treats you'll end up with!

    6. Roll edges of trees in sugar so that bottom, top, and sides have light sugar coating, Let trees "dry" on cutting board (or wax paper) for 1 hour. This helps them dry out a bit before serving. Place on platter, serve and enjoy!

    7. Store any leftovers in an airtight container, separating layers with wax paper.

    Nutrition Facts
    Christmas Tree "Gumdrops"
    Amount Per Serving (1 (1/20 of total))
    Calories 129 Calories from Fat 1
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 0.1g0%
    Saturated Fat 0.002g0%
    Polyunsaturated Fat 0.003g
    Monounsaturated Fat 0.001g
    Sodium 42mg2%
    Potassium 15mg0%
    Carbohydrates 32g11%
    Fiber 0.2g1%
    Sugar 31g34%
    Protein 1g2%
    Vitamin A 5IU0%
    Vitamin C 0.2mg0%
    Calcium 2mg0%
    Iron 0.1mg1%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

    Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!Make festive, lime-flavored Christmas tree gumdrops for the holidays! Only use 4 ingredients (and small cookie cutter) to make these treats.


    Dec
    2022

    Peppermint Pinwheel Cookies

    categories: Cookies, Desserts, Holidays!
    9 Shares
    Pin9
    Share
    Tweet
    Yum
    Email

    Peppermint Pinwheel Cookies are festive holiday treats for family and friends! Colored spirals and light peppermint flavor make them special!
    Peppermint Pinwheel Cookies are festive holiday treats for family and friends! Colored spirals and light peppermint flavor make them special!

    If you’re looking for a new Christmas cookie recipe to try this year, may I suggest these Peppermint Pinwheel Cookies? They’re not only pretty to look at, they have a nice light peppermint flavor, which is perfect for the holidays!

    I found the recipe many years ago (don’t remember where), and made them for my annual cookie exchange in our home. They were a hit! Two layers of an easily made dough (red and white) are tightly rolled into a log shape. The dough is well chilled, then sliced and baked! That’s it! Let me show you how to make these adorable holiday cookies!

    Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page

    Make The Dough For The Peppermint Pinwheel Cookies

    Cream softened butter and granulated sugar in a mixing bowl, using an electric mixer. Once well blended, beat in one egg YOLK and vanilla extract, until the batter is creamy and well combined.

    In a separate bowl, stir together all purpose flour, salt and baking powder. Add this mixture to the batter, a little at a time while mixing. Continue beating until fully incorporated and a thick, soft dough has formed.

    Butter and sugar are creamed, then egg yolk and vanilla extract are added.Dry ingredients are added to the cookie batter until thoroughly combined.

    Color And Flavor Half The Dough

    Evenly divide the cookie dough in half, and set one half aside. Place the remaining half of the dough in a large bowl, and add peppermint extract and red food coloring (liquid or gel- I used gel).

    Use a large spoon to combine the extract and food coloring. I find it helpful to use the back of the spoon to fully blend in the color. Yes, you will have to work hard to fully stir in the red coloring! Just keep blending until the red coloring has been completely incorporated into the dough! Set the red dough aside.

    Cookie dough is cut in half, and one half has red food color and peppermint extract added to it.Peppermint extract and red food coloring is worked into the dough until it has completely turned red.

    Rolling The Red And White Dough Into Rectangles

    Place the plain dough on a long piece of waxed paper. Use your hands to shape it into a small rectangle. Now place another long piece of wax paper on top. Roll the dough out into a rectangle shape until it measures 16″ long by 10″ wide. Slowly peel off the top layer of wax paper, and set the dough aside.

    Repeat this process with the red dough (using clean wax paper), rolling it out to the same measurements (16″ x 10″). Slowly peel off the top layer of wax paper, and set the dough aside.

    Plain cookie dough is rolled out between layers of wax paper into a long rectangle shape.Red peppermint dough is rolled out between layers of wax paper into a long rectangle shape.

    Layering The Dough

    Now you should have one 16″ long by 10″ wide plain rectangle and a red rectangle (both with wax paper on the bottom). Place the plain dough rectangle in front of you. Carefully flip the RED layer over on top of the PLAIN layer, fitting it to the shape of the plain rectangle. The red dough wax paper should now be on the top. Slowly and carefully peel off the wax paper from the red layer.

    TIP: In the photo below you can see that occasionally the dough will stick to the wax paper or rip as you remove the wax paper- NO worries)! This is a very forgiving dough. Just keep slowly removing the wax paper, then go back and patch any ripped areas with excess dough from the edges.

    Red dough layer is placed on top of the plain dough rectangle, and holes are patched.Red dough for the peppermint pinwheel cookies is fitted on top of the plain dough layer.

    Roll The Dough Into A Tight “Log”

    Using the wax paper (on the bottom of the plain dough) as a guide, tightly roll up the dough (jelly roll style), starting with the long side. Wrap the dough log in plastic wrap once done. Place the dough log on a baking sheet and refrigerate it for 2 hours. This is an important step, because you need the dough to be very cold and firm, in order to make clean slices later! 

    Dough for the peppermint pinwheel cookies is tightly rolled into a long log shape.After being rolled, the cookie dough is sealed in plastic wrap and refrigerated until firm.

    Slice The Chilled Dough Before Baking

    After the dough has chilled for 2 hours, preheat your oven to 350°F. Unwrap the dough, and place the “log” on a cutting board. Use a sharp knife to cut the dough into 1/4″ slices. Because the dough is very cold and firm, this is an easy step, resulting in wonderfully cut, clean slices.

    Place the sliced cookies onto lightly greased cookie sheets, keeping the cookies about 2″ apart. You should end up with between 36-46 cookies, depending on the thickness of the slices (and length of the dough rectangle you rolled up). Typically I end up with about 40 cookies, but your quantity may vary slightly.

    Cold cookie dough is sliced into 1/4" slices before baking.The peppermint pinwheel cookies are put on baking sheets 2" apart.

    Ready, Set, Bake!

    Bake the cookies at 350°F. for approximately 10-12 minutes. The peppermint pinwheel cookies are done when barely lightly browned on the bottom, and the dough is “set”. Keep an eye on them, because they can brown very quickly (and you don’t want that).

    Let the cookies cool for 1 minute, then transfer the cookies from the baking sheet to a wire rack. Let the cookies cool completely before serving. They will crisp up slightly, once cooled.

    After baking, the peppermint pinwheel cookies cool on a wire rack.

    Who’s Ready To Eat Some Peppermint Pinwheel Cookies?

    The peppermint pinwheel cookies are ready to serve, once they have cooled completely!  Serve them on a pretty, decorative platter, and watch how fast they disappear. They have a light peppermint taste, but don’t worry! The peppermint flavor is absolutely NOT overpowering, in case you were wondering.

    These cookies also freeze very well, if wrapped and placed in an airtight container in the freezer. Simply thaw them out before you need them, and enjoy!

    Peppermint pinwheel cookies are served on a festive and decorative Christmas platter.Spirals are visible on each of the peppermint pinwheel cookies.

    I hope you have the opportunity to try these peppermint pinwheel cookies, and trust you will enjoy them as much as we do! Thank you for visiting my blog today, and I invite you to come back soon for more family-friendly recipes. Take care, God bless you, and have a GREAT day!

    Looking For More CHRISTMAS COOKIE Recipes?

    You can find ALL of my recipes in the Recipe Index, which is located at the top of the page. I have some wonderful Christmas cookie recipes (and lots of other cookie recipes, too!), including:

    Interested In More Recipes?

    Thank you for visiting this website. I appreciate you using some of your valuable time to do so.  If you’re interested, I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with all the latest recipes, and other fun info. I would be honored to have you join our growing list of subscribers, so you never miss a great recipe!
    There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right side (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use, where you can easily submit your e-mail address (only) to be included in my mailing list.

    You Can Also Find Me On Social Media:

    Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
    Pinterest:     The Grateful Girl Cooks!
    Instagram:     jbatthegratefulgirlcooks

    Original recipe source: unknown

    ↓↓ PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW ↓↓

    0 from 0 votes
    PRINT
    Peppermint Pinwheel Cookies
    Prep Time
    20 mins
    Cook Time
    10 mins
    Inactive Prep Time- Dough Refrigeration
    2 hrs
    Total Time
    2 hrs 30 mins
     

    Peppermint Pinwheel Cookies are festive holiday treats for family and friends! Colored spirals and light peppermint flavor make them special!

    Category: Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: peppermint pinwheel cookies
    Servings: 40
    Calories Per Serving: 70 kcal
    Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
    Ingredients
    • ¾ cup butter softened (no substitutes)
    • ¾ cup granulated sugar
    • 1 large egg YOLK
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 2 cups all purpose flour
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • ½ teaspoon baking powder
    • ½ teaspoon peppermint extract
    • ¼ teaspoon red liquid food coloring (or gel)
    US Customary - Metric
    Instructions

    1. Cream butter and sugar with electric mixer in large bowl. Beat in one egg YOLK and vanilla extract into batter, until combined/creamy.

    2. In separate bowl, combine flour, salt, baking powder. Add to batter, a small amount at a time; mix until combined and thick, soft dough has formed.

    3. Evenly divide dough in half; set one half aside. Place remaining half in large bowl. Add peppermint extract and red food coloring; stir to combine. You have to work hard to mix in red coloring! Keep blending until dough is completely red. Set red dough aside.

    4. Place reserved white dough on a long piece of waxed paper. Use hands to shape it into small rectangle. Place another long piece of wax paper on top. Roll dough into rectangle shape (16" long by 10" wide). Slowly peel off top layer of wax paper; set dough aside. Repeat process with red dough (using clean wax paper), rolling it out to same measurements (16" x 10"). Slowly peel off top layer of wax paper; set dough aside.

    5. You should have a 16"x 10" white rectangle and a red rectangle (each with wax paper on the bottom). Place white dough rectangle in front of you. Carefully flip RED layer over on top of the PLAIN layer, fitting it to the shape of the plain rectangle. Red dough wax paper should now be on top. Slowly peel off wax paper from red layer. Repair any rips or tears that may occur with excess dough.

    6. Using wax paper (on bottom of white rectangle) as a guide, tightly roll up dough, starting with long side. Wrap dough "log" in plastic wrap. Place dough log on a baking sheet; refrigerate dough for 2 hours, then preheat oven to 350°F.

