December 2019 - Fun and Frosted

Easy Boxed Brownie Ideas

Hey Brownie lovers!! I know I am always looking for a go to dessert for a crowd, for people of all ages. Brownies happen to be that go-to dessert, especially when you are in a pinch! I always use a boxed brownie mix, but sometimes you want to add a little “extra” to doctor them up. Below you will find some ideas to make them a little more special.

I may sound like a broken record with my allergies, but seriously, I cannot eat store bought baked goods! Making brownies from “scratch” or at least from a box, ensures I can have them…Yay! Keep in mind when feeding a bunch of children, you never know what allergies kids might have! Better be safe than sorry!

Betty Crocker’s Fudge Brownie mix is so good. With that, I always use canola oil, to keep them soy free, and the mix is already, soy free, peanut free, and tree nut free. Perfect for me!

The great thing about brownie mix is you can pretty much put anything in it to make it a little more fun. Here is a list of some of the mix-ins and toppings. When in doubt, ask a child what they would want in their brownies and you will get some great ideas!

Caramel – for inside and on top!
Chocolate Chips
White Chocolate Chips
Butterscotch Chips
Chocolate Syrup
Marshmallow fluff or just marshmallows (they will disappear when baked)
Cherry pie filling…yup
Sprinkles
Rice Krispies cereal – for a crunch!
Cookie chunks
Frosting on top
Chocolate Ganache
This list could go on!

For this particular batch, I chose to go with caramel inside and out as well as some chocolate chips inside. I used Nestle Tollhouse Simply Delicious chocolate chips. They are made with 3 ingredients: 100% pure chocolate, cocoa butter, and cane sugar. Additionally, they taste delicious and don’t have all of those filler ingredients like soy lecithin!

What You Need

1 Box of Brownie Mix – I used Betty Crocker Fudge Brownie
Oil
Eggs
3 Tbsp Caramel from a jar (2 for the mix and 1 for the top)
1/4 cup Chocolate Chips

Directions

Mix together the brownies according to the box. Usually you don’t even need a hand mixer for this. A whisk will do the trick!
Pour in the caramel and swirl it around with a knife
Add the chocolate chips on the top
Bake according to the directions on the box – 9×13 baking dish at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes should do it
Drizzle more caramel on top of the baked brownies
Cut with a PLASTIC KNIFE. I cannot stress this enough. You will get a clean cut. Metal knifes pull the brownies and the cut isn’t smooth.

Brownie How To Video

Top with whipped cream or ice cream and more caramel or fudge and you have a winner! Delicious.

I hope I have inspired you to be more creative with your brownies. The best part is they are so easy, and you can call them “homemade”!!

Easy Cherry Pie Bars

Do you ever find yourself needing a quick and easy last minute dessert for a party? These Cherry Pie Bars are the answer. They are easy to make, easy to eat and are so yummy. They are great for ANY occasion. Once I start eating these I honestly have a hard time stopping!!

This is one of those desserts, that if you have these leftover in your refrigerator you keep going in for just one more bite…

Honestly I cannot tell you enough how EASY these are to make. I like a quick and easy dessert, and when I am in a pinch I don’t want to have to give it much thought. This recipe would be fantastic swapping out the Cherry filling with strawberry, blueberry, peach or even lemon filling! I am going to try that next time I go to make this.

I served these Easy Cherry Pie Bars up at our Christmas Party with my friends. They were very festive and were perfect for the holidays! They even went well with my Grapefruit Paloma aka Margarita…

This recipe is a great go-to for anyone who has food allergies to peanuts, tree-nuts and soy. I happen to have all three. This recipe can be found in many variations, but mostly people use almond extract, which is an absolute no for me! I just supplemented with more vanilla!!

Ingredients

1 cup butter softened
2 cups granulated sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1-2 cans cherry pie filling 21 oz. Depending on how much cherry you like!

Glaze Ingredients

1 cup confectioner’s sugar
3-4 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
In your stand mixer cream together butter and sugar
Add in eggs and vanilla
In a separate bowl combine the dry ingredients
Add the dry ingredients into the mixture
Press the majority of the dough into a greased 9×13 baking dish. You will need about 1 cup of reserve for the top. You can use spray or use this recipe for Cake Pan Release. It’s amazing and soy free! Nothing sticks with this!
Spread on the cherry pie filling
Take the rest of the dough and drop spoonfuls on the top
Bake for 30 minutes. Should be a golden brown on top
Cool completely
Mix together the glaze ingredients and drizzle on top
Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve
Warm them up and serve with ice cream, or just eat them by themselves!

