Mud Bogging Dirt Cake

My friend Aja had a birthday party for her son Kakoa who was turning four.  Knowing that I love to bake, she asked me to make the cake for the party.  One problem....Kakoa doesn't like cake.  We came up with this idea!  Seriously, how cute is this?  Mud bog dirt cake!

Who the heck knew this stuff so was good?  I literally ate three solo cups (yes, that's right.  I said solo cup.) full of this stuff.  I couldn't put it down!

The morning after the party I met Aja at the gym.  Mid push-up she tells me that she is going home to eat dirt cake.  I.WAS.BITTER.  Jealousy set in and dirt cake is all I could think about the rest of our workout.

How cool is this for a little boy's birthday party?!?!

Lets get to the "how to"...

(I made one and half batches)
Ingredients:
2 packages of Chocolate Cookies (I bought the chocolate and vanilla cookies...yumm!)
1/2 stick butter
1 (8 oz.) package of cream cheese
1 c. powered sugar
3 1/2 c. milk
2 small French vanilla instant pudding boxes (I used one big box)
1 (12 oz.) Cool Whip

Directions:
1. Cream the butter, cream cheese and powdered sugar together.
2. Mix the pudding and the milk.  Slowly add the Cool Whip to pudding mixture.
3. Blend the pudding with the cream cheese mixture.
4. Crumble the cookies in a Ziploc bag or in a blender (I used my Ninja.  I didn't let the crumbs get too small.) 5. Fill container with one layer of cookies and then add a layer of pudding.  Continue until you have reached the desired height. 6. ENJOY!!!

We decided to top the adults dirt cake with Mod Bog trucks too.  Just to make it more fun!

Ahhh how cute is he?!?!  And he most definitely liked his dirt cake.  All the kids did, and so did the grown-ups!  Things got quiet when the dirt cake came out!

Banana Bread Bars with Brown Butter Frosting

I am playing catch-up.  I actually made these about two weeks ago.  Don't worry, they are so good that they are worth the wait!

Our friends Kevin and Ashley had us over for a seafood dinner.  I made a crab and corn chowder, and Ashley made shrimp and crab cakes.  Probably the best crab cakes that I have ever tasted, and who knew I liked shrimp??  Turns out that I am a huge fan of her grilled bbq shrimp!  Side note: I need to get that recipe.

I wanted to whip up something for dessert but didn't have a lot of time.  I looked over this recipe and it looked pretty simple, so I went with it.  Oh my goodness these things are good!  When I saw that these had brown butter icing I knew they would be delicious!  I love the flavor of brown butter.  I made a Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Brown Butter Cupcake a while back and they were one of the most popular cupcake that I have made.  Check them out here: Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Brown Butter Cupcakes 
When I saw that these bars were frosted with brown butter icing I knew they were a must try!

These things didn't last long in my house. Don't judge.

Adapted from lifessimplemeasures.blogspot.com

Ingredients:
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 c. sour cream
1/2 c. softened butter
2 eggs
1 3/4 c. (3-4) mashed ripe bananas
2 tsp vanilla
2 c. all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Brown Butter Frosting:
Ingredients:
1/2 c. butter
4 c. confectioners sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
3 tbsp milk

Directions for bars:
1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Grease 13X9 in. baking dish.
3. In a large bowl, beat together sugar, sour cream, butter and eggs.  Blend in eggs and bananas.
4. Add the dry ingredients and then the walnuts (optional).
5. Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

Directions for Icing:
1. In a medium sauce pan, heat butter over medium heat until boiling.  After butter turns light brown remove it from the heat.
2.  Add confectioners sugar, vanilla, and milk, and whisk until icing is smooth.
3. It is easier to spread the icing over the bars while they are still warm.  (I stuck mine back in the hot oven for just a minute to give the icing an opportunity to spread.)
4. ENJOY!

Chocolate Fudge Cowgirl Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream

Wow...it's been so long!  Now that I have graduated and actually have some free time I hope to get back into baking and blogging (and hitting the gym).  It feels so good to finally (3 years later) have those three little letters behind my name, MSW!  Hopefully you'll be seeing a lot more of me!

So cute, right?

Our friends Rachael and Steven are bring a sweet baby girl into the world.  Seriously...how exciting!  Rachael is into barrel racing and riding horses, so when I saw these super cute cowboy hat and cowboy boot candy molds I had to buy them!  I knew they would be perfect to decorate some cupcakes to help us celebrate baby Charley!

These are chocolate cupcakes filled with hot fudge...YUM! 
(I used store bought ice cream fudge.  When I was done filling the cupcakes I could hardly put the spoon down.  Hello treadmill!)  Pick one of my chocolate cupcake recipes or use a box mix to make it simple.

I frosted these cuties with vanilla buttercream.  This is one of my favorite buttercreams yet!  I added pink and  burgundy gel food coloring to get this color.
Adapted from Foodnetwork.com

Ingredients:
-3 cups confectioners sugar
-1 cup softened butter
-1 tsp vanilla
-2 tbsp heavy whipping cream

Directions:
-Mix together sugar and butter until well blended
-Add vanilla and whipping cream and continue to beat until smooth (you may need to add more whipping cream to get the consistency right)

Enjoy!

