Shortcake

Hi everyone,

This is a really quick post to share some Shortcake I (and my fiancé) have been making. We've been using the recipe from the Food Network website, and it is simple and easy- find it here! It's especially easy because you make it in one pan as opposed to cutting out rounds, as I had always done before. The other change we make is putting butter then sugar on top, which makes the shortcake sparkly in looks and taste!

But let's go make some shortcake!

Here's the dough being mixed- you just dump in the dry ingredients and either sift them together or just give them a good whisk- that's what I do! Then pour in your cream and mix until just all together.

Pat the shortcake out into an 8x8'' or 9x9'' pan.

Drizzle with approx. 1 tablespoon butter. (My fiancé J's contribution- not a step to miss!)

Brush butter on shortcake evenly.

Then sprinkle with approx. 1 tablespoon granulated sugar.

Bake 18-22 minutes or until just starting to brown and a tester comes out clean. Enjoy!

Savor it!
love, rue

Popcorn 'rice krispy' Treats

Hey there everyone,

Here's a really easy recipe for in between Halloween and Thanksgiving- takes minutes to whip up and is really deliciously tasty- and you can modify it to be however you'd like with whatever candy is your preference! Let's go!

Your popcorn, marshmallows, and chopped Rolos.

And here's your sugar, butter, and corn syrup.

Stir constantly until boiling.

Then pour over your popcorn mixture! (glass bowl for heat protection!)

And toss well, but gently.

Popcorn ‘rice krispy’ Treats
-12 cups popped popcorn
-10 oz. (1 regular bag) mini marshmallows
-rolos, reese’s, snickers- whatever candy and how much you want to add, chopped
-1 1/2 cups sugar
-1 cup (2 sticks) butter
-1/2 cup light corn syrup (Karo)
Grease a 9x13’’ pan (or 8x8’’ for a 1/2 batch).
Mix popcorn, marshmallows, and candy in a large heat-proof bowl.
Place sugar, butter, and corn syrup in a not non-stick pot. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly.
Pour syrup over popcorn mixture, mix well but gently.
Pour into your greased pan. Chill.
Cut up and eat like rice krispy treats.

Your finished treats! Just pat out into a pan and chill- delish!

Savor it!
love, rue

Pumpkin Pie Spice Caramel Rice Crispy Treats

Hi everyone!

This is a tasty fall recipe that's going to be a two-for-one. First, I'll clue you in on how to (super-easily) make your own pumpkin pie spice so you don't have to buy anything special or pay extra. Then we'll move on to our application in Pumpkin Pie Spice Caramel Rice Crispy Treats- just as easy as regular rice crispy treats, but with a nice fall twist. Let's go!
 

Pumpkin Pie Spice
-4 tablespoons cinnamon
-4 teaspoons ground nutmeg (fresh grated is best!)
-4 teaspoons ground ginger
-3 teaspoons ground allspice
Mix all spices together. Store airtight. Use in a myriad of fall and holiday recipes, and enjoy!

Just mix your spices together in whatever jar/container/bag you have, and use!

Pumpkin Spice Caramel Rice Crispy Treats
-3 tablespoons butter
-10 oz. (40 large or 4c mini) marshmallows
-2-3 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice (recipe above)
-1/3 cup caramel syrup/sauce (like for ice cream topping)
-6+ cups crispy rice cereal
Grease a 9x13’’ pan, set aside.
Melt butter in a large microwaveable bowl.
Add marshmallows to butter and microwave until melted when stirred (1:15-1:30 most likely, but adjust for your individual microwave power). Stir well.
Add pumpkin pie spice and caramel sauce, stir well.
Pour in your cereal, mix well but gently, then pour out into your greased pan.
Pat down uniform with greased or wetted hands/spatula, refrigerate.
[This can also be done on the stovetop, I would just be very careful about how high your heat is so that nothing burns. I haven’t done it on the stovetop so I can’t tell you particulars, sorry!]

Here's your arsenal- I betcha have at least half of these ingredients already!

Here's what your marshmallows/butter should look like right out of the microwave-
all have gotten big and puffy so that you can stir it down really nice...

Then add the pumpkin pie spice and caramel! I think I might try the addition of a teensy bit
of vanilla next time too- feel free to experiment!!

And here's what your marshmallow mixture looks like --> add the cereal and mix it all well, then...

Dump into your already greased pan
(this is an 8x8'', I made a 1/2 batch- for a whole batch you would use a 9x13'')...

Then pat flat and uniform with greased or wetted spatula or hands.
Refrigerate for as long as you can resist, then dig in!

Savor it!
love, rue

"Golden Grahams" Bars

Hi there everyone!

