Crock Pot Brownies

Where do I begin with this one? Yes, I made amazing, fudgy brownies in my crock pot. They were super easy to make with a bunch of pantry staples and we practically inhaled them. Mostly topped with ice cream. to the point that I thought I might need to make another batch because there was barely anything left for me to use for pictures. And that wouldn't have been a bad thing. Except for the part where my pants would be snug. I don't know, snug pants might be worth it for how chocolatey and delicious these brownies turned out. I've been wanting to make a few more desserts in my crock pot lately, after making coffee cake and banana bread in the past, so when I saw this recipe from my Secret Recipe Club assignment, I knew my mind was made up.

M&M Snack Cake Bars

Part cake, part bar, all delicious. These bars are all that's right in the world and were super simple to put together after I got our little guy down for the night. My evening baking time is limited since we have a pretty regular routine getting Logan to bed, so finding quick recipes that can be completed in the time before I hit the pillow is imperative. And this one isn't only quick, but delicious. The bars are soft, but not overly cakey. Like the perfect cross between cake and cookie and blondie. Perfect texture and not crumbly. Now the base is perfect for just about any sort of mix in, but really chocolate chips and mini M&Ms solidifies these bars as a great snack. The only thing better would have been to add sprinkles (it is cake after all) and get some funfetti action up in these tasty treats. There's always next time.

Oatmeal Cookie Bars

Last week I started back at the gym again. I was a pretty regular gym rat prior to our little nugget working out right up until he was born. Five days a week I did strength, cardio or yoga. Plus Dave and I were pretty active with biking, kayaking, and other outdoor activities. But a winter baby--born during the worst winter in recent history (do the people complaining about the lovely summer heat forget our 7 feet of snow?)--plus the lack of time, energy and shear access to get to the gym has meant I've neglected my former workouts. I workout to be healthy and this body was built by baby and cookies, so getting back into some sort of active lifestyle needed to take on a new priority level in my life. So the other day I found myself on day two of my new workout routine, on the elliptical and really pushing hard. It felt great and I surprised myself by not being nearly as out of shape as expected. And then I remembered I wanted to make brownies or some sort of bar for work the next day. Browsing Pinterest on my phone, the irony hit me right away that while I was working to shed the pounds from baby (and yes, far too many cookies and other sweets since then), I was also researching a new way to enjoy sugar and chocolate. But really these bars have oatmeal so that means they're healthy, right (right?!?). Soft, chewy, gooey bars mimic a perfect oatmeal cookie all full of nutty goodness but made more awesome with an overabundance (is there really such a thing?) of chocolate chips. Plus, hello simple. I got these done in about a half hour, after work, start to finish, including washing the dishes while they baked.

Cookies and Cream Chocolate Chip Cookies

Welcome to another installment of "I had to make these more than once because we ate them all before I could take a photo." And really, isn't that the true sign of an awesome recipe. Particularly a cookie--because that's a lot of opportunities that got shoved into mouths before you realized a critical step of the recipe was missing when it comes to food blogging. So, yes, these cookies are that good. I mean, it's a cookie with cookies in it. Can it really get better than a cannibalized cookie? Well, if you're going to add cream cheese to make the soft and tender and both chocolate chips AND white chocolate chips for good measure, then yes it can get better. I gifted a batch of these to my friend Rachel for her birthday and she just about lost her mind. Cookies for the win!

Chocolate Stout Bread

Yes I realize St. Patrick's Day is long over but I also know that like me, many people have one lonely bottle of Guinness kicking around their fridge and maybe you want to do something other than drink it. Since chocolate and stout go so well together, and this is a great way to sneak alcohol into your breakfast (just kidding, it cooks off), this recipe is bound to make you happy. And hello it's super easy. This bread is perfectly tender and has a nice richness that brings out the beautiful chocolate flavors, totally enhanced by the stout. This bread is perfect for sharing,at brunch or as a snack. This bread has a nice cocoa flavor without being overtly sweet or screaming rich chocolate. Even Dave liked this bread, and he's usually not a fan of the chocolate breads, particularly in the morning. So I must have done something right here.

Guinness Brownies

St Patrick's Day is tomorrow and I need to share with you guys the awesomeness that is these brownies. A thick, dense brownie full of rich chocolate goodness, heightened with that beautiful Irish stout Guinness. And then I did something awful. And by awful I mean amazing. I took the Bailey's buttercream frosting from my Irish Triple Threat cupcakes and slathered it on top of these brownies. Irish dessert squared. I took these to a party over the weekend were they got rave reviews. I've never made a brownie quite like this. It's fudgy but not gooey and thick but not cakey. Seriously, these are so good I can hardly describe them. Just trust that you need to make these. Now.

