Mounds Brownies

With Halloween just around the corner, the excitement is building for fun costumes and candy.  We always somehow end up with more candy than we need to give out (thanks to the person who buys the candy, *ahem* Mike).  While that may be intentional, I'm always happy to try new and tasty recipes using "leftover" candy ~ these Mounds Brownies being one of them! 

Mounds Brownies take a basic brownie recipe and dress it up with coconut, simply by adding Mounds candy bars.  It's amazing how such a simple addition can really transform an otherwise ordinary dessert into something unique and seemingly decadant.  You get a nice-sized chunk of candy bar in each brownie, and fans of chocolate and coconut will enjoy the complementary flavors. 

By the way, it's that time of week again.  We are now in Week 5 of the 12 Weeks of Christmas Treats!  While this recipe is shared in part to use up Halloween candy, these Mounds Brownies would be a super fun addition to your holiday treat platter.  They're something a little different yet delicious and very easy to make too.

Easy Chocolate Sandwich Cookies

Easy Chocolate Sandwich Cookies are a simplified version of a chewy homemade Oreo cookie.  The chocolate cookies are soft, yet sturdy and the filling is a sweetened cream cheese frosting.  The dough literally took me 5 minutes minutes to whip together.  I feared the dough would be gooey and messy to work with, but it was quite firm and rolled into balls by hand without a huge sticky mess. 

These cookies are fun any holiday or celebration because you can color the filling to suit any occasion or simply roll the sides in sprinkles for a cute, colorful decoration.  The recipe yields a generous amount of cookies, which is perfect if you're looking to share.  It also halves easily, which is what I did...(I still shared though) :)  

I am sharing these delicious yet super easy cookies as part of Week 4 of the 12 Weeks of Christmas Treats, hosted by Meal Planning Magic.  While this recipe makes plenty and these cookies are perfect for any holiday cookie platter, I made them pink in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Week hosted by Erin of Dinners, Dishes and Desserts.  To conclude Breast Cancer Awareness Week, tomorrow Erin is hosting a giveaway, so be sure to visit Dinners, Dishes and Desserts on Friday for a chance to win!

Be sure to check out the thumbnails at the bottom of this post and visit the other bloggers who are posting amazing recipes today in support of Breast Cancer Awareness, and also for the 12 Weeks of Christmas Treats!

Black Bean Nacho Burgers

As we all know, October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  In honor and recognition of this, my friend Erin at Dinners, Dishes and Desserts contacted me about joining a bunch of bloggers together this week to share pink recipes or healthy recipes that are helpful for fighting cancer.  What a great idea!  So this week I will be sharing 2 recipes ~ today's being the healthy one ~ Black Bean Nacho Burgers.

Some studies suggest a link between red meat consumption and breast cancer.  While we don't eat a lot of red meat in this house, I am always happy to find new substitutes for red meat standbys, such as a burger.  Sometimes a burger really hits the spot, right?  Even though it is an occasional indulgence, after having these Black Bean Nacho Burgers, I will be happy to never have a beef burger again!  They are super easy to make, with a simple list of ingredients, and really do taste like black bean nachos!   Made with black beans, crushed tortilla chips, some cheese, salsa and seasonings, these are a truly delicious healthy alternative to their red meat counterpart.  Even Mike, who as I've mentioned before is a bit of a burger connessieur, thought they tasted incredible and did not miss the red meat.

Be sure to check out the thumbnails at the bottom of this post and visit the other bloggers who are posting amazing recipes today in support of Breast Cancer Awareness!

Pumpkin White Chocolate Chip Cookies

Every time I drop Adam off at Preschool, he asks what I'm going to do while he's at school.  Last week I told him laundry and other boring things.  He told me I should make something...I should make something with pumpkin.  Little did he know, I had these Pumpkin White Chocolate Chip Cookies on my list of things to do, so easy enough.  I told him I would make some pumpkin cookies, and he just beamed!  That definitely sounds better than laundry :)

These Pumpkin White Chocolate Chips cookies are very soft with a little chewy bite from the oats.  I changed up the sugar ratio a bit from the original recipe because I love what brown sugar does to baked goods.  The original recipe calls for 1 egg, but I initially made a half recipe.  How do you cut an egg in half?  I used the full egg in half, and 2 in a full recipe.  The dough is a little gooey, so it helps to refrigerate it a bit before baking.    Otherwise I don't know exactly how this impacts the recipe, but I do know these cookies are perfection and would not change a thing. 

I am sharing these delightful cookies for week 3 of the 12 Weeks of Christmas Treats, hosted by Meal Planning Magic.  While these cookies are perfect for any holiday cookie platter, I do think they would also make an excellent Halloween or Thanksgiving treat, or any time treat for other fellow pumpkin lovers!  

Grandma's Lemon Bars (12 Weeks of Christmas Treats)

For the next 11 weeks, I am excited to join a group, hosted by Meal Planning Magic, called 12 Weeks of Christmas Treats.   I missed last week due to somebody's pesky 2 year old molars, hence 11 weeks :)   So every Thursday, I will be sharing a delicious Holiday-inspired treat.  I know what you're thinking...Christmas? It's only October!  It's never too early to plan.  Time to dust off those holiday cookie platters!

For my first Christmas treat post, it is only fitting that I share a favorite recipe that my Grandma used to make for the Holidays ~ Lemon Bars.  There was always something extra special about her lemon bars.  They had a perfect balance of tangy and sweet, they had the lovely dusting of powdered sugar on top, and they literally melted in your mouth.  Of our favorites she made, my grandma's lemon bars topped the list of many (and there definitely were many).  To me, no Holiday cookie platter is complete without lemon bars.  I never realized how easy they were to make, which is an added bonus!

Grandma's Lemon Bars
Yields 16 bars

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup powdered sugar
Cooking spray
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 eggs, beaten
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
zest of 1 lemon
powdered sugar, for topping


Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray 8" square baking pan with cooking spray and set aside.
2. In a small bowl, mix together butter, 1 cup flour and 1/4 cup powdered sugar.  Press into prepared baking pan.  Bake for 20 minutes, or until golden.
3. In a large bowl, mix sugar, 2 tablespoons flour and baking powder.  Add eggs, juice and zest, folding gently until combined.
4. Pour lemon mixture over baked crust. 
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.  Let cool completely and then dust with powdered sugar.

 

Be sure to check out all the other bloggers who are participating this week in the 12 Weeks of Christmas Treats blog hop. And if you’re a blogger and want to join in on the fun, check out this post for the form to fill out to start baking along with us!