OMG. These are SO GOOD. I would like to go downstairs right now and get one to eat while I write this, but it might ruin my dinner :)
So I basically got this idea from those cereal treat bars they sell in gas stations, as the "Golden Grahams" one is one of the few things I ever get at a gas station on a road trip somewhere. I knew I wouldn't be able to duplicate their product without a chemically stabilized binder to mix in chocolate pieces without their being any heat and then the bars still set- not in the real world! So this is my best so far- and seriously, they are super super easy and you should make them ASAP and maybe consider a half batch if you're alone, haha. Let's go!

Your super-simple arsenal: cereal, butter, marshmallows, and butterscotch and chocolate chips.

Melt and mix your marshmallows and butter, then get ready to add the rest of your ingredients...

...And mix well! It doesn't look to pretty right now, but no matter.

Press into a greased pan. (I have it pressed into about 2/3 of this pan because I was already using my 8x8 and I didn't want a whole batch in the house with me!) So really, use whatever works. Chill, then drizzle if you want to (I think it's great!), and chill again.

"Golden Grahams" Bars
-3 tablespoons butter
-50 large marshmallows
-6 cup Golden Grahams or similar cereal
-1/2 cup chocolate chips
-1/2 cup butterscotch chips
-3-5 tablespoons chocolate chips for optional chocolate drizzle
Melt butter in a large microwave safe bowl.
Add marshmallows and microwave until all are nice and puffy and soft. Stir well.
Add in the cereal, chocolate chips, and butterscotch chips, and stir well.
Press into a greased 9x13’’ pan. Chill.
Optional: Melt optional chocolate for drizzle in 20-30 second increments in the microwave, then drizzle over the top. Chill again.
Enjoy!

Your finished bars- marshmallow, butterscotch, chocolate, Golden Grahams- seriously, how could this be bad? And the best part is there's no baking and it only takes about 10 minutes for all of the work!

Savor it!
love, rue

Snickers Layer Bars

Hi everybody!

These are super sweet, super rich bars, so you'll want to cut them into smaller pieces. They are also super easy and super quick to make, so be careful! You could use any chocolate bars here in place of snickers bites- just chop up and use your favorite. Be creative and make it however you think you'd like it best!

Here are your super easy and simple ingredients! Just 6 things you probably already have!

After baking your crust, pour the sweetened condensed milk over it.

Layer your other ingredients on top of the sweetened condensed milk- easy as pie! (easier probably)

Here are your bars after baking- I didn't chop the snickers bites, but crushed a little afterwards, but chopping would solve that for you.

Snickers Layer Bars
-1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
-1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
-1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
-1 1/2 cups (1 12 oz. pkg.) chocolate chips
-1 cup snickers bites, chopped (any other chopped chocolate bar works!!)
-1 cup chopped or sliced nuts
Mix butter and graham cracker crumbs, pat into a greased or parchment lined and greased pan, and bake at 325 F for 8 minutes.
Pour sweetened condensed milk over cooled crust.
Sprinkle chocolate chips, snickers bites, and nuts over top.
Bake at 325 F for 20-25 minutes.

Refrigerate your bars, then pop them off the parchment paper and cut into squares. Enjoy!

Savor it!
love, rue

Cotton Candy Rice Krispie Treats

Hi all!!

This recipe/idea is totally not from me. I bet a lot of people have done it different ways, but the BF brought this idea to my attention and we decided to go for it- because of course! They are delicious. And super easy! Let me show you:

Your super simple arsenal- cereal, butter, marshmallows, and flavoring.

Melt your butter then add in the flavoring packet.

You'll get nice blue butter like this!

Add your marshmallows and microwave while watching closely, just until they are all puffy and stir-able.

Quickly, stir together your marshmallows and butter mixture.

Add your cereal (I find it useful to measure it out ahead of time so the marshmallow mixture does not harden while I am measuring cups out).

Stir well!!

Here they are- your blue cotton candy rice krispies. You could even ice them if you wanted!

Cotton Candy Rice Krispie Treats
-3 tablespoons butter
-1 packet cotton candy flavored icing mix
-1 package marshmallows (about 40 large ones or the equivalent in mini ones)
-6 cups crisp rice cereal
Melt your butter, then stir in the icing packet.
Pour in your marshmallows and microwave until all soft and puffy. Stir together well.
Stir in cereal well and quickly.
Pat into a greased 9x13’’ pan. (It really helps to wet your hands to pat them out flat if you don't want to use a spatula- keeps your hands from sticking!)
Chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour or two to firm up!

The color is hard to capture, but these are pretty fun treats! Aren't they lovely and springy, too? Yum!

Savor it!
love, rue

Cookie Butter Cheesecake Bars

Hey everyone, this is an amazing recipe.