    7. Unwrap dough; place on cutting board. Use sharp knife to cut dough into 1/4" slices. Place slices on lightly greased cookie sheets, about 2" apart.

    8. Bake at 350°F. for 10-12 minutes. Cookies are done when lightly browned on bottom, and dough is "set". Keep an eye on them, because they can brown very quickly. Let cookies cool for 1 minute; transfer to wire rack to cool completely before serving. Enjoy!

    Recipe Notes

    NOTE: You should end up with between 36-46 cookies, depending on thickness of slices (and length of dough rectangle you rolled up).

    Nutrition Facts
    Peppermint Pinwheel Cookies
    Amount Per Serving (1 cookie)
    Calories 70 Calories from Fat 36
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 4g6%
    Saturated Fat 2g13%
    Trans Fat 0.1g
    Polyunsaturated Fat 0.2g
    Monounsaturated Fat 1g
    Cholesterol 14mg5%
    Sodium 57mg2%
    Potassium 14mg0%
    Carbohydrates 9g3%
    Fiber 0.2g1%
    Sugar 4g4%
    Protein 1g2%
    Vitamin A 112IU2%
    Calcium 5mg1%
    Iron 0.3mg2%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

    Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!Peppermint Pinwheel Cookies are festive holiday treats for family and friends! Colored spirals and light peppermint flavor make them special!


    Dec
    2022

    Peanut Butter Fudge

    categories: Candy, Desserts, Holidays!
    10 Shares
    Pin10
    Share
    Tweet
    Yum
    Email

    Make 3 dozen pieces of peanut butter fudge in 10 minutes, using only 4 ingredients! Delicious treat for the holidays or any time of year!
    Make 3 dozen pieces of peanut butter fudge in 10 minutes, using only 4 ingredients! Delicious treat for the holidays or any time of year!

    This recipe for peanut butter fudge is so easy to make in such a short time, you’re not going to believe it! I found the recipe a number of years ago in one of my cooking magazines, and wanted to share it with you today. If you enjoy peanut butter, then you’re probably going to love this sweet holiday treat.

    The holidays can be somewhat challenging for some people, as they try to create a “memorable” Christmas season for those they love. Well, if you’re finding it hard to find time to make treats for neighbors, friends, family, teachers, co-workers, etc., may I suggest this recipe? It only takes 4 ingredients and 10 minutes prep to make 3 dozen pieces of fudge. Then you refrigerate it, and BOOM! Your yummy fudge is ready to cut and serve! That in my book is a winning recipe! Here’s how simple it is to make this delicious fudge.

    Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page

    Let’s Make Some Peanut Butter Fudge!

    NOTE: BEFORE you begin, generously butter an 8″ x 8″ square baking dish (bottom and sides) and set it aside. You will need this dish ready to go once the fudge ingredients are melted!

    Measure the granulated sugar and milk into a very large saucepan. You will need a large pan because you will be adding the other ingredients to this pan later! Stir to combine the milk and sugar, and bring the mixture to a boil on Medium heat, stirring often. Once the liquid begins boiling, let it boil for exactly 3 minutes, stirring constantly. 

    Granulated sugar and milk are combined and cooked in a large saucepan.Sugar and milk are boiled for three minutes until syrupy.

    Stir, Stir, Stir!

    When done boiling, remove the pan from the heat and immediately stir in the creamy peanut butter and marshmallow creme. The mixture will be very thick! Keep on stirring and eventually you will have all the ingredients melted and combined. Trust me… just stir and stir, and in a couple minutes it will be fully blended!

    Creamy peanut butter and marshmallow creme are stirred into the sugar and milk syrup.Peanut butter fudge ingredients being mixed in saucepan before pouring into dish.Once peanut butter and marshmallow creme are mixed in, the fudge is ready to pour into pan.

    Refrigerate The Fudge Until Set

    Spread the peanut butter fudge evenly into the buttered 8″ x 8″ dish immediately after it is combined. The fudge will set up fairly quickly. Try to pat down the surface a bit, so there are no points sticking up.

    Cover the fudge loosely and put it into the refrigerator to chill for 2-3 hours before cutting into portions. When the fudge is completely chilled and firmed up, slice it into 36 small pieces.

    The creamy peanut butter fudge is spread into and refrigerated in an 8x8" square dish.When cold and firm, the peanut butter fudge is cut into 35 pieces.

    Who Wants A Piece Of Peanut Butter Fudge?

    Transfer the cut pieces of peanut butter fudge to a serving plate and enjoy this delicious treat! Remember to keep all remaining pieces of fudge covered in the refrigerator! This is a yummy treat to give to friends or family for holidays or special occasions. It will be our little secret just how easy it was to make, okay? Wink, wink.

    A Christmas plate with several pieces of peanut butter fudge, ready to enjoy.A close up look at a few pieces of the peanut butter fudge on a Christmas plate.

    I hope you enjoy making (and eating) this peanut butter fudge! Thank you for stopping by today, and I hope you come back soon for more family-friendly recipes. Take care, may God bless you throughout this holiday season, and have a GREAT day!

    Looking For More Recipes For HOLIDAY TREATS?

    You can find ALL of my recipes in the Recipe Index, which is located at the top of the page. I have some wonderful recipes for holiday treats that you might want to check out, including:

    Interested In More Recipes?

    Thank you for visiting this website. I appreciate you using some of your valuable time to do so.  If you’re interested, I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with all the latest recipes, and other fun info. I would be honored to have you join our growing list of subscribers, so you never miss a great recipe!
    There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right side (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use, where you can easily submit your e-mail address (only) to be included in my mailing list.

    You Can Also Find Me On Social Media:

    Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
    Pinterest:     The Grateful Girl Cooks!
    Instagram:     jbatthegratefulgirlcooks

    Author's signature

    Original recipe source: “Taste of Home’s Quick Cooking” magazine, Collector’s Edition, pages 29-30

    ↓↓ PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW ↓↓

    0 from 0 votes
    PRINT
    Peanut Butter Fudge
    Prep Time
    10 mins
    Cook Time
    0 mins
    Inactive refrigeration time
    3 hrs
    Total Time
    3 hrs 10 mins
     

    Make 3 dozen pieces of peanut butter fudge in 10 minutes, using only 4 ingredients! Delicious treat for the holidays or any time of year!

    Category: Candy, Desssert
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: peanut butter fudge
    Servings: 36 pieces
    Calories Per Serving: 118 kcal
    Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
    Ingredients
    • 2 cups granulated sugar
    • ½ cup milk
    • 1⅓ cups creamy peanut butter don't use "all natural"
    • 7 ounces marshmallow creme
    US Customary - Metric
    Instructions

    1. Generously butter an 8" x 8" square baking dish (bottom and sides) and set aside. You will need this dish ready to go once the fudge ingredients are melted! 

    2. Measure sugar and milk into very large saucepan. Stir to combine; bring to a boil on medium heat, stirring often. Once boiling, let boil for exactly 3 minutes, stirring constantly.

    3. When done boiling, remove pan from heat. Immediately stir in peanut butter and marshmallow creme (mixture will be thick). Continue to stir until all ingredients have melted and are fully combined.

    4. Spread fudge evenly into buttered 8" x 8" dish immediately after it is combined. Fudge will set up fairly quickly. Try to pat down the surface, so there are no points sticking up.

    5. Cover dish loosely and put it into refrigerator to chill for about 2 hours before cutting. When fudge is chilled and firm, cut it into 36 small pieces. Serve and enjoy.

    Nutrition Facts
    Peanut Butter Fudge
    Amount Per Serving (1 piece)
    Calories 118 Calories from Fat 45
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 5g8%
    Saturated Fat 1g6%
    Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
    Monounsaturated Fat 2g
    Cholesterol 0.2mg0%
    Sodium 42mg2%
    Potassium 59mg2%
    Carbohydrates 18g6%
    Fiber 0.5g2%
    Sugar 16g18%
    Protein 2g4%
    Vitamin A 6IU0%
    Calcium 9mg1%
    Iron 0.2mg1%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

    Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!Make 3 dozen pieces of peanut butter fudge in 10 minutes, using only 4 ingredients! Delicious treat for the holidays or any time of year!


    Nov
    2022

    Pumpkin Cream Cheese Roll

    categories: Cakes, Desserts, Holidays!
    20 Shares
    Pin20
    Share
    Tweet
    Yum
    Email

    Make a delicious Pumpkin Cream Cheese Roll for the holidays (or any time)! This classic dessert has sweet cream cheese filling rolled inside!
    Make a delicious Pumpkin Cream Cheese Roll for the holidays (or any time)! This classic dessert has sweet cream cheese filling rolled inside!

    I don’t know about you, but I LOVE the classic Fall flavors of pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves! This dessert takes those flavors and imports them into a thin cake that is spread with sweet cream cheese filling and rolled into a long “log” of sorts. After chilling, the pumpkin roll is sliced, revealing the spiral shaped cream cheese filling.

    This pumpkin cream cheese roll not only LOOKS good, it tastes WONDERFUL! NOTE: Don’t be scared off by the amount of photos or the long recipe card instructions! I only want to give you explicit instructions so you, too, can be confident in making this recipe! Today I want to share all this so you see how simple it actually is to make this lip-smackin’ dessert!

    My youngest sister Joni recently visited us in Oregon from her home in Georgia. I asked her before she got here to email me the recipe she’s used for years to make pumpkin rolls, and told her we’d make it together (and photograph the steps), so I could share it here on my blog. We had fun making this pumpkin roll, and shared it with our extended family at a dessert night. So… here’s how to make a delicious pumpkin cream cheese roll for holidays, Fall, or any time of year!

    Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page

    First Things First

    Preheat your oven to 350°F. while you prepare the pumpkin roll. Grease and flour a 10″ by 15″ cookie sheet or jelly roll pan GENEROUSLY. I can’t say this enough. You need to generously grease then generously flour the bottom and sides of the pan, so the cake will release easier when you flip it out of the pan later. This is the method I used in the photos below.

    Another option for preparing the baking sheet is to lightly grease the pan, then place a large sheet of parchment paper in the pan (to fit). Use softened butter to then generously “grease” the parchment paper (all of it) before adding the pumpkin batter to the pan.

    Make The Pumpkin Batter

    Beat eggs and granulated sugar using an electric mixer on High speed in a large bowl (or stand mixer bowl). Continue beating these two ingredients for about 1-2 minutes until well-combined and the sugar has dissolved.

