Valentine's Day Treats: Chocolate Cupcakes with Whipped Peanut Butter Frosting #valentinesday #cupcakes #recipes

~Post by Patricia

One of my very favorite food combinations is chocolate and peanut butter. I love it so much but wanted something more that just my favorite candy to enjoy.

Cupcakes are always welcomed by friends and family, so these were the perfect answer to a quick dessert, and also satisfied my chocolate and peanut butter craving.

The peanut butter frosting on these cupcakes is made with cream cheese, a frosting that I enjoy making and my family really loves.

The chocolate cupcakes is an easy recipe, and I always think homemade tastes so much better than boxed mix.

And if you keep the baking essentials well stocked in your pantry, you can be ready to bake so many yummy treats as a moments notice.

I made these cupcakes just for fun to have for dessert. My family loved them, and this recipe is definitely a keeper.


Recipe for Chocolate Cupcakes with Whipped Peanut Butter Frosting

Ingredients for cupcakes:

1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons butter, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup milk

Directions for cupcakes:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake tin with paper liners.
Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa, and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well with each addition, then stir in the vanilla.
Add the flour mixture alternately with the milk. Beat well. Fill the cupcake liners 3/4 full.
Bake in preheated oven 16-18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting.

Ingredients for frosting:

1/2 cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup unsalted roasted peanuts, chopped

Directions for frosting:

With an electric mixer on low speed, beat cream cheese, peanut butter, and confectioners' sugar in a bowl until smooth, about 2 minutes.
With a small spatula, frost cupcakes and sprinkle with peanuts.

Makes 18 cupcakes.

St. Patrick's Day Brownies and Recipe

Saint Patrick's Day is on Friday but I just couldn't wait to make something green. I love brownies, and so do my grandchildren, so I made these to share with them.

Here is one of my favorite brownie recipes, and it is super easy to make. The recipe makes a big pan, enough for a potluck, or hungry grandchildren :)

Recipe for Quick and Easy Brownies

Ingredients:

2 cups sugar
1 cup butter
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp. vanilla extract
4 eggs
11/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup walnut halves (optional)

Directions:

Melt the butter or margarine and mix all ingredients in the order given.
Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes in a greased 9x13 pan.

Chocolate Brownie Cupcakes Made With TWIX Bites Candy

One of my very favorite candies, TWIX, now comes in packages of bite-size pieces. And if you are a candy lover like me, this is great news!!

Of course I love eating my TWIX Bites right out of the bag, but I've also been having some fun with using candy in my baking recipes lately.

Brownies are a big favorite around my house, so I decided to pair my best brownie recipe with new TWIX Bites for a yummy treat that my whole family would love.

I adore chocolate and so do my grandchildren. They quickly figured out that the TWIX Bites are the perfect size for those little fingers to pop right in their mouths!!

I was grocery shopping at Walmart when I found the TWIX Bites, and I saw they come in Milk Way, Snickers, and 3 Musketeers varieties, as well. I bought a few bags, thinking these would be the perfect treat for our family movie nights.

When I made my chocolate brownie cupcakes, the first thing I did was to chop up the TWIX Bites. Since they would be going inside the cupcakes and on top, I used the whole package to make sure they tasted really fabulous.

I made my favorite, super-easy brownie recipe, and filled the cupcake liners about a third full. Then I dropped in three pieces of the cut Twix Bites, and then added more brownie mix.

I filled the liners about 3/4 full because I like a big cupcake, and I'd rather have fewer and have them be big and fabulous, than more smaller ones.

My cream cheese frosting recipe is from Martha Stewart, and it really is delicious. I use this frosting for so many baked goods, including cakes, carrot cake, and cookies.

The brownie cupcakes came out of the oven and sank a tiny bit, but it turns out this just made them even more chocolaty. And they smelled so good!!

Recipe for Chocolate Brownie Cupcakes With Twix Bites

Makes 16-18

Ingredients:                                              
                                                        
1 cup butter 
1 cup cocoa  powder
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
                                                                                                                                             

8 ounces (1 bar) cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 Bag of TWIX bites, chopped

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cupcake pan with paper liners. Melt butter in a small sauce pan, then pour into a medium bowl. Add cocoa powder and stir until well combined.
Add eggs and stir into mixture. Stir in vanilla, flour, and salt. Do not over mix. Fill liner with batter 1/3 full. Drop in chopped TWIX pieces, and fill about 3/4 full. Bake 20-22 minutes.

Frosting:
With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat cream cheese, confectioners' sugar, and vanilla until fluffy. Spread frosting on top of cupcakes when they are cooled, and top with chopped TWIX pieces.
 

The cupcakes ended up tasting super good, so rich and chocolaty, and with TWIX as a delicious center. My family and I ate them for dessert that night, and I snuck one for breakfast the next morning!

