Friday Faves 11

Dear Summer,

Can you slow down a little bit? I cannot believe another week has flown by!! It has been quite humid here, so a lot of the treats I’ve been eyeing this week are cool! Here they are:

These Late Night Snacksicles look like the perfect sweet and salty cool down treat for summer! I need a popsicle maker!

Wow this is the perfect s’mores desert for me. I am by no means a camper, so I will sit home in my air conditioned kitchen and make these S’mores Tartlets. How gorgeous are these?

Coffee Ice Cream Hot Fudge Sundae Pie with a Macaroon Crust looks like the ULTIMATE ice cream cake. Can we talk about this? Coffee ice cream paired with macaroons. YES. I need a slice big time. And it’s beautiful looking too.

Ok, I said I really needed to cool down this week right? Well how about a nice beverage? 😉 I thought you would say yes. How about a Frozen Mojito Slushie? Basically one of my favorite drinks turned into a sno-cone.

Coffee + soda = The best drink ever!! Loving the idea of an Iced Coffee Soda.

Have you guys baked any cool treats? What are they? Let me know!!

Crispy Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Crispy Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies are crispy on the outside but oh so soft and chewy on the inside! They’ll please any cookie lover!

Okay we need to talk about a very important issue today. Where do you stand on chocolate chip cookies? Do you like them cakey or chewy? A little bit of both? I typically gravitate toward chewy cookies. I just love biting into a gooey, soft, chocolatey center. Chocolate chip cookies are the BEST. 🍪🍪

Friday Faves 10

Happy Friday!! Or should I say Friyay!! Are you guys living it up this summer? What have been your plans? I have been relaxing, catching up with friends and family, and dreaming up new recipes of course. Here’s what I thought was beyond awesome this week?

1. Once you start combining cupcakes with other desserts, I don’t think you can really ever go wrong. I seriously want to try every one of them. Every. Single. One. Here’s the list of 23 Glorious Cupcakes Inspired By Other Desserts.

2. Chocolate chip cookies + Oreos = The Best Cookie EVER. Cannot wait to try these Milk Chocolate Cookies and Cream Cookies.

3. I have always loved muffins of all types. Blueberry, pumpkin, corn…these Chocolate Chip Muffins would make an excellent addition to any breakfast.

4. How cool are these Root Beer Float Marshmallows. I have always loved root beer and think these marshmallows are such a creative idea. I’m into anything soda flavored.

5. Unicorn Popcorn Rocky Road. You sold me on anything unicorn!

What are your favorite links this week?

Chocolate Cupcakes with Creamy Vanilla Frosting

Chocolate Cupcakes with Creamy Vanilla Frosting have a graham cracker crust, moist chocolate cake, and are topped with a swirl of creamy, sweet vanilla frosting. Perfect for any occasion!

Chocolate Coconut Donuts

Chocolate Coconut Donuts are light, chocolatey and have just a hint of coconut. Homemade donuts taste so much better than store-bought, and they’re baked not fried!

There I was standing on line at Dunkin Donuts admiring all those donuts behind the counter. Should I? Or shouldn’t I buy one? Here’s the thing. They look soooo enticing and then you bite into it and it just wasn’t as good as you remember. Then if you’re a nutter like me, you’re wishing you didn’t eat it and could have spent those precious calories eating some other delicious chocolatey dessert. Has this ever happened to you? Is calorie regret a thing?

Friday Faves 9

Happy Friday and Happy Fourth of July weekend!! What are you up to this weekend? Some fun plans? I hope you get some well deserved relaxation time.

This week was especially fun for me because it was my first official week of summer vacation! I spent it relaxing, baking donuts (you’ll see them on Monday!), and just having some quality ME time. 

As you can tell from the pic below I hit Trader Joe’s and man it is one of my favorite stores. Hoping to use the goodies below to bring you guys some awesome treats!

Here are my favorite links from the week:

Do you ever have a zillion zucchinis in your garden and have no idea what to do with them? I’m going to make this Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread. What an interesting twist!

Was anyone excited to see a Little Debbie Oatmeal Creme Pie in their lunch box? I was!! I must try this Oatmeal Creme Pie Cookie Bar. Homemade totally takes the cake (sorry Little Debbie).

These Chocolate Dipped Peanut Butter Espresso S’mores might just be the ultimate s’more. The best part is all the components are homemade and easy too!

Every have a sweet and salty craving?? These Munchies Brownies will totally fix that!!

This must be the absolute perfect dessert for the Fourth of July. Loving this Miss American Pie.

Have a great holiday weekend!!

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Gooey Bars

Ooey, gooey, and chewy you won’t be able to stop eating these Peanut Butter and Chocolate Gooey Bars!

Don’t tell anyone, but I’ve got my sticky fingers all over this keyboard snacking on these  gooey bars. They are irresistible. You will not be able to stop eating them because they are that good!

This recipe was inspired by an old PTA cookbook I found in my kitchen. Did your  elementary school put together a cookbook? Our school collected recipes from all of the families and compiled them into one book and sold them as a fundraiser. Pretty cool. Definitely one of the better fundraisers. Beats selling those big boxes of candy and sneaking money in there because you were the one eating all the candy and not selling it! Wait…was that only me?

Anyway this gooey recipe was inspired by one I was fortunate enough to taste firsthand. One of my childhood friend’s mom would bring these over for our playdates and they were delish! Chewy and rich, you could not stop at eating just one! I had a hankering for them so I decided to put my own twist on these gooey bars. You won’t be disappointed!

If you are a lover of that sweet and salty combination then you’ll be all over these! The recipe starts with a honey graham cracker crust and is layered with chocolate chips and peanut butter chips. Who isn’t a lover of peanut butter and chocolate together. These bars are chewy, gooey, and have a slight crunch all the same time!

What are you favorite type of gooey bars?

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Seven Layer Bars (makes 9 large or 12 small bars)

1 stick of butter, melted

1 and 1/4 cup crushed graham crackers

1 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup peanut butter chips

8 oz. sweetened condensed milk

1/2 cup dry roasted peanuts

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl mix together the melted butter and graham crackers. Mix with a fork until all the crumbs are moistened evenly. Press into the bottom of 9×9 inch square baking pan.

2. On top of the graham crackers sprinkle half of the chocolate chips and all of the peanut butter chips. Pour the sweetened condensed milk evenly over all the layers. Top with the remaining chocolate chips and the dry roasted peanuts.

3. Bake for 30 minutes. Cool the bars to room temperature and then cut them into squares in the pan. Transfer to the refrigerator to continue to cool.

Friday Faves 8

Well guys, IT’S FRIDAY EVERYONE!! Yes, I ‘m shouting today because it’s the last day of school and I’m officially off work for two months! Woo hoo! I’m so excited to have time to bake and work on my blog. Do you have a summer bucket list? Share with me please!  I want to hear all the fun things you have planned. Here’s what I’ve be obsessing over this week:

I really have a thing for chocolate chip cookies. Once I think I find the perfect recipe, I try another and it’s my new favorite. Let’s see if these become my new fave. These Hershey’s Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies look so puffy and soft!

Crumb cake is once of those cakes I’m always wanting to bake. The more crumb the better!! I thought this Cherry Berry Buttermilk Crumb Cake has one of the best crumbly toppings I’ve ever seen!

All of these 23 Whole-Grain Desserts You’ll Actually look amazing. I think we can trick ourselves into thinking they are healthy because they have grains in them. Then we won’t have to feel so guilty. Right? Are you with me?

I typically do not eat any meat, so I found this article to be sooooo informative. Tons of info on how to ensure you are getting all of the proper nutrients your body needs. I will be pouring over this!

Nutella Stuffed S’mores Cupcakes: Need I say more? I think not.

Have a great weekend! Any fun summer plans?

The Best Chocolate Cutout Cookies

Chocolate Cutout Cookies are easy to roll out, soft in texture, and keep their shape while baking. The best part is they taste insanely chocolatey too!

Friday Faves 7

Woo hoo for Friday!! One more week of school left and then it’s vacay everyone! I just cannot wait. After a busy week I cannot wait to kick back and get some quality relaxation time in. What do you guys think?? Here’s what I’ve been loving this week:

• Are these not the cutest cupcakes ever?? Sold on these Banana Split Cupcakes.

• Raise your hand if you love a good sweet and salty combo. Me too! I cannot wait to make these Salted Vanilla Toffee Cookies. Such a great idea!

• So I’ve never made my own ice cream before. I can’t justify spending a lot of money on an ice cream machine for something I don’t think I will use ALL the time. Does that make me cheap? This Chocolate Banana Naturally Sweet Ice Cream is made in a food processor. Oh yeah, and it’s healthy too. Winning!

• Sign me up to make this Chocolate French Toast immediately!! This post has awesome tips to get those crispy edges. Perfect for a lazy Sunday.

• I love macadamia nuts, especially in cookies! Although I’ve never used them in chocolate cookies. These Double Macadamia Nut Cookies look chewy and chocolatey. Ahhh the perfect cookie texture!

Have a good weekend! What are your plans?