Easy Pumpkin Spice Cake With a Twist

FB Source: Julie Morgan

Ingredients:
1 package spice cake mix
1 can pumpkin
2 tbsp unsweetened cacao
4 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1 package chopped pecans

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350. 
2. Place cake mix, cacao, pumpkin, eggs, oil, sugar and water in mixing bowl. Mix well. 
3. Pour into well greased 9 x 11 cake pan and bake for 30 - 35 mins, or until toothpick comes out clean. 
4. Let cool and ice with your favorite cream cheese icing recipe or mix.
5. Sprinkle with chopped pecans.

Frosted Berry Hand Pies

Source: Go Bold with Butter

By Hiedi
Makes 8 hand pies

Ingredients:
For dough:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
4-5 tablespoons water
1 egg, yolk and whites separated
3/4 cup berry jam

For sugar glaze:
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

1. In food processor fitted with steel blade, pulse flour, butter, salt and sugar 10-12 times or until butter is consistency of small peas. Add water and pulse 5-7 more times or until dough starts to come together. Turn out onto floured surface and shape into 2 round discs. Cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
2. Preheat oven to 450°F. Roll out dough to 1/4-inch thickness, and cut into 3 1/2-inch by 7-inch pieces. Each dough round should yield 4 pieces. Lightly brush edges of dough squares with egg and spoon 1 tablespoon jam on one side of dough within egg-basted edges. Fold dough in half and crimp edges with fingers and then press down edges of dough, about 1/4 inches, with the tines of fork.
3. Place hand pies on baking sheet lined with parchment paper and brush tops with egg wash and bake for 15 minutes or until crust is golden. Remove from oven and allow cooling.
4. While hand pies are resting, mix sugar glaze by adding powdered sugar, milk and vanilla to medium-sized bowl and whisk to mix well. If mixture is too thick, add more milk, 1/4 teaspoon at a time, to thin.
5. When hand pies are cooled, drizzle the tips with sugar glaze and serve.

These Frosted Berry Hand Pies make for a perfectly dunkable after school treat for my soon to be pre-teen. She likes to help put her stamp on the process by folding and crimping the edges of her pies. The simple, buttery crust is the perfect package for the jammy insides.

Soft Frosted Pumpkin Spice Cookies

FB Source: Mike Santos

Ingredients:

Cookies:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract

Frosting:

1/2 cup softened butter
1/2 cup softened cream cheese
2-3 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, and salt; set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, cream together the 1/2 cup of butter and white sugar. Add pumpkin, egg, and 1 teaspoon vanilla to butter mixture, and beat until creamy. Mix in dry ingredients. Drop on cookie sheet by tablespoonfuls; flatten slightly.
3. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven.
4. Make frosting: cream butter and cream cheese together. Slowly add powdered sugar and mix with an electric mixer until thick and creamy. Add vanilla and cinnamon.
5. When cookies are cooled- spread frosting on top with an offset spatula.

Yields: 3 Dozen

Witch Hats and Broomsticks

Amanda Sue

Ingredients:

Witch Brooms:
1 bag of mini peanut butter cups
1 bag of stick pretzels

Witch Hats:
1 pkg Oreo peanut butter fudge creams (or similar)
1 can white frosting
purple food coloring
1 bag Hershey's Kisses
1 Ziploc baggie

Directions:

• Witch Brooms: Unwrap cups, Turn upside Down, Insert Pretzel Stick 
• Witch Hats: Unwraps the kisses. Color the frosting the desired color, then scoop into the baggie and snip the corner. Pipe frosting onto the center of the cookie. Twist the Hershey Kiss as you press it onto the frosting, to help create an even "hat band".

Rice Crispy Pumpkins

Crafts Corner

Directions:

1. Make regular rice crispies and add red and yellow food coloring for orange.
2. Form into balls.
3. Add a tootsie roll for a stem.
4. Pipe green icing on for leaves.

