Fudge Rice Krispy Heaven

What's easier than raising money for the American Cancer Society when you have fudgy treats to pass out? Absolutely nothing. I just discovered I must raise $100 to participate in the Relay For Life walk against cancer, but at the end of today, my little can was rattling with almost $50! All thanks you these treats, which are even more magically delicious than lucky charms!
With only two weeks left until final exams, my life has been busier and more stressful than ever. Thank god for chocolate.
Yes, I will hit the gym... eventually ;)
Anyways, these are a bit of a mess, but a mess with LOT'S of opportunity to lick the spoon. When you're feeling a little stressed and life gets real crazy, just get some marshmallows and Rice Krispies, and indulge yourself in some well deserved chill time.



My friend Andrew even described them as "absolutely luscious". He's legit.

Rice Krispy Bars:
Line a 9 X 12 inch pan with wax parchment paper. grease parchment paper lightly. This ensure the treats will have easy removal.

Ingredients:
4 Table Spoons Butter
1 Package Regular Marshmallows
6 Cups of Rice Krispy Cereal

Make the Rice Krispies!
1. In a large saucepan over low heat, melt the butter. Add the marshmallows and allow to melt completely, stirring occasionally so they don't brown.
2. When marshmallows are liquidy and completely melted, add the 6 cups of Rice Krispies and Stir until mixed evenly throughout.
3. Spread evenly in prepared pan

Fudge Topping:

Ingredients:
2 Table Spoons Butter
2/3 cups evaporated milk
1 2/3 cups Sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 Cups mini marshmallows
1 3/4 Cup Chocolate chips
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Make the Fudge!
1. Mix butter, sugar, evaporated milk and salt in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally. While boiling, cook 4 or 5 minutes, continuously stirring.
2. Remove saucepan from heat and stir in chocolate. WHen completely melted, stir in marshmallows.
3. With an electric beater, beat mixture until marshmallows are completely melted and incorporated throughout fudge. Add vanilla extract.
4. Pour over the Rice Krispy bars and spread evenly over them. Put the pan in the refrigerator for around 2 hours, until fudge is completely set. Cut into squares and eat!

Chocolate Cake with Swiss Meringue Butter Cream Frosting

What would we do without our mothers? There would be no encouraging advice, no one to remind you how important it is to breathe, and, most importantly, no one who unconditionally loves you no matter what terrible things you say or do (you know there have been several of those unbearably appalling and humiliating incidents you couldn't admit to anyone but your mother).
Well, after all these years of cleaning up messes, finding my missing Tetty Bear, and getting me out of sticky situations, my mom deserves some kind of badge of honor. Even better, she deserves a cake! Not a light, wimpy, desperate-housewives-style cake, but a real moist, dense chocolate cake. With her favorite vanilla butter cream frosting.
So, instead of delivering breakfast to my mother in bed, like most good daughters do, I decided to jump out of bed and whip up her favorite cake. Was it brought to her in bed? No. But, something tells me she can live with that.
This cake almost makes up for my painful attempt at a handmade vase in ceramics class. Another great thing about mothers: no matter how desperately awry your artwork has gone, they will treasure it more than a diamond ring.


So, it was also her 49th birthday. Who says you can't kill two birds with one stone? :)


Yes, it IS as delicious as it looks.



Ingredients:

Chocolate Cake:
Adapted from: Hershey's Perfectly Chocolate Chocolate Cake (aka, a taste of heaven)

2 Cups Sugar
1 3/4 Cups all purpose Flour
3/4 - 1 cup Dutch-processed Cocoa powder (depending on how sinfully chocolate you prefer your cakes)
2 teaspoons Baking Powder
1 1/2 Teaspoons Baking Soda
1 Teaspoon Salt
2 Eggs
1 Cup Milk
1/2 Cup vegetable oil
2 Teaspoons Vanilla extract
1 Teaspoon Chocolate extract
1 Cup boiling water

Swiss Meringue Butter Cream Frosting:
Original creation by: Alex Nierlich

1 Cup (2 sticks) Of butter, softened but still cold.
3 Egg Whites
3/4 Cup granulated sugar
1- 1/4 cups powdered Sugar
1 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Make The Cake!
Preheat oven to 350 F, butter two 9 inch round cake pans
1. Combine Sugar, Flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt in medium mixing bowl
2. Add milk, eggs, oil and extracts. Beat on medium speed until evenly combined, around 2 minutes
3. stir in 1 cup of boiled water. Batter will be thin. The boiling water is to bring out the richness of the cocoa powder, and also moisten the cake.
4. Pour half the batter into each cake pan, and put them in the pre-heated oven for 27-31 minutes, or until toothpick inserted comes out dry, with a few crumbs clinging to it.
5. Completely cool cake before frosting

Make The Frosting!
1. Separate three eggs, and put the whites in a small saucepan. Add granulated sugar to the saucepan with the egg whites. Over low heat, stir the egg white and sugar mixture until the sugar has completely dissolved.
2. transfer egg whites into large mixing bowl, and beat on high speed until glossy and peaks form (do not over beat!. This takes time, around 8-10 minutes.
3. Beat in butter. The butter will curdle at first, just keep beating the frosting until completely smooth and creamy. This will also take around 6-8 minutes.
4. Beat in powdered sugar and vanilla extract until frosting is smooth and there are no lumps.
5. Frost the flat side of each layer, then place sliced strawberries on one layer. Flip the other layer on top, creating your double layer cake.
6. Frost a thin crumb layer over the entire cake, then, let it harden slightly and frost a thicker layer of frosting. Smooth with rubber spatula. Your cake is now ready for eating!

Ore-Ohhh cake!

