Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake

I'm back! I've been very busy unpacking and setting up our new beautiful home.  In the midst of it all, my darling daughter Cecelia had her 3rd birthday! So, of course, I loved the opportunity of taking a break to bake her a Chocolate Peanut Butter Birthday Cake for the Celebration!

My daughters LOVE chocolate peanut butter, in fact, I made this same cake for my oldest daughter Sophia, in January for her 6th birthday.  My youngest, Cecelia, has been talking about it ever since-for 6 months! Both of my daughter's helped me make the cake, which was a lot of fun! While our birthday girl was taking her nap, I decorated it.  

Needless to say, she was really excited to see our creation when she woke up!

 

The Recipe

2 round layers chocolate cake                                peanut butter

powdered sugar                                                    vanilla

cocoa                                                                   milk                   

butter                                                                  chocolate chips

I baked a homemade chocolate cake in two round layers, however, any cake will do for this super easy Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake. Before baking the cakes, mix 1/2 cup peanut butter with 1/8 cup sugar and 1/2 t. vanilla.  With a small teaspoon, drop little spoonfuls around the cake batter before putting them in the oven to bake.  This will give the cake a fun peanut butter polka dot look when the cake is sliced.

When the cakes are cooled, wrap them individually in saran wrap and place in the freezer.  This will make it easier to frost without breaking the cake. 

To frost, I made a basic chocolate frosting and added peanut butter to the mix.  I don't follow a recipe when making a basic frosting.  I eye it until it is the right consistency and flavor-the best way to make basic frosting, in my opinion.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Frosting:  

Mix together powdered sugar, butter, cocoa, peanut butter, vanilla and milk. 

Add less milk than usual to make the frosting a little thicker, this will be used as a Smart Little Cookie-Quick Crumb Coat.

Take the cake layers out of the freezer and place one layer on a cake stand or plate.  Frost the top of this layer with frosting.  Place the second cake on top and frost both top and sides of the entire cake with frosting, reserving about 1/3 of frosting for later.  When the entire cake is frosted, mix milk into the remaining 1/3 frosting until it is a medium consistency and spreadable.  Spread this on the top and sides of the cake making the cake look smooth and yummy.

In a small bowl, melt 1/2 cup peanut butter in the microwave until smooth and silky.  Using a fork, drizzle on top of cake.  Next, in a separate bowl, melt 1/2 cup chocolate chips.  With a clean fork, drizzle over the peanut butter drizzles.  

Next, decorate however you'd like!

Smart Little Cookie Tip:

It's always fun to decorate a cake! On this Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake, you could sprinkle chopped peanuts, chocolate chips, malt balls (I used chocolate peanut butter malt balls on top), or caramel...mmm!

Oh! le chocolat!

Please hang in there, Smart Cookies! I'm about to move into my first home-Yay!! The above picture shows what I'll be thinking of while I'm away.:)

My favorite thing to do when we move into a new home is to bake a batch of homemade chocolate chip cookies, then it feels like home.  I'll post more yummy recipes as soon as we're moved in.  
So I'll be back in a flash!

In the meantime, bake a batch of your favorite treats and enjoy!

White Chocolate-Polka Dot Zebra Striped Peanut Butter Rice Krispies

It's a mouthful to say-and even yummier to eat! This is a whimsical favorite at my house.  The skies the limit with any kind of addition you might be craving.

On this particular day, my daughter's really wanted chocolate and peanut butter, but not just any chocolate peanut butter creation; they wanted it to have peanut butter chips with yummy white polka dots.

What if zebra's came with white polka dots and chocolate stripes? 

I think they'd look Fabulous!

These are super yummy and so much fun!

The Recipe

6 cups crispy rice cereal                                          1/2 cup peanut butter chips

4 cups miniature marshmallows                               1/2 cup dark or milk chocolate chips

1 T I Can't Believe It's Not Butter, or 1 T butter        1/2 cup white chocolate chips

Spray 8x8 inch square pan, large cooking pot and spatula with non-stick cooking spray.  Melt 1 T butter over med-high heat.  Add marshmallows and stir until melted, take off heat and mix in crispy rice cereal.  Mix in 1/4 cup peanut butter chips, reserving the remainder 1/2 cup for later.  Mix until combined, pour into prepared 8x8 inch square pan, spread evenly and press down firmly with spatula, compacting the mixture.  Set aside to cool.  Melt remaining 1/4 cup peanut butter chips in microwave until melted, about 20-30 seconds, frost on top of cooling rice krispies.  Immediately sprinkle the white chocolate chips over the melted peanut butter chip frosting.  Melt dark or milk chocolate chips in microwave until melted, about 30-40 seconds.  With a fork, "sprinkle" the melted chocolate over the mounds of white chocolate chips.  Transfer rice krispies to the refrigerator until everything is set.  Before serving, take rice krispies out of the refrigerator and let stand on the counter for about 10 minutes.  Slice into squares and serve.  These are deliciously thick and dense.

Smart Little Cookie Tip:

This is a decadent treat, however, 1 T I Can't Believe It's Not Butter adds 5 g fat to the whole recipe, even if you use 1 T regular butter, that would add 11 g fat, as opposed to the traditional Rice Krispie Treat recipe which calls for 3 T butter at 33 g fat. This is a pretty good replacement and your waist won't regret it!

Something about rice krispies brings the simple things back into perspective.

Enjoy!

  

My New Blog Design!

I am one lucky girl.  I have the most Wonderful friends! One of which, is my wonderful and amazingly talented friend Heather, who created my Fabulous blog design.  It's so fun to see something I have such passion for, be complimented and come to life with the talents of someone who can take what I've imagined in my mind, and create it on the computer.  Thank you SO much my dear friend Heather, you're the best!! I hope you all enjoy it as much as I am.  If you have a blog that you'd like to customize, contact my friend Heather at www.ritassweetshop.blogspot.com, or, click on her blog button on the left side of my blog-Rita's Sweet Shop. Each of her designs are brilliant!

Talent used to inspire and uplift, 
is the best talent of all.

German Brown Mustard Dip

A little odd to see a healthy veggie snack on a sweet-treat blog? Well, I do love to eat my fruits and veggies! This is a Smart Little Cookie way of eating healthy AND enjoy some treats! This is a little something I threw together late this morning for a snack and I want to share it!  I love brown mustard, and wanted to mellow out the flavor just a little to go with my yummy baby carrots...Yum!

The Recipe

1 T German Brown Mustard

1 T Fat Free Ranch Dressing

Cut up veggies

Combine brown mustard and dressing together, mix well. 

Smart Little Cookie Tip:

Use your favorite brown mustard in place of the German Brown if you'd like.  I purchased my yummy German Brown Mustard at Whole Foods. In place of the ranch dressing, you could use sour cream or plain yogurt.  This is an equal parts recipe, so you can easily make more or less.

So Simple, and So Delish!

Almond Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

 Today, I wanted to make my daughter's some yummy cookie dough for a fun after school treat.  I was ready to whip up a batch, and sadly discovered I'm out of vanilla extract...
so, after much thought, my 2 year-old daughter and I decided almond extract would be a wonderful substitute for vanilla.  
I've lightened up the recipe...a girl should be able to eat her cookie dough without all of the guilt, right?
I also made this completely egg-free, making the cookie dough safe to eat.    
Almond extract is the perfect flavoring in this recipe! 

The Recipe

1/2 cup I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Spread       1 cup plus 1 T unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar                                                    1/4 t salt

1/3 cup brown sugar                                          1/2 t baking soda

1/2 t almond extract                                          1/2-1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Combine flour, salt and baking soda together, mix well.

Beat the butters and sugars until well blended, add almond extract.

Add flour mixture to the butter mixture until just combined.  Stir in chocolate chips.

Smart Little Cookie Tip:

This recipe is very versatile.  If you would like to store the cookie dough, place it in a covered container to refrigerate, or, in a freezer safe container or freezer bag and freeze. These also bake beautifully into delicious, soft cookies! Bake at 350 degrees F for 8-10 minutes.
To use this recipe in ice cream, use your favorite sweet cream base and follow your ice cream makers manufacturers instructions.

For the original Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream recipe,
visit: www.heathersbytes.com/homemade-cookie-dough-ice-cream/

Fabulously Delicious!

Luscious Lemon Cupcakes

Some days are just meant to have the flavor of lemon in them, and these pretty little yummies are the perfect treat for today.  They will sweep you off your feet!

Makes 2 dozen

The Recipe

Cake:

1 lemon                                                                1 3/4 cups sugar

3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour                        2 large eggs

2 t baking powder                                                 2 egg whites

1/2 t salt                                                              

1 cup skim or 1% milk

6 ounces non-fat lemon yogurt                              Frosting:

(or, 6 ounces non-fat plain yogurt with                  3/4 cup I Cant' Believe It's Not

 2 t lemon zest mixed in)                                                    Butter Spread  

1 t lemon extract                                                  16 ounces confectioner's sugar  

3/4 cup I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Spread          2 T lemon juice (from zested lemon)     

1 T butter, softened                                             1/2 t lemon extract            

Cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line muffin tins with paper liners.  

Zest lemon peel (about 2 teaspoons).  Juice lemon, set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt.  Mix well with a whisk until completely combined.  In a measuring cup, whisk together milk, yogurt and lemon extract, set aside.  In a large bowl, beat butters and sugar together until light and fluffy.  Beat in eggs and egg whites, one at a time, beating well after each.

Mix flour mixture into the butter mixture in three additions, alternating with milk mixture.  Start and end with flour mixture, mix well after each addition.  Fold in 2 t lemon zest.  Divide batter evenly into each cupcake cup.

Bake at 350 degrees F for about 30 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center of one, comes out clean.  Cool completely.

Frosting:

Beat butter, confectioner's sugar, reserved lemon juice and lemon extract.  Mix until smooth, adding more confectioner's sugar as needed for desired consistency.

Smart Little Cookie Tip: 
If you like, or even love the flavor of lime, like I do, substitute 1 lime in place of the lemon in this recipe for both the cupcakes and the frosting.  You could also use 4-5 key limes for the equivalent of 1 lime-You can never go wrong with the flavor of key lime! Yum!!!

Avoir un jour succulent de citron !

Have a luscious lemon day!