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    Home » Recipes

    Banana Bread Pudding

    Banana Bread Pudding

    March 25, 2022

    Slice of banana bread pudding on white plate

    Banana Bread Pudding is a combination of two of the BEST desserts: Banana Bread and Bread Pudding! This is a great way to use up ripe bananas and day-old bread!

    Slice of banana bread pudding on white plate

    It only makes sense to combine two of our most popular recipes, banana bread, and bread pudding, to make this dish, so we did! So get ready for one of the most delicious dessert recipes ever!

    You’ll also love this Old-Fashioned Banana Pudding for a no-baked dessert that’s great for summertime.

    Why You’ll Love This Banana Bread Pudding

    Not only does this recipe use simple ingredients but it uses items that you may even already have on hand!

    With this recipe being flexible when it comes to the type of bread you can use, feel free to use anything such as hamburger buns, hot dog buns, leftover rolls, muffins, donuts like we used in this donut bread pudding, etc. Or, if you are just craving this delicious dessert, you can use regular sliced bread!

    Ingredients

    Here’s what you’ll need to make this:

    (You can also scroll toward the bottom of the post to see the full recipe card with ingredients and instructions all in one place.)

    • 6 slices (about 4-5 cups, loosely measured) leftover french bread, sourdough bread, buns, rolls, donuts, challah, toast, or another type of bread, like when we made this croissant bread pudding recipe – broken in to 1-inch cubes
    • 3 Tablespoons of butter 1 tablespoon + 2 Tbsp
    • 4 large eggs
    • 2 cups milk
    • ½ cup white sugar
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
    • 2 large bananas (if you only have fresh bananas, this is how you can ripen bananas quickly or take a look at this banana poke cake too.)
    ingredients for banana bread pudding on white table

    Instructions

    1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and use 1 Tablespoon of butter to coat the inside of your 8 in. square baking dish. (Or, I melted the 3 tablespoon of butter at once, and poured about 1 tablespoon in to the dish.)
    2. Next, pour bread pieced in to dish.
    Pouring butter in to dish
    Pour 1 tablespoon melted butter
    Pour bread pieces in to dish
    Pour bread pieces in to dish
    1. Using your hand, spread the bread around in the dish, trying to make sure the butter is spreading and that the bread is even in the dish.
    2. Next, pour the remaining melted butter over the top of the bread cubes.
    Spread bread around in dish
    Spread bread around in dish
    Pouring melted butter over bread
    Pour 2 tablespoon melted butter over bread
    1. Crack eggs in to a medium bowl. (Big enough to hold the milk, eggs, etc. that will be added soon.)
    2. Whisk eggs until blended.
    eggs in bowl with whisk
    Whisk eggs in bowl
    Whisked eggs in bowl
    Eggs are whisked
    1. Next, add in milk, cinnamon, vanilla, and sugar.
    2. Whisk together until evenly combined.
    Ingredients in bowl with eggs
    Add cinnamon, sugar, milk
    egg mixture in glass bowl
    Whisk until blended
    1. In a separate bowl or even a plastic zip-top bag, mash bananas.
    2. Carefully pour mashed bananas in to egg mixture and stir or slowly whisk.
    mashed bananas in glass bowl
    Mash bananas
    mashed bananas in bowl with eggs
    Add mashed bananas
    1. Right before pouring egg mixture over bread pieces, stir to make sure ingredients are blended as much as possible.
    2. Pour banana and egg mixture over bread pieces, as evenly as possible. Using spoon, gently press bread down to make sure all/most pieces of bread are coated in batter.
    Pour banana mixture over bread
    Pour banana mixture over bread
    1. Bake in the oven, uncovered, for 45-55 minutes or until the top of bread pudding rises above dish (see below), becomes golden brown and springs back when touched. (If you pull it out, cut in to the middle of the bread pudding, and it still has liquid running, it’s not done yet. Place back in the oven for 5 minutes until the middle is no longer runny. However, it SHOULD be a custard-like, wet, texture.
    Baked banana bread pudding in dish

    Serve a slice of the banana bread pudding as a warm dessert, for a brunch recipe, or as an easy breakfast.

    Banana bread pudding slice on white plate

    If desired, slice any other remaining banana to top the banana bread pudding with for some extra banana flavor!

    Bite of banana bread pudding on fork

    Variations

    Chocolate goes wonderful with banana – Try our chocolate bread pudding recipe for a chocolate chip banana bread pudding. Or, try butterscotch chips for a lovely flavor!

    Caramel Banana Bread Pudding – drizzle in caramel pieces or caramel ice cream drizzle, in to the batter before baking.

    Pineapple Bread – Could you imagine using leftover Pineapple bread for this? That would be some incredible tropical flavor!

    Although this isn’t a bread pudding recipe, this blackberry banana bread is a must-make if you love bananas.

    Banana Bread Pudding on white plate
    Banana Bread Pudding Serving

    Topping Ideas

    Although this is absolutely wonderful to eat the way it is, right out of the oven, you may also decide to top it with some of your favorite toppings. Here are some ideas for you:

    • Caramel Sauce
    • Vanilla Ice Cream
    • Whipped Cream
    • Toffee Pieces
    • Banana Slices
    • Blueberries
    • Strawberries

    How to Store

    If you have leftover banana bread pudding, allow it to cool off completely to room temperature and then store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 3-5 days.

    To reheat leftovers the next day, place in microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute until heated through.

    Related Recipes

    If you love easy, old-fashioned desserts, you’ll also love this egg custard, ugly duckling cake, and this gooey butter cake!

    Recipe

    Slice of banana bread pudding on white plate
    Print Pin
    5 from 22 votes

    Easy Banana Bread Pudding

    Banana Bread Pudding is a combination of two of the BEST desserts: Banana Bread and Bread Pudding! This is a great way to use up ripe bananas and day-old bread!
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American
    Prep Time 5 minutes minutes
    Cook Time 45 minutes minutes
    Total Time 50 minutes minutes
    Servings 8 servings
    Calories 240kcal
    Author Jessica Burgess

    Ingredients

    • 6 slices stale bread french bread, buns, rolls, donuts, challah, toast or another type of bread, broken in to 1-inch cubes or 4-5 cups loosely measured cups of bread pieces
    • 2 ripened bananas (Here's a quick way to ripen bananas.)
    • 3 Tablespoons butter melted
    • 4 eggs
    • ½ cup sugar
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
    • 2 cups milk

    Instructions

    • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
    • Pour about 1 tablespoon of melted butter in to 8×8 baking dish.
    • Next, pour bread pieces in to dish, and spread them out so they're evenly spread out in the pan.
    • Pour remaining melted butter over bread pieces, set aside.
    • Crack 4 eggs in to a medium sized bowl (one big enough to fit the remaining ingedients. Whisk eggs until combined.
    • Pour in sugar, milk, cinnamon and vanilla. Whisk until combined.
    • Mash bananas in plastic ziptop bag or in a small separate bowl. Pour mashed bananas in to egg mixture and gently stir.
    • Pour egg, banana and milk mixture over the top of bread pieces, trying to cover all of them. Gently press any pieces of bread down, trying to make sure all pieces of bread have been submerged in to batter.
    • Bake at 350° for 45-55 minutes or until bread pudding has risen above the baking dish, has turned golden brown and the top springs back when touched.(If you cut in to the middle and it's still liquid, it needs to cook longer. It should have a custard-like, wet, center but not runny.)
    • Serve warm!

    Notes

    How to Store Banana Bread Pudding
    If you have leftover banana bread pudding, allow to cool off and place in an airtight container, in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1serving (⅛ recipe) | Calories: 240kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 100mg | Sodium: 188mg | Potassium: 260mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 20g | Vitamin A: 369IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 119mg | Iron: 1mg

    Easter Bark

    March 23, 2022

    Easter Bunny Bark on a plate.

    Easter Bunny Bark: With just 3 simple ingredients you can have this quick, fun, and easy Easter Bunny Bark made in less than 30 minutes! Perfect as an Easter dessert, fun Easter treats, or even as a gift!

    Easter Bunny Bark is a great gift. I mean, who doesn't love a cute, homemade gift idea that you can have ready in under an hour? Wrap it up in a cute little box or plastic bag with some bright, spring-colored ribbon and you have a perfect Easter gift for your friends, family, or neighbors! Or, place it on an Easter board for an adorable dessert!

    Easter Bunny Bark piled on a plate.
    Easter Bunny Bark

    Why you’ll love this recipe

    This Easter bark is perfect because it’s so easy to make, requires only THREE ingredients, and you can use it for Easter treats for the kiddos, as one of your Easter desserts (how cute would this look on your dessert table, next to an Easter chalkboard sign), or even as a gift!

    Oh, and did I mention it is SO yummy?! This is the kind of dessert that you have to give away so you don’t eat it all yourself (I might be speaking from experience, here).

    Make it with your kids

    If your kiddos love to help in the kitchen like mine do, this is a great recipe to let them make with you! We love having our kiddos also help with these Easter Oreo cookies because they have fun with the sprinkles!

    Younger kids could help you spread melted chocolate and press in the fun toppings. Since this is such an easy recipe, older kids could even make it themselves (as long as they keep a close eye on their microwave times and watch the chocolate melt).

    And the best part? When you finish, you have a delicious treat to share!

    [feast_advanced_jump_to]

    Ingredients

    You only need three ingredients to make this simple recipe!

    • 12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped into small pieces
    • 8 ounces white baking chocolate, chopped into small pieces
    • 4 ounces Cadbury mini eggs, chopped (We used these in this mini egg cookie recipe too!)
    The three ingredients for Easter Bunny Bark – mini eggs, semi-sweet chocolate, white chocolate.
    Ingredients

    Instructions

    1. Line a small baking sheet with parchment paper (about a 7"x10"). If you want to double the recipe, use a large baking sheet.
    2. Melt semi-sweet chocolate in a microwave safe bowl or using a double boiler. If you’re using a microwave, melt in short bursts (30 second increments), mix well and repeat. 
    Chopped semi-sweet chocolate in a bowl.
    Add chopped chocolate to bowl.
    Melted semi-sweet chocolate in a bowl.
    Melt semi-sweet chocolate.
    1. Pour onto the baking sheet and spread as evenly as you can; you do not have to go edge to edge. 
    Melted semi-sweet chocolate dumped on the parchment lined baking sheet.
    Dump chocolate.
    Melted semi-sweet chocolate spread over the parchment lined baking sheet.
    Spread out.
    1. Melt the white chocolate the same way as the semi-sweet.
    Chopped white chocolate in a bowl.
    Chop white chocolate.
    Melted white chocolate in a bowl.
    Melt white chocolate.
    1. Pour on the baking sheet and spread it out covering most or all the semi-sweet chocolate. TIP: Allow it to cool in the fridge for about 5-10 minutes, before starting with the white chocolate if you don’t want the chocolate colors to blend.
    Melted white chocolate drizzled over the melted semi-sweet chocolate.
    Add white chocolate to pan.
    Melted white chocolate smeared on top of the melted semi-sweet chocolate.
    Spread it out.
    1. Immediately add any toppings you want, lightly pressing down if needed to get them to stick into the chocolate.
    2. Chill in the fridge for about 25 minutes until set.
    Easter Bunny Bark on the baking sheet.
    Add toppings.
    1. Place paper on a cutting board and chop into desired sizes and shapes.
    2. Store, well-sealed, for a 7 to 10 days on the counter in a room no more than 70F, in the fridge for a few weeks, or in the freezer for a few months!
    Easter Bunny Bark on a plate.
    Chop and serve!

    Substitutions

    • White baking chocolate - you could use white chocolate chips or instead (and then you don’t have to chop them) or even white candy melts.
    • Semi-sweet chocolate - you could use semi-sweet chocolate chips here (and, again, then you don’t have to chop). You could also use dark chocolate chips instead!

    If you want this to be a white chocolate bark only, you could double the white chocolate and skip the semi-sweet chocolate entirely!

    • Mini chocolate eggs - if you don’t want to this to be an Easter egg bark, you could pick anything from our variations list below and use it in its place!

    Variations

    Easter Bunny Bark is super versatile; you could honestly add whatever you want to it! Here are a few suggestions:

    • chopped cookies (chocolate chip, Oreo, circus animal)
    • chopped, dried fruit
    • pastel sprinkles
    • chopped pretzels (salty and sweet make a perfect combo!)
    • Easter M&Ms (or pastel M&Ms)
    • chopped marshmallow peeps
    • mini marshmallows
    • jelly beans

    This recipe would be a great way to use up all that leftover Easter candy from your kid’s Easter basket (like those chocolate bunnies that everyone seems to get)! Add in your favorite Easter candy and have fun with it!

    Storage

    Store your Easter Bunny Bark, well-sealed, for a week to 10 days on the counter in a room no more than 70F, in the fridge for a few weeks, or freezer for a few months.

    Easter Bunny Bark on a plate.
    Easter Bunny Bark

    Expert tips and FAQs

    How long will Easter Bunny Bark last? 

    If kept in an airtight container in the fridge it should stay fresh for 2-3 weeks. If you prefer your bark left out at room temperature it will last up to 7-10 days. 

    What else can I add to my Easter Bunny Bark? 

    Bark is very versatile so feel free to have fun with it! Here are some suggestions you could try adding: chopped cookies like chocolate chip or Oreo, chopped candy bars, pretzels (perfect for that salty and sweet combination) or dried cranberries!   

    Related Recipes

    Looking for more yummy Easter dessert ideas? We have so many fun Easter dessert recipes on the blog right now! Check out our quick and easy bird nest cookies, these Easter bunny butt cookies, or our super fun, no-bake Easter egg truffles!

    If you love homemade chocolate bark, then you definitely need to try making our white chocolate spiced pecans and our no-bake cake batter truffles!

    Recipe

    Easter Bunny Bark on a plate.
    Print Pin
    5 from 4 votes

    Easy Easter Bark

    Easter Bunny Bark: With just 3 simple ingredients you can have this quick, fun, and easy Easter Bunny Bark made in less than 30 minutes! Perfect as an Easter dessert, Easter treat or even as a gift!
    Course Dessert, Snack
    Cuisine American
    Prep Time 5 minutes minutes
    Set Time 25 minutes minutes
    Total Time 30 minutes minutes
    Servings 10 servings
    Calories 377kcal
    Author Jessica Burgess

    Ingredients

    • 12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chopped into small pieces
    • 8 ounces white baking chocolate chopped into small pieces
    • 4 ounces Cadbury mini eggs chopped

    Instructions

    • Line a small baking sheet with parchment paper (about a 7"x10"). If you want to double the recipe, use a large baking sheet. 
    • Melt semi-sweet chocolate in a microwave safe bowl or using a double boiler. If you're using a microwave, melt in 30 second increments, mix well and repeat.
    • Pour onto the baking sheet and spread as evenly as you can; you do not have to go edge to edge. 
    • Melt the white chocolate the same way as the semi-sweet.
    • Pour on the baking sheet and spread it out covering most or all the semi-sweet chocolate. 
      TIP: Allow it to cool in the fridge for about 5-10 minutes, before starting with the white chocolate if you don't want the chocolate colors to blend.
    • Immediately add any toppings you want, lightly pressing down if needed to get them to stick into the chocolate.
    • Chill in the fridge for about 25 minutes until set.
    • Place paper on a cutting board and chop into desired sizes and shapes.
    • Store, well-sealed, for a 7 to 10 days on the counter in a room no more than 70F, in the fridge for a few weeks, or in the freezer for a few months!

    Notes

    Store your Easter Bunny Bark, well-sealed, for a week to 10 days on the counter in a room no more than 70F, in the fridge for a few weeks, or freezer for a few months.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1serving | Calories: 377kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 8mg | Sodium: 33mg | Potassium: 258mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 32g | Vitamin A: 53IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 89mg | Iron: 2mg

    Almond Milk Pancakes

    March 21, 2022

    Almond milk pancakes with syrup and blueberries on them.

    These fluffy almond milk pancakes are made with simple ingredients you probably already have on hand and they make THE BEST pancakes that your entire family will love!

    Almond milk pancakes stacked with syrup on and around them and blueberries on top of the stack.

    Whip up a batch of these pancakes with eggs and a side of our air fryer bacon or turkey bacon for a breakfast that’ll have your family raving!

    Or you could make a fresh honey lime fruit salad and check out the easy way to make these pancakes vegan, too!

    Why You’ll Love This Recipe

    If you’ve been wondering if you can use almond milk instead of milk for pancakes, the answer is YES! These fluffy, homemade pancakes with almond milk are perfect for anyone who is sensitive to dairy milk (or just prefers almond milk).

    Not to worry, though, if you aren’t a fan of almond milk we have a trick for you to try below so that you can enjoy these fluffy almond milk pancakes as much as traditional pancakes!

    These pancakes are fluffy, perfectly sweet, and flavorful. It’s so easy to make delicious pancakes from scratch that you’ll wonder why you ever used pancake mix in the first place!

    You could make these for an easy breakfast on a Saturday morning or for a fancy brunch with friends, but they are quick and easy enough to make during the week before school, too!

    [feast_advanced_jump_to]

    Ingredients

    You probably have everything you need to make this easy pancake recipe in your kitchen right now! To make almond milk pancakes, you need these simple household ingredients…

    • all-purpose flour
    • baking powder – make sure it’s still in-date for fluffy pancakes.
    • white granulated sugar
    • almond milk – You can use flavored or unflavored almond milk here.
    • vegetable oil – You can use a different type of oil if you prefer, such as coconut oil or avocado oil.
    • vanilla extract – Pure vanilla extract is recommended.

    If you are looking for a regular milk version of these pancakes, check out our amazing fluffy pancake recipe.

    Ingredients needed for almond milk pancakes.

    How to Make Almond Milk Pancakes

    1. In a mixing bowl, mix together the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, and sugar).
    A whisk mixing up dry ingredients in a glass bowl.
    Mix together dry ingredients.
    1. Next, add in the wet ingredients (almond milk, egg, butter).Then, add in the vanilla last.
    Wet ingredients being whisked into the dry ingredients in the glass bowl.
    Vanilla being added into the pancake batter.
    Add vanilla.
    1. Using a whisk, lightly mix the batter blending the ingredients. Do not overmix. Lumps are good!
    Pancake batter in a glass bowl.
    Batter, ready to go.
    1. Use an additional tablespoon of oil or butter, and melt in a non-stick pan or skillet over medium heat. If you find your pancakes are browning too much, turn to medium-low heat.
    2. Using the ¼ measuring cup, scoop out a serving of batter on the oil (or melted butter) covered pan.
    3. When bubbles start to form on top of the pancake, flip.
    Pancakes being cooked on a skillet.
    Flip when bubbles form.
    1. Cook this side of the pancake for about 1-2 minutes, or until the color of the underside of the pancake reaches a golden brown.
    2. Top your almond milk pancakes with your favorite pancake toppings, serve and enjoy!
    Two stacks of almond milk pancakes on plates with a bowl of blueberries next to it.

    Substitutions

    Need to make this pancake recipe with almond milk just a little bit different? Here are a few suggestions…

    • Vegan – instead of an egg, you can use applesauce, chia seed egg, or one ripe, mashed banana in your almond milk pancakes. Replace the butter with the oil of your choice (or vegan butter) and voila - vegan almond milk pancakes! You could use vegetable oil, olive oil, coconut oil or canola oil.
    • Gluten-Free – if you need gluten-free pancakes, replace the regular flour in this recipe with your favorite gluten-free brand (Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 is a good one, but your local grocery store should have some options available, too).
    • Dairy-Free – since this recipe uses almond milk instead of dairy products, these are perfect dairy-free pancakes! The only substitution you need to make is to swap the butter in this recipe for the oil of your choosing (vegetable and olive oil work well).
    • Nut-free – can’t have almond products (or not a fan of their nutty flavor)? Try using coconut milk, soy milk, or oat milk in place of the almond milk.
    • Sugar – if you prefer not to use white sugar, you can use brown sugar, honey, or maple syrup in its place!

    Variations

    The easiest way to add some variety to your pancakes is to customize the toppings! This almond milk pancake recipe can be made in over 95 different ways if you switch up the yummy toppings. Think we’re exaggerating? Check out this post - 95+ pancake topping ideas!

    You can also play around with mix-ins to add some fun to your pancakes! Here are a few of our favorites:

    • chocolate chips
    • cut up strawberries
    • cereal (like Lucky Charms)
    • blueberries

    Does Almond Milk Taste Good in Pancakes?

    We think that the almond milk in these pancakes gives them a yummy, mildly nutty flavor but we also know that now everyone is a fan of almond milk or almonds in general.

    If you are one of the people who doesn’t really like the taste of almond milk, we have a trick for you to try! When you buy almond milk in the grocery store, you’ll see that there are usually plain versions and vanilla versions - if you use vanilla almond milk, you’ll taste much more of the vanilla flavor than the almond flavor!

    Just be sure you are still buying the unsweetened kind, or you may need to cut back on the sugar in the recipe (or cut it out entirely, depending on how you like your pancakes).

    Storage

    Once cool, store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.

    You can also freeze your leftovers! Once cooked and cooled, store the pancakes in the freezer in an airtight, freezer-safe bag/container until ready to reheat and serve.

    Pouring syrup over almond milk pancakes.

    Make Your Own Dry Pancake Mix

    To save even more time in the future, whip up extra dry ingredients to create your own pancake mix and store it in a sealable container or bag. Then, just add the wet ingredients when it comes time to make! 

    Pro Tip: Print off the recipe card below and tape it to the plastic container for easy reference!

    This is perfect to take with you camping so you can have fresh, homemade pancakes cooked over the fire without the hassle of mixing it all up there at your campsite!

    Expert Tips and FAQs

    Can you substitute egg with anything to make these almond pancakes vegan?

    Instead of an egg, you can use a flax egg, applesauce, chia seed egg, or one ripe, mashed banana in your almond milk pancakes. Replace the butter with the oil of your choice (or vegan butter) and voila - vegan almond milk pancakes!

    Can I make this almond milk pancake batter ahead of time?

    Yes, you can actually make the pancake batter in advance! Simply mix as instructed and refrigerate in an air-tight, covered container for up to 2 days, until ready to cook.

    Can I freeze leftover pancakes?

    Absolutely! Once cooked and cooled, store the pancakes in the freezer until ready to reheat and serve!

    You could even make a large batch (simply double or triple the recipe using the quick-calculation buttons in the recipe card below to figure measurements for you) and freeze extras to have on hand for worry-free breakfasts on weekdays.

    Related Recipes

    We are BIG fans of pancakes around here! If this is your first time here, I want to make sure you know about our delicious blueberry pancakes, secret healthy ingredient pancakes (hint: the kids will never know!), our easy Oreo pancakes and our Lucky Charms pancakes that are perfect for St. Patrick’s Day (or really any day)!

    If you love using almond variations in your recipes, make sure to check out this homemade almond butter too!

    Recipe

    Almond milk pancakes with syrup and blueberries on them.
    Print Pin
    5 from 5 votes

    Almond Milk Pancakes

    These fluffy almond milk pancakes are made with simple ingredients you probably already have on hand and they make THE BEST pancakes that your entire family will love! 
    Course Breakfast, Snack
    Cuisine American
    Prep Time 5 minutes minutes
    Cook Time 2 minutes minutes
    Total Time 7 minutes minutes
    Servings 5 pancakes
    Calories 250kcal
    Author Jessica Burgess

    Ingredients

    • 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
    • 3 ½ teaspoons baking powder
    • 3 tablespoons white sugar
    • 1 ¼ cups almond milk
    • 1 egg
    • 3 tablespoons butter (or vegetable oil, for vegan/dairy free)
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

    Instructions

    • In a mixing bowl, mix together the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, and sugar).
    • Next, add in the wet ingredients (almond milk, egg, butter and vanilla).
    • Using a whisk, lightly mix the batter blending the ingredients. Do not overmix. Lumps are good!
    • Use an additional tablespoon of oil or butter, and melt in a non-stick pan or skillet over medium heat. If you find your pancakes are browning too much, turn to medium-low heat. 
    • Using the ¼ measuring cup, scoop out a serving of batter on the oil (or melted butter) covered pan.
    • When bubbles start to form on top of the pancake, flip.
    • Cook this side of the pancake for about 1-2 minutes, or until the color of the underside of the pancake reaches a golden brown.
    • Top your almond milk pancakes with your favorite pancake toppings, serve and enjoy!

    Notes

    • Making Pancakes in Advance - You can actually make the pancake batter in advance. Simply mix as instructed and refrigerate in an air-tight, covered container for up to 2 days, until ready to cook.
    • Freezing Pancakes - Love having pancakes on hand? You can make a large batch (simply double or triple the recipe using the quick-calculation buttons in the recipe card below to figure measurements for you) and once cooked and cooled, store the pancakes in the freezer until ready to reheat and serve!
    • To save even more time in the future, whip up extra dry ingredients to create your own pancake mix and store it in a sealable container or bag. Then, just add the wet ingredients when it comes time to make! Pro Tip: Print off the recipe card below and tape it to the plastic container for easy reference!

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1pancake | Calories: 250kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Sodium: 85mg | Potassium: 324mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 7g | Calcium: 202mg | Iron: 2mg

    Easter Coconut Macaroon Nests

    March 20, 2022

    Easter coconut macaroon nest cookies sitting on a plate.

    Easter Coconut Macaroon Nests: These Easter coconut macaroon cookies are quick and easy to make, and would make a beautiful addition to your holiday dessert table!

    Quick Overview: Mix ingredients, shape, and bake at 325° for 20-25 mins. Add white chocolate to the “nest”, top with eggs, serve & enjoy!

    Easter coconut macaroon nest cookies sitting on a plate.

    Why you’ll love this recipe

    I don’t know about you, but I love any excuse to decorate and make my house feel fun and festive. This also extends to the meals I cook for holidays and special events – the more fun we can make it, the better!

    Enter these adorable (and delicious) macaroon nest cookies! I love that they are a bit different than your regular old cookie, and they are super cute and festive.

    If you are looking for an easy dessert that will create a big wow factor, put these cookies on your “must bake” list for this Easter, with these decorated Easter Oreo cookies.

    [feast_advanced_jump_to]

    Ingredients

    This recipe uses simple, everyday ingredients you can find in your grocery store to create something elegant!

    You’ll need:

    • 1⅓ cups sweetened shredded coconut
    • ⅓ cup white sugar
    • 3 tablespoons flour
    • ⅛ teaspoon salt
    • 2 egg whites room temperature
    • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 1 cup white chocolate morsels melted
    • 24 candy coated chocolate mini eggs like Cadbury Mini Eggs

    Skip to the recipe card now, or keep reading to see how insanely easy it is to make these cute Easter treats!

    Ingredients for easter coconut macaroon nests.
    Ingredients

    Instructions

    1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees f. Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper.
    2. In a medium bowl, stir together the coconut, sugar, flour, and salt.
    Coconut, sugar, flour and salt in a bowl.
    Combine dry ingredients.
    1. In a separate, small bowl, whisk together the egg whites and vanilla just until blended. Stir the egg mixture into the coconut mixture until completely combined.
    Egg whites and vanilla being whisked together in a small bowl with a fork.
    Whisk egg whites & vanilla.
    1. Roll the dough out into approx. 2 inch balls and place the dough balls on the prepared baking sheet. Using a teaspoon, press a well into the center (this creates your “nest” shape).
    Roughly a 2" cookie dough ball inside a cookie scoop.
    Create 2″ balls of dough.
    A spoon creating indents in the balls of macaroon cookie dough to make nests.
    Press a well in the centre.
    1. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the edges begin to brown. Remove from the oven and cool completely on a wire rack. 
    2. Put your white chocolate in a microwave safe bowl and warm it in the microwave in 30 second intervals until it’s fully melted, stirring after each interval. Should take 1-2 mins.
    3. Transfer the melted white chocolate into a piping bag (or a ziplock bag, and then snip a tiny bit of the corner off to create a piping bag) and fill each well with chocolate. 
    Melted white chocolate in a piping bag next to baked macaroon nests.
    Melt chocolate, transfer to piping bag.
    1. Immediately place three candies into each well before the chocolate hardens! Allow the chocolate to set completely prior to storing or serving so your eggs don’t roll out. 
    Candy coated chocolate mini eggs in a bowl next to completed coconut macaroon nest cookies.
    Top chocolate with mini eggs immediately.
    1. Serve & enjoy!
    Easter coconut macaroon nest cookies.
    Serve & enjoy!

    Substitutions

    • Sugar Free – if you are on a restricted diet as far as sugar goes, you could reduce the sugar in this recipe by using unsweetened shredded coconut, stevia in place of the sugar, and sugar free white chocolate. For the eggs, you can search your local grocery store or bulk store for a sugar free candy option!
    • Gluten Free – this recipe is really well suited to being made gluten free since it only calls for a small amount of flour. You could easily replace the 3 tablespoon of flour in this recipe with a gluten free blend (check the natural aisle of your local grocery store – it’s getting much easier to find)!

    Variations

    While this recipe is specifically for an Easter macaroon, you could easily make this cookie suit any holiday or special occasion!

    • Christmas – add red and green M&Ms in the nest
    • Halloween – fill the nest with candy corn or orange and black M&Ms (how great is it that there is an M&M for every holiday?)
    • Thanksgiving – find those cute little pumpkin candies and turn your macaroon nests into a tiny pumpkin patch!

    You could also fill them with your favorite candy and serve them any old time you like!

    Easter coconut macaroon nest cookies.
    Easter coconut macaroon nests.

    Storage

    You can store these in a single layer in an airtight container on the counter for up to 1 week (or freeze them in a single layer in an airtight, freezer safe container for up to a month!)

    While they don’t need to be refrigerated after baking, if you store your macaroons in a single layer in an airtight container in the fridge, they should stay crispy on the outside.

    Expert tips and FAQs

    How do you keep coconut macaroons from spreading?

    Most of the time cookies will spread as the fat in the recipe melts (which is why people refrigerate dough to keep it from spreading while baking).

    Since these coconut macaroon nests are held together with egg whites and not a fat, they shouldn’t spread very much at all.

    How do you keep coconut macaroons crispy?

    While they don’t need to be refrigerated after baking, if you store your macaroons in a single layer in an airtight container in the fridge, they should stay crispy on the outside.

    What’s the difference between a coconut macaroon and a macaron?

    These sound a lot alike, but they are actually quite different. Both macaroons and macarons are cookies made with egg whites, but macarons are typically made with finely ground blanched almonds while macaroons are made with sweetened flaked coconut.

    The Food Network has a blog post showing you exactly what we mean.

    Do coconut macaroons need to be refrigerated?

    No, you don’t need to refrigerate your macaroons (although they will stay crispier if you do). You can store these in an airtight container on the counter for up to 1 week (or freeze them in a single layer in an airtight, freezer safe container for up to a month!)

    Related Recipes

    Looking for other quick, easy, and delicious Easter dessert recipes? You HAVE to check out our Easter bird nest cookies and our easy Easter egg truffles!

    Recipe

    Easter coconut macaroon nest cookies sitting on a plate.
    Print Pin
    5 from 1 vote

    Easter Coconut Macaroon Nests

    Easter Coconut Macaroon Nests: These Easter coconut macaroon cookies are quick and easy to make, and would make a beautiful addition to your holiday dessert table! 
    Course Dessert, Snack
    Cuisine American
    Prep Time 10 minutes minutes
    Cook Time 25 minutes minutes
    Total Time 35 minutes minutes
    Servings 8 cookies
    Calories 259kcal
    Author Jessica Burgess

    Ingredients

    • 1⅓ cups sweetened shredded coconut
    • ⅓ cup white sugar
    • 3 tablespoons flour
    • ⅛ teaspoon salt
    • 2 egg whites room temperature
    • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 1 cup white chocolate morsels melted
    • 24 candy coated chocolate mini eggs like Cadbury Mini Eggs

    Instructions

    • Preheat the oven to 325 degrees f. Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper.
    • In a medium bowl, stir together the coconut, sugar, flour, and salt.
    • In a separate, small bowl, whisk together the egg whites and vanilla just until blended. Stir the egg mixture into the coconut mixture until completely combined.
    • Roll the dough out into approx. 2 inch balls and place the dough balls on the prepared baking sheet. Using a teaspoon, press a well into the center (this creates your "nest" shape).
    • Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the edges begin to brown. Remove from the oven and cool completely on a wire rack.
    • Put your white chocolate in a microwave safe bowl and warm it in the microwave in 30 second intervals until it's fully melted, stirring after each interval. Should take 1-2 mins.
    • Transfer the melted white chocolate into a piping bag (or a ziplock bag, and then snip a tiny bit of the corner off to create a piping bag) and fill each well with chocolate.
    • Immediately place three candies into each well before the chocolate hardens! Allow the chocolate to set completely prior to storing or serving so your eggs don't roll out.
    • Serve & enjoy!

    Notes

    STORAGE: You can store these in a single layer in an airtight container on the counter for up to 1 week (or freeze them in a single layer in an airtight, freezer safe container for up to a month!)
    While they don’t need to be refrigerated after baking, if you store your macaroons in a single layer in an airtight container in the fridge, they should stay crispy on the outside.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 259kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 5mg | Sodium: 111mg | Potassium: 131mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 30g | Vitamin A: 14IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 54mg | Iron: 1mg

    Chocolate Cream Cheese Pie

    March 19, 2022

    No bake chocolate pie slice on wood spatula

    This chocolate cream cheese pie is such an easy recipe, that uses only 6 ingredients, and is frozen to “set”, making it a no-bake dessert recipe that is velvety delicious. Similar to our turtle pie recipe, it’s filled with chocolate flavor!

    Quick Overview: Using a store-bought Oreo pie crust, it only takes 10 minutes to put together. Freeze for at least 6 hours to set or overnight. But make sure you check this one out if you’re looking for more of an old-fashioned chocolate pie recipe. It’s one of our popular pie recipes! Or, if you have extra cream cheese on hand, this dump cake with strawberries and cream cheese also takes minutes to prepare using a store-bought yellow cake mix.

    Slice of no bake chocolate pie on wooden spatula

    Why You’ll Love This Recipe

    I wasn’t sure whether to call this recipe a chocolate cheesecake pie or chocolate cream cheese pie but since the texture is a little firmer than a typical cheesecake, say like our no-bake Oreo cheesecake, I figured it would be called, a “cream cheese pie.” Either way… it’s one of our favorite no-bake desserts that cream cheese lovers and any chocolate lover will adore.

    Then, whether you need an easy dessert recipe just for fun or for a holiday gathering, this is an ideal pie because you can make it ahead of time, or even freeze it for up to 1-2 months (so much like our No Bake Candy Cane Pie)!

    Plus, with only a few simple ingredients, you probably even have almost all of the ingredients (if not all of them) on hand!

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    Ingredients

    Some of our favorite recipes around here are those that have shortcuts or include very few ingredients. This chocolate cream cheese pie recipe is no different! It uses a store-bought oreo pie crust but you can also use your own pie crust recipe if you prefer. (See alternative ideas for different pie crusts below.)

    ingredients for pie on counter
    Ingredients
    • 1 store-bought chocolate Oreo crust (or desired type of pie crust)
    • 1 – 8 oz block of cream cheese, room temperature
    • ½ cup whole milk
    • 1 cup powdered sugar
    • 8 oz container of Cool Whip (store-bought whipped cream), room temperature
    • 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (or milk chocolate, white chocolate, etc.)

    See the full recipe card for ingredients and instructions all in one place.

    Instructions

    1. Place cream cheese in a large bowl and mix together with an electric mixer or stand mixer until smooth and creamy.
    2. Once whipped, add the milk and powdered sugar to the mixing bowl and mix the ingredients until smooth and blended together.
    3. Next, add in the Cool Whip and mix again until it is fully incorporated into the pie mixture.
    powdered sugar and milk poured in bowl
    Add milk and powdered sugar
    add in Cool Whip to mixture in bowl
    Add in Cool Whip
    1. Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave, by placing them in a separate small or medium bowl. Melt for 30 seconds, stirring and microwaving an additional 30 seconds until just melted. (Don’t over cook them.)
    2. Pour the melted chocolate into the cream cheese mixture, and stir until blended in.
    3. Pour the chocolate filling into the pie shell and place the pie in the freezer to set for at least 6 hours, or overnight. (It may be best to cover with plastic wrap or in an airtight container.)
    melted chocolate chips poured on mixture
    Add melted chocolate chips
    Pour chocolate mixture in to crust
    Pour mixture in to crust
    1. Top with whipped cream, shaved chocolate, serve and enjoy! (You can pipe stiff peaks of whipped cream like shown here or you can just spread on top!) You can also top individual servings as well, just before serving.
    Top of chocolate pie decorated
    If desired, decorate the top

    Expert Tips and FAQs

    • It is important to make sure the cream cheese is at room temperature before starting the recipe, otherwise, the mixture will not combine properly, and you may end up with chunks of cream cheese throughout your pie.
    • Chocolate Shavings: To make chocolate shavings, you can use a vegetable peeler, and shave the edge of a chocolate bar for narrow curls, or the side of the chocolate bar for wide curls.
    Chocolate pie topped with whipped cream and chocolate shavings

    Substitutions

    • Crust: If you’d love to switch up the crust you use for this recipe, you may love this Biscoff pie crust! Or, we used a graham cracker crust in this pumpkin pie, so you may prefer that too!
    • Cocoa Powder: You can use ⅓ cup cocoa powder instead of chocolate chips if you want a more subtle chocolate flavor.
    • Chocolate: Want to do chocolate curls/shavings but wanting to mix things up? Using a white chocolate bar, or a dark chocolate bar for the shavings!
    No bake chocolate pie slice on gray plate
    Slice of no bake chocolate pie

    Variations

    If you only have certain items on hand, it’s completely ok to mix things up sometimes! For this recipe you can:

    • Want to make your own pie crust? Go for it! Only have a graham cracker pie crust? That’s ok too! You will still end up with a delicious recipe.
    • You can use any kind of chocolate chips in this recipe. Love milk chocolate chips? That’s absolutely fine!
    • Instead of using Cool Whip for the topping, you can make your own homemade whipped topping by whipped heavy whipping cream and sugar together, if you prefer! It does tend to pipe better and hold it’s “peak” longer than storebought Cool Whip.
    Bite of chocolate pie on gold fork
    Take a bite!

    Storage

    If you have leftovers or want to make in advance, this pie will last for 1-2 months in the freezer. Just make sure to store it properly in an airtight container that’s suited for the freezer.

    Related Recipes

    If you loved this pie, then you’ll also love this Oreo dessert, peanut butter pie, and Biscoff cookie cheesecake! Or, if you haven’t heard of this possum pie recipe, you’ll definitely want to check it out! Or, for an old-fashioned dessert idea, you’ll also love these chocolate fried pies.

    Recipe

    No bake chocolate pie slice on wood spatula
    Print Pin
    5 from 15 votes

    Chocolate Cream Cheese Pie

    This chocolate cream cheese pie is such an easy recipe, that uses only 6 ingredients, and is frozen to "set", making it a no-bake dessert that is velvety delicious.
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American
    Prep Time 10 minutes minutes
    Freeze Time 6 hours hours
    Total Time 6 hours hours 10 minutes minutes
    Servings 10 servings
    Calories 320kcal
    Author Jessica Burgess

    Ingredients

    • 1 oreo pie crust store bought
    • 8 ounces cream cheese room temperature
    • ½ cup whole milk
    • 1 cup powdered sugar
    • 8 ounces Cool Whip room temperature
    • 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

    Instructions

    • In a large mixing bowl, whip the cream cheese until smooth and creamy.
    • Once whipped, add the milk and powdered sugar to the mixing bowl and mix the ingredients until smooth and mixed together.
    • Add in the cool whip and mix again until the Cool Whip is fully incorporated into the pie mixture.
    • Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave, by placing them in a small separte bowl. Melt for 30 seconds, stirring and microwaving an additional 30 seconds until just melted. (Don't over cook them.)
    • Pour the melted chocolate into the mixture, and stir until mixed together.
    • Pour the mixture into the pie crust and place the pie in the freezer to set for at least 6 hours, or overnight.
    • Top with whipped cream, shaved chocolate, serve and enjoy!

    Notes

    To store leftover pie or to freeze and make-ahead:
    If you have leftovers or want to make in advance, this pie will last for 1-2 months in the freezer. Just make sure to store it properly in an airtight container that’s suited for the freezer.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1slice | Calories: 320kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 29mg | Sodium: 136mg | Potassium: 183mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 26g | Vitamin A: 373IU | Calcium: 73mg | Iron: 1mg

    Lucky Charms Blondies

    March 12, 2022

    Stacked Lucky Charms Blondie Bars

    Lucky Charms Blondies are an easy dessert recipe, using a cake mix that’s perfect any time of year but especially on St. Patrick’s Day!

    Quick Overview: Bake for 30 minutes at 350° and allow to cool if frosting is desired! See below for ingredients for blondies and fun Lucky Charms frosting!

    Stacked Lucky Charms Blondies on white counter

    Bars like this are easy to portion and share, which is why they're included in my potluck desserts collection.

    Why You’ll Love This Recipe

    I just love making holidays feel fun and festive. I say it’s for my kids, but honestly I love it just as much as they do!

    I made this super cute St. Patrick’s Day printable a few years ago (you can get it for free), and this year I think I’m going to make this Lucky Charms blondies recipe for dessert and this St. Patrick’s Day dessert charcuterie, on St. Patrick’s Day!

    These Lucky Charms bars are quick and easy to make but they are packed full of flavor, color, and fun. You need to try them for yourself! The bite of the soft blondie with the crunch of the cereal pieces may just be my favorite! (Well, these and the Lucky Charms Treats too of course.)

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    Ingredients

    This recipe uses simple ingredients (and some festive, fun sprinkles) to create a yummy dessert that kids of all ages will love!

    You’ll need:

    Blondies

    • 1 box white cake mix
    • 1 large egg
    • ⅓ cup oil vegetable or olive work well
    • ¼ cup water
    • ¼ cup whipping cream 35% cream
    • ¾ cup white chocolate chips
    • ¼ cup St. Patrick’s Day themed sprinkles optional

    Frosting

    • ½ cup butter 1 stick, softened at room temperature
    • 4 ounces cream cheese softened at room temperature
    • 1 tablespoon milk
    • 4 cups powdered sugar aka icing sugar
    • ⅛ teaspoon salt
    • 2 teaspoons almond extract
    • green food coloring optional
    • 1 entire box of Lucky Charms cereal
    • St. Patrick’s Day themed sprinkles optional
    Ingredients needed to make leprechaun blondies.
    Blondie ingredients.
    Frosting ingredients.
    Frosting ingredients.

    How to make this easy blondie recipe

    1. Preheat oven to 350°, spray a 9×13 baking dish and set aside.
    9x13" pan sprayed with cooking spray.
    Grab your baking dish
    1. In a large bowl combine the cake mix, egg, oil, water, whipping cream, and mix well. Fold in the white chocolate chips and sprinkles.
    Cake mix, egg, oil, water, whipping cream in a large bowl.
    Mix batter ingredients.
    Sprinkles and white chocolate chips poured into the bowl of batter.
    Fold in sprinkles and chocolate chips.
    1. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared 9×13 baking dish.
    Blondie batter spread into the prepared 9x13" pan.
    Spread into pan.
    1. Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool completely before adding the frosting (about 20 minutes).

    To make the frosting…

    1. In a medium bowl, cream softened butter and cream cheese until smooth and creamy.
    Butter and cream cheese in a large bowl.
    Cream butter and cream cheese.
    1. Add milk and salt; mix together.
    Milk and salt added to the creamed butter frosting mixture.
    Add milk and salt.
    1. Add 1 cup of sugar at a time, mixing well after each addition.
    Icing sugar added to the frosting mixture bowl.
    Add sugar
    1. Add almond extract and the desired amount of food coloring. Mix until combined.
    Almond extract and green food colouring added to the icing mixture.
    Add extract & color.
    1. Spread on top of cooled blondies. Sprinkle the cereal and sprinkles on top. Cut into bars and enjoy!
    Frosting on top of the blondies in the 9x13 pan.
    Spread frosting.
    Lucky Charms cereal on top of the frosting on the blondies.
    Top with cereal.
    Cut up Lucky Charms Bars.
    Cut up & enjoy!