    Mix in pumpkin puree and lemon juice on Low speed only until they have been incorporated into the egg mixture. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves. STIR the dry ingredients into the pumpkin batter until combined.

    Eggs and sugar are beaten with an electric mixer until sugar dissolves.Pumpkin puree and lemon juice are mixed into the egg mixture for the pumpkin roll batter.Flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and other ingredients are added to the pumpkin batter.

    Time To Bake!

    Pour the pumpkin batter into the prepared baking pan, and spread it out, evenly filling the pan. Place the pan into a preheated 350° oven. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the top/middle comes out clean. Another way to test for doneness is by lightly touching the surface of the cake with a finger. If the “cake” springs back, it should be done.

    Pumpkin roll batter is spread in a large greased/floured cookie sheet.

    Prepare Damp Towel For Cake While It’s Baking

    A few minutes before the cake is done baking, wet a large kitchen dish towel with water and then wring the excess water out. Lay the very damp towel on the kitchen counter and GENEROUSLY sift powdered sugar over the surface. You want enough powdered sugar to be the same size/shape as the baking pan. The cake will be turned out onto the towel, and the powdered sugar will help the cake to not stick.

    Sifted powdered sugar is used to cover a damp kitchen towel where the baked cake will go.

    Remove Cake From Pan Immediately After Baking

    As soon as the cake is finished baking, check for doneness, and remove the pan from the oven. Use an offset spatula (or regular long one) to loosen all the edges (sides and under) the cake. You may find you need to really get the spatula under that pumpkin roll to loosen it from the pan. Carefully slide the spatula around under the cake, trying not to cut up the cake with the spatula as much as possible. NOTE: If using the alternative parchment paper method, simply go around the edges of the cake to loosen from the sides.

    Using oven mitts, hold the pan on both of the short sides of the pan, and immediately invert (flip over) the pan of “loosened” cake onto the powdered sugar on the damp towel. It may not look perfect, but remember that this “top surface” will be covered with the cream cheese filling later! NOTE: Remove the parchment paper carefully (if you used that method). NOW it’s time to roll the cake up while it is still hot.

    The pumpkin cake is removed from the oven after baking, and edges are loosened from pan.Pumpkin cake is inverted onto the powdered sugar lined damp dish towel while still hot.

    Rolling Up The Cake With The Towel Inside

    Beginning with the LONG side of the pumpkin roll, fold the still damp towel over the bottom edge of the cake (about 2″ or so). Carefully and tightly roll the towel INTO the cake as you go. Roll until it is completely rolled up and the “seam” side is on the bottom.

    Once rolled (with the towel inside), let the pumpkin roll sit and rest/cool on the counter for 30 minutes, before proceeding to the next step.

    The damp dish towel is rolled up into the pumpkin cake to form a long roll.Finishing rolling up the damp dish towel and pumpkin cake into a log shape, before it rests.

    Fill the Pumpkin Roll And Roll Again

    Okay… once the cake is rolled in the towel and “resting”, it’s time to make the simple cream cheese filling! Place cream cheese, butter, a cup of powdered sugar and vanilla extract in a medium bowl. Use an electric mixer to beat these ingredients until smooth, fully combined and lump-free.

    After the pumpkin roll has cooled (rolled in the towel) for 30 minutes, carefully unroll the cake. Evenly spread the cream cheese filling over the surface of the cake, all the way to the edges.

    Now you need to re-roll the cake, but this time only use the towel to help guide the rolling. You will now roll the cream cheese covered cake up tightly, starting again on the long side, but rolling the cake by itself (no towel IN the cake). The towel is simply used to help roll the cake as one long unit (see 3rd photo of my sister rolling it below). Your pumpkin roll should now be fully rolled up only as cake and filling.

    Cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar and vanilla are combined for pumpkin roll filling.The cream cheese filling is spread on the unrolled pumpkin cake after it has rested.Now the pumpkin cream cheese roll is re-rolled without the dish towel rolled up inside.

    Wrap And Chill for Best Results

    Carefully transfer the finished pumpkin roll to a large sheet of parchment paper and carefully seal the cake. Place the parchment paper-wrapped roll onto a large sheet of aluminum foil, and wrap and seal the package. At this point, you can either freeze the pumpkin roll to be thawed later OR refrigerate it to serve it chilled that same day.

    This pumpkin cream cheese roll freezes well, and only needs to thaw for 15-25 minutes before slicing and serving it.  This makes it very convenient to make this dessert ahead of time if that works best for you! When you want to enjoy the pumpkin roll, just pull it out of the freezer, unwrap, and let it thaw slightly! The pumpkin roll tastes best when served slightly chilled.

    The pumpkin cream cheese roll will now be well-wrapped and refrigerated or frozen before serving.

    Serve The Pumpkin Cream Cheese Roll

    Transfer the pumpkin cream cheese roll to a large serving platter, and give it a good dusting of sifted powdered sugar right before slicing. The cake may absorb some of the powdered sugar, so if you see that, simply sift a bit more on top for a light dusting! It’s so pretty to decorate the platter with some Autumn colors or garnishes of your choice to add to the Fall theme!

    Cut the pumpkin roll with a sharp knife into 10 slices, then serve, sliced side up! Once sliced, you will be able to see the spiraled cream cheese filling inside the pumpkin roll. The combination of the pumpkin flavored cake (seasoned with cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves) screams “Fall”, and the cream cheese filling sends it over the top! It’s so yummy, and we think it’s a perfect Fall or Thanksgiving dessert! Be sure to store any leftovers (wrapped well) in the refrigerator.

    The pumpkin cream cheese roll is sprinkled with powdered sugar before slicing to serve.A slice of the pumpkin cream cheese roll reveals the spiraled cream cheese filling inside.

    I hope you have the opportunity to make this fabulous pumpkin cream cheese roll for those you love, and trust you enjoy it’s great flavor! Thanks for taking time out of your busy day to stop by! I invite you to come back again soon for more family-friendly recipes. Take care, may God bless you, and have a GREAT day!

    Looking for More PUMPKIN Recipes?

    You can find ALL of my recipes in the Recipe Index, which is located at the top of the page. I have some delicious recipes featuring pumpkin to enjoy, including:

    Interested In More Recipes?

    Thank you for visiting this website. I appreciate you using some of your valuable time to do so.  If you’re interested, I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with all the latest recipes, and other fun info. I would be honored to have you join our growing list of subscribers, so you never miss a great recipe!
    There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right side (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use, where you can easily submit your e-mail address (only) to be included in my mailing list.

    You Can Also Find Me On Social Media:

    Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
    Pinterest:     The Grateful Girl Cooks!
    Instagram:     jbatthegratefulgirlcooks

    Author's signature

    Original recipe source: my sister Joni (she does not remember where she got the recipe from, many years ago)

    ↓↓ PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW ↓↓

    0 from 0 votes
    PRINT
    Pumpkin Cream Cheese Roll
    Prep Time
    10 mins
    Cook Time
    14 mins
    Resting Time (cooling)
    30 mins
    Total Time
    54 mins
     

    Make a delicious Pumpkin Cream Cheese Roll for the holidays (or any time)! This classic dessert has sweet cream cheese filling rolled inside!

    Category: Dessert, Holidays
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: pumpkin cream cheese roll
    Servings: 10 slices
    Calories Per Serving: 272 kcal
    Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
    Ingredients
    For Pumpkin Roll:
    • 3 large eggs
    • 1 cup granulated sugar
    • ⅖ cup pumpkin puree NOT pie filling!
    • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
    • ¾ cup all purpose flour
    • 1 teaspoon baking powder
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • 1 teaspoon ground cloves
    • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
    • 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
    • **damp dish towel and powdered sugar for dusting
    For Filling:
    • 8 ounces cream cheese softened
    • 4 Tablespoons butter softened
    • 1 cup powdered sugar
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • powdered sugar for dusting
    US Customary - Metric
    Instructions

    1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Option #1: Generously grease/flour a 10" x 15" cookie sheet or jelly roll pan. Option#2: Lightly grease pan; place parchment paper in pan (to fit). Use butter to generously "grease" parchment paper (all of it).

    2. Beat eggs and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on High. Continue beating for 1-2 minutes until well-combined/sugar dissolves. Add pumpkin and lemon juice. Beat on Low only until incorporated into egg mixture. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves. STIR this into pumpkin mixture until combined.

    3. Pour batter into prepared pan; spread it evenly in pan. Place in oven. Bake at 350°F for 12-15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the top/middle comes out clean, OR lightly touching the cake surface with a finger. If cake springs back, it should be done.

    4. 3-4 minutes before cake is done, soak a kitchen dish towel with water; wring excess water out. Lay damp towel on counter; GENEROUSLY sift powdered sugar over towel in same size/shape as the baking pan. Cake will be turned out onto the towel; powdered sugar will help it to not stick.

    5. When cake is done, remove from oven and immediately use an offset or regular metal spatula to loosen all edges (sides and under) the cake. Carefully slide spatula around under cake, to loosen it as much as possible. NOTE: If using alternative parchment paper method, simply run spatula around edges of cake to loosen. Using oven mitts, hold pan on both short sides; immediately invert (flip over) pan of "loosened" cake onto powdered sugar on towel. It may not look perfect, but this will be covered with cream cheese filling later! NOTE: Peel parchment paper carefully off cake (if you used that method).

    6. Roll the cake while it's still hot. Beginning with the LONG side, fold damp towel over bottom edge of the cake (about 2"). Carefully and tightly roll towel INTO the cake, forming a log-shaped roll. Continue until fully rolled and "seam" side is on the bottom. Once rolled (with towel inside), let it cool for 30 minutes.

    7. While cake cools, place cream cheese, butter, a powdered sugar and vanilla in a medium bowl. Beat with electric mixer until combined/lump-free. After pumpkin roll has cooled for 30 minutes, carefully unroll cake. Evenly spread cream cheese filling over the top of the cake, all the way to the edges.

    8. Re-roll the cake, but this time only use the towel to help guide the rolling. Starting rolling again on the long side, but roll cake into itself (no towel IN the cake). Use the towel to help roll cake as one long unit, with seam on bottom.

    9. Carefully transfer pumpkin roll to parchment paper and wrap it, then cover with aluminum foil and seal. You can freeze the pumpkin roll at this point OR refrigerate it to serve later the same day. Note; If freezing, frozen roll needs to be thawed for 15-20 minutes before slicing.

