Raspberry Muffins

This is BY FAR my favorite muffin of all time! In my opinion, they are perfection!!! This has been a long time recipe of my mom's, so I have been enjoying these delicious babies my whole life. When my mom makes them, she uses three different kinds of berries- blueberries, raspberries and blackberries- but I was always looking for the ones with the most raspberries so I thought why not make them all with just raspberries, I like the tartness, but they are good as triples too!

I have also made it in a pan, like a coffee cake...just can't go wrong!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
2 cup flour
1/2 cup milk

1 - 12 oz bag frozen raspberries. Don’t thaw or the batter will turn pink. (My mom makes these as triple berry muffins with blueberries, raspberries and blackberries- but I was always looking for the ones with the most raspberries so I thought why not make them all with just raspberries, I like the tartness, but they are good as triples too!)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Beat the butter until creamy, then add the sugar and beat till fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Beat in vanilla, baking powder, and salt. Fold in half the flour and then half the milk then repeat with remaining flour and milk. Fold in all the frozen berries. Spoon the batter into muffin cups and sprinkle with the streusel topping.

Bake about 25 minutes or until done.

Streusel Topping Mixture:

1/4 cups flour
1/4 cups sugar
2 Tbsp butter, cut in

Mixture should be crumbly.

Ranch Pretzels

3/4c. salad oil
1 pkg. ranch dressing mix
1/2 tsp. lemmon pepper
1 tsp. dill weed
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
24 oz. pretzels

Put pretzels in a large plastic bag, add other ingredients and mix together.

Be careful....it is so hard to just eat a few of these!!!

Hot Artichoke - Spinach Dip (Olive Garden)

1c. chopped artichoke hearts
(use 1 can drained and chopped)
1/2c. frozen chopped spinach - thawed
8oz. cream cheese
1/2c. grated parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
dash ground pepper

1) Boil spinach and artichoke hearts in 1 cup of water in a small saucepan over medium heat until temder (about 10 minutes) Drain in collander.
2) Heat the cream cheese in a small bowl in the microwave set on high for 1 minute, or use a sauce pan to heat the cheese ovcer medium heat just until hot.
3) Add spinach and artichoke hearts to the cream chees and stir well.
4) Add remaining ingredients to the cream cheese and combine. Put in small casserole dish. Broil on high until top begins to brown.

Serve hot with crackers, bread, carrots, celery, chips etc.

Chewy Chocolate Caramel Cupcakes

Do you LOVE the rich combination of creamy milk chocolate and buttery caramel too? If your answer is an enthusiastic YES! – then prepare to send your tastebuds on a trip to the moon & back… because these super tasty Chewy Chocolate Caramel Cupcakes with Caramel Buttercream Icing (+ chopped candy bars & chocolate stars) are – simply put – out of this world!.

CHEWY CHOCOLATE CARAMEL CUPCAKES
{adapted from this cake recipe via The Pioneer Woman}.

Ingredients:
8 Milky Way® candy bars
2 1/2 cups of flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 cups sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
2 sticks margarine
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup buttermilk
4 eggs.

Instructions:
– Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
– Melt the Milky Way® candy bars and 1 stick of margarine on low to medium heat in a pan over the stove.
– Sift the flour and the salt together.
– Mix the baking soda with the buttermilk.
– Cream the other stick of margarine with the sugar and the eggs.
– Add the flour mixture and buttermilk to the cream mixture.
– Next add the melted candy bar mixture and vanilla.
– Line cupcake pans with liners and fill 3/4 with mixture.
– Bake for approximately 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cupcake comes out clean..

CARAMEL BUTTERCREAM ICING
{adapted from The Candy Bar Cookbook by Alison Inches & Ric McKown}.

Ingredients:
1 bag of Kraft® caramels
1/4 cup milk
1 stick butter
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 tsp. vanilla.

Instructions:
– Melt 25 caramels in a sauce pan over low to medium heat.
– Once all the caramels have melted remove them from heat and mix in the milk.
– Sift the powered sugar.
– Cream together the butter, powered sugar, and vanilla on high for 3 minutes.
– Add the cooled caramel mixture and mix on high for 2 minutes.
– Generously frost your (completely cooled) cupcakes..


GARNISH
Optional: Decorate cupcakes with chilled, chopped Milky Way® Bars, homemade Abstract Chocolate Stars (instructions below)

Abstract Chocolate Stars:
Pipe melted chocolate into star shapes on wax paper or parchment paper using a decorator’s tip + ziplock back or a squeeze bottle. Place the piped stars in the freezer for at least 2 hours. Once firm, gently peel each chocolate star off the paper. Make sure to keep the stars cold until serving time!.

Chocolate and Coconut Milk Cake

2 ounces semisweet chocolate
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 cup boiling water
6 TBS butter, melted
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup coconut milk
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
toasted coconut (for topping, optional)


Preheat oven to 350°F.
Line bottom of 9" pan with round of parchment paper, butter paper, and sides of pan.


Finely chop chocolate and in a bowl combine with hot water and cocoa powder. Let mixture stand, stirring occasionally, until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth.


In a bowl add flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In another large bowl with an electric mixer beat butter and sugar until combined. Add eggs (adding one at a time) until thickened slightly and light colored (about 3 minutes). Slowly add coconut milk, and melted chocolate mixture, beating until combined well. Add flour mixture and beat on medium speed until just combined.


Pour batter into pan, and bake in middle of oven until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 25-30 minutes.


Cool cake completely before frosting.


Chocolate Coconut Buttercream
3/4 cup butter
2/3 cup cocoa powder
3 cups powdered sugar
1/2c-3/4 cup coconut milk,
1/2 tsp - 1tsp pure coconut extract


Beat butter, cocoa, powdered sugar, and coconut extract, and add coconut milk a little at a time until you reach a consistency you like.


Top with coconut flakes and toast it for a few minutes at 450° if you like.
enjoy!

Pizza Rolls

1 lb of pepperoni slices
1 1/2 lb of shredded mozzarella cheese

Mix 1T (1 pkg) dry yeast with 1/2 cup warm water

In a seperate bowl mix together;
4c. flour
1/3c. sugar
2 tsp salt
1c. boiling water
2 eggs

Add yeast to flour mixture. Mix with dough hook adding xtra flour until barely sticky. Pour dough onto floured counter and knead with extra flour. DO NOT OVER KNEAD!! It will make the dough tough. Place dough in a bowl and cover with a towel. Let raise for 2 hours. Punch down and shapew into rolls with 6-8 pepperoni slices and shredded mozzarella cheese. Baste with butter. Raise in pan for 30 minutes. Bake aprox. 20 minutes @ 350.

Dip in warm marinara sauce.
Makes 12

(For a double batch use 2pkg (1/2 lb. each) gallo pepperoni and 2 1/2 lbs mozzarella cheese)