Tag: Cream Cheese

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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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

Easy Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

It’s Pumpkin Season!

I absolutely love pumpkin desserts! Unfortunately for my husband, he does not. I don’t get it, I literally can’t even get him to try a piece! That is not going to stop me from making them though. Clearly, there are plenty of people that will help me eat these. I took this cake to work and everyone LOVED it!! It didn’t last long!!

Usually, I look for desserts that are EASY to make, and don’t have a lot of ingredients. Once I see a long laundry list of ingredients and directions, I shut down and move on. I turn to box cake mix for a lot of desserts, for a few reasons…it’s quick, it’s easy and did I mention it’s quick and easy?! Additionally, there are so many different flavors you can add to a box of yellow cake mix, and pumpkin is one! This dessert tastes as good as it looks and you can definitely taste all of the flavors. I love how this cake is super moist (thanks to the pumpkin) and the cream cheese frosting gives it an extra creamy texture. I can’t wait for you to try it!

With only 15 minutes of prep time and 25 minutes of baking time, this cake is a real winner in my book!

  • 15 Minute Prep Time
  • 20-25 Minutes Bake Time

Ingredients

  • 1 box Yellow Cake Mix (Use Duncan Hines Yellow Cake for Soy Free!)
  • 1 15-ounce can of Pumpkin
  • 2 Eggs
  • 5 Tablespoons salted butter (softened)
  • 1 Teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 Teaspoon cinnamon + extra to sprinkle on top!
  • 1 Teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
  • 1-2 Cans of cream cheese frosting

Directions

  • Preheat Oven to 350 Degrees F
  • Grease a 13×9 inch pan (I used butter and Flour, but you can use a baking spray)
  • Mix together butter, cake mix, and eggs
  • Add the pumpin, vanilla and the spices
  • Mix until well incorporated
  • Pour into the dish
  • Bake for 20-25 Minutes
  • Let the cake cool before frosting
  • Decorate with Cream Cheese frosting and sprinkle with cinnamon

How To Decorate The Top

  • #22 Wilton Decorating Tip (my favorite!)
  • Fill a 12″ or 16″ piping bag with the cream cheese frosting
  • I used 1.5 cans to do the top because I was generous with the frosting. If you only want to spread it out with a spatula, 1 can will do.
  • Start at one end of the cake and do a row of swirls, followed by a row of star dots and repeat until the cake is completely frosted
  • Sprinkle with Cinnamon
  • Enjoy!