Like I said before, you can try different pie fillings to change up this recipe!

I hope you enjoy this recipe and come back for more!!

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Strawberry Jello Pretzel Bars

Growing up my aunt would always make Strawberry Jello Pretzel Bars. They were by far, my favorite dessert. They always seemed difficult to make because of the different layers, but they are pretty easy! My mom adapted the recipe and made them all the time! My brother and I could not get enough of these things.

Strawberry Jello Pretzel bars are a go-to dessert for family events. They are a crowd-pleaser! They are sweet and salty, fruity and creamy…and above all they are delicious!

I have thought about trying different jello flavors and different crusts, so keep an eye out because I will try them one day and post them! Get creative!

When making these Strawberry Jello Pretzel Bars you are going to need to let them chill at least four hours or overnight, so plan ahead!

Start out by making the strawberry jello. You will need a big box of it. Follow the ingredients on the box and let that sit a bit while you make the rest of the layers.

For the crust you will need to crush up the pretzels. I use my food processor. You can put them in a ziplock back and smash them too. Either way is fine. Mix the pretzels with the melted butter and brown sugar for the crust. Press the pretzels into a greased 9×13 inch pan and bake for 10 minutes on 350 degrees. Let this completely cool before spreading on the middle layer.

For the middle layer you need cream cheese that is at room temperature. This is very important! If it is too cold it will be chunky. No one wants chunky cream cheese. Mix this together with the sugar and then fold in the cool whip. Once the crust is cooled you can spread this on! Make sure the spread all the way to the edges so the jello does not seep through.

Place your sliced strawberries on top of the cream cheese layer. Then pour on the jello very gently. You don’t want to break the middle layer. It will seep into the bottom and you will have chunks of cream cheese floating in the jello…

Refrigerate for at least four hours! I usually make this the night before to make sure the jello has set. This dessert does not disappoint! Enjoy.

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Gingerbread Bars

I have made these Gingerbread Bars for the past two Christmas’. They have been circulating around Pinterest from various blogs. I am not entirely sure where they originated from, but my guess is Six Sister’s Stuff. They always have great recipes and this one is no exception!

The holidays are so busy with gatherings and everyone always expects me to bring dessert! (which I enjoy!) I try to make a variety of desserts and different flavors to mix things up a bit. I can tell you my husband appreciates that! These Gingerbread Bars are an unpredictable dessert, and everyone loves them, including myself. These are one of my favorites…Yum!! I will be taking these to work tomorrow, for a holiday party. I guarantee they won’t last long 🙂

These Gingerbread Bars incorporate all of those spices associated with Christmas smells, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and molasses! This dessert is just the right amount of sweet!

This is definitely a recipe to hold onto!!

Ingredients for the Gingerbread Bars

1/2 Cup butter, melted
3/4 Cup sugar
1/4 Cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/3 Cup molasses
1 Egg
2 tsp baking soda
2 Cups flour
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp Nutmeg

Gingerbread Bar Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
Grease a 13×9 baking dish. You can get my cake release recipe here. It’s easy to make and Soy Free!
In your stand mixer, cream together the butter, sugars, vanilla, and molasses.

Add in the egg, and mix until fully incorporated

In a separate bowl, mix together the dry ingredients
Slowly add them into the stand mixer, and mix thoroughly
Pour mix into baking dish and pat down to get it evenly distributed

Bake for 15-18 Minutes
Let cool before frosting!

Ingredients for the Cream Cheese Frosting

8 oz cream cheese softened
1/4 unsalted butter, softened
4 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Frosting Instructions

In your stand mixer, cream butter and cream cheese together. Make sure they are both softened and at room temp. Otherwise your frosting will be chunky

Add in the vanilla and mix
Add in the powdered sugar slowly until all incorporated
Pour on the sprinkles, or cinnamon and serve!

Make sure to store them in the refrigerator!

I hope you enjoy these Gingerbread Bars. If you want more Fun and Frosted recipes, make sure to follow my blog, and my Pinterest page!

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Royal Icing

Royal icing can be intimidating, however is actually quite easy to make! We have a family tradition of making Christmas cookies every year, and a sugar cookie is not the same without icing on the top! Growing up we would always just mix together milk, powdered sugar and vanilla, very basic and no real formula to that, yet still delicious! I was looking for something less runny and something you can actually design with! So here with are with the Royal Icing, perfect for sugar cookies!

