Hey there! Molly here from What Molly Made, a food blog dedicated to all things dessert, both healthy and indulgent!I’m convinced love is the answer, that you can enjoy butter and veggies equally, that delicious baked goods should be something everyone can enjoy and that I was called to serve others through my passion for baking. And I’m doing my best to live out that passion every day!

And this Cranberry Orange Pound Cake is the perfect place to start.

I have something to admit, I am generally a chocolate dessert lover over fruit desserts. I tend to stay away from fruity desserts on the buffet table and grab the cookie or brownie first. Knowing this about myself I wanted to challenge myself and get out of my comfort zone.

Being it’s the holidays and almost Christmas (HOW did that happen so fast?!) I wanted to stick to a flavor profile I knew would work together and be the perfect seasonal treat. Can you get more festive than cranberries? And the citrus from the orange is a perfect and subtle flavor to compliment the tiny red bursts of Christmas joy.

Have you ever eaten a cranberry raw? Not once they’ve been baked, candied, or mixed with tons of sugar for jello at Thanksgiving, but a legit raw cranberry. It’s really kind of gross. Unless you’re into the whole hard and incredibly tart/bitter kind of flavor.

I can safely say I am not one of those people. I popped one in my mouth while mixing up the pound cake batter and instantly regretted what I got myself into.

But I knew this cake batter and the magic that is baking would work wonders on the cranberries. If you’ve ever done what I did, do not be afraid of making this cranberry orange pound cake recipe! When you incorporate the cranberries into the batter and throw it in the oven, they become all warm and happy and burst with delight and mix well with the sugar from the batter.

When you cut into the cake, you’ll see exactly what I’m talking about! And it turns out that the tartness is ever so subtle and the most delicious addition to this recipe.

This cranberry orange pound cake is large enough to feed you, your family, and even your extended family. Yep, second cousin Mary and her children/cousins/friends are all welcome to join in on the pound cake situation.

It’s perfect for the holidays and parties!

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Cranberry Orange Pound Cake

Servings 16

Ingredients

• 1 cup 2 sticks butter, softened
• 1 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 5 large eggs
• 1 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons orange zest
• 1 tablespoon orange juice half an orange
• 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 cups fresh cranberries
• Citrus Icing
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons orange juice

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350°F and grease and flour a tube or bundt pan and set aside.
• In a large bowl of your stand mixer or with your hand mixer, cream the butter on medium to high speed for approximately 2 minutes. Add the granulated sugar and continuing beating on medium to high until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating 1 minute after each addition. Add the vanilla, orange zest and orange juice and mix until incorporated.
• In a separate bowl, combine the flour, salt and baking powder. lower the mixer speed to low and slowly add the flour and mix until completely incorporated. Pour in the fresh cranberries and mix to combine using a rubber spatula. pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and bake for 55-60 minutes or until top is browned and a toothpick inserted comes out with minimal crumbs.
• Allow to cool and flip over onto a cooling rack to cool completely. While cooling, make the glaze. In a medium bowl combine the powdered sugar and orange juice and whisk until combined. Once the pound cake is cooled, set cooling rack on top of parchment paper and drizzle glaze over the cake. Serve and enjoy!
• Store covered for up to three days or in the freezer for up to three months.

Did you like this holiday pound cake? Try these holiday treats!

Christmas Popcorn Snack Mix

Hazelnut Shortbread with Nutella Ganache

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Hey there! My name is Molly and I’m the recipe developer behind these place cards and all the recipes over on What Molly Made. I’m a huge fan of dessert, both indulgent and healthy:) I love to create new twists on classic recipes and I share all my baking tips along the way. Can’t wait to share this Thanksgiving dessert recipe with you!

My thought process behind these desserts is that that we’ll be spending a little more time on the decorating and creating the fun name tags so I wanted to keep the actual recipe pretty simple. I don’t know about you, but it’s hard to keep all of the Thanksgiving recipes straight.

I wanted to create a fun and creative recipe that’s also not going to result in you slaving over the oven most of the morning. You can even make these a day or two in advance!

The base of these cookie cupcakes are pre-made refrigerated cookie dough. I used the Nestle Toll House break and bake refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough, but you can use any brand and flavor you want! The White Chip Brownie and Cherry Chocolate cookie dough from Nestle would also be delicious!

Make no mistake, even though this cookie cups are easy to make they aren’t lacking in size or flavor! I rolled up 3 (yes, 3!) of the squares to make one cup. It’s Thanksgiving, you guys. Go big or go home. Amiright?

I greased a regular size 12-count muffin tin and rolled the pieces into a ball and placed one rounded cookie dough ball in each muffin tin cup. They don’t necessarily look like they are going to fit, but when they start baking they spread and rise to the perfect height in the tin!

Next comes the fun part! Homemade chocolate frosting and the adorable candy turkeys! I’m a sucker for homemade frosting, it just elevates any dessert to the next level.  The trick to a great buttercream is to make sure your butter is nice and soft when you start. Then you have to beat it for a solid 3 or 4 minutes. This incorporates air in to the butter and gives you the light and fluffy frosting you need.

I always make sure to sift my cocoa powder (if I’m making chocolate frosting) and powdered sugar to eliminate any lumps in the frosting. The smoother the better! You obviously want to frost your cookie cup with this delicious frosting, but it’s also going to be used as glue for the creative turkey that goes on top.