    10. To serve: Place unwrapped chilled pumpkin roll on serving platter. Sift powdered sugar on top just before slicing. Cut pumpkin roll into 10 slices, then serve, with the sliced side up! Wrap any leftovers well, and store in refrigerator. Enjoy!

    Recipe Notes

    NOTE: Caloric calculation does not include additional powdered sugar used to sprinkle on the damp dish towel or dust the finished cake, as the amounts may vary per cook.

    Nutrition Facts
    Pumpkin Cream Cheese Roll
    Amount Per Serving (1 slice (1/10 of total))
    Calories 272 Calories from Fat 90
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 10g15%
    Saturated Fat 6g38%
    Trans Fat 0.2g
    Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
    Monounsaturated Fat 3g
    Cholesterol 80mg27%
    Sodium 257mg11%
    Potassium 154mg4%
    Carbohydrates 42g14%
    Fiber 1g4%
    Sugar 34g38%
    Protein 5g10%
    Vitamin A 1872IU37%
    Vitamin C 1mg1%
    Calcium 69mg7%
    Iron 1mg6%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

    Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!Make a delicious Pumpkin Cream Cheese Roll for the holidays (or any time)! This classic dessert has sweet cream cheese filling rolled inside!

     

     


    Sep
    2022

    Chocolate Chip Swirl Bars

    categories: Bar Cookies, Desserts
    15 Shares
    Pin15
    Share
    Tweet
    Yum
    Email

    Make a dozen Chocolate Chip Swirl Bars in about 30 minutes! Be warned! These delicious, simple bar cookies are so good, they’re dangerous!
    Make a dozen Chocolate Chip Swirl Bars in about 30 minutes! Be warned! These delicious, simple bar cookies are so good, they're dangerous!

    Do you enjoy warm chocolate chip cookies? Well, I sure do! If you enjoy them as much as I do, I’m positive you’re going to love these chocolate chip swirl bars! The bar cookies are filled with chopped pecans (or walnuts), and a layer of chocolate chips are swirled through the batter after a minute or two of baking. They are so good!

    I originally found this recipe in one of my old cookbooks that was published way back in 2005. The recipe is super simple to prepare, and the results are outstanding! Chocolate Chip Swirl Bars are a decadent treat, that take only about 10 minutes prep to get into the oven. The rest is about 20 minutes of baking time, and then you get to enjoy one (or seven!) of these yummy dessert bars! Here’s how to make them.

    Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page

    Make The Bar Cookie Dough

    First thing you’ll need to do is preheat your oven to 375°F. and spray an 8″x8″ square baking pan with non-stick spray. The dough doesn’t take long to prepare, so you will want your oven hot and ready to go, once it is made. Now you’re ready to mix up the dough for these chocolate chip dessert bars!

    Sift together flour, baking soda and salt into a Medium sized bowl, then set the bowl aside. In a separate Large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat softened butter, granulated and brown sugars, vanilla extract and water together until fully combined.

    Once combined, use the electric mixer to beat an egg and the flour mixture into the dough, a little at a time, until incorporated. Remove the mixer, and STIR chopped pecans (or walnuts) into the dough until they’re incorporated.

    Chopped pecans (or walnuts) are stirred into the prepared dessert bars dough.

    Getting Ready To Bake

    Evenly spread the dough into the prepared baking pan. Sprinkle the chocolate chips over the entire surface of the dough. Now you’re ready to bake the chocolate chip swirl bars! See how easy it was to get them ready to bake?

    Dough for the chocolate chip swirl bars is spread in a greased baking dish.Chocolate chips are sprinkled over the surface of the dough.

    Bake The Chocolate Chip Swirl Bars

    Place the baking pan into a preheated 375°F. oven and let them bake for ONLY 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and quickly take a butter knife and run it through the dough, creating marbleized “swirls” throughout the dough in the pan.

    After creating swirls of softened chocolate chips, put the pan back into the hot oven, and continue baking for 16-18 minutes longer. When done, the top of the chocolate chip swirl bars will be nicely browned, and a toothpick inserted into the top middle should come out free of dough batter (clean).

    After baking for 2 minutes, a knife is used to swirl the softened chocolate chips through the dough.Chocolate chips are swirled through the dough, then pan is put back in oven to finish baking.

    Remove the pan from the oven once done, and transfer it to a wire rack to cool. The chocolate chip swirl bars will slice easier once they have had several minutes to cool, so make sure to let them “rest” a bit.

    Golden brown and firm on top, the chocolate chip swirl bars are removed from oven.Chocolate chip swirl bars, in baking dish, cooling down before slicing.

    Serve The Chocolate Chip Swirl Bars

    We enjoy these cookie bars best when served slightly warm, but if you prefer them hot OR at room temperature, that is your choice. Either way, when you’re ready to serve, slice the bars into 12 pieces. However, when served warm, the chocolate chips will still be ooey gooey and delicious (just sayin’)!

    Serve and enjoy these decadent treats. IF you have any leftovers (notice I said “IF”?), they can be wrapped tightly or placed in a freezer bag or airtight container and frozen for use at a later date. YUM!

    The chocolate chip dessert bars are cut into 12 pieces before serving.Four of the chocolate chip swirl bars are served on a white plate.

    I hope you have the chance to make these yummy dessert bars for those you love. They’re REALLY delicious! Thanks for stopping by today, and I hope you can come back soon for more family-friendly recipes. Take care, have a GREAT day, and may God bless you in all you do.

    Looking For More BAR COOKIE Recipes?

    You can find ALL of my recipes in the Recipe Index, which is located at the top of the page. I have lots of amazing bar cookie recipes for you to enjoy, including:

    Interested In More Recipes?

    Thank you for visiting this website. I appreciate you using some of your valuable time to do so.  If you’re interested, I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with all the latest recipes, and other fun info. I would be honored to have you join our growing list of subscribers, so you never miss a great recipe!
    There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right side (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use, where you can easily submit your e-mail address (only) to be included in my mailing list.

    You Can Also Find Me On Social Media:

    Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
    Pinterest:     The Grateful Girl Cooks!
    Instagram:     jbatthegratefulgirlcooks

    Author's signature

    Original recipe source: Betty Green, in “Church Suppers”, page 351, published by Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers in 2005

    ↓↓ PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW ↓↓

    0 from 0 votes
    PRINT
    Chocolate Chip Swirl Bars
    Prep Time
    12 mins
    Cook Time
    18 mins
    Total Time
    30 mins
     

    Make a dozen Chocolate Chip Swirl Bars in about 30 minutes! Be warned! These delicious, simple bar cookies are so good, they're dangerous!

    Category: Bar Cookies, Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: chocolate chip swirl bars
    Servings: 12 bars
    Calories Per Serving: 272 kcal
    Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
    Ingredients
    • 1 cup + 2 teaspoons all purpose flour
    • ½ teaspoon baking soda
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • 8 Tablespoons butter, softened = 1 stick or ½ cup
    • 6 Tablespoons packed brown sugar
    • 6 Tablespoons granulated sugar
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • ¼ teaspoon water
    • 1 large egg
    • ½ cup chopped pecans (or walnuts)
    • 6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
    US Customary - Metric
    Instructions

    1. Preheat oven to 375°F. and spray an 8"x8" square baking pan with non-stick spray.

    2. Sift together flour, baking soda and salt into a medium bowl; set bowl aside. In a separate large bowl, use electric mixer to beat butter, granulated and brown sugars, vanilla and water together until combined. Add egg and reserved flour mixture to the dough, a little at a time, beating until incorporated. STIR chopped pecans (or walnuts) into the dough until incorporated. Evenly spread dough into baking pan. Evenly sprinkle surface of dough with chocolate chips.

    3. Place pan with dough into 375°F. oven and bake dough for ONLY 2 minutes. Remove pan from oven. Take a butter knife and run it through the dough, creating marbleized "swirls" throughout the dough. Put the pan back into oven; continue baking 16-18 minutes longer. Bars should be nicely browned, and a toothpick inserted into the top should come out free of dough (clean). Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool before attempting to slice.

    4. When you're ready to serve (warm or room temperature), slice into 12 bars. Serve and enjoy! NOTE: If you have leftovers, they can be wrapped or placed in a freezer bag or airtight container and frozen for later use.

    Nutrition Facts
    Chocolate Chip Swirl Bars
    Amount Per Serving (1 (1/12 of total))
    Calories 272 Calories from Fat 153
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 17g26%
    Saturated Fat 8g50%
    Trans Fat 0.3g
    Polyunsaturated Fat 3g
    Monounsaturated Fat 4g
    Cholesterol 36mg12%
    Sodium 212mg9%
    Potassium 130mg4%
    Carbohydrates 28g9%
    Fiber 2g8%
    Sugar 17g19%
    Protein 3g6%
    Vitamin A 264IU5%
    Vitamin C 0.1mg0%
    Calcium 25mg3%
    Iron 2mg11%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

    Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!Make a dozen Chocolate Chip Swirl Bars in about 30 minutes! Be warned! These delicious, simple bar cookies are so good, they're dangerous!


    Aug
    2022

    Homemade Caramel Sauce

    categories: Desserts, Sauces and Dressings
    6 Shares
    Pin6
    Share
    Tweet
    Yum
    Email

    Make a batch of delicious Homemade Caramel Sauce using only 3 ingredients! This sauce is a perfect topping for ice cream and other desserts!
    Make a batch of delicious Homemade Caramel Sauce using only 3 ingredients! This sauce is a perfect topping for ice cream and other desserts!

    Did you know it actually is very simple to make homemade caramel sauce at home? YEP… it sure is! The only ingredients needed to make it are butter, sugar and whipping cream (or half and half). That’s it! Best of all, you can make it in under 10 minutes! The recipe as written below, will yield about 1½ cups of sauce, and can be stored for up to a week in the refrigerator.

    This creamy caramel sauce is lip-smackin’ good, too! Buttery and smooth, you may find yourself dipping a big old spoon into it, in order to get a good taste. Knowing how to make homemade caramel sauce can save you yet another trip to the grocery store to buy it, which is a plus in my book! Here’s how to make this delicious dessert sauce:

    Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page

    Let’s Make Some Caramel Sauce

    Place 4 Tablespoons of softened butter into a large skillet (non-stick or cast iron work best!). Add 1¼ cups of granulated sugar, and then cook on Medium-High heat and stir, as the sugar begins melting. Keep an eye on the pan, because the sugar will slowly start to lightly brown. Stir it occasionally, and watch it carefully, so it doesn’t burn. In the 3rd photo below, you can see the sugar has begun to melt at the bottom of the skillet.