This really is an easy recipe, and well worth the effort of making brownies from scratch. They can also be made with the other varieties of candy, and I'm thinking I'll make them with Snickers Bites for my grandson's end of the year barbeque. I'm sure they would be a hit with the kids and the parents, too.
#CollectiveBias

You can find all four varieties, including TWIX Bites, at your local Walmart.

There is also a great coupon at Social Twist that lets you save $1.00 off when you buy two 2.83 oz. or larger bags, or $3.00 off when you buy two 6 oz. or larger bags.

What a great reason to #EatMoreBites, right?

Making Chocolate Tarts With Delicious Milky Way Caramel Bites



I happen to be one of those people who are crazy about chocolate. I love chocolate anything, but a chocolate dessert is my absolute favorite. And a dessert made with chocolate and caramel candy? Yes, please!!

I just bought some cute little mini tart pans and have been thinking about making chocolate tarts for awhile now. Although I've made a couple of lemon tarts and other kinds, I've never tried making a chocolate one.

When I was shopping recently at Walmart, I made a trip down the candy aisle and found one of my favorite candies in the world, Milky Way.

But these were not regular candy bars, they were Milky Way Simply Caramel Bites. So cute, and the perfect snack size for myself and my grandchildren. I have been eating Milky Way candy bars since I was a kid, and I just frankly adore them.



 These are just so cute, and I decided to make my chocolate mini chocolate tarts with them as an ingredient.

 I can remember my own Mom using candy in her desserts, and they were always so delicious.

I try hard to be the best "Nana" I can be, and in my book, that includes providing yummy treats for my four grandchildren. I didn't doubt these little tarts would be a big hit with them.

I have to say that Walmart has a fabulous candy aisle, and it's pretty easy to find your favorites.

Not only did I find Milky Way Simply Caramel Bites, but Snickers and 3 Musketeers Bites, as well.

With three kinds to choose from, I can definitely #EatMoreBites in these kinds as well.
#CollectiveBias.

The thing that I have found about making tarts is that making the filling is the easy part. The hard part is getting a light and flaky tart crust. You don't want to mix the dough too much or it will end up being tough.

I wanted the Milky Way Simply Caramel bites to be inside the filling, and on top. You can never have too much of a good thing!!

I put some into my mini food processor and chopped them up so that they would blend easily into the chocolate filling and create a rich chocolate and caramel dessert. Then I used larger pies to go on top of the tarts, as a finishing touch.

Honestly, making tarts used to intimidate me. They seemed like such a fancy dessert, and I only ever ate them at a restaurant or someone's house that was an excellent cook.

But they really aren't that difficult to make, and I'm so happy I made these. Were they good?

Yeah, they were super good!! And I'm totally going back to Walmart and picking up more Bites, this time in not just the Milky Way Simply Caramel, but the Snickers and 3 Musketeers kind, too.

Here's my recipe for Chocolate Tarts With Milky Way Caramel Bites


Ingredients for Tart Shells:

 3/4 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour

Directions:

 Combine butter, 1/2 cup sugar, vanilla extract, and salt in a large bowl and mix together with a hand mixer until smooth. Stir flour into butter mixture to make a smooth dough, but do not over mix.
Press dough into a 8 mini tart pans refrigerate  for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake tart shells until light and golden, 10-15 minutes. Remove from oven.

Ingredients for Filling:

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup good quality baking cocoa
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 cups whole milk
2 tablespoons of butter
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup Milky Way Simply Caramel Bites, ground up in a food processor

Directions:

In a heavy saucepan, combine sugar, cocoa, cornstarch, and salt. Gradually stir in milk.
Bring to a boil over medium heat, boil and whisk for 2 minutes.
Remove from the heat and whisk in butter and vanilla. Whisk in finely chopped chocolate and caramel bits. Refrigerate filling until chilled. Spoon into tart shells, and top with sliced Bites pieces.

I dusted the shells with powdered sugar before filling them, but this is completely optional.

Makes 8 tarts.



If you'd like to try Milky Way Simply Caramel Bites, or the two other available kinds, Walmart is offering two great money-saving coupons for you to use.

Receive $0.75 off when you buy (2) 2.83 oz. bags or $3.00 off when you buy (2) 6 oz. bags or larger

• $3.00 off 2 link:
• http://coupons.walmart.com/?cid=18153148
• $0.75 off 2 link:
• http://coupons.walmart.com/?cid=18153149

You can also join the #EatMoreBites Twitter Party on Friday, March 14, from 1:00-2:00 PM EST for a chance to win $550 in Walmart Gift Cards. 



Simple Dessert: Pears & Greek Frozen Yogurt

As a mom that works outside the home I do not have time on some days to bake or make an amazing dessert. On those days I keep it simple by purchasing tasty and somewhat healthy items. No cooking, easy clean up and to my son ice cream with a sweet topping. I found Greek frozen yogurt and jarred pears at the dollar store. This dessert was sooooo good and only $2! Great buy and my son loved it.

Do you have any simple and inexpensive healthy desserts?