Magic Turtle Bars

These days I'm looking for quick recipes for delicious treats that I can make either while Logan sleeps or while he "helps" me when I wear him in the kitchen. Magic bars definitely fit the description because they are basically just piles of tasty goodies layered on top of one another and baked to perfection. Very easy to do, even when your littlest kitchen helper falls asleep on you while you explain the merits of semi sweet versus dark chocolate chips. And this turtle candy inspired version of a magic bar live up to the hype. They are amazing--dark chocolate, caramel and pecans are an irresistible combination. The chocolate gets slightly melted, the caramel is gooey and the nuts offer a perfect salty crunch. Plus the texture of these bars is like a party for your mouth. Based on how quickly these vanished from our counter (and the fact that I had to package some up to give away), these are a huge hit.

Peanut Butter Nougat Brownies

We are buried. For real we've gotten about 7 feet of snow in 3ish weeks and I keep finding myself stuck in the house. Even when I can go out, I'm kind of afraid because the snow banks are so tall it's a hazard to go to an intersection. Unless I'm in Dave's bright orange Jeep. But being stuck in the house means I have to occupy my time, so I might as well bake. Sigh. As a result I ended up with these delicious brownies with a layer of peanut butter marshmallow nougat through the center and I swooned. The brownies are a cross between fudgy and cakey, with a perfect chocolate flavor. And the peanut butter filling  shows up in every bite, so it's almost like the brownie equivalent of a Reese's cup. Which is to say these brownies are amazing.

Marbled Brownies

Sometimes I have a dessert crisis. When faced with both, do I choose the blondie or the brownie? The chocoholic in me says the brownie, but the blondies usually have chocolate chips and a different type of sweetness. Fudgy or chewy? Sweet or decadent? So why not combine the two? A fudgy brownie with a swirl of blondies throughout. Not only are they beautiful with a pretty blondie design, they are delicious. I couldn't get over how well they turned out--rich and tasty and perfect just as is, but also fantastic with a scoop of ice cream.

Salted Chocolate Truffle Cookies

Rich, fudgy and slightly salty. A delicious combination that is also decadent which makes it an amazing holiday cookie. Seriously, these take no extra time or skill than any other cookie on your holiday list (they're still basic drop cookies), but the flavor and texture will make them seem so much more amazing. This brownie-like cookie gets it's flavor from three types of chocolate and an extra special finish of sea salt intensifies all that chocolate goodness. I gave most of these away and Dave and I bartered for the remaining few. I was being generous in this pregnancy. In any case, I'm hoping to get a chance to make these again soon.

Chip & Chunk Cookies

These are what I like to call definitive holiday cookies. Seriously, they have all the bits of a perfect holiday cookies: cinnamon, chocolate, nuts and coconut. Baked up in a tender cookie with a lovely crunch to the exterior, these flavors really just remind me of the holidays, so they are perfect for your baking list this month. For an little extra flavor, toast that coconut first and you'll get a little more depth to these cookies. Coconut burns pretty quickly, so keep an eye on it while it toasts--I had to try twice since I forgot to pay attention the first time. Whoops.

Simple Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Yes I realize I've shared a lot of pumpkin with you. Get over it because I'm loving all thing pumpkin right now and the growing human making me unable to eat most things is letting me eat all the pumpkin, so it's going to keep happening. No seriously, I get it. I told Dave I was going to make pancakes this weekend and when I asked him what flavor, all he said was not pumpkin. But I digress. These cookies may be pumpkin, but they also have chocolate chips. And they are only three ingredients, so how could you not make them? The perfect after school snack, last minute treat when you're invited to a pot luck or a quick and tasty gift for that person you forgot to put on your list. These cookies are soft, full of flavor and dotted with chocolate chips. Chocolate, of course, it quite an appropriate pairing with pumpkin, so I'll never hesitate to include it.

Oreodoodles

Seeing as how Oreos are by far my favorite packaged cookies, how could I not tackle this recipe (and subsequently gobble them up). Seriously these cookies are fantastic and definitely pair best with a tall glass of milk. These chocolatey cookies are slightly crisp on the outside with tons of extra Oreo dust encasing a gently tender cookie. Not only are these cookies rolled in Oreo crumbs, but they're dotted with crushed Oreos and chocolate chips inside, too. Now wonder a glass of milk is a must have with these guys.

Double Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies

There's something about a chocolate cookie with chocolate chips that just makes me smile. And made that some dark chocolate--on both levels--and that's even better. Rich and delicious, soft and just begging for a glass of milk to be dunked in, these cookies are lovely and delicious. Definitely will make it on the Christmas baking list. A dark flavored cocoa paired with a dark chocolate chip makes it just a touch more elegant than a regular double chocolate cookie. It's the grown up version and as a chocolate feign, I love everything about it.