    Substitutions

    If you’re short on ingredients or need to switch things up a bit, here are a few substitution suggestions…

    • Oil – you can replace this with melted butter
    • Whipping Cream – your blondie will be a little less rich, but you could simply use milk in place of the cream

    Variations

    Blondie recipes are fun because you can play around with them and they are always delicious in the end! For example…

    • Icing Flavors – in the recipe we used almond extract, but you could easily swap that for vanilla, orange, or another extract to make the icing whatever flavor you wanted!
    • Change the Theme – if you are making these for a different occasion (not St.Patrick’s Day), switch up the cereal/sprinkles/food color to match the occasion! Having a birthday party? Try Froot Loops, rainbow sprinkles and pink food colouring.
    • Box Mix – we used a white cake mix for this recipe, but you could experiment with different types of mix! Yellow cake mix, butter cake mix, or even cherry chip…so many options!
    • Store Brand Cereal – You can use a store brand of Lucky Charms instead of General Mills but we’ve tried all kinds and we keep coming back to the OG!
    • Extra Lucky Charms Marshmallows – If you really want to load up on Marshmallows, you can try and find the packages of JUST marshmallows!
    • Marshmallow Drizzle – Want some extra fun toppings? Drizzle marshmallow cream (or ice cream topping) on top!
    A Lucky Charms bar.
    Lucky Charms Blondies

    Storage

    Because there is cream cheese in the frosting, it’s best to store these bars in the fridge. Put them in an airtight container and they should keep for up to a week in the fridge!

    Expert Tips and FAQs

    My batter turned green from the sprinkles but I wanted it to be white. Help!

    Oops, sprinkles have a tendency to leak color and do that. If you would prefer to have a white/plain batter, just leave out the sprinkles. We promise they’ll still feel festive without them.

    What is a blondie?

    A typical blondie is essentially a brownie without chocolate (typically vanilla flavored). They are just as decadent and dense as a brownie, but without the chocolate flavors.

    Related Recipes

    If you’re looking for quick and easy ways to make your St. Patrick’s Day more festive, check out our super fun Lucky Charms Pancakes and this adorable free St. Patrick’s Day printable! Or if you’re looking just to curve that sweets craving, you’ll also love these marshmallow treats!

    Recipe

    Stacked Lucky Charms Blondie Bars
    Print Pin
    5 from 4 votes

    Lucky Charms Blondies

    Lucky Charms Blondies are an easy dessert recipe, using a cake mix that's perfect any time of year but especially on St. Patrick's Day!
    Course Dessert, Snack
    Cuisine American
    Prep Time 5 minutes minutes
    Cook Time 30 minutes minutes
    Cooling Time 20 minutes minutes
    Total Time 55 minutes minutes
    Servings 16 bars
    Calories 609kcal
    Author Jessica Burgess

    Ingredients

    Blondies

    • 1 box white cake mix
    • 1 large egg
    • ⅓ cup oil vegetable or olive work well
    • ¼ cup water
    • ¼ cup whipping cream 35% cream
    • ¾ cup white chocolate chips
    • ¼ cup St. Patrick's Day themed sprinkles optional

    Frosting

    • ½ cup butter 1 stick, softened at room temperature
    • 4 ounces cream cheese softened at room temperature
    • 1 tablespoon milk
    • 4 cups powdered sugar aka icing sugar
    • ⅛ teaspoon salt
    • 2 teaspoons almond extract
    • green food coloring optional
    • 1 box Lucky Charms cereal
    • St. Patrick's Day themed sprinkles optional

    Instructions

    Blondies

    • Preheat oven to 350°, spray a 9×13 baking dish and set aside.
    • In a large bowl combine the cake mix, egg, oil, water, whipping cream, and mix well. Fold in the white chocolate chips and sprinkles.
    • Spread the batter evenly in the prepared 9×13 baking dish.
    • Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool completely before adding the frosting (about 20 minutes).

    Frosting

    • In a medium bowl, cream softened butter and cream cheese until smooth and creamy.
    • Add milk and salt; mix together.
    • Add 1 cup of sugar at a time, mixing well after each addition.
    • Add almond extract and the desired amount of food coloring. Mix until combined.
    • Spread on top of cooled blondies. Sprinkle the cereal and sprinkles on top. Cut into bars and enjoy!

    Notes

    STORAGE: Because there is cream cheese in the frosting, it’s best to store these bars in the fridge. Put them in an airtight container and they should keep for up to a week in the fridge!

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1bar | Calories: 609kcal | Carbohydrates: 85g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 42mg | Sodium: 555mg | Potassium: 126mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 61g | Vitamin A: 877IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 185mg | Iron: 5mg

    Juicy Lucy Burgers

    February 27, 2022

    A juicy Lucy burger cut in half so we can see the cheese inside and stacked one half on top of the other.

    Juicy Lucy Burgers: Juicy burger patties are stuffed with a slice of cheese to create an easy homemade version of the classic “Juicy Lucy” (or Jucy Lucy) burger!

    We are HUGE fans of burger recipes around here. No matter if it’s beef patties, baked turkey burgers, crispy chicken burgers, or something wild like a donut burger! Plus, you’ll find out about our most popular burger here on the blog, below, when we talk about baking these in the oven!

    A juicy Lucy burger cut in half and stacked so we see the cheese inside. There are tater tots on the plate as well.

    What is a Lucy Burger? Why is it called a Juicy Lucy?

    A Juicy Lucy burger is basically the ultimate cheeseburger- unlike a regular cheeseburger that has the cheese on top of the patty, a Juicy Lucy burger has a cheese slice stuffed in the center of the patty!

    As it cooks, the fat in the burger patty combines with the melted cheese to create a delicious, molten cheese sauce on the inside. It’s a juicy hamburger, for sure!

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    Where are Juicy Lucy Burgers From?

    Juicy Lucy burgers originated in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and are touted as “Minnesota's favorite pan-seared burgers busting at the seams with melty cheese!”

    There are actually two different bars that both claim to have created these extra cheesy burgers, Matt’s bar and the 5-8 Club.

    No matter who created it, it’s a delicious burger and I think you’re going to love it!

    Ingredients for Juicy Lucy Burgers

    This is one of those easy recipes that use simple ingredients (as all great recipes do) to create something delicious!

    To make Juicy Lucy burgers, you’ll need:

    • 6 hamburger buns
    • 2 pounds ground beef – 80/20 ground beef or regular ground beef- not lean beef. (Or, try these other ground beef recipes, or if you have ground venison in the freezer, you could make these as directed but make a venison burger recipe instead!)
    • 12 slices of American or cheddar cheese
    • 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
    • 1 tablespoon olive oil
    • 1 tablespoon butter
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 1 teaspoon black pepper

    You can jump straight to the recipe card or keep reading for step-by-step instructions on how to make this Juicy Lucy burgers recipe.

    The ingredients for making juicy Lucy Burgers, laid out on a wood cutting board.

    How to Make This Juicy Lucy Burger Recipe

    1. Place the ground beef in a large bowl and lightly break it apart.
    2. Combine ground beef with the salt, pepper, and Worcestershire sauce and mix it all together (I find using your hands works best for this). 
    3. Divide the meat into 6 equal portions.
    Ground beef and seasonings in a bowl sitting on a cutting board with cheese, buns and other spices sitting next to it.
    Add spices to beef.
    Ground beef combined with spices in a bowl.
    Combine beef and spices well.
    1. Split each of those 6 portions of beef into 2 pieces. Flatten both pieces into thin patties slightly larger than the hamburger bun.
    Thin patties sitting on the cutting board next to butter, spices and buns.
    Split each portion into two and flatten.
    1. Take 2 slices of the cheese and break it apart into small pieces, placing the pieces into the center of the burger patty.
    2. Put the second patty on top of the cheese and crimp the edges together, making sure you make a tight seal. Flip the burger over, gently press the burger down and crimp again. 

    Note: The best way to form the patties is to take your time. You want to be sure they are sturdy and have no cracks or holes that the cheese will melt through.

    Pieces of cheddar cheese on top of one of the thin burger patties with a second, plain patty beside it.
    Place pieces of cheese on one patty.
    The assembled burger patty (bottom patty, cheese, top patty).
    Top with second patty, seal.
    1. Take the back of a large spoon and press a small dimple into the middle of the burger. By doing this you will help the burger to stay flat while cooking and not become rounded.
    A spoon making a diet in the top of the burger patty.
    1. Once all of the burger patties have been made, melt the butter and olive oil in a cast iron pan/cast iron skillet/grill pan (whatever you want to call it) over medium heat.
    A stack of three Juicy Lucy burger patties with wax paper between them.
    Make all 6 patties.
    A skillet with melted butter bubbling inside of it.
    Melt butter and oil in skillet.
    1. Once the oil is hot, carefully place patties in the pan and cook for approximately 4 minutes on each side. While you are cooking the first set of patties, put the remaining patties in the fridge to keep them cool.
    Three raw burger patties in a large skillet.
    Cook burgers in hot grill pan.
    Three cooked burger patties in a large skillet.
    Flip after 4 mins.
    1. These burgers are best served immediately. Serve on a hamburger bun with your favorite toppings. The Juicy Lucy is traditionally served with only dill pickles, but you can get creative and add the toppings of your choice! (Or, you can top it with items that we topped our Cowboy Burger recipe with, too!)
    A Juicy Lucy burger on a plate cut in half to reveal the cheese inside.

    How to Make Juicy Lucy Burgers in the Oven

    Did you know you can make great burgers in the oven, too? You sure can!

    We have some tips to create the best burger in the oven (it will melt in your melt). Go check out our recipe for the best hamburgers in the oven!

    A Juicy Lucy burger patty on a plain burger bun with tater tots in the background.

    Variations

    This burger is a nicely seasoned base that can be jazzed up with your favorite cheese and toppings!

    • Cheese – any cheese that melts well will work for this recipe. Get creative! You could even get real wild and stuff these with blue cheese, if that’s your style. Just be sure to watch how much cheese you use (you don’t want gooey cheese leaking out of your burger).
    • Bun – by changing the hamburger bun you use, you can create a totally different burger experience! You could use a soft bun like brioche buns, a crusty roll, a chewy pretzel bun, or a sweet Hawaiian roll!
    • Spicy – use a spicy cheese like a pepper jack or jalapeño havarti and add some banana peppers or other spicy peppers to your burger!
    • Classic – for a more classic burger, top your Juicy Lucy patty with tomato slices, lettuce, dill pickles, red onion, and your favorite condiments!
    A hand holding half of a Juicy Lucy burger with the cheese visible in the middle.

    Storage

    Store any leftover burger patties in an airtight container or wrapped in plastic wrap in the fridge for 3-4 days (be sure to store your patties, buns, and toppings separately to keep everything as fresh as possible).

    You could also freeze these patties in a freezer-safe, airtight container for up to 3 months.

    Expert Tips and FAQs

    Can I make these in the air fryer?

    We haven’t tried this yet, but I bet you could! We have a post on air fryer burgers that you could follow if you want to try it out (and if you do, pretty please leave us a comment and let us know how it goes).

    How is a Juicy Lucy burger different from a regular hamburger?

    A Juicy Lucy burger has the cheese in the middle of the burger instead of on top of the burger!

    Could I cook these on an outdoor grill (gas grill or charcoal grill)?

    Absolutely, although the end result will be a bit different than if you cook them in a pan. But if you like that smokey BBQ flavor and those dark grill marks from hot grill grates on your burger, you can definitely cook these on your BBQ the same as you would any other homemade burger.

    What to Serve with Juicy Lucy Burgers

    Serve these burgers with a side of air fryer sweet potato fries or baked fiesta ranch potato wedges for a meal the whole family will enjoy!

    Related Recipes

    If you enjoyed these Juicy Lucy Burgers then you should definitely try some of our other cheeseburger recipes like Hawaiian Burgers, our buttery glazed donut burger (I know, what?!) and our air fryer turkey burgers!

    Recipe

    A juicy Lucy burger cut in half so we can see the cheese inside and stacked one half on top of the other.
    Print Pin
    5 from 4 votes

    Juicy Lucy Burgers

    Juicy Lucy Burgers: Juicy burger patties are stuffed with a slice of cheese to create an easy homemade version of the classic "Juicy Lucy" (or Jucy Lucy) burger! 
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine American
    Prep Time 20 minutes minutes
    Cook Time 10 minutes minutes
    Total Time 30 minutes minutes
    Servings 6 burgers
    Calories 685kcal
    Author Jessica Burgess

    Ingredients

    • 6 hamburger buns
    • 2 pounds ground beef (80/20 ground beef or regular ground beef- not lean)
    • 12 slices of American or cheddar cheese
    • 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
    • 1 tablespoon olive oil
    • 1 tablespoon butter
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 1 teaspoon black pepper

    Instructions

    • Place the ground beef in a large bowl and lightly break it apart.
    • Season the beef with the salt, pepper, and Worcestershire sauce and mix it all together (I find using your hands works best for this).
    • Divide the meat into 6 equal portions.
    • Split each of those 6 portions of beef into 2 pieces. Flatten both pieces into patties slightly larger than the hamburger bun.
    • Take 2 slices of the cheese and break it apart into small pieces, placing the pieces into the center of the burger patty.
    • Put the second patty on top of the cheese and crimp the edges together, making sure there are no cracks. Flip the burger over, gently press the burger down and crimp again.
      Note: The best way to form the patties is to take your time. You want to be sure they are sturdy and have no cracks or holes that the cheese will melt through.
    • Take the back of a large spoon and press a small dimple into the middle of the burger. By doing this you will help the burger to stay flat while cooking and not become rounded.
    • Once all of the burger patties have been made, melt the butter and olive oil in a cast iron pan/cast iron skillet/grill pan (whatever you want to call it) over medium heat.
    • Once the oil is hot, carefully transfer a couple patties to the pan and cook for approximately 4 minutes on each side.
    • These burgers are best served immediately. Serve on a hamburger bun with your favorite toppings. The Juicy Lucy is traditionally served with only dill pickles, but you can get creative and add whatever toppings you like!

    Notes

    STORAGE: Store any leftover burger patties in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days (be sure to store your patties, buns, and toppings separately to keep everything as fresh as possible).
    You could also freeze these patties in a freezer-safe, airtight container for up to 3 months. 

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1burger | Calories: 685kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 39g | Fat: 47g | Saturated Fat: 21g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 19g | Trans Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 148mg | Sodium: 1015mg | Potassium: 569mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 408IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 358mg | Iron: 5mg

    Mini Egg Cookies

    February 23, 2022

    Mini Egg Cookies on pink napkin

    This mini egg cookie recipe is not only easy but the cookies with mini eggs have an amazing “crunch” with the addition of Cadbury eggs!

    When it comes to Easter, it’s fair game for all of the pretty pastel colors for all of the desserts, like these egg truffles, Easter egg nests, and mini egg bars!

    Mini Egg Cookies on pink napkin
    Easter Cookies with Mini Eggs

    Why You’ll Love these Cadbury mini egg cookies

    • It’s your favorite chocolate chip cookie, with a little extra “crunch” with the mini Cadbury eggs we love seeing hit shelves each Easter! (We love them so much, we even have them in an Easter Bunny Bark!)
    • It uses simple ingredients that are usually pantry staples
    • Cookies for Easter just make sense for snacking, and even as gift-giving ideas in Easter baskets! (Make these along with this Bunny Butt cookie recipe!)
    [feast_advanced_jump_to]

    Ingredients

    The simple ingredients in this recipe can be found at most grocery stores and are typically ingredients that you may already have in your pantry and refrigerator!

    ingredients for mini egg cookies
    Ingredients for Cookies
    • 1 cup butter, softened (2 sticks – 8 tablespoons)
    • 1 cup light brown sugar
    • ½ cup granulated sugar
    • 2 large eggs, room temperature
    • 2 tsp vanilla extract
    • 1 teaspoon baking soda
    • 3 cups all purpose flour
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 1 cups milk chocolate chips 
    • 2 – 7 oz. bags of Cadbury mini eggs

    See the recipe card below for ingredients and instructions all in one place!

    Instructions

    Preheat oven to 350°.

    1. First, you’ll want to get a large bowl and put softened butter and brown sugar and white sugar in to it. Then, using a hand mixer or a stand mixer, mix sugars and butter on medium speed until it’s well combined and creamy.
      (About 3-5 minutes. Make sure there are no brown sugar clumps, and it has blended in well, as it can tend to clump up if it’s not a super fresh batch.)
    sugars and butter in mixing bowl
    Mix sugars with softened butter
    combined sugars with butter
    Sugars and butter combined
    1. Next, add in one cracked egg, and mix with mixer until fully mixed in.
    2. Add in the other egg and mix again, until fully mixed in.
    3. Pour in vanilla extract and mix again, until fully mixed.
    Add egg in dough
    Add in eggs, one at a time, mix together, and then add vanilla and mix!
    1. In a separate bowl, pour in the flour, baking soda and salt. Mix together with a fork, as this helps “sift” the ingredients together.
    2. Pour a third of the flour mixture in to the wet ingredients (butter/sugar mixture), and mix together until combined.
    baking soda, flour, salt
    In separate bowl, mix flour, salt and baking soda
    Pour part of the flour in to the dough
    Pour a 3rd of the flour in to the cookie dough
    1. Add in a little more flour mixture, and mix again until combined.
    2. Finally, add the last third of the flour mixture in to the butter mixture and fully combine.
    Flour mixed in to dough, compeltely
    All dry ingredients mixed in to dough
    1. Next, pour in chocolate chips and gently stir using a large wooden spoon or rubber spatula until combined.
    Chocolate chips poured in to dough
    Add in chocolate chips
    Chocolate chips stirred in to dough
    Stir with spatula to gently mix in chocolate chips
    1. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and scoop out small portions of cookie dough to roll in to smooth, rounded balls. (I used an ice cream scoop and filled it half-way, to make the size of the cookies you see here.)
    Chocolate chip cookie dough balls on baking sheet
    Using an ice cream scoop, scoop out about half a scoop to form in to a ball
    1. Gently press 3 Cadbury mini eggs in to the top of the cookies. (I didn’t push the chocolate eggs all the way down inside of the cookie but rather just a little so it would be secured on to the top of the cookie.)
    Cookie dough balls with Cadbury mini eggs
    Press mini eggs on top of each cookie dough ball

    How Long to Bake Cookies

    1. Place baking sheet of cookie dough in to preheated oven, and bake for 12 minutes, or until the bottom edges start to turn a golden brown. (Baking time can differ for ovens.)
    baked mini egg cookies on baking sheet
    Baked mini egg cookies
    1. Remove from oven and allow cookies to rest on baking sheet for about a minute, before moving to a cooling rack. (This helps the cookies fully cook through the center for a crispy edge and soft center.)
    2. Transfer the cookies from the baking sheet to cooling rack and allow cookies to fully cool before packaging them up for storing.
    mini egg cookies cooling on rack
    Cool mini egg cookies on rack

    Storage

    If you have leftover cookies or want to store them for later, perhaps as gift-giving to friends and family with some of these Easter Oreos, store them in an airtight container for 3-5 days.

    Mini egg cookies stacked
    Ready to eat Cadbury Egg cookies

    Substitutions

    If the chocolate chip style cookies aren’t your favorite thing, you can easily make classic peanut butter cookies, or even peanut butter chocolate chip cookies and add Cadbury eggs to the tops! Or, feel free to browse our favorite cookie recipes for more ideas!

    Love the look of an Easter egg cookie but can’t find Cadbury mini eggs? No problem! Use your favorite candy, like the springtime M&M’s or pastel Peanut M&M’s to use instead or your favorite Easter candy!

    Cadbury egg chocolate chip cookies stacked
    Fun Easter Cookies

    Top tip

    If unable to bake all of the cookies at once, place the unbaked cookie dough in the refrigerator while others are baking and pull back out a couple of minutes before rolling and baking the remaining cookies.

    More Easter Ideas

    Love Easter as much as we do? Then you’ll also love these other Easter desserts and Easter ideas that are fun to make or that the Easter bunny may want to deliver!

    • A slice of strawberry heaven cake dessert on a plate.
      Strawberry Heaven
    • Strawberry Pound Cake on cake stand.
      Strawberry Pound Cake with Strawberry Glaze Icing
    • A slice of strawberry cheesecake poke cake on a round plate.
      Strawberry Cheesecake Poke Cake
    • A slice of burnt sugar cake on a round, vintage plate.
      Burnt Sugar Cake

    Recipe

    Mini Egg Cookies on pink napkin
    Print Pin
    5 from 5 votes

    Mini Egg Cookies

    This mini egg cookie recipe is not only easy but the cookies with mini eggs have an amazing "crunch" with the addition of Cadbury eggs!
    Course Dessert, Snack
    Cuisine American
    Prep Time 10 minutes minutes
    Cook Time 12 minutes minutes
    Resting Time 1 minute minute
    Total Time 23 minutes minutes
    Servings 34 cookies
    Calories 205kcal
    Author Jessica Burgess

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup softened butter salted or unsalted
    • 1 cup light brown sugar packed
    • ½ cup white granulated sugar
    • 2 eggs room temperature
    • 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 1 teaspoon baking soda
    • 3 cups all purpose flour
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 1 cup milk chocolate chips
    • 14 ounces Cadbury mini eggs 2 – 7 oz. bags

    Instructions

    Prepping the Cookie Dough

    • Preheat oven to 350°
    • Get a large mixing bowl and put softened butter and brown sugar and white sugar in to it. Then, using a hand mixer or a stand mixer, mix sugars and butter together until it's well combined and creamy. (About 3-5 minutes. Make sure there are no brown sugar clumps, and it has blended in well, as it can tend to clump up if it's not a super fresh batch.)
    • Next, add in one cracked egg, and mix with mixer until fully mixed in.
    • Add in the other egg and mix again, until fully mixed in.
    • Pour in vanilla extract and mix again, until fully mixed.
    • In a separate bowl, pour in the flour, baking soda and salt. Mix together with a fork, as this helps "sift" the ingredients together.
    • Pour a third of the flour mixture in to the butter/sugar mixture, and mix together until combined.
    • Add in a little more flour mixture, and mix again until combined.
    • Finally, add the last third of the flour mixture in to the butter/sugar mixture and fully combine.
    • Next, pour in chocolate chips and gently stir using a large wooden spoon or rubber spatula until combined.
    • Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and scoop out small portions of cookie dough to roll in to smooth, rounded balls. (I used an ice cream scoop and filled it half-way, to make the size of the cookies you see here.)
    • Gently press 3 Cadbury mini eggs in to the tops of each cookie dough ball. (I didn't push them all the way down inside of the cookie but rather just a little so it would be secured on to the top of the cookie.)

    Baking the Cookies

    • Place baking sheet of cookie dough in to preheated oven, and bake for 12 minutes, or until the bottom edges start to turn a golden brown.
    • Remove from oven and allow cookies to rest on baking sheet for about a minute, before moving to a cooling rack. (This helps the cookies fully cook through teh center for a crispy edge and soft center.)
    • Transfer cookies from the baking sheet to cooling rack and allow cookies to fully cool before packaging them up for storing.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 205kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 26mg | Sodium: 159mg | Potassium: 26mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 211IU | Vitamin C: 0.4mg | Calcium: 34mg | Iron: 1mg

    Easter Egg Truffles Recipe (Easy No-Bake Dessert)

    February 22, 2022

    easter egg truffles in white bowl

    Easter egg truffles are an easy no-bake dessert made with creamy centers and a chocolate coating. These simple Easter treats are perfect for parties, baskets, or spring gatherings.

    Easter egg truffles in egg carton

    These no-bake egg truffles are adorable for Easter and are made with crushed, frosted animal cookies, cream cheese, and other easy ingredients, making them a delightful holiday dessert idea!

    If you love truffle recipes for easy holiday desserts, you'll also love these Biscoff truffles and this sugar cookie truffles recipe.

    Why You’ll Love These No Bake Easter Eggs

    Not only is this recipe “easy” but the creaminess of the cream cheese, mixed with frosted animal cookies also make these truffles a crowd-pleaser!

    Plus, if you’re in the baking mood, you can make these alongside the mini egg bars, Easter egg nest cookies, or mini egg cookies for treats all around!

    [feast_advanced_jump_to]

    Ingredients

    With only 3 main ingredients (not counting any decorating favorites) you can have Easter truffles in no-time!

    For decorating, you can use items such as food coloring, sprinkles, sanding sugar, etc. (We used a lot of these for these Easter Oreos that are absolutely adorable too!) See more tips and ideas for decorating, below!

    ingredients on table for truffles
    Ingredients
    • 14 oz. iced animal cookies
    • 8oz. cream cheese, room temperature
    • 2 packages of 14 oz. white chocolate melting wafers (I use Ghirardelli)
    • Gel colors, if desired
    • Sprinkles or sanding sugar, if desired

    See the recipe card at the bottom of this post for full quantities and instructions, all in one place, for this no-bake Easter dessert.

    Instructions for Easter Egg Truffles

    1. First, prepare a large baking sheet or something similar, like a platter, by covering it with parchment paper.
    2. Next, process animal cookies in food processor or crush cookies placing them in a ziplock bag, rolling over them with a rolling pin until they are in fine crumbs.
    Crushed frosted animal cookies in bowl
    Crushed frosted animal crackers
    1. In a large bowl, mix together the softened cream cheese and crushed cookies until evenly combined. 
    cream cheese in bowl with crushed cookies
    Mix cream cheese in with cookies
    cream cheese mixed with animal crackers
    Cream cheese mixed with cookies
    1. Grab about a tablespoon of cookie mixture and mash it together with your hands (this is securing the cookie crumbs more in to the cream cheese so it will "hold".)
    2. Next, roll it in to a ball by cupping hands together, and gently move hands in a circle rotation until it it forms a round ball. (See first image below.)
    3. When in a ball shape, straighten out hands and roll the ball up and down between the two hands to give the "ball" more of an "egg" shape. (See second image below.)

    Also, you can also gently pinch the top of the "egg" to give it even more of an egg-shape.

    If it does not look like an egg yet, carefully mold with hands in to a shape of an egg. (More narrow at the top and the bottom.) Repeat until all the truffle dough is in the shape of eggs.

    hands rolling small amount of truffle dough in to ball
    Cup hands and roll truffle dough in to a ball
    Hands rolling dough in to an egg shape
    Roll dough between hands, back and forth to make egg shape
    1. Once the “eggs” are formed, place them all on prepared baking sheet and refrigerate for an hour.
    Cookie truffles on baking sheet
    Roll out balls and place on cookie sheet

    How to Decorate Easter Truffles

    At this point, it’s important to decide how you’ll want to decorate the Easter truffles.

    Either covered with white chocolate and then drizzled with colored chocolate, or covered in white chocolate and then coated in sanding sugar. Or, both!

    When you’ve decided how you want to decorate them, make sure to have all decorating supplies handy, and ready to go. See more below.

    Melt White Chocolate

    When it comes to which type of chocolate to use for these, I have a favorite but there are other options too!

    Which type of chocolate is best for truffles?

    If you ask me, the Ghirardelli white melting wafers are hard to beat! They melt easily but more importantly… they taste waaaaay better than other chocolate melts.

    However, you can also use white chocolate baking chips like we used in our pink strawberries, (which we prefer Ghirardelli in those too!) or you can use other candy melts, wafers, almond bark, or chips if that’s what you prefer!

    1. Make sure to follow (if any) package directions for melting chocolate. However, melting chocolate in microwave on half power for about 2 minutes (or as long as needed until melted), stopping the microwave to stir the chocolate every 30 seconds.
    white chocolate baking chips in bowl
    White chocolate chips
    melted white chocolate in bowl
    Melt white chocolate chips
    1. Remove truffles from the refrigerator and place a toothpick in to one end (top or bottom of the egg) and dip eggs in to melted chocolate and lift back out, allowing excess chocolate to drip off.
      (You’ll want to be patient with this, to allow most of the excess to drip off so it doesn’t leave a “pool” of chocolate under the egg when drying.)
    toothpick in truffle, dipping in to white chocolate
    Insert toothpick and dip truffle in to white chocolate
    Chocolate dipped Easter truffle
    Fully coat truffle in white chocolate

    Decorating with Sprinkles or Sanding Sugar

    If you’ll be decorating the eggs with sanding sugar and/or sprinkles, (as in the light blue egg in the photo below) you’ll want to decorate the eggs BEFORE the chocolate hardens.

    Sanding sugar decorated egg truffle in bowl
    Sanding sugar decorated eggs

    So once excess chocolate has dripped off, you can:

    • place eggs on cookie sheet and pour sprinkles/sanding sugar on top (the bottoms won’t be covered this way)
    • OR, to cover all of the egg with sprinkles/sanding sugar, hold the chocolate covered egg by the toothpick, over a coffee cup or bowl, and pour decorations over egg, while rotating it, trying to cover each area. Place egg on baking sheet to harden.

    Decorating with Drizzled Melted Chocolate

    If you’re wanting to leave the eggs white and decorate the eggs with different colors, you can go ahead and cover all of the eggs in white chocolate and place them on the cookie sheet to harden. (You’ll want the chocolate to harden before drizzling on the colored chocolate.)

    Once all have been coated in chocolate, place cookie sheet in fridge for 10-15 minutes.

    Decorated Easter egg truffles in bowl
    Decorated Easter egg truffles

    Expert Tip

    If you’ll be leaving the eggs white, gently, twist and remove the toothpick from the egg after dipping and smooth a little white chocolate over the toothpick hole, with the same toothpick, before the chocolate hardens. This way, it will cover the hole.

    hand holding toothpick, spreading white chocolate over hole in truffle
    Spread chocolate over hole with toothpick

    How to Make Colored White Chocolate

    When I made these eggs, I decided on the different gel colors I wanted to use. (Pink, light blue, light green, and yellow.)

    So I made sure to get 4 different little bowls, that I could melt the chocolate melts in, and then drop one drop of gel coloring in to each bowl, to make the individual colors.

    Doing one color at a time, melt the chocolate, add in the gel coloring, stir and it’s ready to drizzle on the eggs you want to decorate with that color.

    After chocolate has hardened on eggs, re-melt any remaining chocolate if needed, and divide it in to small portions to add gel food coloring to to decorate the eggs.

    How to Drizzle on White Chocolate

    I used piping bags with a #3 piping tip, (bigger or smaller will work too). However, you can also drizzle it from a spoon, or even pour chocolate in to a small zip-top bag, and cut out a small hole in the corner of the bag to act as a piping bag.

    NOTE: I only had one #3 piping tip so I cleaned the tip really good after each color and re-used it to drizzle on the other colors.

    decorated easter egg truffles in white bowl
    White chocolate drizzled Easter egg truffles

    Substitutions

    Truffle Cookies: If you’re not a fan of frosted animal cookies, you can substitute those for regular animal crackers, Golden Oreos for Oreo egg truffles, or even something fun like crushed pop-tarts!

    Variations

    You can make these for any time of the year! Simply change out the colors for the holiday (think “green” and “red” for Christmas, “black” and “orange” for Halloween, etc.) and simply leave them in the shape of a ball, instead of the extra step of shaping like an egg.

    Bite taken out of no bake cookie truffle
    Creamy center of cookie and cream cheese mixture

    Supplies + Quick Links

    Want to purchase most of the items I used? Here’s a quick-link section where you can find almost everything that I used:

    • gel colors
    • sanding sugar
    • Ghirardelli white chocolate wafers
    • iced animal cookies
    • similar egg cartons (packaging idea for Easter gifts)

    Storage

    If storing for later, or if you have leftovers, it’s important to refrigerate the egg truffles, due to the insides having cream cheese in them. Store in an airtight container for 3-5 days.

    More Easter Ideas

    How cute would this Easter candy recipe look next to Easter Bunny Bark, especially on an Easter Charcuterie Board, and next to these Bunny Butt cookies made with a cake mix?

    You’ll love our other Easter inspiration, and even Easter decor ideas for the home! See some of our favorites here:

    • A slice of chocolate peanut butter dump cake on a round plate.
      Chocolate Peanut Butter Dump Cake
    • Strawberry Cream Cheese Dump Cake serving on a round plate.
      Strawberry Cream Cheese Dump Cake
    • Dr. Pepper baked beans in a cast iron and wooden spoon spooning out a serving.
      Dr. Pepper Baked Beans
    • A slice of cherry yum on a round plate.
      Cherry Yum Yum

    Recipe

    easter egg truffles in white bowl
    Print Pin
    5 from 3 votes

    Easter Egg Truffles

    These no-bake egg truffles are adorable for Easter and are made with crushed, frosted animal cookies, cream cheese, and other easy ingredients, making them a delightful holiday dessert!
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American
    Prep Time 20 minutes minutes
    Chill Time 1 hour hour
    Total Time 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes
    Servings 18 truffles
    Calories 154kcal
    Author Jessica Burgess

    Equipment

    • toothpicks
    • baking sheet or platter to transfer truffles to refrigerator

    Ingredients

    • 14 ounces iced animal cookies
    • 8 ounces cream cheese softened
    • 28 ounces white chocolate melting wafers we used 2 packages of 14 ounces Ghirardelli White Chocolate Melting Wafers
    • gel food colors if desired
    • sanding sugars if desired
    • sprinkles if desired

    Instructions

    • First, gather ingredients and prepare a large baking sheet or something similar, like a platter, by covering it with parchment paper.
      ingredients on table for truffles
    • Next, process animal cookies in food processor or crush cookies placing them in a ziplock bag, rolling over them with a rolling pin. 
      Crushed frosted animal cookies in bowl
    • In a mixing bowl, mix together the softened cream cheese and crushed cookies until evenly combined. 
      cream cheese in bowl with crushed cookies
    • Grab about a tablespoon of cookie mixture and mash it together with your hands (this is securing the cookie crumbs more in to the cream cheese so it will hold together better.)
      cream cheese mixed with animal crackers
    • Next, roll it in to a ball by cupping hands together, and gently move hands in a circle rotation until it it forms a round ball.
      hands rolling small amount of truffle dough in to ball
    • When in a ball shape, straighten out hands and roll the ball up and down between the two hands to give the "ball" more of an "egg" shape.
      Hands rolling dough in to an egg shape
    • Once the "eggs" are formed, place them all on prepared cookie sheet and refrigerate for an hour.
      Cookie truffles on baking sheet

    Melting Chocolate

    • Make sure to follow (if any) package directions for melting chocolate. However, melting chocolate in microwave on half power for about 2 minutes (or as long as needed until melted), stopping the microwave to stir the chocolate every 30 seconds is a common method and how I melted this chocolate.
      melted white chocolate in bowl
    • Remove truffles from the refrigerator and place a toothpick in to one end (top or bottom of the egg) and dip in to melted chocolate and lift back out, allowing excess chocolate to drip off.(You'll want to be patient with this, to allow most of the excess to drip off so it doesn't leave a "pool" of chocolate under the egg when drying.)
      Chocolate dipped Easter truffle

    Decorating Easter Egg Truffles

    • It's imporant to decide how you want to decorate the eggs before covering them with chocolate. If using sanding sugar or sprinkles, you'll want to decorate before the chocolate hardens. If decorating with colored melted chocolate drizzle, you can wait to decorate after the chocolate has hardened. See full post for tips on how to decorate the eggs!
      Decorated Easter egg truffles in bowl

    Notes

    How to Store Egg Truffles:
    Since they contain cream cheese, it’s important to keep the truffles refrigerated when storing and between eating.
    How to Store:
    Store truffles in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1truffle | Calories: 154kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 18mg | Sodium: 156mg | Potassium: 39mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 188IU | Calcium: 20mg | Iron: 1mg

    Mini Egg Bars

    February 19, 2022

    Mini Eggs Bars

    Mini Egg Bars: These festive Easter cookie bars are made with one of our favorite Easter candy, Cadbury mini eggs! These mini egg bars are an easy dessert for Easter time or any time of year!

    If you’re looking for other Easter recipes to serve this year, you’ll especially want to see our mini egg cookies and you can also check out our ham casserole and our Southern broccoli casserole!

    Mini Egg Bars
    Mini Egg Bars

    Why you’ll love this recipe

    This is the perfect Easter dessert (I’m speaking directly to my fellow mini egg lovers on this one). We called them “mini egg bars”, but we might as well have called them Easter cookie bars!

    These magic bars are made with cookie dough and my personal favorite Easter candy, Cadbury mini eggs, which basically makes them Easter in bar form if you ask me.

    If you’re looking for simple recipes to make your Easter baking easier, move this one to the top of your list. This easy recipe for mini egg Easter bars is a crowd-pleaser and will have your guests asking for the recipe for sure! Pro Tip: place these on an Easter charcuterie board with these Easter cookies for the ultimate treat!

    [feast_advanced_jump_to]

    Ingredients for mini egg bars recipe

    You only need a few simple ingredients to make these delicious cookie bars. For this easy treat, you’ll need:

    • 2 sticks salted butter at room temperature (2 sticks = 1 cup)
    • 1 ¼ cups light brown sugar packed
    • 2 large eggs
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • ⅛ teaspoon salt
    • 2 ¼ cups all purpose flour
    • ½ teaspoon baking soda
    • 1 ¼ cups Cadbury mini eggs
    • ½ cup chocolate chips

    Jump to the recipe card to see the ingredient amounts and instructions or keep reading to learn how to make these chewy mini egg cookie bars!

    Ingredients for the mini egg bars.
    Ingredients for mini egg bars.

    Do they sell Cadbury Mini Eggs all year?

    The answer to this depends on where you live. If you live in the United States or another country you might not be able to get these outside of mini egg season.

    Consider stocking up next time these hit the shelves so you can make them a few times later in the year (or not…it might be a good thing these only come out once a year because they are addicting)!

    Depending on when the stores in your area start putting out Easter treats, you might even be able to make these for Valentine’s Day! We think they would make the perfect treat for either occasion!

    P.S. When we say Cadbury eggs, we’re talking about the mini egg candies and not the bigger cream eggs or the mini egg chocolate bar.

    How to make the mini egg cookie bar

    The best part of this recipe (aside from it having mini eggs in it) is that it doesn’t take a lot of work to make! Read on to see exactly how simple it is.

    1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees f.
    2. Butter a 9×13 baking dish.  Line the dish with parchment paper and butter the paper. *NOTE* Lining with parchment paper makes it easier to take the whole thing out onto a cutting board and cut those perfect squares. Do you need to do it? No, it won't change the result of the recipe. 
    3. In a large mixing bowl and using an electric mixer (or the bowl of a stand mixer), mix the butter and sugar until nice and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as you go. 
    Butter and sugar in a bowl, ready to be creamed.
    Cream together butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl.
    1. Add the wet ingredients- the eggs, splash of vanilla extract, and salt. Mix until they are all blended and set aside. 
    Eggs being mixed into the creamed butter mixture with an electric handheld mixer.
    Add wet ingredients.
    The dough after the wet ingredients are fully combined.
    Combine together.
    1. In a medium bowl combine the dry ingredients- the flour, baking soda, Cadbury eggs, and chocolate chips. Whisk together until the eggs and chocolate chips are coated with the flour and baking soda.
    The dry ingredients (flour, chocolate chips, mini eggs) in a medium bowl.
    Combine dry ingredients.
    The dry ingredients being combined until they are all coated.
    Mix until coated.
    1. Mix in approximately ⅓ of the dry mixture to the wet mixture. Repeat until all the ingredients are incorporated.*NOTE* For this step, using a hand mixer is great but your dough will be very thick at the end. You could absolutely use a stand mixer as well. 
    A wooden spoon full of the dry ingredients being held over the combined bowl of wet ingredients.
    Add dry ingredients ⅓ at a time.
    The dough once the wet and dry ingredients have been combined.
    Mix till combined.
    1. Pour the dough for the cookie layer into the prepared pan and spread evenly.
    2. If you want a really chocolatey treat you can add any remaining chocolate eggs to the top of the bar now. You could also sprinkle crushed mini eggs over the top or wait until the bars come out of the oven and add the eggs to the top. 
    The cookie layer pressed firmly into a parchment lined 9x13 baking dish.
    Press cookie layer into prepared baking dish.
    1. Bake in the preheated oven for 28-31 minutes or until golden brown. You will notice the edges starting to pull from the pan.
    The baked 9x13 dish of mini egg bars in the pan.
    1. Remove from the oven and let the bars cool on a wire rack. Let it cool completely before cutting it up to serve.
    2. If you chose to put parchment paper under your bars, use the parchment to lift the entire pan of cooled mini egg bars out onto a cutting board and cut into 24 even squares (if not, cut them right in the pan). Since we didn’t use a square pan, you might find it helpful to cut a bit of the border off to help create nice straight edges. 
    The baked 9x13 dish of mini egg bars removed from the pan.
    Remove from the baking dish.
    The mini egg bars cut into squares.
    Cut into squares.
    1. Serve and enjoy!
    The mini egg bar squares stacked on a plate.
    Serve and enjoy!

    This easy Easter treat would make a perfect gift to share with your neighbors. Consider making a big batch and packaging it up with cute spring-colored ribbon- what a great way to share some love!

    Substitutions

    For these Easter egg mini egg cookie bars, there are a few substitutions you can make.

    • Chocolate Chips – instead of milk chocolate chips, you can use dark chocolate chips or white chocolate chips (or a combination of the three)! Since the mini eggs are made with creamy milk chocolate, you can get creative with the other chocolate you add to create the perfect mix for your tastes.

    Pro tip: sometimes I cut up the solid milk chocolate bunnies the kids get at Easter and use them for baking. Shh…don’t tell them!

    • Brown Sugar – if you are out of brown sugar you can use white sugar, but the bars will be a bit less chewy and a bit more crunchy. Still, in a pinch, it will do!
    • Eggs – if you ran out of eggs and you are panicking, we’re here to help! In cookie-type recipes like this a cornstarch egg will work decently well. This recipe calls for 2 eggs, so the cornstarch egg replacement would be 2 tablespoons of cornstarch stirred into 6 tablespoons of cold water. Use this directly in place of the eggs in the recipe.
    mini egg bars stacked on plate
    Easter Egg Bars

    Variations

    Although we created these as Easter cookie bars, you could easily modify them for other holidays and events! Since this is basically a cookie bar with a few mix-ins, it’s the perfect recipe to get creative with!

    • Valentine’s Day – instead of mini eggs, stir in some pink and red candy-coated chocolate and some pink or red sprinkles!
    • St. Patrick’s Day – check your local bulk store or grocery store for green-colored candy-coated chocolate or use peppermint-flavored chocolates and mix in some gold and green sprinkles (or cute little shamrock sprinkles like these sprinkles if you can find them)!
    • Christmas – at Christmas time there are usually a lot of options for red and green chocolate and sprinkles. Stir in your favorite, add some to the top and you’ve got a perfect dessert for your holiday celebrations!
    Mini egg bar leaning up against bottle of milk
    Serve with milk for the ultimate treat

    Storage

    You can store these bars in an airtight container (or cover the entire baking dish with plastic wrap) at room temperature for 3 to 4 days, or in the fridge for up to 1 week.

    Although we haven’t tried it yet, these bars should freeze well too! Put them in an airtight, freezer-safe container or bag and freeze them for up to 3 months.

    Expert Tips and FAQs

    What kind of chocolate chips can I use for this recipe?

    Instead of milk chocolate chips, you can use dark chocolate chips or white chocolate chips (or a combination of the three)! Since the mini eggs are made with creamy milk chocolate, you can get creative with the other chocolate you add to create the perfect mix for your tastes.

    Pro tip: sometimes I cut up the solid milk chocolate bunnies the kids get at Easter and use them for baking. Shh…don’t tell them!

    Can I freeze these mini egg bars?

