Fat Friday: Best Ever Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Cups!

I originally posted this with Heath bars, but made it for my 7 year old's birthday with pb cups because she loves them! It was just as delicious as the first time!

THE BEST CHOCOLATE CAKE RECIPE EVER!

cake recipe from: Kevin and Amanda

• 1 box Devil's Food cake mix
• 1 small pkg Jello instant chocolate pudding mix
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 cups mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 F.

In large bowl, mix together everything except for chocolate chips. The batter will be thick.

Stir in chocolate chips.

Pour batter into two 9-inch cake pans. (You could use whatever cake pan you choose. Just follow cooking time and temperature on the back of the Devil's Food box and add about 10 additional minutes to whatever the original cooking time requires.) Make sure to do the toothpick test to check if it is done or not. It usually takes about 45 minutes for two 9-inch cake pans.

After cake is baked, let cool completely. I usually plop the two cakes onto a wire rack and stick them in the freezer. It is so much easier to cut them when they are a little frozen and they don't crumble as much. Once cakes have cooled completely (or are slightly frozen if doing my method) cut in half width wise so you have 4 equal circles.

While cake is cooling prepare the frosting.

BEST CHOCOLATE FROSTING

• 2/3 cup milk
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup chocolate syrup
• 2 Tbsp boiling water
• 8 cups powdered sugar
• 1 cup cocoa
• 1 cup butter

Mix milk, vanilla, chocolate syrup together

In a large separate bowl, beat softened butter, powdered sugar, and cocoa together.

Slowly add in wet ingredients until you reach desired consistency.

Beat an additional 5 minutes to get a fluffy consistency.

Fat Friday: Nanah's Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Blake's mom makes the most delicious chocolate chip cookie bars. They are so fast and easy and buttery. And if you don't hurry and have some before the five boys get to them, good luck getting some!! So, if you're ever not in the mood to roll out cookies, these are the match for you!

PS. I had to borrow this picture from this website because I keep forgetting to take a picture of these when I make them! But these are pretty much an exact match!

Nanah’s Cookies

Cream together:

1 c. butter

2 eggs

2 t. vanilla

2 c. brown sugar

Add:

3 ¾ c. flour

1 ½ t. salt

1 ½ t. soda

½ bag chocolate chips

1/3 bag coconut (can leave out if you don't like)

Press into sprayed 15 by 1 pan.

375 for 12-17 minutes

Fat Friday: Super Soft Sugar Cookies Part 2

I love sugar cookies and who doesn't?! I even have my favorite recipe on this blog, but I tried my friend's on her blog and I loved how hers fluffed up so nicely! So, they are both great.=)

1 cup sour cream

1 cup butter, softened

2 cups sugar

3 eggs

6 cups flour

1 tsp soda

1 tsp baking powder

2 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp salt

Mix sour cream and butter together. Add sugar and eggs (one at a time) and the vanilla and mix. Add flour, soda, powder and salt and mix. Chill in the fridge for about 3 hours. Roll out onto a floured surface to about 1/4- 1/2 inch thick (depending how you like them) and cut into shapes. Bake in a greased cookie sheet in a 350 degree oven for 6-8 minutes. Cool and frost.

Fat Friday: Marshmallow Popcorn

This was also part of the popcorn party. This is pure heaven and so easy!

I got it from Cooks.com.

1 cube butter
36 lg. marshmallows (or 1 pkg. miniature)
1 t. vanilla
few drop of food coloring
6 c. popped, unbuttered popcorn

Melt butter and marshmallows together over medium-low heat, stirring constantly. Add vanilla and food coloring and pour over popcorn.

Fat Friday: Snickers Popcorn

We had a little party for the 7 year old boys we teach at church. To make things easier on me being a big prego mama, we had a popcorn party. It was pretty great. They loved it and man, can boys eat more than I ever thought possible! This snickers popcorn was a big hit. I got it from a blog where they said to chop snickers and melt them. I don't even know what blog that was, but it turned out funky.

So, I took the melted snickers and mixed them in as best I could. Then I added a half bottle of hot fudge that I had in the fridge and it healed the pain. It was really good, but I think next time I'll try out this recipe from Cookies and Cups.

Fat Friday: The Best Chocolate Cake (and frosting) to grace the earth!

I had my doubts, thinking this couldn't possible be the best chocolate cake in the world. Really, it is a doctored up cake mix, but oh yes, it sure is! Moist, chocolatey, soft, chocolatey, chocolate syrup in the frosting. Did I mention it is chocolatey?! It might just be our new birthday cake choice for the chocolate lovers in our family.