Posted by Joy

Sugar Cookie Bars

Sonjas Crazy Wraps

Ingredients:
Cookies:
2-1/2 cups bread flour (or all-purpose flour is fine)
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1-1/2 Tbsp. sour cream
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Frosting:
1/2 cup butter, softened
4 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup half and half
1 tsp. vanilla
Pinch of salt
Several drops of food coloring (optional)

Directions:
Cookies:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
2. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. (The longer you beat it, the fluffier your cookies will be.)
4. Add egg and combine well.
5. Add sour cream and vanilla and mix until completely blended.
6. Slowly add the flour mixture and stir until well combined.
7. Gently press the batter into the greased baking dish and spread out with hands. (If you butter your hands, this will help with the stickiness.)
8. Bake 17-20 minutes, or until edges become lightly golden.
9. Set aside to cool completely.

Frosting:

1. In a medium bowl, cream together butter, powdered sugar, and half and half until light and fluffy.
2. Stir in vanilla and salt, combine well.
3. Add food coloring until desired color.
4. Frost your cooled cookie bars evenly.
5. Cut into squares and serve. 

I have to warn you - these are kind of addicting. Like, scary addicting. But, they honestly might just be worth the few extra pounds. Enjoy

I've seen the recipe for these in a few different places and all of them say the same thing: "If you want the taste of sugar cookies without having to go through the work and mess of rolling them out, then this is the perfect recipe for you!" I kind of thought they were exaggerating a little bit because let's be real - we roll out sugar cookies because it's fun and it's an adventure, not because it's a pain in the rear. Then I got making these and realized that all of those people were actually right. I was completely done in no time and I wasn't a slave to the kitchen, having to roll, cut, frost, and repeat. It was the perfect dessert! (I found this recipe at Cooking Classy)

Chocolate Puppy Cupcakes

Beth Mansfield

Ingredients:

1 box cake mix
1 can chocolate frosting
Vanilla wafers
M&Ms
Nutter Butter cookies
Miniature marshmallows
edible candy eyeballs - optional

Directions:
Bake cupcakes as directed on box and frost with chocolate frosting.

• Snout: vanilla wafers with chocolate frosting piped in the shape of mouth
• Eyes: Marshmallows cut in half with chocolate frosting piped on.
• Ears: Nutter butters
• Nose: M&Ms

Image from http://cupcakepedia.com/2013/07/18/adorable-chocolate-puppy-cupcakes/

Reindeer Nutter Butter Cookies

Serving up FUN in the kitchen with Lydia Martin

What an easy and fun recipe to put together with your kids! Just some Nutter Butter cookies, frosting, pretzel twists, M and M's and you're set! Feel free to SHARE this post with your friends. 

Best Sugar Cookies Ever

FB Source: Carrie Muir

Ingredients:
Cookies:
6 cups of Flour
2 teaspoons of Baking Soda
1 teaspoon of Salt
1 cup Shortening
2 cups Sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup Sour Cream

Frosting:
1/2 cup Shortening
1/2 cup Butter
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
4 cups powder sugar
2 Tablespoons milk

Directions:

1. Mix flour, baking soda and salt together in a small bowl.
2. In a large bowl, beat shortening, sugar, eggs, vanilla, and sour cream together until smooth.
3. Stir dry ingredients into wet ingredients. 
4. Cover and place in the fridge for a couple of hours. 
5. Roll out cookie dough and cut with your favorite cookie cutters. 
6. Bake @ 400 degrees for 7-8 min. Let cool.
7. While cookies are cooling, make the frosting by beating all ingredients together. If the frosting is too stiff, slowly add in a little milk at a time until you get the consistency you like. If it is too thin, beat in more powdered sugar.

EASY Homemade Whipped Cream Frosting

Care Fuentes Sbc

Ingredients:
1 (8 ounce) package reduced-fat cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 cups of heavy cream

Directions:

1. Combine the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla extract and almond extract in a large mixing bowl or the bowl of your mixer.
2. Once all in the bowl, mix on medium speed until smooth.
3. While the mixture is still whipping, slowly pour in the heavy cream.
4. Stop and scrape the bottom of the bowl a few times while you continue whipping until the cream can hold a stiff peak.

