Cake batter blondies

I saw several variations on this recipe before I found this one - one I preferred because it seemed to be the easiest and for the most part, I had the ingredients readily available.

These blondies are just as good as you would imagine them to be. Mine didn't turn out gooey in the middle like I imagined - next time I make them I'll take them out of the oven a few minutes sooner. But they were extremely delicious and super easy to make. I think the white chocolate chips really make this dessert.

The only variation I made to the recipe was to use a Funfetti cake mix instead of a yellow cake mix, and since it has sprinkles in it I reduced the amount of extra sprinkles.

Ingredients:

1 (18.25 ounce) box yellow cake mix

1/4 cup canola or vegetable oil

1 egg

1/4 -1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup sprinkles

1/2 cup white chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine first four ingredients in a large bowl.
3. Add the milk slowly. You want to cake batter to be as dense & thick as possible.
   
   

   
4. Mix in the sprinkles and white chocolate chips.
5. Pour into 8 x 8inch baking pan, sprinkle a few more sprinkles on top, and bake for 25-30 minutes until edges are just turning brown. The blondies will still be gooey in the middle just out of the oven but after they've completely cooled they will be perfectly chewy and soft.
   
   

   
6. Allow to cool for at least 30 minutes so the center sets, before cutting into squares.

Source: The Girl Who Ate Everything

Cake Mix Snickerdoodles

I had almost all of a cake mix leftover from making the Cake Batter Bark, so as the bark was chilling, I put the oven to work and made these easy, moist and tasty Snickerdoodles. It was a nice, simple alternative to something super chocolate-y, and a neat way to create a version of a classic cookie I often forget about.

Ingredients
1 box cake mix
1/3 c. oil
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla

Directions
Mix and roll into balls and into sugar and cinnamon mixture. Bake at 375° for 10 minutes.

Source: Makes and Takes

Lemonade Party Cake

I have promised myself that I must catch up on all of my blog posts (because I've been cooking and baking stuff that has been sitting at "Draft" status for months now) before I bake anything new - so I'm glad that I snuck in some yummy summer-y desserts before I made that vow :)

The photo I took of this delicious cake doesn't really do much - it looks like any regular cake with frosting. (Actually, the lightning and angle of that particular photo don't even make it look like a cake at all, which is why there is no photo with this post, haha.)

But the way it tastes? Amazing. It's crisp and tart and refreshing and so, so moist. It *is* any regular cake ... until you add the powdered sugar and lemonade concentrate mixture, when it becomes a sweet, moist dessert. It's easy and would be perfect for a summer picnic or party.

Ingredients:
1 package lemon cake mix
1 can (6 oz.) frozen lemonade concentrate - thawed
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tub soft Whipped Fluffy White Or Fluffy Lemon Ready To Spread Frosting
Yellow colored sugar -- if desired

Directions:
Bake cake as directed on package for 13x9 inch pan. Cool 15 minutes.

Mix lemonade concentrate and powdered sugar. Poke long-tined fork into top of warm cake every 1/2 inch, wiping fork occasionally to reduce sticking.

Drizzle lemonade mixture evenly over top of cake. Cover and refrigerate about 2 hours or until chilled. Spread frosting over top of cake. Sprinkle with sugar. Cover loosely and refrigerate any remaining cake.

Source: CDKitchen

Cake Batter Bark

I saw this recipe at the beginning of the year. I didn't make it until this month, though, and I'm posting it today because it's my birthday (eek, I'm 30!). What better recipe for a birthday than one involving cake batter?!

I vowed to my coworker I would make it and share with the department. I had been waiting for a special occasion, thinking it was fancy and involved. But then we had a rough patch at work last month - one of my coworkers had her gall bladder removed (she was admitted to the hospital on her birthday!), I unexpectedly missed a few days of work for the funeral of my grandmother, and our boss took a new job and moved away. This was all during our busiest month of the year, so to say we were stressed is a bit of an understatement.

This bark was just the thing to bring a little light back to our downtrodden souls. It was amazingly easy, very quick and was an absolute hit in the office. The only downsides? It's a tad expensive after you buy the bars of chocolate. It melts quickly - for our purposes at work, presentation was sacrificed for taste as we kept the bark in a bag in the fridge. And to be honest, maybe my "heaping 1.5 teaspoons of cake batter" wasn't heaping enough - the cake batter taste really didn't come through to me. But the sprinkles? Those were cute. And I'm a sucker for white chocolate, so this was a winner for me.