I almost forgot to show you the cute tutu that I made for Baby Charley!  For the record, I am a Redskins fan, Hail!

Chocolate Chess Pie

Magic Lemon Merinque Pie

Seriously guys, this is the perfect pie to whip up and take with you all to those holiday parties/dinners when you don't want to show up empty handed.  This pie is so simple to make and you only need a few ingredients!  I made it to take to my friend's house for Thanksgiving Dinner, and of course it was a hit! Try it, you'll love it and so will everyone else!

Adapted from Home Cooking with Trisha Yearwood-She's country y'all.  You know the gal can cook!

Ingredients:
Graham Crack Pie Crust

 -1 1/2 cups fine graham cracker crumbs

 -1/2 cup sugar

 -1/4 cup butter, melted

Filling

 -1 can (14 0z.) sweetened condensed milk

 -1/2 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice (I used about 2 1/2 lemons)

 -1 tsp. grated lemon zest

 -3 large egg yolks (save the whites for the meringue)

Meringue

 -3 large egg whites

 -1/4 tsp cream of tartar

 -1/4 cup sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees

2. For the crust: In a mixing bowl, stir together the graham cracker crumbs and sugar until combined. Stir in the melted butter. Press the mixture firmly into a 9-inch pie plate.

3. For the filling: In a medium bowl, mix the condensed milk, lemon juice, zest and egg yolks.  Pour the mixture into the crust.

4. For the meringue: Beat the egg whites and cream of tartar in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until soft peaks form, then add the sugar and whip until peaks are stiff.
5. Spread the meringue over the pie and seal to the edge of the crust.
6. Bake until the meringue browns slightly, 15 to 20 minutes. Chill for at least 2 hours before serving.
7. ENJOY!!!!

Peanut Butter Doggie Treats

Peanut Butter Doggie Treats!

This is Willis. 

Willis was an only child before my boyfriend begged for a pitbull puppy.  I did not want another dog, but Nick said "Candace, my heart just felt different when I held that puppy."  How could I say no to that?  I couldn't.  So now Willis has a little brother.  They have become best friends. 

They do everything together.

Two peas in a pod.

How cute are they?

Cuddling.



I'm always baking for the loved ones in my life...so I figured it was time to bake for my little boys.

Peanut Butter Dog Treats

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups white flour
1/2 cup peanut butter (all-natural or organic)
1 cup water
2 tablespoons oil

How to:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 F
2. ix oil, peanut butter and water
3. Add flour gradually forming a dough. Knead dough into ball and roll to 1/4 in thickness
4. Cut dough with bone shaped cookie cutters or cut the dough into strips
5. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet (I baked mine on wax paper over a cookie sheet)
 6. Bake at 350 F for 20 minutes
Icing is made from flour and water.

Snoop isn't little anymore...

Chocolate Cupcakes with Coffee Liqueur Cream Filling and Coffee Buttercream

I made these bad boys to go along with the double vanilla cupcakes for Chad and Rebecca's wedding.  Seriously...what could be better than booze and cupcakes?  Exactly.

Try them.  I know you will love them.  They're like a party in your mouth.

As Chad's daddy said..."You gotta watch those cupcakes.  They have high test in them!"

I made the candies on top of the cupcakes using candy melts...perfect decoration for a beach themed wedding!

Adapted from Paula Dean

Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup strong brewed coffee, cooled
3 large eggs
1 (8-ounce) container sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

How to:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees 

2. Line muffin pans with paper liners
3. In a large bowl, whisk flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add oil, coffee, and eggs. Beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Mix in the sour cream and vanilla

4. Spoon the batter evenly into prepared muffin cups, filling each 2/3 full

5. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, for 16 to 18 minutes

6. Allow them to cool before icing

7. Cut centers of cupcakes out in a cone shape with a sharp knife or use a cupcake corer (I have one but it was lost in the black hole that I call my baking cabinet, it cores cupcakes super fast!) Set these pieces aside so that you can use them to cover the filling

8. Insert Coffee Cream Filling into the cupcake (this can be done by putting the cream into a piping bag with a small tip)

9. Cut the tops off of the pieces that you removed from the center of the cupcake in order to cover the cream filling, like so...

10. Ice the cupcakes and ENJOY!

Coffee Buttercream Icing:

1/2 cup butter, softened

3 cups confectioners sugar

1/4 cup strong brewed coffee, cold

In a medium bowl, beat the butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add the confectioners' sugar, beating until smooth, then gradually beat in the coffee.

Chocolate Coffee Cream Filling:

3 oz. package cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup coffee-flavored liqueur (I used Kahlua. One air plane bottle is the exact amount you will need.)

1 (8-ounce) container frozen chocolate flavored whipped topping, thawed

In a small bowl, whip the cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Slowly add the liqueur and fold in the whipped topping. Cover and chill.