Dessert Archives - Busy Moms Helper

Free Printable Chalkboard Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

September 6, 2019 by Danielle Leave a Comment

Who doesn’t love a good chocolate chip cookie recipe? It’s like a classic treat that everybody knows and can count on. Now it can also decorate your kitchen with this stylish Free Printable Chalkboard Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe! You can have a fun, framed print in your kitchen AND always have a tasty cookie recipe on hand – it’s a win-win!

I love the look of chalkboard styles, so that’s what we’ve been doing with several of our printable recipes – such as our Banana Bread, Brownie and Sugar Cookie ones. It’s just a lot of fun, plus looks amazing! Like the others, this one is designed for 8.5×11 size. I recommend printing onto cardstock for durability, then just frame it and use it to add something different to your kitchen decor.

Download the printable chalkboard chocolate chip cookie recipe HERE

50+ Cool Summer Snacks

July 29, 2019 by Danielle 7 Comments

School’s out for the summer – excuse me while I feel a bit crazy with both excitement AND worry! I’m looking forward to more time with them, less rushed mornings, creating our OWN schedules, and plenty of family adventures. I’m also a bit nervous about the ‘I’m bored’ phrase that I know will occur far too often. That, along with ‘I’m hungry’, of course! Luckily we’ve got plenty of delicious recipes for kids with these 50+ Cool Summer Snacks!

Whether you’re a fan of popsicles or ice cream, slushies or lemonade, we’ve got plenty of great summer treat recipes for you to try out! They’re also really ‘cool’, so your kids will happily enjoy them 🙂

Cool Summer Snacks

Rainbow Popsicles from The First Year Blog

Banana Split Ice Cream Cake Loaf from Life, Love and Sugar

Frosty S’mores Brownie Bars from Busy Mom’s Helper

DIY Gogurts from Art From My Table

Strawberry Julius from Busy Mom’s Helper

Kansas City Dirt Cake from Lil’ Luna

Creamy Watermelon Coconut Milkshake from Cook Nourish Bliss

No Churn Brownie Bite Ice Cream from Juggling Act Mama

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie via Busy Mom’s Helper

Cherry Cheesecake Popsicles from The Busy Baker

No Churn Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream from Fearlessly Creative Mammas

Jello Shaved Ice from Tips From A Typical Mom

Fresh Strawberry Lemonade with Honey from Art From My Table

Popsicle Brownies from Somewhat Simple

Strawberry Mango Popsicles from Busy Mom’s Helper

Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Banana Bites from Not Enough Cinnamon

Healthy Orange Julius from Busy Mom’s Helper

Strawberry Lemonade Bars from The Baker Upstairs

Melon Ice Cubes from No Biggie

Homemade Fruit & Yogurt Popsicles from Busy Mom’s Helper

Cotton Candy Ice Cream from Home and Plate

Lava Flow Popsicles by One Lovely Life

Individual Frozen Key Lime Pies from This Silly Girl’s Life

Watermelon Pudding Pops from Clean and Scentsible

Chocolate Chip Mint Greek Yogurt Pops from Country Cleaver

Fruit Pizza from Bakers Royale

Two-Ingredient Banana Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Bites from The Baker Mama

Fruit Infused Water from I Heart Naptime

Pomegranate Coconut Popsicles from My Fussy Eater

Milk & Cereal Breakfast Popsicles from In Katrina’s Kitchen

Choco-Taco from Love Bakes Good Cakes

Watermelon Popsicles from Cooking Classy

Easy Frozen Yogurt Bites from Eating on a Dime

4-Ingredient Watermelon Sorbet from Cincy Shopper

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream Sandwiches from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe

Fresh Watermelon Cake from Sprinkle Bakes

Strawberry Mojito Mocktail from Art From My Table

Coconut Creme Ice Pops from Simply Stacie

Sand Pudding Cups from Food Fun Family

Watermelon Lemonade from The Recipe Critic

Berry Pomegranate Smoothie Pops from Juggling Act Mama

Banana Split Bites from Our Family of Seven

Watermelon Coconut Ice Cream from Baking Ginger

Blueberry Lemonade from Art From My Table

7 Insanely Delicious Ice Cream Sundaes via Buzzfeed

Cake Batter Popsicles from Just Add Sprinkles

No Bake Ice Cream Cupcakes from Juggling Act Mama

Frozen Hot Chocolate from One She Two She

Watermelon Pie from Make and Takes

Pomegranate Ice Cream from Art From My Table

Back to School Snack Dips: S’mores Dip & Cookie Dough Dip

July 5, 2019 by Danielle Leave a Comment

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #PackSnacksTheyLove #CollectiveBias

We started school this week – crazy! It’s such a mad-dash to get them all ready and out the door in time in the mornings, and I’m eager for when we get it to a smoother routine. After school isn’t much better yet, as we need to find a good groove for homework, rinsing out lunch boxes, signing their folders and hopefully some play time. Luckily, I have some awesome recipes I can rely on to make the afternoon a little easier, like these Back to School Snack Dips: S’mores Dip & Cookie Dough Dip! I just whip them up when I have time, then store them in the fridge so they’re ready to go when the kids are. originally shared August 2016

These snack dips are perfect to go with crackers, cookies, even fruits for a variety of tasty things! I made sure to stock up on our favorite snack packs from Kroger when I was doing our weekly grocery shopping there – I can rely on them to have the variety I need, and do well to keep their shelves full so I’m not missing anything from my list. I found some awesome (and convenient – yay!) snacks for the kids’ lunches and after school snacks – NABISCO Multipacks like RITZ, Teddy Grahams, OREO, Chips Ahoy, Nutter Butter, Barnum’s Animal Crackers and even Honey Maid crackers are perfect! Not only do my kids love the taste, but the portable packs make it SUPER easy to just toss in a lunch bag, or pull out when they get home from school. Even when we’re racing to dance lessons, we just grab some packs and go.

As I was filling my cart with these, determined to stay prepared for several weeks of back-to-school adjustment ahead, one of their friendly workers asked if I wanted him to grab more from the back. We laughed a bit (you should’ve seen how many I already had in my cart) and he totally understood how crazy this time of year is. I was tempted to say ‘yes’ to his offer just to see if his eyes would get big 🙂

Another great benefit of these snacks are that they’re easy for my kiddos to open, plus bite-sized. Definitely a bonus for my younger ones! They go great with our snack dip recipes, which are already REALLY simple to whip up! Just grab your ingredients next time you’re at Kroger, mix them together, and you’re all set for snacks!

S’mores Dip

Ingredients

1 cup Marshmallow Creme
1 cup Chocolate Pudding
8 oz. Whipped Topping
1/2 cup Chocolate Chips
1/4 cup Mini Marshmallows
1/4 cup Powdered Sugar

Directions

Beat the marshmallow creme, chocolate pudding and powdered sugar until smooth. Fold in the remaining ingredients and enjoy! Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

Cookie Dough Dip

Ingredients

1 cup Butter, softened
1 1/2 cup Brown Sugar, packed
1/2 tbsp. Vanilla Extract
1 1/2 – 2 cups Flour
1 tsp. Salt
1/2 cup Milk
Chocolate Chips, as desired

Directions

Beat the butter, brown sugar, salt and vanilla until creamy. Whip in the milk until smooth.
Slowly add in the flour until desired consistency (I did about 1 1/2 cups). Stir in chocolate chips and enjoy! Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

It was a mix in our family as to which of these dips were the favorite. Personally, I prefer the cookie dough dip – but really enjoyed the s’mores one, too. Dang, can’t really choose!

Which snack packs and dip would YOUR kids enjoy the most?

Gluten-Free 4th of July Sugar Cookie Pizza

June 28, 2019 by Stephanie Kirkos Leave a Comment

Hello, and Happy Summer! This is Stephanie from Steph in Thyme, and today I’m sharing a festive 4th of July recipe that you can bake and assemble with your kids, or bring along to a BBQ. This Gluten-Free 4th of July Sugar Cookie Pizza slices and serves like a savory pizza for a creative twist on a picnic dessert. (originally shared June 2015)

Over the past few years, there has been an explosion of gluten-free products in grocery stores. Every time I go to the store, I encounter a new product. My newest gluten-free find is a Gluten-Free Funfetti Sugar Cookie Mix by Pillsbury. I stumbled upon it in the baking aisle, intermingled with non-gluten-free baking mixes. Gluten-free funfetti?? What a pleasant surprise!

With 4th of July around the corner, I picked up a few boxes to create a treat fitting for the day (2 boxes for $4, I couldn’t resist). But the patriotic treat couldn’t be just simple sugar cookies – it had to be a fun, crowd-pleasing dessert people would reach across the picnic table for.

This sugar cookie pizza is really just one giant sugar cookie, but it’s fun to think of it as a large pizza, a simple crust ready for you to decorate with toppings. And what toppings are more festive for the 4th of July than bright red strawberries, deep blue blueberries, and a creamy white whipped cream?

To save time slicing the strawberries, I recommend using an egg slicer. It slices the strawberries evenly at one time to make pizza prep faster and efficient.

Keeping with the theme “fun and different,” I whipped up a dairy-free whipped cream made from chilled coconut milk instead of traditional whipped cream. This coconut whipped cream is silky smooth and simply divine, subtly flavored with coconut and a dash of almond extract.

In addition to serving as the “sauce” on this pizza, it’s also delicious dolloped over a bowl of fresh fruit or ice cream.

I arranged the blueberries and strawberries in a flower-like pattern, placing a large handful of fresh, ripe blueberries in the center then arranging the strawberries in a double-layer until I reached the edge of the sugar cookie crust, outlining the fringe of the whipped cream with more fresh blueberries.

You can serve the sugar cookie pizza immediately after you decorate it, but I found it easier to slice after it chilled in the fridge for an hour. The whipped cream sets and the fruit doesn’t move around as much when you’re slicing it like a pizza – because it’s just way more fun to eat it that way.

Gluten-Free Sugar Cookie 4th of July Pizza l Steph in Thyme for Busy Mom's Helper

Print Recipe

Gluten-Free 4th of July Sugar Cookie Pizza

Prep Time20 mins

Cook Time17 mins

Servings: 8 -10 slices

Ingredients

17.5 oz box Pillsbury's Gluten-Free Funfetti Sugar Cookie Mix
1/2 cup 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 egg
2 tbsp water
13.5 oz can full fat coconut milk (from the can, not the carton), chilled in the fridge for 24 hours
3 tbsp confectioners sugar
1 tsp gluten-free almond extract
2 cups thinly sliced strawberries
2 cups ripe blueberries

Instructions

To prepare the cookie:

Pre-heat oven to 375 F. Spray a 12 " pizza stone, pizza pan, or baking sheet with cooking spray.
In a large bowl, combine the butter, egg, and baking mix. Beat on medium for 1-2 minutes until combined. Add the water, scrape the sides of the bowl, and mix for another minute until a soft dough forms.
Roughly shape the dough into a large ball with your hands and place on the center of your pizza stone, pan, or baking sheet. With wet hands or a damp rolling pin, gently roll out the dough into a circle about 10" in diameter. Bake for 15-17 minutes until golden brown.
Remove cookie from the oven and let cool completely. (I left the cookie on the pizza stone and served it right on the stone). With a sharp knife, gently glide it between the cookie and pan, separating any areas that may have stuck.

To prepare the coconut whipped cream:

Chill a large bowl or bowl of a stand mixer in the freezer for 10 minutes. Take the chilled canned of coconut milk and flip it upside down, opening it from the bottom. Pour off the liquid, either setting aside for smoothies or discarding.
Remove the cold bowl from the freezer and scoop the solidified coconut milk into the bowl. Beat with a stand mixer or hand mixer for 2-3 minutes until fluffy and peaks form. Add the confectioners sugar and almond extract, beat for additional minute until well combined.

