Sugar Cookie Heaven!

Hubby & I were craving something sweet last night. I found this ridiculously yummy sounding recipe on Pinterest for Sugar Cookie Bars. You can find the recipe on 'A Little Bit Crunchy, A Little Bit Rock n' Roll's' blog. She has lots of other amazing recipes on her blog too, so be sure to check it out.

Let me just say that these were super easy to make & probably by far one of the most delicious, yet simple desserts I have ever made! Karl & Brooklyn devoured them & so did I. These would make perfect birthday treats!

Aren't they gorgeous? Brooklyn wanted purple icing & matching sprinkles! Kind of looks like an Easter treat!

30 Sec. Peanut Butter Cake in a Mug!

Oh for the love of Pinterest! So many deelish recipes, so little time! I was having a major sweets craving & found this fantastic recipe on Pinterest from Back to Her Roots' blog. Check it out, its super easy & bakes in your microwave in just 30 short seconds. You can't ask for anything better!

The chocolate chips make this dessert to die for! Yum!!!!

I made some red velvet chocolate chip cookies last week too for an ornament exchange party I went to. Check out these beauties! :) I am not going to post the recipe I used because I felt like it was lacking a bit. They were very dry & crumbly. However, here's another recipe I found from Baking Serendipity, I think this recipe this has a lot more potential! :)

Red Velvet Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

Cake Batter Rice Krispy Treats!

Yes, you did you read the title correctly. Cake batter rice rice krispy treats are pure deliciousness sent from heaven. Where else did I find the recipe for this, but good ol' Pinterest.

I made two batches for Brooklyn's 6th birthday. She took them to her 1st grade class to share with everyone & from what I hear they were a big hit!

Here's the recipe & photo (thanks to Gimme Some Oven!) for all of you who want to test them out. I assure you they won't last long...

Stay tuned for red velvet krispy treats... coming soon!

Check out Gimme Some Oven's blog for more fantastic recipes.

---

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp. butter
1 (10 oz.) bag of mini-marshmallows
1/4 cup yellow cake mix
6 cups crispy rice cereal
1 (1.75 oz.) container of sprinkles
Method:

Melt butter in a large saucepan over low heat and add marshmallows. Stir until they begin to melt, adding in cake mix one spoonful at a time so its combined. Stir in cereal so it is completely coated with marshmallow mixture. Sprinkle in half of the sprinkles and mix. Press into a baking dish (any size will do) and top with remaining sprinkles. Let sit for about 30 minutes before cutting. I find spraying a knife with nonstick spray helps to cut them.

Ali’s Tip:

I actually increased the cake batter to 1/3 cup for my recipe to give it a little extra cake batter kick (the 1/4 cup seemed just a little too subtle to me), but add as much in as you like! (And you better believe I used the 1/4 cup option for full cake batter taste!)

Red Velvet Brownies... yes please!

I am pretty much obsessed with Pinterest! Have you heard of it? If not I highly suggest you check it out. You may need an invitation to join. If you need one I can send you one! Just message me with your email & I will get an invite over to you ASAP!

I found a recipe for these delectable treats a few weeks ago & I decided to whip up a batch! You can find the recipe on Smells Like Home's blog. I tweaked the recipe just a bit & only added half the amount of food coloring. The color was still a deep red with just half the amount. Any less dye we can put into our bodies the better, right?

(Photo credit: Smells Like Home)
They were seriously yummy & very rich! I think my hubby may have eaten almost all of them. They were that good! Shhhh, don't tell him I told you! ;)

Vanilla Bean Cupcake Heaven!

As I mentioned in the last blog entry, I made some yummy red velvet cupcakes this past weekend. I had lots of delicious almond buttercream frosting leftover & it was too good to let it go to waste. So I just had to whip up another batch of cupcakes. I found a fabulous recipe over at Sprinkles Bakes. It's called Lucky Vanilla Cupcakes. This was honestly one of the easiest homemade cupcake recipes I have attempted. Quick & easy, just the way I like it. ;) Anyhow these have got to be the yummiest cupcakes I have ever had... & I have had a LOT of cupcakes. They are absolutely heavenly & I recommend you go whip yourself up a batch this very moment! You won't be sorry!!!

Day in the life...

Not much going on here, but thought I would blog anyway. My cousin & her daughter have arrived back in Colorado after living in Florida for over a year. They are arriving at our house later today. They will be staying with us for a few months until they can find a place to call their own. So happy to have them back!

To celebrate them returning home I have made a batch of my famous homemade tortilla soup for dinner tonight. I also have started the process of making those delightful chocolate chip cookie dough truffles. The dough is done & is just hardening up in the fridge. Can't wait to taste those little bites of heaven!

Here's the recipe for my chicken tortilla soup if anyone wants to try it out! It is my most requested recipe & is oh so yummy!

Chicken Tortilla Soup
1.5 lbs. boneless chicken, cooked & shredded (sometimes to save time I pick up a rotterie chicken & pull the meat off instead of cooking my own chicken)
1 can (15 oz.) tomatoes (you can used diced, whole, etc.)
1 can (10 oz.) green enchilada sauce
1 can (10 oz.) red enchilada sauce
1 medium onion, chopped
1 can (4 oz.) chopped green chilies
1 clove garlic, minced
2 cups water
1 can (14.5 oz.) chicken broth
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 bay leaf
1 package frozen corn (10-14 oz.)

In crock pot or stove top, combine all ingredients listed above. Cover & cook on low for several hours. Remove & discard bay leaf before eating. Sprinkle with cheese & crumbled corn tortilla chips if desired.

Cookie Dough Truffles!

I came across this on my facebook feed yesterday! Yes, right now I am sitting at my desk drooling...

I am headed to the store today to get the ingredients & am going to whip up a batch ASAP! My cousin is moving back from Florida on Monday (tomorrow) & I think these might be a great welcome home treat! What do you think?

Check out the recipe & the rest of the photos from Love & Olive Oil's blog.