Ingredients:
7 ounces good dark chocolate
12 ounces good white chocolate
1.5 heaping tsp.  yellow cake mix
Colored sprinkles

Directions:
1. Melt the dark chocolate in the microwave, over a double burner, or over low flame. Spread thinly over parchment paper of a silpat. (I just used parchment paper on a cookie sheet.)

2. Cool in the freezer for 20 minutes.

3. Melt the white chocolate. Add the cake mix, stir well. Spread over the dark. (Do a little bit at a time because it will melt the chocolate and it won't look as pretty.)

4. Top with rainbow sprinkles. Freeze for 20 more minutes.

5. Break into pieces and keep in the refrigerator until you are ready to eat it.

P.S. I'll share what I did with the remainder of my cake mix in an upcoming post!

Source: Stephanie Cooks

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

I hadn't baked for my husband's coworkers in quite some time, and I wanted to thank them for some awesome baby gifts they'd purchased for us.

I checked my cupboards, referenced my recipe books and found an easy cookie recipe that sounded perfect for the occasion.

These were really moist, not overly peanut-buttery and super soft. I didn't have white or yellow cake mix, so I used french vanilla and it worked well. I think chocolate cake mix would work well, too, like the Peanut Butter M&M bars and variation that I made a few months ago.

Ingredients:
2 eggs
1/3 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup chunky peanut butter
1 yellow or white cake mix
1 cup chocolate chips or chunks

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

With spoon, mix eggs, butter and peanut butter together. Stir in cake mix and then add chocolate.

Drop dough balls on to a lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake 8-12 minutes or until light golden brown around the edges.

Remove cookies and place on non-stick rack to cool.

Source: 101 More Things to Do With A Cake Mix

Blackberry Wine Bundt Cake

For our crafting gathering this month, I didn't know what to make. But then I stumbled across this recipe and thought it sounded like a really good summer treat - berries, wine, cake - how can you go wrong?

I was nearly giddy to buy wine for the recipe - it has been so long since I've bought alcohol! I used frozen blackberries just because they were cheaper and more convenient for my grocery shopping purposes.

I didn't make much glaze because I didn't want to make it a sticky mess or overpower the cake with the wine flavor. The cake is really easy to make, really pretty and extremely flavorful. It is moist, sweet and fruity. It was a hit at craft party and at work, where I delivered the leftovers.

Ingredients for the cake:
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
1 box white cake mix
1 box blackberry jello
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup blackberry wine (the blogger I got the recipe from used Arbor Mist, so I did, too.)
4 large eggs
1/2 cup chopped blackberries (or more if you wish)

Ingredients for the glaze:
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 cup blackberry wine
2-3 cups confectioner's sugar

Directions:

Grease a bundt pan (I had to go out and buy one - they are round, with a bumpy top and a stick in the middle - the cake bakes upside down). I just rubbed a bit of butter all in the insides. If you grease another way, go for it.

Dump the 1/2 cup of pecans around the bottom of the pan

In a bowl, mix together the cake mix, wine, jello, vegetable oil, blackberries and eggs. Make sure all clumps are out.

Then pour on top of the pecans in the bundt pan.


Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes.

Take out of oven, but do not remove from pan. Take a long pronged fork, and poke holes all around the top (actually, the bottom of the cake once you flip it). Pour half of the glaze mixture onto the cake while it is still hot.

Allow the cake to cool for an hour. Take a decorative plate, and put it on top of the pan, flipping the pan gently to get the cake out.

Carefully drizzle the top of the cake with the remaining glaze mixture. If you are running low, add a bit more wine and sugar. If you really want the cake to look purple and have thick glaze, add more sugar.

Source: This blog

Peach Crunch Cake

A few months ago, my department at work decided to hold a Super Bowl potluck. Since we had to be at work and couldn't be at a Super Bowl party, and we get super busy during the actual game, it made sense to bring the food and just eat whenever we can.

After we made the decision, I was going through some of my favorite recipe Web sites and was instantly inspired by a recent Bakerella post. I decided to make the easy peach crunch cake - after all, it's fruit, so it's healthy, and more importantly to me, it's easy and will work well served warm or cold. We don't have a lot of refrigerator space at work, so cold food is often an issue. I have a long commute and we work long shifts, so having something that needs to be constantly heated is also a problem. And since we all snack on the food all night, it's good to bring stuff that can sit out for an extended period of time.