I made this for a friend's birthday and it was greatly appreciated. I also made the other people at the birthday take home thirds, yes, thirds! of the cake to stop my husband and I from going into a diabetic coma. I didn't even share with my kids our remaining two pieces. I don't usually have issues with sharing food. That is how good this thing is!

And I must say, this is the first layer cake I have ever made (I have attempted many) that wasn't dry and didn't fall apart when I frosted it. Boo yeah!

I got the recipe from Chef in Training, which is a super great food website. Actually, it is a repost from Kevin and Amanda, which is also a great food website!

THE BEST CHOCOLATE CAKE RECIPE EVER!

cake recipe from: Kevin and Amanda

• 1 box Devil's Food cake mix
• 1 small pkg Jello instant chocolate pudding mix
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 cups mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 F.

In large bowl, mix together everything except for chocolate chips. The batter will be thick.

Stir in chocolate chips.

Pour batter into two 9-inch cake pans. (You could use whatever cake pan you choose. Just follow cooking time and temperature on the back of the Devil's Food box and add about 10 additional minutes to whatever the original cooking time requires.) Make sure to do the toothpick test to check if it is done or not. It usually takes about 45 minutes for two 9-inch cake pans.

After cake is baked, let cool completely. I usually plop the two cakes onto a wire rack and stick them in the freezer. It is so much easier to cut them when they are a little frozen and they don't crumble as much. Once cakes have cooled completely (or are slightly frozen if doing my method) cut in half width wise so you have 4 equal circles.

While cake is cooling prepare the frosting.

BEST CHOCOLATE FROSTING

• 2/3 cup milk
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup chocolate syrup
• 2 Tbsp boiling water
• 8 cups powdered sugar
• 1 cup cocoa
• 1 cup butter

Mix milk, vanilla, chocolate syrup together

In a large separate bowl, beat softened butter, powdered sugar, and cocoa together.

Slowly add in wet ingredients until you reach desired consistency.

Beat an additional 5 minutes to get a fluffy consistency.

My motherhood reading for the day is called Discovering Me in Motherhood

A woman who found out that she could have talents and things she liked to do, even as a mom.

Thanks to the greater vision of a loving Heavenly Father, I have come to realize that while my family requires time and sacrifice, the Lord’s plan for me has many facets and includes serving others, developing talents, making new friends, and finding balance in my life. All these things bring me joy, and my children now have a happier mother.

Fat Friday: Gooey Cookies and Cream Double Chocolate Cake Bars

Hooray!! I found the recipe for this mysterious picture from last week. And I am so glad I did, because it was heavenly and so easy to make! Of course, it is from Picky Palate, the queen of all evilly delicious recipes.

1 Devils Food Cake Mix

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1 large egg

1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk

14 Oreo Cookies, broken into bite size pieces

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and line a 9×13 inch baking pan with tin foil sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.

2. Place cake mix, butter and egg into a large bowl, mixing to combine. Use your hands, it works much quicker Press into prepared baking pan. Top with broken pieces of cookies.

3. Pour sweetened condensed milk over cookies and top with chocolate chips. Bake for 23-25 minutes, until cooked through. Remove from oven.

4. After 5 minutes of cooling, run a plastic knife around edges to loosen, this makes it much easier to remove from foil. Let cool completely, remove foil from pan, then cut into squares. I cut off all of the edges before cutting into squares (makes for neater squares), but do whatever you’d like!!

Makes 12 bars

Fat Friday: Ooey Gooey Fudgey Pudding Cake

Top: After demolition. Before: Looking good! This cake is really delicious and shock, healthier than other chocolate cakes! The secret is water. This recipe comes from a rockin' 7 kid, homeschooling, adorable mom. And is delicious with vanilla ice cream!

Combine:

2 c. flour

1 1/2 c. sugar

4 t. baking powder

1/2 t. salt

4 T. cocoa

Sitr in:

1 c. milk

4 T oil

Spread mixture in ungreased 9 by 13 pan. Combine 2 c. packed brown sugar and 1/2 c. cocoa. Sprinkle brown sugar mixture over batter. Pour 3 c. hot water over all. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

It is melty, crispy and oh so chocolatey!

And here is my sad story about the picture below: I have no idea what the recipe is! I made it a few months ago and can't find the recipe now. How sad is that?! Oh well, I remember it being delicious!

Apple Crumb Cake

I have no idea where I got this recipe, but woah, mama, it is a good and quick version of apple streudal type of cake. It is rich and yummy and perfect with caramel ice cream. (Vanilla can work too, I guess, in a pinch, an absolute pinch!)

