Manly Mini Cheesecakes {Whiskey + Chocolate}

Sometimes I get these ideas and these ideas tend to come to me at the last minute. They almost always come to fruition at the very last minute actually (drives Ryan nuts). Enter these little cuties. I finished cranking them out about 5 minutes before we were supposed to leave for the party. That's right we were late. But they were totally worth it. 

They're rich, creamy, and manly. Men will devour a cute little dessert like this, pinkies in the air, if you tell them there's whiskey in it. And they're the perfect size. You can enjoy the richness of cheesecake without committing to a huge slice. I'd say they're about the size of a 50 cent piece.

Our friend Marty was turning the big five zero. That's right, he's now officially over the hill. As friends arranged a huge shindig complete with lots of boozy karaoke, I asked Marty what edible delight I could bring. He told me he looOoves cheesecake. It was the perfect excuse for me to buy the mini cheesecake pan that I'd been eyeing for years.

Marty has a boozy love affair with Crown Royale, which triggered my decision to make a sampler of boozy infused mini cheesecakes. Sweet treats + alcoholic ingredients = very happy party-goers. 

The beauty of this basic cheesecake recipe is that you can pretty much add whatever you'd like to it. I made toppings out of what I had in my cabinets and fridge. My fiancé has a ridiculous sweet tooth, so there are always mini candy bars and ice cream toppings laying around.

Holy Monkey Bread!

Saturday morning I sat starving, as usual, and wished that I had a sweet little chef in my kitchen that I could summon to make pure breakfasty deliciousness. Unfortunately, I had no tiny chef, but I did have refrigerated biscuits in the fridge. It hit me - monkey bread!

I remember my mom making monkey bread once or twice when I was a kid. I also remember thinking what did I ever do to deserve this plate of heaven? So if you want your kids (or hubby) on their best behavior, just throw out two little words: monkey bread. 

Not sure who came up with the monkey title. I'm thinking of renaming it to Stop My Heart Bread, both from the insane deliciousness and the overload of calories. Either way, it's an incredibly special breakfast that should only make a grand appearance every few months.

Coconut Lime Macaroons

These lime macaroons are the perfect baked good for summer. They require only a few ingredients and are super easy to make. The tartness of the lime pairs perfectly with the sweetness of the coconut. I had originally planned to dip the bottoms in dark chocolate...but why mess with a good thing? 

Perhaps, in the future I'll bathe them in chocolate, but for now I love these macaroons just the way they are.

Start with one can of sweetened condensed milk.

Caramel Pretzel Brownies with White Chocolate Mousse

*UPDATE: I won Iron Baker! Thank you SO much to all that voted, you all are the best! And thanks to Melissa @ 20 Going on 80 for creating and hosting the event!

Go vote for your favorite entry in Iron Baker!

Hopefully it will be this handsome little devil below: 

Gooey Brownies with a Caramel Pretzel Crust and White Chocolate Frangelico Mousse

I'm entering these little sweet and salty treats in the Iron Baker Challenge over at 20 Going on 80. The secret ingredients were white chocolate and caramel. Head over there and check out all of the other fabulous entries that others came up with, then cast your vote for your favorite (voting is closed)!

I adore sweet and salty combinations! And I was so impressed with myself that I pulled this off. It was my first time making caramel and mousse from scratch. Sure I used a box mix for brownies, but so what. In doing so I saved time, energy, and dirty dishes. Plus I think that boxed brownies taste delicious, so I just jazzed them up with a buttery caramel pretzel crust. Perfection!

Since the mousse needs to chill for awhile, that's your starting point.

Melt some white chocolate in a double-boiler along with a little water and Frangelico liqueur. It smells heavenly. Set aside and let cool.

Whisk cream until soft peaks form. I started with an electric whisk, then decided a hand whisk was better. Fold cream into cooled chocolate mixture. Then whisk egg whites and fold in as well. Now stick that mousse baby in the fridge and let it chill out.

I Wanna Marry You Cookies

You may be wondering about the name. I know I did when I first came across this recipe. Well, it turns out that these cookies are just sooooo delicious, that anyone you bake them for, will want to propose to you. You can read about it here in the cook's note.

Not only are these cookies addictive and delicious, but they also dirty less dishes. That's right folks, these cookies only require one pot! The way to a girl's heart (at least this girl's heart) is less dishes to wash.

I love that these cookies are filled with both white and milk chocolate chips. And I was excited to see that the recipe calls for cinnamon, since I always add cinnamon anyway when I make chocolate chip cookies (or waffles...or pancakes...or lasagna, wait maybe not lasagna). 

Pink Chocolate Rice Krispie Treats

Our friend's little girl, Donna, turned three-years-old yesterday. I wanted to bring something fun, for her birthday dinner. So I glanced through my kitchen cabinets and came up with these little cuties. They incorporate 3 things, that I know, little girls love: sprinkles, chocolate, and pink!

