Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

I found this recipe a couple of years back. It is my absolute favorite recipe for chocolate frosting.

1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 pinch salt
1 1/2 (1 ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate, melted
1 1/2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
In small bowl mix at medium speed, sugar, butter (softened), and salt until light and fluffy. Add melted chocolate, milk and vanilla extract, beating until well blended.
This recipe makes enough for a 13x9 cake. If you are making a layer cake with it, you will probably want to double it.

Black-Bottom Coconut Bars

Yet another delicious recipe from Everyday Food. (I made just few tiny changes). These are pretty easy to make and are pretty impressive.

FOR CHOCOLATE BASE:

½ cup (1 stick) (salted) butter, plus more for pan

½ cup sugar

1 large egg

¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

¼ cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)

FOR COCONUT TOPPING:

2 large eggs

¾ cup sugar

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)

1 package (7 ounces) sweetened shredded coconut; ½ cup reserved for sprinkling.

1. For chocolate base: Preheat oven to 375°. Line a 9-inch square baking pan with aluminum foil, leaving a slight overhang; butter bottom and sides of foil (not overhang).
2. Place butter in a large microwave-safe bowl; melt in microwave. Add sugar and salt; whisk to combine. Whisk in egg, then cocoa and flour until smooth. Spread batter in prepared pan.
3. Bake just until sides begin to pull away from edges of pan, 10 to 12 minutes (do not overbake). Let cool slightly while preparing coconut topping. Keep oven on for topping.
4. For coconut topping: In a medium bowl, whisk eggs with sugar and vanilla. Gently mix in flour and coconut (except ½ cup reserved for sprinkling).
5. Drop mounds of mixture over chocolate base; spread and pat in gently and evenly with moistened fingers. Sprinkle with reserved ½ cup coconut.
6. Bake until golden and a toothpick inserted in center comes out with moist crumbs attached, 25 to 28 minutes. Cool completely in pan. Lift cake from pan, peel off foil, and cut into bars. Store in an airtight container.

V's Chocolate Chip Cookies

There is nothing better in this world than a good chocolate chip cookie. Seriously. Nothing cheers me up better than cookie. I have been perfecting this recipe for years. Hope you like it!

2 1/4 cups flour (I get the best results when I spoon in to the measuring cup, and then level it off )
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
a dash to 1/8 tsp cinnamon (i like about 2 shakes out of the container)
1/2 cup (1 stick) of butter, hand softened
1/2 cup shortening (i like to use butter flavored crisco. I'm not a huge fan of shortening, but it just gives ccc's the best shape retention and texture. And I've found that if I use the crisco sticks, it freaks me out less. I think i just don't like digging it out of a vat.)
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 large eggs
1 3/4 cups (or just a little less than a 12 oz package) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional) (I love them with pecans) (jared devours these with pecans) (no pressure) (they are still pretty great without pecans).

Combine the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Beat butter, shortening, sugars, and vanilla extract until creamy. Add eggs, beat well. Add your dry ingredients mixture to this about a 1/2 a cup at a time. Stir in the chocolate chips and the nuts if you want them.
Drop by heaping teaspoons full onto baking sheets.
You don't want to over-bake these. 7-9 minutes at 375 is about all you need. You can tell they are ready to come out, when they have lost their shine. Let them cool on wire racks.

Brownie Trifle

This dessert is always impressive, and it feeds quite a few people with pretty minimal effort.

1 package brownie mix ( 13X9 inch pan size)
2 1/2 cups cold milk
2 packages (3.4 oz) instant chocolate pudding mix
1 12 oz carton cool whip
3 Heath candy bars, chopped

Bake brownies, using directions for cake-like brownies. Cool completely.
Beat the milk and pudding mixes on low speed for 2 minutes. Fold in whipped topping. Cut the brownies into 1 in cubes; place half in the bottom of your trifle bowl. Cover with half of the pudding mixture. Repeat layers. Sprinkle with chopped heath.