1 can apple pie filling

1 yellow cake mix

1 stick butter

Spray a 8 by 8 pan and put down the filling. Mix the butter and cake mix until it is crumbly and sprinkle it on top. Cook for 30-45 minutes or so at 350 degrees. You can double this recipe too.

Fat Friday: Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Yes, you can win these bad boys this week! Don't they just sound heavenly with a cup of milk? If you live in Las Vegas and want to win these and I will drop them off at your house even, leave me a comment on your favorite post on the blog. Easy peasy!

I got the recipe from Six Sisters Stuff

*Makes about 4-5 dozen

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup (16 tablespoons) butter, softened to room temperature
2 cups smooth or chunky peanut butter
1 ½ cups firmly packed light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 ½ tablespoons milk
1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
2 cups chocolate chips (or a combination of peanut butter and chocolate chips)

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl combine the butter and peanut butter and beat the mixture until it is light and fluffy (you can do this with a hand mixer or with an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment). Add the brown and white sugars and mix until well combined. Add the eggs and mix for 1-2 minutes, until the mixture is well combined and light in color. Add the milk and vanilla and mix. Add the dry ingredients and mix just briefly. While there are still large spots of flour, add the chocolate chips (or peanut butter chips or both) and mix until the flour is completely mixed in and the mixture is well combined. Let the cookie dough sit for 15 minutes before scooping onto the baking sheets. It will firm up as it sits.
When ready to bake, scoop tablespoon-sized balls of dough onto parchment-lined baking sheets leaving about 1 to 2 inches in between the cookies to allow for spreading as they bake. Bake for 8-10 minutes, taking care not to overbake in the slightest! Leave the cookies on the baking sheet for 2-3 minutes after baking before removing them to a cooling rack. This will help them set up and be firm enough to transfer without having them overbake in the oven. The cookies may look slightly underbaked but they will firm up as they cool. Resist the urge to eat them warm as they taste much better cooled.
I pop baked and cooled cookies into the freezer (in a large tupperware or freezer-safe ziploc bag) and they taste great out of the freezer, especially if they are left to sit at room temperature for a few minutes.

Fat Friday: Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake

Don't blame me, blame Paula Deen, the queen of butter! I found this recipe in a magazine a few years ago and made it for the kid I tutor. Every time he came back to tutor, he asked me to make it again. In good health conscience, I couldn't do it, but man, yummy, creamy, butterliciousness! Make this for a large group so that you can share and oh, no, now I can taste it.

Ingredients

Cake:

• 1 (18 1/4-ounce) package yellow cake mix
• 1 egg
• 8 tablespoons butter, melted

Filling:

• 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 8 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 (16-ounce) box powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine the cake mix, egg, and butter and mix well with an electric mixer. Pat the mixture into the bottom of a lightly greased 13 by 9-inch baking pan.

To make the filling: In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and pumpkin until smooth. Add the eggs, vanilla, and butter, and beat together. Next, add the powdered sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and mix well. Spread pumpkin mixture over cake batter and bake for 40 to 50 minutes. Make sure not to overbake as the center should be a little gooey.

Serve with fresh whipped cream.

Fat Friday: Pumpkin Bars

These are the best pumpkin bars! Of course, they are Paula Deen and full of not good stuff, but it's the holidays, so live it up! Plus, don't you just love the way the southern say "oil", "ohl".

Bars:

• 4 eggs
• 1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 15-ounce can pumpkin
• 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda

Icing:

• 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
• 2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Using an electric mixer at medium speed, combine the eggs, sugar, oil and pumpkin until light and fluffy. Stir together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and baking soda. Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and mix at low speed until thoroughly combined and the batter is smooth. Spread the batter into a greased 13 by 10-inch baking pan. Bake for 30 minutes. Let cool completely before frosting. Cut into bars.

To make the icing: Combine the cream cheese and butter in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the sugar and mix at low speed until combined. Stir in the vanilla and mix again. Spread on cooled pumpkin bars.

Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

These are meant for Peanut Butter eggs, like the kind you get at Easter. I used a full size Reeses cup instead and it was too big! It didn't stop my dad and I from eating 2. Evil, I know! I think next time, I'll use the smaller cups and give them out to my neighborhood, because they make a ton!! I bet they would freeze well too! I got the recipe at Picky Palate, my most favorite evil recipe website. So many great ideas! If you have never heard of her, go get caught up over there!

