Pumpkin Dessert Bars

A pumpkin pie in bar form with a cake mix crust, pumpkin custard filling, and a cinnamon cake-mix crunch topping. These bars are perfectly soft, pumpkin-y, and comforting. They are best when served topped with vanilla ice cream, caramel sauce, and a little sea salt.

White Chocolate Honey Nut Cheerio Bars

Sweet and salty cheerio granola bars dipped in white chocolate candy melts. These bars are a sticky treat that can't be beat. They'll be gone in seconds, promise.

Dairy Free Chocolate Soft-Serve Ice Cream

Soft-serve chocolate ice cream that's secretly healthy? I can dig it--- I'm always on the hunt for a guilt-free treat. Plus, no one (yourself included) will ever believe that the base of this decadently smooth soft serve is made with frozen bananas.

Whole Wheat Mini Chip Pancakes

Who knew that whole wheat pancakes didn't have to taste like cardboard? These are moist, light and fluffy. No one will ever guess that you used a whole grain flour in place of the white stuff. 

Rustic Dutch Apple Tart

If apple crisp and apple pie fell in love and made a baby, this would be their love child. Flaky pie crust filled with sweet and tart apples, all topped with a crispy oatmeal brown sugar crumble. For something extra special, serve with a dollop of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream and drizzle with Mrs Richardson's butterscotch caramel ice cream topping!

Mini M & Chocolate Chip Granola Bars

Homemade chewy granola bars studded with mini chocolate chips and mini M&M's. They're the perfect snack to pack for road trips! These chewy, crunchy, and chocolatey treats will satisfy any sweet tooth, and they're a pretty healthy too.

Orange Julius

Creamy, dreamy orange-vanilla-slush. This drink takes only minutes to make and tastes just like the original Orange Julius!

Lemonade Cake

Lucious lemon cake topped with smooth lemon-y frosting. Thanks to the lemonade concentrate in the batter and frosting, it actually tastes like lemonade too!

Tiger's Blood Italian Sodas

Cool down on a hot summer day with this delectable drink.  Simple syrup flavored with fresh strawberries and coconut extract is mixed with club soda, ice, half and half then it's topped with coconut flavored whipped cream and crunchy toasted coconut. This drink is sweet, refreshing, and full of summer flavor.

If people knew how simple it was to make flavored syrups, we'd probably all run Torani out of business in a split second. I wouldn't wish that on any company.

If you would rather use store bought syrup in this recipe you can either buy a tiger's blood syrup, or you can mix strawberry flavored syrup with coconut syrup. To get a Tiger's blood flavor you want roughly 60% strawberry syrup and 40% coconut syrup.

Brownie Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream with a Caramel Swirl

July is my favorite month ever because:

1) My husband's semester ends in just about 20 days or so and then it's vacation time!

2) The 4th of July is MY FAVORITE HOLIDAY EVER!!!!! In fact, I have to apologize for my lack of July 4th food posts this year (aka none at all).

3) It's National Ice Cream Month, which gives me a really good excuse to eat ice cream, like, every-single-day for an entire month.

White Texas Sheet Cake Cupcakes

Moist, tender, fluffy yellow cupcakes flavored with almond extract. These cupcakes are a rendition of one of my favorite cakes, White Texas Sheet Cake. I like to finish them by dipping the cupcake tops in a pourable frosting and sprinkling them with colorful sprinkles.

S'mores Granola Bars

Soft and chewy granola bars loaded with mini teddy grahams, marshmallows, and mini chocolate chips. These bars are a quick and easy no-bake treat for hot summer days!

5-Ingredient Homemade Samoas

Apparently even though girl scouts have started selling cookies orders won't be in until the end of this month. Because I am very impatient and I needed some samoas, I developed this recipe. All the goodness of a girl scout cookie but homemade (sort of) with only five ingredients. Enjoy! 

Homemade Samoas

12 golden oreos

2 cups sweetened coconut, toasted

1 (14 ounce) package caramels, unwrapped

2 tablespoons heavy cream

1 1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Separate the oreo cookies into two halves and scrape off the cream filling. In the end you will have 24 cookies. You may want to have more oreos on hand in case you accidentally break any.

Melt the chocolate according to package directions (I melted mine in a double boiler). Dip the bottoms of the oreo cookies in the chocolate and let cool on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. 

Meanwhile melt the caramel and heavy cream in a microwave, 30 seconds at a time, until it is smooth. Stir in the toasted coconut. Divide mixture evenly on the tops of the oreo cookies and press down.

Drizzle the remaining chocolate over the tops of the cookies. Let cool until chocolate hardens.

Recipe Yield: 24 cookies
Recipe Source: an Amanda Jenks original

Neapolitan Cupcakes

Happy Birthday to me! I'm one year older and wiser too (at least we hope so). Today also happens to be my 100th post. In celebration of this, the 100th post , and to give my fans a little gift of appreciation I am hosting a giveaway. TWO of my lucky readers will win a $25 Amazon gift card. Directions for entering are at the bottom of this post, but don't scroll down there just yet! These cupcakes are worth reading about.

I did not plan for this post to land right on my birthday, but it was really convenient because I only had to make celebration cupcakes once instead of twice.

Well actually, that's not entirely true. I made these cupcakes for the first time this weekend. I found a "from scratch" recipe in an old cookbook of mine. I hated the first attempt. They were dry and crumbly and there was something off about the buttercream frosting. 

