German Chocolate Cake

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Complete recipe:
  • Heat oven to 350°F.
  • Cover bottoms of 3 (9-inch) round pans with parchment; spray sides with cooking spray. Microwave chocolate and water in large microwaveable bowl on HIGH 1-1/2 to 2 min. or until chocolate is almost melted, stirring after 1 min. Stir until chocolate is completely melted.
  • Beat egg whites in small bowl with mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form; set aside. Combine flour, baking soda and salt. Beat butter and sugar in large bowl with mixer until light and fluffy. Add egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating well after each. Blend in melted chocolate and vanilla. Add flour mixture alternately with buttermilk, beating until well blended after each addition.
  • Add egg whites; stir gently until well blended. Pour into prepared pans.
  • Bake 30 min. or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Immediately run small spatula around cakes in pans. Cool cakes in pans 15 min. Remove from pans to wire racks; cool completely.

Chick fil A Copycat: Frosted Lemonade

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INGREDIENTS
  • 1 cup Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice (Sunkist brand is recommended)
  • 1/2 cup Sugar 
  • 2 1/2 cups Water Edy’s Slow Churn Vanilla Ice Cream 
DIRECTIONS
Add lemon juice and sugar to pitcher. If you are using bottled lemon juice, increase amount to 1 1/2 cups. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Add water and stir until well mixed. Refrigerate at least 1 hour to chill. Add 1 cup chilled lemonade and 2 cups (about 4 scoops) ice cream to blender. Pour into cup and garnish with lemon slice.

Oreo Cakester Copycat Recipe

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These yummy treats were discontinued in 2013, but you can make them at home! 
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Ingredients 
  • 2 eggs, beaten 
  • 1 cup oil 
  • 3 cups flour 
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda 
  • 8 tablespoons cocoa 
  • 2 cups brown sugar 
  • 1 teaspoon salt 
  • 1 cup evaporated milk 
  • Filling 
  • 1 cup vegetable shortening (Crisco preferred) 
  • 1/3 cup evaporated milk 
  • 2 cups powdered sugar 
Directions 
1.Preheat oven to 350�2.Sift flour, baking soda, salt, and cocoa together into a large bowl. 
3.Add remaining ingredients; mix together. 
4.Drop chocolate batter by teaspoons about 3-inches apart on cookie sheet. 
5.Bake for 5 minutes. 
6.Remove to a cooling rack. 
7.Beat filling ingredients together until creamy. 
8.Put the white filling between two cooled chocolate cookies like a sandwich.

25 Vintage Baking Tips

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  • To avoid lumps in batter, add a pinch of salt to the flour before it is wet.
  • How to sugar doughnuts? Shake the sugar and doughnuts together in a paper bag. The same method may be used with flour and chicken, or salt and french fried potatoes.
  • Raisins for cakes and breads will be plump and juicy if soaked in warm water before being added to the batter or dough.
  • Zip up your gingerbread and molasses cookies by adding a bit of grated orange peel to the batter.
  • If chilled ice-box cookie dough shatters when cut with long sharp knife, let stand at room temperature for 1/2 hour to soften very slightly before slicing!
  • Butter and sugar can be creamed easily when butter is hard by warming the sugar slightly.
  • Light-colored molasses can be darkened to make dark gingerbread by adding a teaspoonful of melted chocolate to each cup of molasses.
  • Cream which is hard to whip will whip quickly by adding a few drops of lemon juice.
  • Molasses can be prevented from sticking to the measuring cup if the cup is first greased with butter or lard.
  • Custards will not curdle so readily if a tablespoon of flour mixed with sugar is added.
  • Boiled frosting will not be brittle or break when cut, if a teaspoon of vinegar is beaten into the frosting when the flavoring is added.
  • Add one tablespoonful of jam or jelly to cookie dough. It will add flavor and make the cookies stay moist longer.
  • Doughnuts will not absorb grease if a teaspoonful of vinegar is added to cold fat.
  • Fruit Cake: When baking, place a cup of water in the oven to keep enough moisture in air and prevent cake from drying out while baking. 
  • Muffins: Drop a teaspoonful of peanut butter in each muffin pan, over which pour batter. This gives muffins a delightful nutty flavor. 
  • When a recipe calls for a quantity of melted butter, take care to measure the butter after melting, not before.
  • To soften butter, fill a small china bowl, one just sufficiently large to cover the butter, with boiling water; let stand a minute or two or until thoroughly heated, then empty the water and immediately turn the hot bowl upside down over the butter. In a few minutes, the butter will be softened so it is just right.
  • When separating the yolk from the white of an egg, if you drop a portion of egg yolk into the whites, moisten a cloth with cold water, touch to the yolk and it will adhere to the cloth.
  • Never beat egg-whites in an aluminum pan, as it is sure to darken them.
  • When baking a milk pudding, place the dish in a tin of water in the oven. Then prevents the pudding from burning or boiling over.
  • When cream will not whip, add the white of an egg to your cream–chill it and it will whip.
  • Shortening can be measured exactly. If recipe calls for 1/3 cup, fill measuring cup two-thirds full of water, add enough shortening to bring water to top of cup, pour off water and you have exactly 1/3 cup of shortening.
  • Sour milk can be made by adding two (2) tablespoonfuls of vinegar to one (1) cup of sweet milk and then letting it stand for a few minutes. Your baking will be just as light as if real sour milk were used. Also see Handy Substitute Recipes For Baking.
  • Whipped cream substitute, delicious in flavor, can be made by adding a slice of banana to the white of an egg and beating until stiff. The banana will dissolve completely.
  • Cornstarch is sometimes used in place of eggs when recipe calls for more than you have on hand. A tablespoonful is used for each missing egg. In making custard, omit one or two eggs, and use cornstarch instead (1/2 tablespoon for each egg).