2 sticks softened butter

1 Cup packed brown sugar

1 Cup granulated sugar

3 Tablespoons corn syrup

2 large eggs plus 1 egg white

1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract

3 1/2 Cups all purpose flour

1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 Cups chopped Reeses Peanut Butter Eggs, 12 total eggs (find them in the Easter Candy Section, quick!) You can also use regular Reeses Peanut Butter Cups

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a stand or electric mixer beat the butter, sugars and corn syrup until well combined….light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla until well combined.

2. In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking soda and salt. Slowly add to wet ingredients along with the chopped Reeses Peanut Butter Eggs. Mix only until just combined. Using a medium cookie scoop, scoop dough onto a silpat or parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 9-11 minutes until just turning golden around edges. Let cookies cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Eat with tall glass of milk!!

4 dozen cookies

Fat Friday: Cheesecake

My hubby's birthday is tomorrow and he loves cheesecake. So, usually I make him a Kraft cheesecake from a box. Not bad, but not great. Since one of my to-do's is to make a cheesecake, I am going to venture out and make one. (This time I will remember to cook it.)

Sorry to say that this cheesecake isn't up for grabs, but I will be back next Friday with a yummy yummers to share.=)

Going to try this one that I got here:

because this girl just KNOWS good food!!

The Ultimate Cheesecake

Crust:
3 cups finely ground graham crackers (about 40 squares)
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted

Filling:
2 (8-ounce) blocks cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 lemon, zest finely grated
1 pint sour cream

To prepare crumb crust: In a mixing bowl, combine the crust ingredients together with a fork until evenly moistened. Lightly coat the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan (I use a 10-inch springform pan b/c it is all I have and it works great) with non-stick cooking spray. Firmly press the mixture over the bottom and 1-inch up the sides on the pan, use your fingers or the smooth bottom of a glass. Refrigerate the crust while preparing the filling.

To prepare filling: In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese on low speed for 1 minute just until smooth and free of any lumps. Gradually add the sugar and beat until creamy, 1 to 2 minutes. Periodically scrape down the sides of the bowl and the beaters. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, and continue to slowly beat until combined. Stir in the vanilla and lemon zest. Blend in the sour cream. The batter should be well mixed but not overbeaten. Overbeating incorporates too much air and will cause the cake to puff when baking, then fall and crack when cooling. Pour filling into the crust-lined pan and smooth the top with a spatula.

Bake in a preheated 325 degree oven for 50-55 minutes. The cheesecake should still jiggle slightly, it will firm up after chilling. Be careful not to overcook! Do not do a toothpick test in the cake’s center, this will make a crack. Loosen the cheesecake from the sides of the pan by running a thin metal spatula around the inside rim. Let cool in the pan for 30 minutes. Chill in the refrigerator, loosely covered, for at least 4 hours to set up. Demold and transfer to a cake plate. Slice the cheesecake with a thin, nonserrated knife that has been dipped in hot water and wiped dry after each cut.

Fat Friday: Oreo Cheesecake Truffles

Yessir, these bad boys are yummy and so easy!! And so yummy you will slap your grandma (as Paula Deen says) This recipe comes from my friend, Sari who is a dessert fanatic!

1 bag oreos ( i use chocolate double stuffed. I like chocolate, so sue me)

1 block cream cheese (you can use fat free, tastes the same)

Chocolate bark

Grind up oreos. Love that food processor! I had mine for years before I even knew the beauty of it! Mix in cream cheese. Roll into balls. Roll into melted chocolate bark. Eat. Share if you can.

Done and done!!

Who wants to win?! Tell me something really hard you had to do but still did it.

I had to put my 4 year old on the bus for the first time last week to go to preschool. I didn't HAVE to, but I chose to because he loves buses and because it is good for him. But man, these last 2 weeks have been tough having my kids off doing new things and just missing them. But isn't that part of life? Can you see why I need chocolate this week?!=)

Fat Friday: Slacking Day

Because of the absolutely horrid heat we've had in Vegas recently, I haven't made my friend her winning treat from last week. So, that is what I will be doing this week since we are down to 103 degrees. I never thought I would be happy to say, "yay! It's only 103 degrees!" So, I will show you some possible Fat Friday treats for the future. Let me know which one you like best!

Swirl Cake Brownies

Peanut Butter Snickers Cookies

Chocolate Covered Brownie Balls

Peanut Butter Stuffed Hot Fudge Cupcakes

Streusel Topped Coffee Cake

Oreo Pudding Cookies

Caramel and Chocolate Drizzle Chex Mix