You'll notice the recipe doesn't follow the traditional one on the Rice Krispies box. I've learned from Ryan's mom that one should always add more marshmallows and more butter. It's a little indulgent, I know. But, unless you're planning on eating the entire batch, it's not going to make that much of a difference in calories. At least that's what I tell myself.

They're cute, they're gooey and they were a hit even with the adults (including those who claim to "not be a sweets person"). The white chocolate adds a nice touch and you can change the color depending on the occasion (for example: green for St. Patty's Day that's coming up).

Red Velvet Rice Krispie Treats

I'm not a traditional sap when it comes to Valentine's Day. I'm not a red rose kind-of-gal, I don't understand adults receiving stuffed animals as gifts, and I can never seem to get past the first bite in a box of chocolates. Please don't think I'm a Valentine's Scrooge. I'm not...I promise. Hey, I was beyond giddy last year, when Ryan surprised me with a five-course meal at a French restaurant. At the same time, I'm not a gal that's incredibly disappointed just relaxing at home on Valentine's Day (screw the pressure to have some big extravagant plans). But I still like to do something small for my man: a homemade card, something chocolaty, just a little something to make him feel extra special. 

Unfortunately this year, some little microbes decided to invade my body on cupid's day and foil my plans. I was sick as a dog all day long. I had planned to make some "oh so romantic" rice krispie treats (Ryan's favorite) for my Valentine, but that didn't happen. Instead he came home to me, curled up in a ball on the couch, in a very pathetic state.

The next day, looking like the walking dead, but feeling much better, I was determined to make at least one batch. Ryan loves rice krispie treats. And by love, I mean, he would eat his weight in rice krispies. If it came down to me, or a lifetime supply of rice krispie treats, he would hesitate. 

As delicious as they are on their own, I wanted to avoid the traditional recipe for rice krispie treats and try something new. I narrowed it down to Red Velvet Rice Krispie Treats and Bourbon Caramel Rice Krispie Treats with Dark Chocolate. Red Velvet being the easier recipe, and I being in the aforementioned   weakened state, the red-tinted treats were up first. I will be trying the Bourbon Krispies soon enough. Dessert with booze...yes, please!

It all starts with some melted butter. 

Into the pot goes marshmallows, vanilla, and red velvet cake mix.

The red velvet cake mix creates a beautiful color. Love it!

Cocoa Krispies join the party and the incredibly sticky mess begins. 

Once cooled, cut those bad boys up. 

I tried a heart shape, but ended up sticking with squares.

Now for the melted white chocolate drizzle. Create a double boiler. 

Place a glass bowl on top of a pot of boiling water.

Add the chips.

They melt, you drizzle. The treats are complete!

Red Velvet Rice Krispie Treats

Adapted from Pass the Sushi

Ingredients

• 3 Tbsp. butter
• 1 (10.5 oz.) bag mini marshmallows
• 1/2 cup red velvet cake mix
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 6 cups Cocoa Rice Krispies cereal
• 1/2 cup white chocolate chips
• 2 drops red food coloring (optional, just gives red an extra color boost)

Directions
Prepare a 9x13 inch glass pan by spraying with cooking spray or lining with parchment paper, then set aside.

In a large pot, melt butter over low heat. Add the marshmallows, cake mix, and vanilla. Stir frequently, until the marshmallows have completely melted. Add the cocoa krispies; stir until incorporated.

It won't be easy, but transfer the cocoa krispie mixture into the coated 9x13 pan. It's going to be very sticky. To press the treats down evenly into the pan, spray a spatula with cooking spray then pat down until flat and even. Allow to cool.

To melt the white chocolate, create a double boiler by balancing a glass bowl on top of a pot of boiling water. Add the chocolate chips to the bowl, stirring frequently as they melt. Pour melted chocolate into a ziplock bag. Squeeze chocolate to one corner and cut of the tip the bag. Drizzle onto rice krispie squares.

Hope you all had a better Valentine's Day than I did!

Anyone do anything special?

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Linking up with Kojo Designs, Happy Go Lucky, and Be Different Act Normal. There's lots of inspiration over there. Go check 'em out!

S'mores Cupcakes Please...

I always opt to make cupcakes for birthdays and gatherings. They're just so much better than cake. There's no cutting involved, no forks, no plates and let's face it they're so cute! We had some family and friends over for Ryan's birthday yesterday. For dessert we had S'mores Cupcakes.

Now, I'm not the biggest fan of s'mores. They're just so sweet and whenever I'm in a situation where there are s'mores, like camping, there never seems to be an ice cold glass of milk around. Which prompted Ryan to ask : "Do you even like s'mores?...Then why are you making s'mores cupcakes?" Good question. Not really sure. They seemed like they would be a crowd-pleaser. And they were! Check it out:

 Ryan liked 'em

Lexi liked 'em

Rilyn liked 'em

Even I liked them! The graham cracker layer at the bottom gives a nice crunchy texture to contrast the super moist cake. And Ryan concocted a cream cheese marshmallow frosting. True teamwork. I baked the cupcakes, he made the frosting. He frosted the cupcakes, I topped them off with a piece of chocolate.

For the recipe read on...