**This recipe makes 5 cups**

• This is SO delicious
• It WONT melt at room temperature like regular whipped cream!
• It's VERY stable.
• Its wonderful used for frosting a cake or even dipping fruit in it!
• Not TOO sweet.
• Very versatile!

Ding Dong Cake

My Honeys Place

Ding Dong Cake

1 bx devils food cake mix
8 oz cream cheese softened
3 c powdered sugar
1 stk butter softened
8 oz cool whip
1 tub milk chocolate icing

Prepare and bake cake as directed on box. (2 round cake pans)

Filling: Mix and cream the butter and cream cheese. Add powdered sugar and fold in cool whip.

After cake is completely cooled split layers (TIP: you can place the uncut cakes on plates in a freezer for about 30 minutes to make a cleaner cut, then use UNwaxed dental to pull through the layer and make a wonderful even cut.) and spread filling on each layer and stack, do not spread filling all the way to the edge of the cake, the weight of the cake will press it out to the edge once you are finished, this keeps the filling from mixing with the icing. Now, if you have any filling left over you can mix it with the icing. It’s what we do. Then ice entire cake with the chocolate icing. You will be able to put a thick layer of filling between the layers.

Lunchroom Lady Iced Brownies

Donna Larson

Ingredients:

Brownies:

1 c butter
1/2 c cocoa
2 c flour
2 c sugar
4 eggs
4 tsp vanilla
1 c chopped nuts.

Icing:
1/4 c softened butter
1/4 c can milk (regular milk is fine)
1/4 c cocoa
3 c powdered sugar
dash salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. Mix Brownie ingredients
3. Pour into a greased 9x13 pan,
4. Bake 20-25 mins on 350. Check at 20 mins.
5. Allow to cool, then mix the Icing ingredients together and frost as desired.

This is a 50+-year old recipe.

Broken Glass Cupcakes

Tamra Hermosillo

Broken Glass Cupcakes


Ingredients
1 Can white frosting
1 Box Red Velvet Cake Mix


Sugar Glass:
2 cups water
1 cup light corn syrup
3 1/2 cups white sugar
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar


Edible Blood:
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup water, or more as needed
15 drops red food coloring
3 drops blue food coloring



Directions
Prepare Red Velvet Cake Mix According to box, line cupcake tins with paper cupcake liners.

Divide cake batter between lined cupcake tins.

Bake according to box instructions. Let cool and frost cupcakes with white frosting.

Make the sugar glass. Mix 2 cups water, 1 cup corn syrup, white sugar, and cream of tartar in a large saucepan; bring to a boil. Use a candy thermometer and boil sugar syrup until temperature reaches 300 degrees (hard ball), stirring constantly. The mixture will thicken as water evaporates. When sugar reaches 300 degrees, quickly pour onto a metal baking pan. Cool until completely hardened. Break into "shards" using a meat mallet.

Make the edible blood. Mix together 1/2 cup corn syrup and cornstarch in a large bowl. Slowly stir in the 1/4 cup of water, adding more if necessary, until the corn syrup mixture has thickened to the consistency of blood. Stir in the red and blue food coloring.

Stab each frosted cupcake with a few shards of broken sugar glass. Drizzle on drops of "blood" to complete the effect.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Éclair Cake

Cooking with Kelly

Peanut Butter Chocolate Éclair Cake

1 box chocolate graham crackers (there will be a few graham crackers left over)
2 (3 ¼ -ounce) boxes vanilla instant pudding
1 cup peanut butter
3 ½ cups milk
1 (8 oz) container Cool Whip
1 can chocolate frosting

Spray bottom of 9 x13 pan with cooking spray. Line the bottom of the pan with whole graham crackers. In a bowl using an electric mixer, mix pudding with milk, peanut butter; beat at medium speed for 2 minutes. Fold in whipped topping. Pour half the pudding mixture over graham crackers. Place another layer of whole graham crackers on top of pudding layer. Pour over remaining half of pudding mixture and cover with another layer of graham crackers. Heat the container of prepared frosting, uncovered for 1 minute. Pour over top of cake. Refrigerate for at least 12 hours before serving