Categories

Candy Corn White Chocolate Pretzels

Candy Corn White Chocolate Pretzels #SundaySupper

Candy Corn White Chocolate Pretzels

Candy Corn White Chocolate Pretzels are a fun, easy, salty-sweet treat that is perfect for Halloween!

With Halloween only a few days away, I thought it would be fun to put a Halloween twist on one of my favorite holiday treats ~ Pretzel Kiss Candies.   These treats are perfect for holidays or special occasions.  They have that sweet-salty thing going on, which is wildly popular, and they can be decorated to coordinate with any occasion.

By using a candy corn instead of an M&M candy for the topping, Candy Corn White Chocolate Pretzels are a Halloween treat that is  adorable, festive and fun for all ages.  They are very quick to make, and so easy that the kids can easily get involved as well.  The result is an easy Halloween treat that is always a crowd favorite!

Read more

Lighter Frosted Pumpkin Cake

Frosted Pumpkin Cake

Frosted Pumpkin Cake

Frosted Pumpkin Cake is a classic pumpkin sheet cake topped with cream cheese frosting.  Delicious and made on the lighter side!

In case you haven’t noticed by now, I love baking with pumpkin!  While it is always fun to get creative, there is something to be said about the classics.  This Frosted Pumpkin Cake is absolutely a classic.   The moist cake is filled with pumpkin and warm spices of cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice ~ the epitome of Fall pumpkin baking.  Topped with a cream cheese frosting,  Frosted Pumpkin Cake is a favorite classic combination…and it is made on the lighter side!     …

Read more

Pudding-Filled Cookie Cups from Alida's Kitchen

Pudding Cookie Cups

Pudding Cookie Cups

Pudding Cookie Cups are chocolate chip cookie dough baked in a mini muffin tin and topped with your favorite JELL-O pudding.  These fun treats are easy to make and can be decorated for any holiday or occasion.

With all the decorations, the costumes, the pumpkins and the spooky edibles, Halloween is by far my favorite holiday.  With Halloween only two weeks away, I wanted to share some fun treat ideas that are easy to make and great for kids.  These could be for a Halloween party or simply to treat all those neighbor kids paying your house a visit….

Read more

Snickerdoodle Cookie Bars

Snickerdoodle Cookie Bars

Snickerdoodle Cookie Bars

Snickerdoodle Cookie Bars have the classic taste of  a buttery, cinnamon-y snickerdoodle cookie in a quick and easy to make bar.    

While I love to make (and eat!) cookies, the simplicity of turning a cookie recipe into a quick and easy to make bar is very attractive.  Especially when life gets busy or you get a last minute request for goodies, it is so nice to be able whip the batter together, pour it into a pan and bake.  No portioning, scooping, rolling  required.   Just bake, cut into squares and serve.

These Snickerdoodle Cookie Bars are a wonderful treat for the holidays, or any time.  They are buttery and cinnamon-y, like their cookie cousins, yet can be made in minutes.  I thought this recipe would be perfect for Week #3 of the 12 Weeks of Christmas Treats.  Snickerdoodle Cookie Bars offer a little variety for your holiday cookie platter and are loved by many!…

Read more

Chocolate Pumpkin Bundt Cake is a rich, moist chocolate cake made with pumpkin and a hint of spice. Pumpkin replaces much of the fat in the cake that is made on the lighter side!

Chocolate Pumpkin Cake

Chocolate Pumpkin Bundt Cake

Chocolate Pumpkin Cake is a rich, moist chocolate cake made with pumpkin and a hint of spice.  Pumpkin replaces much of the fat in the cake that is made on the lighter side!

Lately I have been enjoying making chocolate desserts a bit healthier using various fruits and vegetables.  The results have been fantastic, with each recipe far exceeding my expectations.   This Chocolate Pumpkin Cake is no exception!  This cake kind of reminds me of a chocolate covered pumpkin truffle, only in cake form…and a little healthier….

Read more

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars are everything delicious about a chocolate chip cookie in a quick and easy to make bar.   This is the ultimate basic blondie recipe.

Chocolate Chip Cookie BarsChocolate Chip Cookie Bars

While I  love cookies, I don’t always have the time (or patience) to portion out each individual cookie for baking.  This is where the cookie bar is genius.  These Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars take only 10 minutes to prepare and then just spread in the pan and bake.  No rolling or cutting or shaping the dough.  And the result is everything delicious about a chocolate chip cookie in a quick and easy to make bar.  There are so many possibilities for variations with this recipe too, which is fun.  …

Read more

S'mores Brownies | alidaskitchen.com

S’mores Brownies #SundaySupper

S'mores Brownies | alidaskitchen.com

What do you get when you cross a brownie with a s’more?  This easy recipe for S’mores Brownies!   

