desserts Archives

5 EASY DESSERT IDEAS FOR THE CHALLENGED BAKER

July 8, 2021

Sharing 5 easy dessert ideas for the beginner or busy baker.

My friend suggested I not leave the kitchen, to do a load of laundry while I cream my butter, eggs and sugar.

She was trying to figure out why my recipes go sideways. I think I inherited it from my mother. And, I shared this story:

Every Easter my mom baked a bunny cake with a Wilton bunny cake form (like this one).

She probably baked 15 bunnies one year switching out cake mixes and inserting plastic straws to keep Mr. Rabbit’s neck in traction.

But back to the mixer tutorial from my friend.

Apparently, there is a legitimate reason to keep the wet and dry ingredients separate.

A friend explained this to me the other night and my argument was, “But, how do the dry and wet ingredients know they were not added separately?

Because I have a habit of ingredient substitutions & an unattended Kitchenaid mixer, I want to share 5 fairly fail-proof desserts.

So today I am sharing 5 simple dessert recipes to fake it until you make it in the kitchen.

Whatever your dream dessert you will have 5 backup plans until you nail your favorite Pinterest cake.

5 DESSERT IDEAS FOR THE BEGINNER BAKER

I have been in this beginner baker stage for decades. Once in a while, I pull one-off, but let’s say there are a lot of creative angles to capture that bundt cake.

Which is where I begin.

1.Bundt Cakes: I love a bundt cake. As long as you remember to really grease (spray) those grooves a bundt cake is very forgiving.

I mean the middle is already out of the equation so you don’t have to worry about it sinking into the middle.

I treated myself to this Made in USA bundt pan for fall. It’s my version of my mon’s Wilton bunny cake pan.

2. 3 Ingredient Treats: There is no shame in a dessert that includes three ingredients.

These are great to deliver and the presentation is easy. The best part is I can rattle off the ingredients like a boss (baker)!

3. Layered Dessert Bars

Oh my this is my go-to dessert when I need something easy. Dessert bars are dense, layered ingredients. When you layer with coconut or melted chocolate it forgives the hot mess that is closer to the bottom of the pan. Here is a popular dessert bar recipe on my blog.

4. Candy

I knocked it out of the park a few years ago with a bag of Rolos and raspberries. The hardest part was not eating the unwrapped Rolos. M&M’s are another go-to candy-based recipe.

5. Cake Cover-Ups

As you perfect a cake and master the icing remember this trick. Coconut, sprinkles and M&M’s cover a multitude of challenges.

This coconut cake tasted amazing but there were a few challenges on the pan dis-mount.

Pin for later please!

Before you go you may enjoy my recipe page with all my favorites and a few fails!

HOW TO MAKE A PRETZEL CRUST

May 24, 2021

sharing a fun twist on the graham cracker with this pretzel crust recipe

To think all the times I ran up to the store to buy graham crackers (crushed) for this summer dessert and I could have used the bags of pretzels in the pantry. Pretzels are my go-to salty snack. I never thought to blend them into a tasty crust for desserts.

HOW TO MAKE A PRETZEL CRUST

how-make-pretzel-crust

I used this recipe when I made these mini cheesecakes. But, let’s just say the best part of the recipe was the pretzel crust.

how-to-make-pretzel-crust

I never thought to substitute the classic graham cracker crust with pretzels?

If you follow me you know I am the president of the Off the Rail Recipe Club. So I am a tiny bit surprised I just now discovered this ingredient substitute.

how-to-make-pretzel-crust

The differences are subtle, but let’s face it butter with anything sweet or salty tastes amazing. This recipe can flex up or down with easy ratios. I suggest doubling the recipe for square 8×8 pans.

INGREDIENTS

Butter, crushed pretzels and a bit of sugar are the only ingredients needed for this tasty twist.

If you have a super sweet dessert you may want to try the pretzel-based crust. And, pretzels always taste great with chocolate too.

PRETZEL CRUST

Print Recipe

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups pretzel sticks
1/4 cup melted butter
2 tbsp. sugar

Instructions

1. Melt the butter in a microwavable dish
2. Add the crushed pretzels
3. Mix in sugar.
Mix and use to form crusts for mini cupcake holders.
Double or Tripe the recipe depending on the size of your baking dish.