To assemble the cookie pizza:

Spoon the coconut whipped cream over the cooled sugar cookie crust, spreading in an even layer over the cookie.
Trace the outline of the outer edge of the coconut whipped cream with a single line of blueberries. Add a handful of blueberries to the center of the pizza. Arrange the strawberries around the blueberries in a circle, adding another layer of strawberries on top, if desired. Continue adding an alternating ring of strawberries and blueberries until you reach the outer ring of blueberries.
Serve immediately, or chill in the fridge for an hour (ideal). Slice the pizza into 8 to 10 slices with a sharp knife or pizza slicer.

Notes

You can use your favorite gluten-free sugar cookie baking mix in place of Pillsbury, adjusting the butter/water content if the mix isn't a comparable size.
If making the coconut whipped cream ahead, refrigerate in an airtight container. Remove from fridge and allow to warm up to a chill temperature - not cold or room temperature. Beat for 1-2 minutes until fluffy again.
Depending on how you decorate the pizza, you can use more or less fresh fruit.

21+ Ways to Make Box Brownies Seem Gourmet!

March 11, 2019 by Danielle 2 Comments

Let’s face it, sometimes we just want a delicious dessert recipe that’s special – but we don’t always have time for homemade. Or you just HAVE boxed brownies, but want to spruce them up a bit instead of let them collect dust in your pantry. While brownies from a box may seem boring, here are 21+ Ways to Make Box Brownies Seem Gourmet! A few small tweaks or additions here and there can take a simple treat and turn it into the most popular brownie recipe at the party!

All of these recipes use a boxed brownie mix as the base, but then through either additions or swaps make them seem like a unique, fancy – and definitely delicious – brownie that’s perfect for any party, get-together, or just a night in!

Slow Cooker Brownie Pudding – Crazy for Crust

Cookies ‘N Cream Oreo Fudge Brownies – Kevin and Amanda

(also see their Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie n’ Oreo Fudge Brownie Bars)

Chocolate Coconut Brownies – Celebrating Sweets

Fully Loaded Reese’s Brownies – Buns in My Oven

French Silk Brownies – Crazy for Crust

Samoa Brownies – Southern Plate

Chocolate Mint Pudding Brownies – Busy Mom’s Helper

Buckeye Brownies – Shugary Sweets

Ultimate S’mores Brownies – A Latte Food

OMGEEEE! Brownies – Southern Bite

Peanut Butter Cup Brownie Pizza – Mostly Homemade Mom

S’mores Brownies – Pip and Ebby

Mounds Brownies – In Katrina’s Kitchen

German Chocolate Brownies – Julies Eats & Treats

Brownie Marshmallow Crunch Bars – From Valerie’s Kitchen

Brownie Gooey Bars – Crazy for Crust

Peanut Butter Cheesecake Brownie Bars – A Savory Feast

Crockpot Turtle Brownies – Passion for Savings

Neopolitan Cheesecake Brownies – Frugal Coupon Living

Red, White & Blue Brownie Pizza – Jo Cooks

Dreamy Oreo Brownies – Cookies and Cups

Salted Caramel Pretzel Crust Brownies – Living Well Spending Less

And if you’re feeling really ambitious….

Snickers Peanut Butter Brownie Ice Cream Cake – Life, Love and Sugar

Brownie Recipes from Busy Mom’s Helper

50+ Slow Cooker Desserts

March 8, 2019 by Danielle Leave a Comment

As a super busy mom, I really dread spending too much time cooking. I love cooking, don’t get me wrong, but there’s so many days where it’s just not going to fit into the time I have. That’s why I absolutely LOVE my slow cooker! But did you know that you can make more than just dinner with it? That’s right, you can make delicious desserts, as well! To help get you started, here’s 52+ Slow Cooker Desserts!

