2 Minute Microwave Brownie

Do you ever get a hankering for a brownie but definitely can't wait for for an oven to warn up, mix ingredients and then wait for the brownies to bake? Me too.

This is one of those recipes you write down and leave in your kitchen junk drawer in case of emergencies. Or, screenshot and save as a favorite image on your phone.

You are only 2 minutes away from an warm, gooey, chocolaty brownie. Give it a try!

I made a quick video to show you just how easy it is to make this brownie. Ice cream is not required but sure does add to the deliciousness.



2 Minute Microwave Brownie

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons milk
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup dark (of light) brown sugar, packed
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
pinch of salt
2 tablespoons chocolate chips

Reese's Cheesecake Dip

Dipping animal crackers and pretzels in this Reese's Cheesecake Dip is the best way to kick off summer. I love the cream cheese and Reese's combo - it's heavenly. I mean, who doesn't love peanut butter chocolate?

I have such a weakness for dips. Like this beer cheese dip or this peanut butter caramel dip - they are all good.

Cheerio Puppy Chow

So there I was watching Real Housewives minding my own business and I got the biggest craving for puppy chow. That powered sugar coated peanut butter chocolate treat is just heavenly.

What's a girl to do?

I wasn't about to go buy Chex but I did have a box of Chocolate Cheerios. Cereal is cereal, right?

It worked! And I had my snack ready and was back to watching housewives in 15 minutes.

Bliss.

I kinda want to try making puppy chow with golden grahams next. Doesn't that sound good? Like a s'more?

Chocolate Rice Crispy Balls

Same great recipe from 2011, but I've updated the photos!

I made these Chocolate Rice Crispy Balls for Christmas a few years ago and LOVED them. It was in Self Magazine as a lighter dessert option for parties. This time around I decided to add a little extra something by covering them in a chocolate/peanut butter coating. Sooo…there goes the lighter dessert option.

You could totally skip the chocolate coating but I had some extra almond bark leftover from when I made Orange Fondants. It was getting lonely just sitting in my pantry. I felt bad.

This recipe makes a huge batch. You’ll end up with close to 80 Rice Crispy Balls. They store well in an airtight container for up to 3 days. They would make a great dessert for a party - travel easily, inexpensive to make and delicious. You could half the recipe and it will turn out just as good too!

You will be working with marshmallow that sets up quick; make sure to have all your ingredients and pans ready to go.

Chocolate Rice Crispy Balls

8 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 bags (10 oz each) mini-marshmallows
10 cups crisp rice cereal
1/2 cup semisweet mini chocolate chips (Optional)

Prepare 2 cookie sheets by lining with baking mats or waxed paper. Set aside. Measure out crisp rice cereal and marshmallows. Set near stove.

In a large saucepan, combine butters and cocoa over medium heat, whisking until melted and smooth. Stir in marshmallows, melting them completely.

Turn off heat and stir in cereal, working quickly before marshmallow mixture sets. If using chocolate chips, add them now. Stir again to combine.

Using a cookie scooper or tablespoon, drop balls onto waxed paper. Don’t worry about neatness just yet. Once all of the mixture is on the cookie sheets, put a little butter or spray butter onto your hands. Pick up each and shape into a ball.

Let set on cookie sheet. Store in airtight container for up to 3 days.

If you decide to cover in chocolate...

For Chocolate Coating
Melting chips or Almond Bark
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
Sprinkles

In a microwave safe bowl, microwave peanut butter and chocolate on 50% power for 45 second bursts, stirring between each bursts, until melted and smooth. Using two forks, drop rice crispy ball into chocolate to coat. Drop on cookie sheet to set up. Add sprinkles.

I typically only coat some of the balls so that there is a mix.

Adapted from Self Magazine, December 2008

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Snickerdoodle Kettle Corn

Over the holidays we purchased a gourmet popcorn tin from Aldi. It had a peppermint, caramel coconut and a snickerdoodle kettle corn. I died over the Snickedoodle Kettle Corn - it was sweet, salty and drizzled with white chocolate.

I knew I had to recreate that magic sooner rather than later.

Swiss Cake Roll No-Bake Cake

The weirdest thing happened last week. I was at work minding my own business and I was sent a fax - like a legit fax from a real fax machine. It was a recipe for Ding Dong Cake. It did not have a sender or number to call back.