    Although we haven’t tried it yet, these bars should freeze well too! Put them in an airtight, freezer safe container or bag and freeze them for up to 3 months.

    Related Recipes

    If you liked these Cadbury mini egg bars, you should check out our other easy Easter desserts, Easter cake donuts, and Easter egg nest cookies, along with these:

    • A collage of side dishes for sliders.
      Best Sides for Sliders (Easy Recipes Your Family Will Love)
    • A square slice of sock it to me cake on a spatula.
      Sock it to Me Cake
    • A slice of cloud cake, topped with strawberries, sitting on round plate.
      Cloud Cake Recipe
    • Bagel French Toast casserole in the crock pot.
      Crock Pot Bagel French Toast Casserole

    Recipe

    Mini Eggs Bars
    Print Pin
    5 from 4 votes

    Mini Egg Bars

    Mini Egg Bars: These festive Easter cookie bars are made with one of our favorite Easter candy, Cadbury mini eggs! These mini egg bars are an easy dessert for Easter time or any time of year!
    Course Dessert, Snack
    Cuisine American
    Prep Time 20 minutes minutes
    Cook Time 31 minutes minutes
    Total Time 51 minutes minutes
    Servings 24 squares
    Calories 242kcal
    Author Jessica Burgess

    Ingredients

    • 2 sticks salted butter at room temperature (2 sticks = 1 cup)
    • 1 ¼ cups light brown sugar packed
    • 2 large eggs
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • ⅛ teaspoon salt
    • 2 ¼ cups all purpose flour
    • ½ teaspoon baking soda
    • 1 ¼ cups Cadbury mini eggs
    • ½ cup chocolate chips

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 350 degrees f.
    • Butter a 9×13 baking dish.  Line the dish with parchment paper and butter the paper. 
      *NOTE* Lining with parchment paper makes it easier to take the whole thing out onto a cutting board and cut those perfect squares. Do you need to do it? No, it won't change the result of the recipe. 
    • In a large mixing bowl and using an electric mixer (or the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment), mix the butter and sugar until nice and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as you go.
    • Add the wet ingredients- the eggs, splash of vanilla extract, and salt. Mix until they are all blended and set aside. 
    • In a medium bowl combine the dry ingredients- the flour, baking soda, Cadbury eggs, and chocolate chips. Whisk together until the eggs and chocolate chips are coated with the flour and baking soda.
    • Mix in approximately ⅓ of the dry mixture to the wet mixture. Repeat until all the ingredients are incorporated.
      *NOTE* For this step, using a hand mixer is great but your dough will be very thick at the end. You could absolutely use a stand mixer as well.
    • Pour the dough for the cookie layer into the prepared pan and spread evenly.
    • If you want a really chocolatey treat you can add any remaining chocolate eggs to the top of the bar now. You could also sprinkle crushed mini eggs over the top or wait until the bars come out of the oven and add the eggs to the top.
    • Bake in the preheated oven for 28-31 minutes or until golden brown. You will notice the edges starting to pull from the pan.
    • Remove from the oven and let the bars cool on a wire rack. Let it cool completely before cutting it up to serve.
    • If you chose to put parchment paper under your bars, use the parchment to lift the entire pan of cooled mini egg bars out onto a cutting board and cut into 24 even squares (if not, cut them right in the pan).
      Since we didn't use a square pan, you might find it helpful to cut a bit of the border off to help create nice straight edges.
    • Serve and enjoy!

    Video

    Notes

    Helpful tips: 
    • When spreading the dough evenly in the bakeware before cooking, I used an offset spatula. You could as well use a butter knife or mixing spoon.
    • Make sure to cook in a 9×13 and not a 9×9. If doing in a 9×9 it will brown too fast, the edges will be cook, but the middle won't.
    • You can store these bars in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 to 4 days, or in the fridge for up to 1 week. Although we haven’t tried it yet, these bars should freeze well too! Put them in an airtight, freezer safe container or bag and freeze them for up to 3 months. 

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1square | Calories: 242kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 38mg | Sodium: 124mg | Potassium: 36mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 20g | Vitamin A: 298IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 46mg | Iron: 1mg

    Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs

    February 16, 2022

    sliced hard boiled eggs on plate

    Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs: So quick, easy and it made the shells peel off so easily, with the 5, 5 & 5 method!

    See how long to cook the eggs, and how well they turn out in the quick video below, too!

    Sliced hard boiled eggs on plate next to Instant Pot
    Hard Boiled Eggs in the Instant Pot

    If you watched my Instant Pot review of my Instant Pot®, and my first run at using it by cooking chicken breasts, then you know I fell in love with the thing immediately.

    Now today, I’m going to show you how easy it is to make hard-boiled eggs with it and you will be AMAZED at how easy the shells come off of the eggs when they’re done. It’s an absolute game-changer! Then, you’ll want to see how we make these deviled eggs with candied bacon, and you’ll never want to make a classic deviled egg recipe, again!

    How To Cook Eggs in the Instant Pot

    In this quick, 7 minute video, I’ll show you from beginning to end, how to cook eggs in the Instant Pot®.

    No Time to Watch the Video?

    No problem, I wrote out the process below the video for your quick reference!

    1. Pour water into the bottom of Instant Pot®.
    2. Using trivet that came with your Instant Pot®, and place it into the bottom. 
    3. Gently place eggs on top of the trivet, and place lid on to Instant Pot®.
    eggs inside of Instant Pot
    Place eggs inside of Instant Pot
    1. Press “pressure cook”, and make sure it’s on “high pressure”. 
    2. Set the timer on the Instant Pot® to 5 minutes. (Make sure “keep warm” option is turned off.) 
    3. Pressure cooker will pressurize for about 5 minutes before the timer starts, then the timer will start when cooking.
    4. While cooking, prepare an ice bath to put the eggs in when eggs are finished cooking/cooling.
    5. After the timer runs out, let the pressure cooker naturally cool down. It will be safe to remove the lid when the stainless steel metal float, lowers back down inside of the lid. (Approx. another 5 minutes.) 
    Cooked eggs in ice bath
    Chill cooked eggs in ice bath
    1. Remove the lid and lift the trivet out (with tongs, or very carefully with hands/pot holder), then carefully place eggs into an ice bath for a couple of minutes. 
    2. Peel eggs and watch those shells practically fall off! 
    Sliced hard boiled eggs on plate
    Cooked and sliced hard boiled eggs

    The inside of the eggs should have the perfect yellow color!

    Tips

    • You can add 1 teaspoon of baking soda to the water before cooking but we’ve found that it’s not a must. The shells still peel perfectly fine. However, if you’re using really fresh eggs, those can be harder to peel so it may be best to try baking soda.
    • The trivet is recommended above becuase it comes with the Instant Pot. However, we absolutely LOVE using the mesh steamer basket for making hard boiled eggs, that you can get separately.
    Perfect center in hard boiled egg
    Perfect yolk center in hard boiled egg

    FAQ’s

    What is the 5 5 5 method for eggs in Instant Pot?

    It is 5 minutes to come to pressure, 5-minute cook-time and 5 minute natural release timing.

    How long does it take eggs to boil in Instant Pot?

    We’ve found that minutes does the trick!

    How many eggs can you hard boil in an Instant Pot at one time?

    We have cooked up to 18 eggs at one time in the Instant Pot. We have found that the eggs turn out just fine even if they’re stacked on top of one another, just as long as the eggs are not touching the lid. (Any more than 18 and you may need more than one cup of water too.)

    Now, if you have a Ninja Foodie, did you know you can also make them in that? It’s true. See How to Make Hard-Boiled Eggs in Ninja Foodi!

    Different Ways to Use Hard Boiled Eggs

    If you’re looking for different ways you can use your hard-boiled eggs now, we love using them to make an Egg Salad Sandwich, putting them in this side salad recipe, or in a tuna salad sandwich. Or if making a potato salad, you could put them in this cauliflower potato salad or this Amish potato salad, which is also made using the Instant Pot!

    Recipe

    sliced hard boiled eggs on plate
    Print Pin
    5 from 4 votes

    Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs

    Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs: So quick, easy and it made the shells peel off so easily, with the 5, 5 & 5 method!
    Course Appetizer, Breakfast, Main Course, Side Dish, Snack
    Cuisine American
    Prep Time 10 minutes minutes
    Cook Time 5 minutes minutes
    Total Time 15 minutes minutes
    Servings 12 eggs
    Calories 62kcal
    Author Jessica Burgess

    Equipment

    • Pressure Cooker (We use the Instant Pot)

    Ingredients

    • 12 Eggs Can use less or more – see tips in post
    • 1 cup Water

    Instructions

    • Pour water into the bottom of Instant Pot®.
    • Using trivet that came with your Instant Pot®, place it into the bottom. 
    • Gently place eggs on top of the trivet, and place lid on to Instant Pot®.
    • Press “pressure cook”, and make sure it’s on “high pressure”. 
    • Set the timer on the Instant Pot® to 5 minutes. (Make sure “keep warm” option is turned off.) 
    • Pressure cooker will pressurize for about 5 minutes before the timer starts, then the timer will start when cooking.
    • While cooking, prepare an ice bath to put the eggs in when eggs are finished cooking/cooling.
    • After the timer runs out, let the pressure cooker naturally cool down. It will be safe to remove the lid when the stainless steel metal float, lowers back down inside of the lid. (Approx. another 5 minutes.) 
    • Remove the lid and lift the trivet out (with tongs, or very carefully with hands/pot holder), then carefully place eggs into an ice bath for a couple of minutes. 
    • Peel eggs and watch those shells practically fall off! 

    Video

    Notes

    How many eggs can you hard boil in the Instant Pot at one time?
    We have cooked up to 18 eggs at one time in the Instant Pot. We have found that the eggs turn out just fine even if they’re stacked on top of one another, just as long as the eggs are not touching the lid. (Any more than 18 and you may need more than one cup of water too.)

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1egg | Calories: 62kcal | Protein: 5g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 163mg | Sodium: 63mg | Potassium: 60mg | Vitamin A: 240IU | Calcium: 25mg | Iron: 0.8mg

    Smoked Queso

    February 15, 2022

    Smoked Queso dip in a serving dish.

    Smoked Queso: With ground sausage, Velveeta cheese, Colby jack cheese, and rotel this might just be the best smoked queso recipe of all time! The ultimate party dip and a definite crowd pleaser!

    Quick Overview: Combine all of your ingredients in a BBQ safe dish, place it on the grill for an hour (stirring every 15 mins), serve, and enjoy as a delicious smoked appetizer!

    A close up of someone dipping a bell pepper into the smoked quest dip.
    Smoked Queso

    Why you’ll love this recipe

    I think everyone needs to have a good queso recipe in their recipe box, like this Rotel Dip recipe and now, this smoked cheese dip. It’s a delicious dip (full of cheesy goodness) and a great option for taking to parties or serving when you have guests over!

    This version of your favorite cheese dip is full of delicious smoky flavor because it’s cooked by indirect heat on a charcoal grill (although you can do it on a gas grill, too). If you love cheese as much as I do, you may also love this BBQ white queso nacho recipe. It’s loaded with cheesy goodness, too.

    Good thing this cheesy dip is hitting the blog in time for grilling season because you’re going to want to make a big batch for your next party, for sure!

    [feast_advanced_jump_to]

    ingredients for smoked queso recipe

    You can find everything you need to make this yummy smoked cheese dip at your local grocery store, even the disposable foil pan (most grocery stores have this in the baking section somewhere near the cupcake liners).

    You’ll need:

    • 1 pound ground sausage
    • 1 pound velveeta cheese 
    • 3 cups Colby Jack cheese, shredded (If you can shred the block! It’s much creamier!)
    • 1- 10 oz can Rotel diced tomatoes and green chilis (drained)
    • 1 cup beer
    • ½ cup red onion chopped, divided
    • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
    • ½ teaspoon ground pepper
    • ½ teaspoon salt

    Optional (for those looking to level-up their queso game)

    • chopped jalapeños
    • ⅓ cup bacon bits
    The ingredients you need to make smoked queso.
    Ingredients

    Instructions for smoked queso dip recipe

    1. Open a beer and let it sit out until it’s flat and room temperature. Set aside.
    2. If your sausage isn’t cooked yet you’ll need to do that now. Put 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a pan over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of your chopped onion. Warm up for 2 minutes then cook the ground sausage until there is no more pink.
    3. Prepare your BBQ for indirect heat and let it warm up to 225 degrees f. If you’re using a charcoal grill, put some hickory wood in the coals to give the dip a nice smoke flavor.
    A hand on the handle of a charcoal grill.
    Warm up the grill.
    1. Dice your Velveeta cheese, set aside. 
    2. Shred the Colby Jack cheese, set aside. 
    3. Chop the red onion, set aside. 
    4. Add cooked sausage, Velveeta, shredded Colby Jack, Rotel. tomatoes, onion, and spices to a 9×13 BBQ safe dish (I use a disposable aluminum pan). Set aside. 
    All of the smoked queso ingredients (minus the beer) in an aluminum 9x13 pan.
    Add ingredients to 9×13 pan.
    1. Once your BBQ has reached the desired temperature, place your 9×13 dish in the center and pour ½ cup of beer into it. 
    Someone pouring a cup of beer into the 9x13 pan on the BBQ with the rest of the smoked queso ingredients.
    Pour beer into the pan.
    1. Close the lid and cook for 30 minutes, mixing at 15 minutes. *NOTE* When mixing, make sure to scrape the sides and bottom and give it a good stir so all the flavours are incorporated.
    The 9x13 pan of smoked queso ingredients sitting on the grill of a charcoal BBQ.
    Let cook on the grill.
    A spatula stirring the queso while it cooks on the charcoal grill.
    Stir well every 15 mins.
    1. After 30 minutes, add the remaining ½ cup of beer and continue cooking for another 30 minutes (stirring every 15 minutes again). 
    2. After 1 hour on the BBQ, the cheese will be melted and you’ll have a nice, thick, smoked queso dip. 
    3. Serve and enjoy!
    The cooked smoked queso sitting on the charcoal grill.
    Nice, thick queso dip!

    What if I don’t have a charcoal grill? 

    If you don’t have a charcoal grill, don’t worry! It is still possible to get that extra layer of flavor without one. Here are a few different ways we would try…

    • The Shortcut – warm your oven to 225°F and cook your queso as directed in this recipe. To get that smoky flavor, pour 1 teaspoon of liquid smoke over your ingredients along with the first ½ cup of flat beer. If you don’t have a grill, this is still a great way to create a delicious smoked queso dip! 
    • Regular Grill – if you have a propane or natural gas grill, you can actually purchase a special smoke box designed specifically to allow you to smoke things on your gas grill! Here’s an example. Read the manufacturer instructions that come with the smoker box and follow them to create your smoke queso dip!
    • Pellet Smoker – if you have a pellet grill (like a Traeger grill), you can definitely use it for this recipe! Set the temp to 225°F, add hickory wood pellets, and continue on with the recipe as written!
    • Electric Smoker – basically the same things apply here’s with a pellet smoker. Set your temp, add the wood chips of your choice and follow the recipe as written.

    Substitutions

    If you’re looking to make this delicious queso dip but you need to modify the ingredients, here’s a a few of our suggestions.

    • Sausage – If you don’t have any sausage (pork sausage or beef sausage), you can use ground beef instead.
    • Velveeta – Although it will alter the flavor of the dip, you could use other soft cheeses in place of Velveeta (like cream cheese). Either way, you’ll still get the same creamy texture.
    • Colby Jack – You can use Monterey Jack in place of Colby Jack, or even a sharp cheddar cheese… but I’d still make sure to use the block cheese, and shred it yourself, so it tastes better! (Pre-shredded has a filler that can make the cheese, less creamy.)

    Even if you do have to change up a few things, you’ll find that the delicious flavors in this recipe make this the best smoked queso dip ever!

    Variations

    Looking to change it up a bit? Try this!

    • Spicy – If you like the heat, try swapping the Colby Jack cheese for Pepper Jack cheese. You can also add some chopped spicy jalapeños and/or chipotle peppers to take the spice up a big notch!
    • Taco Queso – Looking to add some extra fun to your taco night? Add some taco seasoning to the sausage or beef, continue with the recipe as written and use it in place of your regular taco meat!
    • Cowboy Queso Recipe – I’m not even against smoking this cowboy queso recipe, or at least adding some of the ingredients from that one, to this one for an extra flavor explosion!

    Any of these variations would create a great dip with tons of flavor!

    Smoked queso in aluminum pan
    Delicious smoked queso

    Storage

    This might be my new favorite recipe, and I HIGHLY doubt you’ll have any leftovers (you’ve been warned!). That being said, if you do have leftover queso you can store it in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 days.

    Expert tips and FAQs

    Can I make smoked queso in the slow cooker?

    We’ve never tried this, but we assume it would be possible!

    If we were to try this in the slow cooker, we would add the whole cup of beer (and 1 teaspoon of liquid smoke) to the slow cooker with all the other ingredients and cook it on low for 4-6 hours or until everything looked melty and delicious!

    What should I serve with this smoked queso dip?

    Honestly anything would taste delicious dipped in this, but some of our favorite dippers are tortilla chips, corn chips, or green bell peppers!

    A pita chip being dipped in the smoked queso dip.
    Dip chips or veggies in it!

    Related Recipes

    If you’re looking for the best dip to serve, check out a few other party favorites on the blog like this buffalo bacon blue cheese dip or our easy taco layer dip!

    Recipe

    Smoked Queso dip in a serving dish.
    Print Pin
    5 from 7 votes

    Smoked Queso

    Smoked Queso: With ground sausage, Velveeta cheese, Colby jack cheese, and green chiles this might just be the best smoked queso recipe of all time! The ultimate party dip and a definite crowd pleaser!
    Course Appetizer, Snack
    Cuisine American
    Prep Time 10 minutes minutes
    Cook Time 8 minutes minutes
    BBQ Time 1 hour hour
    Total Time 1 hour hour 18 minutes minutes
    Servings 6 servings
    Calories 745kcal
    Author Jessica Burgess

    Equipment

    • smoker

    Ingredients

    • 1 pound ground sausage
    • 1 pound Velveeta cheese
    • 3 cups Block Colby Jack cheese shredded (Pre-shredded has a coating that makes it less creamy, so we prefer block cheese.)
    • 1- 10 ounce can of Rotel diced tomatoes and green chilies drained
    • 1 cup beer
    • ½ cup red onion chopped, divided
    • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
    • ½ teaspoon ground pepper
    • ½ teaspoon salt

    Optional

    • chopped jalapeños
    • ⅓ cup bacon bits

    Queso Ingredients

    Instructions

    • Open a beer and let it sit out until it's flat and room temperature. Set aside.
    • If your sausage isn't cooked yet you'll need to do that now. Put 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of your chopped onion. Warm up for 2 minutes then cook the ground sausage until there is no more pink.
    • Prepare your BBQ for indirect heat and let it warm up to 225 degrees f. If you're using a charcoal grill, put some hickory wood in the coals to give the dip a nice smoke flavor.
    • Dice your Velveeta cheese, set aside.
    • Shred the Colby Jack cheese, set aside.
    • Chop the red onion, set aside.
    • Add cooked sausage, Velveeta, shredded Colby Jack, Rotel. tomatoes, onion, and spices to a 9×13 BBQ safe dish (I use an aluminum disposable one). Set aside.
    • Once your BBQ has reached the desired temperature, place your 9×13 dish in the center and pour ½ cup of beer into it.
    • Close the lid and cook for 30 minutes, mixing at 15 minutes.
      *NOTE* When mixing, make sure to scrape the sides and bottom so all the flavours are incorporated.
    • After 30 minutes, add the remaining ½ cup of beer and continue cooking for another 30 minutes (stirring every 15 minutes again).
    • After 1 hour on the BBQ, the cheese will be melted and you'll have a nice, thick, smoked queso dip.
    • Serve and enjoy!

    Notes

    STORAGE: This might be my new favorite recipe, and I HIGHLY doubt you’ll have any leftovers (you’ve been warned!). That being said, if you do have leftover queso you can store it in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 days. 

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1serving | Calories: 745kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 47g | Fat: 53g | Saturated Fat: 26g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 16g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 149mg | Sodium: 2507mg | Potassium: 590mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 1456IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 912mg | Iron: 2mg

    Pink Chocolate Covered Strawberries

    February 14, 2022

    Pink Chocolate Covered Strawberries in white bowl

    Pink Chocolate Covered Strawberries: Whether it’s for Valentine’s Day or just a sweet treat for someone, these pink dipped strawberries are not only easy but they’re incredibly delicious!

    The holidays aren’t the only reason for having pink chocolate strawberries! Serving them at baby showers, a bridal shower, or any special occasion really, is a great way to have sweet treats, since they’re so easy and so pretty! They’re also one of our favorite romantic desserts, if you’re having a date-night at home soon!

    Strawberries covered in pink chocolate in small white bowls
    Pink Chocolate Covered Strawberries

    Why Make Pink Strawberries?

    When throwing the date night party with friends, we had a chocolate fountain bar, and let me tell you… these pink covered strawberries would have been a PERFECT fit!

    But if I had to do the party all over again, I would make a large batch of these pink chocolate dipped strawberries and package them up in these little berry baskets, and sent them home as party favors for the guests! How cute would that be?

    You may also love making these for a quick after-school snack, a birthday party, or as a gift for someone you love! No matter what it is, they’re going to be an easy recipe that you’ll want to remember for sure!

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    You’ll also love these cheesecake-stuffed strawberries!

    Ingredients

    As with all of our dessert recipes here, I knew I wanted to keep these as easy as possible and use as many “tricks” to make these the best result for you!

    For these, we only used 3 ingredients: strawberries, chocolate baking chips, and pink gel food coloring. (You can use red if you’d like.)

    Ingredients for pink chocolate strawberries
    Ingredients
    • 12 fresh strawberries
    • 11 ounce Ghirardelli classic white chips (see more chocolate options below)
    • 1 drop of pink gel food coloring

    See the recipe card at the bottom of the post for full steps and ingredient amounts. Make sure to check out the tips, substitutions, and variations for this recipe, throughout the post for best results!

    Instructions

    Before melting the chocolate, it’s best to prepare everything for dipping.

    1. Wash and remove any brown leaves from strawberries. (See tips below in this post for strawberry care!) Allow strawberries to dry before dipping.
    2. I like to use a large baking sheet (big enough to fit a dozen strawberries) and cover it with parchment paper. Set aside.
    3. In a small microwave-safe bowl (or narrow, heat-proof glass) pour in baking chips and melt according to package directions. (This is usually on half power for a couple of minutes, stopping at 30 second intervals to stir, so it doesn’t burn.)
    4. Once melted, drop one drop of pink food coloring and stir until combined.
    melted white chocolate chips
    Melt white chocolate
    drop of pink food coloring in bowl of white chocolate
    Add one drop pink gel food coloring

    It should be a nice pink color at this point. (Remember one drop goes a long way.) You can continue adding drops of food coloring to reach the level of pink you prefer.

    melted pink chocolate in glass bowl with spoon
    Melted pink chocolate

    Pink Chocolate in Glass

    You can use a bowl but I found that using a short, narrow glass worked a lot better to hold the melted pink chocolate so I could dip the strawberries and cover them easily. (A shallow, wide bowl doesn’t work very well for dipping.)

    Toothpick

    If you have toothpicks on hand, it’s easier and better for the strawberries to dip. This way you don’t accidentally pull off any leaves and the oils from your hands don’t mess with the green leaves.

    1. Simply poke a toothpick in to the top of the strawberry (through the leaf/stem area). This iwill leave a small hole but you won’t be able to notice it. You can use one toothpick and pull it out each time you want to dip a new strawberry but I found using multiple toothpicks made it much easier. (Then I could pull the toothpicks out after they were all dry.)
    pink chocolate in narrow glass with spoon
    Chocolate for dipping in narrow glass
    toothpick inserted in to top of strawberry
    Use a toothpick for dipping
    1. Dip strawberry in to pink chocolate, trying to hold it straight, so the chocolate would be even. NOTE: Be careful not to let the leaves go down in the chocolate.
    strawberry dipped in glass of chocolate
    Dip strawberry in to chocolate
    Chocolate covered strawberry pulling out of chocolate
    Hold to allow dripping chocolate
    1. When strawberries have a chocolate coating, gently slide one side of the strawberry against the rim of the glass, to remove the excess chocolate. (This side of the strawberry will be the bottom.)

    You want to remove any excess chocolate so it doesn’t puddle underneath the strawberry while drying.

    1. Once all excess chocolate has been removed, gently place strawberry on lined baking sheet.
    strawberry being gently pulled alongside of glass
    Carefully slide on edge of glass to remove excess
    Strawberry placed on parchment paper
    Allow to dry
    1. Continue covering strawberries until finished, placing them in a single layer on the baking sheet. Strawberries should be hardened in minutes and then they’re ready for eating!
    multiple pink chocolate covered strawberries on baking sheet
    Allow strawberries to cool

    Substitutions

    In case you can’t find exactly what I used in this recipe, there are other options you!

    • Type of Chocolate: If you don’t have the Ghirardelli white baking chips, you can use a different brand, bakers chocolate, or melting wafers. (Note: we also tried using pink candy melts and although it worked, the flavor just wasn’t as good as the Ghirardelli chocolate.)
    • Food Coloring: You can use red food coloring (gel or liquid) but just make sure to use as little as possible first so you don’t get red chocolate. Tip: You can even stick a toothpick down inside the food coloring and then place the toothpick in to the chocolate to transfer a smaller amount of color, than a drop may provide.
    • Parchment Paper: If you don’t have parchment paper, you can place each strawberry on cupcake liner or palce them on wax paper, aluminum foil or a Silpat mat.
    Pink chocolate covered strawberries on baking sheet
    Pink Chocolate Covered Strawberries

    Variations

    • Coconut Oil: We loved the strawberries just the way they were but you could also put about 2 tablespoons of coconut oil in with the chocolate chips when melting them. This will give the chocolate a thinner consistency. I prefer it without because it’s one less ingredient that you need and I like the texture of the chocolate just by itself.
    • Decorations: If you’d like to decorate your strawberries, more than just with the pink chocolate, you can decorate with sanding sugar, edible glitter, gold luster dust, sprinkles, crushed graham crackers or cookies or top with even more pink, chocolate or white chocolate drizzle with a piping bag, after the dipped chocolate has dried.
    Pink chocolate covered strawberries on pink checkered napkin
    Delicious pink strawberries

    Strawberry Care

    1. When prepping your strawberries, it’s best to wash and prune them before dipping. Remove any brown leaves and discard strawberries that have bruises or a lot of white on them. You want bright red, flawless strawberries for dipping, if you can.
    2. Soak your strawberries in water (just enough to cover them) and preferably, a tablespoon of vinegar for about 5 minutes.
    3. Drain strawberries and place on paper towels and allow them to air dry. If not dipping right away, place strawberries in the refrigerator until ready to dip. Cold strawberries for dipping is ideal so the chocolate will harden faster!

    Storage

    We’ve found that the strawberries are best at room temperature, however, if you won’t be serving them until the next day, the leaves can turn brown faster, sitting out. So refrigerating them may be best.

    Do note that the chocolate can “sweat” if placed in the refrigerator, and although that’s ok, you may want to pull them out of the refrigerator a little while before serving, to allow the “sweat” to dry.

    Also, serving chilled strawberries can make the chocolate harder than you may prefer, when you bite in to them.

    Pink chocolate covered strawberries in small white bowls
    Easy Pink Chocolate Covered Strawberries

    FAQ’s and Expert Tips

    How do you make pink chocolate?

    Simply melt white chocolate and add a drop of pink or red food coloring. If using red, you may want to dip a toothpick in to the coloring, then dip the toothpick in to the chocolate to add small amounts at a time, until you reach the desired pink color.

    Why are my chocolate strawberries sweating?

    Your strawberries can sweat during a drastic temperature change. When refrigerating your strawberries, they can “sweat” after they’re removed to room temperature.

    How far in advance can you make chocolate covered strawberries?

    It’s preferred to make them the day of, preferably a couple of hours in advance. However you can make them a day ahead of time but do note that if left out at room temperature, the leaves can “turn” a bit and not be as green and fresh looking.

    More Valentine’s Day Ideas

    Although you can enjoy pink chocolate-covered strawberries any time of year, they’re especially fun for Valentine’s Day alongside these heart rice krispie treats, this Valentine snack mix, and, of course, a pink colored drink. If you need more ideas to celebrate, here are our favorites:

    • Condensed milk brownies on parchment paper with middle brownie turned up on it's side.
      Condensed Milk Brownies
    • A slice of strawberry jello cake, topped with a strawberry slice, sitting on a round plate.
      Strawberry Jello Cake (Easy, Moist Strawberry Cake)
    • A slice of caramel cake with caramel frosting on a spatula.
      Caramel Sheet Cake with Caramel Frosting
    • A slice of Milky Way Cake, sitting on a vintage plate, topped with caramel and Milky Way candy bars.
      Milky Way Cake

    Recipe

    Pink Chocolate Covered Strawberries in white bowl
    Print Pin
    5 from 7 votes

    Pink Chocolate Covered Strawberries

    Pink Chocolate Covered Strawberries: Whether it's for Valentine's Day or just a sweet treat for someone, these pink dipped strawberries are not only easy but they're incredibly delicious!
    Course Dessert, Snack
    Cuisine American
    Prep Time 5 minutes minutes
    Cook Time 2 minutes minutes
    Cooling Time 5 minutes minutes
    Total Time 12 minutes minutes
    Servings 12 strawberries
    Calories 144kcal
    Author Jessica Burgess

    Ingredients

    • 12 strawberries See post for tips on best strawberries to select
    • 11 ounces Ghirardelli White Chocolate Chips or similar – see post for other options
    • 1 drop pink food coloring or red coloring – see post for tips on alternate options

    Instructions

    • Before melting the chocolate, it's best to prepare everything for dipping.

    Wash and Prepare Strawberries

    • Wash and remove any brown leaves from strawberries. (See tips in this post for strawberry care for best results!) Allow strawberries to dry before dipping.

    Prep Cooling Surface

    • I like to use a large baking sheet (big enough to fit a dozen strawberries) and cover it with parchment paper. Set aside.

    Melting Chocolate

    • In a small microwave-safe bowl (or narrow, heat-proof glass) pour in baking chips and melt according to package directions. (This is usually on half power for a couple of minutes, stopping at 30 second intervals to stir, so it doesn't burn.)

    Making Chocolate "Pink"

    • Once chocolate chips have melted, drop one drop of pink food coloring and stir until combined.
    • It should be a nice pink color at this point. (Remember one drop goes a long way.) You can continue adding drops of food coloring to reach the level of pink you prefer.

    How to Dip Strawberries

    • Simply poke a toothpick in to the top of the strawberry (through the leaf/stem area).
    • Dip strawberry in to pink chocolate, trying to hold it straight, so the chocolate would be even. NOTE: Be careful not to let the leaves go down in the chocolate.
    • When strawberries have a chocolate coating, gently slide one side of the strawberry against the rim of the glass, to remove the excess chocolate. (This side of the strawberry will be the bottom.)
    • Once all excess chocolate has been removed, gently place strawberry on lined baking sheet.
    • Continue covering strawberries until finished, placing them in a single layer on the baking sheet. Strawberries should be hardened in minutes and then they're ready for eating!

    Notes

    Strawberry Care:
    • When prepping your strawberries, it’s best to wash and prune them before dipping. Remove any brown leaves and discard strawberries that have bruises or a lot of white on them. You want bright red, flawless strawberries for dipping, if you can.
    • Soak your strawberries in water (just enough to cover them) and preferably, a tablespoon of vinegar for about 5 minutes.
    • Drain strawberries and place on paper towels and allow them to air dry. If not dipping right away, place strawberries in the refrigerator until ready to dip. Cold strawberries for dipping is ideal so the chocolate will harden faster!
    Storage: 
    We’ve found that the strawberries are best at room temperature, however, if you won’t be serving them until the next day, the leaves can turn brown faster, sitting out. So refrigerating them may be best.
    Do note that the chocolate can “sweat” if placed in the refrigerator, and although that’s ok, you may want to pull them out of the refrigerator a little while before serving, to allow the “sweat” to dry.
    Also, serving chilled strawberries can make the chocolate harder than you may prefer, when you bite in to them.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1strawberry | Calories: 144kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 5mg | Sodium: 24mg | Potassium: 93mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 9IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 54mg | Iron: 1mg

    Valentine Rice Krispie Treats

    February 12, 2022

    heart shaped rice krispie treats

    Valentine Rice Krispie Treats: These Valentine’s Day rice krispie treats are made with your favorite heart-shaped cookie cutters or silicone molds and decorated with sprinkles and piped icing.

    Although you can make heart shapes with rice krispies treats any time of year, it’s possibly our favorite, no-bake Valentine’s Day dessert idea and a fun idea for the holiday!

    heart shaped rice krispie treats on white plate
    Valentine Rice Krispie Treats

    Why you’ll love this recipe

    If you love decorating goodies and treats for the different holidays of the year, and if you’re like me, and you don’t consider yourself a whiz in the pastry chef department, you’ll love making this fun recipe. (You’ll also love these easy pink chocolate-covered strawberries then too!)

    See below how I use easy tools to decorate these delicious fun treats! They’re easy treats so the kids can help too!

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    Ingredients

    These heart rice krispie treats only require 4 ingredients! (Unless you want to try our rice krispie treats made with milk.) However, if you prefer to decorate with sprinkles, icing, etc. you’ll need those items as well! To make the Valentine’s rice crispy treats that you see here, we only used sprinkles and store-bought piped icing!

    ingredients for Valentine rice krispie treats
    Ingredients
    • 3 tablespoons butter
    • 4 cups mini marshmallows
    • 6 cups rice krispie cereal
    • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
    • sprinkles, if desired
    • icing, if desired
    • non-stick cooking spray, optional

    See the recipe card toward the end of this post for ingredients and instructions all in one place for these Valentine treats

    Instructions

    1. First, melt butter in large saucepan on low heat.
    2. Next, pour in marshmallow and stir to combine, allowing the low-heat to gently melt the marshmallows. Stir often.
    Melt Butter
    Add marshmallows
    1. Once marshmallows have melted, pour in vanilla extract and stir to combine.
    Pour in vanilla
    1. Next, pour in rice krispies cereal and stir to combine.
    Crispy rice cereal in large sauce pan
    Add in crisp rice cereal
    rice krispies and marshmallows mixed in pot
    Warm, marshmallowy goodness.
    1. Now it’s time to shape the marshmallow mixture in to hearts. (You can use a heart-shaped mold or cookie cutters like I used in our heart sugar cookies. See tips below.)
    heart-shaped silicone mold on counter
    Heart-shaped silicone mold
    1. If using a silicone mold, simply dish out amount of rice krispy mixture and gently press mixture in to mold. If using cookie cutters, you can spray them with cookie spray so the treats do not stick – then place cookie cutter on parchment paper or wax paper and fill cookie cutter with treats. Remove and repeat until mixture is gone.
    2. NOTE: if decorating treats with sprinkles, it’s best to pour sprinkles on to the sweet treats before they harden, so sprinkles will secure in to the marshamallow texture for the perfect treat.
    hand pouring sprinkles on heart-shaped rice crispy treats
    Optional: Sprinkles
    piping icing on to rice crispy treat hearts
    Optional: Piped icing

    Icing Tube

    To keep things super simple, we used Cake Craft Icing Tube’s, in pink and red. We found that these were really easy to use and worked well on these fun treats, so you don’t even have to use a piping bag.

    To use them, you simply attach a piping tip (I used a #3 piping tip)to the tube and can start decorating!

    TIP: Feel free to wait until the rice krispie treat hearts have hardened before applying icing if you prefer.

    Heart shaped treats on white plate with sprinkles on table
    Valentine’s Day Treats

    Substitutions

    Side Note: I bought this heart-shaped silicone mold to use for these rice krispy treats and found that it was my favorite way to make them! However, heart-shaped cookie cutters work just fine too!

    You can use other items to decorate these treats if you prefer. Such as:

    • melted chocolate drizzle (white chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips, etc.)
    • dip hearts in melted chocolate
    • red or pink candy melts

    Variations

    If you want to get super creative and have fun with the rice crispy treat hearts, you can mix in items like we did with our some of our favorite recipes caramel rice krispie treats and cookies & cream treats!

    Heart shaped valentine rice crispy treats
    Heart Shaped Rice Krispy Treats

    Storage

    Store the Valentine's rice krispie treats in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2-3 days for freshness. (You can enjoy them after 2-3 days but the longer they sit, the harder they can get.)

    hand holding heart rice krispie treat
    Yum!! Valentine Rice Krispy Treats

    Top tip

    How far in advance can I make Rice Crispy Treats?

    It’s best to make them the day of, so they’re as soft as possible. However, you can make them a day in advance, just make sure to store them properly.

    How do you keep Rice Crispy Treats from sticking to your hands?

    Spraying hands with cooking spray before shaping or pressing in to a pan can help prevent marshmallow treats from sticking to your hand. Or, place hand in small plastic baggie, then spray with cooking spray or spread small amount butter on to bag, then press. This way the treats won’t stick to the bag and your hand remains clean.

    Why did my Rice Krispie Treats come out hard?

    When pressing down on rice krispie treats to mold them, don’t press super hard, as this can make your treats hard. Gently press, to shape them for a gooier, treat.

    More Valentine’s Day Ideas

    You must use the category name, not a URL, in the category field.

    Recipe

    heart shaped rice krispie treats
    Print Pin
    5 from 4 votes

    Valentine Rice Krispie Treats

    Valentine Rice Krispie Treats: These Valentine's Day rice krispie treats are made with your favorite heart-shaped cookie cutters or silicone molds and decorated with sprinkles and piped icing.
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American
    Prep Time 2 minutes minutes
    Cook Time 5 minutes minutes
    Decorating Time 3 minutes minutes
    Total Time 10 minutes minutes
    Servings 10 hearts
    Calories 140kcal
    Author Jessica Burgess

    Equipment

    • heart-shaped silicone mold optional
    • heart-shaped cookie cuttersr optional

    Ingredients

    • 3 tablespoons butter
    • 4 cups miniature marshmallows
    • 6 cups crispy rice cereal
    • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

    Instructions

    • Begin by melting butter in stovepot on low heat.
    • Next, pour in marshmallow and stir to combine, allowing the low-heat to gently melt the marshmallows. Stir often.
    • Once marshmallows have melted, pour in vanilla extract and stir to combine.Next, pour in rice krispies cereal and stir to combine.
    • Now it's time to shape the rice crispy treats in to hearts.
    • If using a silicone mold, simply dish out amount of rice krispy mixture and gently press in to mold. If using cookie cutters, you can spray them with cookie spray so the treats do not stick – then place cookie cutter on parchment paper and fill cookie cutter with treats. Remove and repeat until mixture is gone. NOTE: if decorate treats with sprinkles, it's best to pour sprinkles on treats before they harded, so sprinkles will secure in to the marshamallow texture.
    • Decorate hearts, if desired. See post for tips on icing and sprinkles.

    Notes

    How far in advance can you make rice crispy treats?
    It’s best to make them the day of, so they’re as soft as possible. However, you can make them a day in advance, just make sure to store them properly.
    How can I keep rice krispie treats from sticking to my hands?
    Spraying hands with cooking spray before shaping or pressing in to a pan can help prevent marshmallow treats from sticking to your hand. Or, place hand in small plastic baggie, then spray with cooking spray or spread small amount butter on to bag, then press. This way the treats won’t stick to the bag and your hand remains clean.
    Why did my rice krispie treats come out hard?
    When pressing down on rice krispie treats to mold them, don’t press super hard, as this can make your treats hard. Gently press, to shape them for a gooier, treat.
    How to Store Rice Krispie Treats
    Store treats in an air-tight container for 2-3 days. Treats can be enjoyed longer than that, however they tend to get harder as the days go on so it’s best to enjoy them quickly.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1heart | Calories: 140kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 9mg | Sodium: 47mg | Potassium: 17mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 105IU | Calcium: 3mg | Iron: 1mg

    Cheeseburger Casserole

    February 10, 2022

    Cheeseburger Casserole

    This easy cheeseburger casserole recipe is the perfect busy weeknight meal. Ground beef, spices, and cheese are topped with biscuits to create a hearty casserole that the whole family will love!

    Cheeseburgers may just be our favorite dinner around here, and with our popular cheeseburgers in the oven recipe, I knew you’d love this casserole too! But if you’re a cheeseburger fan, you may also love our cheeseburger sliders and these cheeseburger subs, which are hard to beat!

    Cheeseburger Caserole

    Swap out the seasoning and make yourself a Big Mac Casserole for that iconic Golden Arches experience. You can also make Cheeseburger Sliders for more of a grab-and-go meal.

    Why You’ll Love This Recipe

    I would definitely call myself a cheeseburger lover – whether it’s a fast food burger, a fancy restaurant burger, or a homemade one, I love a good cheeseburger.

    So of course this easy cheeseburger casserole goes right to the top of my list of favorite casseroles! (Well, along with this french onion beef casserole and this Doritos chicken casserole of course.)

    Most hamburger casserole recipes have some sort of meat sauce/noodle mixture, so I was super excited when I could share a cheeseburger casserole without pasta! (Much like this walking taco casserole too!)

    You’ll also love this similar hashbrown hamburger casserole, classic beef stroganoff recipe, and this chicken pot pie casserole!

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    Ingredients

    This recipe uses simple ingredients that even your picky eaters will be ok with!

    • 2 pounds ground beef (See our other ground beef recipes.)
    • ⅔ cup ketchup
    • 2 teaspoons onion powder
    • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
    • ½ teaspoon black pepper
    • 3 cups cheddar cheese shredded and divided
    • 1 can refrigerated biscuits like Pillsbury Grands
    • 1 tablespoon salted butter melted

    Jump to the printable recipe card right now or keep scrolling to see how you can make this easy recipe (where we basically create a cheeseburger in casserole form)!

    A picture of the ingredients you need to make a cheeseburger casserole.

    Instructions

    1. Heat oven to 425° F. Grease a 9×13 casserole dish or spray it with cooking spray.
    2. Brown ground beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat (breaking it up with a wooden spoon as you go) until no longer pink; drain off fat. If you are using extra-lean ground beef (or turkey), you can put a bit of olive oil in the pan to keep it from sticking. 
    A 9x13" baking dish that's been sprayed with cooking spray.
    Spray/grease the 9×13 pan.
    2 lb ground beef in a large nonstick skillet.
    Brown the beef.
    1. Add ketchup, onion powder, garlic powder, ½ teaspoon pepper, and 2 cups of shredded cheese. Stir well to combine. 
    Ketchup, spices and 2 cups of cheese added into the nonstick skillet with the cooked beef.
    Add everything but 1 cup of cheese.
    1. Scoop mix into the prepared 9×13″ baking dish and spread evenly. Top beef mixture with remaining one cup of cheese. 
    2. Separate biscuits in half, dividing top and bottom to make them thinner. Using whole biscuits instead of halves can make it so the bottom doesn't cook and the top over cooks, so don’t skip this step. 
    The cooked beef and cheese mixture pressed into the prepared 9x13 pan.
    Press meat into pan.
    The remaining 1 cup of cheese scattered over the beef mixture.
    Sprinkle cheese over top.
    1. Arrange biscuits on top of the casserole (should fit 12 biscuits). 
    12 biscuits (that have been split in half) layered on top of the casserole.
    Layer biscuits on top.
    1. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown and cooked through. 
    A pastry brush brushing melted butter on top of the biscuits after the cheeseburger casserole has been cooked.
    Brush butter on top and enjoy!
    1. Brush melted butter on top of the biscuits and serve.
    Biscuit and cheeseburger casserole on spatula

    Substitutions

    What substitutions can you make in this baked cheeseburger casserole? Quite a few actually!