Now, let’s talk about that adorable turkey topper!?? I’ve seen a million different ways on Pinterest to create a turkey out of candy/food, but I just think this one is so adorable! I love the actual googly eyes, they give the turkey so much life! Do you kind of feel like it’s staring at you?

You create this little guy by using a few different candies:

• Mini Reese’s
• Candy googly eyes
• Oreo’s
• Candy Corn

I started by un-sandwiching the Oreo’s and laying the no-cream side face up on a baking sheet. I unwrapped the Reese’s and “glued” the bottom of each one to the bottom half of the Oreo using the frosting. From there I  covered the rest of the Oreo with frosting and arranged about 6 candy corn pieces on the Oreo with the pointed side facing the Reese’s to create a fan effect that looks like the turkey’s feathers.

The only thing left to do is make the face! I “glued” on the googly eyes and cut the white tip off of a few candy corns and put them on right underneath to create the nose.

While those were setting I frosted all of the cookie cupcakes and then placed the finished turkeys in the frosting to sit perfectly on top of the cookie cups.

Now for the fun part! I used festive paper straws that I cut in half and a piece of paper with a sharpie to create the name tags. I just hot glued the paper to the straws and stuffed them in the frosting! Just make sure the straws aren’t too tall or the frosting won’t be able to hold them up.

At my house it’s always a big to-do figuring out who is going to sit where. If you’re hosting, these are perfect! You can arrange everyone’s seats ahead of time and they can feel free to move and swap seats as they please. Just place them on the plate at each seat and they instantly become part of the decor! And they taste delicious too.?

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Thanksgiving Cookie Cupcakes

Servings 12

Ingredients

• For the cookie cups:
• 2 packages of break and bake chocolate chip refrigerated cookie dough
• For the frosting:
• 2 sticks unsalted butter room temperature
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• For the candy turkeys:
• 12 Oreos
• 12 Mini Reese's
• 1 cup Candy Corn
• 24 googly eyes
• 6 paper straws
• white construction paper and sharpies

Instructions

• To make the cookie cups, remove the refrigerated cookie dough from the fridge and allow to sit for approximately 10 minutes to soften. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and spray a 12-count muffin tin with non-stick spray and set aside.
• Break 3 pieces of cookie dough off at a time and roll into a large ball. Repeat twelve times and place each ball in one muffin tin. Bake for 22-25 minutes, or until edges are golden brown and tops are set. Remove and allow to cool completely.
• While cookies are cooling, make the frosting. Using a stand mixer or electric mixer, beat the butter on high speed for at least 3 minutes. Sift together the powdered sugar and cocoa powder and add to the butter. Beat on medium for about 2 minutes. Add the heavy cream and vanilla extract and increase speed to high and beat for another full 3 minutes. Transfer to a pastry piping bag and cut of a very small piece of the tip, about 1 centimeter. This will be your tip when you're glueing the turkey together.
• To make the candy turkey, un-sandwich the Oreo's and lay the no-cream side face up on a baking sheet. Unwrap the mini Reese's and "glue" the bottom of each one to the bottom half of the Oreo using the frosting. Cover the rest of the Oreo with frosting and arrang about 6 candy corn pieces on the Oreo with the pointed side facing the Reese's to create a fan effect that looks like the turkey's feathers. Using the frosting, glue the googly eyes and cut the white tip off 12 candy corns and put them on with the point facing up right underneath to create the nose. Allow to set 10 minutes.
• Cut a larger piece from the corner of the frosting bag to pipe the frosting on the top of the cookie cups. Swirl enough frosting on top to set the turkeys in. When turkeys are set, angle them slightly and place toward the front of the cookie cup, leaving a little room behind to add the name tag.
• Cut small pieces of construction paper and write the names on each one. Cut the paper straws in half and hot glue the names to the end. Place the other end of the straw in the frosting right behind the turkey.

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Hey there! Molly and Chelsea here! We’re the besties and food bloggers from Bests and Bites. We’ve been best friends for over 20 years (so like, 90% of our lives) and we love nothing more than food, health/fitness and pool days!

We’re so glad we could share this Halloween recipe with you and hope you love making it for your spooky soirees this fall!

How adorable are Halloween treats? There’s no less than 10000 spooky recipes on Pinterest and every single one has an adorable place in my heart. And this one has a very special place because it’s comes together in a snap and it the epitome of fall: pumpkin spice and mummy decorations.

The base of this recipe is exactly like you’d start rice crispy treats. Measure out the cereal (which will be cheerios here rather than crispies) and melt the butter. But this is where it changes! Add a little pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice to the melted butter and mix well to combine. There isn’t a ton of pumpkin puree here but it’s just enough to tell it’s made for fall.

When you mix the marshmallows in just keep stirring so it won’t burn. It’s best to use a wooden to avoid sticking. Oh and DO NOT forget to grease your pan:) Nobody wants a bunch of cereal stuck to a pan.

Expert tip: spray a rubber spatula with cooking spray before you spread it in the pan. This way the marshmallow-y cereal won’t stick to your spoon and you can press it firmly to set.

My favorite part about this is obviously the googly eyes! The bars just look like a  cereal trip with chocolate until you add the eyes and they’re instantly transformed into the spooky Halloween treat!