Now, I definitely always have to level set my expectations when it comes to cookie decorating. I always see these beautifully decorated cookies on Pinterest that are literally perfection…however with two children, ages 5 and 7, that is not going to happen. Even with my leveled expectations I am always a little shocked at the mess. You’ll find icing in places you cannot imagine, and sprinkles everywhere. You may find sprinkles for weeks. However, depending on your patience you can make some pretty awesome cookies and will surprise yourself!

I then remind myself. Take a step back and look around. My kids are having fun, they are being creative and we are together as a family, making holiday traditions. It’s times like these that we cherish and they will remember forever. The mess can always be cleaned up!

Now for the Royal Icing – This is to outline the cookies…

This recipe makes a lot of icing. You can easily frost 40 cookies…

1/2 Cup of Meringue Powder (I used Wilton)
1 Cup of Water; minus 1 Tbsp
2 lbs of powdered sugar (usually its one bag)

Instructions

In your stand mixer, put in the Meringue Powder
Add in the water, mix until frothy

Slowly add in the powdered sugar. Once its all in the bowl, mix on medium for 4-5 minutes. It should form a stiff peak. Once its the right consistency you can separate out into bowls to add the food coloring

Put your icing in piping bags! Make sure to put a rubber band around the top so the icing doesn’t come out the wrong end of the bag

TIP – When the icing is not in use cover with plastic wrap because it will dry out fast
I used Wilton tip #2 and #3 for the outline

Once your cookies are outlined thin it out a bit with water to “flood” the cookies. I would add a tablespoon at a time. To know if your icing is the right consistency to fill in, take a spoon of your icing and let it drip back into the bowl. Count to 15 seconds and if the line goes away at 15 seconds then it is good to go!

Here is the recipes for both the Royal Icing, as well as my Grandmother’s Sugar Cookie recipe from the 1940’s! Yes, a recipe worth holding on to! Something I have cherished my whole life and have passed on to my children!

I hope your kitchen is as messy as mine when you are all done, that’s the sign of a good time 🙂

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Here are some other posts your might enjoy

Perfect Sugar Cookie Recipe from the 1940’s

Easy Buttercream

If you are looking for baking supplies, check out the Prepared Pantry! I just discovered this site and I am very excited for my order to arrive! There are lots of great ingredients you can get as well as baking tools!

Perfect Sugar Cookie Recipe from the 1940’s

This sugar cookie recipe is very special to me, because it was my grandmother’s recipe. She clipped it out of a newspaper sometime in the 1940’s. It was re-written on a piece of paper, which I still have, stains and all!

Everyone needs a basic sugar cookie recipe! Growing up it was always a tradition to make these sugar cookies for Christmas with my mom. I have carried this tradition on with my kids now too! I can remember as a kid always eating these while frosting them. I couldn’t resist. My kids do the very same thing! Frost one, eat one, frost one, eat one! Lol! These sugar cookies are the best! Let’s be honest, we need to continue to pass along recipes from the past when we can. These cookies are made with love!

This recipe makes a lot of cookies! You could cut it in half, thirds or make the whole thing and freeze some fully baked cookies for later. Bake these right, and they are soft and oh so delicious! Depending on the size of the cookie they will need to bake at different times. The bite size cookies can really bake in 4-5 minutes and the larger cookies are done in about six minutes. I like them a little brown on the bottom, but not on the top. Underdone is better than overdone!

You are definitely going to need a stand mixer for this recipe. There is a lot of flour and you have to add it slowly while the dough is mixing.

Sugar Cookie Recipe

1 1/2 cups Shortening (I use Spectrum because it is soy free!)

3 Cups sugar
3 Eggs
1 Cup milk
3 tsp vanilla
8 1/4 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp cream of tarter
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt

Instructions

Heat oven to 400 degrees F
Blend shortening, sugar, eggs, milk and vanilla

In a separate bowl, mix together dry ingredients

Slowly add in the flour mixture into the wet ingredients until well incorporated

Once it’s mixed, put in the refrigerator for 15+ minutes until chilled

On a well floured counter roll out dough 1/8th of an inch thick

Bake 5-7 minutes

Let fully cool before frosting

These cookies are so good! I hope you enjoy them 🙂

One Happy Camper Birthday Cake!

Franklin Is One Happy Camper

My nephew Franklin just turned one and he had such a fun birthday party theme. He was “One Happy Camper”. This theme was perfect because he is always so happy and smiley! Just look at him!