    • Beef – you can replace this with ground turkey, pork or really any other ground meat.
    • Cheese – you could use other American cheese in place of cheddar, or even a soft cheese like Velveeta.
    • Biscuits – if you don’t have any refrigerated biscuits on hand, you can make boxed biscuits or biscuits from scratch and drop them by the teaspoon full on top of the casserole instead.
    • Spices – you could use fresh chopped onion and garlic in place of the dried spices called for in this recipe.
    • Ketchup – you can use tomato sauce (or tomato paste thinned out with a bit of water) in place of the ketchup in this recipe to reduce the sugar content a bit.
    Cheeseburger casserole on white plate

    Variations

    If you’ve made this casserole and you loved it, try one of these variations the next time you make it!

    • Spice It Up – if you like Mexican recipes or spicy food in general, try replacing the ketchup in this recipe with a spicy salsa and the cheddar cheese with a pepper jack cheese!
    • Bacon cheeseburger casserole – chop some bacon and cook it at the same time as your ground beef to turn this into a bacon cheeseburger casserole. You could also add some crumbled bacon to the cheese you put on top of the meat mixture! (Some of these ingredients are similar to our tater tot casserole too!)
    • Sour Cream and Onion – if you want to get really wild, try mixing some chopped green onions and crushed sour cream and onion potato chips in with the cheese. Then serve your sour cream and onion cheesy casserole with a dollop of sour cream on top!
    Fork full of a bite of cheeseburger casserole
    Such a delicious bite!

    Storage

    STORAGE: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days.

    You can freeze this casserole, too! Assemble it in a freezer-safe container, cover it with foil and label it. When you are ready to cook it, let the casserole thaw in the fridge for 24 hours, and then cook according to the recipe instructions.

    Expert Tips and FAQs

    What else to add to cheeseburger casserole? (bacon, etc.)

    This is not only a great recipe because it’s delicious but also because it’s so flexible! You can mix in basically anything you like to make this casserole exactly how your entire family wants it to be.

    – Cook up some chopped bacon with the ground beef if you like.
    – Add in some vegetables or cauliflower rice to give it a nutritional boost.
    – Mix in some red pepper flakes or chili powder to give it a kick. – If you aren’t on a keto diet, you could boil some elbow macaroni in a large pot of salted water, drain it and add it to the meat mixture, too!

    Can you freeze cheeseburger casserole?

    Yes, you sure can. The only change we would make is to be sure you put this in a freezer safe container. We would suggest an aluminum 9×13 pan if you are going to freeze it.

    When you are ready to cook it, let the casserole thaw in the fridge for 24 hours and then cook according to the recipe instructions.

    What to Serve with Cheeseburger Casserole

    Wondering what to serve with cheeseburger casserole? We think it would go great with our easy side salad (there’s a secret that makes this one THE BEST one ever)!

    Related Recipes

    If you’re looking for more easy dinner recipes check out our other ground beef recipes like this homemade hamburger helper in the instant pot or this 30 minute taco pasta recipe! Or, similar ingredients come together to make a creamy stovetop dinner in this hamburger mac and cheese!

    Recipe

    Cheeseburger Casserole
    Print Pin
    4.96 from 22 votes

    Cheeseburger Casserole

    Cheeseburger Casserole: This easy cheeseburger casserole recipe is the perfect busy weeknight meal. Ground beef, spices, and cheese are topped with biscuits to create a hearty casserole that the whole family will love!
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine American
    Prep Time 20 minutes minutes
    Cook Time 15 minutes minutes
    Total Time 35 minutes minutes
    Servings 8 servings
    Calories 707kcal
    Author Jessica Burgess

    Ingredients

    • 2 pounds ground beef
    • ⅔ cup ketchup
    • 2 teaspoons onion powder
    • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
    • ½ teaspoon black pepper
    • 3 cups cheddar cheese shredded and divided
    • 1 can refrigerated biscuits like Pillsbury Grands
    • 1 tablespoon salted butter melted

    Instructions

    • Heat oven to 425° F. Grease a 9×13 casserole dish or spray it with cooking spray.
    • Brown ground beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat (breaking it up as you go) until no longer pink; drain off fat. If you are using extra-lean ground beef (or turkey), you can put a bit of olive oil in the pan to keep it from sticking.
    • Add ketchup, onion powder, garlic powder, ½ teaspoon pepper, and 2 cups of shredded cheese. Stir well to combine. 
    • Scoop mix into the prepared 9×13" baking dish and spread evenly. Top beef mixture with remaining one cup of cheese. 
    • Separate biscuits in half, dividing top and bottom to make them thinner. Using whole biscuits instead of halves can make it so the bottom doesn't cook and the top over cooks, so don't skip this step.
    • Arrange biscuits on top of the casserole (should fit 12 biscuits).
    • Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown and cooked through. 
    • Brush melted butter on top of the biscuits and serve.

    Notes

    STORAGE: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days.
    You can freeze this casserole, too! Assemble it in a freezer safe container, cover it with foil and label it. When you are ready to cook it, let the casserole thaw in the fridge for 24 hours and then cook according to the recipe instructions.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1serving | Calories: 707kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 34g | Fat: 48g | Saturated Fat: 20g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 18g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 129mg | Sodium: 1078mg | Potassium: 549mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 573IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 360mg | Iron: 5mg

    Lucky Charms Pancakes

    February 8, 2022

    lucky charms pancakes

    Lucky Charms Pancakes: Add some of your favorite cereal to pancakes to add fun flavor and color, especially with this optional white chocolate syrup!

    Pancakes may just be one of our favorite breakfast recipes around here and adding one of our favorite cereals to it, takes them to a whole new level; like when we added Oreos in pancakes!

    stacked lucky charms pancakes with chocolate syrup
    Lucky Charms Pancakes

    Why You’ll Love This Recipe

    Lucky Charms pancakes are fun any time of year but they’re especially fun for St. Patrick’s Day! We love making those on the morning of and these Lucky Charms treats in the afternoon!

    If desired, you can also drop a little green food coloring in your pancake batter, to make green pancakes for the holiday if you like! (Remember, a little goes a long way!)

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    Ingredients

    We like to keep things easy around here, so we give two options for making the pancake batter, so you can pick which one is best for you!

    • pancake batter – see notes below
    • Lucky Charms cereal (you can use the leftovers for this Luck of the Irish Charcuterie!)
    • butter
    Ingredients for Lucky Charms pancakes

    See the full recipe card for quantities and full instructions.

    Homemade Pancake Batter or Pancake Mix

    You can either make your pancake batter from scratch for a homemade pancake experience, using my favorite fluffy pancakes recipe (up until the point before cooking them) or you can use a pancake mix and make the batter according to package directions! For pancakes from scratch pancakes, you’ll need:

    • 1-½ cups all purpose flour
    • 3-½ teaspoon baking powder
    • 3 tablespoon sugar
    • 1-¼ cups whole milk or buttermilk for buttermilk pancakes (Or almond milk pancakes!)
    • 1 egg
    • 3 tablespoon melted salted butter
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

    For pancake mix, my favorite is Krusteaz pancake mix, as it gives a fluffy texture and a flavor, close to that homemade pancake we all love! Plus, it only requires water, and that means it uses way fewer ingredients than a from-scratch recipe.

    No matter which way you choose to make your pancake batter, this is where the fun comes in, to make the lucky charms pancakes!

    Instructions:

    1. After you’ve mixed together your pancake batter in a large bowl, pour in 1 cup of Lucky Charms and mix together with a spoon. (You don’t want to over-mix the batter, as it can make flat pancakes.)
    Add in Lucky Charms to pancake batter
    Pour 1 cup of Lucky Charms in to batter
    Pancake batter in bowl with Lucky Charms cereal
    Batter mixed with cereal
    1. In a frying pan, or on a hot griddle, melt butter over low-medium heat
    2. Next, scoop out a portion of pancake batter to pour on to the melted butter. (I like to use an ice cream scoop and scoop out about a scoop and a half, for one pancake.)
    Melted butter in skillet with pancakes cooking
    Lucky Charms pancakes cooking in skillet
    1. Once small bubbles start to form on the top of the pancake batter while cooking, it’s time to flip to cook the other side.
    2. When the other side has cooked (about 2-3 minutes or so) the pancakes should be removed from the pan or griddle and on to a serving tray/plate. (If you’re new to making pancakes though, it may be best to check by gently lifting up on the bottom of the pancake with a spatula, to check that the bottoms are golden brown.)
    Stacked Lucky Charms Pancakes on white plate

    Expert Tip

    If you can only make a couple of pancakes at one time, stack the cooked pancakes on top of one another, so it holds the heat in.

    White Chocolate Syrup

    You can of course stop here and use regular pancake syrup but if you’re wanting to really top off your pancakes with something fun, consider making this white chocolate “syrup” which is just melted chocolate with green sprinkles. When we made the pumpkin pancakes with white chocolate maple syrup, my world was changed so I knew it had to happen on these too!

    This is super fun for St. Patrick’s Day, and if you’re not making them for the holiday, you could even just use the white chocolate or you could add your favorite color of sprinkles in!

    How to Make White Chocolate Syrup

    If you’d like to make what we used, we simply melted Ghirardelli’s classic white chips and then added green sprinkles for St. Patrick’s Day.

    However, you can absolutely skip the sprinkles or even use your favorite color of sprinkles! Lucky Charms have so many fun colors so any color that’s in the cereal would be a super fun color for sprinkles too!

    white chocolate chips and green sprinkles on table
    All you need for white chocolate syrup

    Other Tested Chocolate “Syrup” Options:

    You can absolutely use your own favorite white chocolate syrup or white chocolate sauce to top these cereal pancakes.

    NOTE: I did try adding some milk to the chocolate chips to thin it out a bit but I just didn’t like the consistency. Then I realized that if you pour the melted chocolate on top of a stack of pancakes, the warmth of the pancakes with help keep the chocolate melted, and tastes absolutely incredible.

    I also tried using the Ghirardelli White Chocolate sauce and although it was tasty, it just didn’t give the bright-white “look” of the syrup that looks so tasty, paired with those green sprinkles.

    Cereal Milk Syrup

    Or, if you want to get REALLY WILD and experiment… make a bowl of Lucky Charms (with milk) and let it sit for a bit. Then, reserve the cereal milk to mix with powdered sugar to create a Lucky Charms “glaze” to use in the syrup instead. It may just give it that extra flavor we all look forward to, after eating our Lucky Charms!

    lucky charms pancakes with white chocolate syrup
    White chocolate “syrup” on pancakes

    Top pancakes with extra Lucky Charms marshmallows and cereal pieces, if desired, and serve!

    Bite taken out of stack of lucky charms pancakes
    Magically delicious flavor in every bite!

    More Topping Ideas

    Looking to add different toppings? Make sure to check out these 95+ pancake topping ideas that we have. Or here are our other specific favorite toppings for these:

    • regular mini marshmallows
    • crushed cookies
    • mix in peanut butter with the white chocolate syrup
    • cream cheese icing
    • whipped cream
    Close-up of bite of pancakes
    A delicious bite that’s FULL of flavor!

    Storage

    If you have leftover pancakes, it’s best to store them, without syrup, in an airtight container, in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

    More Pancake Recipes

    I so hope you enjoy one of our favorite Lucky Charms recipes! Make sure to check out these other favorite delicious pancakes to add to your favorites:

    • Blueberry Pancakes
      Easy Blueberry Pancakes
    • Pumpkin Pancakes with Pancake Mix
    • Butternut Squash Pancakes stacked with butter on top.
      Easy 5 Minute Butternut Squash Pancakes
    • Pancake Toppings Ideas
      95+ Pancake Toppings Ideas

    Recipe

    lucky charms pancakes
    Print Pin
    5 from 3 votes

    Lucky Charms Pancakes

    Lucky Charms Pancakes: Add some of your favorite cereal to pancakes to add fun flavor and color, especially with this optional white chocolate syrup!
    Course Breakfast
    Cuisine American
    Prep Time 5 minutes minutes
    Cook Time 5 minutes minutes
    Total Time 10 minutes minutes
    Servings 6 pancakes
    Calories 263kcal
    Author Jessica Burgess

    Ingredients

    If Making Pancakes from Scratch:

    • 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
    • 3 ½ teaspoon baking powder
    • 3 tablespoon sugar
    • 1 ¼ cups milk buttermilk or regular, whole milk (2% or skim will be fine too!)
    • 1 egg
    • 3 tablespoons melted salted butter
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

    If Making Pancakes from Store-Bought Mix:

    • 2 cups Pancake Mix We use Krusteaz but make according to your brand's directions.
    • 1 ⅓ cups Water

    Mix-Ins and Toppings

    • 1 cup Lucky Charms cereal
    • 2 tablespoons butter used for melting in frying pan or griddle
    • 2 cups Ghirardelli white chocolate baking chips
    • 1 tablespoon green sprinkles Optional, or desired color!

    Instructions

    • In a mixing bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, and sugar.
    • Next, add in the milk, egg, 3 tbsp. melted butter and vanilla.
    • Using a whisk, lightly mix the batter blending the ingredients. Do not overmix. Lumps are good! 
    • Pour in the one cup of Lucky Charms cereal and gently stir to combine.
    • Melt a tablespoon of butter in the pan over low-medium heat (unless using griddle and it's large enough to fit more pancakes, then you'll want to melt enough butter to coat the cooking surface.)
    • Using an ice cream scoop, scoop out a scoop and a half of batter to make one pancake.
    • When bubbles start to form on top of cooking pancakes, it's time to flip to the other side.
    • Cook an additional two minutes until the bottom is a light golden brown, and the centers look cooked.
    • Remove panakes from cooking surface and stack them on top of one another, on a plate or serving dish, to retain the heat while remaining pancakes cook.
    • One all pancakes are cooked, you can top with your favorite syrup and serve.

    White Chocolate Syrup

    • Following the package directions, gently melt the chocolate chips. If melting in the microwave, it's usually recommended to place chips in a microwavable bowl, and cook for 2 minutes on half-power, stopping every 30 seconds to stir. DO NOT OVER COOK THE CHIPS as they'll scorch and burn.
    • Once chocolate has melted and is smooth, pour in most of the sprinkles and stir to combine.
    • Pour syrup over pancakes, quickly, before chocolate hardens, and sprinkle with remaining sprinkles and/or Lucky Charms.

    Notes

    Storage
    If you have leftover pancakes, it’s best to store them, without syrup, in an airtight container, in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1pancake | Calories: 263kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 47mg | Sodium: 124mg | Potassium: 362mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 466IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 195mg | Iron: 3mg

    Valentine Snack Mix

    February 6, 2022

    Cupid Crunch - Valentine's Snack

    Valentine Snack Mix: A mixture of melted white chocolate, dry cereal, sprinkles, cookies, and candies make this one of our favorite Valentine snacks!

    Plus, it’s a delicious easy dessert treat that can be customized to use your favorite Valentine’s Day candy!

    white chocolate covered treats in white bowl
    Valentine Snack Mix

    It seems like there’s a “Chex mix” recipe for every holiday out there! Whether it’s a savory homemade Chex mix recipe or a sweet snack mix, it’s usually an easy recipe that’s versatile that can be customized to fit the holiday colors and flavors! (We even made an Easter snack mix, a Christmas mix recipe, and a Sriracha Honey Chex Mix!)

    When it comes to Valentine snack mix recipes, it’s fun to add red and pink to a white chocolate-covered “base” that can consist of dry cereal, pretzels, or even something like popcorn!

    But for this recipe, since we love our hot chocolate muddy buddies so much around the holidays, and our lemon puppy chow in the spring, we knew we wanted something similar for a Valentine muddy buddy mix.

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    Ingredients

    This Valentine’s Day snack mix is made using melted white chocolate, two types of dry cereal, other dry snacks, sprinkles, and your favorite red, pink and white candies.

    White Chocolate:

    Although you can use white almond bark, I REALLY recommend using Ghiradelli white chocolate baking chips or the vanilla melting wafers for this. Almond bark is absolutely ok to use and this will still turn out delicious… but Ghiradelli chocolate is INCREDIBLE.

    Cereal:

    • Rice Chex (Any Chex cereal will do but we prefer Rice Chex)
    • Kashi Honey Toasted (It has circles and HEARTS! How perfect is that for Valentine’s Day!)

    Cookies, Pretzels, Sprinkles, Candy:

    This is where it can get really fun! I know that sometimes it can be hard to find the exact type of ingredients that I used in this recipe so know that you can mix things up to either fit what you have on hand or what kind of flavors you prefer!

    For this recipe, we used:

    • Valentine’s Day Sprinkles (We bought ours from Walmart but you can usually find them at Target, Hobby Lobby, or similar stores too! Or, snag some on Amazon if you have time for delivery!)
    • White Chocolate Covered Pretzels – you can use regular pretzels and mix that in with the cereal if you prefer. Note: this will reduce the amount of chocolate coating on cereal mixture, so you may want to melt more chocolate than suggested.
    • Mini White Chocolate Kit Kats – if you can’t find the “mini’s” you can break up regular size Kit Kats in to small pieces.
    • Starburts “FaveREDS” Jelly Beans – if you love Jelly Beans but can’t find the Starburst brand, you can pick out the pink and reds from regular jelly beans. Or, order Jelly Belly’s online!
    • Valentine M&M’s – like the jelly beans above, if you can’t find the Valentine mix, you can usually find the colors you need online but around Valentine’s Day, you can usually find them in grocery stores or Target!
    • “FaveReds” Starburst Mini’s – You can usually find these all year long but you can also use regular size Starbursts, or you could even cut the regular size in half if you prefer a smaller bite for this mix.
    • Circus Animal Cookies – these are the perfect colors for this mix! But feel free to use regular animal crackers if you can’t find this kind. We love using these in so many desserts, like our Circus Animal donuts because they had the perfect flavor and pop of color for some fun!
    Ingredients on table for snack mix
    Feel free to change up any of the ingredients!

    See the recipe card below, for full ingredient amounts and instructions!

    Instructions

    Prep:

    1. First, thinking ahead, grab a large baking sheet and cover it completely with parchment paper. Or, you can pull out a large sheet of parchment paper (big enough all of the cereal will fit on it after covered with chocolate) and place it on a flat surface like a kitchen counter. This will be used after mixing the melted chocolate and cereal.

    Melting the Chocolate:

    1. Next, melt the chocolate baking chips in a large bowl (large enough that the cereal will fit in it after the chocolate is melted).

    To melt the chocolate chips or melting wafers, it’s best to refer to the package directions as they can all be different.

    However, most of the time, it’s recommended when melting in the microwave, to melt the chocolate on half-power for 2 minutes, stopping and stirring the chocolate every 30 seconds. DO NOT OVERCOOK – as the chocolate will “burn” and won’t melt smooth.

    Combine Chocolate and Cereal:

    1. Once chocolate is completely melted, pour dry cereal in to bowl of white chocolate and carefully stir to mix, trying to make sure all of the cereal becomes covered.
    2. Next, pour in half of the sprinkles, and stir.
    chex cereal with melted white chocolate
    Mix cereal in with melted white chocolate
    Valentine sprinkles with cereal mixture
    Add sprinkles before chocolate hardens

    Add Half of the Sprinkles

    1. Once mixed, pour out the white chocolate mixture on to parchment paper and spread out so most of it is in a single layer. (It’s ok if some of it’s still touching – you’ll be breaking it up in to small pieces anyway once it has hardened.)
    2. Sprinkle the remaining sprinkles on the top of the cereal before the chocolate hardens.
    cereal chocolate mixture on baking sheet
    Spread out on parchment paper to dry

    Cooling Time:

    1. Allow cereal to “dry” (about 10 minutes) and then break up the cereal in to small bite-size pieces. (Remember, this is a snack mix so it’s ok if some of cereal is stuck together but large pieces are harder to eat when snacking.)

    Add Remaining Ingredients:

    1. Next, it’s time to add in the remaining ingredients. (Candies, cookies, pretzels, etc.)
    all ingredients in large bowl
    Mix in remaining ingredients
    1. You can either mix it all together in the large bowl or you can pour the candies and cookies on top of the broken pieces of cereal and mix it with your hands.
    finished valentine snack mixture

    How to Serve this Valentine Chex Mix Recipe:

    There are a lot of fun ways you can serve this!

    • You can leave this easy treat out on a baking sheet for everyone to graze on. Maybe next to these heart-shaped cookies!
    • Pour it in a large serving bowl that can be included on a buffet line with other desserts, if entertaining.
    • Divide it in to multiple smaller bowls or dishes, and place them in different areas if hosting guests, for an easy party treat, so they can easily munch on it, no matter which room they’re in!
    • Divide the white chocolate snack mix in to small snack bags, or plastic bag, and tie it with a cute tag, and deliver this sweet treat to your friends and family for the perfect Valentine's Day snack!
    cupid crunch snack mix in bowl
    White chocolate Chex mix

    Substitutions

    As mentioned earlier, this recipe is very forgiving so feel free to substitute items to make it your favorite! For instance:

    • Corn Chex instead of Rice Chex
    • Cheerios instead of Kashi cereal
    • Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal
    • Golden Grahams cereal
    • Different, pink and red candies
    • Almond bark instead of baking chips
    • Popcorn instead of cereal
    • Different cookies or animal crackers
    • Add in mini marshmallows
    • Mix in peanut butter with chocolate
    Valentine's Day Snack in bowl
    Valentine’s Day Snack Idea

    Variations

    If you love the look and sound of this mix, and want to change it up to fit the holiday you’re making it for, head to the store and see if you can find candies/cookies/snacks in the color you’re aiming for. For instance, green candies for St. Patricks Day, red and green for Christmas, etc.

    Storage

    Store in a covered, airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days. 

    What can you do with leftover Valentine’s candy?

    Whether you have leftover Valentine’s candy and you’re wanting to make this snack mix with it, or you have leftover candy after making this recipe, there are a LOT of ways you can use it up! Here are some of our favorites:

    • Make this similar recipe but substitute popped popcorn for the cereal.
    • Mix in to ice cream
    • Top fluffy homemade pancakes with syrup and chocolate candies
    • Add the chocolate candies to cookies such as these brownie mix cookies

    More Valentine’s Day Ideas

    Looking for more ways to spread the love this year? Here are a few of our Valentine’s Day favorites:

    You must use the category name, not a URL, in the category field.

    Recipe

    Cupid Crunch - Valentine's Snack
    Print Pin
    5 from 4 votes

    Valentine Snack Mix

    Valentine Snack Mix: A mixture of melted white chocolate, dry cereal, sprinkles, cookies, and candies make this one of our favorite Valentine snacks!
    Course Dessert, Snack
    Cuisine American
    Prep Time 5 minutes minutes
    Cook Time 2 minutes minutes
    Drying Time 10 minutes minutes
    Total Time 17 minutes minutes
    Servings 15 servings
    Calories 367kcal
    Author Jessica Burgess

    Ingredients

    • 1 ½ cups white chocolate chips we prefer Ghirardelli (See post for other suggestions)
    • 3 cups Rice Chex cereal can use corn Chex but rice is preferred
    • 1 cup Kashi Honey Toasted Oat Cereal can use Cheerios if desired but Kashi has "hearts"!
    • 5 oz. white fudge covered pretzels We used "Flipz" brand and the 5 oz. bag
    • 1 7.6 bag of mini white chocolate Kit Kat's
    • 1 cup Circus Animal cookies The pink and white sprinkled animal crackers
    • ½ cup "Cupid Mix" M&M's red and pink variety of M&M's
    • ½ cup FaveREDS mini Starbursts
    • ½ cup FaveREDS Starburst jelly beans
    • ¼ cup Valentine sprinkles

    Instructions

    • First, thinking ahead, grab a large baking sheet and cover it completely with parchment paper.
    • Next, melt the chocolate baking chips in a large bowl (large enough that the cereal will fit in it after the chocolate is melted) following the package directions for melting. (Most will be to melt on half-power for 2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds. Do NOT overcook.)
    • Once chocolate is completely melted, pour dry cereal in to bowl of white chocolate and carefully stir to mix, trying to make sure all of the cereal becomes covered.
    • Next, pour in half of the sprinkles, and stir.
    • Once mixed, pour out chocolate covered cereal on to parchment paper and spread out so most of it is in a single layer. (It's ok if some of it's still touching – you'll be breaking it up in to small pieces anywhay once hardened.)
    • Sprinkle the reamaining sprinkles on the top of the cereal before the chocolate hardens.
    • Allow cereal to "dry" (about 10 minutes) and then break up the cereal in to small bite-size pieces. (Remember, this is a snack mix so it's ok if some of cereal is stuck together but large pieces are harder to eat when snacking.)
    • Next, it's time to add in the remaining ingredients. (Candies, cookies, pretzels, etc.)
    • You can either mix it all together in the large bowl or you can pour the candies and cookies on top of the broken pieces of cereal and mix it with your hands. Serve!

    Notes

    Substitutions
    As mentioned earlier, this recipe is very forgiving so feel free to substitute items to make it your favorite! For instance:
    • Corn Chex instead of Rice Chex
    • Cheerios instead of Kashi ceral
    • Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal
    • Different, pink and red candies
    • Almond bark instead of baking chips
    • Popcorn instead of cereal
    • Different cookies or animal crackers
    How to Store:
    Store in a covered, air-tight container at room temperature for 3-4 days. 

    Nutrition

    Serving: 0.5cup | Calories: 367kcal | Carbohydrates: 60g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 8mg | Sodium: 306mg | Potassium: 138mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 31g | Vitamin A: 213IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 83mg | Iron: 5mg

    Monster Cookies

    February 4, 2022

    Monster Cookies

    Monster Cookies: These chewy monster cookies are made with oats, chocolate chips, M&M’s, and a few other staple ingredients, making them the best monster cookies ever!

    If you need desserts that slice easily and feed a crowd, take a look at my potluck desserts collection.

    monster cookies on table with m&m's
    Monster Cookies Recipe

    Why You’ll Love This Recipe

    There are a lot of different ways to make classic cookies like a chocolate chip cookie. Some give you crunchy cookies, some give you fudge cookies, some make cake-like cookies…

    This monster cookies recipe gives you a cookie that’s chewy on the inside and crispy on the outside (those are the best cookies, in my opinion). It’s the best monster cookie recipe there is; it’s basically peanut butter oatmeal cookies with chocolate chips and extra M&M in them…yum!

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    What is a monster cookie made of?

    It’s always a good idea to gather your ingredients before you start baking (to make sure you aren’t missing anything). This is what you’ll need to make your monster cookies.

    • 1 cup all purpose flour
    • 1 ½ cups quick-cooking oats *
    • 1 teaspoon baking soda
    • ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
    • ⅛ teaspoon salt
    • ½ cup chocolate chips
    • ½ cup chocolate M&Ms (or mini M&M)
    • ½ cup salted butter softened at room temperature
    • 1 cup light brown sugar
    • ½ cup granulated sugar
    • 1 ¼ cup creamy peanut butter *
    • 2 large eggs
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • Optional: 1 ½ tablespoon cookie scoop (Oxo or similar)
    Ingredients for monster cookies.
    Ingredients

    How to make monster cookies

    1. Heat oven to 350 F.
    2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicon mat.
    3. In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients (flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt). Mix well.

    Quick cooking oats are the best ones to use in this recipe. You can use old fashioned oats, but they will change the texture of the cookie and make it a lot more chewy.

    Flour, oats, cinnamon, baking soda and salt combined in a large bowl.
    Add dry ingredients to bowl.
    Dry ingredients mixed together in a glass bowl.
    Combine together.
    1. Add the chocolate chips and the M&M chocolate candies to the flour mixture. Mix until they are coated. Set aside.
    Chocolate chips and m&ms added on top of the dry ingredients.
    1. In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer or hand mixer to mix butter and sugar together on medium speed (you can also do this with a stand mixer). Mix until it’s combined and you have a thick dough.  
    2. Add the peanut butter and mix on low speed until combined

    You can use either creamy peanut butter or chunky peanut butter for this recipe, but natural peanut butter/nut butters don’t work very well.

    Peanut butter added to the bowl with the butter and sugar mixture (now combined).
    1. Add the eggs, one at the time, mixing in between each one. 
    The peanut butter, butter and sugar mixture after it is all combined.
    Add eggs and mix.
    1. Next add about ⅓ of the flour mixture to the wet ingredients. Mix until the flour is all incorporated. Repeat until all the flour is mixed into the wet ingredients. You will have a thick dough. 
    Thick monster cookie dough in a bowl, all combined.
    1. Take a cookie scoop and scoop 1 ½ tablespoons of dough into a ball. Place the balls of dough on the prepared cookie sheets leaving 1 ½ to 2-inch space in between them as they will spread. Place a couple M&Ms on top of the cookie to make it look pretty, if you like.

    You can use an ice cream scoop instead of a smaller scoop, but that will result in giant monster cookies and you will need to adjust the baking time (they will need to bake longer than the recipe says- watch them closely to see when they are done). 

    1. Bake in the preheated oven for 12-14 minutes until the edges are set and the cookie is golden brown. The middle will still be soft as these are thick cookies, but keep in mind they will continue to firm up as they cool. 
    Balls of rolled dough on a cookie sheet with parchment paper on it.
    Place rolled dough on prepared baking sheet.
    1. Leave the cookie on the pan for 3 to 4 minutes then transfer to a wire rack.
    2. Enjoy your chewy monster cookies!
    A plate of baked monster cookies.
    Enjoy your chewy cookies!

    Variations

    You could play around with the type of candy and chocolate pieces you add into this recipe to create a totally different cookie with the same yummy peanut butter cookie base!

    • Christmas monster cookies – add in red and green M&Ms to make these super festive and fun!
    • Fancy -instead of milk chocolate chips, add in ¼ cup of white chocolate chips and ¼ cup of dark chocolate chips!
    • Peanut butter monster cookies– if you want to play up the peanut butter flavor in this cookie, try replacing the chocolate chips with ¼ cup of butterscotch chips and ¼ cup of peanut butter chips. You could also replace the M&Ms with Reese Pieces!
    • Monster mash – if you want to turn these into Halloween cookies, you can replace the M&Ms with orange and black seasonal ones OR try using candy corn instead of M&Ms (we haven’t tried this, but it sounds tasty)!

    No matter what you add into it, this monster cookie recipe is the best recipe to whip up for after-school snack, that bake sale, or just because!

    Equipment

    To get 46 cookies from this recipe, we used a 1 ½ tablespoon cookie scoop like this one (size medium).

    You could also use a tablespoon and get a heaping scoop for each dough ball, or an ice cream scoop (but if it makes larger dough balls you will need to let it cook a bit longer).

    Storage

    Keep them in an airtight container at room temperature for 4 to 5 days or in the fridge for up to 1 week.

    stacked monster cookies
    Delicious Monster Cookies

    FAQs

    Can Monster cookie dough be frozen?

    Yes! You can freeze the uncooked dough.

    I like to form them into a ball, freeze them for 20 minutes on a plate lined with parchment paper then put them into a plastic freezer bag or freezer-safe container. Doing it this way they all freeze individually, and it is easier for me to pick only a few out when I am ready to cook them.

    You can store these dough balls in the freezer for up to 6 weeks (which is perfect if you want to be able to whip up fresh cookies for company in mere minutes- just pop these in the oven and voila!).

    How do I bake frozen monster cookie dough?

    You have two options for baking frozen dough balls…

    1. You put them on the prepared baking sheet and let them thaw, then you cook them as the recipe states, or

    2. You lower the oven temperature by 15°, put the frozen dough on the prepared baking sheet and bake it for 3-5 minutes longer than the recipe says (watching closely at the end to see when they are done).

    Should refrigerated cookie dough be brought to room temperature before baking?

    This really depends on the recipe. Some recipes call for refrigeration of the dough because it helps the cookies hold their shape.

    As a general rule, cold dough won’t spread as much as room temperature dough will. If you refrigerate this monster cookie dough, you can choose to bake it from chilled or let it warm back up to room temperature before baking.

    *Note: You don’t have to adjust the baking time for dough that is cold from the fridge, ONLY for frozen dough.

    Expert Tips

    This recipe makes a LOT of cookies, which is a good thing because chewy chocolate cookies are basically everyone’s favorite type of cookie!

    Freeze some dough for later OR package these cookies up nicely and give them as a gift to your friends and neighbours!

    Related Recipes

    If you’re looking for other yummy dessert recipes that can feed a crowd, check out these strawberry cheesecake cookies and these Double Tree Chocolate Chip Cookies!

    Recipe

    Monster Cookies
    Print Pin
    5 from 5 votes

    Chewy Monster Cookies

    Monster Cookies: These chewy monster cookies are made with oats, chocolate chips, M&M's, and a few other staple ingredients, making them the best monster cookies ever!
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American
    Prep Time 10 minutes minutes
    Cook Time 14 minutes minutes
    Total Time 24 minutes minutes
    Servings 46 cookies
    Calories 130kcal
    Author Jessica Burgess

    Equipment

    • 1 ½ tablespoon cookie scoop (Oxo or similar)

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup all purpose flour
    • 1 ½ cups quick-cooking oats *
    • 1 teaspoon baking soda
    • ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
    • ⅛ teaspoon salt
    • ½ cup chocolate chips
    • ½ cup chocolate M&Ms
    • ½ cup salted butter softened at room temperature
    • 1 cup light brown sugar
    • ½ cup granulated sugar
    • 1 ¼ cup creamy peanut butter *
    • 2 large eggs
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

    Instructions

    • Heat oven to 350 F.
    • Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicon mat.
    • In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients (flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt). Mix well. 
    • Add the chocolate chips and the M&Ms to the flour mixture. Mix until they are coated. Set aside.
    • In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer or hand mixer to mix butter and sugar together on medium speed (you can also do this with a stand mixer). Mix until it's combined and you have a thick dough.  
    • Add the peanut butter and mix on low speed until combined
    • Add the eggs, one at the time, mixing in between each one. 
    • Add about ⅓ of the flour mixture to the wet ingredients. Mix until the flour is all incorporated. Repeat until all the flour is mixed into the wet ingredients. You will have a thick dough. 
    • Take a cookie scoop and scoop 1 ½ tablespoons of dough into a ball. Place the balls of dough on the prepared baking sheet leaving 1 ½ to 2-inch space in between them as they will spread. 
      You can use an ice cream scoop instead of a smaller scoop, but that will result in larger cookies and you will need to adjust the baking time until they look fully cooked.
    • Bake in the preheated oven for 12-14 minutes until the edges are set and the cookie is golden brown. The middle will still be soft as these are thick cookies, but keep in mind they will continue to firm up as they cool. 
    • Leave the cookie on the pan for 3 to 4 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack.
    • Enjoy your chewy monster cookies!

    Video

    Notes

    *Quick oats work best for this recipe. If you use old-fashioned oats it affects the texture of the cookie. 
    *You can use creamy peanut butter or chunky peanut butter for this recipe, but we would not recommend using natural peanut butter or other natural nut butters (they don’t work well in this recipe).
     
    STORAGE: Keep them in an airtight container at room temperature for 4 to 5 days or in the fridge for up to 1 week.
     
    FREEZING: You can freeze the uncooked dough.
    I like to form them into a ball, freeze them for 20 minutes on a plate lined with parchment paper then put them into a plastic freezer bag or freezer safe container. Doing it this way they all freeze individually, and it is easier for me to pick only a few out when I am ready to cook them.
    You can store these dough balls in the freezer for up to 6 weeks (which is perfect if you want to be able to whip up fresh cookies for company in mere minutes- just pop these in the oven and voila!).

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 130kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 14mg | Sodium: 87mg | Potassium: 68mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 83IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 15mg | Iron: 1mg

    “You Are my Sunshine, Valentine” Classroom Valentines

    January 31, 2022

    CLASSROOM VALENTINES WITH FREE PRINTABLE! "You are my Sunshine Valentine" Heart Sunglasses, Valentines for Classroom or classmates for preschool; non-candy, healthy idea https://fantabulosity.com

    Valentine Sunglasses: Such a fun classroom idea for Valentine’s Day that’s a great alternative to sugar and sweets!

    Red heart-shaped sunglasses with "You are my sunshine valentine" printable
    Valentine’s Day Sunglasses

    If you’re like me, I’m always trying to think of a way to create non-candy-related items for my son’s school treats, for classroom parties. They get SOOO much candy at school parties, and we are literally struggling on a daily basis at home afterward, explaining to my son why he can’t sit and just eat… and eat… and eat… candy.

    So one year, I was determined to come up with Valentine’s Day treat idea, that his classmates would love but wouldn’t be just another sugary treat!

    Valentine Sunglasses

    Heart shaped sunglasses with yellow printable of a sun.

    Perfect for everyone in the classroom, you can buy little heart-shaped sunglasses, usually as party-favors, very affordably!

    Then, you can simply secure one of the little free printables I’ve provided below!

    Now, you have a classroom valentine treat that the kiddos will love that’s not full of sugar.

    Red heart-shaped sunglasses on table with yellow sun cut-out
    Classroom Valentine Idea

    Free Printable Options

    When I first made these Valentine’s, I loved the idea of having the “sun” as the free printable tag to attach to the sunglasses.

    However, I’ll be totally real…

    Cutting out all of those little suns, with the little rays… can be a bit tedious. Possible, doable, but tedious.

    So I wanted to create a second option for you, that would be easier to cut out and is just as cute!

    Sun Printable

    Such an adorable free printable tag and if you don’t mind cutting around all of the sun rays, you can get this sun printable tag here!

    You are my sunshine, valentine free printable.

    Heart-Shaped Printable

    A much easier tag to cut out, these heart-shaped tags include the same message, with that “yellow” pop of color that looks adorable to tie in the color of the sun! You can get the heart-shaped tag here!

    yellow hearts printable
    Yellow heart shaped free printable tags

    How to Assemble Sunglasses

    You can either tie the tag on the sunglasses with adorable bakers twine, or you could even grab “glue dots,” and stick the tag on the sunglasses that way!

    Tape will work as well, it just didn’t stick as well as I’d like when I tried it.

    More Valentine’s Day Ideas

    While you’re on the hunt for Valentine’s Day ideas, you’ll also love this “Booking it Over Here to Tell You…” valentine’s idea and the “You’re the Apple of my Eye” Valentine idea! Unless you don’t mind the sweets, then you’ll also love this Valentine’s snack mix!

    Recipe

    Yield: 12

    "You Are my Sunshine, Valentine" Classroom Valentines

    red sunglasses with yellow sticker

    Heart-shaped sunglasses with free printable tag, for a classroom Valentine's Day idea!

    Active Time 30 minutes
    Total Time 30 minutes
    Difficulty Easy

    Materials

    • heart-shaped sunglasses
    • free printable tags
    • glue dots

    Tools

    • scissors
    • printer

    Instructions

    1. Purchase as many heart-shaped sunglasses as you need.
    2. Print off the free printable tag of your choice. (See blog post for options and link to download.)
    3. Cut out each tag (sun or the heart) and simply secure each tag on to a pair of sunglasses! (We prefer using glue-dots but can also use string to tie them on.)
    © Jessica
    Category: Valentine's Day

    Strawberry Crunch Cheesecake

    January 29, 2022

    Strawberry Crunch Cheesecake

    Strawberry Crunch Cheesecake: Inspired by strawberry crunch ice cream bars like Scooter Crunch, this cheesecake has a sweet, crunchy, delicious crumble topping that sets it apart from other cheesecakes!

    You will also absolutely LOVE these cheesecake filled strawberries and this strawberry cream cheese, cake!

    Strawberry crunch cheesecake.

    Why You’ll Love This Strawberry Crunch Cheesecake Recipe

    If strawberry crunch was your favorite ice cream bar growing up, you will love this cheesecake. This dessert combines creamy cheesecake goodness with the nostalgic crunch and flavor of those ice cream bars (and when you can have two of your favorite things in one, that’s a win)!

    We know that making a baked cheesecake can be intimidating and takes a bit of time, but we also know you can do it! If you want something a little easier to prepare, this cream cheese and strawberry dump cake is a great way to get that cheesecake flavor you love, using a store-bought cake mix.

    If you do want to start with a no-bake cheesecake and build up to this one, check out our easy no-bake s’mores cheesecake or no-bake Oreo cheesecake.

    Just be sure to come back and give this one a try after!

    [feast_advanced_jump_to]
    Strawberry crunch cheesecake.

    Ingredients

    The first step you need to take is to gather up all of your ingredients. You’ll need:

    • 4 – 8 oz blocks of cream cheese, room temperature
    • 4 large eggs
    • ½ cup sour cream
    • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 1 cup white sugar
    • 1 ½ cups vanilla wafer cookies*, finely crumbled
    • ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
    • 1 tablespoon strawberry Jell-O powder
    • ⅓ cup strawberry preserves
    • 1 ½ vanilla wafer cookies*, roughly crumbled
    • 9″ springform cheesecake pan

    *for the substitutions: you can use golden Oreos instead of vanilla wafers

    Ingredients for strawberry crunch cheesecake

    Instructions

    1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and fill a cookie sheet with ¼ inch of water. Spray just the bottom of a 9″ springform pan with cooking spray (otherwise your cheesecake crust may stick to the pan).
    2. In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, whip all 32 ounces cream cheese until it is soft and smooth. This will take 3-5 minutes depending on the temperature of your cream cheese.
    Cream cheese beaten in mixing bowl.
    1. Next, add in the 4 eggs, ½ cup sour cream, and ½ teaspoon vanilla extract and whisk until the ingredients are well combined and smooth.
    Eggs, sour cream and vanilla to cream cheese in cheesecake batter.
    1. Then, add in the cup of sugar and whisk again until it is fully incorporate into the cheesecake batter.
    Sugar added to cheesecake mixture.

    How to Make Cheesecake Crust

    1. In a separate mixing bowl, combine the melted butter and the finely crumbled vanilla wafers (or golden Oreo cookie crumbles) until a sandy mixture forms.
    2. Spread the cookie mixture into the bottom of a 9-inch spring form pan. Use a cup to press the crust down firmly. 
    Sandy crust mixture pressed into the bottom of the springform pan.
    1. Pour the cream cheese filling on top of the vanilla wafer crust (or golden Oreo crust) and place the springform pan onto your baking sheet that has ¼ inch of water in it.

    Pro Tip: Place some aluminum foil under the bottom of the springform pan and up the edges a little bit to help keep the water from seeping into the pan while you bake strawberry cheesecake. 

    Cheesecake batter poured over graham cracker crust.
    1. Bake the cheesecake for 50 minutes (or until the middle is only slightly jiggly). 
    2. Allow the cheesecake to cool for 1 hour on the counter and then allow it to cool for another hour in the fridge.
    Baked cheesecake in pan.
    1. Once the cheesecake has cooled, prepare your strawberry topping by combining the strawberry preserves, strawberry powder, and the course crumbs of either your vanilla wafer or golden Oreo cookies. 
    Strawberry cheesecake crunch in baking pan.
    1. Sprinkle the crumble over the top of the cake, serve, and enjoy your delicious dessert!
    Slice of strawberry crunch cheesecake on metal spatula.

    Substitutions

    Here are a few ways you can substitute the ingredients called for in this recipe…

    • Vanilla Wafers – You could crumble up golden Oreo cookies instead! Use a food processor (if you have one) to create fine crumbs for the crust and course crumbs for the topping. You could also use graham crumbs (or food process some graham crackers) instead of vanilla wafers to create a more traditional graham cracker crust.
    • Sour Cream -If you are out of sour cream, you could substitute greek yogurt in its place.
    • Strawberry Preserves – You can mash fresh strawberries until you have ⅓ cup or strawberry puree in place of the strawberry preserves. This will make the topping less sweet as preserves are made with a lot of sugar (but will still give you the natural sweet strawberry flavor).

    Variations

    This is a strawberry crunch cheesecake, but you could easily swap the strawberry preserves and strawberry gelatin powder out for another fruit!

    • Raspberry – use raspberry Jell-O powder and preserves
    • Peach – use peach Jell-O powder and peach preserves
    • Orange – use orange Jell-O powder and orange marmalade instead of preserves

    …you get the idea, right? There are so many options!