I will definitely make this again - it's easy, it's cheap and it's YUMMY.

Ingredients:

24.5 oz jar of sliced peaches in light syrup
1 package yellow cake mix
1 stick butter (1/2 cup), cut into 16 pieces
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Layer ingredients in a 13 X 9 dish, in order starting with the peaches.
Bake for about 40 minutes.
Serve warm or cold… with or without ice cream.

Source: Bakerella

Baking in a different kind of oven

Sooooooo, because this (extremely long) story really won't make sense unless I come out and say it: I'm pregnant! We're expecting a little bundle of joy (and yes, baby, you better be joyful after the nausea you've caused) - and our due date is August 3.

On Nov. 29, I took two of these:

and got positive test results (I've always been quite the excellent test taker, if I do say so myself.) I took the first test at 5:30 a.m. and wasn't able to properly tell Tim until 11:30 p.m. Needless to say, I was bursting at the seams :) The next day, we told our parents and siblings, and then I told some of my closest friends over the next few days.

But do you people know how hard it is to keep a secret like this?! Especially when you're exhausted, have no appetite, feel ill and look like death?

I've blogged about my craft group several times. They're some of my closest friends in Florida, and it killed me to not tell them the *big news* at the craft fair we participated in the week after I found out we were expecting. Luckily, my friends ignored the symptoms I thought were insanely obvious and just thought I was worn out from work.

I wanted to wait until after our first appointment to tell them - I wanted medical confirmation that we were pregnant and things were going well, even though it was still early on. And I wanted to tell them in a creative way. We had a cookie party/exchange scheduled for the weekend after the craft fair, so after all looked good at our first appointment, I decided to launch Operation: Try To Bake Even Though You're Nauseous. This particular operation called for the most simple cookie recipe I could think of, as I didn't have the stomach or time (because of all that SLEEP I need nowadays!) to make anything complex.

(Note: Major apologies for not posting more these last two months. As you might imagine, it's rather difficult to bake or even want to bake when it feels like the World of Food has launched a war against you, and your body is on food's side. I've had no energy, no appetite and quite a few aversions these past few months, so I apologize for slacking on the baking.)


I went with the recipe for Cakies, and I had some white cake mix in the house. I had purchased some pink and blue chocolate candies for this operation, and I mixed them equally in to the batter. Then I baked them, put them in a covered pan and headed off to the cookie party.


When I arrived, I told the girls my cookies had a message. They looked at them. One friend, Lisa, looked at me, wide-eyed, and asked, "Really?!" I said yes. The others continued to peer at the cookies. One asked if they were fortune cookies. Lisa demanded that everyone figure it out fast before she blurted it out. Finally, another woman said, "Well, they're pink and blue."

Then the light bulb went on at the same time for about eight women standing in a cozy kitchen :)

Amid hugs and congratulations, I explained to them that we were still early on in the pregnancy, and that I'd wanted to tell them the week before but wasn't ready. The last few months have brought the crafting group several babies, so we're looking forward to spending time with the next generation of crafty little people :)

And next month should bring the news of whether baby is a boy or girl. And of course, I plan on using baked goods to announce that. I am currently fascinated by the concept of gender cakes. Although I don't think I'll go to this extreme, the basic premise of a gender cake is that you have your ultrasound, have your doctor write the gender down and put it in a sealed envelope, and you deliver the envelope to your local bakery. They bake either a blue cake or girl cake and decorate the exterior normally, with no hint of the gender. Then the parents, who often organize a party and have guests choose "Team Boy" or "Team Girl," cut the cake and reveal a blue or pink inside.

I think I might just have the doctor tell us (because I am impatient to begin with!) and then bake a cake for our friends and/or coworkers. Not quite sure how it will shake out, but you can be sure that a photo of the cake slice will be on the blog for all of you to see :) A fellow blogger is having a similar virtual Gender Party this morning, so I'll be sure to take notes.

P.S. It might seem like I've put a lot of thought in to all of this, but remember - the news you just found out is news I have known for 2+ months! I've had TONS of time to think :)

Graham Streusel Coffee Cake

I had another holiday potluck to bake for, and it was the kind of thing that would be munched on throughout the day. I decided to make a coffee cake and found one that was a *bit* more involved than my last one, although since it has a cake mix base, it was rather simple. The streusel was delicious.