Malted Chocolate Chip Cookies

I may or may not have made 3 batches of these cookies last month. For real these are good. I took a batch to my sister's surprise 40th birthday party and no one could get enough. One person even said they were the best chocolate chip cookies she's ever had. Sure, I'll take that compliment. These are soft chocolate chip cookies with just a bit of something extra thanks to the addition of malted milk powder. The flavor difference is subtle, but it's there and makes for a delicious treat. Plus, can we talk about the amount of chocolate chips in these cookies? It's a lot. Like several chips in every bite--yum! These cookies are going on the holiday list (keep an eye out people!)--sometimes it's good to have just a touch of an alternative to a chocolate chip cookie. And this is one that's a keeper.

Funky Monkey Pancakes

My entire life I have thought that Ben and Jerry's Chunky Monkey ice cream was banana, chocolate and peanuts. So you can imagine my surprise when I was searching for a pancake recipe using those flavors, I kept coming up with versions of the same name using walnuts. Recipe after recipe, all with walnuts and not a single one using peanuts or peanut butter. I didn't understand how so many cooks would have the same variation, but not one was using (what I thought was) the "original" combination. Not that walnuts are bad, but I was now convinced peanut flavor was a necessity and my heart was set on it. So after confirming that after all these years I was wrong (what?!?), I decided my version needed to be made. Changing the name slightly was all it took, plus some peanut butter, to make me happy with the end result. Fluffy pancakes full of flavor with both bananas and peanut butter as well as a healthy speckling of chocolate chips thought.

Chocolate Chip Cookie S'mores Bars

Holy crap, guys. Where do I begin with these bars? Tons of flavor, gooey, sweet, delicious and the perfect blend of chocolate chip cookie and classic s'mores in a perfect little bar dessert. This recipe is easy and comes together pretty quick. Plus I had all the ingredients in my pantry so you can always whip these up on the fly. My friend Cindy came over yesterday with her two kids and these bars got rave reviews all around. And I was happen to be able to send them home with some of these treats because otherwise I might have just eaten the whole pan myself.

Beer and Pretzel Cookies

Football season officially kicks off this weekend and I would like nothing more than to kick back with my feet up, beer in one hand and a salty snack in the other, while I cheer on my team and complain about my fantasy team results. Unfortunately, being 6 months pregnant means one of those things has to go. So instead, how about replacing that cold, frosty brew AND the salty snack with this cookie that also brings in some sweetness? The beer in these cookies reduces down and the alcohol is cooked off, so they can be enjoyed for flavor when your drinking mug is sidelined. The cookies are hefty but soft and the pairing of dark beer with sweet, chewy cookies, a bit of chocolate and some salty pretzels is exactly what I could handle as an arm chair quarterback. these cookies made the rounds--some for my brother for his birthday and some for Dave's cousin, Mike, and his wife Donna when we visited them after their son was born. I mean, cause when you have a baby you deserve cookies (HINT HINT). And if you're curious, the answer is no, you can't use a beer other than a stout. Number one, stout just has more flavor when you reduce it down, so you really get the essence that this recipe is going for. And b) stout and chocolate are made for each other. True fact.

Cherry Chocolate Chip Cookies

After the amazing Cherry Chocolate Blondies I made earlier this month, I found a recipe for cookies bringing the same flavors together. And they are amazing. Soft, chewy cookies with sweet cherries and chocolate chips, they are the perfect way to use up the last few lingering cherries from summer. Of course the blondies were amazing, but come on, you know I will always go for a cookie. And of course, cherry and chocolate play well together, but the almond extract really brings it together. I love almonds and cherry so that was definitely the right addition to these cookies. If you've got some cherries leftover but they aren't quite fresh enough to just munch on, toss them in these cookies for a real treat.

Cherry Chocolate Blondies

I've been having a love affair with cherries this summer. I've always loved fresh cherries, but I don't know what it is this year--the pregnancy cravings, the fact that they are so abundant and delicious this summer, or that they've been on sale for basically the last month and a half, but I can't get enough of them. And these bars do the very best thing with fresh cherries--add chocolate and a lovely gooey blondie base for an amazing twist on deconstructed and baked up chocolate covered cherry. The chocolate, the gooey blondie, the cherries: a trifecta of yum. It's a one bowl dessert that bakes up in no time and I will absolutely make these again. If nothing more than an excuse to by more cherries. Now you know I'm not a big fruit in my dessert girl, especially fresh fruit (compared to dried) or anything pie-like. But I was headed to see my uncle and aunt, Bud and Sandy, and wanted to take something a little different but still sweet and delicious. This was both and more.