That’s right, fabulous desserts with very little effort! You just may be wishing you had a larger slow cooker so you could make even MORE! I can’t help with the size of your cooker, but now you’ve now got 52+ Slow Cooker Desserts….that’s one every week for a year! You’re welcome 😉

Apple Cake

Peanut Butter Cup Cake

Apple Crisp

Ginger Orange Cheesecake

Triple Chocolate Peanut Butter Pudding Cake

Pina Colada Lava

Rocky Road Chocolate Cake

Apple Spiked Monkey Bread

Peppermint Coated Pretzels

Chocolate Coconut Peanut Butter Balls

Cinnamon Almonds

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Turtle Pudding Cake

Pumpkin Pie Cinnamon Rolls

Copy Cat Girl Scout Thin Mint Cookies

Molten Chocolate Lava Mud Cake

Reese’s Spoon Cake

Lazy Lemon Delight

White Chocolate Candy Corn Fudge

S’mores Cake

Mexican Custard Flan

Triple Chocolate Brownies

Dulce de Leche

Paleo Almond Bark

Peanut Clusters

Angel Cake with Cherry Sauce

Hot Cocoa Cake

Sour Cream Cheesecake

Pumpkin Pudding

Pumpkin Pie Custard, Sugar Free

Applesauce

Pumpkin Pie Dip

Caramel Apple Cider

Chocolate Cherry Cola Cake

Pumpkin Bread

Nutella Crunch Cheesecakes

Tiramisu Bread Pudding

Simple Homemade Peach Cobbler

Melted Chocolate

Mini Salted Caramel Mocha Cheesecakes

Chocolate Cake

Red Velvet Cake

Quite the selection of Slow Cooker Desserts, right?! I love using my slow cooker, and now with cold weather hitting will be pulling it out even more often! My kitchen is sure gonna smell delicious!

Cookie Dough Frosting

February 15, 2019 by Danielle 9 Comments

Ah, frosting….how I love thee!!! Seriously, frosting is just Da Bomb! So for my twins’ birthday Saturday, we made some cupcakes for them to take to preschool (although we’ve now had snow days since, so still haven’t taken them – I may have to eat these ones and make more) for their special treat. I wanted to try a different frosting, something unique from the common whipped or butter cream (I do love these, too, just do them all the time). Then, as I was baking the cupcakes, I started craving cookie dough. Wait – let’s try some Cookie Dough FROSTING! Oh yeah, I totally went there! This turned out delicious – perfectly pipe-able, creamy, and tasting JUST LIKE COOKIE DOUGH (no eggs, no worries)!

This recipe did about 18 cupcakes, piped as shown above.

Ingredients
1 cup Butter, softened
1 1/2 cups Light Brown Sugar, packed
3 tsp. Vanilla Extract
2 1/2 cups All-purpose Flour
1 tsp. Salt
9 Tbsp. Milk (roughly – more or less depending on desired consistency)
Chocolate Chips (mini or normal) for sprinkling on top

Directions
With a fork (or beaters) SMOOSH (aka Cream) together the Butter, Brown Sugar and Vanilla.

Add the Flour and Salt and mix until well combined.

Carefully add the Milk just 1 tbsp. at a time – until you reach your desired consistency. I used exactly 9 Tbsp, but you may prefer more or less.

Pipe onto your cupcakes (or cake, or whatever you’re frosting), then top with Chocolate Chips as desired.

Nestle Tollhouse VS. Dad’s Recipe: The Healthier Cookie

February 1, 2019 by Danielle 10 Comments

Today I’m sharing you one of our absolute FAVORITE cookie recipes, and it isn’t even my own! My Dad, who loves to experiment with recipes to make them more healthy, came up with this one and was kind enough to share it (and gave me permission to pass it on to y’all)! For a bit more fun, we’re even comparing it so you can see the nutritional difference between Nestle Tollhouse VS. Dad’s Recipe: The Healthier Cookie!

I know that the Nestle Tollhouse Chocolate Chip recipe is many people’s ‘go-to’ for cookies, but now you’ll think twice once you not only see the healthy difference, but also TASTE the amazing deliciousness of my Dad’s Cookies!

This is comparing based on Cookie-to-Cookie of the same size, 1 tbsp scoop of dough size to be exact. It took a bit for me to go through everything, then divide appropriately, to find the correct nutritional values….but this is as close as I could get.