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Mummy Cereal Bars

Servings 9

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/4 pumpkin puree
• 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 4 cups miniature marshmallows
• 6 cups honey nut cheerios
• 12 ounces 1 bag of white chocolate melting morsels
• 18 candy googly eyes

Instructions

• Spray an 11x7 inch pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
• In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon. Once melted, add the pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spice and mix well. Add the marshmallows and stir continuously until they're all melted and mixture is sticky, but smooth, about two minutes. Add the cereal and mix well, making sure everything is coated with the marshmallow mixture.
• Pour mixture into prepared pan and press firmly down with a rubber spatula spray with cooking spray to avoid sticking. Allow to set for 15 minutes.
• In a microwave safe bowl, add the white chocolate chips and place on high for 30 seconds, remove and stir and return to microwave in 30 second increments until melted, stirring between each one. Transfer melted chocolate to a pastry bag or plastic bag with 1/4 and inch of the tip cut off and pipe melted chocolate on top of cereal bars back and forth horizontally, saving a little extra to add the eyes. Place bars in the fridge for 10 minutes to set.
• Cut bars in long rectangles and use left over melted chocolate to place eyes on the bars towards the top of the rectangles.

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Hey ya’ll, Molly and Chelsea here! We’re the besties and food bloggers from Bests and Bites. We’ve been best friends for over 20 years (so like, 90% of our lives) and we love nothing more than food, health/fitness and pool days! We’re so glad we could share this recipe with you and hope you love making it this summer!

Raise your hand if you’re in love with everything fall?? It’s the time of year where you can wear flannels, comfy boots, a snuggle scarf and start eating lots of comfort food! Including everything pumpkin and apple. We love apples and get so excited for the beginning of fall when the honey crisp apples start to be in season (and cheap!).

Every year we go together to an apple picking farm and walk through the apple orchards choosing the best apples. A lot of time we’ll eat them with peanut butter, alongside our lunch, with some caramel on top, or in our favorite desserts—like this peach apple crisp!

The trick to making this so delicious is thinly slicing the fruit. It doesn’t take long, but it’s so important to getting the melty, gooey and delicious filling. Stir the fruit with some sugar and flour to make them even sweeter. When the juice from the fruit release and combine with the flour it makes a perfectly gooey texture that’s perfect for a crumbly topping.

In our opinion, the more crumble topping the better! The cinnamon in the crumble topping is just the right touch to make this recipe even better for fall. It pairs so well with the peaches and the apples and the texture from the topping is a great complement to the gooey filling.

AND there’s a secret ingredient in this recipe! If you’re a vegetarian or this doesn’t suit your taste please feel free to omit, but we think it adds another layer of flavor to this dessert! Ready for it? CANDIED BACON. It’s flavorful, and salty and sweet all at the same time. We chopped it into tiny bits and mixed it throughout the filling and it adds a depth of flavor that really takes this recipe to another level. Be prepared to impress all your friends. It’s SO good.

Once you mix everything together and top it with the crumble, bake it and pull it out of the oven and it’s ready to serve! Our favorite desserts involve warm delicious treats topped with a big scoop of melty ice cream.

Serve this immediately in a giant bowl with ice cream and get ready for the compliments to roll in!

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Peach Apple Crisp

Servings 8

Ingredients

• Candied Bacon optional, but not really
• 12 strips thick cut bacon
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• Peach Apple filling:
• 3 cups thinly sliced peaches about 3-4 medium peaches
• 2 cups thinly sliced apples 2-3 apples
• candied bacon recipe below
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Topping:
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup 65g old-fashioned rolled oats (or quick oats)
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup 115g unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• vanilla ice cream for serving

Instructions

• Make the bacon: Preheat oven to 400 degrees (F) and line a baking sheet with foil. Lay bacon down flat and coat with half of the brown sugar. Flip bacon and coat the other side with the other half of brown sugar. Bake for 14-16 minutes, until it's starts to get crispy. Let cool on paper towel and chop into bite size pieces. When bacon is done, reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees (F) to bake the crisp.
• Make the filling: In a large mixing bowl, combine the peaches, apples and bacon and stir to combine. Add the flour, sugar, salt and vanilla and mix gently with a rubber spatula to completely coat the fruit. Dump in an 8x8 inch glass or ceramic baking dish and set aside.
• Make the topping: in a medium bowl, whisk the brown sugar, flour, rolled oats, cinnamon and salt together, making sure to get all the brown sugar lumps out. Add the butter to the mixture and stir with a rubber spatula until the mixture is crumbly. Evenly sprinkle the topping over the filling.
• Bake for 40-45 minutes until the top is golden brown and the filling is bubbling on the sides of the pan. Remove crisp from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool slightly, about 10-15 minutes. Serve warm with a scoop of ice cream.
• Tip: finished baked crisp freezes well for up to 2 months. Just thaw overnight and bake on 350 for about 20-25 minutes to warm.

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The post Peach Apple Crisp Recipe appeared first on TGIF - This Grandma is Fun.

Hey ya’ll, Molly and Chelsea here! We’re the besties and food bloggers from Bests and Bites. We’ve been best friends for over 20 years (so like, 90% of our lives) and we love nothing more than food, health/fitness and pool days! We’re so glad we could share this recipe with you and hope you love making it this summer!

Guys! There is nothing we love more than a warm and gooey chocolate chip cookie! We’ve (literally) spend years perfecting this recipe and today we put a twist on it to celebrate one of our favorite summer flavors: rocky road!

When we were young babes Molly’s dad would go to the grocery store and stock up on Rocky Road. After a long hard day of swimming( seriously, we used to spend around 9 hours at the pool a day), we would take our showers and sit down on the couch with a big bowl of Rocky Road to finish the night.

It was a dream.