Of Course he needed a cake (or two) for his party! (recipe below!) I love making the cakes for my family. It is so fun, and I always get to partake in eating them! LOL

The hardest part about making a cake is deciding on what to make. So when the theme is chosen by someone else it makes it easy for me!

I decided to do a tent and a campfire in the woods for the sheet cake. I frosted the bottom half with chocolate buttercream (recipe below) for the “ground” and used regular buttercream (recipe below) dyed blue for the sky. Once that was all smoothed out I did the details! Making the fire was my favorite part. I got the new Wilton color swirl coupler. How it works is you put up to three colored frostings that are in separate bags in the same coupler. So when you go to pipe the frosting it swirls the colors together out of one tip! Genius! It was super easy.

Here are the tips I used for the decorations

Here are the colors I used for the cake decorations. I always prefer to make the piping bags with the frosting before I start. It can be time consuming and when your in the “zone” decorating it’s hard to stop and fill more bags…

Since this was a 1st birthday party, we needed a smash cake of course! This was super fun and easy to make. I frosted the cake with chocolate buttercream (recipe below) and made a big campfire using the frosting and the color swirl tool I mentioned above. How easy is that?! Franklin definitely “smashed” this cake. It was such a mess, but well worth the cleanup. (especially because I didn’t have to clean it!)

How cute are these cookies?! I sadly did not make them, but someone did and they were awesome! We were all “One Happy Camper”!

The party was such a great time and a big success! As long as the birthday boy was “One Happy Camper”, so was everyone else!!

Check out my other cakes by visiting my cake gallery and also below are some more posts you might enjoy. Subscribe to Fun and Frosted to stay in the loop!!

12×18 Sheet Cake great for any Occasion

A Birthday Party in the Trees

Frozen Birthday Cake

Lemon Buttercream

Lemon Buttercream is so delicious! My dad is a true lemon lover and he just celebrated his 66th birthday. So what better to make then lemon cupcakes with lemon buttercream! I will say he probably loves chocolate more than lemon, but my mom does not and I aim to please everyone!

This lemon buttercream has just enough sweet and tart to make the perfect frosting. It is so simple to make and I used real lemons. My kids liked watching me make this because they could not resist taking the left over lemons and licking them……soooo sour! My mouth is watering just thinking about it. Anyway you only need 4 ingredients! Butter, lemon, powdered sugar and heavy whipping cream (or milk will do).

This buttercream tastes so good on lemon cupcakes, and it’s not too much lemon, I swear! Both kids and adults were raving about these cupcakes! And if I am being completely honest, I made the cake from a box mix – Betty Crocker Super Moist Lemon! So good, and soy free!

As you can see below the buttercream has the perfect consistency for piping!

Ingredients

1 Stick of unsalted butter

Juice from 1 lemon

5 cups of powdered sugar

4-5 Tbsp of heavy whipping cream

Instructions

You need to start with your butter at room temperature. You can put it in the microwave for 15 seconds to speed up the process.

Then in your stand mixer, cream the butter.

Add in the juice from 1/2 of a lemon

Then add in the powdered sugar 1/2 a cup at a time while continually mixing. while alternating with 1 tbsp of cream until all used

Gradually add in the rest of the lemon juice.

If you want your buttercream to be creamier – add in more cream!

Store in the refrigerator if you are not going to use right away. You can store for about a week (depending on the expiration date of your butter and cream).

Put in a piping bag and decorate your dessert or spread on with a knife!!!

Cream Cheese Frosting

Cream Cheese Frosting! Yum!!! I made this frosting recipe to go with the delicious homemade cinnamon rolls I made for Thanksgiving brunch. I have to admit that I do use canned cream cheese frosting from time to time, but there is nothing like homemade frosting!

This Cream Cheese Frosting recipe is really simple, and in all honestly takes less than 10 minutes to make. However, cream cheese can be frustrating to work with. If it’s not at room temperature, it will get CHUNKY. No one wants chunky frosting…

You are going to have to let the cream cheese sit out for at least 30 minutes. You may even need to put it in the microwave for 15-20 seconds. You do not want it to melt though so be careful! Also make sure that the butter is room temperature as well.

Cream together the butter and the cream cheese and then add in the vanilla and salt. After that add in the sugar one cup at a time and alternate with one tablespoon of the heavy whipping cream. Easy as that!!!

Tip – If you are putting this on Cinnamon rolls, you probably only need half of this recipe. You can also add in more cream if you want this to be more of a “drizzle”.

Store the frosting in the refrigerator until needed. You can store up to 1 week. I hope you love it as much as I do!

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Cinnamon Rolls

Easy Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting