caramel apple pie trifle

{photo credit: me}

do you remember apple bobbing from when you were a kid? i'm glad i never thought about just how disgusting the whole game actually is when i was nine years old and my head was submerged in a bucket of germ and spit infested water. not to mention what a fool you looked like to everyone who was standing around watching you. at nine years old you don't care about stuff like that. you care about that apple. that one freaking apple.

now that we're grown and fancy, we prefer our apples already caught for us. preferably peeled and sliced. doused with sugar and layered between whipped cream and creamy vanilla pudding.

caramel apple pie trifle

(this recipe yields 42 servings. 42? i don't have that many friends. i cut everything in half, and it made enough for one small travel size serving and one medium/large serving.)

ingredients:

1 package yellow cake mix

6 cups cold milk

3 packages (3.4 oz) instant vanilla pudding

1 teaspoon apple pie spice

1 jar (12-1/4 ounces) caramel ice cream topping

1-1/2 cups chopped pecans, toasted

2 cans (21 ounces each) apple pie filling

2 cartons (16 ounces each) frozen whipped topping, thawed

directions:

1. prepare and bake cake according to package directions, using two greased 9-in. round baking pans. cool for 10 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely.
2. in a large bowl, whisk milk, pudding mixes and apple pie spice for 2 minutes. let stand for 2 minutes or until soft-set.
3. cut one cake layer if necessary to fit evenly in an 8-qt. punch bowl. poke holes in cake with a long wooden skewer; gradually pour a third of the caramel topping over cake. sprinkle with 1/2 cup pecans and spread with half of the pudding mixture.
4. spoon one can of pie filling over pudding; spread with one carton of whipped topping.
5. top with remaining cake and repeat layers. drizzle with remaining caramel topping and sprinkle with remaining pecans. refrigerate until serving.

for the original recipe go here

try it out! it was super easy to put together, and i had no leftovers. my friends are just like me-they like their fruit as unhealthy as possible. 

blackberry blackberry

{photo credit: me}

dan and i took a day trip home to see my family in southern pines this past saturday and had a lovely time. my parents have a little garden in their yard as well as a blueberry and blackberry bush. neither berry is quite ripe (maybe a couple more weeks?), but now i can't stop thinking of blackberry desserts! do you guys have any favorite blackberry recipes? or even another kind of berry dessert that you like to make? here are a few that sound quite delicious to me.

blackberry oatmeal crumble bars

chocolate blackberry cake

cherry, blackberry, and almond crisp

blackberry cheesecake

lemon blackberry tart

summer fruits, make my dreams come true.

stuffed cookie dough brownies

{photo credit: me}

i've been teasing you in previous posts about these brownies. honestly, i wanted to keep them all to myself. i wanted to have all the stuffed cookie dough brownies for my very own and eat them with a big spoon straight from the pan while wearing my pink bathrobe. but then i remembered, i already did that.

these brownies will change your life. they will make you believe in love again. they will soften hearts of stone and bring big, burly men to their knees. they have the power to make the lame walk.

you see, these brownies contain magical ingredients called peanut butter and chocolate. shala-kazaaam.

{photo credit: me}

cookie dough stuffed brownies

ingredients

1 box betty crocker fudge brownies, prepared according to package directions for a 13×9-inch pan
4 oz cream cheese
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter (not natural peanut butter)
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
pinch of salt
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
1 1/2 to 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted

in large bowl with an electric mixer, combine cream cheese, peanut butter, brown sugar, vanilla, salt and powdered sugar until creamy. stir in mini chocolate chips by hand. spread mixture atop baked brownie mixture in pan.

directions

spread melted chocolate atop cookie dough mixture until you can no longer see any of the cookie dough. refrigerate until chocolate is set, at least 30 minutes. cut into bars to serve.

for recipe source, click here. 

{photo credit: me}

pink lemonade pie

{photo credit: me}

i want you to think that i am a goddess in the kitchen whipping up gourmet recipes with imported ingredients like blood orange olive oil from italy and cocoa powder straight from spain. i have every kitchen gadget you can imagine, and i never burn anything. also, i am wearing heels and lipstick. 

such is not the case. i try to be a fancy chef, but then i remember things like powdered mashed potatoes exist. this pie requires pink lemonade concentrate from the can and cool whip. i'm not ashamed.

this recipe came into my inbox from lulu the baker with such authority and confidence that i couldn't say no. instead i said siryessir. the ingredient list is six items long, and i actually reduced it to four because i bought my graham cracker crust instead of making it. ain't nobody got time for that.

{photo credit: me}

pink lemonade pie 

the crust: 
buy it, fools. don't be an overachiever. 

the filling:
6 oz pink lemonade concentrate, thawed
1 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk
1 8-oz container cool whip, plus more for topping 

in a medium bowl, whisk together pink lemonade and sweetened condensed milk until combined. gently fold in cool whip. spread filling evenly in completely cooled crust and freeze until solid. cut and serve immediately. if desired, top with more cool whip or whipped cream. 

done and done! the pie was delicious and perfectly tangy. i made it for my co-workers the day before our 4th of july holiday, and they ate it up. literally and figuratively. this same recipe would also be great served in mini graham cracker crusts as individual desserts. maybe a blueberry or two on top as a sweet garnish?

and there you have it. the easiest pie recipe in the world. thank you, lulu. 

black-bottom cheesecake brownies

{photo credit}

sometimes i get the strong, sudden urge to bake and before i ask my roommate if it would be a good idea to make a large pan of chocolatey/sugary/layered/fudgy dessert (because i know she'll say no), i find myself driving to the store for butter, sugar, and cream cheese.

i'm a firm believer in asking for forgiveness than permission. 

one fine day a couple of weeks back, this gorgeous photo from lulu the baker appeared in my inbox. {how can you look at that picture and not have impure thoughts about chocolate?}

i filed the recipe away in my brain, knowing that the perfect time to bake these brownies would present itself. that time came about 30 minutes later when i was still obsessively thinking about them. 

the recipe list doesn't mention it, but you'll also need 15 friends to help you eat these brownies. and at least half of those people need to be strong, burly men who alone could eat a large meat lovers pizza without blinking an eye. 

for the brownie layer:

6 oz unsweetened chocolate
2 sticks unsalted butter
1 2/3 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
4 eggs plus 2 egg yolks
2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla

for the cheesecake layer:

2 8-oz bricks cream cheese, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
6 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
12-oz package semi-sweet chocolate chips

begin by preheating the oven to 325°F. lightly spray a 9x13" baking pan with cooking spray. line the pan with aluminum foil, leaving enough foil hanging out on each side to use when lifting the brownies out of the pan after they've cooled. spray foil well with nonstick cooking spray.

to make the brownie layer, combine unsweetened chocolate and butter in a microwave-safe bowl. microwave on high, stirring every 30 seconds, until chocolate and butter are melted. whisk until smooth. in a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. in a medium bowl, whisk eggs, sugar, and vanilla until smooth. whisk in melted chocolate mixture. add flour mixture and stir until smooth. pour batter into prepared pan.

to make the cheesecake layer, beat cream cheese, sugar, and salt with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. add eggs 2 at a time, beating and scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. beat in vanilla. pour cheesecake batter over brownie batter. sprinkle chocolate chips evenly over the top, and bake for 1 hour 15 minutes, until golden on top. remove the cheesecake brownies from the oven and allow to cool completely before removing from pan and cutting. cut into 24 bars. refrigerate leftovers.

{photo credit: me}

my roommate and i didn't wait for the brownies to cool before we dug right in. they were ok straight from the oven but tasted way better after a night in the fridge. i guess that makes sense as they are cheesecake brownies and cheesecake is usually {read: always} served cold. 

ain't nobody got time for that. i can't help that part of my personality is to see dessert and immediately reach for a fork.