So this summer we wanted to re-create one of our favorite summer traditions by adding it to a classic. AND IT WAS AWESOME. One of the best creations that’s come out of the Bests and Bites kitchen. They are that good.

There are a couple of tricks to making these just right!

Like any baked good, you have to be precise in your measuring or the end result won’t be perfect. That means:

• Measure the flour just right by spooning the flour from the bag into the measuring cup and scraping the top
• Make sure you’ve got room temperature butter for the best consistency
• Do not overbake!
• Toast the marshmallows to perfection

That last one is key, trust us. There were a couple (a dozen) cookies that got a littleeee too toasty. We ended up squatting by the oven when it’s on broil to physically watch the marshmallows and pull them out at the exact right time.

For us it was about 35 seconds to golden brown perfection.

If you follow these tips you will end up with the most chewy and soft rocky road cookies that everyone will love to eat this summer!

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Rocky Road Cookies

Servings 24

Ingredients

• 2¼ cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
• ¾ cup brown sugar
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 3.4 ounces vanilla instant pudding mix
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup chopped almonds plus extra for topping
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts plus extra for topping
• 1/2 cup mini marshmallows

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt and set aside.
• Using a stand or electric mixer, combine the butter and sugar until creamy. Add the pudding mix, vanilla and eggs until well combined.
• Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Add chocolate chips, almonds and walnuts and stir with a rubber spatula.
• Measure out dough into two large tablespoons and roll into a ball then drop onto the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until slightly golden and just set on the top. Pull cookies out and turn on the broiler. Top cookies with more almonds, walnuts and marshmallows. Place back in the oven until marshmallows are lightly golden on top, about 30-40 seconds. Allow to cool on the baking sheet for five minutes then transfer to a baking rack to cool completely.

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Hey there! We’re Molly and Chelsea and we’re the baking and cooking duo behind Bests and Bites! We’ve been besties for 23 years and loving connecting over a good piece of cheesecake, a cheesy dip or sipping on our favorite refreshments. Our fave things include health and fitness, baking, and pool days!

First things first, the red white and blue in this glass makes us want to PARTY. Like really celebrate America’s birthday!

Breakfast party? Snack party? Picnic party? All of the above.

We used to think the Fourth of July food spread was limited to only festive fruit-topped desserts, and okay fine we’ll take a bomb popsicle while we’re at it, but we’ve recently discovered (by way of this parfait) you can celebrate all day long!

This recipe is perfect for this holiday because strawberries and blueberries are in season and so naturally sweet and ripe. Not to mention they won’t hurt your wallet to get a carton or two.

They give this parfait so much substance and a sweet bite that perfectly complements the yogurt.

Now, let’s get down to the star of this recipe: the vanilla almond granola.

Say helloooo to your favorite snacking, breakfasting, and crunchy-sprinkled-topping! The granola itself is mildly sweet from honey, vanilla and maple syrup, slightly nutty from the slivered almonds, and whole-wheatty from the oats and whole wheat flour.

It’s just the right combination of semi-soft and crunchy. The centers still have a softness that makes is easy to carry on a conversation over the table, but just the right crunch that adds the perfect texture to the soft and creamy yogurt.

A fun tip about these parfaits. If you’ve got big breakfast plans like banana pancakes or french toast, these also make for the best snack or recipe for a picnic! You could even set up a create your own parfait bar and set out all the yummy ingredients and let your friends and family go crazy with their toppings and layers.

We have good ideas sometimes.

Another fun tip. Make the granola a week before and have it ready. Then these parfaits only take 5 MINUTES to make.

So everybody say hello the next big thing in breakfast and Fourth of July history, because you’re about to fall in love!

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Red, White and Blue Patriotic Parfaits

Servings 2 large parfaits

Ingredients

• For the granola:
• 6 cups rolled oats not the quick instant oats
• 1 cup slivered almonds
• 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts I used walnuts
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ cup honey
• 1 cup coconut oil melted
• ¼ cup maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• For the parfait:
• 1 cup vanilla yogurt
• 1 cup blueberries
• 1/2 cup strawberries sliced

Instructions

• For the granola:
• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
• In a very large bowl, combine the oats, almonds, pecans, whole wheat flour, cinnamon, salt, and sugar if using. Stir to combine.
• Whisk the melted coconut oil, maple syrup and the honey together. Pour over the oats mixture and stir until the mixture is well combined and is completely coated. Pour into a large baking sheet in a single layer. It will be a thick layer, which is okay, you want it to create large clusters.
• Bake for 20 minutes, stir and bake for another 10 minutes. Stiry again and bake for a final 5 minutes and remove from the oven.
• Do not stir right away. The granola will will become more clumpy as it dries.
• When granola is completely cooled, layer 1/4 cup of blueberries in the bottom of a glass. Add 1/4 cup of yogurt on top, then add 1/4 cup granola. Add 1/4 cup sliced strawberries and blueberries, another 1/4 cup of yogurt and another 1/4 cup of granola on top. Garnish with more blueberries and strawberries and serve immediately.

Some of our other favorite breakfast recipes:

Coffee Cake Crumble Muffins

Lemon Poppy Seed Bread

Berry Almond Smoothie Bowl

The post Red, White and Blue Patriotic Parfaits appeared first on TGIF - This Grandma is Fun.

Hey there! We’re Molly and Chelsea and we’re the baking and cooking duo behind Bests and Bites! We’ve been besties for 23 years and loving connecting over a good piece of cheesecake, a cheesy dip or sipping on our favorite refreshments. Our fave things include, health and fitness, baking and pool days!