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CHOCOLATE PRETZEL KISSES

May 11, 2021

Sharing these super easy and cute chocolate pretzel Kisses

They are bite-size and easy (ish) to portion control. I made my first batch over the holidays and have them in my holiday rotation. The pastel M&M’s are perfect for spring treats and maybe a small gathering.

They are the perfect salty-sweet combo. The hardest part is waiting for the M&M’s to “set” on top of a slightly melted Hershey Kiss.

Can you stand it?

CHOCOLATE PRETZEL KISSES

It takes longer to unwrap the Hershey Kisses than to bake and top them off with a spring mix of M&M’s. It’s also a challenge to unwrap without sneaking a few from the bowl. Guilty!

You are only limited by the M&M seasonal candy coating offerings.

In more amazing news I did not screw these up. They are Laura fail-proof. If you have followed my blog for more than five days you know I have a history of recipe misunderstandings.

For this spring mix, I made a batch and froze the M&M kisses. They may not look as smooth and pretty when they defrost but I am not picky when I just need a little chocolate mid-day snack. The frozen Kisses make it more challenging to binge. #wink

The second best part of this 3 ingredient dessert is they look pretty when served. Most days, my recipes go sideways and many times it is the photo opp that fails. But these are too cute on camera not to share.

I usually serve them in a small bowl and they would be a great addition to a charcuterie board.

Recipe

CHOCOLATE PRETZEL KISSES

A seasonal favorite treat for the perfect combination of salty and sweet.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Ingredients

30 bag pretzel squares or the crossover ones I prefer the squares to "plate" the Hershey Kiss.
30 Hershey Kisses, unwrapped
30 M&M candies (plain, chocolate)

Instructions

PRE-HEAT OVEN TO 175-200 DEGREES
PLACE 30 PRETZEL SQUARES (WAFFLE SHAPE) ON A BAKING SHEET
ADD PARCHMENT PAPER TO COOKIE SHEET
PLACE 30 PRETZELS ON COOKIE SHEET
ADD HERSHEY KISS TO EACH PRETZEL
BAKE AT 175-200 FOR 2-3 MINUTES (MY KISSES WOULD NOT MELT SO I INCREASED TEMP TO 200 AND KEPT THEM IN FOR A GOOD 3 MINUTES)
REMOVE BAKING SHEET AND PLACE 1 M&M IN THE CENTER OF THE HERSHEY KISS + PRETZEL BASE. THIS STEP CAN GET MESSY IF KISSES ARE TOO SOFT. I LOST A FEW HERSHEY KISSES + M& M PRETZEL BITES IN THE BETA TEST VERSION #wink
COOL. POP IN FRIDGE FOR A 1/2 HOUR TO SET. STORE AWAY FROM FAMILY MEMBERS AND HIDE BEHIND THE BREADCRUMBS.
EVERYDAYEDITS.CO

PIN FOR LATER

Before you head to the grocery store for a bag of Kisses and M&M’s here is another amazing 3 ingredient treat.

JUST ONE S’MORE CUPCAKE RECIPE

October 1, 2020

a fun cupcake twist on the classic S’ more

I never would have found this recipe if I had a digital cooking timer on the counter. Our new oven, from our recent kitchen remodel, intimidates me. And, the built-in digital timer is a p.i.t.a to operate. So I read anything within arms reach during the last 3 minutes of oven time. In those minutes I stumbled upon the S’ more cupcake recipe on the side of Betty Crocker’s chocolate fudge cake box.

Just stick with me. I always try to bring you back with me to the point of my story.

If I did not have a persnickety oven timer I never would have had the time to read the S”more cupcake recipe.

Instead, I would have watched Frasier reruns on the new Peacock network.

I set a few cupcakes aside to make this twist on the classic S’ more.

The best part was I almost had all the ingredients from a S’more filled summer.

S’ more Cupcake Recipe Details

I substituted the white frosting with a batch of buttercream frosting.

I forgot about this step (until just now) that the white frosting was supposed to be combined with 1/3 cup marshmallow creme.