As Labor Day marks the unofficial end of Summer, I am looking forward to cooler temperatures, Halloween (!) and, of course, lots of pumpkin recipes.  While Fall baking is my absolute favorite, sometimes nothing hits the spot quite like a s’more.   I have made several s’more-inspired recipes, including muffins, blondies, Golden Graham’s bars, even a cool and creamy pie!  But these S’mores Brownies might be my favorite s’more-inspired treat.  The chocolate brownie base is the perfect vehicle for all of the yummy s’more toppings, plus they take only minutes to prepare….

Read more

Marble Cake with Fudge Frosting

Marble Cake with Fudge Frosting is the perfect party cake!  Enjoy a swirl of yellow cake and chocolate cake in every bite, topped with a fudgy chocolate frosting.  Delicious, a crowd favorite, and easy to make!

marble-cake-with-fudge-frosting-sqc

Recently, we celebrated Mike’s birthday, and as always I asked him to pick his birthday treat.  He usually just tells me to make whatever, but this year he got some advice from our resident 3 year old (who may be a bit opinionated these days).  After consulting a couple of his favorite cookbooks (really!) and a few of my printed recipes, Adam’s decision was made ~ Marble Cake with Fudge Frosting.  While Adam had never had marble cake before, and at the time was not a fan of chocolate, he was sure this was the perfect cake for his daddy.  He was absolutely right!

With yellow cake and chocolate cake in a pretty little swirl, we enjoyed the best of both worlds and the fudge frosting was the perfect icing on the cake (ha!)   And while it looks fancy, this cake is super simple to make.  The frosting was a bit stiff during the stirring process and goes on thick, yet is a thin layer on top of the tasty cake.  Decorate it as you wish, and here is the perfect party cake to celebrate any special occasion.

Marble Cake with Fudge Frosting - Alida's Kitchen

Marble Cake with Fudge Frosting
 
Marble Cake with Fudge Frosting is the perfect party cake! Enjoy a swirl of yellow cake and chocolate cake in every bite, topped with a fudgy chocolate frosting.
Yields: 16-20 servings
Ingredients
  • Cake:
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa
  • 1¼ cups granulated sugar, divided
  • ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 cup milk (I used skim)
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • Cooking spray
  • Frosting:
  • 1½ cups semisweet chocolate chips
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • ¼ cup milk (I used skim)
Instructions
  1. FOR THE CAKE: Preheat oven to 350* F. Spray a 13x9-inch baking pan with cooking spray and set aside.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
  3. In a separate medium bowl, combine cocoa, ¼ cup granulated sugar and ¼ cup water.
  4. In a large bowl, with an electric mixer (hand or stand) set to medium-high, beat butter and remaining sugar until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to low, and add eggs, milk and vanilla, beating until smooth. Add flour mixture, continue beating on low until combined.
  5. Pour 2 cups of the vanilla batter into the bowl with the cocoa mixture, and stir until smooth.
  6. Pour vanilla batter into the prepared baking pan. Spoon chocolate batter into six puddles on top of the vanilla batter. Drag a knife through the two batters, creating a swirly marble effect.
  7. Bake 22 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven to a wire rack to cool completely. Frost once cool.
  8. FOR THE FROSTING: Put chocolate chips in a glass or metal bowl set over a pan of simmering water (or use a double-boiler), until melted, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and add butter, powdered sugar and milk. Beat on high until frosting comes together. Add more milk or sugar as needed to achieve desired consistency. (If frosting is too stiff, add more milk; if it's too wet, add more powdered sugar)
  9. Spread over cooled cake and decorate as desired.

Source: Real Simple

Marble Cake with Fudge Frosting - Alida's Kitchen

Happy Fourth of July! {easy summer favorites}

Today I am sharing with you some of our favorite recipes that are perfect for your Fourth of July weekend celebration, or for any of your summer festivities.  Now, I had intended to post this much earlier today, but we were without power for a while.  Fortunately these are quick and easy recipes!  There will be a new recipe next week…and it’s a good one! In the meantime, here is a list of some of our easy summertime favorites ~ starting with dessert!

