Caramel Apple Rice Krispie Treats

Hello friends!

So last week I know I told you there would be whoopie pies...but they ended up being such a massive failure that I swiftly spiraled into "woe is me" world and trust me, it was not pretty.

I am saving you from what was the worst pity party blog post ever.

So when life gives you the whoopie pie blues, it means it's time to get back to basics with one of my favorite fixes: rice krispie treats

Boring, you say? Too basic perhaps? But these are awesome and covered in caramel and taste like apple cake.

So, let's call it back to basics but with an upgrade. :)

I first realized you could mix cake mix into rice krispie treats when Rutgers Student Bakers held the biggest, most badass bake sale Rutgers University has ever seen. For detials check it out here. One of the more exciting items we had were red velvet rice krispie treats, courtesy of cocoa krispies and some red velvet cake mix.

But these are warm, spicy, cozy, all those wonderful adjectives I keep utilizing in my October posts.

It took a whole lot of self restraint to not eat this entire gooey caramel hot mess straight out of the pot. But patience is a virtue, and one that was happily rewarded in a few hours. Not to mention the treats doubled as a fragrance enhancer for my entire apartment.

I get to stuff my face AND my apartment smells like caramel cake. I'm feeling better already.

So if you're having a tough day, or this week appears to be a longer one than usual, spend a few minutes mixing these up. Take your mind off you work for a few moments, and reward yourself for all the hard work you do with a little Caramel Apple Rice Krispie Treat.

Happy Baking!

Caramel Apple Rice Krispie Treats Via Mother Thyme

12 tbsp butter
1 10oz bag mini marshmallows
1 1/2 cups Caramel Apple Cake Mix
1 tsp vanilla
6 cups rice krispies cereal

caramel sauce, prepared as per back of package instructions (comes with cake mix)

1. Melt butter in large pot over medium/high heat. Add marshmallows and cook until smooth.
2. Whisk in vanilla and cake mix until well incorporated. Remove from heat.
3. Stir in rice krispies cereal.
4. Pour half of mixture into a foiled and greased 9x13 inch cake pan. Drizzle half the prepared caramel sauce over top. Cover with rest of rice krispie mixture. Drizzle rest of caramel sauce over top.
5. Let cool for approximately 2 hours, then cut into squares and serve.

Oatmeal Creme Pies

Hello friends!

Have any of you ever tried using molasses in your recipes?

Have you noticed it smells absolutely awful?

Because it does. I've always assumed it would smell warm and spicy, but as I opened this bottle my nose was assailed by a scent I can't even really describe. Let's just call it unappealing. I would've loved to switch it out for honey, which the internet told me I could, but what if this ingredient was the ingredient to push these oatmeal creme pies over the edge, into the realm of "yum" ? I found these on BakedPerfection and I thought to myself 'it has been awhile since I've whipped up anything resembling a whoopie pie, over six months in fact.' Waiting that long sounds like such a crime, don't you think?

However, between the overwhelmingly weird smell of the molasses and the fact that the dough looks like oatmeal someone left on the counter for six hours, I must admit my hopes were not high. But then the oven did its magic and in 10 short minutes I had these! Add some frosting that tastes just like a melted marshmallow, sandwich two cookies together with it, and ta-da!

Little Debbie eat you heart out.

So I guess molasses is important to the recipe. I'll just have to suck it up and bear with the strange odor it holds because these cookies are too yummy to not make again and again.

Happy Baking!

Oatmeal Creme Pies Via BakedPerfection

1 cup butter, at room temp
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 tbsp molasses
1 tsp vanilla
1 3/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 cups oats

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
2. Sift together flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in medium bowl and set aside.
3. In large bowl cream together butter and both sugars until well incorporated. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then finally add in the molasses and vanilla. Beat all until well incorporated.
4. Pour flour mixture into wet ingredient mixture and mix until just combined, being careful not to overmix. Stir oats in by hand with wooden spoon.
5. Drop rounded tablespoonfuls of dough ont the prepared cookie sheets, leaving plenty of space for spreading. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes or until edges just begin to brown.
6. Let cool on pan for 5 minutes before removing to wire rack to cool completely.

Marshmallow Filling

1/2 cup shortening
1 7oz jar Marshmallow Fluff
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp hot water
1/8 tsp salt

1. Dissolve salt in hot water and let cool.
2. Beat together shortening, fluff, sugar and vanilla until fluffy, 3-4 minutes. Add water and mix until well combined.
3. Spread filling on one side of a cookie, then place another cookie on top, pushing down slightly to sandwich them together.

Banana Split Cupcakes

 Hello all,

So did any of you guess what this post would be about from my hint last week?

Well if you guessed Banana Split you get an A+ in my book. 'Banana Split' you may wonder 'how on earth do you turn an ice cream sundae into a cupcake?' My friends, it was hard for me to believe too, at first, but it's been done in the most perfect way by ConfessionsofaCookbookQueen and I am so delighted to share it with you here.