    Equipment

    For this recipe, you will need a springform pan. You can find these at most big box stores or baking stores or online here.

    Storage

    If you do have leftovers, cover the top of the springform pan in plastic wrap and store this cheesecake in an airtight container in the fridge. This will help keep your cheesecake fresh and help it last up to one week.

    If you want to enjoy your cheesecake at room temperature later, just let it warm up on the counter before eating.

    Cheesecake topped with strawberry crunch topping, still in cheesecake pan.

    Expert Tips and FAQs

    How do I know when my cheesecake is done?

    Baking a cheesecake can be tricky. It’s easy to overbake or underbake this delicious dessert. In order to ensure it is fully baked when you take it out of the oven, give your spring form pan a slight jiggle. If the middle of the cheesecake moves more than a tiny bit, you will want to leave it in a little longer. If it does not move at all, you know the cheesecake is over-baked. You want the middle of the cheesecake to jiggle slightly.

    What is strawberry crunch made of?

    The strawberry topping for cheesecake (the best part, in our opinion) is made by combining strawberry preserves, Jell-O powder, and the roughly chopped cookies. You simply sprinkle this crumble over the top of your baked cheesecake, serve it, and enjoy!

    Do I need to use a cheesecake pan/springform pan for this recipe?

    If you plan to make cheesecake regularly, we would highly recommend getting a springform pan. Springform pans open up so you can remove the sides of the pan from the cheesecake and off of the base, making it SO easy to cut and serve your cheesecake.

    If you don’t have one and don’t plan to get one, you can find tutorials online for baking cheesecake in a regular cake pan (like this one).

    Are preserves the same thing as jam?

    Preserves are made with chopped up fruit instead of just the fruit juice, but many people make jam this way too. For this recipe, look for a jam that is thick and has seeds still in it (meaning it was made with whole fruit and not just juice).

    Is strawberry crunch the same as strawberry shortcake cheesecake?

    Although they sound the same, these are actually slightly different things. This cheesecake (strawberry crunch) has a cheesecake filling and a crunchy strawberry topping on top of the cheesecake.

    A strawberry shortcake cheesecake cake would have layers of shortcake in it in addition to the cheesecake. Both of these sweet treats make a delicious strawberry cake, it just depends on what you are looking for (crunch or cake).

    Bite of cheesecake on fork.

    Related Recipes

    If you enjoyed this recipe, try our other strawberry desserts like this easy strawberry crumble or strawberry cheesecake cookies! Or, if hosting a party, this fun walking cheesecake dessert is so fun!

    Recipe

    Strawberry Crunch Cheesecake
    Print Pin
    5 from 5 votes

    Strawberry Crunch Cheesecake

    Strawberry Crunch Cheesecake: Inspired by strawberry crunch ice cream bars, this cheesecake has a sweet, crunchy, delicious crumble topping that sets it apart from other cheesecakes!
    Course Dessert, Snack
    Cuisine American
    Prep Time 10 minutes minutes
    Cook Time 50 minutes minutes
    Cool Time 2 hours hours
    Total Time 3 hours hours
    Servings 12 slices
    Calories 529kcal
    Author Jessica Burgess

    Equipment

    • 9" springform pan

    Ingredients

    • 4 – 8 ounce blocks of cream cheese room temperature
    • 4 large eggs
    • ½ cup sour cream
    • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 1 cup white sugar
    • 1 ½ cups vanilla wafer cookies* finely crumbled
    • ½ cup unsalted butter melted
    • 1 tablespoon strawberry Jell-O powder
    • ⅓ cup strawberry preserves
    • 1 ½ vanilla wafer cookies* roughly crumbled

    Instructions

    • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and fill a cookie sheet with ¼ inch of water. Spray just the bottom of a 9" springform pan with cooking spray (otherwise your cheesecake crust may stick to the pan).
    • In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, whip all 32 ounces cream cheese until it is soft and smooth (if using a stand mixer, use the paddle attachment and start on a low speed, slowly moving to high speed). This will take 3-5 minutes depending on the temperature of your cream cheese.
    • Add in the 4 eggs, ½ cup sour cream, and ½ teaspoon vanilla extract and whisk until the ingredients are well combined and smooth.
    • Add in the cup of sugar and whisk again until it is fully incorporate into the cheesecake batter.
    • In a separate mixing bowl, combine the melted butter and the finely crumbled vanilla wafers (or golden Oreo cookie crumbles) until a sandy mixture forms.
    • Spread the cookie mixture into the bottom of a 9-inch spring form pan. Use a cup to press the crust down firmly.
    • Pour the cream cheese filling on top of the vanilla wafer crust (or golden Oreo crust) and place the springform pan onto your baking sheet that has ¼ inch of water in it.
      Tip: Place some aluminum foil under the bottom of the springform pan and up the edges a little bit to help keep the water from seeping into the pan while you bake strawberry cheesecake.
    • Bake the cheesecake for 50 minutes (or until the middle is only slightly jiggly).
    • Allow the cheesecake to cool for 1 hour on the counter and then allow it to cool for another hour in the fridge.
    • Once the cheesecake has cooled, prepare your strawberry topping by combining the strawberry preserves, strawberry powder, and the course crumbs of either your vanilla wafer or golden Oreo cookies.
    • Sprinkle the crumble over the top of the cake, serve, and enjoy your delicious dessert!

    Video

    Notes

    *for the subsitutions: you can use golden oreos instead of vanilla wafers
     
    STORAGE: While many people enjoy eating their cheesecake at room temperature, you will want to be sure to cover the top of the springform pan in plastic wrap and store this cheesecake in an airtight container in the fridge. This will help keep your cheesecake fresh and help it last up to one week.
    If you do want room temperature cheesecake, just let it warm up on the counter before eating it.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1slice | Calories: 529kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 40g | Saturated Fat: 22g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 171mg | Sodium: 339mg | Potassium: 163mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 29g | Vitamin A: 1401IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 98mg | Iron: 1mg

    Caramel Rice Krispie Treats

    January 28, 2022

    Caramel Rice Krispie Treats

    Caramel Rice Krispie Treats: The classic recipe we all know and love with a caramel twist! This quick, easy recipe has a creamy, dulce de leche taste and more chewy consistency than regular Rice Krispie treats!

    We’ve made versions of this no bake recipe before (Oreo Rice Krispie Treats), but this is our new favorite. That caramel takes this to a whole new level!

    stacked caramel rice krispy treats on white plate
    Caramel Rice Krispie Treats

    Why You’ll Love This Recipe

    We all have nostalgic memories of eating crispy treats when we were little, but Rice Krispy treats aren’t just for kids! This next level Krispie treat recipe is a delicious twist on the traditional Rice Krispie treat that your whole family can enjoy. (We’ve had so much fun experimenting with the traditional treats around here. From Fruity Pebble treats to Lucky Charms treats recipes!

    The caramel flavor isn't overpowering- it's a creamy, dulce de leche flavor and has a nice, chewy consistency. That little bit of caramel flavor pairs perfectly with the iconic marshmallow flavor!

    If you like a good Rice Krispie treat and you’re a fan of creamy caramel, you’re going to love these caramel Rice Krispies!

    [feast_advanced_jump_to]

    Ingredients for Caramel Rice Krispie treats

    You only need the following ingredients to make these yummy caramel treats!

    • 1 package caramels (11 oz., unwrapped)
    • ¼ cup butter
    • Package 16 oz. big marshmallows (or mini marshmallows) – I’ve even used marshmallow fluff in rice krispie treats.
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla
    • 2 tablespoons milk
    • 6 cups rice krispies

    You can jump to the recipe card to get the condensed version of this recipe, or keep reading to see step by step photos and instructions!

    Ingredients for caramel Rice Krispie treats
    Ingredients

    Instructions to Make Caramel Rice Krispies

    1. Grease 9×13 baking pan with butter or cooking spray (alternatively, you could line the 9×13 with a piece of parchment paper). 
    2. Melt butter over low heat in a stock pot (make sure it’s a big enough pot to add in the 6 cups of rice krispies eventually). 
    Melt the butter over low heat in a big stock pot.
    Melt butter.
    1. Add milk, caramels, and vanilla to your melted butter. Melt over low heat, stirring often (use a rubber spatula to help scrape the sides of the post every once in a while).
    Add caramels to butter.
    Add caramels.
    Add milk to saucepan.
    Add milk.
    Add vanilla to saucepan.
    Add vanilla.
    Melt over low heat, stirring often.
    Stir till melted.
    1. Next, add in your marshmallows and continue cooking over low heat. Stir often until you melt marshmallows completely (be careful, hot caramel and marshmallows can easily burn if you get them on yourself). 
    Add marshmallows.
    Add marshmallows.
    Stir together.
    Cook on low.
    Stir until fully melted.
    Stir often till melted.
    1. Lastly, add your Rice Krispies to the marshmallow mixture in the pot and quickly stir them in to mix evenly.
    1. Pour your Rice Krispies mixture into your prepared pan and press mixture into an even layer using a lightly buttered spatula.

    * Sometimes the Rice Krispies stick to the spatula and make it hard to press the mixture evenly into the pan. If this happens, try this- get a glass of ice cold water and set it beside you. Dip a metal spoon into the ice water so it’s cold and then use that to press the mixture down into the pan. If it starts sticking again, dip it back into the glass of ice water to chill the spoon again.

    Add Rice Krispies, stir together.
    Add cereal and stir quickly.
    Pour into greased 9x13 and press into the pan.
    Press into pan.
    1. Let your Rice Krispies cool and then cut into 12 squares and serve! You can drizzle some caramel sauce on top of the bars as a decoration if you like. 
    Let cool fully, then cut into squares and serve.
    Let cool, cut into squares.
    Caramel Rice Krispie Treats
    Serve & enjoy!

    Substitutions

    Here are a few helpful substitutions for you in case you are out of one of the ingredients…

    • Marshmallows- if you don’t have larger marshmallows, you can replace them with approximately 9 cups marshmallows of other sizes or 1 jar of marshmallow fluff.
    • Butter- if you don’t have butter on hand, margarine will work in a pinch.

    Variations

    Although this recipe is delicious just as it is, there are lots of ways you can change it up and make it your own.

    • Add Salt -Are you a salted caramel fan? Me too! Sprinkle some coarse sea salt or flaky sea salt on top of these treats and turn them into salted caramel Rice Krispie treats!
    • Chocolate – If you’re a chocolate fan, spread some melted chocolate chips on top of the Rice Krispie layers and make chocolate caramel Rice Krispie treat!
    • Cereal Swap – Have you ever tried making cereal bars with other cereals? If not, put it on your “to try” list for next time! You can use any of your favourite cereals in place of the Rice Krispies called for in this recipe to create a brand new treat (Lucky Charms, Cheerios, the options are endless)!
    Caramel Rice Krispie Treats
    Caramel Rice Krispie Treats

    Storage

    These are best if enjoyed the day they are made, but you can store your leftover caramel Rice Krispie treats in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-5 days. 

    You could also wrap each of the individual cereal bars in plastic wrap OR leave the entire 9×13 of Rice Krispie bars uncut and tightly cover the whole pan with plastic wrap to maximize freshness.

    Expert Tips and FAQs

    Why are my Rice Krispie treats so hard?

    Using too high of heat is usually the reason for hard Rice Krispie squares. If the marshmallow and caramel get too hot, the sugar will start to change into more of a hard candy.

    For the best results, we recommend keeping your heat to low (even though it takes a bit longer). If you do use medium heat, watch very closely to make sure you aren’t overcooking! We don’t recommend medium-high heat as this is very likely to burn your Rice Krispies…and no one likes a burnt dessert recipe.

    Can I make Rice Krispie squares in the microwave?

    Yes! Making these treats in the microwave is a great alternative to the stove top method if you are short on time. Here’s what you do…

    – In a microwave safe large bowl, heat your butter, caramel and marshmallows on high for 3 minutes, stirring after each minute.
    – Stir in vanilla and Rice Krispies until well coated with the caramel/marshmallow mixture.
    – Using a lightly buttered spatula (or the cold spoon method we mentioned above), press mixture into a 9×13″ pan so it’s an even layer.
    – Allow to cool slightly then cut into squares.

    Related Recipes

    If you liked our caramel twist on this old favorite, you’re in luck! We have SO many other recipes for you to try that are bursting with caramel flavor, like our caramel corn recipe or our caramel cupcakes with caramel buttercream frosting!

    Or if you’re a big caramel fan, you’ll also love this caramel cream pie recipe.

    Recipe

    Caramel Rice Krispie Treats
    Print Pin
    5 from 5 votes

    Caramel Rice Krispie Treats

    Caramel Rice Krispie Treats: The classic recipe we all know and love with a caramel twist! This quick, easy recipe has a creamy, dulce de leche taste and more chewy consistency than regular Rice Krispie treats! 
    Course Dessert, Snack
    Cuisine American
    Prep Time 20 minutes minutes
    Total Time 20 minutes minutes
    Servings 12 squares
    Calories 90kcal
    Author Jessica Burgess

    Ingredients

    • 1- 11 ounce package of caramels unwrapped (Kraft caramels work well)
    • ¼ cup butter
    • 1- 16 ounces package of marshmallows (or mini marshmallows)
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 2 tablespoons milk
    • 6 cups Rice Krispies (or other crispy rice cereal)

    Instructions

    • Grease 9×13 baking pan with butter or cooking spray (alternatively you could line the 9×13 with a piece of parchment paper).
    • Melt butter over low heat in a stock pot (make sure it's a big enough pot to add in the 6 cups of rice krispies eventually).
    • Add milk, caramels, and vanilla to your melted butter. Melt over low heat, stirring often (use a rubber spatula to help scrape the sides of the post every once in a while).
    • Next, add in your marshmallows and continue cooking over low heat. Stir often until you melt marshmallows completely (be careful, hot caramel and marshmallows can easily burn if you get them on yourself).
    • Lastly, add your Rice Krispies to the marshmallow mixture in the pot and quickly stir them in to mix evenly.
    • Pour your Rice Krispies mixture into your prepared pan and press mixture into an even layer using a lightly buttered spatula.
      * Sometimes the Rice Krispies stick to the spatula and make it hard to press the mixture evenly into the pan. If this happens, try this- get a glass of ice cold water and set it beside you. Dip a metal spoon into the ice water so it is cold and then use that to press the mixture down into the pan. If it starts sticking again, dip it back into the glass of ice water to chill the spoon again.
    • Let your Rice Krispies cool and then cut into 12 squares and serve! You can drizzle some caramel sauce on top of the bars as a decoration if you like.

    Notes

    STORAGE: These are best if enjoyed the day they are made, but you can store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-5 days. 
    MICROWAVE OPTION: Making these treats in the microwave is a great alternative to the stove top method if you are short on time. Here’s what you do…
    – In a microwave safe large bowl, heat your butter, caramel and marshmallows on high for 3 minutes, stirring after each minute.
    – Stir in vanilla and Rice Krispies until well coated with the caramel/marshmallow mixture.
    – Using a lightly buttered spatula (or the cold spoon method we mentioned above), press mixture into a 9×13″ pan so it’s an even layer.
    – Allow to cool slightly then cut into squares.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1square | Calories: 90kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 10mg | Sodium: 109mg | Potassium: 23mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 1054IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 5mg | Iron: 4mg

    How to Grill Frozen Burgers

    January 24, 2022

    cooked burger patties on the grill

    How to Grill Frozen Burgers: No need to thaw these ground beef, frozen patties! With a cooking time of only 20 minutes on the gas grill, you’ll have perfect burgers ready for lunch or quick dinner!

    We love trying new ways to cook beef patties around here, with baking burgers in the oven being one of them but sometimes you just crave those grill marks!

    Grilled beef patties on grill

    During spring and summer, there’s nothing like firing up the gas grill or charcoal grill, to cook some burgers.

    But sometimes, if you forget to thaw frozen burger patties out or if you need something at the last minute, throw a frozen hamburger on the grill and you can still have delicious burgers in no time!

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    Ingredients

    Sometimes I love buying ground beef in bulk, shape it in to burger patties, and then freeze them, so I can quickly throw a frozen hamburger patty on the grill for a fast dinner. (See image below.)

    Frozen burger patties wrapped in bag

    Bubba Burger

    However, I know buying frozen Bubba Burger patties is really popular in many households so I thought I would use those for this recipe, to really try and nail down the cook time and instructions for you!

    Bubba Burgers in Box on Counter

    What you’ll need:

    • frozen beef patties (as many as you’d like to cook or that will fit on your grill)
    • salt
    • pepper

    See recipe card for quantities.

    Instructions

    Preheat your gas grill to about 325°.

    Grill thermometer at 325 degrees

    If your patties are frozen together, you can use a butter knife to carefully slide in between the patties to gently pry the frozen burger patty apart from one another.

    When the temperature of the grill has reached 325°, it’s ready for the burgers.

    If you’re using Bubba Burger patties, remove the number of beef patties that you’d like to cook, from the package and place them on the hot grill, making sure the sides don’t touch.

    Remove the white paper from frozen burger patties
    Remove paper

    Season

    After about 5 minutes of cooking, this is a good time to sprinkle with salt and pepper if desired. (Or desired seasonings.)

    Sprinkling the seasoning on after about 5 minutes of cooking, allows the spices to sink in to the beef more than it would it seasoning patties while completely frozen.

    Salt and pepper on burger patties after thawed
    Salt & Pepper

    How Long to Grill Frozen Burgers

    Since the burgers are frozen, it’s best to flip the patties every 5 minutes or so, to allow for even cooking, so one side doesn’t burn before completely thawed throughout.

    Cook burgers for a total of about 20 minutes (flipping every 5 minutes) or until the juices run clear.

    Burger patties with red juices rising to top
    Red juices rising to surface

    TIP: You can place the burgers over direct heat, just be cautious that this could cause flare ups, as the juices start to thaw and drip through the grill grate.

    burgers moved away from direct flame

    Once the burgers reach a safe internal temperature of 161° with a meat thermometer, they’re safe to eat.

    They should have that brown color, instead of the raw, “red” color.

    Fully cooked burger patties on grill

    If you prefer a cheeseburger cooked on a grill, this is a great time to add cheese slices to the patties. (Or if you prefer barbecue sauce on your burger, you can also use this time to coat the burger with sauce.)

    Place a slice of cheese on the patties, close the lid and turn the grill off. The remaining heat will gently melt the cheese on to the patties.

    Sliced American cheese on burgers while on grill

    Remove from grill after about 2 minutes or until cheese has melted.

    TIP: Don’t forget to shut the gas off to the grill!

    Cooked from frozen burger patties on bun, next to sweet potato fries

    If desired, place patties on hamburger buns with your favorite toppings and conquer that burger craving!

    Or, get wild and serve the juicy burger patties on donuts like we did with our donut burgers or use waffles for the buns like we did with the waffle burgers!

    Burger Topping Ideas

    Looking for ideas on what to top your burger with? Some of our favorites are:

    • ketchup
    • mustard
    • sliced onion
    • pickles
    • lettuce
    • tomato
    • top them with onion rings and bbq sauce like in our easy cowboy burgers!

    You’ll LOVE all of the extra fun topping ideas that we shared when we styled our Burger Bar!

    Substitutions

    Curious about veggie burgers, turkey burgers or different types of meat? Or what about beef burgers, that aren’t Bubba Burger brand?

    You can still follow the same cooking process but be cautious as the thickness of the burger may vary. For best results, watch closely as they cook but you should also be able to cook most patties from frozen, on the grill as well.

    Variations

    Want to make the juiciest grilled burgers? While the burgers are cooking, brush occasionally with melted butter! This will not only give them more flavor but will help make any burger juicier!

    Storage

    Have burgers leftover? Once burgers have cooled, simply store in an airtight container, in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

    To reheat, you can place the burgers in the microwave, or if you have an air fryer, you’ll love cooking (reheating) air fryer burgers!

    Top Tip

    To make these burgers especially good, follow our favorite process of assembling the burger on the bun, then wrapping in aluminum foil for a few minutes, to allow the bun to “steam” for an extra juicy burger!

    You can place the aluminum foil wrapped burger back on the still-warm grill, to allow the heat to steam the burgers and buns.

    Related Recipes

    If you love burgers, you’ll also love how we cook burgers on the stove, our smoked burgers, and these Hawaiian rolls cheeseburger sliders, along with this Aloha Burgers recipe that always seems to be a hit!

    Recipe

    cooked burger patties on the grill
    Print Pin
    5 from 5 votes

    How to Grill Frozen Burgers

    How to Grill Frozen Burgers: No need to thaw these ground beef, frozen patties! With a cooking time of only 20 minutes on the gas grill, you'll have perfect burgers ready for lunch or dinner!
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine American
    Prep Time 10 minutes minutes
    Cook Time 20 minutes minutes
    Total Time 30 minutes minutes
    Servings 6 burgers
    Calories 2kcal
    Author Jessica Burgess

    Equipment

    • Grill gas grill

    Ingredients

    • 6 frozen burger patties such as Bubba Burger patties
    • 2 teaspoon salt or as desired
    • 1 teaspoon black pepper or as desired

    Instructions

    • Prehat the grill to 325°.
    • Discard any paper separation that may be between the frozen burger patties and place burgers on grill grate, making sure sides do not touch. Close grill lid.
    • After about 5 minutes of cooking, sprinkle on salt and pepper if desired. (Note: you wait for the burgers to thaw a bit before seasoning so it will "stick" to the patties.)
    • Cook for a total of about 20 minutes, flipping every 5 minutes or so until juices run clear.
    • If the flames from the fire flares up, move the burgers away from the direct heat to finish cooking.
    • When the internal temperature of the burgers reach 160°-161°, it's safe to eat!
    • OPTIONAL: If cheese is desired, place a slice of cheese on each patty, close the lid and turn the grill burners off to allow the leftover heat to gently melt the cheese. TIP: Don't forget to turn the gas off!

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1burger | Calories: 2kcal | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 1mg | Potassium: 3mg | Calcium: 1mg | Iron: 1mg

    Bacon Wrapped Dates with Blue Cheese

    January 21, 2022

    Bacon Wrapped Dates with Blue Cheese

    Bacon Wrapped Dates with Blue Cheese: What do you get when you combine dates blue cheese and bacon? An easy appetizer that’s the perfect addition to your next dinner party or holiday meal!

    Bacon Wrapped Dates with Blue Cheese in white dish

    We have so many yummy appetizer recipes on the blog, but the bacon appetizers always find a special place in my heart (like this baked brie with maple syrup and bacon)!

    Why You’ll Love This Recipe

    My husband came home from the ranch after guiding last year, and said the chef, David, made the most delicious bacon-wrapped dates that were stuffed with blue cheese. So, after telling me what he thought they were made of, I wanted to see if I could re-create them for us, and although I have no idea if I did… these turned out DELICIOUS and are now my favorite, easy appetizer, go-to!

    You can whip up this delicious appetizer for your holiday party, cocktail party, birthday party, party-because-it’s-Tuesday…you get the idea. There’s no bad time to make a batch of these blue cheese-stuffed dates wrapped in bacon, and they are sure to be one of your favorite appetizers in no time!

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    Ingredients

    You only need three simple ingredients to make this yummy finger food (and when you’re making bacon recipes, you don’t need much more than that)!

    • 12 ounces pitted dates
    • 1 lb bacon, sliced in half
    • 2-3 ounces blue cheese crumbles (use the leftover blue cheese to make these blue cheese burgers!)

    You can jump to the recipe card right now to get all the instructions, or you can keep reading for a step-by-step tutorial on making these bacon-wrapped dates with blue cheese!

    Ingredients for bacon wrapped dates with blue cheese
    Ingredients

    How to Make Bacon-Wrapped Dates

    1. Preheat your oven to 375°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil sprayed with cooking spray. If you are using a nonstick baking sheet you may not need to line it, but we would still recommend giving the baking sheet a spray with cooking spray so the bacon doesn’t stick. 
    2. Using a sharp paring knife, gently slice dates lengthwise, not cutting all the way through. This creates a "pocket" for the blue cheese crumbles.
    Sweet dates, sliced halfway open.
    Slice each date lengthwise.
    1. Stuff the cavity of each date with as many blue cheese crumbles as will fit in the center of the dates.
    2. Next, take the half-slice of bacon and cover the opening of the date with the piece of bacon and begin rolling the slice of bacon around the date, securing the blue cheese inside.
    3. Take a toothpick and slide it through the bacon slice, securing the bacon on both sides of the stuffed date.
    Stuff as many blue cheese crumbles into the cavity of the date as possible.
    Stuff with blue cheese.
    Wrap a half slice of bacon around your stuffed date and secure it with a toothpick.
    Wrap with half slice of bacon.
    1. Place bacon-wrapped dates on a rimmed baking sheet or baking dish, and bake in your preheated oven for 30 minutes. Turn dates over at the 20-minute mark to help the bacon cook evenly. 
    Place wrapped dates on parchment lined baking sheet.
    Place on baking sheet.
    Bake dates at 375°For 30 mins, turning over at 20 min mark.
    Bake 30 mins.
    1. When the bacon slice is fully cooked (we like to cook it until we have crispy bacon) they're done. Transfer to a serving platter while warm and enjoy!

    Substitutions

    This recipe is delicious as is, but if you require modifications here are a few ideas…

    • Dairy Free- instead of blue cheese, you could check your local grocery store for a dairy-free alternative! If you can’t find blue cheese, you can use a dairy free cream cheese or even goat cheese in its place.
    • Pork-Free- if you don’t eat pork, you could use turkey bacon or chicken bacon instead (just be sure that it is very well secured with the toothpick as those types of bacon have more shape to them than pork bacon).
    Bacon wrapped dates piled up in white dish
    Bacon Wrapped Dates with Blue Cheese

    Variations

    This recipe only has three ingredients, but there are so many ways you could change it up if you wanted to get creative!

    • Bacon – There are a lot of different flavors you could experiment with here. Try a maple bacon for a sweeter twist, or a smoky bacon for a more savory take.
    • Cheese – We love a good blue cheese, but not everyone does. This recipe would be just as delicious with any other soft cheese, though. Try cream cheese (maybe something with herbs or another flavor in it to up the flavor profile), goat cheese, brie, ricotta, feta; the options are endless.
    • Brown Sugar – This recipe doesn’t add any sort of sauce or spice to the wrapped dates, but you certainly could. After you wrap the strip of bacon around the date you could roll the entire thing in brown sugar before securing it with the toothpick. This would create a sweet, caramelized exterior…mmm.
    • Balsamic Vinegar – You could also try drizzling balsamic vinegar on after you place dates on your lined baking sheet. This would be especially good if you stuffed the date with feta cheese first. The combinations of the salty bacon, creamy cheese and savoury vinegar would be delicious!

    If you try any of these variations, be sure to leave us a comment and let us know!

    Storage

    Store these bacon-wrapped dates in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.

    You could also freeze your bacon-wrapped dates in a single layer in a freezer-safe, airtight container for up to a month (they might last longer, but after a month, they won’t be as fresh).

    hand holding date on toothpick
    Bite-Size Bacon Wrapped Date

    Expert Tips and FAQs

    What cheese goes with dates?

    The strong flavor of the blue cheese in this recipe pairs nicely with the dates, but other cheeses would be tasty as well! You could try any creamy cheese in place of the blue cheese (cream cheese, goat cheese, ricotta, feta or really any other soft cheeses that you like)!

    What can you use dates for other than wrapping them in bacon?

    Sweet dates are like a little bite of dessert, and because of that they pair nicely with so many things.

    Dates make a great addition to salads, are the main ingredient in a lot of vegan dessert recipes, and are a great snack all on their own. Dates would also make a great addition to a charcuterie board as one of your “sweet” items!

    What food pairs well with dates?

    Dates are very sweet, so they pair really well with salty foods or strong flavours. You could serve dates alongside cured meats (for example, as part of a charcuterie platter) or with other bold flavors like citrus, cinnamon, or ginger.

    Hand holding date with bite taken out to see blue cheese center

    Related Recipes

    If you liked this easy recipe and you are looking for more easy appetizers for your next party, you’ll love this simple cheese ball recipe and these baked portobello mushrooms!

    Recipe

    Bacon Wrapped Dates with Blue Cheese
    Print Pin
    4.34 from 6 votes

    Bacon Wrapped Dates with Blue Cheese

    Bacon Wrapped Dates are filled with delicious blue cheese, then wrapped in bacon and baked for a delicious appetizer for any party!
    Course Appetizer
    Cuisine American
    Prep Time 5 minutes minutes
    Cook Time 30 minutes minutes
    Total Time 35 minutes minutes
    Servings 12 dates
    Calories 254kcal
    Author Jessica Burgess

    Ingredients

    • 12 ounces dates pitted (medjool dates work well)
    • 1 lb bacon sliced in half
    • 2-3 ounces blue cheese crumbled

    Instructions

    • Preheat your oven to 375°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil sprayed with cooking spray. If you are using a nonstick baking sheet you may not need to line it, but we would still recommend giving the baking sheet a spray with cooking spray so the bacon doesn't stick.
    • Using a sharp knife, gently slice dates lengthwise, not cutting all of the way through. You're creating a "pocket" for the blue cheese crumbles.
    • Stuff the cavity of each date with as many blue cheese crumbles as will fit in the center of the dates.
    • Next, take the half-slice of bacon and cover the opening of the date with the piece of bacon and begin rolling the slice of bacon around the date, securing the blue cheese inside.
    • Take a toothpick and slide it through the bacon slice, securing the bacon on both sides of the stuffed date.
    • Place bacon wrapped dates in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet or baking dish, and bake in your preheated oven for 30 minutes. Turn dates over at the 20 minute mark to help the bacon cook evenly.
    • When the bacon slice is fully cooked (we like to cook it until we have crispy bacon) they're done. Transfer to a serving platter while warm and enjoy!

    Notes

    STORAGE: Store these bacon wrapped dates in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
    You could also freeze your bacon wrapped dates in a single layer in a freezer safe, airtight container for up to a month (they might last longer, but after a month they won’t be as fresh).

     

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1date | Calories: 254kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 28mg | Sodium: 317mg | Potassium: 273mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 53IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 38mg | Iron: 1mg

    White Chicken Chili with Cream Cheese

    January 20, 2022

    White chicken chili in white bowl

    White Chicken Chili with Cream Cheese: This easy soup recipe is perfect for a weeknight main course or for lunch on a Sunday. Made with simple ingredients, it’s ready in only 25 minutes!

    If you love creamy soup recipes like this, then you’re going to want to make this easy clam chowder after this one!

    white chicken chili in bowl surround by rolls
    Delicious white chicken chili
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    What You’ll Love About this Recipe

    Not only is this chicken chili a recipe that’s perfect for those last-minute dinner ideas, but it’s also something that you can keep ingredients on hand for when you’ve forgotten to run to the store to grab something to make, after a busy day!

    It has the perfect kick of flavor with using the canned tomatoes and green chilies but it’s not too spicy, so it can be something the whole family will love, and will possibly become a family favorite! (But if you love “spicy” then you’ll love this spicy soup recipe!)

    Or, if you’re looking for a warm, comforting dish for game day, you may want to mix things up from a classic chili, since it tends to be a crowd-pleaser!

    Ingredients

    What makes this an easy recipe, is the fact that it uses simple ingredients, and they can all be cooked in one pot; keeping dishes to a minimum!

    Here’s what you’ll need:

    • 2-3 chicken breasts cut up in to small pieces (or deboned rotisserie chicken – then boil the rotisserie for stock)
    • 8 ounces of a block of cream cheese
    • 1  15-ounce can black beans rinsed and drained
    • 1 15-ounce can corn undrained
    • 1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes with green chilis undrained
    • 1 package ranch dressing mix seasoning
    • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
    • 1 teaspoon onion powder
    • 2 Tablespoon milk

    You can jump to the Chicken Grilled Cheese to see the full recipe now or keep reading to see how easy it is to make this creamy soup!

    ingredients for soup on white table
    Ingredients for Chicken Chili

    How to Make White Chicken Chili

    In a large stock pot on the stovetop, cook your cubed chicken over medium heat until it’s done. (It will be done with the inside of the chicken is white, and no longer pink.)

    Raw chicken pieces in soup pot
    Cook chicken pieces

    I don’t use any oil but you’re more than welcome to if you prefer dropping a tablespoon or so of olive oil.

    Cooked chicken pieces in soup pot
    Cooked chicken

    Once the chicken is fully cooked, add the remainder of the ingredients in to the pot.

    Remainder of ingredients in pot
    Pour remaining ingredients in

    Heat the white chili over medium heat, stirring often to evenly combine the ingredients and so it will “melt,” the cream cheese.

    Don’t worry, it looks mighty thick at this stage but as the juices from the corn and Rotel, mix with the melted cream cheese and milk, it combines to make a beautiful, creamy texture.

    Chili ingredients in pot, stirred
    Mix together

    Once heated through, and the cream cheese has fully melted, serve this warm creamy white chicken chili in a bowl and dig in! You can even reduce the heat to a simmer and let the chili simmer for a few minutes to allow the flavors to incorporate even more.

    Soup being heated in pot
    Soup heating through in pot

    Substitutions

    To make things easier or if you only have certain ingredients on hand, here are some of our favorite substitutions:

    • Chicken: Feel free to make this white chili recipe using shredded chicken from a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store, or even buy frozen, pre-cooked chicken to keep on hand! Or, you an even use leftover chicken!
    • Tomatoes & Green Chilies: I refer to the tomatoes and green chilies as “Rotel”, some here in this recipe but any brand will do!

    Variations

    Looking to customize this soup a little more to your liking? Here are some topping ideas (which are very similar to the ones that we include in our traditional chili recipe) and extra ingredients that may be delicious if you’d like to experiment! (We haven’t tried these yet, only because we love the recipe just the way it is!)

    • Chicken Broth: (Or chicken stock.)This is meant to be a thicker soup but feel free to add chicken broth if you’d like for it to be a little more thin, especially if you use heavy cream instead of milk. You can even try my easy chicken broth recipe.
    • Bacon: I do love bacon in just about everything so I can’t imagine that adding a couple of slices of bacon to this white chicken chili would be a bad idea. To keep things simple, cook the bacon in with the chicken! To be honest, I wouldn’t even drain the bacon grease if it’s just a tablespoon or so… that may just be delicious!
    • Green Onions: Although there is already onion powder in this recipe, I believe adding some chopped green onion, whether you add it in with the remaining ingredients, or you simply serve on top, it would be a delicious addition!
    • Sour Cream: For you sour cream fans out there, a small dollop of sour cream on top, just before serving, would be a nice touch!
    • Shredded Cheddar Cheese: Shredded cheddar, or even a fiesta blend shredded cheese would add some wonderful additional flavor, just like it does with other chili recipes or how I add it to the top of these chili cheese corn dogs.
    • Fresh Cilantro: I LOVE adding a bit of greenery to the top of soup as a garnish, and cilantro would be the fresh herb of choice for this recipe!
    White chicken chili in white bowl with rolls & parsley surrounding

    What to Serve with this Chili:

    This peanut butter and syrup sandwich is one of our all-time favorite side dishes to serve with a bowl of this white chicken chili, along with a nice green side salad! Or, you can also serve items such as:

    • tortilla chips
    • saltines
    • corn chips
    • slices of homemade Italian bread

    How to Store Leftover White Chicken Chili?

    If you happen to have leftover chili, store cooled-off chili in an airtight container and place in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

    Simply reheat chili in the microwave or on low heat in a sauce pan, on the stove-top.

    Love Chili Recipes?

    If you think this recipe was a huge hit, then make sure you also try our easy chili recipe, this Frito chili pie, and this chili mac!

    Recipe

    White chicken chili in white bowl
    Print Pin
    5 from 4 votes

    White Chicken Chili with Cream Cheese

    White Chicken Chili with Cream Cheese: This easy soup recipe is perfect for a weeknight dinner or for lunch on a Sunday. Made with simple ingredients, it's ready in only 25 minutes!
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine American
    Prep Time 5 minutes minutes
    Cook Time 20 minutes minutes
    Total Time 25 minutes minutes
    Servings 4 servings
    Calories 331kcal
    Author Jessica Burgess

    Ingredients

    • 2-3 chicken breasts cut up in to small pieces (or deboned rotisserie chicken)
    • 8 ounces cream cheese
    • 15 ounce can of black beans rinsed and drained
    • 15 ounce can of corn undrained
    • 15 ounce can of diced tomatoes with green chilies undrained
    • 1 package ranch dressing mix seasoning
    • 1 teaspoon cumin
    • 1 teaspoon onion powder
    • 2 Tablespoons milk

    Instructions

    • In a large stock pot on the stove, cook your cubed chicken over medium heat until done.
    • Lower to medium heat, and add in remaining ingredients.
    • Stir until cream cheese has melted, and heated through.
    • Serve warm.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1serving (¼ recipe) | Calories: 331kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 135mg | Sodium: 317mg | Potassium: 515mg | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 795IU | Vitamin C: 1.3mg | Calcium: 74mg | Iron: 1mg

    Circus Animal Cookie Donuts

    January 13, 2022

    Circus Animal Cookie Donuts

    Circus Animal Cookie Donuts: Cake mix donuts with frosted circus animal cookies inside, it doesn’t get more fun than this! With just 5 simple ingredients you can have these tasty cake donuts ready to go for breakfast or a birthday party in under 20 minutes!

    Move over bunny in the hole cake donuts, I think this circus animal cookie dessert takes the cake (hehe, get it?) for the best dessert this Easter. These bright colors just scream springtime!

    Stacked circus animal Cookie Donuts, next to a glass of milk
    Circus Animal Cookie Donuts

    Why You’ll Love This Recipe

    Have you had circus animal cookies before; you know, the pink and white frosted cookies in the shape of circus animals?

    If you have, then I bet your mouth is watering right now just thinking about them. If you’ve never had them, you’ll just have to trust me that they are SO good!

    These homemade baked donuts are so easy to make, and the crushed circus animal cookies inside add a super fun and flavorful twist!

    You’ll also love these red velvet donuts and these chocolate brownie donuts!

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    Circus Animal Cookie Donut with bite taken out
    Surprise: Circus Animal Cookies Inside!

    Ingredients needed for these baked donuts

    5 ingredients- that’s it, that’s all you need to make this fun baked donut recipe!

    • 1 box yellow cake mix, dry
    • 2 cups mashed ripe bananas*
    • 1 cup crushed frosted animal crackers
    • 1- 16 oz container vanilla or cream cheese frosting
    • Colored sprinkles

    You’ll also need cooking spray and a ziplock bag or pastry bag.

    Ingredients on white table to make donuts
    Ingredients for pink donuts

    Instructions for this easy baked donut recipe

    1. Preheat your oven to 425° F and grease a donut baking pan.
    2. In a large mixing bowl, mash the ripe bananas with a fork or potato masher.
    Bananas mashed in bowl
    Mash the bananas.
    1. Stir in the dry yellow cake mix until just combined. Gently fold in the crushed circus animal crackers.
    Add the cake mix and stir to combine.
    Add cake mix.
    Stir in the crushed circus animal cookies.
    Fold in crushed animal cookies.
    1. Pour the mixture into a large ziplock bag. Cut the tip off of one corner of the bag and pipe the batter into each donut cavity until it’s about ⅔ full.
    Pipe your donut batter into your greased donut pan.
    Put batter in a ziplock bag.
    Fill each donut hole ⅔ full with batter.
    Fill each donut cup ⅔ full.
    1. Bake in the preheated oven for 7-8 minutes, or until the donuts are cooked through and a toothpick inserted in the donut comes out clean.
    2. Allow the donuts to cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes before transferring them to a wire cooling rack.
    Bake 7-8 mins at 425°F.
    Bake 7-8 mins.
    Cool 5-10 mins in the pan, then transfer to a cooling rack.
    Cool 5 mins in pan, transfer to cooling rack.
    1. Add the frosting to a microwave-safe bowl and warm in the microwave for 10-20 seconds until it’s a runny consistency (this makes dipping easier).
    2. Dip each donut upside down into the frosting and return to the cooling rack right-side up. Immediately add colored sprinkles on top of the donuts before the frosting sets. 
    3. Allow to fully cool before serving, enjoy!
    Melt your icing in the microwave so it's a runny consistency.
    Melt icing.
    Circus Animal Cookie Donuts
    Dip donut in icing then add sprinkles.

    Substitutions

    If you are out of bananas, you may try substituting 2 cups of applesauce for the bananas.

    For those of you who eat a gluten-free diet, try using Pillsbury’s Gluten Free Funfetti Mix instead of the yellow cake mix and folding in crushed gluten-free animal cracker-like Kinnikritters.

    We haven’t tried this yet, so if you do please let us know how it goes in the comments below!

    Variations

    I realize that the pink and white circus animal cookies are not available in all countries.

    If you don’t have these cookies where you live, you could experiment with other kinds of cookies! You could also experiment with the icing for the top of the donuts. Chocolate, lemon, cherry…the frosting options are endless!

    Circus Animal Cookie Donuts
    Animal Cookie Donuts

    Equipment

    You’ll need to have a donut pan or two in order to make these baked cake donuts. You can order a donut pan online, but you should also be able to find it at your local Walmart or other similar stores.

    Storage

    Store these oven-baked donuts in an airtight container for up to 1-2 day at room temperature, or 5-7 days in the refrigerator.

    Circus Animal Cookies Donuts
    Circus Animal Cookie Donuts

    Expert Tips and FAQs

    I can’t find circus animal cookies, what else can I use?

    If you don’t have these cookies where you live, you could experiment with other kinds of cookies!

    I think a birthday cake Oreo cookie would be a fun substitute for the circus animal cookies, but you can always walk down the cookie aisle at your local grocery store and find something fun to test out!

    Where can I get a cake donut pan?

    You can order a donut pan online (as mentioned above), but you should also be able to find it at your local Walmart or other similar stores.

    Can I use homemade frosting instead of store-bought?

    Absolutely! If you would prefer, you can make 16 ounces of your favorite frosting and use that to ice your donuts. You will still need to warm it up in the microwave a bit so it is dippable consistency.

    One note here- any buttercream frosting recipe should work for this, but a meringue or marshmallow frosting would most likely not be a good choice.

    Related Recipes

    If you enjoyed these circus animal cookie donuts, you’ll love these birthday cake donuts from my friend Karina, or our other donut recipes like our donut burger recipe and our donut bread pudding! Or, if your kids just love animal-inspired treats, these Teddy Bear Graham crackers dipped in chocolate will fit the bill.

    Recipe

    Circus Animal Cookie Donuts
    Print Pin
    5 from 1 vote

    Circus Animal Cookie Donuts

    Circus Animal Cookie Donuts: Cake mix donuts with frosted circus animal cookies inside, it doesn't get more fun than this! With just 5 simple ingredients you can have these tasty cake donuts ready to go in under 20 minutes!
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American
    Prep Time 10 minutes minutes
    Cook Time 8 minutes minutes
    Total Time 18 minutes minutes
    Servings 12 donuts
    Calories 280kcal
    Author Jessica Burgess

    Equipment

    • donut baking pan like this one

    Ingredients

    • 1 box yellow cake mix dry
    • 2 cups ripe bananas* mashed
    • 1 cup frosted animal crackers
    • 1- 16 ounce can vanilla or cream cheese frosting
    • coloured sprinkles
    • cooking spray
    • ziplock bag or piping bag

    Instructions

    • Preheat your oven to 425° F and grease a donut baking pan.
    • In a large mixing bowl, mash the ripe bananas with a fork or potato masher.
    • Stir in the dry yellow cake mix until just combined. Gently fold in the crushed circus animal crackers.
    • Pour the mixture into a large ziploc bag. Cut the tip off of one corner of the bag and pipe the batter into each donut cavity until it's about ⅔ full.
    • Bake in the preheated oven for 7-8 minutes, or until the donuts are cooked through and a toothpick inserted in the donut comes out clean.
    • Allow the donuts to cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes before transferring them to a wire cooling rack.
    • Add the frosting to a microwave safe bowl and warm in the microwave for 10-20 seconds until it's a runny consistency (this makes dipping easier).
    • Dip each donut upside down into the frosting and return to the cooling rack right-side up. Immediately add colored sprinkles on top of the donuts before the frosting sets. 
    • Allow to fully cool before serving, enjoy!

    Notes

    *2 cups of applesauce can be substituted for the bananas.
     
    STORAGE: Store in an airtight container for up to 1-2 day at room temperature, or 5-7 days in the refrigerator.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1donut | Calories: 280kcal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 4mg | Sodium: 417mg | Potassium: 129mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 25g | Vitamin A: 33IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 99mg | Iron: 2mg

    Chicken Grilled Cheese

    January 10, 2022

    Chicken Grilled Cheese Sandwich

    Chicken Grilled Cheese: Grilled cheese sandwiches are a classic, but adding chicken takes it to a new level! Keep this simple recipe on hand for those busy weeknights when you don’t know what to make for dinner.

    Chicken Grilled Cheese Sandwich

    Did you know that April 12 is National Grilled Cheese Day? Not like you need an excuse to eat a yummy grilled chicken and cheese sandwich, but make sure you mark that date in your calendar and try out this recipe (or our caprese chicken sandwich, which is also fantabulous)!

    Why You’ll Love This Recipe

    I think most of us love a good grilled cheese sandwich, but a grilled cheese chicken sandwich (or a chicken and cheese toastie, for the British blog readers out there)?

    I’m a big fan of simple meals that still have some protein in them, (like this tuna salad sandwich recipe) and this one fits the ticket. You all know I think great food doesn’t have to be complicated!

    I also love that it’s flexible- you could use leftover chicken from that rotisserie chicken you had for dinner last night (then don’t forget to save the rotisserie carcass to make chicken stock!) or you could cook up some chicken breasts in the slow cooker and use that instead. You may also want to make this chicken club sandwich with any other chicken breasts you may have too!

    Honestly, this whole sandwich is super customizable…hence the HUGE list of variations we shared a bit farther down.

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    Ingredients

    Rustic bread, chicken, and a mixture of different cheeses…I mean, need I say more? These chicken grilled cheese sandwiches use simple ingredients to make a sandwich that’s tasty!

    • 2 tablespoons butter softened
    • 8 slices white bread rustic-style
    • 1 cup chicken cooked and shredded
    • 4 ounces cream cheese softened
    • 1 cup mozzarella cheese sliced
    • 1 cup Monterey Jack cheese sliced
    • 2 teaspoons parsley fresh, diced

    Make sure you scroll to the recipe card below, to see the full recipe now, or keep reading to see how easy it is to make these chicken grilled cheese sandwiches!

    Ingredients for Chicken Grilled Cheese Sandwich
    Ingredients

    Variations

    There is no limit to the different ways you can change up a grilled cheese sandwich. This recipe uses chicken, mozzarella cheese, and Monterey Jack cheese to create a tasty sandwich, but there are so many other combinations you could try!

    Experimenting with different cheese and add-ins is also a great way to use up whatever’s left in your fridge (reducing food waste, saving yourself from a shopping trip, it’s a win-win).

    • Bbq Chicken Grilled Cheese- use bbq chicken, slices of cheese that are spicy (think pepper jack cheese), and some sliced red onion. Serve with barbecue sauce for dipping (or sour cream, if you need to tone down the spice).
    • Grilled Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches – use spicy buffalo chicken and a cheese mixture like mozzarella and colby jack. You could serve this with a side of bleu cheese dressing and some carrot sticks.
    • Gourmet Grilled Cheese- try marinating a skinless chicken breast in a balsamic vinegar marinade, and then grilling or baking your chicken. Use a hearty bread (the best bread for this one would be a rye or crusty artisanal bread). Butter your bread, spread some cream cheese (maybe Boursin) and add your shredded grilled chicken. Add some mozzarella cheese, fresh basil, fresh spinach and a slice of tomato on top of the chicken and top with another slice of bread. Cook and enjoy!
    • Kid Friendly Chicken Grilled Cheese- use American cheese (like Kraft slices), white bread, and however much chicken your little one will eat. Serve it with a side of potato chips and some ketchup.

    How to Make a Chicken Grilled Cheese

    1. Heat a large skillet on the stovetop over medium heat. 
    2. Spread butter on one side of each of the slices of bread you have cut in half, then place them butter-side down and spread cream cheese on the other side of each slice of bread.
    Slices of bread being covered with butter.
    Butter one side of each slice of bread.
    Bread being covered with cream cheese for a chicken grilled cheese.
    Cover the opposite side of each slice with cream cheese.
    1. Top 4 slices of the cream cheese covered bread with ¼ cup shredded chicken. 
    2. Then, top the chicken with parsley and slices of mozzarella cheese in a single layer. 
    3. Top the mozzarella cheese with a single layer of sliced Monterey Jack cheese. 
    Chicken added to bread for a chicken grilled cheese.
    Add chicken.
    Cheese added to chicken grilled cheese sandwich.
    And finally the cheeses.
    1. Top that slice of cheese with the remaining bread slices (cream cheese side in, butter side out). 
    Top with another piece of toast (butter side out).
    1. Place the sandwiches, one at a time, into the heated pan. 
    2. Cook sandwiches for about 4 minutes on each side or until the outside of the bread is golden brown. During the last 60 seconds, cover the pan to help the cheese melt. 
    Chicken grilled cheese in a skillet.
    Cook 4 mins per side.
    1. Transfer the sandwich to a plate with your choice of side. I’ll serve the kids potato chips or steak fries, and for myself, I like to make a side salad. Enjoy!
    Chicken Grilled Cheese Sandwich on round plate.

    Sauces to Serve with Grilled Cheese

    If you have kids, I bet that the go-to grilled cheese dip in your house is ketchup. The kiddos can have their ketchup, but I think there’s a better way for this chicken grilled cheese sandwich.

    Here are a few I would suggest trying:

    • Barbecue sauce (pick your favorite BBQ sauce)
    • Spicy buffalo sauce- you can even make your own buffalo sauce! It’s basically just melted butter, hot sauce and garlic powder. If you prefer to use a recipe, you could try this buffalo sauce recipe. Side note: if you enjoy buffalo sauce with this chicken grilled cheese sandwich, you really need to try this buffalo chicken lasagna!
    • Ranch dressing (for those who prefer a milder flavor)
    • Blue cheese dressing, for those who like to live on the wild side

    I’m a fan of spice so I like my chicken grilled cheese with a side of extra buffalo sauce, but there’s no wrong answer here!

    Chicken Grilled Cheese Sandwich

    The basic formula for a great grilled cheese sandwich is to have nice thick slices of bread, lots of melted cheese and to make sure you cook it until both the top of the sandwich and the bottoms of the sandwiches are a nice golden brown color. The rest is totally up to you!

    Storage

    Grilled cheese sandwiches don’t typically keep well (they have a tendency to get soggy). Your best bet is to enjoy these sandwiches right after you’ve made them, but if you have leftovers try wrapping them in a paper towel and then in tin foil and storing them in the fridge. When you’re ready to eat them, heat them up in a skillet over medium heat again until they are toasty and melty.

    Chicken Grilled Cheese Sandwich
    The BEST grilled cheese!

    Expert Tips and FAQs

    What cheese goes best with chicken?

    This is really a matter of personal preference, although it does depend a bit on what type of chicken you are using.

    If you are using bbq chicken, you could use a more mild cheese like cheddar cheese or mozzarella.

    If you are using a chicken breast without strong seasonings, try spicing up your sandwich by using more adventurous cheeses (think spicy habanero or bleu cheese)!

    The combinations are endless and there really isn’t a wrong kind of cheese to choose. Have fun with it!

    What can I add to grilled cheese to make it better?

    We think that the addition of cheese to a grilled cheese already makes it better, but if you want to take it a step further you could try experimenting with the fat on the outside. This recipe calls for buttering the outside of your bread, but you could try using mayonnaise instead of a twist on this old classic!

    How can I add flavor to my grilled cheese?

    How can you add flavor, let me count the ways..

    In all seriousness, you can add flavor to a grilled cheese in three basic ways:
    – changing up the cheeses
    – dipping it in a sauce
    – adding in another ingredient

    We have a bunch of dipping sauce recommendations in this blog post as well as cheese and add-in suggestions in the variations section, above, in this post. Check it out!

    What’s the best way to cook a grilled cheese sandwich?

    Ooh, good question. There isn’t really a “best way”, but there are a lot of different ways!

    Air Fryer- If you have one, try it out! Preheat your air fryer to 400F, place your assembled sandwich, buttered side down, into your air fryer basket. Cook it for 4-6 mins, flipping halfway through (it’s not required, but it will make sure that your sandwich is golden brown on both sides).

    Panini Press- This should create a flatter sandwich with a crunchy, golden exterior with those tell-tale panini lines. I haven’t tried this one personally, so let me know in the comments section if you do!

    Baked- Preheat oven to 450F. Assemble your sandwich following the recipe, then place on a greased or foil-lined baking sheet. Bake for 5 mins, flip sandwiches over and bake another 5 mins or until the sandwich is golden brown and the cheese is melted. Watch your sandwich cook when you get near the end of the time so you don’t burn it.

    Related Recipes

    If you enjoyed this chicken grilled cheese sandwich, you might like some of our other sandwich recipes like this hot ham and cheese, this Hawaiian breakfast sandwich or this bacon brioche sandwich.

    Recipe

    Chicken Grilled Cheese Sandwich
    Print Pin
    5 from 6 votes

    Chicken Grilled Cheese

    Chicken Grilled Cheese: Grilled cheese sandwiches are a classic, but adding chicken takes it to a whole new level!
    Course Main Course, Snack
    Cuisine American
    Prep Time 4 minutes minutes
    Cook Time 8 minutes minutes
    Total Time 12 minutes minutes
    Servings 4 sandwiches
    Calories 498kcal
    Author Jessica Burgess

    Ingredients

    • 2 tablespoons butter softened
    • 4 slices white bread rustic-style, cut in half
    • 1 cup chicken cooked and shredded
    • 4 ounces cream cheese softened
    • 1 cup mozzarella cheese sliced
    • 1 cup Monterey Jack cheese sliced
    • 2 teaspoons parsley fresh, diced

    Instructions

    • Heat a large skillet on stove top over medium heat.
    • Spread butter on one side of each of the slices of bread you have cut in half, then place them butter-side down and spread cream cheese on the other side of each slice of bread.
    • Top 4 slices of the cream cheese covered bread with ¼ cup shredded chicken.
    • Top the chicken with parsley and slices of mozzarella cheese in a single layer.
    • Top the mozzarella cheese with a single layer of sliced Monterey Jack cheese.
    • Top that slice of cheese with the remaining bread slices (cream cheese side in, butter side out). 
    • Place the sandwiches, one at a time, into the heated pan.
    • Cook sandwiches for about 4 minutes on each side or until the outside of the bread is golden brown. During the last 60 seconds, cover the pan to help the cheese melt.
    • Transfer sandwich to a plate with your choice of side (potato chips or steak fries would be delicious) and enjoy!

    Notes

    STORAGE: Grilled cheese sandwiches don’t typically keep well (they have a tendency to get soggy). Your best bet is to enjoy these sandwiches right after you’ve made them, but if you have leftovers try wrapping them in a paper towel and then in tin foil and storing them in the fridge. When you’re ready to eat them, heat them up in a skillet over medium heat again until they are toasty and melty.
     
    VARIATIONS: There are so many ways you could change up this chicken grilled cheese recipe. Check out the variations section of this post for some ideas!

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1sandwich | Calories: 498kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 34g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 104mg | Sodium: 723mg | Potassium: 168mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 986IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 513mg | Iron: 2mg

    Honey Lime Fruit Salad

    January 5, 2022

    Honey Lime Fruit Salad

    Honey Lime Fruit Salad: A refreshing fresh fruit salad that’s always a hit! Serve this fruit salad as a healthy dessert or as a sweet side dish for any occasion. We’ve even included this fresh fruit salad recipe in our top favorite recipe ideas for a picnic.

    Honey lime fruit salad
    Fruit Salad with Honey Lime Dressing

    Why you’ll love this recipe

    This is the best fruit salad recipe for a hot summer day! It’s a family favorite because it’s the perfect fruit salad for a crowd! The honey lime dressing is what makes this the perfect side dish or healthy dessert.

    I also love making this fruit salad with cool whip when I’m craving a creamy fruit salad.

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    Ingredients

    Honey lime fruit salad ingredients
    Ingredients for Fruit Salad
    • Honey
    • Orange juice
    • Lime juice
    • Strawberries
    • Oranges
    • Kiwi
    • Bananas
    • Pineapple
    • Blueberries
    • Grapes (black seedless)
    • Mint leaves (optional)
    • Splash of pure vanilla extract (optional)

    See recipe card toward the bottom of this post for quantities instructions all in one place!

    Instructions

    Orange juice, lime juice, honey
    Fruit Salad Dressing
    1. In a small bowl, mix together orange juice, honey and lime juice, (and vanilla if desired), set aside.
    Fruit in bowl
    Fruit in bowl for dressing
    1. Wash, slice fruits and mix together in a large bowl.
    dressing pouring in to fruit salad
    Honey Lime Orange Dressing Pouring in to Fruit
    1. Pour "dressing" over fruit mixture and toss!
    simple fruit salad recipe
    Honey Lime Fruit Salad
    1. Serve right away or let marinate in the refrigerator for up to an hour.

    Hint: The bananas are usually the first to "turn" but the dressing acts as a preserve so it helps keep the bananas from turning brown so fast!

    Substitutions/Variations

    This recipe is very forgiving so feel free to add in or swap out any fruit to your liking! Here are a few of my favorite fruits to add to this easy fruit salad recipe!

    • Raspberries & Blackberries – There’s nothing better than a combination of fresh raspberries and blackberries! They make a great addition to this fresh fruit salad!
    • Clementines – Clementines are easy to peel and don’t need to be cut which is a great (less messy) swap for oranges! Besides, mandarin oranges are just so cute!!
    • Peaches – Adding peaches to this salad would be perfect for a summer cookout! Peaches are ripe and ready to eat during the summertime which is the perfect time to enjoy them!
    • Poppy Seeds- Feel free to add 1-2tbsp of poppy seeds to the honey lime dressing! Poppy seeds add texture and taste delicious topped on fruit salad!
    • Lime Zest or Lemon Zest – For extra flair, zest lime or lemon on top!
    homemade fruit salad recipe
    Fruit Salad with Citrus Dressing

    Top tip

    The honey acts as a "sweetener" to help offset fruits that may be a bit tart. But if you find that the fruit salad is still tart, you can mix in 1 teaspoon of brown sugar with an additional teaspoon of orange juice and pour/stir in with fruit salad to add a touch more sweetness.

    How do you store fruit salad?

    You can store this honey lime fruit salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. If you plan on storing your fruit salad, I would recommend omitting the bananas as they will get brown if stored for days.

    homemade fruit salad recipe
    Honey Lime Fruit Salad

    What are the best fruits to mix together?

    For best results for this honey lime fruit salad recipe, you should mix fruits with different colors and textures but avoid mixing fruits that are too acidic (like grapefruits).

    Fresh strawberries, pineapple, red grapes, fresh blueberries, mandarin oranges, and other fresh/in season fruit makes the best fruit salad!

    Or, if you’re looking to make a fruit salad at Christmas, you’ll love this Christmas Fruit Salad!

    Recipe

    Honey Lime Fruit Salad
    Print Pin
    5 from 9 votes

    Honey Lime Fruit Salad

    Honey Lime Fruit Salad: A refreshing fresh fruit salad that's always a hit! Serve this fruit salad as a healthy dessert or as a sweet side dish for any occasion!
    Course Breakfast, Dessert, Salad, Side Dish
    Cuisine American
    Prep Time 15 minutes minutes
    Cook Time 15 minutes minutes
    Total Time 30 minutes minutes
    Servings 8
    Calories 147kcal
    Author Jessica Burgess

    Ingredients

    • ⅛ cup honey
    • ½ cup orange juice
    • juice of ½ lime
    • 16 oz Strawberries
    • 2 Oranges
    • 2 Kiwis
    • 2 Bananas
    • 8 oz Pineapple
    • 8 oz Blueberries
    • 8 oz Grapes Black seedless
    • Mint leaves Optional
    • Splash Vanilla extract Optional

    Instructions

    • In a small bowl, mix together orange juice, honey and lime juice, (and vanilla if desired), set aside.
    • Wash, slice fruits and mix together in a large bowl.
    • Pour "dressing" over fruit mixture and toss!
    • Serve right away or let marinate in the refrigerator for up to an hour.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 147kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 3mg | Potassium: 463mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 27g | Vitamin A: 201IU | Vitamin C: 99mg | Calcium: 42mg | Iron: 1mg

    This fruit salad recipe was first published on Tornadough Alli.

    Strawberry Buttercream with Jam

    January 4, 2022

    Strawberry Buttercream frosting recipe

    Strawberry Buttercream with Jam: If you like strawberries, you’ll love this easy strawberry buttercream frosting! It’s made with only 3 ingredients and takes less than 10 minutes to make!

    This is the buttercream frosting that we used in the sugar cookie sandwiches and it was DELICIOUS! So I know you’ll love it in those and you’ll also love it on other cupcakes or cakes too!

    Strawberry Buttercream frosting
    Strawberry Buttercream with Jam

    Why you’ll love this recipe

    This fun and fruity twist on classic buttercream frosting is perfect for Valentine’s day, a girl’s baby shower, or any pink-themed party! I love topping this buttercream recipe on my pink champagne cupcakes or my strawberry shortcake cookies!

    Another one of my favorite strawberry recipes is my strawberry brownies! That’s another great recipe for valentines day, birthday parties, or holiday parties.

    strawberry frosting without strawberries
    Use jam for strawberry frosting

    Strawberry Frosting without Strawberries

    You can make fluffy strawberry buttercream frosting without fresh strawberries! Using strawberry preserves or strawberry jam, you can easily make delicious strawberry buttercream frosting. Although, adding real strawberries is always a good idea!

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    Ingredients

    Strawberry Buttercream with jam
    Ingredients for strawberry frosting
    • Butter
    • Strawberry jam
    • Powdered sugar

    See recipe card for quantities.

    Instructions

    Strawberry Buttercream frosting
    Mix butter and jam
    1. Add butter and jam to a large bowl.
    Strawberry buttercream frosting
    Butter and jam mixture
    1. With an electric mixer or stand mixer, mix together the butter and fruit spread until evenly mixed.
    how to make strawberry buttercream frosting
    Add in the powdered sugar
    1. Slowly, and in small batches, add in the powdered sugar to the butter/jam mixture, turn the mixer on “low”, and gently mix together until evenly combined.
    easy strawberry buttercream frosting
    Whip with mixer

    NOTE: You may need to stop mixing halfway, to scrape the inside of the mixing bowl to incorporate any powdered sugar that needs mixed in.

    Substitutions

    There are different ways to spice up this buttercream recipe and make it your own! Here are a few of my favorite ideas.

    • Fresh strawberries – Adding chopped strawberries to this recipe would add texture and who doesn’t like fresh strawberries!?
    • Food coloring – If you’re going for a red or darker pink, you can always add food coloring to this easy buttercream frosting. This is the perfect way to give cookies or cupcakes an aesthetic look.
    • Lemon zest – Fresh strawberry frosting combined with lemon zest is the perfect topping on cupcake or cookies during the summer!
    strawberry buttercream frosting
    Strawberry Buttercream Frosting

    Does strawberry buttercream frosting need to be refrigerated?

    You can leave buttercream frosting out for three days but if you’re going to let it sit for longer, you should refrigerate in an airtight container. You can also store buttercream frosting in the freezer for up to 1 month if you want to save frosting for later!

    easy buttercream frosting recipe
    Sugar cookies with buttercream frosting

    Why did my strawberry buttercream separate?

    If your strawberry buttercream separates it means that your fat and liquid were at different temperatures. If any ingredients are too warm or too cold then your frosting might separate. It’s best to use room temperature butter and jam to ensure the perfect frosting!

    More Recipes You’ll Love

    If you love having easy recipes like this one on hand, I think you’ll really love this Instant Pot Raspberry Jam and

    Recipe

    Strawberry Buttercream frosting recipe
    Print Pin
    5 from 48 votes

    Strawberry Buttercream with Jam

    Strawberry Buttercream Frosting with Jam: Made with only 3 ingredients and less than 10 minutes to make, this strawberry buttercream frosting is made with jam for amazing flavor!
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American
    Prep Time 10 minutes minutes
    Total Time 10 minutes minutes
    Servings 24
    Calories 245kcal
    Author Jessica Burgess

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup butter 2 sticks
    • ½ cup strawberry jam
    • 4 cups powdered sugar

    Instructions

    • Add butter and jam to a large bowl.
    • With an electric mixer or stand mixer, mix together the butter and fruit spread until evenly mixed.
    • Slowly, and in small batches, add in the powdered sugar to the butter/jam mixture, turn the mixer on "low", and gently mix together until evenly combined.
    • NOTE: You may need to stop mixing halfway, to scrape the inside of the mixing bowl to incorporate any powdered sugar that needs mixed in.

    Notes

    Why did my strawberry buttercream separate?

    If your strawberry buttercream separates it means that your fat and liquid were at different temperatures. If any ingredients are too warm or too cold then your frosting might separate. It’s best to use room temperature butter and jam to ensure the perfect frosting!

    Nutrition

    Calories: 245kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 20mg | Sodium: 139mg | Potassium: 21mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 27g | Vitamin A: 236IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 5mg | Iron: 1mg

    Oreo Cupcakes and Oreo Buttercream Frosting

    December 29, 2021

    Oreo Cupcakes with Oreo Buttercream Frosting

    Oreo Cupcakes and Oreo Buttercream Frosting: These cookies and cream style cupcakes are full of Oreo cookies and are sure to be a hit with Oreo lovers and cupcake lovers alike!

    These easy Oreo cupcakes are high on our list of favorite Oreo desserts, right up there with our easy no bake Oreo cheesecake and our cookies and cream cinnamon rolls!

    Oreo Cupcakes with Oreo Buttercream Frosting

    Why You’ll Love This Recipe

    These chocolate Oreo cupcakes are a dream- moist chocolate cupcakes with Oreo crumbs inside, topped with an Oreo buttercream frosting…yum! It’s all the amazing cake goodness you’re craving in a small, cupcake-sized package.

    Whether you’re looking for a creative cupcake to serve at birthday parties or just a fun way to incorporate your favorite cookie into a dessert, these delicious cupcakes are just the thing you need!

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    Oreo Cupcakes Ingredients

    A cookie lovers dream, these delicious Oreo cupcakes require only a few simple ingredients to make!

    • 1- 15.25 oz Betty Crocker milk chocolate cake mix
    • 1 cup Oreo cookies crushed into small pieces
    • 3 large eggs
    • ½ cup water room temperature
    • ¾ cup milk
    • ⅓ cup vegetable oil
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    Oreo cupcake ingredients.

    Cookies & Cream Buttercream Ingredients

    • 1 cup salted butter (2 sticks)
    • 1 cup Oreo cookies finely blended into crumbs
    • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
    • 3½ cups powdered sugar
    Ingredients for cookies and cream buttercream frosting.

    How to Create Fluffy Cupcakes with Oreos

    1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
    2. Line cupcake tins with paper liners. Set aside.
    3. In a large bowl, mix dry ingredients (cake mix and crushed Oreos). Mix until all the Oreo pieces are coated with dry cake mixture.
    Combine dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
    Combine dry ingredients.
    Combine dry ingredients.
    Coat all cookie pieces with cake mix.
    1. Add wet ingredients (eggs, water, milk, oil and vanilla extract). Mix with a hand mixer until all the ingredients are incorporated (you could also make this with a stand mixer and paddle attachment).
    Wet ingredients added to mixing bowl.
    Add wet ingredients.
    Oreo cupcakes batter in glass mixing bowl.
    Combine.
    1. Scoop the cupcake batter into the prepared muffin tins. 
    Oreo cupcakes batter scooped in to scoop, over mixing bowl.
    Scoop batter into prepared tins.
    Oreo cupcake batter in muffin tin.
    Bake 14-17 mins.
    1. Cook in a preheated oven for 14 to 17 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the middle. NOTE: Your cooking time may vary if you use a different cake mix.
    Oreo cupcakes, baked.
    Bake 14-17 mins.
    1. Let the cupcakes cool completely on a cooling rack before frosting.
    Oreo cupcakes.

    How to make Oreo buttercream frosting

    1. In a medium bowl, cream the butter until soft. 
    Ingredients for cookies and cream buttercream frosting.
    Frosting ingredients
    Butter in glass mixing bowl.
    Put butter in bowl.
    Butter and sugar creamed until all soft.
    Cream till soft.
    1. Add powdered sugar about ½ cup at the time and beat butter and icing sugar with the hand mixer on low speed, adding more as soon as the powdered sugar is completely combined each time. Continue until all 3 ½ cups of powdered sugar is mixed with the butter.
    Add powdered sugar, ½ cup at a time to mixing bowl.
    Keep adding & blending.
    Butter and cream together in mixing bowl.
    1. Crush the Oreo cookies (like we did with this Oreo mousse) by putting them in a blender or food processor (the whole Oreo cookie). Blitz them until you have cookie crumbs- you don’t want any big chunks at all for the frosting or you will not be able to pipe a swirl onto the top of the cupcake without the piping tip becoming blocked. 
    2. Add the crushed Oreos to your frosting and mix until all incorporated. 
    Cookies added to cupcake frosting.
    Add Oreo crumbs.
    Cookies and cream buttercream frosting in mixing bowl.
    Mix together.
    1. Once cupcakes are completely cooled, pipe the frosting using a piping bag or ziplock bag with the corner cut. Top the frosting with an Oreo cookie cut in half or a mini Oreo cookie and some chocolate chips. Enjoy!
    Oreo cupcake with piping bag, piping frosting on.
    Pipe frosting on cooled cupcake.
    Oreo cupcake with cookies and cream buttercream frosting.

    Substitutions

    If you are missing an ingredient or can’t use one, here are a few substitutions you can try…

    • Milk -> you can use a non-dairy milk in its place
    • Olive oil -> you can use vegetable oil or even melted butter
    • Eggs -> a cornstarch paste should work in place of an egg for this recipe, but we haven’t tested that so let us know if you do! Simply mix together 3 tablespoon cold water and 1 tablespoon of cornstarch for each egg you need to replace (so for this recipe, 9 tablespoon cold water and 3 tablespoon of cornstarch) and use it in place of the egg in the recipe.

    Variations

    You could make endless variations of this recipe by switching up the cake mix or the frosting you use!

    • Try topping these cupcakes with cream cheese frosting like we did on our cookies and cream cinnamon rolls
    • Instead of a chocolate cake mix, try using a white cake mix to create moist vanilla cupcakes with Oreo frosting
    • Try using this cookies and cream buttercream on top of other recipes, like our easy & fudgy cast iron brownies!
    • Looking to lighten up these cupcakes? Mix together some cool whip and Oreo crumbs and use this as a frosting instead!
    • Try serving these cupcakes with a scoop of ice cream on the side!

    If you want to create a really delicious chocolate cupcake, try mixing ½ teaspoon of espresso powder and a pinch of salt into the room temperature water called for in these Oreo cookie cupcakes. The espresso and salt help to amp up the chocolate flavor!

    If you are wanting to create a super moist cupcake, try replacing the oil in this recipe with sour cream (this will also result in slightly more dense cupcakes).

    You could also add a fun twist to this recipe by placing a regular size Oreo cookie on the bottom of each cupcake liner before topping it with cupcake batter and baking.

    No matter what variations you try, the end result is going to be the best Oreo cupcakes ever!

    Oreo cupcake with cookies and cream buttercream frosting.

    Equipment

    If you have a disposable piping bag or want to purchase them to have on hand, then great! If you don't though, I've had fairly good success with using freezer bags. Taste of Home has a detailed tutorial on their website that explains it nicely!

    You’ll also need a cupcake pan to make this recipe. If you don’t have one yet, it’s definitely worth investing in! Having a cupcake pan in the kitchen is a decision you will not regret. You can likely grab a cupcake pan/muffin tin at your local grocery store, but if you are an online shopper you can also grab this cupcake pan.

    Inside of cookies and cream cupcakes

    Storage

    Store the Oreo cupcakes with Oreo buttercream frosting in an airtight container on the counter for 3 days or in the fridge for up to 1 week.

    The unfrosted cupcakes can be frozen in an airtight container or bag for up to two months, but the buttercream does not stand up well to freezing.

    Expert Tips and FAQs

    Can I just use a boxed cake mix to make chocolate cupcakes with Oreo buttercream instead of making them Oreo cupcakes?

    Of course! Although the cupcake recipe listed here is delicious, you could easily make any sort of cupcake you like and top it with the cookies and cream buttercream part of this recipe!

    Can I freeze these Oreo cookie cupcakes?

    Yes and no. You CAN freeze the cupcakes themselves in an airtight plastic freezer bag or container for up to two months (just thaw them completely on the counter before frosting).

    However, we would NOT recommend freezing the Oreo buttercream frosting. Buttercream tends to separate when frozen and when it thaws it has a different, less appealing texture.

    Can I make this Oreo cupcake recipes ahead of time?

    Yes! The fully frosted cupcakes can be kept in an airtight container on the counter for 3 days or up to 1 week in an airtight container in the fridge.

    If you store them in the fridge, we would recommend letting them reach room temperature again before serving. We find cake tastes better that way.

    Oreo cupcakes stacked on cake stands

    Related Recipes

    Did you love our Oreo cupcakes and Oreo buttercream frosting (aka the best Oreo cupcake recipe ever)? Then you’ll love our mint chocolate cupcake recipe, caramel cupcakes with caramel buttercream frosting or these super fun red velvet cupcakes with creamy chocolate chip frosting!

    Don’t forget about breakfast because you’ll love making these Oreo pancakes too!

    Plus, if you’re an Oreo fan in general, then you’ll love all of these Oreo recipes too!

    Recipe

    Oreo Cupcakes with Oreo Buttercream Frosting
    Print Pin
    5 from 3 votes

    Oreo Cupcakes and Oreo Buttercream Frosting

    Oreo Cupcakes and Oreo Buttercream Frosting: These cookies and cream style cupcakes are full of Oreo cookies and are sure to be a hit with Oreo lovers and cupcake lovers alike! 
    Course Dessert, Snack
    Cuisine American
    Prep Time 15 minutes minutes
    Cook Time 17 minutes minutes
    Total Time 32 minutes minutes
    Servings 15 cupcakes
    Calories 494kcal
    Author Jessica Burgess

    Ingredients

    Oreo Cupcakes

    • 1- 15.25 oz Betty Crocker milk chocolate cake mix
    • 1 cup Oreo cookies crushed into small pieces
    • 3 large eggs
    • ½ cup water room temperature
    • ¾ cup milk
    • ⅓ cup vegetable oil
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

    Oreo Buttercream Frosting

    • 1 cup salted butter (2 sticks)
    • 1 cup oreo cookies finely blended into crumbs
    • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
    • 3½ cups powdered sugar

    Instructions

    Making the Ultimate Oreo Cupcakes

    • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
    • Place cupcake liners into a muffin tin. Set aside.
    • In a large bowl, mix dry ingredients (cake mix and crushed Oreos). Mix until all the Oreo pieces are coated with dry cake mixture.
    • Add wet ingredients (eggs, water, milk, oil and vanilla extract). Mix with a hand mixer until all the ingredients are incorporated (you could also make this with a stand mixer and paddle attachment).
    • Scoop the cupcake batter into the prepared muffin tins.
    • Cook in a preheated oven for 14 to 17 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the middle. NOTE: Your cooking time may vary if you use a different cake mix.
    • Let the cupcakes cool completely on a cooling rack before frosting.

    Making the Creamy Frosting

    • In a medium bowl, cream butter until soft. 
    • Add powdered sugar about ½ cup at the time and beat butter and icing sugar with the hand mixer on low speed, adding more as soon as the powdered sugar is completely combined each time. Continue until all 3 ½ cups of powdered sugar is mixed with the butter.
    • Crush the Oreo cookies by putting them in a blender or food processor (the whole Oreo cookie). Blitz them until you have cookie crumbs- you don't want any big chunks at all for the frosting or you will not be able to pipe a swirl onto the top of the cupcake without the piping tip becoming blocked.
    • Add the crushed Oreos to your frosting and mix until all incorporated.
    • Once cupcakes are completely cooled, pipe the frosting using a piping bag or ziplock bag with the corner cut. Top the frosting with an Oreo cookie cut in half or a mini Oreo cookie and some chocolate chips. Enjoy!

    Notes

    VARIATIONS: If you want to create a really delicious chocolate cupcake, try mixing ½ teaspoon of espresso powder and a pinch of salt into the room temperature water called for in these Oreo cookie cupcakes. The espresso and salt help to amp up the chocolate flavor!
    If you are wanting to create a super moist cupcake, try replacing the oil in this recipe with sour cream (this will also result in slightly more dense cupcakes).
    You could also add a fun twist to this recipe by placing a regular size Oreo cookie on the bottom of each cupcake liner before topping it with cupcake batter and baking.
    SUBSTITUTIONS:
    • Milk -> you can use a non-dairy milk in its place
    • Olive oil -> you can use vegetable oil or even melted butter
    • Eggs -> a cornstarch paste should work in place of an egg for this recipe, but we haven’t tested that so let us know if you do! Simply mix together 3 tablespoon cold water and 1 tablespoon of cornstarch for each egg you need to replace (so for this recipe, 9 tablespoon cold water and 3 tablespoon of cornstarch) and use it in place of the egg in the recipe.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1cupcake | Calories: 494kcal | Carbohydrates: 52g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 71mg | Sodium: 323mg | Potassium: 98mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 43g | Vitamin A: 452IU | Calcium: 30mg | Iron: 2mg

    Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes

    December 27, 2021

    Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes

    Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes: A quick and easy mashed potatoes recipe that’s made in under 25 minutes! This recipe is perfect for holiday meals or a busy weeknight dinner as an easy side dish.

    Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes

    When we found out how much you loved the Instant Pot Chicken and Potatoes, we knew mashed potatoes had to be next, in our Instant Pot Recipes archives.

    Why You’ll Love This Recipe

    Easy Instant pot mashed potatoes are a classic side dish and potato recipe that everyone enjoys. You can bring these potatoes to holiday parties, potlucks, and barbecues, or serve them at family dinners, along with this party potatoes recipe!

    I like to serve these pressure cooker mashed potatoes with sweet and smoky pork chops, this steak recipe, or a crispy chicken burger (just like KFC!). You can also serve these mashed potatoes with vegetables like asparagus cooked in the air fryer and oven-roasted broccoli!

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    Ingredients

    Ingredients for Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes

    For potatoes:

    • 3 pounds Russet potatoes halved
    • 2 cups of water
    • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
    • 1 stick salted butter
    • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
    • 1 teaspoon celery seed
    • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
    • ½ cup milk
    • ½ cup sour cream

    For topping:

    • Bacon bits
    • Chopped chives
    • Colby jack cheese

    Instructions:

    1. Clean the potatoes skin and cut them in halves or quarters depending on the size.
    2. Place the trivet (or mesh steamer basket) in the bottom of the Instant Pot and add the water, potatoes, and salt in the Instant Pot.
    Cut potatoes in Instant Pot
    1. Set to manual preset, on high pressure for 13 minutes.
    2. While it is cooking, place the butter, garlic powder, celery seed, black pepper in a medium sized saucepan and on medium heat melt the butter and mix until all spices are combined.
    3. Once the butter is all melted remove from heat and set aside.
    Cooked potatoes in instant pot
    Cut potatoes
    1. Once the Instant Pot is done, turn the valve for quick release.
    Cooked potatoes in bowl
    Cooked cut potatoes
    1. Pull the potatoes out (discard excess water) and place them in a large mixing bowl.
    Pour juices from pot in to bowl
    Butter mixture with spices
    1. Pour the butter mixture onto the potatoes.
    mix potatoes with mixer in bowl
    Mix and mash potatoes and spices
    1. Mash potatoes with a potato masher or a hand-mixer.
    Sour cream in bowl of potatoes
    Add sour cream
    1. Once the mixture is all combined, add the sour cream and milk. Mix until combined.
    creamed potatoes in bowl
    Creamy mashed potatoes
    1. Serve as desired and add toppings!

    Hint: To know if the potatoes are fully cooked, insert a fork into them while they are in the instant pot. If you can easily insert the fork, they are done!

    Creamy instant pot mashed potatoes
    Instant Pot mashed potatoes

    Which potatoes are best for mashed potatoes?

    For best results, you want to use starchy potatoes when making electric pressure cooker mashed potatoes. Russet or yukon gold potatoes are the best kind of potatoes to use because they are fluffier and smoother than red potatoes.

    Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes in bowl with parsley
    Mashed potatoes from Instant Pot

    What can I put on top of mashed potatoes?

    There are a lot of different ways you can spice mashed potatoes up! Here are a few of my favorite ways to add flavor to instant pot mashed potatoes.

    • Cheese – You can top mashed potatoes with cheddar cheese, a little sour cream, cream cheese, etc. Adding more cheese to mashed potatoes is never a bad idea!
    • Fresh herbs and spices – Fresh chives, parsley, rosemary, thyme, kosher salt, black pepper, garlic salt, garlic powder, and onion powder are all great extra herbs and spices to top on mashed potatoes.
    • Bacon – Feel free to throw on crispy bacon or bacon bits on your instant pot mashed potatoes!
    • Steak and Gravy – If you’re looking for a hearty rounded meal, this slow cooker steak recipe, is incredible on top of mashed potatoes.

    How do you store mashed potatoes after cooking?

    You can store pressure cooker mashed potatoes in the fridge for up to 3-5 days. Make sure that you use an airtight container when refrigerating so your potatoes stay fresh for a longer period of time.

    What happens if you don’t peel potatoes for mashed potatoes?

    Pressure cooked potatoes have very thin skin that easily mashes and combined with the rest of the potatoes. Leaving the skin on is one of the easiest methods for cooking mashed potatoes. Also, the potato skin has vitamins, fiber, and other nutrients that you don’t want to miss out on!

    Substitutions

    If you have heavy cream, feel free to substitute it for the milk for even creamier mashed potatoes. (However, keep in mind that heavy cream is thicker, so to thin them out some, you may want a dash of milk if necessary to reach the consistency you’re looking for.)

    Even though discarding the water, you can use chicken broth in place of the water for the flavors to incorporate in to the potatoes while cooking and you could even use a small amount of the chicken broth if you’re looking for a way to thin out the potatoes more. My homemade chicken broth recipe is a great option for this.

    More Easy Recipes

    If you love easy side dishes like this one, then you’ll also love the Instant Pot Amish Potato Salad, these slow cooker potatoes, and these baked potato wedges! Or if you’re looking for another Instant Pot recipe side dish, then this Instant Pot Parmesan Risotto is a great choice!

    Recipe

    Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
    Print Pin
    5 from 5 votes

    Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes

    A quick and easy mashed potatoes recipe that's made in under 25 minutes! This recipe is perfect for holiday meals or busy weeknight dinners!
    Course Side Dish
    Cuisine American
    Prep Time 10 minutes minutes
    Cook Time 13 minutes minutes
    Total Time 23 minutes minutes
    Servings 8 servings
    Calories 276kcal
    Author Jessica Burgess

    Equipment

    • Pressure Cooker

    Ingredients

    Mashed Potatoes

    • 3 lbs Russet potatoes (or yukon golds) halved
    • 2 cups water
    • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
    • ½ cup salted butter 1 stick
    • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
    • 1 teaspoon celery seed
    • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
    • ½ cup milk
    • ½ cup sour cream

    Toppings

    • bacon bits
    • chopped chives
    • colby jack cheese

    Instructions

    • Clean the potatoes skin and cut them in halves or quarters depending on the size.
    • Place the trivet (or mesh steamer basket) in the bottom of the Instant Pot and add the water, potatoes, and salt in the Instant Pot.
    • Set to manual preset, on high pressure for 13 minutes.
    • While it is cooking, place the butter, garlic powder, celery seed, black pepper in a medium sized saucepan and on medium heat melt the butter and mix until all spices are combined.
    • Once the butter is all melted remove from heat and set aside.
    • Once the Instant Pot is done, turn the valve for quick release.
    • Pull the potatoes out (discard water) and place them in a large mixing bowl.
    • Mash the potatoes with a potato masher or a hand-mixer.
    • Pour in the butter mixture and mix until blended.
    • Once the mixture is all combined, add the sour cream and milk. Mix until combined.
    • Serve as desired and add toppings!

    Notes

    How do you store mashed potatoes after cooking?
    You can store pressure cooker mashed potatoes in the fridge for up to 3-5 days. Make sure that you use an airtight container when refrigerating so your potatoes stay fresh for a longer period of time.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1cup | Calories: 276kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 40mg | Sodium: 1004mg | Potassium: 762mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 471IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 66mg | Iron: 2mg

    Instant Pot Chicken Thighs – Lemon and Herb

    December 10, 2021

    Instant Pot Chicken Thighs- Lemon and Herb

    Instant Pot Chicken Thighs- Lemon and Herb: A delicious recipe to try for a busy weeknight meal your whole family will love!

    This chicken recipe may just become one of your new favorite Instant Pot recipes and would pair nicely with side dish like white rice or brown rice and our Italian chopped salad.

    Instant Pot Chicken Thighs- Lemon and Herb

    Why You’ll Love This Recipe

    Did you just get a new Instant Pot? Pressure cooking for the first time can be intimidating, but this easy recipe is a great place to start! Pressure cooker chicken thighs have so much flavor, and they are quick and easy to make!

    This would be a great recipe to use for meal prepping (say, in something like these chicken quinoa bowls) because it is quick, tasty and tastes just as good the next day as it does the day you make it.

    Make these juicy chicken thighs as your main dish and one of your favorite rice recipes as a side and you’ll have yummy lunches prepped for the whole week!

    If you don’t have an Instant Pot but are looking for a quick way to use your chicken thighs, you’ll love these baked bacon wrapped chicken thighs!

    [feast_advanced_jump_to]

    Ingredients

    This recipe calls for simple ingredients that you can find at any grocery store- easy peasy!

    • 2 pounds chicken thighs approx 9-10, skin on, bone in
    • 1 ½ teaspoons salt
    • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
    • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
    • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
    • 2 tablespoons oil high heat oil like avocado or olive oil
    • 4 cloves garlic
    • 2 cups chicken broth
    • 2 lemons (or ¼ cup fresh lemon juice)
    • 3 teaspoons cornstarch
    Ingredients for Instant Pot Chicken Thighs- Lemon and Herb

    Instructions

    1. Rinse your thighs in cold water and then pat dry with paper towel. Place the thighs onto a large plate in a single layer. 
    Chicken thighs, rinsed and patted dry.
    1. In a small bowl, add the salt, black pepper, dried thyme and dried oregano and stir together. 
    2. Pour the spice mixture over the chicken thighs, turning them over and ensuring that they are completely coated in spice.
    Add spice mix to chicken thighs.
    Make sure your thighs are evenly and completely coated in spices.
    1. Set your Instant Pot on high-heat sauté mode. Pour in the oil and allow it to heat up, then place your spice covered chicken thighs into the pot. 
    2. Mince the cloves of garlic; set aside. 
    3. Sauté the chicken for 2.5 minutes on each side, then add the minced garlic into the bottom of the pot. (Garlic is placed in the pot after the chicken has browned to avoid burning)
    Heat oil in Instant Pot on saute mode.
    Place chicken thighs in the bottom of the pan.
    Cook on saute mode for 2.5 minutes per side.
    Flip chicken thighs and cook other side.
    1. Pour in the chicken stock and the lemon juice; scrape the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to get all of the browned bits of chicken and garlic off the bottom so you don’t lose all of that great flavor. 
    2. Place the instant pot lid on the pot and set to cook on high pressure for 8 minutes. 
    3. After the 8 minute cook time has finished, let the instant pot pressure cooker sit and naturally release pressure for 2 minutes before doing a “quick release” (switching the pressure valve to the open position and allowing all of the remaining pressure to escape).
    Add chicken stock to the Instant Pot.
    Add lemon juice.
    1. Now combine your cornstarch in a small bowl with 3 tablespoons of the lemon chicken sauce from the pot. Mix together to form a cornstarch slurry. 
    2. Pour the slurry into your instant pot with the chicken and broth. Set your Instant Pot to the sauté function on high for 4 minutes, stirring constantly until the sauce thickens. 
    Cook on high pressure for 8 minutes, natural release for 2 minutes and then quick release the remaining pressure.
    1. Serve alone or with something like this creamy lemon pasta, and enjoy!

