Best Cocoa Brownies

Ingredients:

1/2 c. butter

1 1/4 c. white sugar

2 eggs

1 t. vanilla extract

1/3 c. unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 c. all-purpose flour

1/4 t. salt

1/4 t. baking powder

Recipe:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9-inch square pan.

2. Melt 1/2 c. butter. Remove from heat and stir in sugar, eggs, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. *

3. Gently stir in 1/3 c. cocoa, 1/2 c. flour, salt and baking powder. Spread batter into prepared pan.

4. Bake in preheated oven for 28-30 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes before cutting.

*I melted my butter in the microwave and then poured it into the mixing bowl. Faster.

Rating: 4 of 5

As far as ease it's concerned, it's a 5. Such an easy recipe. It makes for a crispy outside and warm, ooey gooey inside. I didn't cook mine long enough (my oven tends to be on the warmer side of things) which caused an under-cooked middle (and I tend to not do the toothpick test!). So so so good and will definitely be making these again!

Source: The Comfort of Cooking, Best Cocoa Brownies

Homemade Magic Shell

Ingredients:

1 1/4 c. chocolate chips

1/2 c. coconut oil, measured when solid

Recipe:

1. Melt chocolate chips and coconut oil in the microwave about 1 minute.

2. Allow to sit a few minutes to allow the heat of the oil to melt the chocolate chips and then stir until smooth. It will be runny.

3. Pour into a bottle.*

4. Store in the refrigerator, although it is likely that the magic shell with stay liquid in the summer. **

5. To serve, heat the glass bottle (open cap) in the microwave for 30 seconds until liquid. Stir and continue heating at 30 second intervals if not liquid after the first 30 seconds. Pour over your favorite ice cream and in a few seconds you will see magic!

*Site recommends a glass bottle if you're going to refrigerate and then re-heat.

** Coconut oil is a solid at 76 degrees F and below and liquid 77 degrees F and up.

Rating: 3.5 of 5

Yeah, this stuff really works like the real Magic Shell! It's great! I used semi-sweet, but I don't think I will do that again unless I add some peanut butter in there too. I'm much more of a milk chocolate type of gal. So, next time I do semi-sweet I think I'll add in 2 T. peanut butter for the Reese's taste. One thing I did notice about this mixture is that it is much thinner than the real stuff. This, I think, could be solved by simply cutting back on some of the oil. It seemed like too much to me. I'll have to play around with it.

Source: Alpha Mom, Magic Shell

Copycat: Dole Pineapple Whips

Ingredients:

2 20-oz. can Dole crushed pineapple

2 T. pineapple juice (from canned pineapple)

2 T. lemon juice

2 T. lime juice

1/3 c. sugar

1 1/2 c. heavy whipping cream, whipped

Recipe:

1. Drain pineapple and reserve 2 tablespoons of the juice; set aside.

2. Place pineapple, lemon and lime juice, pineapple juice, and sugar in a blender or food processor. Cover and blend until smooth.

3. Pour mixture into 2 1-quart freezer zipped bags. Lay flat in freezer.

4. Freeze 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until slushy.

5. Once pineapple mixture has reached desired consistency, whip the cream and then fold the whipped cream and pineapple mixture together.

6. Return to freezer until completely frozen, about 1 hour. Serve.

Rating: 3.5 of 5

This is close, but it's not it. And if you like your Dole whips just like they serve them, then you're going to be able to tell the difference. This is the ONE thing I would splurge on when Emily and I would go to DL with the kids during the week. I love this stuff and it has to be right. I feel like the pineapple taste isn't strong enough and the cream gives it the wrong texture. A little too slippery of an after taste. But, it is close. And it is easy to make. It's still good. And.... I still eat it for breakfast.

Source: PrudencePennywise.blogspot.com, Dole Pineapple Whips

Hawaiian Pizza Topping

Ingredients:

1 can of pineapple chunks or tidbits, drained

3-5 T. brown sugar

Recipe:

1. Dump the pineapple and brown sugar into a sauce pan and simmer for 10 minutes. Drain the pineapple and place on pizza.

Rating: 4 of 5

Really, you can't tell that the pineapple was simmered in brown sugar. I think it made it a bit sweeter and softened the pineapple up since the crust cook time was short. But, it was a nice little extra touch on the Hawaiian pizza we had. I think the extra pineapple would be good with French Vanilla ice cream.....I'll have to try that.

Source: my own

Chocolate Mug Milkshakes

Ingredients:

4 c. chocolate ice cream

2 c. milk

1/4 c. packed brown sugar

1/4 c. white sugar

1/4 t. ground cinnamon

Recipe:

1. In a blender, combine all ingredients. Blend until smooth. Pour into glasses.

Rating: 2 of 5

Basically, we were really disappointed in this one. I can't believe I'm saying this, but it was TOO chocolate-y. If you really, really, really like chocolate, then this is the shake for you. We were sad this one didn't turn out as we expected it.

Source: AllRecipes: Dinner Tonight, p. 15

Strawberry Shortcakes

Ingredients:

1 quart strawberries, sliced

1 c. sugar

2 c. all-purpose flour

2 T. sugar

3 t. baking powder

1 t. salt

3/4 c. milk

1/3 c. margarine or butter, melted

Recipe:

1. Sprinkle strawberries with 1 c. of sugar; let stand 1 hour. *

2. Preheat the oven to 450.

3. Mix flour, 2 T. sugar, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Stir in milk and margarine just until blended.

4. Sprinkle a surface lightly with flour. Turn the dough onto the surface. Gently smooth into a ball.

5. Knead 20-25 times. Roll or pat dough 3/4 inch thick; cut into shortcakes with a floured 3 to 32 1/2 inch biscuit cutter. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. **

6. Bake until golden brown, 10-12 minutes.

7. Split warm shortcakes crosswise; fill and top with strawberries. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream.

* I put the strawberries back in the fridge for that hour.

** I don't have cookie or biscuit cutters and just used a large cup.

Rating: 4.5 of 5

I am not a huge fan of shortcake, but I thought this was pretty good. It actually tasted a lot like my Grandma's biscuits which are sooo good. You can never go wrong with strawberries and whipped cream though. LaDon declared it "perfect" while eating.