Nerdy Popcorn Balls + Pitch Perfect 2

Pitch Perfect 2 is now available to purchase and watch over and over in the comfort of your own home. This is Dixie Chicks Serious. A-ca-believe it. And, I've made snacks to celebrate.

Head to Walmart to grab the exclusive Pitch Perfect 2 Blu-Ray/Soundtrack combo pack. Soundtrack includes some of your favorite songs from Pitch Perfect and Pitch Perfect 2 (while supplies last).

I'm not embarrassed to say that I went to Walmart at midnight to pick up my copy. Crushed it.

The soundtracks from Pitch Perfect and Pitch Perfect 2 are amazing. It's fun to listen because I kinda feel like I'm watching the movie all over again. I was so happy to see the Blu-Ray included the soundtrack of a few of the best songs.

Now I'm prepping for a girls night in to watch Pitch Perfect 2. My friends and I went and saw the movie in the theater opening weekend...and we already have the release date for Pitch Perfect 3 on our calendars...so I know they will be ready to watch it again. Plus, we can rewind and make sure we catch all the one-liners. And maybe we can even do a little singalong!

Scotcheroo Bites

We broke down and added HBO to our Dish account. We just got caught up on Game of Thrones and it's amazing. I'm tempted to rewatch from the beginning, it's that good.

I also got caught up on Girls. Any other HBO series I should watch? I've started Veep a couple times but couldn't get into it.

But enough about TV, let's get to these Scotcheroo Bites.

Mint Chocolate Cream Cheese Dip

Not gonna lie. I had a killer sweet tooth yesterday and there werer no sweets in sight.

I took a mental stock of what I had on hand. Cream Cheese. A variety of choco....Andes Mint Chips! Yep, I'm making a dip.

Mint Chocolate Cream Cheese Dip!

Within 10 minutes I was dipping graham crackers into this bowl of magic. Sweet tooth satisfied.

Shortly after I jumped on the treadmill for an hour to close out the weekend. It's all about balance, right?

Mint Chocolate Cream Cheese Dip

8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon mint extract
green gel food coloring
2 cup Andes Mint Chips, divided
graham crackers

In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix the cream cheese and butter until light an fluffy (2-3 minutes). Scrape down sides of the bowl. Gradually add powered sugar and mix until combined (another couple minutes). Add mint extract and green coloring. Stir in 1 1/2 cups Andes Mint Chips.

Transfer to a bowl. Top with remaining Andes Mints. Serve with graham crackers.

Adapted from Mom on Timeout 

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Easy Biscuit Waffles

I'm a proud new owner of a Double Deep Fryer from Ginny's. Even more exciting, I'll be working with Ginny's and developing a recipe for their upcoming eBook. More on that in the coming weeks. But I'm SUPER excited.

But before I focus on recipe development I had to break in the fryer, naturally. Jacob and I looked at each other and both said: Chicken and Waffles. But not any Chicken and Waffles. It's a recipe a made awhile back with biscuit waffles and a take your breath away maple mayo. Yes, sauce can take your breath away. Trust me.

Brownie Batter Dip

Chocolate covered strawberries are so last year. You know what's cool? Strawberries dipped in Brownie Batter Dip. And, now you have the recipe just in time for Valentine's Day.

This dip is addictive and tastes so much like brownie batter it's scary. It's not just for Valentine's Day; it's perfect for Super Bowl Sunday, a girls night, a party, or a Tuesday.

Crowd Pleasing Snack Mix

My first time hosting Thanksgiving went off without a hitch! And I actual had a blast and didn't get angry or stressed once. Cooking the turkey the day before was a huge time saver. Also having my mom, mother-in-law and aunt here to help prep made a huge difference.

Because everyone traveled to Kansas City I wanted to give everyone a little party favor and as soon as I saw this printable from I Heart Naptime I was sold.

I purchased these 16 oz White Dessert Containers from Amazon. Umm....obsessed and want to make these a staple in my kitchen. Not sure why, but I do.

NatureBox for the Win!

Holy moly. I'm only 10 days away from hosting my first family Thanksgiving. 17 of my most favorite people are making the trip to Kansas City. They are all coming from Nebraska and Iowa so I want to make them feel extra special during their stay.

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. No pressure to buy everyone the 'right' gift but rather it's dedicated to spending time with your loved ones and sharing all of the blessings we've experienced. Oh and lots and lots of eating.