I didn't make the drizzle, but there were several comments on the allrecipes.com recipe about additions to give the drizzle more body and flavor.

The cake also stayed extremely moist during the day-long potluck.


1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup chopped pecans
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2/3 cup butter or margarine, melted
1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon milk

Directions

1. Combine the first five ingredients; set aside.

2. Prepare cake mix according to package directions.

3. Pour half of the batter into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking pan. Sprinkle with half of the graham cracker mixture. Carefully spoon the remaining batter on top. Sprinkle with the remaining graham cracker mixture.

4. Bake at 350 degrees F for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.

5. Combine confectioners' sugar and milk; drizzle over cake.

Source: allrecipes.com

Easy Pumpkin Muffins

In the final hours before Thanksgiving, Meg and I thought we'd give you a special holiday gift: three days of pumpkin recipes! So check out the blog tomorrow and on (Pumpkin) Friday for more yummy goodies.

But back to today's recipe ...

I'm a bit slow.

Let me explain.

I was trying to break out of my pumpkin cookie/pumpkin bread/pumpkin pie rut. I turned to allrecipes.com and found a recipe for these highly rated (4.5 out of 5 stars!) pumpkin muffins. Throw "Easy" in the title, and I was sold. Another perk? I had all of the ingredients, and I set out to make them (some for me, of course, and some for a friend who recently had twins).

But as I was making them, I kept thinking, "Wow, these are so easy! And healthy! And wonderful!" And I wondered why these thoughts seemed so familiar ... when I realized they are the exact thoughts I have about the Pumpkin Cookies that are so near and dear to me.

Duh.

Sigh.

Essentially, they *are* the Pumpkin Cookies, but don't call for spice cake mix and give you a bit more creative license on how much cinnamon/nutmeg/cloves you want in your muffin.

They could easily be made in to Easy Pumpkin Cupcakes, too, with a bit of Cream Cheese Frosting on top. Yummmm.

Ingredients:
1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 12 cup muffin pan or line with paper liners.

2. In a large bowl, mix together the cake mix, pumpkin puree, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves until smooth. Spoon equal amounts of batter into the prepared muffin cups.

3. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, until a toothpick inserted in the center of one comes out clean.


Source: allrecipes.com

Quick and Easy Coffee Cake

I made this coffee cake for a craft gathering last month. I had glanced at the recipe (mostly the ingredients) and was eager to try out the easy recipe.

But it was a total (although yummy) cop out as far as coffee cakes go. It (as you'll see, because you all are smarter than me) is a regular cake. With butter drizzled on it. And some other crumbly stuff on top. It was really tasty, but I felt cheap trying to pass it off as coffee cake. Next time? I'm going for something more complex. But hopefully equally as good.

Ingredients:

* 1 box white cake mix, 2 layer size
* 6 tablespoons melted butter
* 1/2 cup sugar
* 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1/2 cup chopped pecans

Preparation:
Prepare cake mix according to directions on package.

Pour batter into two greased 9-inch square pans (I used a 13x9 pan) and bake at 350° for 30 to 35 minutes.

Drizzle melted butter over warm cake.

Combine sugar, cinnamon, and pecans and sprinkle over cake.

Source: about.com

Pumpkin Cookies

I've been using this recipe for about three years now. I cannot praise the simplicity and yummyness of these cookies enough. I've gotten so many compliments on them, and the thing I love most is that they are so moist, yet SO healthy.

This is a Weight Watchers recipe that I found long before I tried Weight Watchers. I use cream cheese frosting with them, which makes them less Weight Watchers friendly, but the basic cookie is very healthy.

This is one of those recipes that I make over and over in the fall - because they're in season and because I always have the ingredients for them on hand.

Ingredients
1 box spice cake mix
1 15 oz. can pure pumpkin

Instructions

Mix together cake mix and pumpkin.

Drop by spoonfuls onto cookie sheet.

Bake at 350 for around 10 minutes or until firm.

Allow to cool. Frost if desired.

Makes about 48 cookies, which are 1 Weight Watchers point each
Note: You can use a white cake mix and add 2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice instead of using a spice cake mix.

Source: recipecircus.com

Rainbow on the Land cake

When I was home last month, my little brother and I baked together. Since then, he's been checking the blog for entries about our creations, and he's e-mailed me asking for my favorite recipe Web sites.

In one of his recent e-mails, Doug sent me a recipe HE had created. He said it was inspired by a rainbow he'd seen stretched across the lawn of our parents' house and named it the Rainbow on the Land cake.