What’s better when the summer gets hot than an ice cream bar/cake?! And what’s better than cookie dough?! The answer to both of those questions is nothing. Absolutely nothing. Which is the exact reason we combined the two for this summer recipe! We have to thank Chelsea’s Messy Apron for the inspiration!

The bottom layer is….you guessed it! Edible cookie dough. We made a batch and a half of our regular cookie dough and saved a third of it for the next layer: homemade cookie dough ice cream!

This simple and easy homemade ice cream is 3 ingredients and doesn’t require any churning! You ball up pieces of the reserved edible cookie dough and set them aside. Then you whip heavy cream until stiff peaks form, fold in sweetened condensed milk and vanilla then mix in the cookie dough!

Freeze overnight and you’ve got the second layer!

Then you add cool whip and crush up baked chocolate chip cookies. I had frozen *real* cookie dough in the freezer so we baked the cookies to crumble on top. If you don’t have time, you can absolutely buy pre-made cookies to add to the top of the ice cream bars.

This cake is big!!! Make sure you’ve got a lot of hungry guests to serve this to. Cut it up, put it on a plate and drizzle with chocolate syrup.

Love at first bite

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Layers of Cookie Dough Ice Cream Bars

Servings 16

Ingredients

• Edible Cookie Dough Layer:
• 1 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
• 3 3/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 and 3/4 cups flour
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 1 1/2 cup miniature chocolate chips
• For the Cookie Dough Ice Cream:
• 3 cups heavy whipping cream cold
• 1-16 oz can sweetened condensed milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
• 1/3 of the edible cookie dough from above
• 1 large container of cool whip
• fresh baked chocolate chip cookies or store-bought chocolate chip cookies to top
• chocolate sauce optional

Instructions

• Line a 9x13 inch baking pan with plastic wrap letting the edges hang over sides of pan for easy removal. Set aside.
• To make the edible cookie dough layer, combine the butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar and beat until fluffy, about two minutes. Stir in flour until combined then add miniature chocolate chip and mix well.
• Remove 1/3 of the cookie dough and set aside. Press the other 2/3 of cookie dough evenly along the bottom of the pan. Place in the freezer.
• To make the cookie dough ice cream, form tiny balls of cookie-dough from the reserved 1/3 edible cookie dough. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, beat heavy cream with an electric mixer on high until stiff peaks form, about 4 minutes. In a small bowl, mix the sweetened condensed milk with the vanilla. Slowly fold in the condensed milk mixture until combined. Add the cookie dough bites and mix well. Pour into a 9x9 loaf pan and freeze overnight.
• Spoon large scoops of all the cookie dough ice cream over the edible cookie dough layer already made in the 9x13 pan. Smooth as best you can to create an even layer.
• With a rubber spatula, smooth the thawed whipped topping over the ice cream in an even layer.
• Crumble baked or bought cookies over the cool whip. Cover and place in freezer until all layers freeze.
• When ready to serve, remove from pan using plastic overhang and cut into bars. Serve with a drizzle of chocolate syrup, if desired.
• Store leftovers in freezer for up to one week.

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Hey there! We’re Molly and Chelsea.

We are the best friend and food blogging duo behind Best and Bites who love to cook, bake and share it with the world. Some of our favorite things include shopping, eating (duh!),working out and pool days.

Everyone has a soft spot in their hearts for banana bread. Including us. And by soft spot we mean giant hole that can only be filled with warm and soft banana bread covered in melty Nutella straight from the oven.

Banana bread in general reminds me of brunch. We used to go to brunch on Sundays and they always included some sort of banana bread. With nuts, without nuts, with chocolate chips etc. But, never with Nutella.

Until now.

Nutella Swirled Banana Bread

You will fall in love with this recipe!

Quick side note: If you want to make this, you might want to plan ahead! It’s best when the bananas are very ripe and starting to turn brown. They mash beautifully and give this banana bread the perfect texture.

The bread gets so soft and moist because of the mushy bananas that go into them. It’s just the right amount of dense and light. It’s bursting with banana flavor and your taste buds will explode when you bite into a little pocked of Nutella in the middle.

We used a heavy hand when swirling in the Nutella. Because there’s no such thing as too much. We also nuked the Nutella in the microwave for about 20 seconds to soften it up. This helps as you dollop spoonfuls on top to swirl through the banana bread batter. If it’s straight out of the jar, it’s a little hard to get a gorgeous and even swirl.

This Nutella Swirled Banana Bread recipe has a double dose of Nutella. You pour half the banana bread batter in the bread loaf pan, swirl Nutella on top, fill the pan with the rest of the batter and repeat the swirling process. The Nutella on top gets melty and makes the banana bread look so pretty. And the swirls in the middle ooze with melty goodness when you bite into a slice.

Pure heaven, we tell you.

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Nutella Swirled Banana Bread

Servings 12

Ingredients

• 2 Cups of Flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1.5 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ tsp. Salt
• 4 very ripe bananas mashed
• 2 Eggs
• 1/2 Cup butter melted
• 1/2 Cup of Sugar
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 Cup Nutella divided

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a standard sized loaf pan with nonstick spray and set aside.
• In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
• In large bowl, with a stand mixer or hand mixer, beat bananas, eggs, butter and sugar and extract. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until combined.
• Melt Nutell in microwave for approximately 30 seconds to soften slightly. Using 1/2 cup Nutella, dollop spoonfuls on top of batter, swirl with a knife. Pour the rest of the batter on top and repeat swirl process with the rest of the Nutella.
• Bake for 50 minutes or until toothpick inserted to center comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes then remove to cool the rest on a backing rack.