I was so displeased with the results that the next day I gave it another go. The second time I used a cake mix and my own buttercream recipe and the end result was absolutely magical. They were fluffy, moist and full of flavor. If I could I would have shipped one of these cupcakes out to each and every one of my readers, because you are all just that awesome. 

Neapolitan Cupcakes

For the Cake:

1 (15.25 ounce) white cake mix *I used Betty Crocker

1 (3.4 ounce) package cheesecake or white chocolate instant pudding *I used  the cheesecake flavor

egg whites, oil, and water listed on back of the box

1 (8 ounce) container sour cream

3 tablespoons cocoa powder

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon almond extract

1 1/2 teaspoons strawberry extract

1/8-1/4 teaspoon red food coloring

For the Buttercream:

1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 lbs powdered sugar

2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons milk, divided

4 tablespoons cocoa powder

1 teaspoon strawberry extract

8-10 drops red food coloring

chocolate jimmies (sprinkles)

To make the cake, preheat oven to 350. Line cupcake tins with 24 liners.

Combine the cake mix and pudding mix powder together in a medium size mixing bowl. In a smaller bowl whisk together the water, oil, and egg whites called for on the box of cake mix. Add the sour cream to the other wet ingredients and mix well. Whisk the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until the mixture is smooth. Divide the cake batter into three equal portions (about 1 1/3 cup each).

To the first one third portion of batter, add the vanilla and the cocoa powder and whisk until fully combined. To the second portion of batter stir in the almond extract. To the last one third of batter, add the strawberry extract and red food coloring. Use 1/8 teaspoon of red food coloring for a lighter pink and 1/4 teaspoon for a darker pink (pictured below is the 1/4 teaspoon pink).

Using two spoons, scoop a tablespoon of each batter into each cupcake tin. I do chocolate on the bottom, white in the middle, and pink on top. Draw a toothpick or skewer back and forth  in the batter to create a marble effect.

Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes in tins and then remove cupcakes to a cooling rack.

To Make the Buttercream, (in a stand mixer fitted with the cookie paddle attachment), whip butter for one minute until it is white and fluffy. Add the vanilla and the powdered sugar slowly while the mixer is running. Once it is all added turn the mixer on to medium high and whip for one minute. Add the 2 tablespoons of milk. Divide the frosting into three equal portions (like we did previously with the cake batter). Leave one portion in the mixer.

Leave one third of frosting as is. To the second third of frosting (the one left in the mixer) add the 2 teaspoons of milk and the cocoa powder. Whip in the mixer until its all combined. To the last portion of frosting, whisk in the strawberry extract and the red food coloring.

Frost the cupcakes with a white stripe in the center, and a pink and chocolate stripe on either side of the white stripe. I dipped my chocolate stripe in chocolate jimmies, which I thought was cute!

They look yummy don't they? Well, they were. 

Recipe Source: an Amanda Jenks original

Brown Butter + Chocolate Chip Cookies

While we were visiting family for Christmas, some girls brought my brother cookies. They were so good that I begged my brother to get the recipe from them. They were the best chocolate chip cookies I have ever had. Come to find out, it was store-bought cookie dough.

At first I was embarrassed that I even asked, and I was ashamed that I loved a store-bought cookie  dough SO much. I usually prefer making things from scratch. I may or may not have even gone out with my mom to buy a five pound bucket of said cookie dough.

Ever since I ate those cookies it has become my life's mission to find a homemade chocolate chip cookie that tasted exactly like them. I've had way too many chocolate chip cookies in the meantime, but I am proud to say that I have found the cookie. The secret is browned butter. If you don't know how to brown butter, I have included a link in the recipe below. These cookies do not disappoint.

Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Recipe Source: about.com

1 cup (2 cubes) salted butter, browned and cooled to room temperature

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

2 tablespoons milk

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 1/4 cup all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

In a large mixing bowl using an electric hand mixer, beat the browned butter and sugars together until light and fluffy. Add egg, egg yolk, milk, and vanilla. Beat on low speed until well blended.

In a separate bowl combine dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, and salt) together with wire whisk. Gradually add these dry ingredients to the wet ingredients until a soft dough forms. Scrape the bowl a few times. Stir in the chocolate chips. Cover and chill for 1 hour--- if it chills for longer it will have to thaw a bit before it is soft enough to be scooped but still firm.

Heat oven to 375°F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Using a cookie scoop, drop rounded tablespoons of cookie dough two inches apart on prepared cookie sheet. Bake for 6-10 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool on cookie sheet for 2 minutes. Remove to a cooling rack. Devour, or store in an air tight container.

TIP: Scoop cookie dough balls onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet and freeze for 1-2 hours. Remove from cookie sheet and store in a gallon size ziploc bag in the freezer. Frozen cookie dough will need 9-10 minutes to bake in a 375°F oven.

Shared here: Pin Me Fridays @ Diana Rambles, On the Menu Monday @ Stone Gable

Make Your Own Marshmallows

I absolutely love homemade marshmallows. Their texture and consistency is exactly like that of store bought marshmallows, but they are softer and much more delicious. I will admit that if you have never made these before, it can get a little bit messy. Since I have made them many times I now know how to keep the sticky stuff {mostly} off of the surfaces in my kitchen. It just gets on my hands, and that part is my fault...