He left a lot of room for creative adaptation, so I looked at what I had and thought about the end result and made a few modifications, which I ran past him. He dubbed me a genius (thankyouverymuch) and said he looked forward to the blog post.

My husband's coworker's benefited from this unexpected cake o' cheer. I benefited from the leftover Skittles :)

P.S. This is the 99th post for the East to West Bakers blog. Stay tuned for something special to celebrate our 100th post!

Ingredients
A cake mix, any flavor (I used Funfetti)
All ingredients needed to make cake as instructed
Frosting
Green and blue food coloring
Skittles

Doug's suggested directions:
1. Make cake using instructions on back
2. Let cool until room temp or slightly chilled
3. Scoop out just a little cake on the short side to make the river (1 inch)
Option- you could add milk to make cake more moist
4. Fill River using blue icing
5. Spread Green icing to make grass
6. Make rainbow
7. Set rainbow in middle of cake
8. Add trees, flowers if you want, enjoy!

My slight modifications without insightful comments:
1. Make cake as instructed on box.


2. Let cool completely. Mix most of your frosting with green food coloring; keep a small amount in reserve to mix with blue food coloring for the river.

3. Frost with green frosting, let frosting set.


4. Frost blue river with blue icing.


5. Place rainbow on cake.

Source: Little brother Doug

Apple Oatmeal Muffins

I felt like baking over the weekend, and I'm sort of on a breakfast baking kick lately (i.e., buttermilk pancakes, biscotti and zucchini bread). So I decided to stick with that theme and whip up some muffins.

I'm also at that point during the summer where I am simply tired of the heat. Every time I go outside, I think, "Ugh. STILL hot." This happens toward the end of August each year.

For those who live back East, the best time of year is about to arrive -- fall. The air gets crisper, the leaves start to change, and pumpkin spice cappuccino hits the gas stations. But in Phoenix, it will still be hot into October.

So, I chose a muffin recipe that is reminiscent of fall. I'm hoping it will bring me a miracle: a cool September. I even used muffin wrappers with fall leaves all over them. That should do the trick, don't you think?

These are pretty tasty. They are light and fluffy, and the chunks of apples are refreshing and give the muffins a nice bite.


Ingredients
1 package white cake mix
1 cup quick-cooking oats
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking powder
3 eggs
1-3/4 cups peeled and chopped apples (2 large apples)
1-1/3 cups milk
1/2 cup butter, melted

Directions
1. In a large bowl, combine cake mix, oats, cinnamon and baking powder. Stir to blend. In another large bowl, whisk together eggs, apples, milk and melted butter.

2. Add dry ingredients, stirring with a wooden spoon just until blended. Spoon batter into prepared muffin tins.


3. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until set and golden.

Source: Duncan Hines' Cake Mix Magic

For the record, it is still hot. Record high temperatures and record low monsoon rainfall, in fact. Maybe it's time to bake a pumpkin pie?

Some farewell treats

It's my last week at The Arizona Republic. The past five years have really flown by.

I've been cleaning out my desk during the past couple of days and am amazed at how much random, unnecessary stuff one person can accumulate in such a small cubicle. Especially if that person is known for hanging onto stuff for much too long. I actually found my schedule for my first day of work back in June 2004.

And I've been clearing files off my computer, which, believe me, is quite the task. One file I'll be deleting -- my reporter headshot, shown on the left.

This job was originally only meant to be a 10-week fellowship on the business desk (Business? Huh? What was I thinking?), and somehow, it turned into much more and truly changed my life. I think what amazes me the most is that this job is the sole reason I packed up my Cavalier, pulled up my roots in Ohio and moved west. It was the only thing I had in Arizona. Now, I'm leaving the job, but I'm staying in the desert for so much more. I have a husband here, a home, good friends. I came for a job but found a life.

When my boss announced to my office that I was leaving, she said, "We'll miss her cookies... and her journalism." So this week, I've been filing my final stories... and I figured I should bake for my colleagues one last time.

I had leftover homemade cream cheese frosting that was begging to be used. And some spice cake mix in the pantry. So I figured this called for some frosted cake mix cookies!

Bye, guys. I'll miss baking for you and working with you.

Schmoopie(y?) Pies

I told my husband that I wanted to bake him something special last weekend. He’s been doing a ton of work around the condo lately, and we have a beautiful new bathroom to show for it. I figured the least I could do is provide him with something sweet.

