Oreo Truffles

Everyone loves oreos. Not many things are better than a chocolate cookie with a vanilla creme middle. Unless you put take that cookie and coat it in chocolate. I'm not a fan of cream cheese at all. I will not spread it on a bagel nor will I eat many foods containing it. However, these truffles are one dessert with cream cheese that I just can't say no to.

Oreo Truffles
taken from Kraft

Ingredients
1 package oreo cookies, finely crushed
1 8oz package cream cheese
2 packages Baker's Semi-Sweet Chocolate

Directions
Soften cream cheese. Mix 3 cups of the cookie crumbs with cream cheese until well blended. Shape into 1 inch balls. Melt chocolate according to package instructions. Dip balls in melted chocolate; place on waxed paper-covered baking sheet. Sprinkle truffles with remaining cookie crumbs. Refrigerate truffles 1 hour or until firm. Store any leftovers in fridge. Pop one in your mouth!

Sugar Cookies

I was going through another phase of baking when I wanted something classic, light, and without chocolate. SUGAR COOKIES! Everyone, and yes, I mean EVERYONE loves a sugar cookie. I searched through my mom's recipes and found one that she had marked as "very good." My mom has good taste and her recipes never fail me, so I knew I had to make the cookies.

Sugar Cookies

Ingredients
2 3/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In small bowl stir together flour, baking soda and baking power; set aside.

In large bowl cream together butter and sugar until smooth; beat in egg and vanilla. Gradually blend in the dry ingredients. Roll rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into balls and place onto ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake 8-12 minutes, or until golden. Let stand on cookie sheets before removing to cool on wire racks. Enjoy!

Seven Layer Bars

My friend Lindsay was coming to visit me one week in June. Since I had been baking non-stop for about 4 months by this point, I told her she was going to be used to help me bake something delicious. Until it was requested at Physical Therapy I had never tasted a 7 layer bar. People (Lindsay being one of them) have raved about them to me many times, but I never was given one to try and never really cared to make them on my own. Until recently. I decided this would be the dessert Lindsay and I would make. I needed to see if they're as amazing as everyone makes them out to be. Conclusion: they are!

Seven Layer Bars
Adapted from Eagle

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs *
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 14oz can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup butterscotch flavored chips
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 1/3 cups flaked coconut
1 cup chopped walnuts**

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 325 degrees for a glass pan.

In a small bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs and butter; mix well. Press crumb mixture firmly on bottom of 13x9 inch pan. Next, layer evenly with remaining dry ingredients adding coconut last; press down firmly with fork. Pour condensed milk over coconut topped mixture.

Bake 25 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool. Chill if desired. Cut into bars. Store leftovers covered at room temperature. Enjoy each layer!

*Use graham crackers and crush them yourself. Don't buy graham cracker crumbs
**You can substitute pecans, however some people say they are too sweet with the rest of the ingredients.
***Some other recipes say to pour the condensed milk over the crumb mixture, I've noticed the bars hold together better when it's poured on last and it also toasts the coconut on top nicely.

German Apple Cake

I'm German. Apples are one of my favorite fruits. I LOVE cake. Therfore, I thought a German Apple Cake would be a delicious treat for my favorite Physical Therapists and Aides. I wanted to dazzle their tastebuds. I was assured by everyone that this recipe did just that. I have tried a few different recipes in the past for apple cake, but this one is by far the best. I think the vegetable oil was the winning ingredient because it made the cake very moist.

German Apple Cake
from All Recipes

Ingredients
2 eggs
1 cup Vegetable Oil
2 cups white sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
4 cups apples - peeled, cored and diced

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease and flour 13x9 inch pan. In a large bowl, beat oil and eggs with an electric mixer until creamy. Add the sugar and vanilla then beat well.

In a medium bowl; combine flour, salt, baking soda and ground cinnamon. Slowly add this mixture to the egg mixture and mix until combined. The batter will be very thick. Fold in the apples by hand using a wooden spoon. Spread batter into pan.