    Butter and granulated sugar are heated in a large skillet.As it cooks, the sugar and butter begin to turn slightly brown in color.The granulated sugar begins to melt as it heats up in the skillet.

    Keep cooking until the sugar turns amber in color (as shown below), stirring as it cooks. The heating time will usually be about 3-5 minutes total, so keep an eye on it! Once the sugar has completely melted, and the caramel sauce is smooth (no lumps), remove the skillet immediately from the heat.

    Butter and granulated sugar begin to turn amber in color and liquefy as it cooks.Once sugar and butter are completely melted and smooth, the skillet is removed from the heat.

    Time To Finish The Caramel Sauce!

    When the skillet is OFF the heat, slowly pour a cup of heavy whipping cream (or half and half) into the skillet. The COLD cream will sputter and bubble as it is added to the smooth, HOT caramel mixture! Keep stirring or whisking in the cream until it has fully been incorporated into the homemade caramel sauce.

    Whipping cream (or half and half) is stirred into the hot caramel sauce.

    Serving Homemade Caramel Sauce

    Once the cream has been incorporated fully into the sauce, the homemade caramel sauce is ready to go! We usually let it cool slightly, then spoon the WARM sauce over a favorite dessert.

    Homemade caramel sauce tastes wonderful drizzled over ice cream, or on top of a slice of pound cake! We also love to drizzle it over apple pie, apple bars, or my Apple Shortbread Tart (seen in 2nd photo below). I’ve also been known (*cough, cough) to enjoy a spoonful of it all by itself… YUM!

    Homemade caramel sauce is drizzled over vanilla ice cream.Apple shortbread tart and ice cream, drizzled with the homemade caramel sauce.

    The homemade caramel sauce leftovers can be stored up to a week, when covered and refrigerated. It will solidify some as it is chilled. To re-use it, gently reheat the sauce and then give it a good stir before serving.

    Leftover caramel sauce is stored in a covered container in a refrigerator for up to a week.

    I hope you have the chance to make this simple homemade caramel sauce. It tastes great on a variety of desserts, and is simple to make, from the convenience of home. Thanks for stopping by today, and I invite you to come back soon for more delicious, family-friendly recipes.

    Looking For More DESSERT SAUCE Recipes?

    You can find ALL of my recipes in the Recipe Index, which is located at the top of the page. I have several delicious dessert sauces for you to enjoy, including:

    Interested In More Recipes?

    Thank you for visiting this website. I appreciate you using some of your valuable time to do so.  If you’re interested, I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with all the latest recipes, and other fun info. I would be honored to have you join our growing list of subscribers, so you never miss a great recipe!
    There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right side (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use, where you can easily submit your e-mail address (only) to be included in my mailing list.

    You Can Also Find Me On Social Media:

    Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
    Pinterest:     The Grateful Girl Cooks!
    Instagram:     jbatthegratefulgirlcooks

    Author's signature

    Recipe adapted from a recipe (page 114), torn out of an old issue of Sunset Magazine (original month and year are unknown)

    ↓↓ PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW ↓↓

    0 from 0 votes
    PRINT
    Homemade Caramel Sauce
    Prep Time
    2 mins
    Cook Time
    5 mins
    Total Time
    7 mins
     

    Make a batch of delicious Homemade Caramel Sauce using only 3 ingredients! This sauce is a perfect topping for ice cream and other desserts!

    Category: Dessert Sauce
    Cuisine: All Cuisines
    Keyword: homemade caramel sauce
    Servings: 24 (1 Tablespoon per serving)
    Calories Per Serving: 91 kcal
    Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
    Ingredients
    • 4 Tablespoons butter (don't use margarine)
    • 1¼ cups granulated sugar
    • 1 cup heavy whipping cream or half and half
    US Customary - Metric
    Instructions

    1. Place butter in a large skillet. Add 1¼ cups of granulated sugar; cook on Medium-High heat and stir, as sugar begins melting. Keep an eye on the pan-sugar will slowly start to brown. Stir occasionally, and watch carefully, so it doesn't burn. Sugar will begin to liquefy.

    2. Keep cooking until sugar turns amber in color; keep stirring as it cooks. Total cooking time is usually 3-5 minutes total, Once sugar has completely melted, and sauce is smooth (no lumps), remove skillet immediately from heat.

    3. Slowly pour whipping cream (or half and half) into skillet. The COLD cream will sputter and bubble as it is added to HOT caramel mixture! Keep stirring or whisking in the cream until it is fully incorporated into caramel sauce.

    4. Let sauce cool slightly, then serve WARM sauce over a favorite dessert. Leftover sauce can be stored in a covered container in refrigerator for up to a week.

    Recipe Notes

    NOTE: Caloric calculation was made using heavy whipping cream.
    **If you are using half and half instead, each serving (1 Tablespoon) will be approx. 70 calories. 

    Nutrition Facts
    Homemade Caramel Sauce
    Amount Per Serving (1 Tablespoon)
    Calories 91 Calories from Fat 54
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 6g9%
    Saturated Fat 3g19%
    Trans Fat 0.1g
    Polyunsaturated Fat 0.2g
    Monounsaturated Fat 1g
    Cholesterol 16mg5%
    Sodium 18mg1%
    Potassium 10mg0%
    Carbohydrates 11g4%
    Sugar 11g12%
    Protein 0.3g1%
    Vitamin A 204IU4%
    Vitamin C 0.1mg0%
    Calcium 7mg1%
    Iron 0.02mg0%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

    Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!Make a batch of delicious Homemade Caramel Sauce using only 3 ingredients! This sauce is a perfect topping for ice cream and other desserts!

     


    Aug
    2022

    Air Fryer Chocolate Lava Cake

    categories: Air Fryer Recipes, Cakes, Desserts
    10 Shares
    Pin10
    Share
    Tweet
    Yum
    Email

    Make a scrumptious Air Fryer Chocolate Lava Cake with 5 minutes prep and 10 minutes cooking time! Easy recipe makes 2 gooey molten lava cakes!
    Make a scrumptious Air Fryer Chocolate Lava Cake with 5 minutes prep and 10 minutes cooking time! Easy recipe makes 2 gooey molten lava cakes!

    Now that summer is officially upon us, I decided to share a recipe for a delicious dessert that can be easily made in an air fryer! Because this simple, decadent recipe only takes 5 minutes to prepare, and takes only 10 minutes in an air fryer, it won’t heat up your kitchen too much!

    If you’ve neve tried a chocolate molten lava cake before, you’re in for a TREAT! Once an air fryer chocolate lava cake has cooked, it is allowed to cool for just a few minutes. Then once you take the first forkful out of it, the fudgy, chocolate center oozes out of the cake… just like a lava flow! It is wonderfully delicious, and today I want to show you how simple they are to make.

    You will need an air fryer for this recipe! I received mine several years ago as a birthday gift from family, and it is a hot-air driven appliance. Food cooks with super hot air (like a convection oven) in shorter amounts of time. I found the original recipe in a recipe booklet that came with my Cosori air fryer, and love it. Here’s how to make air fryer chocolate lava cake:

    Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page

    Make The Batter For The Chocolate Lava Cakes

    TIP: To save time, preheat your air fryer to 320°F. while making the cake batter. The batter takes 5 minutes or less to make, and you want the air fryer preheated and ready to use, once the batter is made.

    To make the cake batter, place semi-sweet (or dark) chocolate chips and butter in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on High power for 30 seconds. Remove from microwave and stir the ingredients until completely smooth. If necessary, put the bowl back in the microwave an additional 15-30 seconds if chocolate did not completely melt on the first try. Stir again. Once done, the chocolate and butter mixture should be smooth.

    Butter and chocolate chips are melted in a microwave safe bowl.Bowl with melted butter and melted chocolate chips, stirred until smooth.

    Whisk powdered sugar, one egg, and one egg YOLK into the chocolate batter until fully combined. Once combined, fold flour into this mixture until incorporated. The batter will be fairly thick when done. TA DA! This is the batter for the lava cakes, and you can see how simple it is to make, right?

    An egg, an egg yolk, and powdered sugar are whisked in bowl until combined.Flour is folded into the thick batter for the air fryer chocolate lava cake.

    Ready For The Air Fryer

    Generously grease, spray or butter the bottom and sides of two 4″ ramekins, and then dust them with flour. Don’t skip this step! You do NOT want the lava cakes to stick to the ramekin once they’re ready to be plated!

    Evenly divide the batter between the two ramekins, then place them into the preheated air fryer basket. Cook at 320°F. for 10 minutes. When done, transfer the ramekins from the basket onto a wire rack, and allow them to cool slightly for 4-5 minutes.

    Ramekins are buttered or greased, then coated with flour before adding lava cake batter.Air Fryer Chocolate Lava Cake is cooked in an air fryer basket for 10 minutes.

    Cool, Then Remove Cake From Ramekin

    Once the air fryer chocolate lava cake has cooled (4-5 minutes), run a butter knife carefully around the inside edge of each ramekin. Carefully invert the ramekins (turn upside down), one at a time onto serving plates. If greased well, the cake should turn out EASILY onto the plate, upside down. Now you’re ready to decorate and serve this amazing dessert!

    After cooling for 5 minutes, the air fryer chocolate lava cake is inverted onto a plate.

    Serving The Air Fryer Chocolate Lava Cake

    Generously sift additional powdered sugar over the top of each air fryer chocolate lava cake. If desired, place a scoop of vanilla ice cream and some berries onto each plate, and serve while still hot. When you cut into the lava cake, the fudgy chocolate filling should slowly ooze out from the center of the cake. It’s SO YUMMY!

    Dusted with powdered sugar, air fryer chocolate lava cake is served with ice cream and raspberries.

    Hot melted chocolate oozes out of the air fryer chocolate lava cake once cut.

    I hope you have the chance to try this delicious dessert! I’m confident you and those you love will love it as much as we do… it’s decadent tasting. Thanks for stopping by, and I invite you to come back soon for more family-friendly recipes. Take care, may God bless you, and have a GREAT day!

    Looking For More AIR FRYER RECIPES?

    You can find ALL of my recipes in the Recipe Index, located at the top of the page. I have some wonderful air fryer recipes for you to enjoy, including:

    Interested In More Recipes?