    Fresh Vs. Frozen Chicken Thighs Instant Pot

    If you would prefer to purchase frozen chicken thighs for this recipe, we would recommend that you let them thaw completely in the fridge overnight before making this recipe.

    Thawed chicken thighs allow for the spice mixture to stick better (and it helps you get all that flavor). If you made this recipe with frozen chicken thighs, the spices would not stick very well and you would lose a lot of the flavor in the finished product.

    Instant Pot Chicken Thighs- Lemon and Herb

    Substitutions

    Sometimes you run out of an ingredient and need to make a substitution. We have a few suggestions for you below…

    • Minced garlic- can be replaced with 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
    • Dried thyme and dried oregano- can be replaced with 2 teaspoon of Italian seasoning

    Note: If you need to decrease the calories in the recipe, you could try using boneless skinless chicken thighs instead of skin on, bone-in or even chicken breasts (if you prefer white meat over dark meat).

    Variations

    If you want to try a variation of this recipe, try swapping the sauce!

    Rinse and dry your thighs as directed. Instead of putting spices on them, simply heat the Instant Pot and oil as the recipe states and then cook them for 2.5 mins per side as directed. Once this browning step is finished, you can top them with your favorite honey garlic sauce and continue cooking as the recipe outlines (8 mins on high pressure, 2 min natural release, quick release) for delicious honey garlic chicken thighs!

    You could also try this variation with our homemade teriyaki sauce with soy sauce to make teriyaki chicken thighs!

    We haven’t tried these variations, but we think that they would be super fun to try next time we make these instant pot chicken thigh recipes! These would all make delicious, quick meals!

    Chicken thighs cooked in the instant pot

    Equipment

    We used an Instant Pot for this recipe, but you could make it with other brands of pressure cookers as well. Always be sure to check meat to ensure it is cooked to the minimum internal temperature of 165 F, regardless of which cooker you use.

    Storage

    Store your cooked chicken thighs in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

    Expert Tips and FAQs

    How long should you cook chicken thighs in Instant Pot?

    The answer to this depends on the type of chicken thigh you are using. If you are using boneless thighs, cook on high for 8 minutes (or 12 minutes for frozen, boneless thighs).

    If you’re using bone-in thighs, cook on high for about 10 minutes (or 15 minutes for frozen bone-in thighs). In this recipe, we stopped the cook time at 8 minutes but allowed the Instant Pot to natural release for 2 minutes (during which time the chicken will continue to cook).

    Why is my instant pot chicken tough?

    If your chicken is rubbery and tough, it’s likely that it is undercooked. Try closing your Instant Pot back up and setting it for 1 min cook time on high pressure, then do a quick release. Check your chicken again to see if it is more tender and repeat if necessary (avoiding over cooking if possible)!

    What happens if you cook chicken too long in instant pot?

    Since you are cooking with liquid and pressure, it can be easy to wonder, “Can you overcook chicken thighs in instant pot?”

    The answer, unfortunately, is yes you can. Overcooked pressure cooker chicken thighs will be dry and less flavourful, and sadly there is no way to correct the issue once it’s happened. That is why this recipe calls for 8 minutes of cooking time and 2 minutes of natural release before a quick release- to allow the chicken to cook without become overcooked and dry!

    Related Recipes

    If you liked this instant pot chicken thighs recipe then you’ll love our other easy instant pot recipes like this easy Instant Pot orange chicken or this Instant Pot cajun pasta!

    Recipe

    Instant Pot Chicken Thighs- Lemon and Herb
    Print Pin
    5 from 6 votes

    Instant Pot Chicken Thighs – Lemon and Herb

    Instant Pot Chicken Thighs- Lemon and Herb: A delicious recipe to try for a busy weeknight meal your whole family will love!
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine American
    Prep Time 7 minutes minutes
    Cook Time 17 minutes minutes
    Instant Pot Pressurizing Time 7 minutes minutes
    Total Time 31 minutes minutes
    Servings 5 servings
    Calories 81kcal
    Author Jessica Burgess

    Equipment

    • instant pot

    Ingredients

    • 2 lbs chicken thighs approx 9-10, skin on, bone in
    • 1 ½ teaspoons salt
    • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
    • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
    • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
    • 2 tablespoons oil high heat oil like avocado or olive oil
    • 4 cloves garlic
    • 2 cups chicken broth good quality
    • 2 lemons (or ¼ cup fresh lemon juice)
    • 3 teaspoons cornstarch

    Instructions

    • Rinse your thighs in cold water and then pat dry with paper towel. Place the thighs onto a large plate in a single layer.
    • In a small bowl, add the salt, black pepper, dried thyme and dried oregano and stir together.
    • Pour the spice mixture over the chicken thighs, turning them over and ensuring that they are completely coated in spice.
    • Set your Instant Pot on high-heat sauté mode. Pour in the oil and allow it to heat up, then place your spice covered chicken thighs into the pot.
    • Mince the cloves of garlic; set aside.
    • Sauté the chicken for 2.5 minutes on each side, then add the minced garlic into the bottom of the pot. (Garlic is placed in the pot after the chicken has browned to avoid burning)
    • Pour in the chicken stock and the lemon juice; scrape the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to get all of the browned bits of chicken and garlic off the bottom so you don't lose all of that great flavor.
    • Place the instant pot lid on the pot and set to cook on high pressure for 8 minutes.
    • After the 8 minute cook time has finished, let the instant pot pressure cooker sit and naturally release pressure for 2 minutes before doing a "quick release" (switching the pressure valve to the open position and allowing all of the remaining pressure to escape).
    • Now combine your cornstarch in a small bowl with 3 tablespoons of the lemon chicken sauce from the pot. Mix together to form a cornstarch slurry.
    • Pour the slurry into your instant pot with the chicken and broth. Set your Instant Pot to the sauté function on high for 4 minutes, stirring constantly until the sauce thickens.
    • Serve and enjoy!

    Notes

    Fresh vs. Frozen: If you would prefer to purchase frozen chicken thighs for this recipe, we would recommend that you let them thaw completely in the fridge overnight before making this recipe.
    Thawed chicken thighs allow for the spice mixture to stick better (and helps you get all that flavor). If you made this recipe with frozen chicken thighs, the spices would not stick very well and you would lose a lot of the flavor in the finished product.
    Nutrition Disclaimer: All nutritional information shared on this site is an approximation. I am not a certified nutritionist and any nutritional information shared on this site should be used as a general guideline.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1serving | Calories: 81kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 2mg | Sodium: 1045mg | Potassium: 157mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 28IU | Vitamin C: 30mg | Calcium: 32mg | Iron: 1mg

    Instant Pot Cauliflower Soup

    December 8, 2021

    Instant Pot Cauliflower Soup

    Instant Pot Cauliflower Soup: This cauliflower soup recipe uses simple ingredients and can be made in just over 20 minutes. A healthy soup that will be a hit with the whole family!

    Bake up some easy Italian white bread and make a green salad (like this Italian chopped salad) to pair with this instant pot cauliflower soup and you’ll have a meal that’s both hearty and healthy! It’s definitely one of our favorite Instant Pot recipes to date!

    Instant Pot Cauliflower Soup

    Why You’ll Love This Recipe

    There’s nothing better in the winter months than a bowl of soup, am I right? Hot soup just hits differently in cold weather.

    When you think of soup, you probably think of classic soup recipes (like a good creamy potato soup or a chicken noodle soup recipe). But it’s time to expand your collection of soup recipes and add this one in because I bet it will become one of your favorite soups in no time! Especially, using the Instant Pot to make soup! It’s quick and delicious! (You’ll also love this Instant Pot Broccoli Cheddar Soup!)

    Not only is it a healthy meal (it contains a full head of fresh cauliflower!), it’s also super quick to make since it’s an instant pot recipe! Since this creamy soup is relatively low carb, I think it could even be considered a “keto cauliflower soup” (but I’m not a keto expert by any means, so you’ll have to double-check that for yourself).

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    Ingredients for Cauliflower Instant Pot Soup

    You only need a handful of ingredients to create this instant pot cauliflower soup.

    • 2 tablespoons butter (salted, unsalted or you can use extra virgin olive oil)
    • 1 cup onion, diced
    • ¼ cup bacon bits
    • ½ teaspoon garlic salt (or 1 teaspoon garlic powder and ½ teaspoon salt)
    • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
    • ⅛ teaspoon ground thyme
    • ½ teaspoon sweet paprika
    • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
    • 5 cups cauliflower florets (a large head of cauliflower)
    • 3 cups chicken broth (or my homemade chicken broth – could also use vegetable broth)
    • 1 ½ cups heavy cream
    • ½ cup parmesan cheese
    Ingredients for Instant Pot Cauliflower Soup

    Substitutions

    This soup could be turned into a vegetarian soup or vegan soup with a few simple changes:

    • Use vegetable broth instead of chicken
    • Omit the bacon bits
    • Use extra virgin olive oil instead of butter
    • Use coconut milk in place of heavy cream
    • Use nutritional yeast in place of parmesan cheese

    Variations

    The best part about soup recipes is that they are so customizable! Even though this soup will taste fantastic the way it is, there are a number of ways you can change up the recipe or the serving suggestion to create a different experience.

    • Try serving this creamy soup recipe with a side of crusty bread or in bread bowls.
    • If you are looking for more depth of flavor, try swapping the parmesan cheese for a sharp cheddar cheese! The cheddar cheese is also a more distinct flavor- so if you aren’t a big fan of cauliflower, add some additional cheese and you likely won’t taste the cauliflower at all.
    • If you want to give your cauliflower soup a more creamy texture, try using cream cheese in place of the heavy cream.
    • Garnish your Instant Pot creamy cauliflower soup with a dollop of sour cream, some grated cheese (parmesan or cheddar) and some chopped green onion!
    • Some other optional toppings you could try next time- red chili flakes, crispy fried onions, or some extra bacon bits.

    Instructions for Pressure Cooker Cauliflower Soup

    1. Set your Instant Pot to the saute setting and then add butter, diced onion, and bacon bits.
    2. Cook and stir until the butter is melted and the onions are softened and have turned a golden brown, scraping the bottom of the pot as you go. (You don’t want to get the burn notice.)
    Saute bacon, butter and onion in instant pot.
    Saute bacon, butter, onion.
    1. Add the rest of the ingredients (minus the cream and cheese): garlic salt, ground black pepper, ground thyme, sweet paprika, and Italian seasoning. Mix this well until the seasoning is coating the onions.
    Spices for instant pot cauliflower soup.
    Add spices.
    1. Add the cauliflower florets and mix until it is well combined with the onion/bacon mixture.
    Stir cauliflower until it is coated in bacon and onion mixture.
    Add cauliflower & mix.
    1. Next, pour in the chicken broth and stir to mix everything together. 
    2. Close the lid and set on your instant pot on high pressure for 8 minutes.
    3. Once the 8 minutes has passed, open the pressure valve to “vent” and let your Instant Pot “quick release” (be careful, that steam will be HOT so it’s best to wear an oven mit or use a towel to help block the hot steam). Once the instant pot has finished the quick release, open the lid.
    4. Carefully use an immersion blender to blend the soup until it is smooth (you don’t want hot liquid to splash you. If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can also pour it in to a blender and blend this way!)

    *NOTE* If you are planning to freeze a portion of your soup do it at this point before adding the cream and the cheese. Use a freezer-proof container and you can freeze individual portions for up to 2 months. When thawing the soup, put it in the fridge overnight. Then place in a saucepan and warm up to the desired temperature, stirring occasionally. Then add the cheese and the cream. Stir.

    Use immersion blender to blend instant pot cauliflower soup smooth.
    Blend with immersion blender.
    1. Add the cream and the parmesan cheese to the pot and then use your immersion blender until you attain a nice smooth texture. 
    2. Serve and enjoy!
    Add parmesan cheese to instant pot.
    Add parmesan.
    Add cream and parmesan cheese to instant pot.
    Add cream, blend.
    Instant Pot Cauliflower Soup

    What to Serve with This Soup

    Personally, my favorite way to serve this Instant Pot cauliflower soup is with a dollop of sour cream, some extra bacon bits, and some cheese on top (not exactly low calorie, but oh it’s delicious)!

    Then, if you’re able, you’ll want to make these Garlic Bisquick Drop Biscuits to go with this soup!

    soup in white bowl with cheese and green onions

    Equipment

    We used an Instant Pot to make this soup, but you could easily use other brands of pressure cooker.

    Storage

    Store any leftover soup in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days.

    This soup freezes well, but the best way to do it is to freeze it before you add the cream and cheese (as those two ingredients will not freeze well and will change the texture when it thaws). Use a freezer-proof container and freeze individual portions for up to 2 months.

    When thawing the soup, put it in the fridge overnight. Then place it in a saucepan and warm it up to your desired temperature, stirring occasionally. When it has warmed up, add the cheese and the cream and stir.

    Expert Tips and FAQs

    How do you fix bland cauliflower soup?

    The most common culprit of bland soup is under-salting. Try adding more salt (just a pinch at a time, tasting between each addition). You could also try some of the variations we have listed above to make your soup a bit more fun and flavourful!

    How to thicken cauliflower soup?

    If you’ve blended your soup with an immersion blender and added the cheese and cream but it’s still too runny for your taste, try adding a cornstarch slurry.

    Make sure your Instant Pot is on saute mode. Mix 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and 2 tablespoon of cold water in a small dish and slowly add it to your soup, stirring constantly to avoid lumps forming. Keep stirring until the soup has thickened as much as you would like it to, then turn off the Instant Pot.

    How long does cauliflower soup last in the fridge?

    Cauliflower soup stored properly in an airtight container should last 4-5 days in the refrigerator.

    Related Recipes

    If you loved this low-carb soup recipe then you’ll also love our cauliflower potato salad and our low carb parmesan chicken tenders! Or, with a similar texture, this loaded potato soup recipe is so easy and delicious!

    Or, if you’re a fan of soup recipes like this, I have a feeling you’ll also like this roasted red pepper soup!

    Recipe

    Instant Pot Cauliflower Soup
    Print Pin
    5 from 2 votes

    Instant Pot Cauliflower Soup

    Instant Pot Cauliflower Soup: This cauliflower soup recipe uses simple ingredients and can be made in just over 20 minutes. A healthy soup that will be a hit with the whole family!
    Course Main Course, Soup
    Cuisine American
    Prep Time 15 minutes minutes
    High Pressure, Quick Release 8 minutes minutes
    Total Time 23 minutes minutes
    Servings 8 servings
    Calories 268kcal
    Author Jessica Burgess

    Equipment

    • instant pot

    Ingredients

    • 2 tablespoons butter salted, unsalted or you can use extra virgin olive oil
    • 1 cup onion diced
    • ¼ cup bacon bits
    • ½ teaspoon garlic salt or 1 teaspoon garlic powder and ½ teaspoon salt
    • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
    • ⅛ teaspoon ground thyme
    • ½ teaspoon sweet paprika
    • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
    • 5 cups cauliflower florets large head of cauliflower
    • 3 cups chicken broth could also use vegetable broth
    • 1 ½ cups heavy cream
    • ½ cup parmesan cheese

    Instructions

    • Set your Instant Pot to the saute setting and add butter, diced onion, and bacon bits.
    • Cook and stir until the butter has melted and the onions are softened and have turned golden brown. Make sure to scrape the bottom of the pot as you go because you don't want to get a "burn" notice.
    • Add the rest of the ingredients (minus the cream and cheese): garlic salt, ground black pepper, ground thyme, sweet paprika, and Italian seasoning. Mix well until the seasoning is coating the onions.
    • Next, add the cauliflower florets and mix until it is combined with the onion/bacon mixture.
    • Pour in the chicken broth and stir everything together.
    • Next, close the lid and set your instant pot on high pressure and set the timer for 8 minutes.
    • Once the 8 minutes has passed, open the pressure valve and let your Instant Pot "quick release" to let out the remaining pressure (be careful, that steam will be HOT). Once the instant pot has finished the quick release, open the lid.
    • Carefully use an immersion blender to blend the soup until it is smooth (you don't want hot liquid to splash you but if you don't have an immersion blender, you can use a regular blender and then pour back in to the pot.)
      *NOTE* If you are planning to freeze a portion of your soup do it at this point before adding the cream and the cheese.
    • Add the cream and the parmesan cheese to the pot and then use your immersion blender until you attain a nice smooth texture.
    • Serve and enjoy!

    Notes

    FREEZING SOUP: Be sure to set aside any portion of your soup that you plan to freeze BEFORE you add the cream and cheese. Use a freezer proof container and you can freeze individual portions for up to 2 months. When thawing the soup, put it in the fridge overnight. Then place in a saucepan and warm up to desired temperature, stirring occasionally. Then add the cheese and the cream. Stir.
     

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1serving | Calories: 268kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 73mg | Sodium: 761mg | Potassium: 344mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 861IU | Vitamin C: 38mg | Calcium: 140mg | Iron: 1mg

    Caramel Cupcakes With Caramel Buttercream Frosting

    December 7, 2021

    Caramel Cupcakes with Caramel Buttercream Frosting

    Caramel Cupcakes With Caramel Buttercream Frosting: These easy caramel cupcakes from scratch are topped with caramel icing and they are bursting with caramel flavor!

    Caramel Cupcakes with Caramel Buttercream Frosting

    Cupcake recipes are a favorite dessert at our house, but this caramel cupcake recipe is extra fun with that caramel-swirled icing on top! It looks impressive, and it’s actually very simple to create, like this caramel sheet cake, and similar to our Biscoff cupcakes.

    Then don’t miss this caramel cream pie recipe too, that’s full of caramel flavor.

    Why You’ll Love These Caramel Cupcakes

    If you’ve been following the blog for a while, you know that around here we have no shortage of party ideas! Whether it’s for a special event like a birthday baking party or your favorite holiday, or just an excuse to spend time with family and friends, you’ll find lots of yummy party food ideas here on the blog to inspire you.

    But in my humble opinion, every party needs cake (because I know I’m not the only one who loves sweet treats)! Big, multi-level cakes are fun but they take a lot of time, and a fair bit of skill, to put together.

    Cupcake recipes, however? They are cute, tasty, and super easy!

    You’ll especially love these cookies and cream cupcakes and these pink champagne cupcakes.

    The best cupcakes are the ones that look and taste super impressive but secretly are super simple to make…and that’s where these caramel cupcakes come in. I think these might just be the best caramel cupcakes you’ll ever make!

    You’ll also love these these red velvet cookie dough cupcakes if you’re looking to make a variety!

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    Ingredients

    This caramel cupcake recipe uses simple, everyday ingredients

    • ¾ cup white sugar
    • ½ cup brown sugar
    • ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
    • 2 large eggs
    • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
    • 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
    • 1 teaspoon baking powder
    • a pinch of salt
    • ½ cup whole milk

    Ingredients for Caramel Buttercream Frosting

    • ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
    • 1 cup powdered sugar
    • ½ cup caramel sauce
    Ingredients for caramel cupcakes with caramel buttercream frosting.
    Cupcake ingredients.

    How to Make Caramel Cupcakes

    1. Heat oven to 350 F / 180 C and either spray your muffin cups with non-stick cooking spray or line them with cupcake liners and set aside.
    2. In a large bowl, combine sugar, brown sugar, softened butter and vanilla extract. Cream the butter and sugar mixture with a handheld electric mixer (or beat with a stand mixer on medium speed), scraping the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed, till the mixture is light and fluffy and everything is incorporated well.
    3. Add the eggs into the butter mixture one at a time, mixing after each addition.
    Add egg to the butter mixture.
    Add eggs, one at a time.
    1. In a medium bowl, add in the flour, baking powder, and salt; mix and set aside.
    Combine dry cupcake ingredients.
    Combine dry ingredients.
    1. Alternate adding the dry ingredients and the ½ cup of milk to the butter/sugar/egg mixture, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Mix just until combined after each addition- you want everything to be incorporated well, but avoid over-mixing.
    Combine dry and wet ingredients.
    Alternate adding dry ingredients and milk.
    1. Divide batter evenly between each of the paper liners, filling each one ¾ full. Bake for 22-25 mins or till a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean and the cupcake is beginning to turn golden brown on top.
    2. Once baked, remove the cupcakes from the muffin tray and let them cool down completely on a wire rack while you make the frosting.
    Fill lined muffin tin with cupcake batter.
    Fill paper liners.

    How to Make Caramel Buttercream Frosting

    1. In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar together on medium-high speed till it’s smooth and creamy.  
    1. Add 1-2 tablespoon of caramel to the butter and sugar and beat it again till it’s incorporated well.

    Note – you can add more or less caramel depending on the taste and color you want (more caramel will create a deeper caramel flavor and color).

    Beat together caramel buttercream ingredients.

    How to Create the Buttercream Swirl

    1. Take plastic wrap and lay it on your working table; now carefully spread a thick line of caramel buttercream frosting down the center.
    2. Next to the line of buttercream, make another, thinner line with the caramel sauce.
    3. Fold the plastic wrap over the buttercream and caramel sauce, ensuring both ends are twisted closed tightly. 
    4. Cut open one end of the plastic wrap and insert this wrapped frosting in the piping bag (or ziplock bag- see FAQs), making sure the open side is towards the large open star tip nozzle. 
    5. Use this to create a swirl of icing on top of the caramel cupcake and enjoy! If you need a bit of extra guidance on how to pipe a swirl of frosting on each cupcake, watch this video.
    Alternate caramel buttercream and caramel sauce on plastic wrap.
    Buttercream and caramel.

    Substitutions

    These caramel cupcakes are delicious just the way they are, but if you are looking for substitutions we have a few ideas for you.

    • Caramel Sauce– you could use dulce de leche instead of caramel sauce, or make your own homemade caramel sauce recipe.
    • Cupcakes– if you have a box mix for vanilla cupcakes, you could easily use that in place of the cupcakes from scratch in this recipe. OR you could use chocolate cupcakes (from a box or from scratch) instead!
    • Frosting– you could replace the buttercream frosting in this recipe with your favorite Swiss meringue buttercream recipe and swirl it with the caramel sauce to keep that caramel-like flavor!
    Caramel cupcake with caramel buttercream frosting in a swirl.
    Caramel cupcakes with caramel buttercream frosting.

    Salted Caramel Cupcakes

    Craving a salty treat? You can easily turn these cupcakes into salted caramel cupcakes by sprinkling some sea salt on top of the cupcakes when you are done icing them! And if you are a really big fan of that salty flavor, you can add a pinch of salt to your caramel sauce to make it more of a “salted caramel sauce” too!

    Storage

    Store your frosted caramel cupcakes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.

    Expert Tips and FAQs

    Can I use salted butter instead of unsalted?

    Yes, you sure can! If you do use salted butter, you can omit the “pinch of salt” called for in the recipe (unless you are going for more of a salted caramel flavor).

    What can I use instead of a piping bag to ice cupcakes?

    If you have a disposable piping bag or want to purchase them to have on hand, then great! If you don’t though, I’ve had fairly good success with using freezer bags. Taste of Home has a detailed tutorial on their website that explains it nicely!

    Can I store caramel cupcakes at room temperature?

    Buttercream frosting that’s made with butter should be refrigerated.

    If you are hoping to make these ahead and store them at room temperature, we would recommend you store the cupcakes (unfrosted) in an airtight container at room temperature and the buttercream in an airtight container in the fridge.

    When you are ready to frost the cupcakes, let the buttercream warm up a bit and beat again until it is light and fluffy and then frost away!

    Caramel cupcake with caramel buttercream frosting in a swirl.

    Related Recipes

    If you loved these Caramel Cupcakes with Caramel cream frosting, you’ll also want to try our Chocolate Peanut Butter Salted Caramel Toffee Cake and our Caramel Apple Dump Cake!

    Or if you’re looking for a super fun, wintery vibe for your cupcakes, see how we took a simple herb to make a winter cupcake that is absolutely adorable!

    Recipe

    Caramel Cupcakes with Caramel Buttercream Frosting
    Print Pin
    4.91 from 10 votes

    Caramel Cupcakes with Caramel Buttercream Frosting

    Caramel Cupcakes With Caramel Buttercream Frosting: These easy caramel cupcakes from scratch are topped with caramel icing and they are bursting with caramel flavor! 
    Course Dessert, Snack
    Cuisine American
    Prep Time 30 minutes minutes
    Cook Time 25 minutes minutes
    Total Time 55 minutes minutes
    Servings 12 cupcakes
    Calories 397kcal
    Author Jessica Burgess

    Ingredients

    Cupcakes

    • ¾ cup white sugar
    • ½ cup brown sugar
    • ½ cup unsalted butter softened at room temperature
    • 2 large eggs
    • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
    • 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
    • 1 teaspoon baking powder
    • A pinch of salt
    • ½ cup whole milk

    Caramel Buttercream Frosting Swirl

    • ½ cup unsalted butter softened at room temperature
    • 1 cup powdered sugar
    • ½ cup caramel sauce

    Instructions

    Cupcakes:

    • Heat oven to 350 F / 180 C and either spray your muffin cups with non-stick cooking spray or line them with cupcake liners and set aside.
    • In a large bowl, combine sugar, brown sugar, softened butter and vanilla extract. Cream butter and sugar mixture with a handheld electric mixer (or beat with a stand mixer on medium speed), scraping the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed, till the mixture is light and fluffy and everything is incorporated well.
    • Add the eggs into the butter mixture one at a time, mixing after each addition.
    • In a medium bowl, add in the flour, baking powder, and salt; mix and set aside.
    • Alternate adding the dry ingredients and the ½ cup of milk to the butter/sugar/egg mixture, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Mix just until combined after each addition- you want everything to be incorporated well, but avoid over mixing.
    • Divide batter evenly between each of the paper liners, filling each one ¾ full. Bake for 22-25 mins or till a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean and the cupcake is beginning to turn golden brown on top.
    • Once baked, remove the cupcakes from the muffin tray and let them cool down completely on a wire rack while you make the frosting.

    Caramel Buttercream Frosting:

    • In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar together on medium-high speed till it's smooth and creamy.  
    • Add 1-2 tablespoons of caramel to the butter and sugar and beat it again till it's incorporated well.
      Note – you can add more or less caramel depending on the taste and color you want (more caramel will create a deeper caramel flavor and color).

    Swirls:

    • Take plastic wrap and lay it on your working table; now carefully spread a thick line of caramel buttercream frosting down the center.
    • Next to the line of buttercream, make another, thinner line with the caramel sauce.
    • Fold the plastic wrap over the buttercream and caramel sauce, ensuring both ends are twisted closed tightly.
    • Cut open one end of the plastic wrap and insert this wrapped frosting in the piping bag (or ziplock bag- see FAQs), making sure the open side is towards the large open star tip nozzle.
    • Use this to create a swirl of icing on top of the caramel cupcake and enjoy!

    Notes

    To Pipe A Frosting Swirl: You can watch this video for guidance on how to make a swirl on top of each cupcake. 
    For Frosting: You can add more or less caramel depending on the taste and color you want (more caramel will creat a deeper caramel flavor and color). 
    Storage: Buttercream frosting that’s made with butter should be refrigerated. If you are hoping to make these ahead and store them at room temperature, we would recommend you store the cupcakes (unfrosted) in an airtight container at room temperature and the buttercream in an airtight container in the fridge.
    When you are ready to frost the cupcakes, let the buttercream warm up a bit and beat again until it is light and fluffy, and then frost.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1cupcake | Calories: 397kcal | Carbohydrates: 53g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 69mg | Sodium: 88mg | Potassium: 106mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 34g | Vitamin A: 537IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 50mg | Iron: 1mg

    Homemade Marble Cake

    December 6, 2021

    Easy Marble Cake Recipe

    Chocolate Marble Cake: An easy marble cake recipe with chocolate frosting that’s perfect for any occasion. Marble cake may look fancy, but it’s simple and delicious!

    Quick overview: This two-layer marble cake is made from scratch but you can speed things up by using vanilla and chocolate boxed cake mix. However, I wouldn’t skip on the homemade buttercream frosting!

    Easy Marble Cake Recipe

    Why You’ll Love This Recipe

    I love bringing classic marble cakes to birthday parties so the kids get to enjoy a taste of vanilla AND chocolate cake! It always seems to be a crowd-pleaser, it’s a moist cake and is so easy to make! (Although it’s a hard toss-up between this marble cake and this cherry chip cake!)

    If you’re a fan of the chocolate and vanilla combination, you would love this Ding Dong cake and this Milky Way Cake too! It’s a rich chocolate cake with a creamy filling that tastes just like a Hostess cupcake.

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    Ingredients

    • 4 egg whites
    • 1 ½ cups granulated sugar, divided (4 Tablespoons mixed with egg whites, the rest mixed with flour etc.)
    • 2 ¼ cups flour
    • 1 cup buttermilk
    • ⅔ cup vegetable oil
    • 1 Tablespoon baking powder
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla


    Chocolate Cake additional ingredients:

    • ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
    • 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
    ingredients for marble cake

    Instructions

    Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 2 – 8 inch round cake pans.

    Step 2: Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Add 2 Tablespoons of sugar to the egg whites and beat on high power. Add another 2 tablespoons of sugar and beat again until fully incorporated. Set this aside.

    egg whites in mixing bowl

    Step 3: In a large bowl at low speed, beat the remaining sugar with flour, buttermilk, vegetable oil, baking powder, salt, and vanilla extract.

    sugar, flour, buttermilk, ingredients in mixing bowl

    Step 4: Divide this mixture into 2 separate bowls. In one bowl, beat in half of the egg white

    Egg whites going in batter

    Step 5: In the other bowl, beat in cocoa powder and 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar on low speed. Then, beat in the other half of the egg whites.

    Marble Cake recipe from scratch

    Step 6: Spoon half of the vanilla batter into each of the cake pans. (Here and there, spaces between are where we will be putting the chocolate cake batter.) Then spoon half of the chocolate batter into each cake pan.

    Vanilla cake batter

    Step 7: Drag a butter knife through the batter to swirl the chocolate mixture with the vanilla mixture, for the marble effect.

    Using butter knife, swirl the cake batter

    Step 8: Bake for 25 minutes. Let cool on wire rack.

    Baked chocolate marble cake

    Step 9: Place the first layer on a plate or cake stand and cover with chocolate buttercream frosting, then top with the second layer of cake and finish by frosting the top and edges of the cake. The cake layers will have that delicious buttercream in each bite!

    Chocolate buttercream spread on first later of marble cake

    Why do they call it “marble cake”?

    It’s called marble cake because there are two different colored batters marbled together. This idea originated from German immigrants! Marble cakes are normally a mixture of chocolate and vanilla cake batter but you can also marble vanilla cake with red velvet cake!

    What is the difference between a boxed cake and a cake made from scratch?

    A cake made from scratch is simply going to taste better: rich, buttery, and moist with loads of sweet flavors. A boxed cake might taste flat, sugary, and slightly chemically. Boxed cake mix works great when you’re in a pinch, but cake from scratch is always a good idea.

    Vanilla and Chocolate Marble Cake

    Can you use a bundt pan instead of a round pan?

    Yes you can use a bundt pan instead of round cake pans. For best results, do not overfill the bundt pan with the separate batters. It’s a good idea to leave ½″ to ¼″ at the top to allow the cake to rise. If you have remaining batter, you can make marbled cupcakes.

    Topping and Serving Ideas

    There are a few sweet ways to spice up this vanilla-marbled cake if you’re looking for something different!

    • Add chocolate chips to the chocolate cake batter
    • Frost with peanut butter frosting
    • Top with crushed Oreos
    • Top with melted dark chocolate
    • Serve with vanilla or chocolate ice cream
    • Serve with whipped cream
    • Or if you love ganache, we used a chocolate ganache on these mini chocolate cakes.

    How to Store Leftover Cake

    This cake is ok to sit out at room temperature. However, if you do frost it with the chocolate buttercream recipe we recommend, it would be best to refrigerate it, as it contains milk and butter.

    Store in an airtight container for 3-4 days.

    Related Recipes

    If you loved this easy cake recipe, then you’ll also love this easy pumpkin poke cake, this peppermint mocha cake, and this chocolate toffee caramel cake too! Or if chocolate cakes are your favorite, this Depression Cake is one to make for sure!

    Recipe

    Easy Marble Cake Recipe
    Print Pin
    5 from 1 vote

    Easy Homemade Marble Cake

    An easy, moist homemade marble cake recipe with a delicious homemade chocolate buttercream frosting that's out of this world!
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American
    Prep Time 20 minutes minutes
    Cook Time 25 minutes minutes
    Total Time 45 minutes minutes
    Servings 10 people
    Calories 385kcal
    Author Jessica Burgess

    Ingredients

    Vanilla Cake

    • 4 egg whites
    • 1 ½ cups granulated sugar, divided (4 Tablespoons mixed with egg whites, the rest mixed with flour etc)
    • 2 ¼ cup flour
    • 1 cup buttermilk
    • ⅔ cup vegetable oil
    • 1 tablespoon baking powder
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla

    Chocolate Cake Additional Ingredients

    • ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
    • 2 tablespoon granulated sugar

    Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

    • Chocolate Buttercream Frosting Get our favorite recipe HERE!

    Instructions

    • First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Then, grease and flour 2 – 8 inch round cake pans.
    • Next, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Add 2 Tablespoons of sugar to the egg whites and beat on "high" power. Add another 2 tablespoons of sugar and then beat again until it is fully incorporated. Set aside.
    • In a large bowl on low speed, beat the remaining sugar with flour, buttermilk, vegetable oil, baking powder, salt, and vanilla extract.
    • Divide the mixture into 2 separate bowls. In one bowl, beat in half of the egg whites.
    • In the other bowl, beat in the cocoa powder and 2 Tablespoons of granulated sugar on low speed. Then, beat in the other half of the egg whites.
    • Spoon half of the vanilla cake batter into each of the pans. (Leaving spaces between sections of batter in the cake pans, because this is where we will be putting the chocolate cake batter.) Then spoon half of the chocolate batter into each pan in the empty spaces. (See photos in blog post for example.)
    • Drag a butter knife through the batter to swirl the batter for the marble effect.
    • Bake for 25 minutes and let cool on wire rack.
    • Place the first layer on a plate or cake stand and cover with chocolate frosting, then top with the second layer of cake and finish by frosting the top and edges of the cake.

    Notes

    How to store leftover cake
    This cake is ok to sit out at room temperature. However, if you do frost it with the chocolate buttercream recipe we recommend, it would be best to refrigerate it, as it contains milk and butter.
    Store in an airtight container for 3-4 days.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1slice | Calories: 385kcal | Carbohydrates: 57g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 9g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 3mg | Sodium: 280mg | Potassium: 237mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 34g | Vitamin A: 40IU | Calcium: 88mg | Iron: 2mg

    Easy Air Fryer Tilapia Recipe

    December 1, 2021

    Lemon air fryer tilapia.

    Easy Air Fryer Tilapia Recipe: A quick, easy and healthy weeknight dinner? Try making this delicious air fryer tilapia with fresh lemon juice and lemon wedges, that’s one of our healthier air fryer recipes for sure!

    Lemon air fryer tilapia.

    Why You’ll Love This Recipe

    This simple recipe is a great option for those nights where you don’t know what to cook for dinner but you know you want it to be something that’s good for you and your family.

    I think we all know that air fryer recipes save you a ton of mess (like when you use it to make Air Fryer Bacon or Air Fryer Turkey Breast instead of dirtying a bunch of baking sheets and roasting pans), but they are also time savers! This easy air fryer tilapia recipe comes together in just 16 minutes!

    If your picky little ones don’t eat much fish, this easy air fryer tilapia recipe, with its simple seasoning and mild fish flavor, is a great way to introduce fresh fish to your whole family (even if they do decide to smother it in ketchup in the end).

    Serve this flaky white fish with a side of wild rice and some Instant Pot Green Beans and Potatoes for a quick, delicious dinner.

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    Ingredients

    This easy, air-fried tilapia doesn’t require much- fresh tilapia (or frozen), some olive oil, freshly squeezed lemon juice and a few seasonings are really all it takes!

    • 1 pound tilapia filets (if buying frozen filets, you will need to thaw them first so the spices can stick better)
    • 1 tablespoon olive oil (or any vegetable oil you prefer)
    • 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice (can use concentrated lemon juice if you need)
    • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • ½ teaspoon lemon pepper (you can make your own like in this recipe)
    • lemon slices (optional)
    • fresh parsley (optional)
    Lemon air fryer tilapia, fresh out of the air fryer.

    How to Make Tilapia in Air Fryer

    1. In a small bowl, combine the olive oil and the lemon juice. Set aside.
    2. In a separate small bowl, mix the garlic powder, salt, and lemon pepper until combined. Set aside.
    Spices in a bowl.
    Spices.
    Mixed spices to put on lemon air fryer tilapia.
    Mixed spices.
    1. Place your fish filets on a plate and pat them dry with a paper towel.
    2. With a pastry brush, brush the oil on the filets. Take a paper towel, dip it in the leftover oil mixture and coat the bottom of the air fryer basket.

    Tip: If you don’t have a pastry brush, no problem! You can pour the oil mixture over the filet and coat the filets with your fingers.

    Raw, thawed tilapia.
    Fish filets.
    Brush the tilapia fillets with olive oil and lemon juice.
    Brush with oil/lemon.
    1. Once all the filets are well coated with the oil, sprinkle the seasoning evenly on the filets and gently press it into the filets (do NOT rub the seasoning in- because the fish contains a good amount of water if you rub the seasoning in it will turn into a paste and will not look very appetizing). 
    Raw fillets of tilapia with spices on them.
    Pat on spices.
    1. Place the filets in the air fryer. Only place as many in as you can fit while still leaving enough room around the filets for air to flow (you may want to put the rest of your fish filets back in the fridge to keep them cool until you can cook them). If you overcrowd the basket you may run into an uneven cook.
    2. This step is optional: I took some fresh, chopped parsley and sprinkled it over the filets. If you want to, you can also add 1 lemon slice (cut in half) on each tilapia filet before you cook it in the air fryer basket.  
    Raw tilapia in then air fryer basket, covered in spices.
    Add parsley.
    Raw tilapia in the air fryer basket with lemon wedges.
    Add lemon wedges.
    1. Cook the tilapia in your Air Fryer on manual setting at 400 degrees F for 6 to 8 minutes (or until the internal temperature of the filet reaches 145 degrees F). 
    2. Repeat steps 6,7,8 if you need to make multiple batches (the number of batches you need to do will depend on the size of your fillets and the size of your air fryer).
    Lemon air fryer tilapia, fresh out of the air fryer.
    Fry 6-8 mins.
    Easy air fryer tilapia, ready for dinner!
    Enjoy!

    Substitutions

    If you are missing a few ingredients or can’t eat tilapia…

    • If you don’t have garlic powder you can replace it with onion powder
    • You can replace the tilapia with any white flesh fish: swai, halibut, etc. (We love making panko-crusted cod too!) All white fish needs to be cooked to an internal temperature of 145 degrees F. You may need to adjust the cooking time according to the type of fish and size of filet.

    Variations

    If you want to make this recipe your own, try playing around with the lemon juice called for in the recipe! Most all citrus will pair nicely with any white fish, so get creative and try using fresh-squeezed orange or lime juice instead of lemon.

    You could also play around with the spices a bit. If you like spicy foods, you could replace the lemon pepper with cajun seasoning (or a homemade blend of chili powder, cayenne pepper, and paprika made to your liking).

    Lemon pepper could also be replaced with 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning and ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper for a twist on this air fryer fish recipe that still has a mild flavor!

    If you do try a different type of citrus or spice, be sure to leave us a comment and let us know how it turned out!

    Equipment

    For this recipe, we used a Cosori 5.8 QT air fryer. You could use any air fryer though, like a Ninja Foodi, Instant Vortex, or any of the other ones you can find with a quick Google search.

    Storage

    For the best results, store your leftover tilapia in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

    Expert Tips and FAQs

    Can raw fish go in air fryer?

    Yes! You can most definitely cook fish in the air fryer from raw. We recommend rubbing a bit of oil onto the bottom of the basket first, just to help keep the fish from sticking.

    How long does fish take in the air fryer?

    As a general rule, fish takes about 10-12 minutes to cook in the air fryer depending on the size of your filets. In this recipe, the tilapia fish used should cook in 6-8 minutes at 400 degrees F. It’s always a good idea to use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of any meat to ensure it’s done properly, though. For fish, the internal temperature you are looking for is 145 degrees F (63 degrees C).

    What temp should tilapia be cooked to?

    Tilapia is a white fish and should be cooked to an internal temperature of 145 degrees F (63 degrees C).

    What can I do with leftover tilapia?

    The best way to use leftover tilapia, in our opinion, is to make fish tacos! Simply warm up your tilapia, pile it in a corn tortilla with your favorite taco ingredients and enjoy! If you need some inspiration, check out our Cilantro Avocado & Hummus Fish Tacos.

    Related Recipes

    If you loved this easy air fryer tilapia recipe, you’ll also love our other healthy air fryer recipes like these Air Fryer Salmon Patties and this Crispy Air Fryer Tofu Recipe! Or if you love fish recipes this lemon pepper salmon recipe is easy to make too!

    Recipe

    Lemon air fryer tilapia.
    Print Pin
    5 from 6 votes

    Easy Air Fryer Tilapia

    Looking for a quick, easy and healthy weeknight dinner? Try making this delicious air fryer tilapia with fresh lemon juice and lemon wedges! 
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine American
    Diet Low Calorie
    Prep Time 10 minutes minutes
    Cook Time 6 minutes minutes
    Total Time 16 minutes minutes
    Servings 4 servings
    Calories 143kcal
    Author Jessica Burgess

    Equipment

    • air fryer

    Ingredients

    • 1 pound tilapia filets If buying frozen, they will need to be thawed
    • 1 tablespoon olive oil or any vegetable oil of your liking
    • 1 teaspoon lemon juice fresh squeezed
    • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • ½ teaspoon lemon pepper
    • lemon slices optional
    • fresh parsley optional

    Instructions

    • In a small bowl, combine the olive oil and the lemon juice. Set aside.
    • In a separate small bowl, mix the garlic powder, salt, and lemon pepper until combined. Set aside.
    • Place your fish filets on a plate, pat dry with paper towels.
    • With a pastry brush, brush the oil on the filets. Take a paper towel, dip it in the leftover oil mixture and coat the bottom of the air fryer basket.
      *If you don't have a pastry brush, no problem! You can pour the oil mixture over the filet and coat the filets with your fingers.
    • Once all the filets are well coated with the oil, sprinkle the seasoning evenly on the filets and gently press it into the filets (do NOT rub the seasoning in- because the fish contains a good amount of water if you rub the seasoning in it will turn into a paste and will not look very appetizing).
    • Place the filets in the air fryer. Only place as many in as you can fit while still leaving enough room around the filets for air to flow (you may want to put the rest of your fish filets back in the fridge to keep them cool until you can cook them). If you overcrowd the basket you may run into an uneven cook.
    • This step is optional: I took some fresh, chopped parsley and sprinkled it over the filets. If you want to, you can also add 1 lemon slice (cut in half) on each tilapia filet before you cook it in the air fryer basket.  
    • Cook the tilapia in your Air Fryer on manual setting at 400 degrees F for 6 to 8 minutes (or until the internal temperature of the filet reaches 145 degrees F).
    • Repeat steps 6,7,8 if you need to make multiple batches.

