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If you’re looking for a super flexible recipe to use up whatever’s in your pantry, this is for you.

I add butterscotch, peanut butter and chocolate chips into mine, but you can take away any of the baking chips and it still turns out amazing!

It’s my nine-year old daughters top five favorite desserts 🙂 and we sometimes add ice cream to it but it’s really perfect all on its own. Yum!

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Peanut Butter Butterscotch Brownies

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups light brown sugar

1 cup of butter (2 sticks)

1/2 cup of granulated sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

2 cups of all purpose flour

1 teaspoon of salt

2 cups of butterscotch, peanut butter and chocolate chips (you can decide how much of them to equal 2 cups)

1/4 teaspoon of shortening (use shortening do not substitute this one)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease 15-1/2×10-1/2×1 in jelly roll pan (I had no idea what this was but head over HERE for an idea)

2.  Stir together brown sugar, butter and granulated sugar in a large bowl; beat in eggs and vanilla. Add flour and salt just until blended. (try not to over mix). Set aside 2 tablespoons of each of the baking chips of your choice. Stir in the remaining chips in the batter.

3. Spread the batter in the pan

4. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely.

5. Place remaining  2 tablespoons of each of the baking chips and shortening in a small microwave bowl. Microwave on high for 30 seconds, stir until smooth. Drizzle over bars.

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Recipe adapted from Hershey’s Kitchen.

Looking for more easy dessert ideas?

Here you go!

• S’more Peanut Butter Pie
• Easy Apple Dumplings
• S’more Banana Boats
• Fresh Fruit Dessert Pizza
• Deep Dish Caramel Brookie

Looking for more penny pinched recipes? Head on over HERE.

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Note from Laurie: Shannon made this recipe to share this week, and oh my stars it looks just amazing! If you need a chocolate fix this summer, this one’s for you. 🙂 

Oreo Stripe Delight  is SUPER easy and tastes just amazing! It’s perfect to take to a potluck or any family function. We made this the other night with company and they asked to take some home . . .  it’s that good. 🙂

I love all the layers and this dessert really comes together so easily, your kids will want to help out with this one.

Here’s what you’ll need . . .

Oreo Stripe Delight

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Ingredients

• 35 Oreo Cookies
• 6 tablespoons of butter
• 1 package cream cheese softened
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons of cold milk
• 1 tub of Cool Whip
• 2 packages Jell-O Chocolate Instant Pudding
• 3 1/4 cup of cold milk

Directions

1. Place Oreo Cookies in a food processor blend until finely crushed. Transfer to medium bowl and mix in with the butter.  Press into bottom of 13 x 9 inch dish.  Refrigerate for 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, whisk cream cheese, sugar and 2 tablespoons of milk in medium bowl until blended.  Stir in 1 1/4 cups of the Cool Whip and spread onto the crust.
3. Beat pudding mixes and 3 1/4 cups milk with whisk for 2 minutes and let stand 5 minutes until thickened.  Pour the pudding mixture over the cream cheese layer and refrigerate for up to 4 hours.
4. Right before serving, cover with the remaining cool whip and enjoy!

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Recipe adapted from KraftFoods.com!

Looking for more EASY dessert recipes?

• No Bake Chocolate Eclair Cake
• S’more Cones
• Golden Oreo Strawberry & Cream Icebox Cake
• Strawberry Salsa

Golden Oreo Strawberry & Cream Icebox Cake

Looking for a yummy 4th of July treat? We made tried out this recipe from Life, Love and Sugar, and goodness gracious, it was fantastic. This Red Velvet Ice Cream looks amazing too ~ so many great recipes for the 4th!

Ingredients

• 2 – 3.4 oz packages cheesecake flavored pudding
• 4 1/2 cups (1080 ml) milk, divided
• 2 – 15.25 oz boxes golden Oreos
• 1 lb package strawberries, sliced
• 1 pint blueberries
• 12 oz Cool Whip

Make the cheesecake flavored puddings according to package directions (use 4 cups of the milk).

Put remaining 1/2 cup of milk into a small bowl – dip Oreos in milk quickly and place into the bottom of a 9×13 pan in a single layer.

Spread half of the cheesecake pudding on top of the Oreos.

Add a single layer of strawberry slices on top of the pudding.

Spread half of the Cool Whip on top of the strawberries.

Dip the Oreos in milk quickly and place on top of the Cool Whip in a single layer.

Top Oreos with the rest of the cheesecake pudding.

Add a layer of blueberries, save about 1/3 cup for the topping.

Top with Cool Whip.

Decorate the top of the cake with the strawberry slices and blueberries.

Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Ingredients

• 2 – 3.4 oz packages cheesecake flavored pudding
• 4 1/2 cups (1080 ml) milk, divided
• 2 – 15.25 oz boxes golden Oreos
• 1 lb package strawberries, sliced
• 1 pint blueberries
• 12 oz Cool Whip

Directions

1. Mix cheesecake puddings according to package directions (use 4 cups of the milk).
2. Place remaining 1/2 cup of milk into a small bowl. Quickly dip Oreos in milk and layer in bottom of a 9×13 pan.
3. Spread half of the cheesecake pudding over Oreos.
4. Add a single layer of strawberry slices on top of the pudding.
5. Layer half of the Cool Whip on top of the strawberries.
6. Dip Oreos in milk quickly and place on top of the Cool Whip in a single layer.
7. Top Oreos with remaining cheesecake pudding.
8. Add a layer of blueberries, saving 1/3 cup for the topping.
9. Top with Cool Whip.
10. Layer the top of the cake with the strawberry slices and blueberries.
11. Refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.

We also made these super cute fruit kabobs to go along with dessert ~  the kids loved helping me make these and devoured each and every one of them. 🙂

Looking for more things to make this 4th of July? Check out these 10 Easy 4th of July Dessert Recipes ~ Happy Independence Day!

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I’ve seen this idea for S’more cones all over the internet this summer, so finally we had to try them out! 

Since Kroger’s Mega sale included a few deals on candy this week, we stocked up and then got our supplies together.

All you need is foil,

cones,

toppings (we used Rolo and Reese’s bites),

 and marshmallows.

Fill them up . . . 

and bake in oven at 350 for 5-7 minutes.

Success!

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Ingredients

• Aluminum Foil
• Ice Cream Cones
• Marshmallows
• Toppings: we used chocolate chips, Rolo bites, and Reese’s bites

Directions

1. Fill cone with a mixture of half marshmallows and half toppings
2. Wrap cones tightly with foil
3. Bake at 350 for 5-7 minutes (can also grill for 5-10 minutes on grill)
4. Enjoy!

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Looking for more easy dessert ideas?

Here you go!

• S’more Peanut Butter Pie
• Easy Apple Dumplings
• S’more Banana Boats
• Fresh Fruit Dessert Pizza
• Deep Dish Caramel Brookie

Looking for more penny pinched recipes? Head on over HERE.

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Looking for more penny pinched recipes? Here you go!

Don’t you just love when penny pinching makes you a wee bit resourceful, and the results turn out fantastic?

(Me too.)

Last week my sweet boy turned sixteen.

Sixteen.

However, over the weekend we’d purchased a new car (finally retiring my 10-year-old-190,000-mile-mini-van ~ eek!), and I’ve been determined to really be wise with our finances. (We were able to purchase our new-to-us-car using cash which is the coolest feeling ever. But, shelling out that much cash that’s been saved hurts just a bit!)

So, I decided I was absolutely not going to buy anything we didn’t need for at least a few weeks.

And then I remembered that I needed a cake for my cute kid’s birthday.

I went through my pantry, fridge and freezer to try to come up some genius plan, and remembered this E’clair cake a friend of mine made for us years ago.

It usually calls for cool whip, but I only had Kroger Reddi Whip in the fridge, so decided to make that work.

Goodness, that boy of mine was in heaven.

In fact, he asked this weekend if I could make him some e’clair cake again.

The moral of the story?

Get a little creative with what you already have before spending more moo-lah ($40 for a cookie cake? No thanks!) and your family might just enjoy that little penny-pinched-splurge too.

Directions

Mix together cool whip or reddi whip, pudding and milk. Layer graham crackers on bottom of 9×13 baking dish.

Next, spread half pudding mixture over graham crackers, then cover with another layer of graham crackers.

Spread remaining pudding mixture over graham crackers, then top with another layer of graham crackers.

Pop frosting in microwave and heat for about 30 seconds. Then spread carefully over graham cracker layer.

Refrigerate for 4-6 hours, then serve.

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No Bake Chocolate Eclair Cake

Ingredients:

2 packages instant vanilla pudding
2 cans of dairy whipped topping (or one tub of non-dairy whipped topping)
3 cups milk
1 package graham crackers
1 container chocolate frosting

Directions:

1. In a bowl mix together the pudding mix, whipped topping, and milk until completely combined.
2. Place a single layer of graham crackers in the bottom of a 9×13″ dish. Spread half the pudding mixture over the graham crackers. Top the pudding layer with another layer of graham crackers.  Add the other half of the pudding mixture and top that with a final layer of graham crackers.
3. Spread frosting over the graham cracker layer all the way up to the edges of the pan. Cover and chill for at least 4 hours before serving.

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Looking for more dessert recipes?

Recipe adapted from All Recipes.  If you need a little more menu inspiration, go HERE. 

Oh my word.

You have got to make this cake.

It’s got everything you need rolled right up in one perfect cake, and your family will rave about your baking skills. 🙂 

Start off with a chocolate cake mix (substituting the oil for unsweetened applesauce, and adding an extra egg – I forgot to include a picture of the applesauce in the picture!)