    Thank you for visiting this website. I appreciate you using some of your valuable time to do so.  If you’re interested, I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with all the latest recipes, and other fun info. I would be honored to have you join our growing list of subscribers, so you never miss a great recipe!
    There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right side (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use, where you can easily submit your e-mail address (only) to be included in my mailing list.

    You Can Also Find Me On Social Media:

    Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
    Pinterest:     The Grateful Girl Cooks!
    Instagram:     jbatthegratefulgirlcooks

    Author's signature

    Original recipe source: Cosori Air Fryer Instruction Manual/Recipe Booklet, page 36.

    ↓↓ PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW ↓↓

    0 from 0 votes
    PRINT
    Air Fryer Chocolate Lava Cake
    Prep Time
    5 mins
    Cook Time
    10 mins
    Total Time
    15 mins
     

    Make a scrumptious Air Fryer Chocolate Lava Cake with 5 minutes prep and 10 minutes cooking time! Easy recipe makes 2 gooey molten lava cakes!

    Category: Desssert
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: air fryer chocolate lava cake
    Servings: 2 cakes
    Calories Per Serving: 598 kcal
    Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
    Ingredients
    • ¼ cup butter (½ stick), cut in chunks
    • ⅓ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (can substitute dark)
    • ½ cup powdered sugar + more for dusting finished cake
    • 1 large egg
    • 1 large egg yolk
    • 3 Tablespoons all purpose flour
    US Customary - Metric
    Instructions

    1. Preheat air fryer at 320°F. for 5 minutes, while making cake batter. Generously grease, spray or butter bottom/sides of two 4" ramekins; then dust with flour.

    Make Cake Batter

    1. Place chocolate chips and butter in microwave safe bowl. Microwave on HIGH for 30 seconds. Remove from microwave; stir until smooth. **If necessary, put bowl back in microwave additional 15-30 seconds to finish melting chocolate. Stir again until mixture is smooth.

    2. Whisk powdered sugar, egg, and one egg YOLK into chocolate batter until fully combined. Fold flour in, until incorporated. Batter will be fairly thick. Evenly divide batter between two ramekins, then put them into air fryer basket.

    Cook In Air Fryer

    1. Cook at 320°F. for 10 minutes. When done, transfer ramekins from basket onto a wire rack; let rest 4-5 minutes.

    To Serve

    1. Once cake rests 4-5 minutes, run a butter knife carefully around inside edge of each ramekin. Carefully invert ramekins (turn upside down), one at a time, onto serving plates. If greased well, cake should turn out EASILY onto plate, upside down. Generously sift more powdered sugar on top of each cake. If desired, serve with vanilla ice cream and berries. Serve immediately.

    Recipe Notes

    Caloric calculation is for cake only. 

    Nutrition Facts
    Air Fryer Chocolate Lava Cake
    Amount Per Serving (1 cake)
    Calories 598 Calories from Fat 351
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 39g60%
    Saturated Fat 23g144%
    Trans Fat 1g
    Polyunsaturated Fat 2g
    Monounsaturated Fat 11g
    Cholesterol 248mg83%
    Sodium 226mg10%
    Potassium 233mg7%
    Carbohydrates 55g18%
    Fiber 3g13%
    Sugar 41g46%
    Protein 8g16%
    Vitamin A 982IU20%
    Calcium 52mg5%
    Iron 3mg17%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

    Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!Make a scrumptious Air Fryer Chocolate Lava Cake with 5 minutes prep and 10 minutes cooking time! Easy recipe makes 2 gooey molten lava cakes!


    Jul
    2022

    Old-Fashioned Tapioca Pudding

    categories: Desserts
    25 Shares
    Pin22
    Share
    Tweet
    Yum3
    Email

    Make 4 servings of delicious Old-Fashioned Tapioca Pudding from scratch! Rich and creamy, you’re going to love this classic dessert!
    Make 4 servings of delicious Old-Fashioned Tapioca Pudding from scratch! Rich and creamy, you're going to love this classic dessert!

    Growing up, I did not care too much for tapioca pudding, but as an adult, I’ve come to love it! Long ago I used to keep a box of INSTANT tapioca in our pantry, but years ago found a yummy recipe to make this creamy classic pudding from scratch!

    Once you buy tapioca pearls at the grocery store, you can store them in the pantry for a long time! Now- whenever we want some old-fashioned tapioca pudding, I’ve already got the tapioca pearls, ready to go! To make this pudding from scratch you need uncooked tapioca pearls, plus a few other common ingredients (sugar, salt, water, eggs, milk and vanilla)! I always have these other ingredients in my kitchen, so when we want this pudding, it’s very convenient to pull together!

    Making tapioca pudding from scratch does take a little bit of time (and stirring), but it is well worth it, in my opinion. The finished pudding is cold, creamy, thick, and delicious!

    Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page

    Prepare The Tapioca Pearls

    This old-fashioned recipe calls for uncooked small pearl tapioca. You can usually find it near the pudding mixes (or sometimes in the pasta section) at the local grocery store. Do NOT use boxed instant tapioca mix for this recipe. To prepare it to be cooked, measure 1/3 cup of the tapioca pearls into a Medium sized non-stick saucepan. NOTE: Make sure to use a non-stick saucepan, so the pudding won’t scorch on the bottom of the pan during the extended cooking time. I learned this the hard way once awhile ago… trust me!

    Cover the tapioca pearls with ¾ cup of water, and then let them sit and soak for 30 minutes. This “soaking” helps soften the hard tapioca pearls a bit before cooking. 

    Tapioca pearls are measured in a measuring cup before cooking.The tapioca pearls are soaking in a pan full of water.

    Once the tapioca has finished soaking, add milk and salt to the saucepan. Bring the liquid to a boil on MEDIUM heat, then reduce the heat to LOW and let the pudding simmer for 30 minutes, stirring frequently. The pudding mixture will thicken considerably while it is cooking.

    Milk and salt are added to the pan of soaked tapioca pearls.Old-fashioned tapioca pudding cooks for 30 minutes until it thickens.

    Temper The Eggs So They Don’t Scramble

    When the pudding is done cooking, remove the pan from the heat. Now you need to prepare the eggs to add to the hot mixture. If you add the eggs directly into the hot pudding, they will scramble, and we don’t want that to happen! So the eggs must be “tempered” first, which means warming them up slowly so they can be added to a hot mixture without scrambling them.

    In a small bowl, combine lightly beaten eggs with granulated sugar. Whisk these 2 ingredients together, to combine. Remove ½ cup of the hot pudding from the saucepan. SLOWLY (very slowly) while whisking continuously, drizzle the hot pudding into the eggs, a little at a time. Keep whisking while slowly drizzling in the hot stuff!

    Once ½ cup of hot pudding has been incorporated into the eggs, slowly drizzle the combined mixture back into the remaining hot pudding in the saucepan. Whisk continuously while it’s being added. 

    Eggs are whisked with sugar until they're combined.The egg mixture is tempered by drizzling in some hot pudding mixture a bit at a time.Tempered eggs are whisked back into the pan of hot tapioca pudding.

    Final Steps Before Chilling

    Return the pan to the heat. Cook the old-fashioned tapioca pudding on LOW heat for 4 more minutes, stirring constantly as it continues to thicken. Remove the pan from the heat, and stir in vanilla extract. Transfer all the pudding from the saucepan into a medium sized mixing bowl.

    Fill a large bowl (larger than the one the pudding is in) with lots of ice cubes and small amount of water. Set the bowl with the pudding over the ice in the larger bowl (see photo #3 below). This will help to quickly cool the old-fashioned tapioca pudding. Allow the pudding to sit over the ice for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, as the pudding continues to thicken.

    Old-fashioned tapioca pudding is cooked longer until it really thickens.Vanilla extract is added to the tapioca pudding, once off the heat.A bowl of old-fashioned tapioca pudding rests on a bowl of ice water to cool it quickly.

    Who Wants Some Old-Fashioned Tapioca Pudding?

    Once the pudding has chilled on top of the ice water “bath” for 15 minutes, remove the pudding bowl from the ice bath. At this point, you can either leave the pudding in the mixing bowl or divide it up into 4 serving containers… your choice. The recipe will yield four servings (½ cup each) of old-fashioned tapioca pudding. Use plastic wrap to cover the pudding (see note below).

    IMPORTANT NOTE: Lay the plastic wrap directly on top of the pudding, making contact with the surface of the pudding. This will help to prevent a “skin” from developing on the pudding as it chills.

    Place the (covered) old-fashioned tapioca pudding in the refrigerator, and chill completely until ready to serve. Garnish each serving with a dollop of whipped cream or a sprinkle of nutmeg, if desired, then serve cold!

    Four servings of old-fashioned tapioca pudding, ready to be refrigerated.Each portion of tapioca pudding is topped with whipped cream before serving.

    I hope you enjoy this recipe for old-fashioned tapioca pudding. It takes a little bit of time to prepare, but results in a thick, creamy and delicious classic pudding, I’m confident you’ll enjoy! Thanks for stopping by, and come back soon for more yummy, family-friendly recipes! Take care, and have a great day.

    Looking For More PUDDING or MOUSSE Recipes?

    You can find ALL of my recipes in the Recipe Index, located at the top of the page. I have some delicious pudding and mousse recipes for you to enjoy, including:

    Interested In More Recipes?

    Thank you for visiting this website. I appreciate you using some of your valuable time to do so.  If you’re interested, I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with all the latest recipes, and other fun info. I would be honored to have you join our growing list of subscribers, so you never miss a great recipe!
    There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right side (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use, where you can easily submit your e-mail address (only) to be included in my mailing list.

    You Can Also Find Me On Social Media:

    Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
    Pinterest:     The Grateful Girl Cooks!
    Instagram:     jbatthegratefulgirlcooks

    Author's signature

    Original recipe source: “Cooking Light Annual Recipes 2007, page 292, published in 2006 by Oxmoor House

    ↓↓ PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW ↓↓

    0 from 0 votes
    PRINT
    Old-Fashioned Tapioca Pudding
    Prep Time
    30 mins
    Cook Time
    35 mins
    Total Time
    1 hr 5 mins
     

    Make 4 servings of delicious Old-Fashioned Tapioca Pudding from scratch! Rich and creamy, you're going to love this classic dessert!

