Cookie Gift Baskets Tip & Recipe Blog

Archive for November, 2009

Just in time for Thanksgiving, this easy pumpkin dessert utilizes a yellow cake mix combined with butter and nuts to make a delectable topping for the light and fluffy pumpkin base.  It has been a family favorite for years.  Serve it with a scoop of ice cream or dollop of homemade whipped cream and your Thanksgiving dinner guests will surely be impressed!  Photo is courtesy of Betty Crocker.

1 cup granulated sugar
2 beaten eggs
1 – 29 oz can pumpkin
2 tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. ginger
¼ tsp. ground cloves
½ tsp. salt
1 – 12 oz can evaporated milk
1 box of yellow cake mix (no pudding added)
1 cup of chopped pecans
4 Tbsp. melted butter
Carton of Cool Whip, Vanilla Ice Cream or Homemade Whipped Cream

1. Preheat oven to 350 degF. Line a 9×13 pan with wax paper (this makes it much easier to remove and serve the dessert). Set aside.
2. Mix together the sugar, eggs, pumpkin, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, salt, and milk. Pour the mixture into the wax-lined baking pan.
3. Sprinkle the DRY yellow cake mix on top the pumpkin mixture, then evenly sprinkle the chopped nuts on top. Pour the melted butter evenly over the nuts and cake mix.
4. Bake for an hour or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
5. Cool dessert completely. Cut into squares and serve with cool whip, whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

I LOVE the combination of peanut butter and chocolate…guess that is why I’m such a fan of Reeses peanut butter cup candy.  A creamy layer of peanut butter sits between the rich chocolate frosting and brownies on these bars. This recipe is made in a jellyroll pan using 2 packages of brownies so they are a great choice for feeding a crowd at a family get-together or church potluck.

Bake 2 packages of brownies in a 15″ x 10″ jelly roll pan as directed on the brownie mix package. Upon removing the brownies from the oven, immediately spread an 18 ounce container of chunky or creamy peanut butter on top of them (personally I like creamy Jif peanut butter the best).  Cool the brownies with peanut butter completely.  I recommend placing them in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.

Chocolate Frosting
1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup milk
10 large marshmallows
1/4 cup cocoa
1 package powdered sugar (16 oz)

In a large saucepan, melt together the butter, milk and marshmallows over low-medium heat stirring constantly until smooth. Remove the saucepan from heat and whisk in the cocoa powder. Then using a hand mixer, add the powdered sugar a little at a time and beat until the frosting is smooth and has a spreadable consistency. Spread the chocolate frosting over the peanut butter layer. Place the jellyroll pan of brownies back in the refrigerator and cool an additional 20 minutes before cutting into squares and serving.

My NOTES: If you microwave the peanut butter on 50% power for 2 minutes and then stir it vigorously, it will spread on the brownies much easier!

As I wake-up to a thick layer of frost on the ground this morning, I am once again reminded that camping season is over and that means no more sitting aside the campfire making S’mores with our kids.  Truth be told, I think I like to eat them even more than they do:)  When winter rolls around our house, we turn to these brownies to get our S’mores fix (at least until February and March when the girl scouts go door-to-door selling the real deal).

What You’ll Need:

1 package brownie mix (+ the ingredients to make the brownies)
2/3 cup chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows
6 full sheets of regular graham crackers (broken into quarters)

Mix and bake the brownie mix as directed on the package (in a 9″x13″ pan if possible).  Upon removing brownies from the oven, immediately sprinkle them with the chocolate chips and miniature marshmallows while the brownies are still hot.  Then place them back in the oven for about a minute so the chocolate melts and marshmallows melt slightly….CAUTION….keep your eyes on the brownies because the marshmallows can easily burn at this point. Remove from the oven and lightly press a layer of graham crackers on top the melty marshmallows to form s’mores.  Cut the brownies into squares following the lines of the graham crackers.

MY NOTES - If you aren’t planning to eat these brownies the same day they are made, you may want to skip putting on the graham crackers and do that as you serve the individual brownies in the days to come.  Otherwise the graham crackers can get soft from the moisture and they aren’t as good in my humble opinion.  They good eaten quickly in our house and when I bring them to family celebrations so I almost always put the graham crackers on top right away.  These are the perfect after school cookie treat for kids.

As a Mom, I love to make treats for my kids, but using my time efficiently is a must.  Therefore, I’ve taken to using brownie and cake mixes as a base for some of my favorite dessert recipes.  Over the next few weeks, I’ll be sharing some of my favorite brownie recipes where I use boxes of Ghirardelli chocolate brownies as the main ingredient.  It is no surprise that rocky road brownies are a favorite of mine since I have loved rocky road ice cream ever since I was a kid.  We used to buy Schwan’s Rocky Road in 5 quart pails every Friday at my house. Yummy!

1 brownie mix (store bought 19.8 oz)
1 cup chopped pecans
3 cups mini marshmallows
2 squares of unsweetened chocolate (1 oz each)
1/3 cup milk
1/2 cup butter
1 package powdered sugar (16 oz)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

 Mix the chocolate brownies according to the directions on the box.  Mix in the 1 cup of chopped pecans. Then evenly spread the batter in a greased pan and bake for 25 minutes (use the pan size, baking time, and oven temperature recommended on the box). Remove from brownies from the oven. Immediately sprinkle the miniature marshmallows over the hot brownies so they melt a bit. Cool.

In a heavy saucepan or double boiler, melt the chocolate, milk and butter together until combined, stirring constantly. Remove the melted chocolate mixture from the heat and add the vanilla, mix well. Add the powdered sugar to the chocolate mixture a little at a time, mixing with a hand mixer on low speed, until the frosting is the desired consistency for spreading. Spread over the cooled, marshmallow topped brownies. Cool and cut into bars.  I suggest heating them a bit in the microwave when you serve them to guests so that the marshmallows get a little gooey.  And a scoop of ice cream on top never hurts the presentation!