Step 1 - Take a French Vanilla Cake Mix and turn it into a delicious, soft, moist Banana Cake. Then proceed to cut a decent sized hole in the center of the cupcake and fill it with, would you believe it, Marshmallow Fluff.

As if this wasn't enough to make you drool, Step 3 is whipping up some decadent homemade Strawberry Buttercream and piping a unhealthy sized amount on top to hide the fluff and all it's marshmallowy goodness from unsuspecting taste-testers.

Now here's where I deviated. She suggested using Chocolate Sauce (like Hershey's chocolate syrup for example) but for me, I planned on having these around for more than a few days and needed a chocolate topping that was a little more sustainable and a little less "it's going to drip all over the kitchen table all week". So I opted to melt chocolate chips and drizzle it on top of the Buttercream instead. Add a dash of sprinkles and a cherry and voila!

Banana Split Cupcakes. I can't even express in words how amazing this cupcake is. It could very well be my most favorite miniature-sized dessert ever in existence. Though I do have an unhealthy obsession with cake pops...see now if we could turn this into a cake pop THEN we'd be getting somewhere.

And honestly, it's not that overwhelming to create yourself. It's a little more time consuming than other cupcakes, but just in that there are many steps to go through. The fact that she doctors a cake mix will save you tons of time (and less mess!).

Plus, if you're like me and need a distraction every now and then, just do these cupcakes in steps throughout your afternoon. I baked the cupcakes, then let them cool while I read half of one novel for class; then I'd frost them and read the other half of the novel, etc.

See? Procrastination can be turned into progress with the help of cupcakes!

Happy Procrastinating Baking!

Banana Split Cupcakes Via ConfessionsofaCookbookQueen

1 box French Vanilla Cake Mix
1/2 cup butter (1 stick) melted
4 eggs
3/4 cup water
2 medium ripe bananas, mashed

1 jar (7oz) marshmallow fluff

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line 2-12 cup muffin pans with liners.
2. In a large bowl combine cake mix, eggs, water, bananas, and melted butter. Beat with a hand mixer on low for one minute, then on medium/high for another 2 minutes.
3. Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full (I always use a 1/4 cup measuring cup for a guide) and bake at 350 for 12-16 minutes or until cupcakes spring back lightly when touched. Let cool completely before frosting.

4. Once cool, cut a small hole in the center of each cupcake and fill with marshmallow fluff. (I suggest placing the fluff in a large plastic bag, snipping off an end and piping into said holes).

For the Strawberry Buttercream:

1 cup sliced strawberries, pureed
1 cup butter (or shortening)
5-6 cups powdered sugar

1. Beat butter and sliced strawberries together until well combined. Beat in powdered sugar, one cup at a time, until desired consistency is reached.

Assembling the Cupcakes:

1. Pipe Strawberry Buttercream onto the cupcakes, covering the marshmallow fluff center completely.
2. Use chocolate syrup OR melted chocolate chips to pipe the "hot fudge" onto the cupcake. Quickly add rainbow sprinkles and cherry on top.

S'mores Muffins

Hello all!

This is a bit of a short post, as I am so inundated with exciting (and at the same time aggravating) college papers. I am even writing one on (you guessed it!) food! But I couldn't just not tell you how amazing these muffins were.

Do you enjoy s'mores? I do. But s'mores, as delicious as they are, are messy and not easily transportable...until now.

Behold - the beauty that is the s'mores muffin! Sweet, but not overtly so, and perfect (in my opinion) for a quick breakfast or snack on the go. I am usually of this opinion when it comes to muffins, but my friends, I kid you not. These are all the fun of s'mores with less mess, more ease of transport, and thus more enjoyment.

The recipe is from Elle's New England Kitchen, and I am so impressed with how well all of these ingredients blend together. I was a bit concerned about putting actual big chunks of graham crackers into the muffin mix, but they absorb liquid just enough to make them chewy and delicious and a great change in texture amidst the soft muffin.

I hope you enjoy testing out this muffin recipe! Like I said, I am on a bit of a muffin kick, so be prepared for both French Breakfast Muffins AND Maple Banana Oat Muffins!

Smore's Muffins Via Elle's New England Kitchen

1 1/2 cups flour 
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 tbsp baking powder 
1/4 tsp salt 
1/2 cup brown sugar 
1 cup mini marshmallows 
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
3 whole graham crackers, broken into small/medium chunks
2 eggs 
1 cup milk 
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp vegetable oil 
1 tsp vanilla extract


1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease 12-cup muffin pan.
2. Mix together flour, brown sugar, baking powder, cocoa powder, and salt in a large bowl
3. Gently fold in the marshmallows, chocolate chips, and graham cracker chunks.
4. Combine eggs, milk, vegetable oil and vanilla extract in a separate bowl.
5. Mix wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Do not overmix.
6. Fill cups 3/4 of the way full and bake at 400 degrees for 17-18 minutes.
7. Let cool in pan 5 minutes, then promtly remove to wired rack.