Oops! I bet that is why I opted to make my own frosting.

I don’t love the marshmallow creme out of the jar so it worked out just fine. Don’t tell Betty.

Yummy!

I totally missed that ingredient and just went on my merry way to frost a dozen cupcakes with my favorite buttercream frosting.

If you follow my baking segments (recipes) for a minute you know my recipes tend to go off the rails.

Just ask my sister!

These cupcakes were easy to prepare and frost.

The crushed graham crackers and chopped chocolate disguised by sloppy frosting skills.

S’more Cupcake Toppings

Crushed graham crackers (or the graham cracker crumbs work!

S’More Cupcake Recipe

S'MORE CUPCAKES

Betty Croker

A fun twist on the classic S'more.

Print Recipe

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Ingredients

1 BOX CHOCOLATE FUDGE CAKE (FOLLOW BOX INSTRUCTIONS)
1 CONTAINER WHIPPED WHITE FROSTING + 1/3 CUP MARSHMALLOW CREME
1/3 CUP MARSHMALLOW CREME + 1 CONTAINER WHIPPED WHITE FROSTING
1 CUP CRUSHED GRAHAM CRACKERS
1/2-1 CUP BROKEN CHOCOLATE PIECES OR CHOCOLATE CHIPS

Instructions

PREHEAT OVEN TO 350 DEGREES
PREPARE CAKE MIX PER BOX INSTRUCTIONS + BAKE CUPCAKES
COOL
COMBINE FROSTING + MARSHMALLOW CREME
ADD GRAHAM CRACKER + CHOCOLATE PIECES ON TOP

P.S. This recipe could easily be adapted if you are one of those bakers who need to whip out all of the ingredients to make what Betty Crocker combined into one convenient bag. If you want to know the history of the Betty Crocker brand this is a short read.

No judgment.

I love to make cakes from scratch like this new favorite chocolate cake.

What do you think?

Do you want to make S’ more cupcakes? Or, here is another S’ more bar recipe!

Before you go if you are looking at new ovens (with friendly timers) here were a few of my favs.

Raspberry White Chocolate Bars

December 7, 2019

Are we burned out on chocolate yet? Are the jeans getting a smidge tighter than they were in September? We have to pace ourselves because we have a ways to go from the chocolate holiday Halloween kickoff to Easter. Between peanut butter cups, chocolate hearts and bunny butts there is a lot of milk chocolate on the calendar. These raspberry and white chocolate bars are so amazing they might show up for Valentine’s Day.

These raspberry white chocolate bars are the perfect balance of raspberries and the crumble. The raspberry filling comes from a jar of Raspberry preserves which makes this recipe low effort.

On a side note, one of my favorite places to buy preserves and coffee is HomeGoods. Seriously, HomeGoods (and TJ Maxx and Marshalls) have fun coffees, preserves, sauces and so much more. On a recent trip to HomeGoods, I had gift wrap, preserves, and the comfiest cotton, short sleeve shirts ever that were $5.99 each.

The crumble for these raspberry white chocolate bars are made from a butter, sugar and flour mixture.

Folded between layers of the crumbly mixture, the raspberry preserves and the white chocolate morsels add the perfect amount of sweet.

And, these bars pack well and stayed moist for the week. They are a yummy alternative to the traditional cookie rotation in kitchens across the country!

Raspberry White Chocolate Bars Recipe

Print Recipe

Ingredients

3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla
4 cups flour
2 eggs
1 jar raspberry jam
1 12 oz package white chocolate baking chips