Bake for 45 minutes or until cake tests done. Cool cake on wire rack. Once cake is done cooling serve with a dusting of Confectioners' sugar. Eat for breakfast or dessert!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake

One of my cousins turned two about a month ago. Her parents decided to throw her a birthday party. Since I had been doing so much baking this year I wanted to bake a chocolate chip cookie cake for the b-day girl. Everyone (almost) loves a chocolate chip cookie, so who wouldn't love a GIANT chocolate chip cookie? However, my cousin wouldn't let me because she had already a cake from a bakery with Dora the Explorer on it. I know my family well enough to know that half of them wouldn't touch a cake lathered in sugary frosting, so I asked her if I could bring the cake for the non-frosting lovers. At first she said NO, but then we realized that the day of the party was another cousin's actual day of birth. This gave me an excuse to make him a cake since he's a non-frosting lover! With the help of a great friend Laura we made a DELICIOUS Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake. It was so good in fact that it disappeared while there were still pieces of the frosting lathered cake left, much to my cousin's dismay. So, if you want to make a cake for your children's birthdays or any other reason, I highly recommend it. Plus it's more fun to do and it's probably less money. The extra effort to bake instead of buying is worth it too!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake

Ingredients
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
12oz semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 13x9 inch pan. Cream together butter and shortening. Add sugars and beat well. Add eggs and vanilla, beat well to combine evenly. Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt. Use a beater to stir into butter mixture. Stir in chocolate chips. Scoop batter into pan and spread to within 1 1/2 inches of sides.

Cover with plastic wrap and chill in fridge for one hour. Remove wrap and bake in oven for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool in pan. Decorate with icing. Party away!

Cookies 'N' Creme Fudge

I have been craving fudge. CRAVING it. I asked my mom for her amazing fudge recipe but she wouldn't give it to me because she said "fudge is for the holiday season." PSHT! I was a little nervous to use her recipe anyways. The last time I did was a DISASTER. So, I decided to take it upon myself to make a spectacular fudge. I know everyone loves oreos. So, I decided to make a Cookies 'n' Creme type of fudge. To me, the plain chocolate fudge while a classic, is boring. I wanted to expand my and everyone at Physical Therapy's horizons. Well, needless to say, horizons were expanded. Within the first bite of the fudge, numerous Physical Therapists and aides were asking me for the recipe and trying to remember what I told them. I have discovered that few things make me happier than seeing someone smile, receiving a thumbs up, or hearing a loud MMMMM after they taste my dessert.

Cookies 'N' Creme Fudge

Ingredients
18oz white chocolate chips
1 14oz can sweetened condensed milk
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 cups coarsely crushed oreos

Directions
In heavy saucepan over low heat, melt white chocolate chips, sweetened condensed milk, and salt. Remove from heat; stir in crushed oreos. Spread mixture evenly into wax paper lined 13x9 inch pan. Chill for 2 hours or until firm. Turn fudge onto cutting board; peel off wax paper and cut into squares. Store leftover covered in refrigerator. Debate about whether or not it's worth going back to plain chocolate fudge.

Gooey Butter Cake

One night my mom came home from working RAVING about a dessert one of the other doctors brought in. It's called Gooey Butter Cake and her friend got the recipe from Paula Deen. She told me that it was absolutely delicious and that she had a few pieces throughout the day. For my mom to have more than one piece of a dessert in a day is saying a lot! Plus, I know that Paula Deen can do no wrong in the kitchen. So after she told me about the dessert I decided I would have to give it a shot. I decided it could be the next treat that I would bring into Physical Therapy with me.

Gooey Butter Cake
Taken from the delightful Paula Deen

Ingredients

Cake
1 box yellow cake mix
1 egg
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Filling
1 8oz package cream cheese, softened
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 16oz box powdered sugar

Directions
Combine cake ingredients and mix well with an electric mixer. Pat the mixture into the bottom of a lightly greased 13x9 inch pan.

In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the eggs, vanilla, butter and beat together. Next add the powdered sugar and mix well. Spread over cake batter.

Bake for 40-50 minutes. The center should be a little gooey when done. Share with friends and family!