Now, beat up the whoopie pie filling.  Mix in butter and marshmallow cream until it’s nice and fluffy . . .  then add in the powdered sugar until combined.

Dump all that whoopie pie filling on the first layer of your cake and spread around evenly.

Top with your second layer and get ready to make the ganache.

Ganache is so easy to make ~ don’t let the name fool you (just two ingredients!)  Heat up your half and half on the stove and just before it starts to boil, remove it from the heat.

Dump in your chocolate chips and stir gently …

… until they’re all completely melted.

Spread that perfect ganache all over the cake, and let your friends share what an amazing cook you are.

You’re welcome. 🙂 

Yummmmmm!

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Whoopie Pie Cake

• 1 box of chocolate cake mix (prepared per package directions – subbing unsweetened applesauce for the oil and adding one extra egg)

• 1 cup butter at room temperature
• 2 cups marshmallow fluff
• 3 cups powdered sugar

• ½ cup half and half
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Whoopie Pie Cake

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Spray or Grease 2 9×13 pans.
3. Prepare cake according to package directions, subbing unsweetened applesauce for the oil and adding one extra egg.
4. Split the batter between the 2 pans and bake for 15-20 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.
5. Let the cakes cool completely.

Whoopie Pie Filling

1. Mix the butter and marshmallow fluff together until smooth.
2. Slowly add in the powdered sugar until smooth.
3. Spread the whoopie pie filling on top of one of the cakes. Top this with the other cake.

Whoopie Pie Ganache

1. In small saucepan bring the half and half to an almost boil.
2. Quickly remove from the heat and stir in the chocolate chips until smooth.
3. Allow to cool for 10 minutes and spread evenly over the cake.

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Recipe adapted from Cookies & Cups.

Looking for more amazing dessert recipes?

• Scandalous Grace Cake
• Buckeye Brownies
• Reese’s Peanut Butter Pudding Cookies
• Cake Mix Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cake

• Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
• Paula Deen’s Best Ever Carrot Cake
• Paula Deen’s Banana Pudding

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Looking for a new treat to try this Christmas? This one is so good, and a great way to make an easy bar recipe instead of cookies in a hurry!

Here’s how to get started . . . 

M&M Oatmeal Chocolate Bars

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups quick cooking oats
• 1 1/2 cups gold medal flour
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup butter, softened (almost melted)
• 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 1/2 cup M&Ms

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350.
2. Mix together first four ingredients in large bowl.
3. Remove 1 cup of the flour mixture and set aside.
4. Grease 9×13 pan and press onto bottom of pan.
5. On stovetop, mix sweetened condensed milk, chocolate chips and two more tablespoons butter.
6. Stir until chips have melted and mixture is smooth.
7. Pour chocolate mixture over oat mixture, then sprinkle leftover cup of oat meal on top of chocolate.
8. Top with M&Ms and bake 20-25 minutes.
9. Let cool, slice and serve!

Looking for more treats to make this Christmas? Here are a few of our favorites:

• Christmas Crack
• Honey Bun Cake (i.e. Happy Birthday Jesus Cake)
• Best Ever Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Chocolate Gooey Butter Cake
• Buckeye Brownies

Recipe adapted from Lil Luna.  If you need a little more menu inspiration, go HERE. 

I found this recipe over on Facebook last week, and when my twelve year old saw it she was determined to try it out. 

I was busy however typing away on Saturday morning, so asked if she’d handle making it for me ~ and take a few pictures to share with you all along the way.

Folks, she did an incredible job. 

This was a.m.a.z.i.n.g. and so much better than I expected. If you’re looking for a restaurant-quality dessert to treat your family with, this one’s for you!

Here’s what you’ll need . . .

Break your cookie dough up . . .

press 1 package of cookie dough down into greased 10″ round cake pan or skillet

Unwrap caramels . . . (don’t eat them all)

Melt caramels for 30 seconds, then stir, then melt another 30 seconds until smooth. 

Pour on top of cookie dough, then sprinkle 1 cup chocolate chips and cover with another layer of cookie dough.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Sprinkle with additional chocolate chips.

Top with ice cream and serve warm. Enjoy!

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Deep Dish Caramel Brookie

Ingredients

• 1 bag square soft caramels (we used Kraft)
• 2 cups chocolate chips
• 2 packages cookie dough
• vanilla ice cream

Directions

1. Press 1 package cookie dough into bottom of greased 10″ round pan.
2. Unwrap caramels and melt in microwave for 30 seconds. Stir, melt for another 30 seconds and continue until melted (be careful not to burn them.)
3. Spoon caramel onto first layer of cookie dough, sprinkle with chocolate chips.
4. Add another layer of cookie dough on top.
5. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.
6. Serve warm with ice cream.
7. Enjoy!

Recipe courtesy of Buzz Feed. If you need a little more menu inspiration, go HERE.