Instructions

Raspberry White Chocolate Bars
Recipe Type: Dessert
Cuisine: Dessert
Raspberry & White Chocolate Bars
Ingredients
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla
4 cups flour
2 eggs
1 jar raspberry jam
1 12 oz. package white chocolate baking morsels
Instructions
PREHEAT OVEN TO 350.
USE A 9X13" BAKING PAN (DO NOT GREASE)
MIX SUGAR, BUTTER, ADD SALT, VANILLA
SLOWLY ADD FLOUR, UNTIL IT LOOKS CRUMBLY.
SCOOP 1 CUP OF CRUMB MIXTURE AND SET ASIDE
ADD THE EGGS TO REMAINING MIXTURE.
PRESS DOUGH INTO BAKING PAN. BAKE 30 MINUTES UNTIL LIGHTLY BROWN.
REMOVE BAKING PAN, SPREAD RASPBERRY JAME TO THE EDGES.
SPRINKLE WHITE CHOCOLATE MORSELS
SPRINKLE THE CRUMBLE MIXTURE RESERVE ON TOP
BAKE AN ADDITIONAL 25-30 MINUTES AT 350 UNTIL TOPPING IS LIGHT GOLDEN BROWN.
COOL BEFORE CUTTING INTO BARS

sharing to: 2 chicks & a mom

No-Bake Peanut Butter & Chocolate Bars

April 19, 2019

Sharing my favorite, go-to no-bake bars.

Next to chips and guacamole, peanut butter and chocolate are two of my favorite food pairings. For me, nothing compares to the dense peanut butter base as the anchor for a layer of melted milk chocolate. These no-bake peanut butter and chocolate bars are a favorite for my middle child so I pull this out of the archives for his post-finals return home in a few days! #mymiddle

NO-BAKE PEANUT BUTTER & CHOCOLATE BARS

These chocolate and peanut butter bars require no oven so it’s a fun recipe to introduce to your kids, grandkids, nieces, nephews or husbands.

My sister made these bars with my kids years ago and they are a favorite every time she visits. In fact, we always have the ingredients on hand for a late-night baking session.

The absence of an oven also increases my recipe success too! And, the chilled temperature to set the chocolate make them a great summer treat!

The smaller the pan, the thicker the bar. Just look at that layer of chocolate on top of a big slab of peanut butter infused with powdered sugar, crushed graham crackers and butter.

I cut the bars into smaller sizes than what is shown below. It’s a visual trick that if you cut them in half you can have twice as many. Right?

These no-bake peanut butter and chocolate bars are perfect for holiday treats. The dense base makes them travel-friendly if delivering by sidewalk or car.

Tip: Make sure to use milk chocolate chips

NO BAKE PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE BARS

Print Recipe

Ingredients

1 BOX POWDERED SUGAR 3 1/2 CUPS= 16 OZ BOX
1 1/2 CUPS GRAHAM CRACKER CRUMBS
1 CUP PEANUT BUTTER
1 CUP MELTED BUTTER
1 BAG MILK CHOCOLATE CHIPS, MELTED

Instructions

FOR THE BASE MIX ALL OF THE INGREDIENTS EXCEPT THE CHOCOLATE.
PRESS INTO A SQUARE BAKING DISH. FOR A LESS DENSE BAR USE A STANDARD SIZE RECTANGULAR BAKING DISH.
NEXT, MELT 1 BAG MILK CHOCOLATE CHIPS IN THE MICROWAVE. MICROWAVE IN 30 SECOND INCREMENTS TO PREVENT CHIPS FROM "BAKING" YOU CAN ALSO MELT OVER THE STOVE ON LOW HEAT.
SPREAD THE MELTED MILK CHOCOLATE OVER THE GRAHAM CRACKER BASE.
CHILL IN FRIDGE! ENJOY!

Here is another no-bake peanut butter favorite recipe.

And, this is one more recipe before you go.

5 DESSERT IDEAS FOR THE BEGINNER BAKER

3. Layered Dessert Bars

4. Candy

5. Cake Cover-Ups

HOW TO MAKE A PRETZEL CRUST

INGREDIENTS

PRETZEL CRUST

Ingredients

Instructions

CHOCOLATE PRETZEL KISSES

Recipe

CHOCOLATE PRETZEL KISSES

Ingredients

Instructions

PIN FOR LATER

S’ more Cupcake Recipe Details

S’more Cupcake Toppings

S’More Cupcake Recipe

S'MORE CUPCAKES

Ingredients

Instructions

Raspberry White Chocolate Bars Recipe

Ingredients

Instructions

NO-BAKE PEANUT BUTTER & CHOCOLATE BARS

NO BAKE PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE BARS

Ingredients

Instructions

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