Family favorites
The title really says it all! If you like peanut butter and chocolate brownies you will love the addition of the pretzels on top. It adds that salty, crunchy element to the dessert! Robby took one bite and his hand went right back in for another! I should also mention there is no box mix involved and you really can tell the difference. This brownie is more cake like than fudge like. I also slightly failed with swirling the peanut butter into the batter. I did swirl it but clearly not enough. I would not say it was a mistake, as these brownies are delicious! This also makes a 9 x 13 pan so there is plenty to share! You are going to love these!
INGREDIENTS
1 stick (8 Tablespoons) of butter
1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 large eggs
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
PEANUT BUTTER SWIRL TOPPING
3/4 cup smooth peanut butter
2/3 cup confectioners sugar
5 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup chopped salted pretzels
DIRECTIONS
For the brownies, position the rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees. Butter or grease a 9 x 13 baking dish with non-stick baking spray. Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium low heat, add the chocolate chips cooking and stirring constantly until the chips are melted almost all the way. Remove from heat and continue stirring until the chocolate is completely melted. Transfer to a bowl and let cool for about ten minutes. Once cooled whisk in the eggs, water and vanilla. In a separate large bowl add the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Whisk to blend. Add the dry ingredients to the melted chocolate mixture and fold to combine. Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish. Set aside.
For the topping– mix the peanut butter, confectioners sugar and melted butter in a medium bowl until smooth. Spoon the peanut butter mixture over the top of the brownie batter. Holding butter knife vertically, swirl the peanut butter topping into the batter by dragging the knife up and down the batter (this is where I failed). Sprinkle the top with the chopped pretzels.
Bake 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the brownies cool on a baking rack for 20 minutes before cutting.
Enjoy!
I love banana bread, don’t you? This is a nice twist on banana bread. I also think you could very easily add walnuts or pecans for a little more flavor. This makes two full size loaves, but I was making them for a gift so I made them in mini loaf pans and it made six! Plenty for me to share and one for us to try! The loaf I kept for us did not last 12 hours! This is a great, simple recipe that I will be making many more times!
INGREDIENTS
3 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 eggs
1 1/4 cups canola oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 can (8 ounces) crushed pineapple, drained
2 cups mashed banana’s (4-5 banana’s)
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl combine the flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon. In another bowl whisk the eggs, oil, vanilla, add pineapple and bananas mixing to combine. Stir into the dry ingredients just until moistened. Pour into two greased 8 x 4 loaf pans. Bake for 60 – 65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the loaf comes out clean. Cool for ten minutes before removing from pans to a wire rack.
Enjoy!
With Halloween just around the corner, I have a couple great recipes for your family. If you are having a Halloween party both of these recipes would fit perfectly. When our kids were young we always had big parties with family, friends and neighbors before the kids would go trick or treating. One of the things I always made sure of is having a pot or slow cooker filled with something warm. Living in NH the kids had been trick or treating in rain and snow and most always cold! This sloppy joe recipe serves 8, but can easily be doubled and kept warm in a slow cooker! We really liked this for a couple reasons. While is simmered on the stove top my house smelled really, really good. Secondly the flavor is a little bit sweet, nothing over powering, so this is very kid friendly. Trust me the adults will also enjoy this. Robby had two portions before it hit the table!
INGREDIENTS
2 pounds ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
1 1/4 cups ketchup
1/2 cup water
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
1 Tablespoon white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon allspice
8 sandwich buns, split
DIRECTIONS
In a large pot, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink, drain excess fat. Stir in ketchup, water, brown sugar, vinegar, salt, mustard, chili powder and allspice. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer, keep uncovered. Simmer for 35-40 minutes. Spoon about a half a cup on to each of the buns and serve warm.
Enjoy!
I love apple season and take full advantage of it every year! Apple dip, apple pie and my family favorite, apple crisp. This apple crisp comes from Taste of Home and is an award winning recipe! My family really enjoyed this crisp, although I thought it was just a little too sweet for me. That did not stop my family from putting a big scoop of vanilla ice cream on it and devouring it!
INGREDIENTS
1 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup rolled oats
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup butter, softened
4 cups chopped, peeled apples
1 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Vanilla ice cream for serving
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl combine the flour, oats, brown sugar and cinnamon and cut in the butter until crumbly. Press half into a greased 9 inch square baking pan. Cover with apples. In a small saucepan combine the sugar, cornstarch, water and vanilla. Bring to a boil, cook and stir until thick and clear about two minutes. Pour over the apples and top with remaining crumb mixture. Bake 60 – 65 minutes or until apples are tender. Serve warm with ice cream, if desired.
Enjoy!
This cake was loved by all! Easy to make and packed with apples, walnuts and golden raisins. This lasted less than 24 hours in my house, everyone was going back for more. You can serve this with ice cream or have a bite in the morning with your coffee! There is no better time to make this cake while apple season is in full swing!
INGREDIENTS
3 cups flour
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups peeled, cored and chopped apples. I used a combination of Granny Smith and MacIntosh
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup golden raisins
Optional
Vanilla ice cream for serving
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a nine inch bundt pan with non-stick baking spray. Beat the oil and sugar together in a mixer with a paddle attachment. After it’s well mixed 4-5 minutes, add the eggs and beat until mixture is creamy. In a large bowl sift the 3 cups of flour with salt, cinnamon and baking soda. Stir into the batter a little at a time. Add vanilla, apples, walnuts and raisins and stir until combined. Transfer the batter into your prepared pan and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan before turning out to a plate. Serve at room temperature with ice cream if desired!
Enjoy!