    Notes

    SAFETY TIP: Tilapia is a white fish and should be cooked to an internal temperature of 145 degrees F (63 degrees C). 
    SUBSTITUTIONS: If you don’t have garlic powder you can replace it with onion powder, and you can replace the tilapia with any white flesh fish: swai, halibut, etc. 
    Out of lemon juice? Try using orange juice or lime juice instead. 
    Don’t have lemon pepper (or any lemons to make it with)? Try using 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning and ¼ teaspoon of black pepper in its place .

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1serving | Calories: 143kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 57mg | Sodium: 350mg | Potassium: 356mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 1IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 13mg | Iron: 1mg

    Southern Broccoli Casserole

    November 29, 2021

    Southern broccoli casserole with cheese

    Southern Broccoli Casserole: This simple recipe uses everyday ingredients and has an unbelievable flavor, using Cheez-It® crackers, shredded sharp cheddar, and cream of chicken soup!

    Quick Overview: Only a few minutes to mix and pour in a casserole dish, and 30 minutes to bake, this creamy broccoli casserole is an easy side dish that’s perfect for the holidays or to serve with other easy dinner recipes!

    Scoop of broccoli casserole on spatula
    Cheesy, Southern Broccoli Casserole Recipe

    Why you’ll love this recipe

    Whether it’s for Thanksgiving or Christmas, you can almost imagine you’ll find a broccoli casserole at the table. (But in all honesty, you’ll probably want to make this all year long, and not just for the holidays!)

    Inspired by our green bean casserole that has gone VIRAL on Pinterest year after year, I knew it was time to make a broccoli casserole that you’d love too.

    With this recipe, you’ll not only love the creaminess but it uses cream of chicken soup instead of cream of mushroom and uses a Cheez-It® cracker topping instead of a Ritz cracker topping.

    Talk about FLAVOR, and better than any other broccoli casserole we’ve ever had!

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    Ingredients

    As you can see below, this recipe uses easy ingredients that you may even already have on hand. But if not, most grocery stores will have what you need to make this!

    ingredients for broccoli casserole
    Ingredients for Broccoli Casserole

    See the easy-to-read, full recipe card, for ingredients amounts and instructions, toward the bottom of this post!

    • frozen broccoli (we bought the packaged, steamable broccoli to keep this easy and it did not dissapoint.)
    • eggs, lightly beaten
    • white onion
    • mayonnaise
    • can of cream of chicken soup (do not prepare)
    • melted butter
    • shredded sharp cheddar (we used the block and shredded it — way better than pre-shredded in our opinion!)
    • Cheez-It® crackers
    • salt and pepper

    Broccoli Casserole with Cream of Chicken Soup?

    Yes. I know it’s popular to use cream of mushroom but trust me on this one. It’s delicious with cream of chicken!

    But what about broccoli casserole with Ritz?

    I know it… Ritz crackers are good too. But hear me out. We already know that cheese is good in this casserole. Why not add more cheese with the crunch of the cracker that we all love!

    Besides, if you have Ritz Crackers, you may want to save them to use in this Ritz Chicken Casserole!

    Instructions

    1. First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
    2. Next, pour frozen broccoli in to microwavable bowl. Microwave long enough (took about 3 minutes for us) to take the chill off and thaw.

      NOTE: If any water, left from the condensation of the frozen broccoli settles in the bottom of the bowl, discard the water. If not the water can make the casserole “soupy” and can make the cheese curdle. You can even take an additional step and allow the broccoli to sit on paper towels to drain as much water as possible.
    3. Next, pour the broccoli, onion, cream of chicken soup, melted butter, eggs, salt and pepper, and mayonnaise in to a large mixing bowl.
    ingredients in mixing bowl
    Ingredients in mixing bowl
    1. Mix together until evenly combined.
    mayo, cream of chicken, broccoli, onion, spices
    Mixed ingredients in bowl
    1. Pour in one cup of the shredded sharp cheddar, saving the remainder to sprinkle on top in a step below. (NOTE: You can use pre-shredded cheese for ease but if you have time, shredding your own block cheddar will create a creamier casserole!)
    shredded cheese in broccoli mixture
    Add shredded cheese
    1. Stir to blend in the shredded cheddar.
    Cheese mixed in to broccoli mixture
    Shredded cheddar mixed in
    1. Pour broccoli casserole mixture in to a greased (we used cooking spray but you can use butter) 9×13 baking dish. Using a spatula, spread the mixture evenly in the dish, making it a level surface.
    Pour broccoli mixture in to baking dish
    Pour in to greased baking dish
    1. Sprinkle the reamining cheese on top, evenly covering as much of the casserole as you can.
    Top with remaining shredded cheese
    1. Crush your Cheez-It® crackers. (We simply put them in a plastic ziptop bag, sealed it and mashed them with our hands.) You can mash them until small crumbs or crush “lightly” leaving some large crackers still intact for some fun crunch.
    2. Evenly spread crushed crackers all over the top of the casserole.
    Top with cheeze-its
    Top with crushed cheeze-its
    1. Bake in the pre-heated oven for 30-40 minutes or until casserole is cooked all the way through and bubbly.
    Bake broccoli casserole in oven

    How to Serve

    Serve this southern broccoli casserole, warm, as a side dish to your favorite dinner.

    Or, feel free to add chicken to this casserole and make it a one-pot meal.

    Serving of broccoli casserole
    Cheesy, warm broccoli casserole

    Can broccoli casserole be made in advance?

    It can. But please note that we have found if we want to make this in advance, we prefer assembling everything but the crackers, as they can sit in the refrigerator, and become “soft” or “stale” removing the delicious “crunch” factor from the casserole when cooked.

    If making in advance: assemble everything in to the baking dish, EXCEPT the crackers, cover, and refrigerate until ready to bake. Just before baking, top casserole with crushed crackers and bake as normal.

    Bite of broccoli casserole on fork
    Warm, gooey, cheesy bite
    How to store leftover broccoli casserole

    If you have leftovers, this can be amazing the next day. Simply cover the broccoli casserole dish with plastic wrap, or transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate.

    How long is broccoli casserole good for?

    If properly refrigerated, the casserole should be good to eat for 3-4 days after baking.

    Can I freeze broccoli casserole?

    Absolutely! If freezing cooked leftovers, transfer to a freezer-safe dish when casserole has FULLY COOLED. Freeze for up to 6 months.

    If freezing an entirely fully cooked casserole, for use later, it’s best to bake in a freezer-safe/oven-safe dish, so you do not have to transfer containers to freeze.

    If freezing an uncooked casserole, assemble in a freezer-safe and oven-safe container, so the casserole can thaw in the refrigerator overnight before baking, and the dish can simply go in to oven once thawed, without transfering dishes.

    Broccoli casserole in dish and plate
    Serve broccoli casserole warm

    Substitutions

    • If you’re used to using/having Ritz crackers on top, that’s absolutely ok to use instead of Cheez-It® crackers. We’ve just found that we love the “cheesier” flavor the Cheez-It® crackers provide.
    • Don’t want to shred your own cheese? No problem. You can use the pre-shredded. We just prefer the creaminess of the block cheese, when shredded. The pre-shredded cheese in the store can sometimes have a powdery “film” to prevent sticking and can sometimes dry-out the flavor. Honestly, when I bought the shredder attachment for my Kitchen-aid mixer to help me with this, it was a game changer!
    • Cream of mushroom soup instead of cream of chicken? Sure. That’s a traditional ingredient. However we LOVE the flavor of the cream of chicken more than the mushroom but you can use either one!
    Cheese, buttery broccoli casserole close up
    Cheesy, buttery, broccoli casserole

    Variations

    Want to try different flavors or ingredients in your broccoli casserole! Go for it!

    You can switch up the flavor of cheese, Cheez-It® crackers, soup, type of broccoli (fresh instead of frozen), etc. Please note that some changes can vary the cook-time and may alter the results. So please keep that in mind and test!

    Top tip

    If feeding a large crowd, placing your baked, southern broccoli casserole in to a slow cooker on “warm” may be an ideal situation. We’ve yet to test this but although it would remove the rectangular, “casserole” appearance, a serving could easily be scooped out of the slow cooker and on to a plate when time to eat. (If you’re short on oven-space and need a warming solution.)

    Related Recipes

    If you loved this recipe, then you’ll also love the super popular Doritos casserole, creamy ranch chicken and tater tot dish, ham casserole, and the corn casserole recipe that we have with the holidays!

    Recipe

    Southern broccoli casserole with cheese
    Print Pin
    5 from 12 votes

    Southern Broccoli Casserole

    Southern Broccoli Casserole: This simple recipe uses everyday ingredients and has an unbelievable flavor, using Cheez-It® crackers, shredded sharp cheddar, and cream of chicken soup!
    Course Side Dish
    Cuisine American
    Prep Time 10 minutes minutes
    Cook Time 30 minutes minutes
    Total Time 40 minutes minutes
    Servings 8 servings
    Calories 575kcal
    Author Jessica Burgess

    Ingredients

    • 6 cups frozen, steamable broccoli *see notes
    • 10.5 ounce can condensed cream of chicken soup
    • 1 cup mayonnaise
    • ½ stick butter (unsalted) melted (if using salted, don't use as much salt below)
    • 2 eggs lightly beaten
    • ½ onion finely chopped
    • ½ teaspoon salt (omit some if using salted butter)
    • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
    • 1 ½ cups sharp cheddar cheese shredded (shred your own if you can – see post for details)
    • 1 ½ cups Cheez-It® crackers crushed

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 350° F
    • Remove frozen broccoli from packaging and place in microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 3-4 minutes or until thawed. (Does not have to be fully steamed/cooked – it will continue to cook in oven.)
      NOTE: if water has gathered in bottom of bowl, from condensation of frozen broccoli, discard water as this could make your casserole "soupy" and the cheese may curdle. You can even take an additional step and allow the broccoli to sit on paper towels to drain as much water as possible for best results.
    • In large mixing bowl, mix together thawed broccoli, soup, mayo, butter, eggs, onion, salt, and pepper. Stir to evenly combine.
    • Pour only one cup of the shredded cheese in to the broccoli casserole mixture, and stir to combine.
    • Pour broccoli casserole mixture in to a greased 9×13 baking dish and spread evenlly using the back of a spoon or a ladle.
    • Using the remainder of the shredded cheese, sprinkle on top of casserole, trying to sprinkle and cover the entire casserole.
    • Next, sprinkle the crushed Cheez-It® crackers all over the top of the casserole, trying to cover it entirely.
    • Place dish in oven and bake for 30-40 minutes or until heated through and bubbly! Serve.

    Notes

    How to store leftover broccoli casserole
    If you have leftovers, this can be amazing the next day. Simply cover the broccoli casserole dish with plastic wrap, or transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate.
    How long is broccoli casserole good for?
    If properly refrigerated, the casserole should be good to eat for 3-4 days after baking.
    Can I freeze broccoli casserole?
    Absolutely!
    If freezing cooked leftovers, transfer to a freezer-safe dish when casserole has FULLY COOLED. freeze for up to 6 months.
    If freezing an entire fully cooked casserole for use later, it’s best to bake in a freezer-safe/oven-safe dish, so you do not have to transfer containers to freeze.
    If freezing an uncooked casserole, assemble in a freezer-safe and oven-safe container, so casserole can thaw in the refrigerator overnight before baking, and so the dish can simply go in to the oven once thawed, without transferring dishes.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1cup | Calories: 575kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 42g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 13g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 105mg | Sodium: 864mg | Potassium: 270mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 892IU | Vitamin C: 61mg | Calcium: 256mg | Iron: 1mg

    Nuts and Bolts Recipe

    November 28, 2021

    Nuts and Bolts mix in wooden bowl

    Nuts and Bolts Recipe: Or sometimes called “Texas Trash” or simply a homemade chex mix recipe, this seasoned snack is perfect for the holidays or to eat all year long!

    homemade nuts and bolts recipe

    Why You’ll Love This Recipe

    Although you can eat this snack ANY time of year, for some reason it’s an absolute favorite recipe for around the holidays!

    So if you love a salty snack to snack on, this should be it! (Well, next to these spicy ranch crackers and this Sriracha snack mix.) So much better than storebought or pre-packaged chex mix, this “nuts and bolts” snack is a savory treat! However, if you love more of a sweet mix, you’ll love these hot chocolate muddy buddies!

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    Ingredients

    This recipe uses simple ingredients! See which ones below…

    ingredients for homemade chex mix
    Ingredients for homemade check mix
    • 3 cups Rice Chex
    • 3 cups Corn Chex
    • 3 cups Cheerios
    • 2 cups pretzel sticks
    • 1 cup mixed nuts
    • 6 tablespoon butter – melted
    • 1 teaspoon onion powder
    • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
    • 2 teaspoon seasoned salt (we used Season All)
    • 2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

    See the full recipe card toward the bottom of this post for ingredients and instructions all in one place!

    Instructions

    1. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.
    2. In a large bowl, combine Rice Chex, Corn Chex, Cheerios, pretzel sticks and mixed nuts.
    place cereal, chips and crackers in bowl
    Place ingredients in large bowl
    1. Top with melted butter and Worcestershire sauce.
    2. Add remaining dry seasonings, toss well.
    3. Spread onto two large baking sheets. Cook for approximately 45-50 minutes, tossing every 15 minutes.
    spread nuts and bolts on cookie sheet
    1. Remove from oven and let cool. ENJOY!
    Nuts and Bolts baked and ready to eat
    Ready for snacking

    How to Serve Homemade Chex Mix

    If you’re hosting a holiday party, it’s a fantastic way to allow guests to snack on before or after a meal.

    Simply place the “nuts and bolts” in a few small bowls and place them around the room where everyone will be hanging out. You can even place small plates or clear cups, along with a scoop or tongs, next to the bowls so guests can grab and go!

    If making it to snack on at home, you can keep it in one container, and my favorite is a large mason jar or cookie jar!

    Seasoned chex mix on table
    Easy snacking

    How to Store Leftover Chex Mix

    Store any, cooled, leftover snack mix in an airtight container. It can stay on the counter for up to 4-6 weeks! (If it lasts that long!)

    texas trash in wooden bowls
    If desired, place in multiple bowls for snacking

    Substitutions

    If you only have or can only find similar ingredients to the ones listed, that’s absolutely ok!

    For instance, if you can only find twist pretzels instead of sticks, or even flavored pretzels, that should be just fine! (Do note if you use flavored pretzels like honey mustard, etc. it could alter the taste (and saltiness) of the entire recipe so use flavored or seasoned ingredients cautiously.

    Only have Rice Chex? Or only have Corn Chex? Use two of the same kinds! Although we prefer a mixture of the two different kinds, it’s not the end of the world if you can only use one kind.

    Note: Using a honey nut Cheerio may add more of a sweetness and may not be a good flavor combination with the savory ingredients.

    Snack Gift Idea

    Love how easy this is to make? Double or triple the recipe (see easy to calculate buttons below in the recipe card) and make a large batch to give as gifts for teachers, mail carriers, delivery drivers, co-workers, and more!

    Package it up in adorable kraft window bags and tie with a ribbon and use these free gift tags!

    Recipe

    Nuts and Bolts mix in wooden bowl
    Print Pin
    5 from 3 votes

    Nuts and Bolts Recipe

    Nuts and Bolts Recipe: Or sometimes called "Texas Trash" or simply a homemade chex mix recipe, this seasoned snack is perfect for the holidays or to eat all year long!
    Course Appetizer, Snack
    Cuisine American
    Prep Time 5 minutes minutes
    Cook Time 45 minutes minutes
    Total Time 50 minutes minutes
    Servings 11 cups
    Calories 255kcal
    Author Jessica Burgess

    Ingredients

    • 3 cups Rice Chex
    • 3 cups Corn Chex
    • 3 cups Cheerios
    • 2 cups pretzel sticks
    • 1 cup mixed nuts
    • 6 tablespoons melted butter
    • 1 teaspoon onion powder
    • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
    • 2 teaspoons seasoned salt or Season All
    • 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce If you can, use Lea & Perrins (Other brands have a "twang" that doesn't make it as good)

    Instructions

    • Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.
    • In a large bowl, combine Rice Chex, Corn Chex, Cheerios, pretzel sticks and mixed nuts.
    • Top with melted butter and Worcestershire sauce.
    • Add remaining dry seasonings, toss well.
    • Spread onto two large baking sheets. Cook for approximately 45-50 minutes, tossing every 15 minutes.
    • Remove and let cool. ENJOY!

    Notes

    How to Store
    Store any, cooled, leftover snack mix in an airtight container. It can stay on the counter for up to 4-6 weeks! (If it lasts that long!)

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1cup | Calories: 255kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 16mg | Sodium: 802mg | Potassium: 189mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 793IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 95mg | Iron: 8mg

    Big Fat Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

    November 26, 2021

    Big Fat Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies.

    Big Fat Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies: Made all in one bowl, these soft chewy chocolate chip cookies are quick, easy and sure to be one of your absolute favorites!

    This one is right up there with The Best No Bake Cookie Recipe and our Easy Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe– an instant classic!

    Big Fat Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies.

    This is one of those desserts that travels well and works great for potlucks. You can find more potluck desserts here.

    Why You’ll Love This Recipe

    I absolutely LOVE when a recipe can be made all in one bowl. I mean really, why make more dishes than you need to? These soft chocolate chip cookies fall in the category of “one bowl recipes” and I’m thrilled!

    Not only is this chewy cookie recipe easy and made all in one bowl, it’s also so yummy. I think this might just be one of my new favorite recipe when it comes to chocolate chip cookies!

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    Ingredients for Big Fat Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

    Like all good cookie recipes, this chewy chocolate chip cookie recipe uses simple ingredients that most of us have on hand at all times, much like the ingredients in this chocolate chip cookie pie. No need to run out and grab anything special, just pop in the kitchen and whip them up!

    • ⅓ cup white sugar
    • 10 tablespoons butter, softened
    • ⅔ cup brown sugar, packed
    • 1 egg
    • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
    • 2 ⅓ cup all purpose flour
    • 2 teaspoons baking powder
    • 1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 12-ounces milk chocolate chips
    Ingredients for big fat chewy chocolate chip cookies.
    White & brown sugar, an egg, butter, flour, vanilla, salt, baking powder & soda and some chocolate chips are all you’ll need!

    Instructions

    Ready to see how easy it is to make this chewy chocolate chip cookies recipe? Let’s go!

    1. Grease cookie sheets or line them with parchment paper and then set them aside.
    2. In a large mixing bowl, (or in the bowl of a stand mixer) beat together the white sugar, brown sugar, and room-temperature butter until light and fluffy.
    White sugar, brown sugar and softened butter in a large bowl.
    butter, white sugar and brown sugar
    Creamed butter and sugar.
    Beat together
    1. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until smooth. 
    Add vanilla and egg to your creamed butter and sugar mixture.
    egg and vanilla.
    Mix the vanilla and egg into the creamed butter and sugar mixture.
    Beat until smooth.
    1. Add the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt). Beat until everything is well combined. 
    Add dry ingredients to the butter/sugar/egg/vanilla mixture.
    Add the dry ingredients and mix until well combined.
    1. Stir in the chocolate chips (the dough will be a bit crumbly but it should come together when you work it into a ball with your hands). 
    Stir in your chocolate chips.
    Stir in your chocolate chips
    Cookie dough ready to be rolled out.
    work it into a ball with your hands
    1. Make balls of cookie dough using a ¼ cup measuring cup and then drop cookie dough onto your prepared baking sheet. 
    2. Place the cookie sheets in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
    ¼ cup scoop of chocolate chip cookie dough.
    Roll in to a ball
    Scoop ¼ cup of dough out and roll it into a ball.
    Place dough balls on baking sheet
    1. While the dough is chilling, preheat the oven to 350 degrees f. 
    2. When the chill time is over, bake the cookies for 15 minute in your preheated oven or until the middle is set (doesn’t look jiggly when you give the cookie sheet a bit of a shake) and the edges begin to brown. 
    Big fat chewy chocolate chip cookies that are set in the middle and golden brown on the edges.
    Bake your cookies for 15 mins at 350° or until the middle is set and the edges are golden brown.
    1. Remove from the oven (don’t forget your oven mitt) and let your cookies cool for a couple of minutes on the baking sheets before carefully transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!
    Big fat chewy chocolate chip cookies.
    Let your cookies cool for a few minutes, then enjoy!

    Variations

    The options for customizing your chocolate chip cookies are ENDLESS. Here are a few of our favourites…

    • Add nuts! If you like a bit of crunch in your cookies, add in some of your favorite chopped nuts.
    • Make them festive with sprinkles. You can mix them right into the dough or push a few sprinkles into the top of each cookie before you chill the dough. You could do pink and red for Valentine’s Day, red and green for Christmas, orange and black for Halloween…
    • Switch up the chocolate. Instead of using all milk chocolate chips, try a mixture of white chocolate, milk chocolate, and semisweet chocolate chips (totaling the same weight that is called for in the recipe).
    • Change the cookie. These sugar chocolate chip cookies are a fun variation for similar ingredients too.

    Storage

    Store your big fat chewy chocolate chip cookies in an airtight container and they should keep for up to a week on the counter.

    You could also freeze them! After your cookies have cooled completely, place them in a freezer-safe, airtight container or ziplock freezer bag and freeze for up to a month.

    Expert Tips and FAQs

    How do you keep chocolate chip cookies soft?

    There are a few things you can do to keep your cookies soft for as long as possible. First of all, make sure you aren’t over mixing them or baking them too long. Secondly, store them in an airtight container. And lastly, you can put a slice of bread into the container with your cookies! I know it sounds strange, but the cookies will absorb moisture from the bread and stay soft and fresh for longer!

    What chocolate is best for chocolate chip cookies?

    This is a matter of preference. The most common chocolate chip to bake with is semisweet, but some people love milk chocolate (and others love a darker chocolate or even a white chocolate). All of them will taste delicious, it just depends on what your favourite type of chocolate is!

    How do you make chocolate chip cookie mix better?

    If you are looking to make a super decadent and delicious chocolate chip cookie, we recommend trying the following:
    – always use butter and not margarine
    – make sure your butter is at room temperature
    – don’t skip the chilling time
    – use real vanilla extract and not imitation

    If this has become your new favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe too, then keep in mind that my favorite thing to do is to package these up and they would make GREAT holiday gifts, and would be even better than those in the specialty shops!

    Related Great Recipes

    If you like chocolate chip cookies, you are going to love this peanut butter chocolate chip cookie recipe, these banana chocolate chip cookies, and this Cookie Dough Fudge! Or, eat a cup of cookie dough with this Edible Cookie Dough recipe!

    Recipe

    Big Fat Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies.
    Print Pin
    5 from 10 votes

    Big Fat Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

    Big Fat Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies: Made all in one bowl, these soft chewy chocolate chip cookies are quick, easy and sure to be one of your absolute favorites!
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American
    Prep Time 15 minutes minutes
    Cook Time 15 minutes minutes
    Chill Time 30 minutes minutes
    Total Time 1 hour hour
    Servings 14 cookies
    Calories 273kcal
    Author Jessica Burgess

    Ingredients

    • ⅓ cup white sugar
    • 10 tablespoons unsalted butter softened at room temperature
    • ⅔ cup brown sugar
    • 1 egg
    • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
    • 2 ⅓ cups all purpose flour
    • 2 teaspoons baking powder
    • ½ teaspoon baking soda
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 12 ounces milk chocolate chips

    Instructions

    • Grease your cookie sheets or line them with parchment paper and then set aside.
    • In a large mixing bowl, beat together the white sugar, brown sugar, and room temperature butter until light and fluffy.
    • Add the egg and vanilla and beat until smooth.
    • Next, add in the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt) and beat until everything is well combined.
    • Stir in the chocolate chips (the dough will be a bit crumbly but it should come together when you work it into a ball with your hands).
    • Next, make balls of cookie dough using a ¼ cup measuring cup and then drop cookie dough onto your prepared cookie sheets.
    • Place the cookie sheets in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
    • While the dough is chilling, preheat the oven to 350 degrees f.
    • When cookies are finished chilling, bake the cookies for 15 minute in the preheated oven or until the middle is set (which means the cookies don't look jiggly when you give the cookie sheet a little shake) and the edges begin to brown.
    • Let your cookies cool for a couple of minutes on the baking sheets before gently transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!

    Notes

    VARIATIONS: Instead of using all milk chocolate chips, try a mixture of white chocolate, milk chocolate and semisweet chocolate chips (totalling the same weight that is called for in the recipe).
    STORAGE: Store your big fat chewy chocolate chip cookies in an airtight container and they should keep for up to a week on the counter. 
    You could also freeze them! After your cookies have cooled completely, place them in a freezer safe, airtight container or ziplock freezer bag and freeze for up to a month. 

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 273kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 37mg | Sodium: 219mg | Potassium: 102mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 22g | Vitamin A: 267IU | Calcium: 41mg | Iron: 1mg

    Easy Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe

    November 25, 2021

    Peanut butter cookies with the classic criss-cross pattern on top.

    Easy Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe: Sometimes you just need those classic, soft peanut butter cookies (complete with the criss-cross pattern on top, of course). You can make this easy, from-scratch cookie recipe on a moment’s notice, they’re that simple! But if you love short-cuts, then you’ll also love these peanut butter cake mix cookies!

    And if you like peanut butter, you really need to check out this Old Fashioned Peanut Butter Pie recipe or this No Bake Dessert: Brownie Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake Trifle!

    Easy peanut butter cookies.
    The best peanut butter cookies!

    Why you’ll love this recipe

    We love a quick, easy and tasty cookie recipe around here, and this soft peanut butter cookie recipe is definitely that!

    I’ve seen so many different variations on classic peanut butter cookies, but I’m kind of an old fashioned girl at heart so of course my favorite would be old fashioned peanut butter cookies (you won’t find any chocolate chips, raisins or nuts in this one)!

    These easy peanut butter cookies are soft and not crunchy at all. If that’s what you’re into, keep reading!

    [feast_advanced_jump_to]

    Ingredients

    This recipe calls for 8 super simple ingredients – I can almost guarantee that you have them all in your kitchen already!

    • 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
    • ½ cup unsalted butter
    • 1 cup creamy peanut butter
    • ½ cup brown sugar
    • ½ cup white sugar
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 1 large egg, brought to room temperature
    • ¾ teaspoon baking powder
    • Powdered sugar (optional)
    Ingredients to make easy peanut butter cookies.
    Peanut butter, flour, white sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, egg, and butter are all you need to make this easy recipe!

    Instructions to Make Peanut Butter Cookies from Scratch

    1. Preheat your oven to 350°.
    2. Sift the all purpose flour and baking powder together in a small bowl and set aside.
    3. Cream the butter and both sugars (white and brown) in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment on medium speed for 4-5 minutes or until it looks light and fluffy.
    Brown sugar, white sugar and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer.
    Add butter and both sugars
    Sugar and butter after being combined.
    Mix on medium speed
    1. Add the peanut butter to the butter and sugar mixture and mix on low until combined.
    Butter, sugar and peanut butter in the bowl of a stand mixture after being combined.
    Add the peanut butter to the butter and sugar mixture and mix on low speed until combined.
    1. Next, add in the egg and vanilla, mixing until just combined.
    2. Add the sifted flour mixture into the peanut butter mixture and mix until just incorporated.
    Peanut butter mixture in a bowl with the dry ingredients added to it.
    Add the sifted flour mixture to the peanut butter mixture and mix until just combined.
    1. Using a cookie scoop (or a tablespoon), scoop out your dough and roll it into golf ball sized balls. Place dough balls on a parchment lined baking sheet.
    2. Flatten your peanut butter cookie dough balls with the tines of a fork in a crisscross pattern.

    Hint: You can dip your fork into some powdered sugar before pressing it into the dough to avoid having the fork stick to your dough balls!

    Peanut butter cookie dough rolled into dough balls and on a parchment lined baking sheet.
    Use a cookie scoop to scoop out dough
    A fork being dipped in powdered sugar before being used to flatten a peanut butter cookie dough ball.
    Hint: Dip your fork in powdered sugar
    A fork flattening a peanut butter cookie dough ball to create a criss-cross pattern.
    Flatten each dough ball with a fork, creating a crosshatch pattern on top.
    1. Bake for 8-10 min in your 350° oven or until your cookies start to look golden brown on the edges.
    2. Allow the cookies to cool on a baking sheet and then move them to a wire rack to cool completely.

    Note: If you want a softer peanut butter cookie, only let them cool on the baking sheet for a minute or two. If you prefer a firmer cookie, let them cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before moving to the wire rack.

    Baked peanut butter cookies, flattened on a parchment lined cookie sheet with a crosshatch pattern on top.
    Easy peanut butter cookies.
    A plate of easy peanut butter cookies with a glass of milk in the background.
    Enjoy!

    Pour yourself a glass of milk, fill up a plate, and enjoy!

    Substitutions

    Typically, peanut butter cookie recipes call for creamy peanut butter BUT that doesn’t mean you can’t switch it up. If you like a bit of texture in your cookies feel free to substitute crunchy peanut butter instead of creamy.

    If you need a peanut-free cookie, you can substitute the peanut butter for another type of nut butter (sunflower, almond, hazelnut, etc.) or a nut-free peanut butter. Just be sure to read labels closely to ensure you aren’t exposing yourself or your guests to any of their allergens.

    Variations

    If you aren’t as much of a fan of old-fashioned cookie recipes as I am (no judgment here, all cookies are good cookies), you can try these Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies for a new twist on an old classic!

    Storage

    Store your peanut butter cookies in an airtight container for up to a week.

    These cookies also freeze well. Place them in an airtight, freezer-safe container (or a large ziploc freezer bag) and freeze for up to a month. When you are ready to eat them, let them thaw at room temperature and enjoy!

    Expert tips and FAQs

    What’s the best peanut butter for peanut butter cookies?

    Typically, peanut butter cookie recipes call for creamy peanut butter BUT that doesn’t mean you can’t switch it up. If you like a bit of texture in your cookies feel free to substitute chunky peanut butter instead of creamy.

    It is possible to use natural peanut butter for peanut butter cookies, but since the consistency of natural peanut butter is so different from creamy peanut butter you may notice a difference in the finished product. You may need to experiment a bit with the recipe and try adding a bit more flour until you reach the desired consistency.

    Why do you put fork marks on top of peanut butter cookies?

    Since peanut butter cookies are quite dense, flattening them with a fork helps them cook more evenly. While you might be able to get away with only flattening them once, the criss-cross/crosshatch pattern you get from flattening it twice ensures a consistent thickness across the cookie (and it looks pretty, too)!

    How do you get the perfect fork marks on top of peanut butter cookies?

    The main reason for messy fork marks on top of your peanut butter cookies is that the fork tends to stick to the thick dough.

    To fix this, simply dip your fork in powdered sugar (aka icing sugar) before you flatten each dough ball! Be sure to re-dip before each time you flatten to make sure your fork doesn’t stick and create messy marks on your cookie dough ball.

    Related Recipes

    If you love easy cookie recipes, then you’ll also love these no-bake chocolate oatmeal peanut butter cookies and these red velvet cake mix cookies too!

    Recipe

    Peanut butter cookies with the classic criss-cross pattern on top.
    Print Pin
    5 from 5 votes

    Easy Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe

    Sometimes you just need those classic, soft peanut butter cookies (complete with the criss-cross pattern on top, of course). You can make this easy cookie recipe on a moment's notice, they're that simple!
    Course Dessert, Snack
    Cuisine American
    Prep Time 7 minutes minutes
    Cook Time 10 minutes minutes
    Total Time 17 minutes minutes
    Servings 24 cookies
    Calories 163kcal
    Author Jessica Burgess

    Ingredients

    • 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
    • ½ cup butter unsalted
    • 1 cup creamy peanut butter
    • ½ cup brown sugar
    • ½ cup white sugar
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • ¾ teaspoon baking powder
    • 1 large egg room temperature
    • powdered sugar (optional)

    Instructions

    • First, preheat your oven to 350°.
    • Next, mix (sift with a fork) the all purpose flour and baking powder together in a small bowl and set aside.
    • In a stand mixer, mix the butter and both sugars (white and brown) with the paddle attachment on medium speed for 4-5 minutes or until it looks light and fluffy. (You can use a hand mixer as well if that's what you prefer!)
    • Add the peanut butter to the butter and sugar mixture and mix on low until combined.
    • Next, add in the egg and vanilla, and mix until just combined.
    • Add the sifted flour mixture into the peanut butter mixture and mix until just combined.
    • Using a cookie scoop (or a tablespoon), scoop out the dough and roll it into golf ball, sized balls. Place dough balls on a parchment lined baking sheet. (Or you can use a silicone baking mat that we love using for our cookie recipes!)
    • Next, using a fork, gently press the tines in to each peanut butter cookie dough balls with the tines of a fork making a crisscross pattern.
    • Bake for 8-10 min in your 350° oven or until your cookies start to look golden brown on the edges.
    • Allow the cookies to cool on a baking sheet and then move them to a wire rack to cool completely.

    Notes

    HINT: You can dip your fork into some powdered sugar before pressing it into the dough to avoid having the fork stick to your dough balls!
     
    NOTE: If you want a softer peanut butter cookie, only let them cool on the baking sheet for a minute or two. If you prefer a firmer cookie, let them cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before moving to the wire rack.
     
    STORAGE: Store your peanut butter cookies in an airtight container for up to a week.
    These cookies also freeze well. Place them in an airtight, freezer safe container (or a large ziploc freezer bag) and freeze for up to a month. When you are ready to eat them, let them thaw at room temperature and enjoy!

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 163kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 18mg | Sodium: 88mg | Potassium: 89mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 129IU | Calcium: 12mg | Iron: 1mg

    Sugar Cookie Sandwiches

    November 21, 2021

    Sugar cookie sandwiches recipe

    Sugar Cookie Sandwiches: These frosting filled cookie sandwiches are filled with a strawberry buttercream that’s easy to make, using simple ingredients!

    Quick Overview: Use a sugar cookie mix to speed things up and make this homemade strawberry frosting using only butter, strawberry fruit spread (or jam), and powdered sugar. (And sprinkles if you prefer!)

    This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Tastefully Simple®, however, the opinions and text are all mine!

    sugar cookie sandwiches with sprinkles

    At Christmas time, sandwich cookies are super popular but I absolutely LOVE them for any time of year, and even Valentine’s Day! If desired, they’re an easy recipe and so fun to customize with sprinkles to match a party or special occasion that you’re hosting or to use Christmas sprinkles for a holiday theme!

    For this recipe, we wanted to tie in our favorite strawberry flavors, to make a strawberry buttercream filling but if you prefer chocolate filling, you can use this chocolate buttercream recipe!

    [feast_advanced_jump_to]

    Ingredients

    You can make your own sugar cookie recipe or use your favorite sugar cookie mix.

    ingredients for sugar cookie sandwiches

    See the full recipe card with ingredient amounts and instructions toward the bottom of the post!

    Sugar Cookies

    So if you’re using this sugar cookie mix, make sure to gather any ingredients that specific cookie mix recipe needs. You could also make these chocolate chip sugar cookies if you’re looking for a non-traditional sugar cookie.

    Cookie Filling Ingredients

    For the strawberry filling, there is nothing better than this quick, homemade strawberry buttercream recipe. It’s smooth, is the perfect consistency for a cream center and the flavor is out of this world!

    Here’s what you’ll need:

    • strawberry spread or jam
    • powdered sugar (or confectioners' sugar)
    • butter
    • sprinkles, if desired
    Fruit spread, butter and powdered sugar
    Powdered sugar, fruit spread, butter

    See the recipe card for full details, ingredients, and instructions, all in one place!

    Instructions

    1. First, preheat your oven to the temperature recommended by your sugar cookie recipe or sugar cookie mix. For the Tastefully Simple® Ah, Sugar Sugar!™ Mix, it’s 350°.
    2. Next, prepare your baking sheet. We use the Tastefully Simple® Baking Mat but you can use parchment paper or place the cookies right on a baking sheet.
      (The orange cloth you see pictured below, is the cleaning cloth that comes with the baking mat for best results for caring for the mat.)
    1. Mix together the sugar cookie mix, according to package directions.
    Sugar cookie dough mixed in bowl
    Sugar cookie dough
    1. Roll out SMALL sugar cookies, in to about 1 inch balls. (It may feel a little odd to make them so small but when filling with frosting, and topping with another sugar cookie, you’ll be glad you made the cookies smaller.)
    2. Place the sugar cookie balls on the baking sheet, about 2 inches apart and bake cookies according to package directions.
    Sugar cookie dough balls on cookie sheet
    Rolled sugar cookie dough on baking sheet

    How to Make Strawberry Buttercream

    1. Making sure your butter is softened, add the butter and fruit jam (or spread) to a mixing bowl and cream butter with jam until evenly mixed, using a stand mixer or a hand, electric mixer until evenly combined.
    Butter & Jam Mixed Together
    Butter and Fruit Spread Mixed
    1. Next, add in the powdered sugar and mix together on low speed, until you no longer see powdered sugar and it is evenly mixed. (You may need to stop the mixer so you can scrape down the sides of the bowl of a stand mixer half way through, mixing to incorporate all of the powdered sugar.)
    Powdered sugar, jam and butter
    Strawberry Frosting

    How to Assemble Sugar Cookie Sandwiches

    1. When the cookies are finished baking, allow them to fully cool on cooling rack, before piping on the filling, or this could cause the buttercream to thin out and/or melt.
    2. When ready, place the strawberry frosting in to a piping bag (or you can simply spread on the filling if you do not feel comfortable using a piping bag), and pipe about a tablespoon of frosting on to the bottom of one cookie.
    Strawberry filling in sugar cookie
    Strawberry Frosting on Cookie
    1. Next, grab the second cookie and place the bottom side of the cookie on top of the buttercream, creating a frosting-filled cookie sandwich.
    2. Gently push down to allow the creamy filling to push to the edges, so the buttercream is flush with the sides of the cookies.
    Strawberry Frosting Filled Sugar Cookies

    Sprinkle Cookies

    If you prefer to decorate your sugar cookie sandwiches, you can carefully (do not squeeze the cookie too hard, as too much of the buttercream frosting could “ooze” out and drip down) pick the cookie sandwich up, turn sideways and gently roll the sandwich sideways in to a small dish of sprinkles… where the sprinkles will “stick” to the frosting. (See images below.)

    Dip sugar cookie sandwich in sprinkles
    Dip sugar cookie sandwich in sprinkles

    For Christmas, the red and green sprinkles look amazing paired with the pink frosting! Or, use your favorite colors of sprinkles for any type of look!

    Hand holding sugar cookie sandwich with sprinkles

    When you take a bite, the soft sugar cookie will “give”, allowing a delicious bite of cookie and frosting all in one bite!

    Bite taken out of sugar cookie sandwich

    Can I use different cookies for this recipe?

    Of course! Tastefully Simple® also has my favorite Peanut Butter Bliss™ Cookie Mix that gives a soft, perfectly round cookie, that’s delicious with this strawberry buttercream filling.

    You can also use other popular cookies such as snickerdoodle cookies or gooey butter cookies!

    Strawberry frosting filled cookies

    Storage

    If you have leftover sugar cookie sandwiches, it is recommended to refrigerate them, in an airtight container, since the buttercream filling is made with butter and fruit spread, which normally recommends refrigeration.

    Expert Tips and FAQs

    • When rolling out the sugar cookies, try to keep them as close to the same size as possible. Since you will be assembling them in to “sandwiches” it’s easier if the two cookies are close in size, so the filling won’t overlap.
    • Make sure the sugar cookies have fully cooled before assembling or the warm cookie could cause the buttercream to “thin out”, resulting in a mess.
    Do I need to use food coloring for sugar cookie sandwiches?

    You can use food coloring for the filling but we didn’t find it necessary as we loved the color the strawberry fruit spread provided.

    Can I turn these in to ice cream sandwiches?

    Absolutely! Once assembled, simply freeze the cookie sandwiches in an airtight container and enjoy frozen!

    What can I use to decorate these cookies instead of sprinkles?

    If you prefer, you can leave them without sprinkles or use something else such as mini chocolate chips, nuts, or crushed candy pieces.

    More Cookie Recipes

    If you’re making a cookie platter or a few different types of cookie recipes, you’ll also love this chocolate cherry cookie recipe, these key lime cookies, and these red velvet cake mix cookies! And if you are a fan of sugar cookies, these sugar cookies shaped as ice cream cones are a must.

    Recipe

    Sugar cookie sandwiches recipe
    Print Pin
    5 from 5 votes

    Sugar Cookie Sandwiches

    Sugar Cookie Sandwiches: These frosting filled cookie sandwiches are filled with a strawberry buttercream that's easy to make, using simple ingredients!
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American
    Prep Time 15 minutes minutes
    Cook Time 13 minutes minutes
    Total Time 28 minutes minutes
    Servings 14 sandwiches
    Calories 420kcal
    Author Jessica Burgess

    Ingredients

    • sugar cookie mix & the ingredients required on package You'll be making sugar cookies according to the package directions, as all cookie mixes can be different. (We use Tastefully Simple® Ah, Sugar Sugar® Cookie Mix)
    • 1 cup butter 2 sticks (salted or unsalted)
    • ½ cup strawberry fruit spread or jam We use Tastefully Simple® Rhubarb Strawberry Fruit Spread
    • 4 cups powdered sugar
    • sprinkles if desired

    Instructions

    Sugar Cookies

    • Preheat oven to the temperature the sugar cookie mix directions call for.
    • Make sugar cookie dough according to package directions. STOP following directions, once dough has been created, just before rolling.
    • Using curved hands, roll sugar cookie dough in to about 1 inch balls, creating smooth, even balls of dough. (Ideally, you'll want them to be the same size as possible, as you'll be pairing them together for sandwiches.)
      NOTE: They may look and feel really small before baking but you don't want really large cookies when making sandwich cookies.
    • Bake the cookies according to the package directions, (we baked them for 13 minutes for Tastefully Simple® Ah, Sugar Sugar!® Mix)

    Strawberry Buttercream Filling

    • While cookies are baking, using a stand mixer or hand mixer, mix together the butter and fruit spread until evenly mixed.
    • Slowly, and in small batches, add in the powdered sugar to the butter/jam mixture, turn the mixer on "low", and gently mix together until evenly combined. NOTE: You may need to stop mixing halfway, to scrape the inside of the mixing bowl to incorporate any powdered sugar that needs mixed in.

    Assemble the Cookie Sandwiches

    • Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool completely before adding frosting.
    • If desired, place strawberry buttercream in to a piping bag with a wide tip. (This is not required. You can easily spread the frosting on to the cookies if that's easier.)
    • Once cookies have cooled completely, turn one sugar cookie upside down, with the bottom of the cookie facing up. Pipe on (or spread on) about a tablespoon of strawberry buttercream in to the center of the cookie.
    • Top with another cookie (placing the bottom of the cookie on top of the buttercream) creating a cookie sandwich.
    • Gently push town to allow the buttercream to push to the edges, so the buttercream is flush with the sides of the cookies.

    If Sprinkles are Desired

    • If decorating the sugar cookie sandwiches, after piping, carefully roll sides of cookie sandwiches in to a small dish that's filled with your favorite sprinkles.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1sandwich | Calories: 420kcal | Carbohydrates: 52g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 35mg | Sodium: 238mg | Potassium: 35mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 47g | Vitamin A: 405IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 8mg | Iron: 1mg
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    Jessica Burgess of Fantabulosity, slicing an avocado.

    Hi, I'm Jessica! - Owner and Creator of the blog and brand, Fantabulosity.

    I’m here to help you make easy comfort food and nostalgic recipes, using simple ingredients, that everyone will love.

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