Homemade Sno Balls Recipe

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Homemade Sno Balls recipe

Makes 2 dozen

Ingredients: 

For the cake: 

  • 1 stick butter, unsalted
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1-1/2 cups 1 percent milk

For frosting: 

  • 6 egg whites, warm
  • 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
  • 1-1/2 cups sugar
  • 1/3 cup water, room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 3 cups coconut flakes
  • 2 - 3 drops red food coloring

Directions: 

  1. For the cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a muffin pan with cooking spray. Cream the butter and sugar together with a handheld mixer until combined; add eggs, one at a time. Mix in vanilla. In another bowl, mix together dry ingredients. Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until there are no streaks of flour. Fill muffin pan cavities 3/4 full and bake for 15 minutes. Cool on a wire cooling rack. Once cakes are cooking, cut out a small cone from the bottom, discarding the triangle portion but keeping the small cake circle. (This is where the filling will be piped.)
  2. To prepare the filling/frosting: Beat egg whites until peaks form, about four minutes. In a saucepan, heat sugar, water and cream of tartar until boiling, and remove from heat and let sit until it reaches 242 degrees F. Slowly pour syrup into the egg whites and stir. Add vanilla. Beat until frosting thickens. In a blender, pulse coconut flakes and red food coloring until crumbly. Place the coconut mixture in a bowl for rolling.
  3. Fill a piping bag with 1/2 frosting. Carefully pipe frosting into the cakes and cover with the cake circle. Frost the rest of the cake with the frosting and then roll in the coconut flakes. Let cool for a few minutes and then enjoy!

Twinkies Copycat Recipe

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Make your own @ home!

 

Homemade Twinkies recipe

Recipe adapted from TLC

Ingredients: 

For the cake: 

  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1/3 cup canola oil
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

For the filling: 

  • 1/3 cup shortening
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup light cream
  • 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

Directions: 

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease three mini loaf pans with cooking spray.
  2. Beat the eggs and sugar with a handheld mixer until thick. Slowly add in all other ingredients and beat until fully combined. Divide the batter among the mini loaf pans, filling about 3/4 full. Bake cakes for at least an hour, or until golden brown. Cool in pans and then transfer to a wire cooling rack.
  3. While cakes cook, prepare filling by mixing shortening, sugar, vanilla and light cream with a hand mixer. Once mixed, slowly add in sugar and beat until combined. Fill a pastry bag with frosting and cut a small hole.
  4. Once cakes have cooled, carefully poke three holes in the bottom of the cakes. Pipe frosting into the holes until just filled. Cool for at least 20 minutes and enjoy!

Reese's Chocolate Brownies

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How can you beat the combination of Reese's, chocolate and brownies? I recently worked with Walmart on an amazing brownie recipe, here it is!


Next, the instructions said to mix up the brownie mix first:

After mixing it up, I put half of the batter in the 13x9 baking dish.

I added a layer of Reese's peanut butter chips:

After 30 min. bake time, the brownies are done!! Yum, look at all those peanut butter chips!

 

The next part of the recipe is to prepare the chocolate frosting:

CHOCOLATE FROSTING:

Melt 1/2 cup butter or margarine in saucepan over low heat. Remove from heat; add 2/3 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa stirring until smooth. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla and dash of salt. Gradually add 3-1/2 cups powdered sugar with 6 tablespoons hot water, stirring until smooth. About 2 cups frosting.

I melted a stick of butter, Hershey's cocoa and vanilla. 

Then I gradually added in the powdered sugar:

After the frosting was throughly mixed, I spread it over the cooled brownies. Nothing is better than homemade frosting!

Add the Reese's Pieces and you are all set! Cut into squares, eat and enjoy!

Watermelon Ice Cream Pops

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All you need:

2 pints strawberry ice cream (or cherry), slightly softened
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips 
1 pint pistachio ice cream (we used mint chocolate chip)
10 popsicle sticks (optional)

Preparation

Line a loaf pan with plastic wrap. 

In a medium bowl, mix strawberry ice cream with mini chocolate chips. Pour ice cream into loaf pan. 

Spread a layer of ice cream over the strawberry layer. Place sticks down the middle of the loaf pan. Place into the freezer for a few hours until firm. 

Once firm, remove from the loaf pan and slice the ice cream in between each stick to make an ice pop! I just cut them into slices, look how cute!

Eat immediately or place them into individual baggies and keep them in the freezer until ready to eat.

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

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My mother in law Janet made the most amazing Dole Pineapple and Cream Cheese Upside Down Cake. Here's the recipe!

1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 can (20 oz.) DOLE® Pineapple Slices, drained
7 or 8  maraschino cherries
1 pkg. (9 oz.) yellow cake mix
2 pkg. (8 oz. each) PHILADELPHIA® Cream Cheese, softened
1 pkg. (3 oz.) JELL-O® Brand Lemon Flavor Gelatin
2  egg(s)

DIRECTION

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Spray 9-inch cake pan orspring form pan with nonstick cooking spray.  If using a spring form pan, wrap foil around the bottom.


INGREDIENTS

1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 can (20 oz.) DOLE  Pineapple Slices, drained
8 maraschino cherries

DIRECTION

Stir together melted butter and brown sugar in pan.   Place 7 or 8 pineapple slices in sugar mixture.  Place cherry in center of each pineapple slice; cut remaining 2 slices of pineapple in half and place decoratively around slice in center of the pan.


INGREDIENTS

1 pkg. (9 oz.) yellow cake mix
2 pkg. (8 oz. each) PHILADELPHIA® Cream Cheese, softened
1 pkg. (3.0 oz.) JELL-O® Lemon Gelatin
2 eggs

DIRECTION

Prepare cake mix according to the package directions (if using cake mix larger than 9 oz., a 10 or 12-inch pan is recommended).  Pour half cake batter evenly over pineapple.  Beat cream cheese, lemon gelatin and eggs in bowl of an electric mixer until smooth.  Spread cream cheese mixture gently over cake mix.  Pour remaining cake mix over cheese cake in pan.


DIRECTION

Bake 65 to 75 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

DIRECTION

Cool 5 minutes.  Loosen edges and turn out onto serving platter.

Cheesy Taco Casserole

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We were recently given the chance to try out one of McCormick's amazing homemade recipes. We chose Taco Casserole from McCormick.com. My son Cam is sometimes a picky eater, so I was hoping he was going to love this recipe. And he did! Tacos are a family staple in our home, but my son always just wants cheese and meat. Sometimes he'll be ok with lettuce too, but not always. This recipe was perfect for sneaking in some extra healthy ingredients with the beans, which are a great source of protein.

 

1 1/2 lbs. of ground beef

Nutritional information

(amount per servings)

Total Calories: 417

Sodium: 1248mg

Fat: 21g

Carbohydrates: 27g

Cholesterol: 83mg

Protein: 30g

Fiber: 5g

DIRECTIONS

  1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Brown meat in large skillet on medium-high heat. Drain fat.
  2. Stir in Seasoning Mix, beans, tomato sauce and corn. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low; simmer 5 minutes. Spoon into 2-quart baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese and tortilla chips.
  3. Bake 5 to 10 minutes or until cheese is melted. Serve with assorted toppings, if desired.

Starbucks Lemon Loaf

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Here's how to make it!

Ingredients:

  • 1½ cups flour
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 tablespoons softened butter
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 teaspoon lemon extract
  • ⅓ cup lemon juice
  • ½ cup vegetable oil

Lemon icing:

  • 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons milk
  • ½ teaspoon lemon extract

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, blend eggs, sugar, butter, vanilla, lemon extract, lemon juice, and oil with an electric mixer.

Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix until smooth. Pour into a well-greased 9-inch-by-5-inch loaf pan and bake for 45 minutes. When loaf is cool, remove from pan and ice with icing. Slice into 1-inch slices. Serves 8.