Chocolate Marshmallow Banana Surprise Cookies

I made some fun cookies for the boys and girls club workers and volunteers.  My chocolate was a little too thick and I didn't have time to make it rich and smooth, so mine aren't as pretty as Anna's on Cookie Madness. But I had so many of the helpers come up to me wanting me to make them again so that told me they must have been a hit!

2 cups all purpose flour (9 oz)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 stick (4 oz) butter, room temperature

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

2 ripe bananas

1 large egg, room temperature

10 marshmallows, cut in half or use 20 marshmallows and just trim them a little**

Frosting

3 cups confectioners’ sugar

6 tablespoons salted butter

1/4 cup plus 2 teaspoons unsweetened natural cocoa powder

1/4 cup whole milk or use lowfat milk with a little cream mixed in

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Have ready two cookie sheets lined with parchment.

Stir together flour and baking soda and set aside.

Using high speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter, vanilla and sugar for about 3 minutes. Add the banana and beat it with the butter/sugar mixture until it’s fully mashed. Beat in the egg. Using lowest speed of mixer or by hand, stir in the flour mixture. Drop by heaping tablespoons onto cookie sheets and bake at 350° F for about 11 minutes or until cookies just start to appear set. Remove pan from oven and press a marshmallow half into center of each cookie. Return to oven and bake for 2 to 2 ½ minutes or until marshmallow begins to melt (puffs). Remove from oven and let cool completely. Prepare frosting.

Prepare frosting. Put the confectioners’ sugar in a mixing bowl. In a small saucepan or in a large microwave-safe measuring cup, melt the butter and cocoa. Pour the melted butter/cocoa mixture into the sugar and stir well (I did it while it was hot), then stir in the milk and vanilla, stirring until smooth. Spread about 1 tablespoon of frosting over each marshmallow, starting in the center and continuing outward until marshmallow is covered.

Makes 20 cookies

These cookies really did smell amazing :)!

Thanks for stopping by

Don't forget to see the parties I link up to HERE.

The Hit of the Reunion (Mini Cannoli's)

My parents hosted the family reunion for my mother's side this past weekend.  As usual I wanted to make something fun and exciting to bring to the party.  Even though I was told to just make some garlic bread I wanted to do something special.  And as you all know I'm obsessed with won-ton wrappers, so I went on a mission to find an appetizer I came across a dessert!  Hmmm even better!

I found this Easy Cannoli Cup recipe on  Gimme some Oven's site. These were so easy and I got rave reviews!!!  Click either link to take you to the original site I found the recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 package (16 oz.) wonton wrappers
• 1 container (15 oz.) ricotta cheese
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1 1/3 cups whole milk
• 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 tsp. almond extract
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon (optional)
• 2 cups mini semisweet chocolate chips
• powdered sugar (for dusting)

Method:

In a bowl, slowly whisk 1 cup of the milk into the cornstarch until smooth.  Let sit about 20 minutes.

Transfer mixture into a sauce pan, and then add in the remaining milk and sugar. Heat on medium-low, stirring constantly until it is very thick and smooth (about 7-10 minutes).  Remove from heat.  Stir in the almond and vanilla extracts.  Place a piece of plastic wrap on the surface of the filling to avoid “skin”, and let cool until the mixture reaches room temperature.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Then press 30-35 wonton wrappers (you can do this in multiple batches) into a mini baking cup pan to form the “cups”.  (Be sure that the corners do not fold in after the pan sits for a minute!)  Bake the cups for 10-15 minutes, or until the wrappers are golden brown.  Remove and let cool.

After the milk mixture has reached room temperature, whisk in the ricotta and cinnamon until smooth.  (You can also do this with an electric mixer on low.)  Use a pastry bag to pipe the mixture into the baked wonton cups, or use a spoon to scoop it in.  Sprinkle with mini chocolate chips, then dust with powdered sugar.  Refrigerate, or serve immediately.

Lex Notes: I was out of almond extract so I skipped it, I did use the cinnamon.  I also used my mini cupcake pan so I made 48 total.  I think the mini were the perfect size.

Here is what you need:

It's the perfect dessert and is not too sweet and just the rite size!  I was shocked how fast they went!

Well at least I made a treat!

So I had big plans to make a great meal last night, but chicken with corn just isn’t fancy and nothing worth blogging about … hehe!  BUT I did make a fun treat for the neighborhood kids.  These were real simple to make a little time and patience between each step.  I think they turned out so cute.  Adults and kids will love this fancy looking dessert of a classic!

Well I hope to get back to normal but sadly it just isn’t happening.  This week was suppose to be great for me to get back on track but instead I have Cole having a melt down at summer camp and Rick in a funk also!  Wish me luck and a few prays this week !

Manic Monday Meals ~ Last Minute Party Treats

I love baking as you all know by now but sadly I don't get out very often to go to a party. So of course when I found out about a New Years Eve party I was all about making something new and fun! I made 3 (I know I can't help it) so of course I was running around like a nut and even ended up being late to the party. Which of course let to my best friend getting worried and calling my mom to see if I was there. HEHE of course that meant that mom called me and gave me the mom talk about driving when it is cold and icy out ... Thanks Tarra at 34 I got my new years lecture ... lol. Thanks mom the roads were super clear.

You must head over to see Jami and say hi she gave me the first two recipes!

First off was supper easy!

Pretzel Treats

Bag of "O" shaped pretzels (squares work OK if you're in a pinch.)
2 small bags of Hershey's Hugs (or a big one if you can find one)
Bag of Christmas Colored M&Ms

1)Have one of your kids unwrap all the Hugs. Good luck keeping them from eating them. :) Maybe you should buy three bags.

2)Place wax paper over a baking sheet and scatter "O"s on the wax paper.
(Eat the broken ones, because they are of no use to you in this recipe.)

3)Place one unwrapped HUG in the center of each "O".

Place this whole tray into the oven at about 250-300 degrees. DO NOT go above 300. I have found that if you do, the chocolate browns and hardens at the tips, making it very hard to smoosh down (that's totally not a word).

4) Place M&Ms in the centers of the Hugs and press them in so that the chocolate spreads out to fill the pretzel. If you are careful, you can keep the stripes intact. They look really cute!

5) Place tray in freezer (or put them out on your patio table) for about 5 minutes. It doesn't take long till they are firm enough to remove from the tray.

ALEXIS NOTES: I looked and looked but only could find these square pretzels. I used both Peppermint kisses and the Chocolate kind. I used coconut m&m's with the chocolate and no m&m's for the peppermint.

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Candy Cane Brownie Bites

1 brownie mix and ingredients
24 peppermint kisses (or another flavor)
chocolate coating for dipping
crushed candy canes

1) Make Brownie Mix as the box directs.

2) Bake and cool

3) Smoosh (we've all agreed that this is now a word) brownie around kiss.

4) Place in the freezer until firm

5) Melt the chocolate in the micowave (DON'T OVER HEAT ... SEE pic below what will happen)

6) Add a little bit of shortening to thin the chocolate out. Drop the bites in the chocolate and roll them around a bit. Remove from the choc and place on wax paper until the choc sets up. It will set up super fast because the bites are frozen, so if you are going to sprinkle, do it quickly.

7) Sprinkle with the crushed candy canes.

ALEXIS NOTES: I usually would use the brownie mix I buy in the bulk section but was out this time. I would suggest you don't let the brownies completely cool, it is easier if they are warmer. Watch your chocolate (or it will look like the pic below).

This is what burnt chocolate looks like!

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Spicy Roasted Red Pepper & Feta Hummus

Ingredients

• 1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1 (4 ounce) jar roasted red bell peppers, drained
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• Directions

  1. Place the garbanzo beans, feta cheese, drained red peppers, lemon juice, parsley, cayenne pepper, and salt in the bowl of a food processor; blend until smooth.

ALEXIS NOTES: I doubled it, I REALLY need to stop doing this I always make too much ... lol. I did add a little olive oil to help my mixer but maybe shouldn't have it made it a little thiner. Overall a good dish but just made too much :).

Happy Monday!! Hope you have a party you can make one of these or all for!!!

Chocolate Cures All ... Right?

So Today started off great I was early leaving the house, dropped off the boys no hassle and then it happened. Got to Roy's school (yup in the driveway) when he says I need a sack lunch for today. Totally spaced on his field trip today. But hello you little turd you knew about this and you're old enough to remind, you know when we're at home so I can make you one! But no you being the disrespectful little turd what until I'm at your school! So turn around run to Walgreens since it's the closet grab a lunchable (I know this won't fill him up), a water and some chips. So I spend $5+ that I didn't have budgeted because he couldn't be nice and tell me when we were at home! I was fuming and don't think I didn't let him know that he is old enough to help me out and it's his responsibility to help me out. Just as a lovely side note Sunday around 8pm he gave me a slip of paper from school asking for recyclable items they needed Wednesday am! Yup he's been holding onto it for weeks! WTF? Then he passed me a paper for money for a teacher gift I let him know that is his responsibility if he would like to give money to it, that is why you parents gave you money not to spend on junk food like you do! He told me know it's my responsibility, sorry dude it's yours mine if food and board! UGH is it June yet?


So I get to work late and start the pile on my desk when I get a surprise from an engineer he brings me a Gene Juarez Bag! Happy Administrative Assistant day he says, I almost fall off my chair. I mean the bosses already gave me an amazing Gift Card for Costco, what is this. He's such a joker, check out the pictures below to see what I got!

The BIG bag!

What I found inside!
I died laughing, actually fell off my chair.
Hey FREE Chocolate is all good for me!

Sorry quick post busy day, Cole's 5th Birthday party is tomorrow and I'm spinning. I need a new outfit, think I'll stop by Avenue tonight, still need to go to Costco to get the picture of the transformer I had made up with Cole's head on it! I'll show you more tomorrow after the party tomorrow. Loves, Lex