    Category: Desserts
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: old-fashioned tapioca pudding
    Servings: 4 (1/2 cup) servings
    Calories Per Serving: 204 kcal
    Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
    Ingredients
    • ⅓ cup small pearl tapioca uncooked
    • ¾ cup water
    • 2¼ cups low-fat milk (1%)
    • ¼ teaspoon salt
    • 2 large eggs lightly beaten
    • ⅓ cup granulated sugar
    • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
    OPTIONAL GARNISH FOR SERVING: whipped cream and/or grated nutmeg
      US Customary - Metric
      Instructions

      1. Place tapioca pearls in a medium sized non-stick saucepan. NOTE: Make sure to use a non-stick saucepan, so pudding won't scorch on bottom of pan while cooking. Add water; let tapioca soak in water for 30 minutes.

      2. Add milk and salt to the saucepan. Bring liquid to a boil on MEDIUM heat, then reduce heat to LOW. Let pudding simmer for 30 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove pan from heat when done cooking.

      3. In a small bowl, combine eggs with sugar. Whisk, to combine. Remove 1/2 cup hot pudding from the saucepan. SLOWLY (very slowly) while whisking continuously, drizzle this hot pudding into the eggs, a little at a time. Once ½ C. hot pudding has been incorporated into eggs, slowly drizzle combined mixture back into remaining pudding in saucepan, whisking continuously while adding. 

      4. Return pan to heat. Cook pudding on LOW heat 4 more minutes, stirring constantly as it continues to thicken. Remove pan from heat; stir in vanilla. Transfer pudding into a medium-sized mixing bowl.

      5. Fill a large bowl (larger than pudding bowl) with ice cubes and small amount of water. Set pudding bowl over ice in larger bowl for 15 minutes, stirring (carefully) occasionally, as pudding continues to thicken.

      6. After 15 minutes, remove pudding bowl from ice bath. *At this point, you can either leave pudding in mixing bowl or divide it into 4 serving dishes/containers. Use plastic wrap to cover pudding. NOTE: Lay plastic wrap directly on top of pudding, making contact with surface of pudding. This helps prevent a "skin" from forming on pudding as it chills. Place (covered) pudding in refrigerator; chill completely until ready to serve. Garnish each serving with whipped cream and/or a sprinkle of nutmeg, if desired, and serve cold!

      Nutrition Facts
      Old-Fashioned Tapioca Pudding
      Amount Per Serving (1 (1/2 cup serving))
      Calories 204 Calories from Fat 36
      % Daily Value*
      Fat 4g6%
      Saturated Fat 2g13%
      Trans Fat 1g
      Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
      Monounsaturated Fat 1g
      Cholesterol 100mg33%
      Sodium 235mg10%
      Potassium 248mg7%
      Carbohydrates 35g12%
      Fiber 1g4%
      Sugar 24g27%
      Protein 8g16%
      Vitamin A 395IU8%
      Calcium 185mg19%
      Iron 1mg6%
      * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

      Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!Make 4 servings of delicious Old-Fashioned Tapioca Pudding from scratch! Rich and creamy, you're going to love this classic dessert!


      Jul
      2022

      Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownies

      categories: Bar Cookies, Desserts
      5 Shares
      Pin5
      Share
      Tweet
      Yum
      Email

      Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownies are filled with chopped peanuts, chocolate chips and peanut butter, and are absolutely delicious!
      Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownies are filled with chopped peanuts, chocolate chips and peanut butter, and are absolutely delicious!

      If you love the flavor combo of chocolate and peanut butter, I think you’ll enjoy these delicious chocolate peanut butter BROWNIES!

      The peanut butter taste is not too strong, and it perfectly blends with the fudgy chocolate flavor in these yummy dessert bars!

      With only 10 minutes of hands-on prep, you can have a big ol’ pan of yummy tasting brownies in the oven before you know it. Chocolate peanut butter brownies can be eaten unfrosted OR frosted

      I’ve included a recipe for a delicious chocolate frosting (in the printable recipe card) for your convenience. Here’s how easy these brownies are to make:

      Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page

      Make The Brownie Batter

      Measure peanut butter, softened butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar into a large mixing bowl. Cream ingredients together using an electric mixer on High speed until fully blended.

      Turn the mixer down to Medium speed, and add vanilla extract and 4 eggs, ADDING EGGS ONE AT A TIME. Beat the ingredients very well after each egg is added.

      Once done, the chocolate peanut butter brownie batter will be fairly thick.

      Peanut butter, brown & granulated sugar, and butter are combined using a mixer.Four eggs are added to the batter, one at a time, then mixed in.

      Stir cocoa powder, flour, salt, chocolate chips and chopped peanuts into the brownie batter until well combined. Now the brownies are ready to be baked!

      Cocoa powder, chocolate chips, flour, salt and peanuts are stirred into the brownie batter.

      Ready To Bake!

      Lightly grease a 9″ x 13″ baking pan and then spread the batter evenly in the pan. Place the pan of chocolate peanut butter brownies on the center rack of a preheated 350°F. oven.

      Bake at 350°F for 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted deep into the center of the brownies comes out clean. The top of the brownies should also feel firm once done.

      The batter for chocolate peanut butter brownies is spread into a greased cake pan.

      If You Like “Unfrosted” Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownies

      Remove the pan from the oven, and cut the brownies into 24 portions while still hot. Let them cool  to room temp (still in the pan) after slicing, before serving.

      If you enjoy the chocolate peanut butter brownies UNFROSTED, simply let them cool completely. Transfer them from the pan to a serving plate, and serve.

      After baking, the chocolate peanut butter brownies are cut while still hot into 24 portions.A white plate with several unfrosted brownies ready to enjoy.

      If You Like “Frosted” Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownies

      If you prefer chocolate frosting on brownies, you can make it while the brownies cool. It’s EASY! I’ve included the printable recipe below, but here are the basics. 

      Melt butter in a saucepan on low heat. Add cocoa powder, and stir it in, until blended with the melted butter. Stir in salt, vanilla, and ¼ cup of milk, stirring by hand until combined.

      Add powdered sugar, and stir well. If necessary add a bit more milk until the frosting becomes smooth and slightly pourable.

      Poke holes in the tops of the brownies, then immediately pour the chocolate frosting evenly over the surface. The frosting will cover the top and sink into the holes in each brownie. 

      Chocolate frosting can be made to frost the brownies, if desired.Holes are poked in the brownies, then they're covered with chocolate frosting.

      Let the frosting become firm before slicing and transferring the brownies out of the baking pan to a serving plate. Serve, and enjoy these decadent dessert bars.

      A pan of frosted chocolate peanut butter brownies showing the inside after removing brownies..A white plate with several frosted chocolate peanut butter brownies on it.

      I really hope you enjoy these delicious brownies! They taste wonderful, and I hope you (and those you love) like them as much as we do.

      Thanks for taking the time to stop by today, and I invite you to come back soon for more family-friendly recipes. Take care, may God bless you, and have a great day!

      Looking For More BAR COOKIE Recipes?

      You can find ALL of my recipes in the Recipe Index, located at the top of the page. I have some wonderfully delicious bar cookie recipes to enjoy, which include:

      Interested In More Recipes?

      Thank you for visiting this website. I appreciate you using some of your valuable time to do so.  If you’re interested, I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with all the latest recipes, and other fun info. I would be honored to have you join our growing list of subscribers, so you never miss a great recipe!
      There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right side (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use, where you can easily submit your e-mail address (only) to be included in my mailing list.

      You Can Also Find Me On Social Media:

      Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
      Pinterest:       The Grateful Girl Cooks!
      Instagram:       jbatthegratefulgirlcooks

      Author's signature

      Original recipe source for brownies: “Mollie Katzen’s Vegetable Heaven”, page 204, published in 1997 by Tante Malka, Inc.
      Original recipe source for frosting: my Mom’s frosting recipe for chocolate cake

      ↓↓ PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW ↓↓

      0 from 0 votes
      PRINT
      Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownies
      Prep Time
      10 mins
      Cook Time
      15 mins
      Resting Time (inactive cooling time)
      30 mins
      Total Time
      55 mins
       

      Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownies are filled with chopped peanuts, chocolate chips and peanut butter, and are absolutely delicious!

      Category: Desssert
      Cuisine: American
      Keyword: chocolate peanut butter brownies
      Servings: 24
      Calories Per Serving: 260 kcal
      Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
      Ingredients
      For Brownie Batter:
      • 1 cup creamy peanut butter (not natural)
      • 1 stick butter (½ cup), softened
      • 1 cup light brown sugar (packed)
      • ½ cup granulated sugar
      • 4 large eggs
      • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
      • 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
      • 1 cup all purpose flour
      • 1¼ cups semisweet chocolate chips
      • ½ cup cocktail peanuts finely chopped
      For Chocolate Frosting (if using):
      • 6 Tablespoons butter (3/4 stick)
      • 4 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
      • 1 pinch salt
      • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
      • 12 ounces powdered sugar
      • ¼ cup low-fat milk (1%) more if necessary to thin frosting
      Instructions

      1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9x13 baking pan.

      2. Measure peanut butter, butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar into large mixing bowl. Cream ingredients using electric mixer on High until fully blended. Turn mixer to Medium; add vanilla and eggs, ADDING EGGS ONE AT A TIME. Beat well after each egg is added.

      3. Remove beaters. Add cocoa, flour, chocolate chips and peanuts to batter; stir by hand until fully incorporated into thick batter.

      4. Spread batter evenly in prepared pan. Place pan on center rack of oven. Bake at 350°F. for 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted deep into the center of the brownies comes out clean. The surface of the brownies should feel firm.

      For UNFROSTED Brownies:

      1. Remove pan from oven. Cut brownies into 24 servings while still hot. Let cool (still in pan) to room temp. after slicing, before removing from pan and serving.

      For FROSTED Brownies:

      1. Slice brownies while still hot. To make frosting: Melt butter on low heat in medium saucepan. Remove from heat. Add cocoa powder; stir well, then add salt, vanilla, and ¼ cup of milk, stirring by hand until combined. Add powdered sugar, and stir well. If necessary add a bit more milk until the frosting becomes slightly pourable. When fully combined, poke holes in the top of the brownies, then pour frosting over the surface to cover. Let frosting become firm, before removing brownies from pan and serving.

      Recipe Notes

      NOTE: Caloric calculation is for UNFROSTED brownies (260 per serving). If using frosting included in recipe card, the caloric content of each brownie will be approx. 344 calories per serving.

      ALSO... if you are using non-salted peanut butter in the brownies, add ¼ tsp. to the brownie batter.