So, Tomorrow is my mom's birthday and my best friend, Sonja's birthday. Next friday is my boyfriends birthday. Let's just say my wallet feels a little empty after it's super-trip to Target. But, giving presents is my favorite part of any special occasion, especially presents that take time to make (is it too obvious where I'm going with this?). So, I hopped in Blair's car after school, ditched lacrosse practice, and baked Sonja a super-deluxe double layer Oreo cake.
Oreos line the bottom of the cake pan, then, the remaining halves are broken up and mixed into the sweet, luscious vanilla cake batter. The two layers of cake are stuck together with a creamy, rich vanilla cream-cheese frosting, then the whole cake is coated in sweet chocolate cream-cheese frosting. I would call this cake a winner. It might even be considered the success of my week. Well, this and my chemistry test.
However, cakes aren't the only present consuming my thoughts. This weekend is going to be fun-filled with arts and crafts, scary movies, midnight bowling and birthday dinners! With summer just around the corner, who has time for trivial things such as homework?
Sara is the best person everrr!!!!!!! I LOVE HER SO MUCH!!


The perfect birthday cake with milk's favorite cookie!


Puppy love :)
There is now no doubt why I call him Cuddlecakes

Ingredients:

For cake:
1/2 cup butter
1 cup milk
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 Cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 large eggs
1 package of Oreos

For Cream Cheese Frosting:
12oz Softened Cream Cheese
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
After frosting in between layers add:
1/4 cup cocoa powder
5 oz melted chocolate

Make the Cake:
Preheat Oven to 350
Butter two 8-9 inch diameter round cake pans

1. In a large mixing bowl Cream the butter and sugar together for approximately 3 minutes, or until nice and fluffy.
2. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then add vanilla.
3. In a smaller mixing bowl, stir together flour, baking powder and salt. Measure a cup of milk in a liquid measurer-thing.
4. Beat the butter mixture on medium speed, while alternately adding the flour mixture and milk to the batter. Beat until fully incorporated.
5. Open the package of Oreos and screw the top off of enough to line the cake pans with. Put the oreo half, cream side up on the bottom of the cake pans. Crush up remaining oreos into quarters (leave about a row or so for decorating the outside) and mix them into the cake batter.
6. Pour the cake batter into the prepared cake pans and bake at 350 degrees F for 23-28 minutes, or until golden and a toothpick stuck in the center comes out clean. Let cake cool 15- 20 minutes before taking it out of pans.
7. While taking the cakes out of the pans,cut around the edge of the pan with a sharp, hot knife. Next, make sure the bottom of the cake isn't stuck to the pan by gently loosening part of it from the sides.
8. Put the cake halves on big plates to cool completely before frosting.

Make the Frosting:

1. Cream the cream cheese and butter in a mixing bowl on medium speed. Add the butter and beat both until they are thoroughly combined.
2. Add powdered sugar slowly, mixing on low speed until it is fully mixed in.
3. Beat in vanilla

Frost Cake

1. lay one cake layer, flat side up on the serving plate. Cover the face of it with cream cheese frosting.
2. Add chocolate and cocoa powder to the cream cheese frosting. mix well.
3. Gently top frosted layer with the other layer of cake, flat side down. Frost entire cake with chocolate cream cheese frosting, smoothing around the edges and top with a rubber spatula.
4. Push oreos into the frosting all the way around the edge of the cake. Decorate the top as desired. I used strawberries. But that's just the kind of brilliant person I am.

Chocolate Chunk Cookies (they're healthy! -ish)

This weekend was the most confusing weekend ever. I also have never learned so much about myself in such a short period of time. I realized how much I've grown up since last summer, and I handle every situation differently now than I would have a couple months ago. For example, in the summer, if I started to fall in love I would have closed my eyes and ran the other way. Now however, I'm forcing myself to sprint forward into the blinding light without thinking about the next move. Because that's really the only way to address something so extraordinary and damn frustrating.
Well, obviously, this new approach on life caused me to want to bake something sweet with a new approach: It's healthy! Well... it's made of whole wheat flower (that's healthy right? it's healthy in my boat.)
Okay, to be fair, they're whole wheat because I ran out of white flour.
Now, get ready for healthy chocolate chunk cookies that will knock your socks off!

Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Adapted from: Hershey's

Ingredients:
1/2 Cup All purpose flour
1 1/2 Cups Whole Wheat Flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
1 cup of butter, softened (i use salted, it's way yummier)
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract (the reason i went so crazy on this is because it's from mexico. So that obviously makes it magical and there can never be too much)
1/4 teaspoon almond extract (because everything is better with nuts)
12 ounces of chopped dark chocolate (make sure you love eating it out of your hand, that can make or break a chocolate chip cookie. I used dark chocolate Hershey's bars because that was all my ghetto corner store had)

MAKE THE COOKIES!
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
Makes around 28 cookies.
1. In a medium sized bowl, mix together the flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt
2. In a separate large mixing bowl, cream the butter and both sugars until light and fluffy, around three minutes.
3. Add the eggs one at a time, making sure each one is fully beat in before proceeding. Add the vanilla and almond extracts into the butter mixture.
4. Gradually and slowly beat in the flour mixture until just incorporated into the butter mixture. There's your dough!
5. Now, the best part. Take a taste. or two. or five.
6. Now, chop up your chocolate into rough, uneven pieces. Mix them into your cookie dough. Make sure they are evenly distributed throughout the dough! otherwise you will not have consistent yummy cookies!
7. Roll two-inch diameter balls from the dough and place them on a buttered cookie sheet, about two inches apart. Place the cookies in the oven for about 10 minutes give or take a few. The cookies are done when the dough is thoroughly cooked, but still gooey and soft.
8. Let hot cookies cool for 5 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack to completely cool. Enjoy!