Chocolate Bundt Cake and Peanut Butter Glaze

I needed something fairly quick and simple to make for our game day party on Saturday. Cake seems to go well for both the adults and kids and what better combo than peanut butter and chocolate? This seems to be my go to chocolate cake recipe when I want to make a bundt cake. It is from Askinosie Chocolate and is fabulous! I am out of their cocoa (I guess I should order some!), so I used what I had in the cabinet and it worked out fine. The PB glaze is something I just kind of winged, so we'll just have to go with it. :)


Askinosie Chocolate Cake
2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
1 stick of butter
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 Tbsp (heaping)Askinosie cocoa powder
1 cup water
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 9x13 pan. (I used a bundt pan)
Mix sugar and flour together in a large mixing bowl, set aside. Melt butter in a small pan on the stove. Add vegetable oil, cocoa and water. Bring to a boil. Pour cocoa mixture into sugar/flour mixture. Mix for 5 minutes. Add buttermilk, vanilla, salt, baking soda and eggs and mix again until thoroughly combined. Pour into baking pan, bake for 30-35 minutes. Let cake cool completely before serving.


Peanut Butter Glaze
Basically, here is what I did...heated about 1/2 cup milk and mixed in 1/4 cup of creamy peanut butter until smooth. I dumped some powdered sugar in the mixer bowl...probably around 2 cups?? and then I just added the pb/milk mixture until it came to the consistency I wanted. Simple enough, huh? :)

Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies-Week 11

We are at week 11, just one more week to go! I still have so many more cookies that I want to make!!

This week I give you one of my favorites! These are really easy to make and will add a little wow factor on your platter. You can add the chocolate drizzle or leave them plain. Just make sure that you really drain and pat your cherries dry before you wrap the dough around them, or it won't stick.

Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies

1 10oz jar maraschino cherries with stems, drained and juice reserved

1 Tbsp cherry juice

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp baking powder

1 egg

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

Beat butter in bowl of electric mixer on medium high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and baking powder; beat until combined. Beat in the egg and 1 tsp reserved cherry juice. Beat in as much flour as you can with mixer, stir in any remaining flour with wooden spoon.

Shape a scant 1 tsp of dough around each cherry. Place in 1 inch paper or foil baking cups and place 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until the top looks dry.

Top with melted chocolate or your favorite chocolate glaze and top if sprinkles, if desired.

Chewy Chocolate Cookies-week 4

This week I chose to make these cookies from the new Holiday Taste of Home Magazine. I love this time of year when all the holidays start, although, I wish it didn't come and go so fast. I made these cookies three days ago and they are still chewy in the middle. I am guessing that it is from the 2 1/2 sticks of butter it uses!! Oh well, I didn't say that they were healthy! :)



My one gadget that I have to have when I am making cookies is my little cookie scoop. I use it with almost every cookie that I make, unless it is a slice and bake, but you know, sometimes I am a little impatient to let my dough chill, and I use the scoop anyway. With this batch of dough, I got 6 dozen cookies out of it! So, if you need a good cookie that makes alot, this one is it!



Need some more cookie ideas? Check out my other cookie bake along friends! They are listed on my side bar.








Chewy Chocolate Cookies



1 1/4 cup butter, softened

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups sifted all-purpose flour

3/4 cup cocoa

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips




In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla.




Combine flour, cocoa,, baking soda and salt; gradually add to the creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in the chocolate chips and nuts. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets.




Bake at 350 degrees for 8-9 minutes or until edges are set. Cool on pans for 1 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely.

Gale Gand's Deep Chocolate Shortbread

I must be on a chocolate kick, because, it seems that the last few things that I have posted about is chocolate. Well, I guess you really can't go wrong with it. I found this recipe on the Splenda site and figured that if it is from Gale Gand, then it must be ok. I love shortbread and the thought of making it a little healthier, I couldn't pass it up. The verdict? It is good. I made this yesterday and tried one right after it came out of the oven, and thought..this really is not good. But, today, it is so much better! I'm glad that I didn't just trash it!

Gale Gand's Deep Chocolate Shortbread

From: Splenda

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup Splenda

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp salt

6 Tbsp cocoa powder

1 3/4 cup, plus 2 Tbsp AP flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet or jellyroll pan with parchment paper. Set aside.

Place the butter, Splenda, sugar, vanilla and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Mix, using the paddle attachment of an electric mixer, until the mixture is light and creamy. Add cocoa powder and all of the flour. Mix until just blended.

Remove dough from bowl and form into a ball. Place the ball of dough on the parchment lined pan. Roll the dough into a rectangle approx. 6 1/2 inches wide by 11 inches long and 1/4 inch thick. Pierce the surface of the dough with a fork all over. This allows the air to escape during baking preventing air pockets from forming.

Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, rotating the pan after 10 minutes baking. Remove shortbread from oven immediately cut into 24 fingers or rectangles while shortbread is still warm. If allowed to cool, the shortbread will not slice well.

Beach Bound and Brownies

Tomorrow morning I will be up and on the road at 4 am. Heading to my favorite place south, Seagrove Beach, FL. I will be around and checking on my daily reads at night, I mean, when you are a blogger it is quite obsessive and you can't stay away for too long! So, I will leave you with these brownies. I saw them over at Valerie's and new that I had to make them, they are quick and easy to throw together and gooey in the middle. Just like I like my brownies! Have a great week!


Chewy Cocoa Brownies
From: Valerie
1 2/3 c. sugar
¾ c. butter, melted
2 T. water
2 large eggs
2 t. vanilla
1 1/3 c. flour
¾ c. cocoa
½ t. baking powder
¼ t. salt
¾ c. chopped nuts (optional)
Powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease 9x13-inch baking pan. Combine sugar, butter and water in large bowl. Stir in eggs and vanilla extract. Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt in medium bowl; stir into sugar mixture. Stir in nuts. Spread into prepared baking pan. Bake for 18 to 25 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out slightly sticky. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Sprinkle with powdered sugar or frost with frosting.