      Nutrition Facts
      Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownies
      Amount Per Serving (1 brownie (1/24 of total))
      Calories 260 Calories from Fat 144
      % Daily Value*
      Fat 16g25%
      Saturated Fat 6g38%
      Trans Fat 1g
      Polyunsaturated Fat 2g
      Monounsaturated Fat 6g
      Cholesterol 42mg14%
      Sodium 106mg5%
      Potassium 223mg6%
      Carbohydrates 27g9%
      Fiber 3g13%
      Sugar 18g20%
      Protein 6g12%
      Vitamin A 167IU3%
      Calcium 33mg3%
      Iron 2mg11%
      * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

      Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownies are filled with chopped peanuts, chocolate chips and peanut butter, and are absolutely delicious!


      Jun
      2022

      Blackberry Pie

      categories: Desserts, Pies/Tarts
      7 Shares
      Pin7
      Share
      Tweet
      Yum
      Email

      Use fresh or frozen blackberries to make a delicious classic blackberry pie using a homemade or purchased pie crust! Summertime at its best!
      Use fresh or frozen blackberries to make a delicious classic blackberry pie using a homemade or purchased pie crust! Summertime at its best!

      If you’re looking for a real taste of summer, try this yummy recipe for blackberry pie. Simple to make, using store-bought or homemade pie crusts and fresh or frozen blackberries, this is a delicious dessert that can be enjoyed year-round.

      Where we live in NW Oregon, blackberries grow wild practically everywhere. Sometimes in the summer I can even pick a big pail of blackberries while out walking our dog (he is patient while I pick them!). I figure… why waste a perfect opportunity to get some FREE fresh blackberries! I’ve made so many great recipes using them over the years, from muffins, to syrup, jam, cobblers, crisps, etc. that I can’t wait for them to ripen each summer. This blackberry pie is another way to use a bunch of fresh or frozen blackberries to make a delicious PIE.  Here’s how to make it:

      Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page

      A Word About The Pie Crust

      This pie requires a top and bottom crust. You can use your favorite pie crust recipe OR buy a 2 crust package at the store. NOTE: If purchasing pie crusts for convenience, do not buy the premade pie “shells” in the freezer section. Buy the type of pie pastry dough that you unroll from the pkg. then manually roll out and place in pan (Pillsbury has this in most grocery stores in refrigerated section).

      For your convenience, I’ve included my homemade pie crust recipe and instructions (to make two) in the printable recipe card, but feel free to use whatever pie crust recipe you enjoy. The rest of this post will show you how to make this pie, assuming you already have the pie crusts made or purchased.

      Make The Pie Filling

      Place 5 cups of fresh blackberries OR frozen (unsweetened and unthawed) into a large mixing bowl. Add granulated sugar, flour, cinnamon, lemon juice and zest and gently toss until combined.

      Blackberries are tossed with sugar, flour, cinnamon, lemon juice and zest until combined.

      Filling The Pie Crust

      Place one crust into a 9″ deep dish pie pan. Prick the bottom and sides of the bottom pastry crust several times with the tines (the pointy ends) of a fork. Pour the blackberry pie filling into the prepared crust. Cut the butter into small chunks and dot the top of the fruit filling with the butter.

      The pie crust pastry is pricked with the tines of a fork, then pie filling is added.Blackberry pie filling is added to crust and dotted with butter before adding top pastry crust.

      Top the blackberry pie with the other pie crust. Trim the edges of the dough to about 1/2″ from the outside edge of the pie pan. Seal the edges of the top crust to the bottom crust by tucking the top crust under the edge of the bottom crust, and pinching the two crusts together to seal. Use your fingers to seal the two crusts together and then create a fluted edge.

      Use a sharp knife to cut 3-4 small slits in the top crust. These are the “air vents” that allow the hot steam to escape while the pie bakes. Now the blackberry pie is ready to be baked.

      Top crust is added and shaped, then steam vents are cut into the top before baking.

      Baking The Blackberry Pie

      Bake the blackberry pie at 425°F. for 45-50 minutes. TIP: Place a sheet of aluminum foil directly UNDER the pie pan, to catch drips that may bubble up and out while baking.

      TIP: Check the pie after 30 minutes. If the crust is browning too fast, simply lay another sheet of aluminum foil over the top to protect the crust from over-browning, then continue baking. When done, the pie crust will be lightly browned and the juices will be bubbling up in the steam vents on top.

      Partway through the baking time, the crust is turning golden in color.The finished blackberry pie is golden brown on top and the filling is bubbly around the edges.

      Who’s Ready For A Slice Of Blackberry Pie?

      Let the pie cool down a bit, so it’s not all “molten lava-like” inside. This resting time helps the juices stabilize, which will allow you to slice the pie better. Once the pie has cooled slightly (10-15 minutes), cut it into 8 slices, and serve them warm, with a big ol’ scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side! The crust comes out golden and flaky, and the blackberry pie tastes amazing!

      This really is a perfect summer treat using fresh berries, but nowadays this pie can be made year round, thanks to the availability of frozen blackberries in most grocery stores! YUM!

      After a few pieces have been cut, here is a look at the blackberry filling inside the pie.A slice of blackberry pie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, served on a white plate.

      I hope you have the opportunity to make this delicious blackberry pie for your family or friends.  If you enjoy blackberries, check out my recipes for Blackberry Crisp, Blackberry Jam, Blackberry Muffins, Blackberry Pie Bars and Blackberry Soda! I even have yummy recipes for Blackberry Scones and Blackberry Pancake Syrup! Have a great day, and thank you for stopping by. Please come back again soon!

      Looking For More PIE Recipes?

      You can find ALL of my recipes in the Recipe Index, located at the top of the page. I have some wonderful pie recipes you’ll enjoy, including:

      Interested In More Recipes?

      Thank you for visiting this website. I appreciate you using some of your valuable time to do so.  If you’re interested, I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with all the latest recipes, and other fun info. I would be honored to have you join our growing list of subscribers, so you never miss a great recipe!
      There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right side (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use, where you can easily submit your e-mail address (only) to be included in my mailing list.

      You Can Also Find Me On Social Media:

      Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
      Pinterest:       The Grateful Girl Cooks!
      Instagram:       jbatthegratefulgirlcooks

      Author's signature

      Original recipe source: Pie Filling adapted from “The New Pillsbury Family Cookbook, page 149, published 1973 by The Pillsbury Company
      Homemade Pie Crust Recipe from my Mom here

      ↓↓ PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW ↓↓

      0 from 0 votes
      PRINT
      Blackberry Pie
      Prep Time
      15 mins
      Cook Time
      45 mins
      Total Time
      1 hr
       

      Use fresh or frozen blackberries to make a delicious classic blackberry pie using a homemade or purchased pie crust! Summertime at its best!

      Category: Desssert
      Cuisine: American
      Keyword: blackberry pie
      Servings: 8 slices
      Calories Per Serving: 453 kcal
      Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
      Ingredients
      Homemade Pie Crust (for 2 nine inch deep dish crusts - top and bottom crust)
      • 2 cups un-sifted all purpose flour
      • ⅔ cup vegetable shortening
      • 1 teaspoon salt
      • 5-7 Tablespoons ice cold water
      Pie Filling:
      • 5 cups blackberries see NOTE re: frozen berries
      • 1¼ cups granulated sugar
      • ½ cup all purpose flour
      • 1 teaspoons lemon juice
      • ½ teaspoon lemon zest
      • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
      US Customary - Metric
      Instructions

      1. Preheat oven to 425°F.

      Make The Pie Crust:

      1. Place flour, shortening and salt in food processor (or large bowl if hand-mixing). Pulse (if using food processor) or cut in the shortening with a pastry blender (or 2 forks) until shortening is reduced to the size of peas. Drizzle in ice cold water starting with least amount (5Tbl.) and adding more later, if necessary. Process (or knead by hand) until well-combined and mixture can be formed into a ball.

      2. Divide dough ball evenly in half. Place one dough ball on a lightly floured surface, and roll out to a circle, about 10-11" in diameter. Place the crust in a 9" deep dish pie pan, then follow directions below for filling pie crust. Roll out remaining dough ball (top crust) following same process.

      Make The Pie:

      1. Place fresh blackberries OR frozen (unsweetened/unthawed) into large mixing bowl. Add sugar, flour, cinnamon, lemon juice, and zest; gently toss to combine.

      2. Place one pie crust into a 9" deep dish pie pan. Prick bottom/sides of crust several times with the tines of a fork. Pour pie filling into prepared crust. Cut butter into chunks; dot the top of pie filling with butter.

      3. Top pie with 2nd crust, stretching slightly to meet edges of bottom crust. Trim edges of dough to ½" from outside edge of pan. Seal edges of top crust to bottom crust by tucking top crust under the edge of the bottom crust. Pinch two crusts together to seal. Use your fingers to seal the two crusts together, then create fluted edge around pie. Use sharp knife to cut 3-4 small slits in top crust. They allow steam to escape while pie bakes.

      4. Bake on middle rack in preheated 425°F.oven for 45-50 minutes. TIP: Place a sheet of aluminum foil UNDER pie pan, to catch drips that may bubble out while baking. TIP: Check pie after 30 minutes. If crust is browning too fast, lay a sheet of aluminum foil over the top, then continue baking. When done, the pie crust should be lightly browned and juices will be bubbling up in the steam vents.

      5. Let pie cool down about 10-15 minutes. Cut into 8 slices, and serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side!

      Recipe Notes

      NOTES:
      **You may also use two purchased pastry pie dough crusts (the kind you roll out) or two of your own pie crust recipe. You will need 2 pastry pie crusts for this pie (top and bottom crust)

      **If using frozen berries, add them directly into the flour and sugar while still frozen.

      Nutrition Facts
      Blackberry Pie
      Amount Per Serving (1 slice (1/8 of total))
      Calories 453 Calories from Fat 162
      % Daily Value*
      Fat 18g28%
      Saturated Fat 4g25%
      Trans Fat 2g
      Polyunsaturated Fat 5g
      Monounsaturated Fat 7g
      Sodium 294mg13%
      Potassium 190mg5%
      Carbohydrates 70g23%
      Fiber 6g25%
      Sugar 36g40%
      Protein 5g10%
      Vitamin A 193IU4%
      Vitamin C 19mg23%
      Calcium 34mg3%
      Iron 2mg11%
      * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

      Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!Use fresh or frozen blackberries to make a delicious classic blackberry pie using a homemade or purchased pie crust! Summertime at its best!