Indoor S’mores: no summer celebration is complete without s’mores, and here is a no-bake, graham, chocolate, and marshmallow bar that is super easy to make.  Click here for the recipe…
Strawberries and Cream Sandwiches: a chilly version of strawberries and cream made into a ‘faux’ ice cream sandwich.  Click here for the recipe…
 
No-Bake Peanut Butter Pie: this takes only 10 minutes to prepare and then is chilled to creamy, peanut butter perfection.  The recipe makes two pies ~ one for now and one for later!  Click here for the recipe…
 
Grilled BBQ Chicken {DIY Barbecue Sauce}: making your own barbecue sauce is so easy.  This version is slightly spicy and is made using common pantry ingredients. Click here for the recipe…

Grilled Peanut Butter Chicken: peanut butter, ginger, and soy sauce give this chicken a Thai-inspired flavor.  This is always a crowd favorite!  Click here for the recipe…
Balsamic Blueberry Salad: peppery arugula topped with blueberries, feta and a drizzle of balsamic vinaigrette makes this a light and summery salad.  Adding chicken is optional, but tasty!  Click here for the recipe…
Pasta with Grape Tomatoes and Mozzarella: this pasta can be served as a side salad or as an entree.  It’s a great way to use up some of those little tomatoes taking over your garden, as well as fresh herbs.  Click here for the recipe…
Balsamic Portobello Mushroom Burgers: a healthy, flavorful, vegetarian alternative on the grill…even carnivores won’t miss the meat!  Click here for the recipe…
Rosemary Cornbread: each summer we have an abundance of fresh rosemary, and this cornbread is our favorite recipe to use it up.  This was also one of my very first posts, and clearly needs an updated photo 🙂      Click here for the recipe…
Chewy M&M Sugar Cookies | alidaskitchen.com

Chewy M&M Sugar Cookies

 Chewy M&M Sugar Cookies add M&M chocolate candies to the best chewy sugar cookie recipe, resulting in one of my favorite cookies of all time. These are also fun for holidays!
Chewy M&M Sugar Cookies | alidaskitchen.com

When I first saw a recipe for Chewy M&M Sugar Cookies, and realized it used the same base recipe as my Chewy Sugar Cookies I knew they were going to be good.  Since those cookies are one of my favorites of all time, I figured M&Ms could only make them better, right?  Right!  The sugar cookie base is deliciously chewy and the cream cheese adds a little tang. Chocolate bursts of M&Ms are studded throughout. Chewy sugar cookies made with M&Ms. Genius idea.

I love how cute these look and that they can be made festive for any occasion.  Truth be told, I have been trying to make these cookies for months. I have M&Ms for every holiday stocked in my treat drawer that were intended to be used for Chewy M&M Sugar Cookies.  While I used Easter “Bunny Mix” M&Ms, these are made in honor of Spring (since there won’t be any left for Easter…Oops!).

Chewy M&M Sugar Cookies | alidaskitchen.com

Chewy M&M Sugar Cookies
 
Yields: 24 cookies
Ingredients
  • 2¼ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1½ cups sugar, plus ⅓ cup for rolling
  • 2 ounces cream cheese, cut into 12 pieces (I used ⅓ less fat cream cheese)
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and hot
  • ⅓ cup canola oil
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tablespoon milk (I used skim)
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1⅓ cup M&M chocolate candies
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Place ⅓ cup sugar in a shallow bowl and set aside (this will be used for rolling).
  2. In a medium bowl, whick the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
  3. In a large bowl, add 1½ cups sugar and cream cheese. Pour butter over sugar and cream cheese and whisk to combine (some small lumps may remain). Whisk in oil until incorporated. Add egg, milk and vanilla; continue to whisk until smooth.
  4. Add flour mixture and mix with rubber spatula. Add 1 cup of M&Ms and continue mixing until dough forms.
  5. Divide dough into 24 equal pieces. Using hands, roll dough into balls. Roll balls in reserved sugar to coat and place on prepared baking sheets, 12 balls per sheet. Using bottom of drinking glass, flatten balls until 2 inches in diameter. Using remaining M&Ms, gently press 2-3 candies onto tops of cookies.
  6. Bake 1 tray at a time until edges are set and beginning to brown, about 9 to 12 minutes. Let cookies cool on sheets for 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire rack and let cool completely before serving.

Source:  as seen on Carrie’s Sweet Life, originally fromTracey’s Culinary Adventures

Chewy M&M Sugar Cookies | alidaskitchen.com