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Hello again! We’re Molly and Chelsea! We’re a best friend and food blogging duo behind Best and Bites who love to cook, bake and share it with the world. Some of our favorite things include shopping, eating (duh!),working out and pool days.

This just in. Guess what we’ve made (and ate) multiple times this week? If you guess lemon poppy seed mini donuts you’re right on the money.

Our most favorite muffin in the world is lemon poppy seed. We used to go to First Watch all the time when we both lived in Akron, and we would go solely for their lemon poppy seed muffins that come with the healthy crepes. Yeah, the extra large bakery style lemon poppy seed muffin kinda defeats the purpose of the healthy crepe, but it made us feel like we made a somewhat healthy decision.

With spring almost here (!!!) we decided we needed to reinvent one of our favorite flavor combos. And so the Lemon Poppy seed Mini Donuts were born. They’re a tiny baked donut made perfectly and drizzled with a citrus icing. Because they’re so tiny it’s okay to have a couple (or 10).

That’s our story and we’re sticking to it.

Let’s take a moment and virtually take in all that is in these mini donuts. Ready? The lemony citrus wafting through the kitchen as they bake up to a perfect round and adorable donut.

The second you open the oven the aroma fills our house with what we’re pretty sure spring smells like. And then the tiny little poppy seeds with all their nuttiness give this recipe just the right crunch.

Warm from the oven, these donuts are not complete without the citrus lemon icing. All you do is mix some powdered sugar with fresh squeezed lemon juice and it turns into this gorgeous and vibrant icing that makes this the perfect addition to our sweet little donuts.

Dunk the donuts into the giant bowl of silky icing and let them set on a baking rack and voi-la, you my friends, have the perfect, most adorable little dessert, breakfast or snack!

They’re zingy, they’re citrus-y and they’re everything you need in your life for the first day of spring.

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Lemon Poppyseed Mini Donuts

Servings 40

Author Bests and Bites

Ingredients

• donuts
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
• lemon glaze
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray mini donut pan with non stick spray and set aside.
• Using a stand mixer or had mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly between each addition.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt. Beat half the flour and sour cream alternately to the egg mixture until combined.
• Using a teaspoon, fill the mini donut tins halfway and bake for 7-8 minutes, until toothpick inserted comes out clean.
• Mix together the glaze ingredients until smooth. Allow donuts to cool completely and dunk in icing. Place on cooling rack to allow icing to set.

Monster Cookie Cups

Dark Chocolate Nutella Brownies

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Hey ya’ll! We’re Molly and Chelsea – the best friend, blogging duo behind Bests and Bites. We love health and fitness, mostly because we love dessert. And we live for pool days and trying new restaurants! Here’s more about our story.

So, January is over. And we’ve got smoothie-making, salad-eating, and veggie-roasting out of our system. We’re huge fans of eating healthy, but sometimes ya just need a good dose of chocolate (or 10).

Enter February. Where all we want is chocolate-covered everything and hot chocolate served to us in bed with a good book.

With a side of chocolate chip cookie bars.

And by side we mean the entire pan. With homemade chocolate frosting.

Let’s start by talking about this frosting. It’s just delightful. Perfectly whipped with just the right amount of chocolate. This lovely chocolate frosting didn’t happen by accident! There is an art to frosting making. You can check out this post to learn three easy steps to make the perfect buttercream. Every time.

Or just scroll down to grab the instructions here!

Either way, you will not be disappointed. Especially if you put it on top of these chocolate chip cookie bars.

The recipe starts with brown butter. If you’ve never browned butter before, it’s super easy. The only thing you need to watch for is browning it too long to avoid burning.

And although this recipe will work with just softened butter, the browned butter gives the cookie bars a toffee-like taste and richness you can only achieve by letting that butter get nice and melty and golden on the stove.

Because this recipe started with melted butter it’s important you chill the dough for at least 30 minutes.  Chilling allows the dough to set, and you wont end up with completely messy cookie bars.

Most melted-butter recipes require you to chill dough for hours, but 30 minutes is all it takes to make these bars and have a little bit of ooey gooey on the inside. We were inspired by these chocolate chip gooey bars and twisted it to add our chocolate frosting!

So grab a good book, a mug of hot chocolate, a pan, and a fork. Hey, no judgment here!

If you love this recipe, give us a virtual high five by following us on Insta, Twitter, Pinterest and liking us on Facebook!

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Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Servings 24

Author Bests and Bites

Ingredients

• For the Cookie Bars:
• 1 cup unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tbsp vanilla
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 3 1/4 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 mini choc chips
• For the Frosting:
• 1 cup 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
• 3 cups sifted powdered sugar
• ⅔ cup cocoa powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons heavy cream divided
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

• Line a 9x13 pan with foil and spray with cooking spray and set aside.
• For the cookies, melt butter over medium heat, cook, stirring often, about 6 minutes until it turns brown. Once it starts turning brown keep stirring so it doesn’t burn. Remove from the heat and let it rest for about 5 minutes.
• Pour butter, still warm, in and electric mixer with a paddle attachment. Add sugars and mix on low until combined. Let sit and cool for a few minutes before adding eggs to avoid them cooking.
• While cooling, combine flour, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
• Turn mixer on low again and add eggs, one at a time, mixing completely. Mix in vanilla. Add flour mixture to wet ingredients and mix until combined, about 1 minute. Stir in chocolate chips with a rubber spatula.
• Press cookie dough evenly into pan, covering the entire surface. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake for 30-35 mins.
• Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.
• While cooling, make the frosting. Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes.
• Turn speed to low and slowly add 3 cups of powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and salt. Beat until well combined, about 2 minutes.
• Increase mixer to medium speed and add vanilla and cream. Turn mixer to high speed and beat for 1 minute. Depending on thickness, you may need to add up to ½ cup additional powdered sugar.
• Frost cooled cookie dough bars with and cut into squares.

Monster Cookie Cups

Dark Chocolate Nutella Brownies

The post Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars appeared first on TGIF - This Grandma is Fun.

Hey there! We’re Molly and Chelsea – the best friend and blogging duo behind Bests and Bites. Our favorite things include health and fitness, pool days and desserts. Like this one!

We love complicated dessert recipes and appreciate all the love and effort that goes into each one, but we love easy recipes equally as much, maybe more. We made this recipe with Valentine’s Day in mind. It’s pink, it’s festive and it’s oh-so-easy. You may even feel like you’re missing a step because it’s that easy.

Bark is one of our favorite candies to make because it takes little to no time, the ingredients are inexpensive and it turns out perfect every time. One of our favorites is this Halloween Bark we made in October. It’s becoming a theme to make a festive bark for each holiday on our blog. I think we’re going to make that a thing. Boom-it’s decided.

Not only is this bark easy, but it’s tastes so darn good. It’s chocolate after all! And red velvet. And Oreos. Throw some Oreos on anything and there’s a solid chance I’m going to love it.

The base layer is white chocolate melted and mixed with red velvet cake mix. It’s smooth and gorgeous and makes the perfect carrier for all those crumbled chocolate cookies. The key to delicious bark is quality chocolate. There are minimal ingredients in this recipe and the ones in it need to shine. I try to use Ghirardelli baking bars, but they can be quite expensive. We’ve heard Trader Joe’s name brand chocolate bars are exquisite as well.

Try to avoid using chocolate chips because of the stabilizers in them. For example, if you’re making a batch of chocolate chip cookies, the stabilizers in the chips allow them to keep their shape in the oven instead of melting all over.  This is why they don’t lend themselves well to bark that needs to be completely melted and smooth.

To create the red velvet in this recipe and the festive pink color, we mixed in a bit of red velvet cake mix  and dropped in some red food coloring. The more pink or red you want the bark, the more food coloring you add. It’s totally up to you!

Finally, the best part. The chocolate cookies crumbled on top. Make sure they’re really on there by pushing them down a little. When the chocolate hardens you don’t want any of those delicious cookies falling off!

The little chocolate pieces are a great size for a tiny chocolate craving or you can fill several bags or boxes for fun Valentine’s gifts!

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Red Velvet Oreo Bark

Author Bests and Bites

Ingredients

• 12 oz white chocolate
• 2 tablespoons cococnut oil
• 1/4 cup red velvet cake mix
• 2 teaspoons red food coloring
• 15-18 oreos crushed

Instructions

• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Set aside.
• In a medium microwave safe bowl, melt the chocolate in 30 second increments stirring between each to avoid seizing. Add the oil and mix well. Stir in red velvet cake mix and red food coloring until smooth.
• Pour chocolate mixture onto prepared baking sheet and spread out into a large rectangle. Sprinkle generously with crushed Oreo cookies.
• Place bark in a cool dry place at room temperature to set. Once hardened, break into pieces.
• Store in an air tight container up to 3 weeks.

If you like this post, give us a virtual high-five by following us on Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest and liking us on Facebook!

Some of our most popular recipes:

Buffalo Chicken Casserole

Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies

The post Red Velvet Oreo Bark appeared first on TGIF - This Grandma is Fun.

Hey there! We’re Molly and Chelsea, the food lovers over at Bests and Bites. We’ve been besties for 23 years and have been in love with cooking and baking for as long as we can remember. Thank you so much to the wonderful MFP ladies for allowing us to share our passion with all of you!

The holidays are filled with family traditions. It’s what makes this wonderful season unique to each and every person. Whether it be giving a special ornament, making the same meal on Christmas Eve, or cuddling up by the fire watching a movie with hot chocolate, the holidays are a time to spend with family and share those special moments.

One of our very favorite traditions during the holidays is drinking hot chocolate and binge watching Christmas movies by the fire with the house decorated and the tree lit up.

We used to celebrate this tradition using pre-packaged hot chocolate mix. Then one year, about 5 or so years ago, we discovered homemade hot chocolate and there was no turning back.

In December, homemade hot chocolate takes over our lives. There’s no fighting it –the snow is falling, the fire is crackling and we’re sipping this warm and delicious Amaretto Hot Chocolate.

The first rich, creamy, chocolatey sip warms your soul and the tiny hint of amaretto is so delightful. We almost need to make a crock pot for each of us. Not sure that would even satisfy this tasty tradition we’ve created!

The best part about it? It’s so easy to make! You just mix these six ingredients in your slow cooker:

1. milk
2. heavy cream
3. sweetened condensed milk
4. chocolate chips
5. almond extract
6. vanilla extract

Then you turn it on low and let the mixture get very merry together for about two hours. The result is a creamy, nutty and decadent mug of hot chocolate. Perfect for topping with whipped cream, marshmallows or chocolate syrup.