Nestle Tollhouse

110 Calories (60 from Fat)
7g Fat
3.5g Saturated Fat
85mg Sodium
14g Carbs
1g Fiber
10g Sugar
2g Protien

Dad’s Cookies

107 Calories (49 from Fat)
6g Fat
4g Saturated Fat
85mg Sodium
9g Carbs
.25g Fiber
8g Sugar
4g Protien

So for even more flavorful cookies, you get slightly less calories and fat, fewer carbs, little less sugar and double the protien. Woot woot!

Ingredients

1 tsp. Baking Soda
1 tsp. Salt
1 cup Coconut Oil (just scoop, don’t melt)
3/4 cup Granulated Sugar
3/4 cup Brown Sugar, packed
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
2 Large Eggs
1 cup Chocolate Chips
1/2 cup Dried Oats
1 cup Vanilla Protein Powder
1 1/4 cup All-Purpose flour

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 Degrees F. Spray some cookie sheets, set aside.
Combine the first 7 ingredients together until well mixed. Mix in the protein powder, dried oats and flour slowly. Lastly, stir in the chocolate chips.
Scoop about 1 tbsp. sized dough per cookie onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake for about 8-10 minutes, or until the edges are BARELY brown. When you take them out, they’ll still look slightly undone, but that’s fine. Allow to cool just 2 minutes on the sheet, then remove to a cooling rack (carefully).

These cookies do AMAZING in the freezer! Make a big batch, toss some in a ziplock baggie into your freezer, then just pull them out whenever you need some cookies! My Dad likes to keep some on-hand in the freezer so he can grab a bag before a road trip. Fresh cookies during a long drive? Yes, please!

You can, of course, adjust the ingredients to fit YOUR preferred tastes! Want to try another flavor protein powder? Then go for it! I’m curious what Strawberry flavored would end up like, with maybe some white chocolate chips? Yumm-o!

Thin Mint Pudding Cookies

January 25, 2019 by Danielle Leave a Comment

Thank you Girl Scouts of North Texas for the complimentary cookies to assist this recipe!

It’s that time of year again, when troops of young ladies and their leaders await, table full of delicious goodness, for you to exit the grocery store or drive by, hoping that you’ll stop and buy a box (or a dozen). I love seeing the girls get excited as they work hard to sell their cookies, not just to raise money but also to learn great leadership and entrepreneurship skills. If you’re looking to do something a little different with your box of tastiness this year, try a new twist to one of the favorite Girl Scout Cookies with this amazing and super easy to make Thin Mint Pudding Cookies recipe!

The Girl Scout Cookie Program runs January 11th – February 24th, so be on the lookout for your local troop so you can nab some boxes (or check out TexasCookieTime.org to order some) and give this new recipe a try. And I totally won’t judge if you eat a Thin Mint or two while these bake, because life’s about enjoyment, right? 😉

Yield: about 3 dozen Thin Mint Pudding Cookies

Ingredients

1 1/2 sticks Butter, softened
3/4 cup Light Brown Sugar, packed
1/4 cup Sugar
1 small pack INSTANT Vanilla Pudding (3.4 oz)
2 Large Eggs
2 tsp. Vanilla Extract
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1/2-1 tsp. Mint Extract
2 1/4 cup All-purpose Flour
1 cup (about 1 sleeve) Thin Mints, crushed

Note: to really get my Thin Mints crushed, I put them into my blender.

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 Degrees F. Spray or line 2-3 baking sheets, set aside.
Mix the butter, eggs, light brown sugar, regular sugar and pudding mix until smooth. Add in the vanilla, baking soda, and mint extract and mix again until smooth.
Mix in the flour until everything is well combined, then gently fold in the crushed Thin Mints until evenly incorporated.
Roll into 1″ balls, then place on cookie sheet, flattening just a bit.
Bake for 8-10 minutes, then remove and allow to cool 2 minutes on the cookie sheet before removing to cooling rack. Do not overbake.