He happily requested Schmoopie Pies. Or are they Schmoopy Pies? I don’t know. The recipe calls them “Chocolate Sandwich Cookies.” A colleague once dubbed them “Super Oreos,” but the name that stuck came from my Mom, who claims they are like a treat called Schmoopie Pies that she once ate.

Google is no help on this one. Another colleague tried to search the name and found that “Schmoopie/y Pie” seems to be a popular cat name or term of endearment for a significant other, not a dessert.

Regardless. They’re good.

Ingredients
Cookies:
2 packages devil's food cake mix
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
Filling:
1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions
In a large mixing bowl, combine the cake mixes, oil and eggs; mix well. Roll into 1-inch balls. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Do not flatten.
Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until set. Cool for 5 minutes before removing to wire racks (cookies will flatten as they cool).

In a small mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add sugar and vanilla; beat until smooth. Spread on the bottom of half of the cookies:





Top with remaining cookies. Store in the refrigerator.

I even made Mike a big heart-shaped Schmoopie Pie:

And then.... I topped it with dinosaur sprinkles. You know, to make it more manly.

Then, since I was having fun, I threw some red and blue sprinkles on the rest of the batch. These Schmoopie Pies are patriotic.

Source: Taste of Home's Cake Mix Creations

Butter cookies with caramel frosting

I am enamored with the simple Cake Mix Cookies Kristin wrote about back in April. It is possibly the simplest recipe known to man, and I always have the ingredients on hand. When I peruse the cake mixes at Fry's, I'm always thinking about what new flavor combinations of cake and frosting I can try.

You may remember I loved the red velvet cake and cream cheese frosting combo.

Although the frosting-in-a-plastic-tub is pretty good, nothing beats homemade frosting. So last weekend, I concocted a winning new combination: golden butter cake mix cookies with homemade caramel frosting.

Although the frosting claims to be "caramel," I think it tastes more like maple. And I'm a-ok with that; it reminds me of the maple candy from Ohio that melts in your mouth... yum.

Store them in the fridge. This frosting is total money when it's cold.

Cake Mix Cookies

Ingredients

1 package cake mix (golden butter, in this case)
1/2 cup oil

2 eggs

Splash of water

Directions

Blend all ingredients (do not use mixer). Drop by teaspoon onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes.

Source: cooks.com

Caramel Frosting

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 milk
2 cups confectioner's sugar
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

In a medium saucepan, combine butter and brown sugar. Cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat until mixture comes to a boil. Add milk; bring moisture back to a boil. Remove from heat. Stir in confectioner's sugar and vanilla. Spread warm frosting immediately unto cake.

Source: Duncan Hines Cake Mix Magic

(Insert Cake Flavor Here) Coolers

My friend Stef has been making these for months, and every time she told me about them, I just shook my head. Whipped cream? Goes in the oven? Makes a cookie. I thought not.

For my wedding, we had a cookie table, and Stef brought these gems to Ohio for the event. My mom fell in LOVE with them. She demanded politely requested that I get her the recipe. (Stef, in turn, requested one from my mom, which I will no doubt share in the next few months, as it is yummy and delicious and all kinds of good.)

As we all know, I like recipes that are easy. And I love this one! When I was searching for lemon recipes for Lemon Week, I found the recipe Stef uses on allrecipes.com. I saved it and made the cookies for the baby shower I co-hosted ... since it's summer and we were expecting around 60 people, I made three fruity flavors - lemon, orange and strawberry. And they were super colorful! The lemon and orange cookies looked a bit similar, but they all tasted great!

Today is Stef's birthday, and in honor of that and the fact that you guys refused to vote for whipped cream as the next Theme Week (see what kinds of yummy things you could have had?!?!?), I wanted to share the astonishing whipped-cream-in-the-oven recipe.

Ingredients:
1 (18.25 ounce) package lemon any flavor cake mix (Note: the sports editor at my paper learned something very important when he tried to make these with a "butter recipe" cake mix ... for whatever reason, these cake mixes often cause issues in cake mix recipes, so please avoid the "butter recipe" cake mixes.)
1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 egg
2 cups confectioners' sugar (I used less than one cup)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).


2. Mix together cake mix, whipped topping and egg. Drop by teaspoonfuls into bowl of confectioners' sugar and coat. Shape into balls.


3. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Do not brown.

Source: allrecipes.com and Stef