When you take that first sip you’re filled with warmth and so much delicious chocolate flavor. Then there’s a subtle hint of amaretto that gives this recipe depth and a nuttiness that makes it so unique. We cannot get enough of amaretto recipes, like this almond shortbread cookie. Which is just made for dunking into this hot chocolate! (*hint*hint).

Cozy up with a blanket, turn on your favorite Christmas movie and join us in sipping on this festive cocoa Christmas tradition!

 Thank you again to the wonderful MFP ladies for allowing us to share some Christmas cheer?

If you like this recipe, be sure to give us a virtual high five by following us on Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest and liking us on Facebook.

Some of our most popular recipes:

Homemade Thin Mints

Monster Cookie Cups

Christmas Popcorn Snack Mix

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Crock Pot Amaretto Hot Chocolate

Servings 10 cups

Author Bests and Bites

Ingredients

• 8 cups milk
• 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 1 cup milk chocolate chips
• 1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons almond extract
• whipped cream marshmallows, chocolate sauce, optional

Instructions

• Pour the milk, sweetened condensed milk, heavy cream, chocolate chips, vanilla and almond extract into a large crock pot and stir.
• Cook on low for two hours, stirring every fifteen minutes.
• Serve hot with whipped cream, marshmallows or chocolate sauce.

The post Crock Pot Amaretto Hot Chocolate appeared first on TGIF - This Grandma is Fun.

Today we have this Chocolate Cheesecake Thin Mint Parfait – made with four layers of delicious ingredients that are perfect for the holidays. It is made with homemade thin mints, chocolate, and peppermint extra. Layer the cups with chocolate pudding, thin mints, a cheesecake layer, chocolate chips and repeat until the glass is full!

We were beyond thrilled when the sweet ladies from Made From Pinterest asked us to share a recipe.  We just had to do a dessert because that’s what the holidays are all about right? And this Chocolate Peppermint and Cheesecake Parfait is divine.

Chocolate and peppermint go together like peanut butter and jelly. Add chocolate and cheesecake and you’ve got yourself something wonderful! With the hustle and bustle going on during this magical season, we could all use a simple (but delicious!) dessert that is destined to impress friends and family alike.

It’s got so many tasty things going on- the pudding layer is light and smooth, the cheesecake layer is well, cheesecake (can’t go wrong), and the mint layer is made up of homemade thin mints! They’re made with a Ritz Cracker and simply adding a holiday twist that’s sweet and fresh.

This is a quick and easy dessert everyone will love for the holidays! It’s made with homemade thin mints using Ritz crackers, chocolate, and peppermint extract. Layer your cups with chocolate pudding, thin mints, cheesecake and chocolate chips. Continue to layer until its full and add cool whip and a thin mint to garnish!

Each layer takes about 5 minutes to make individually, then you layer them in a cup and you have this insanely good dessert that looks like you spent hours to make! We also love to layer these in mini shooter glasses for parties.

The very best part about this concoction is the Thin Mints. Who wants to wait until these popular treats go on sale in February? The minty flavor is made for the holidays, right?! We just couldn’t wait and had to make our own.

You just dip a cracker into chocolate with peppermint extract, pop in the freezer for 15 minutes, crush them up and wha-la! You’ve got an addicting little cookie. They add a crunchy texture to this parfait that’s out-of-this-world good.

If you like this recipe, give us a virtual high five by following us on Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter and liking us on Facebook. Don’t forget to check out Bests and Bites for more indulgent desserts, as well as healthy recipes and savory comfort foods.

Thank you again MFP for having us!

Some of our most popular recipes:

Buckeye Dip

Pumpkin Pecan Toffee Bars

Pumpkin Spice Granola

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Chocolate Cheesecake Thin Mint Parfait

A mint chocolate dessert with layers of chocolate, cheesecake, and homemade thin mints. It's the perfect recipe for the holidays!

Course Dessert

Servings 4

Author Bests and Bites

Ingredients

• For the thin mints:
• 2 cups chocolate chips
• 1 sleeve Ritz Crackers
• 3/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• For the parfait:
• 1 box instant chocolate pudding
• 2 cups cold milk
• 8 ounces cream cheese
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 1/2 cups cool whip
• mini chocolate chips as needed

Instructions

• Prepare a baking sheet lined with parchment paper
• Melt the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl in thirty-second increments until smooth. add the oil and peppermint extract and mix until combined
• Using your hands, dip the crackers in the chocolate and place on the prepared baking sheet. place in the refrigerator for 15 minutes
• Follow the pudding directions on the box using the pudding mix and cold milk and let set in the fridge for 5 minutes
• In a medium bowl, use an electric mixer to whip the cream cheese, add the powdered sugar and beat until combined. fold in cool whip
• Place the cooled homemade thin mints in a plastic bag and crush them using a rolling pin, leaving several out to use as a garnish
• Place the pudding mixture and cream cheese mixture into separate piping bags or plastic bags with the tips cut off
• Pipe a layer of chocolate pudding in the bottom of a stemless wine glass, regular glass or shooter glass
• Add a layer of crushed thin mints and top by piping a layer of cheesecake. Sprinkle with chocolate chips and repeat until your glass is full. top with cool whip and garnish with a homemade thin mint.

The post Chocolate Cheesecake Thin Mint Parfait appeared first on TGIF - This Grandma is Fun.