These taste amazing – soft and chewy, with a great flavor just like Thin Mints! Now, I had my Thin Mints crushed to a fine powder (because the blender), but you can do larger pieces if you want it more like chunks instead of all throughout your cookie.

Next to Samoa’s, Thin Mints are my absolute favorite Girl Scout Cookie – and I love enjoying them as-is and also in these delish pudding cookies. Plus, it makes them go further, so you can take them to a party or get-together without having to use ALL your Thin Mints!

What’s your favorite Girl Scout Cookie?

Mint Hot Chocolate Brownies

January 4, 2019 by Danielle Leave a Comment

Y’all know my love for chocolate, right? With all of the holiday parties the kids (and us adults, as well) had over the holidays that involved bringing a treat to share, I just knew I wanted to whip up something good. I wanted them to be a little festive, but not JUST a holiday-themed dessert. These Mint Hot Chocolate Brownies were just the ticket, with that amazing chocolaty flavor mixed with the perfect hint of mint, topped off with some marshmallowy goodness. We had to make extra just to enjoy here by ourselves!

Instead of making these brownies in a regular pan, I thought it’d be more fun (and cute) to bake them in a muffin tin so they’re more like individual little brownie bites. So fun! Plus, it’s easier to know where to place the marshmallow – and I’m all for easy recipes 🙂

You can switch up the sprinkles on top (or leave them off entirely, totally up to you) to match whatever theme or event you have, which makes them really flexible and fun. I wanted a bit more simple on this batch, but still ‘winter holiday’, so added some white pearl sprinkles. Another batch that the girls will take to their church youth party have red crystal ones on top. I love mixing things up!

Makes: 24 Muffin-sized Brownies

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup Sugar
1 1/3 cup Butter, very soft
1 cup Brown Sugar, loosely packed
2 tsp. Vanilla
4 Large Eggs
1 cup Cocoa Powder (unsweetened)
3 cups All-Purpose Flour
1 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
1 cup Chocolate Chips
6 Large Marshmallows
1/2-1 cup Andes Mint pieces
Sprinkles, as desired

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 Degrees F. Spray or line two muffin tins, set aside.
In a large bowl (or mixer) mix the butter, sugar, brown sugar, vanilla and eggs until creamy.
Add the flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking soda and mix until well combined.
Mix in the chocolate chips, then divide into the muffin tins.
Bake for 8-9 minutes. While baking, cut the marshmallows in half.
Remove the brownies (should not be done yet) and place a half marshmallow (with sticky cut side down)into the middle of each brownie bite and press it down.
Bake for another 2-4 minutes or until the marshmallows are puffy and the brownies are fully baked (insert a toothpick next to the marshmallow to see if the center is done). Allow to cool, then remove from muffin tin.
Melt the Andes mint pieces in the microwave at 50% power, stirring every 30 seconds until they’re all melted and smooth. Drizzle over the brownies, topping with sprinkles while still melted so they stick better.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-6 days. Enjoy!

See, they’re super easy to whip up – and the taste is amazing! It’s like a nice, chewy cup of hot chocolate with just the right amount of mint to really add to the flavor. I warmed up my brownie for about 5 seconds in the microwave to give it that bit of warmth, really making the perfect afternoon treat.

These were a HUGE hit at our holiday events, and I had quite a few friends ask me for the recipe. I love being able to share tasty treats (especially chocolate ones) and knowing people truly enjoyed them.

I think next time I’ll do a white chocolate drizzle, add a bit of mint extract and a little green food coloring, for more coloring to these little desserts. Heck, red or blue would be great for holiday time, too! Really, just have fun with it and enjoy your delicious hot chocolate brownies with mint topping!

What’s your favorite holiday recipe?

Pumpkin Better Than Disneyland Pie

December 14, 2018 by Danielle 65 Comments

This week is Thanksgiving, and I haven’t even thought twice about what recipes I’m going to be changing or adding to the menu! Guess I better get on the ball, huh? Whatever other things I make besides turkey and gravy, though, I’m sure this Pumpkin Pudding Pie (aka: pumpkin better than Disneyland pie) will be on the list. It’s super delicious, creamy and full of smooth pumpkin flavor. A definite winner for Thanksgiving dessert! (originally shared May 2013)

Pumpkin Pudding Pie / AKA: Pumpkin Better Than Disneyland Pie / The Perfect Thanksgiving or Holiday Dessert!

To be honest, I’d almost rather this than normal pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving! If you’re wondering about the name….we try to use extremely kid-friendly words and names, and avoid any words that we don’t want to have to explain to our little ones just yet. So in our home, instead of what most people use when ‘better than….’ we use Disneyland. That’s one of our absolute favorite things, so if something’s better than Disneyland, you know it has to be fantastic! (at the moment, I’m wishing I were at Disneyland, though!)

Ingredients

1 cup Flour
1/2 cup Butter
1/2 cup plus 1/4 cup Walnuts or Pecans, chopped
8 oz. Cream cheese
1 cup Powdered sugar
3 cups Whipped topping, divided
2 1/2 cups Milk
2 pkgs. Vanilla instant pudding mix, 5 1/4 oz. size (Thank you Ann for pointing this out!)
2 cups Pumpkin, canned
2 tsp. Pumpkin spice

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix the flour, butter and 1/2 cup walnuts or pecans together. Press into a sprayed 8×8 cake pan. Bake for 15 minutes, then remove and allow to cool.
Blend cream cheese and powdered sugar, then add 1 cup of the whipped topping. Spread over cooled crust.
Mix milk, pudding mix, canned pumpkin, pumpkin spice and 1 cup whipped topping until smooth. Spread over the cream cheese layer. Top with remaining 1 cup of whipped topping and 1/4 cup walnuts or pecans.
Chill for 3 hours or until set.

Notes: Instead of just spraying the pan, I lined it with aluminum foil so I could remove it and keep the edges nice. We tried this both refrigerated and frozen, but all of us preferred the creamy refrigerated version.

What Thanksgiving dessert will YOU be making?

Berry Chocolate Yogurt Bark

August 6, 2018 by Danielle

Do your kids get bored of the same old snacks sometimes? Mine do – even though we mix it up plenty, it’s nice to switch it up sometimes. The other day we were planning on yogurt, but I thought it’d be fun to make it a litte unique. It’s been super hot here in Texas, so a frozen snack was ideal. They were so excited, and loved how this Berry Chocolate Yogurt Bark turned out! Plus, I was happy with how simple it was to make.

You can really mix this up however you’d like – use white chocolate instead of milk chocolate, pick your type of berries, or however you want to customize it to better fit your family’s tastes. This is perfect for a hot summer afternoon, or as a quick afternoon snack.

Ingredients

Chocolate Chips
Strawberry or Vanilla Yogurt (or mix plain yogurt with a little honey to sweeten a bit)
Berries of choice
Parchment paper
Baking Sheet

Note: I didn’t include measurements, because it’s really up to you how much to do for yours or how much you need. I used a 9×13 baking sheet for mine and this filled it up almost to the edges (but not quite). I used 3 cups of chocolate chips (I’d use less next time so the chocolate layer wouldn’t be as thick), about 4-5 cups of yogurt, and 1-2 cups mixed berries.

Directions

Lay parchment paper on a baking sheet, set aside.
Melt the chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl on half power, stirring often, until smooth (took mine about 4 1/2 minutes, stirring every 30-45 seconds) Spread onto the parchment paper and freeze about an hour, or until hardened.
Spread your yogurt over the chocolate, smoothing it out evenly. Sprinkle your berries over top, pressing them gently into the yogurt. Freeze about 3-4 hours, or until hardened.
Allow to thaw about 15-30 minutes, then break into chunks of ‘yogurt bark’. Enjoy immediately!

See, it’s really easy to make – the hardest part is allowing enough time for it to freeze all the way, so does require planning ahead a bit. If you have any extra yogurt bark pieces, store them in an airtight container of baggie in your freezer.

Download the printable chalkboard chocolate chip cookie recipe HERE

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