Have you ever had cookie butter? I hadn't until just a few months ago, and I just recently purchased my first jar, and it is amazing. Basically it's a spread made out of cookies, yumm. Biscoff makes a really good one, and that's the one I have. This recipe looks a little long and maybe even complicated but I promise that it's really actually very simple, a breeze to prepare, and the hardest part is waiting for them to cool and refrigerate so you can eat them! Let's get started.

Mix up your crust and press into the bottom of the pan, then bake it real quick.

Dump all cheesecake layer ingredients into a big bowl or your mixer bowl.

Once it's all creamed well, gently spoon and spread the cheesecake over the crust.

Cream the cream cheese and cookie butter, then mix in the sugar and egg for the swirl.

Here's the finished cookie-butter-swirl, and the cookie butter I used.

Dollop the swirl mixture onto the cheesecake layer, this is what we tried.

Then run a sharp knife up and down through the cookie butter mixture to make (hopefully) a pretty pattern- or take your own approach- it'll always taste good.

Cookie Butter Cheesecake Bars
Crust
-1 1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs (or other cookie crumbs)
-3 tablespoons white sugar
-5 tablespoons melted butter
Cheesecake
-14 oz. cream cheese, softened to room temperature
-1 teaspoon vanilla
-1/4 teaspoon salt
-1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons white sugar
-1/2 cup sour cream
-1 egg + 1 egg yolk
-1 tablespoon flour
Swirl
-3 oz. cookie butter (Biscoff makes a great one)
-2 oz. cream cheese, softened to room temperature
-2 tablespoons sugar
-1 egg, less 1-2 tablespoons
Mix Crust ingredients together, press into a greased and parchment-lined 7x11'' pan. Bake at 325 F for 8 minutes, let cool.
Cream all Cheesecake ingredients well. Gently spoon/spread evenly over the graham cracker crust.
Cream together all of the ingredients for the cookie butter Swirl, then spoon over the cheesecake, then drag a knife through the swirl to make it pretty- see my pics, or try your own method.
Bake at 325 F for 45-55 minutes, until a tester comes out pretty clean.
Let cool, then refrigerate for a few hours (2-3 at least).
Lift out by the parchment paper, and you can cut the bars cleanly on a cutting board, wiping the knife clean between cuts.

Here are the bars just out of the oven- just starting to brown at the edges.

And here is your final product, post cooling and waiting- delicious and beautiful cheesecake bars with an awesome twist- cookie butter. Yum!

Savor it!
love, rue

Mint Basic Brownies

Hi everyone!

I know I've posted a lot of brownie recipes on here... but somehow I just keep finding more to try, so I make them, and then usually they're just too good not to share. And I LOVE chocolate, so the brownie train probably won't be stopping anytime soon. These brownies are super basic and simple- minimal ingredients, one bowl- but I added some pizzaz by way of lowering the amount of chocolate chips I used, and adding in a bunch of Andes creme de menthe chips, then when I pulled them out of the oven, I sprinkled the top with more Andes chips, and let them melt into a sort of super-easy icing. YUM! let's go.

Dump all ingredients except chips into a bowl and mix well.

Then add the chips and mix again!

Here's the finished batter- it is rather thick, but that's just right.

Pat your batter out in a greased and parchment lined pan- don't try to spread it, the batter is too thick, so just poke it around, etc.

Here are the brownies right out of the oven.

And here are the brownies post-mint-chip-topping. Let cool if possible!

Mint Basic Brownies
(Keep in mind you could use any kind of other chips to add pizzaz instead of mint- peanut butter chips, white chocolate- you name it)
-1 1/2 cups sugar
-3/4 cup flour
-3/4 cup cocoa
-3 eggs
-3/4 cup butter, melted
-heaping 1/4 teaspoon salt
-1 teaspoon vanilla
-3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
-3/4 cup mint chocolate chips + more for topping
(Use 1 cup chocolate chips and no mint chips for regular brownies)
Mix everything up in a bowl except chips. Mix in chips.
Pat batter out evenly in parchment lined and greased 9x13'' or 7x11'' pan, depending on how thick you want your brownies (I went with 7x11'').
Bake at 325 F for 20-30 minutes for 9x13'' or 35-45 minutes for 7x11'' pan. They are done when a toothpick comes out clean- make sure you aren't hitting a chocolate chip though.
Sprinkle more mint chips on top of the brownies when they are still hot, and let them melt into a little minty icing. Use whatever amount you like, depending on your tastes (or how many chips you haven't eaten yet!).
Let cool if possible before slicing if you'd like nice square brownies- lift the brownies out by the parchment paper and cut on a cutting board with a sharp knife.

Let the brownies cool (I let them cool a while, then finished cooling in the fridge), lift out by the parchment paper, and cut on a cutting board.

You'll end up with fudgy, chocolatey, minty deliciousness like this- Enjoy!!

Savor it!
love, rue