Eclair Cake

This dessert is so yummy. But in my opinion, anything with pudding, cool whip and chocolate is delicious.

Cake:
1 box (1lb) graham crackers
2 (3 1/4 oz) boxes instant French vanilla pudding
3 1/2 cups milk
1 (8oz) container frozen whipped topping

Frosting:
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup cocoa
3 T butter, softened
3 T milk
2 tsp light corn syrup
2 tsp vanilla extract

Spray pam in the bottom of a 13X9 pan. Line the whole bottom with graham crackers. (you don't crush them, just sort of lay them in the bottom to cover the bottom of the dish). Beat pudding with milk at medium speed for 2 minutes. Fold in whipped topping. Pour half the pudding mixture over graham crackers. Place another layer of graham crackers over pudding mixture. Pour remaining half of pudding mixture over graham crackers. Place another layer of graham crackers on top of pudding mixture.

For frosting, blend together sugar and cocoa. Add butter and milk, mixing well. Add corn syrup and vanilla. Stir until creamy. Cover last layer of graham crackers with frosting. This dessert tastes best if you can chill it for 24 hours.

Oreo Peanut Butter Truffles

36 Oreo Cookies (1 package)
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
12 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips

Take out 16 cookies and finely crush them, set aside. Chop the remaining oreo's. Combine the chopped Oreo's with the peanut butter. Roll the pb and oreo mixture into 1-inch balls. This can be kind of tricky on account of peanut butter being one of the stickiest substances on earth. I find that I have rinse my hands about every 3-4 balls rolled. And actually, it is quite helpful to keep your hands a little wet. Ok, after the balls are rolled, the need to be frozen until solid. Melt chocolate. Dip the frozen balls into the melted chocolate to coat. Then, roll them in the finely crushed oreo's to coat. Put on wax paper. Refrigerate 30 minutes before eating. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.
I got this recipe about 6 years ago off of the back of an oreo package. It is seriously one of the best things I have ever eaten. I mean, oreo's, pb and chocolate, you can't really go wrong with that combination of goodness. My friend Lindsay raised a good question after trying one yesterday. She said, "why have I never had anything like this before?" My answer to her is, "I don't know Lindsay, but now that you have, today is the first day of the rest of your life." Well, not really... but they are pretty great.

German Chocolate Cake

Cake:
here's my opinion on home made cake....it's good if you have the time and want to make something a little more special, but after making numerous home made cakes, i will probably just use the box cakes from now on. Home made cakes are just a little better, but box cakes are good enough for me.
If you are feeling motivated, here is the recipe for the home made version of German chocolate cake....
1 Bar (4 oz) Bakers German Sweet Chocolate
1/2 cup boiling water
1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
4 egg yolks, unbeaten
2 1/2 cups cake flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla
4 egg whites stiffly beaten
Melt the chocolate in boiling water. Set aside to cool. Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add egg yolks one at a time beating well. Add cool chocolate mix and vanilla. Sift flour and other dry ingredients into the mixture. Add the buttermilk and beat until smooth. Fold in egg whites. Divide batter into 3 9 inch round pans ( i only use two because that's all i have, but they get pretty full and you may have to leave a little batter out), bottoms greased and floured. Bake 350 for 30-40 minutes.

Frosting
This is the part that really makes this cake, it is delicious!
1 cup sugar
1 cup evaporated milk
3 egg yolks
1 1/2 cup shortening
Cook and stir on medium heat until mixture boils. Remove from heat and add:
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups coconut
1 1/3 cups pecans

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Bars

I got this recipe through my mother in law. It's kind of a family staple at get-togethers now.

MIX:
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup butter
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
ADD:
3 cups instant oats
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup chocolate chips

Press into ungreased jelly roll pan, bakeat 350 for 15-17 minutes. When cooled, combine 1 cup powdered sugar and 1 1/2 TB water, and drizzle over cooled cookies.

**DO NOT overbake these. Watch them carefully as cooking times vary. For some reason they are not good if they are too brown.