Because everyone will be traveling and staying in the area for a few days I wanted to offer up healthy snack options to balance out all the traditional goodies.

Cider Beer Poached Pears with Pound Cake

I did something fancy. I poached pears using cider beer. Doesn't that sound fancy?!

I'll let you think I'm super cool until you see how easy it actually was. But we can keep the secret and your fiends and family can still think YOU slaved hours making a fancy dessert.

This is the best time of year to buy pears. Our grocery store had like 7 varieties of USA Pears to choose from. There is even a little sign by each with a quick description, taste profile and suggested uses. Much easier than me asking Siri (she's not very helpful).

Do you know how to choose ripe pears? Apply gentle pressure to the narrow "neck" of the pear with your thumb. If it yields to pressure, it's ripe!

I knew I was going to attempt poaching so I went for the Bosc Pears that were a little firm; making them perfect for poaching.

Poaching a pear is super simple but, like I said, looks fancy. The most common poached pear recipe uses wine and sugar. The only time I like wine is when it's in sangria with a ton of fruit so I used one of my favorite cider beers instead. I absolutely loved the pears; it added just the right hint of apple and sweetness.

[Copy Cat] Salted Nut Roll Bites

Pay Day or Salted Nut Roll, that is what this little bites taste like! They are almost too dangerously easy to make when craving something sweet and salty.

Egg-less Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

It doesn't happen very often, but sometimes Jacob requests I make him a dessert recipe. Last weekend he requested egg-less cookie dough that he can eat with a spoon.

Twist my arm, why don't ya. Pretty sure that was a request I was more than happy to grant. Plus it's a recipe that comes together quickly and doesn't require an oven.

The only problem is that it's sitting in our refrigerator staring at me every time I open the door.

There are a lot of different versions of egg-less chocolate chip cookie dough. I decided to go with this one because of the use of condensed milk. I knew that would add a nice sweetness and make a great texture.

This was a hit! If you're not one to eat with a spoon, you could put between to vanilla wafers for little sandwiches, put on a graham cracker, use as a topping on ice cream, or make into truffles like the original recipe.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheerios Bars

Please tell me I'm not the only one that binge watched season 2 of Orange is the New Black over the weekend? Don't worry - no spoilers. But I will say it was just as good, if not better, than the first season.

Cherry Crisp Dessert Pizza

This was one of the recipes I made during my Food Blogger's Kitchen video last week. Aldi continues to sell these awesome pizza crusts and we continue to buy them. It was just a matter of time before I went for dessert pizza and not a boring normal pizza.

S'more Bars

Jacob and I did something crazy. We actually went out on a week night. We went to a Jarrod Niemann concert last night. You probably know his song Lover Lover or Drink to That All Night, if you're into country. The venue was close to our house, smaller scene, and $25 tickets so we couldn't pass it up.

Because of Mr. Henry, I escaped work a couple hours early so he would have some play time before we left for the concert. He was excited to see me AND to eat his dinner early.

I'll tell you more about the concert on Friday but until then let's focus on these super easy S'more Bars! They take less than 10 minutes to make and then about an hour to set. Plus, it's made in the microwave so you won't heat up your house.

I also took my first stab at including video in my posts (posted below in the recipe). Give me a few more times to really make them cool, but hopefully you'll love the visual of the baking steps.

S'more Bars

7 or 8 whole graham crackers
2 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
2/3 cup light corn syrup
3 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
3 cups rice krispies

Butter a 9 x 13 microwave safe dish.

Place 6 or 7 whole graham crackers in a single layer on the bottom of the dish. Break up the remaining graham cracker to fill in the empty space. Cover evenly with marshmallows and microwave on high for 1 minute, or until marshmallows are puffed. Set aside to cool.

In a microwave safe bowl, combine chocolate chips, corn syrup, butter, and peanut butter. Microwave on high for 1 minute, stir, and heat additional 30 second bursts until melted and smooth.

Stir in rice krispies. Dump mixture on top of marshmallows. Spread cereal mixture so it covers the marshmallows. Cover and place in the refrigerator to set, about an hour. Cut into squares and serve. Store in airtight containers.

Source: Printed from Rice Krispies years ago.

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White Chocolate Fruity Chex Mix

Happy St. Patrick's Day! This day calls for sprinkles, and lots of them!

I'm still in Nashville and having a great time. The next few days are going to be booked solid, but I'm excited to meet new people and take back some great information.