EASIEST PEANUT BUTTER FUDGE EVER !!!

A friend shared this recipe with me and I can guarantee you that I will be making this fudge over and over, it is REALLY fast and easy, and it is SUPER yummy!!

 

2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup (smooth) peanut butter

In a medium sized saucepan (with a heavy bottom), mix 2 cups sugar and 1/2 cup evaporated milk. The heavy bottomed saucepan will keep this mixture from scorching.

Cook on medium high heat, stirring, until bubbles start to form around the edge of the pan. Turn the heat down to medium low and cook until the mixture starts to boil (bubbles all across the surface that don't go away when you stir it). Boil for exactly 2 1/2 minutes, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and peanut butter. Mix until very smooth (whisk works well here).

You can pour this cooked mixture into any size pan you like (larger pan gives you thinner fudge), but just make sure you have lined the pan with parchment paper or foil first. I had great luck using a loaf pan.

Sit this pan of hot fudge on a cooling rack. After about an hour or so, the fudge will be FIRM, but still very warm. This is the BEST time to cut the fudge cleanly.  Just grab onto the parchment paper or foil that you lined the pan with, and lift the whole thing out of the pan. Slice the fudge with a THIN, SHARP knife.

You can also wait and cut the fudge after its completely cool, but it cuts easier and more cleanly if you cut it while its still warm.

Store cooled fudge in airtight container.

 

ENJOY !!!

LEMON BLUEBERRY ZUCCHINI CAKE

This recipe is all over the Internet. So, when a friend asked me to make it for her family, I jumped right in. 

As written, I could see that the recipe might be a little heavy, so I made a couple very minor changes and it produced a wonderfully moist, tender and delicious cake.  I hope you'll try it, it's a breeze to make and our grandson labeled it "decadent"  (that's a good thing, I think? hahaha).

LEMON BLUEBERRY ZUCCHINI CAKE
2 cups finely shredded zucchini (squeezed dry)
1 pint fresh blueberries (I used about 2 cups)
3 eggs (I used room temperature eggs)
1 cup vegetable oil  (I use canola)
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon extract  (my addition)
2  1/4  cups white sugar
3 cups CAKE FLOUR  (recipe originally said AP flour)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat oven to 350� and generously grease AND flour two 8" round cake pans (even if they are no stick).

Grate the zucchini (I used 2 small zucchini because they are very tender) and put then in a clean dish towel. Twist the towel closed around the zucchini and squeeze out the extra liquid (you will get quite a bit out), just keep twisting. Set aside.

Beat room temperature eggs, oil, vanilla extract, lemon extract and sugar together till well mixed. Fold in shredded zucchini by hand.

Sift the CAKE FLOUR (regular flour will work but it will give you a much heavier cake) into a large bowl, then gently dip in your measuring cup and level off the cup with a straight edge. Add 3 of these sifted cups of cake flour 1 cup at a time, mixing well in between each addition, but don't over mix.

Fold in the blueberries (save a few out for decoration).  Divide the batter in between the 2 prepared cake pans. Gently drop the pans on the counter to dislodge any possible air pockets.

Bake at 350� for 35-40 minutes. My electric oven took exactly 35 minutes. Test for doneness with the toothpick test.

Cool in cake pans for 20 minutes, then gently turn out of pan, onto a baking rack. Wrap the HOT cakes in plastic wrap and let cool completely.

When completely cool, unwrap the cakes and frost with lemon buttercream frosting and decorate with more blueberries.

Frosting
1 cup room temperature high quality butter (no substitutions)
3  1/2 cups powdered sugar
Juice of 1 lemon (2 tablespoons)
1 teaspoon lemon extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt

Beat butter with electric mixer until smooth. Add everything else and beat on high till light and fluffy.

EASIEST NO-BAKE CAKE IN THE WORLD

The title, Easiest No-Bake Cake in the World, is not an exaggeration, that's for sure. It is also very impressive to serve, and EVERYONE wants the recipe. It's delicious, unique and SUPER EASY to make.

Before I give you the "recipe", let me just say that there really isn't a recipe. It's just homemade whipped cream, chocolate wafer cookies (chocolate graham crackers work too), and some decorations (nuts, candies, sprinkles, etc.). Then it sits in the fridge overnight. By the next day, the cookies (or graham crackers) will have softened, and they will taste just like cake !!

OK, here goes: The recipe calls for Nabisco chocolate wafer cookies, but some people have a hard time finding them (and they are expensive), that's why I'm suggesting CHOCOLATE graham crackers work equally as well (I think the chocolate graham crackers even taste better than these wafer cookies).

 

The recipe also calls for homemade whipping cream.  You can use Cool Whip if you have to, but it won't be as TASTY as homemade whipped cream:

3 cups heavy whipping cream
5 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla Extract

Beat these ingredients with an electric mixer (on high) until stiff peaks form, but don't over whip because it starts to taste like butter.

HINT: If you live in a hot climate, put your bowl and beaters in the freezer for 5 minutes (to cool them down) before making the whipped cream.

Now, it's time to assemble:  make 4 stacks of cookies (or chocolate graham crackers) 9 cookies high, putting some whipped cream in between each cookie, like this:

Next, lay the stacks on a serving plate next to each other (not end to end). They will want to smoosh around a little, but a very flat thin spatula will help you lift and maneuver each stack. It should look like this:

It's important to arrange them like this, so that when you serve this cake, you will be cutting ACROSS the cookies (the reason will be more obvious in the following photos.

Next cover the whole "cake" with a nice thick layer of whipped cream, like this:

Decorate (or don't decorate) the top of it with whatever you like: nuts, crushed candies, sprinkles, etc.

Cover lightly with plastic wrap and
chill overnight before you serve.

 

When it comes time to serve, cut the cake with a sharp, thin bladed, knife. It will slice through the softened cookies easily.

 

 

See why it's important to arrange the cookies cross wise, so when you cut it, you get this impressive design?

 

Store, covered, in the fridge and be prepared for recipe requests.

 

 

ENJOY !!!

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HOT FUDGE SUNDAY CAKE FOR MOTHERS DAY

Click On This Photo For
The Full YUMMMMM-factor

 

The first time I saw this recipe, I knew I had to try it because it had a lot of things going for it. First and foremost, it is an ooey-gooey chocolate dream. Secondly, there are no mixing bowls (you mix it right in the baking pan). Thirdly, it does not require any special ingredients (not even butter or eggs). And finally, this super-tender chocolate cake bakes on top of a rich hot fudge sauce�need I say more?

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup white sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened baking cocoa (divided)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2/3 cup brown sugar (packed)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups boiling water
1 1/2 teaspoons instant coffee granules
Vanilla ice cream

Preheat oven to 350�. In an (un-greased) 8�x8� baking pan, mix flour, white sugar, 1/4 cup of the cocoa, baking powder and salt (stir it up to combine); add the milk and oil and stir until the batter is well mixed.
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Mix the brown sugar and 1/4 cup of cocoa together and sprinkle evenly over the batter (DO NOT MIX IT IN).
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Combine the boiling water, vanilla and instant coffee and gently pour it over everything (DO NOT MIX IT IN).
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Bake for 35 minutes (the hot fudge sauce will bubble up from underneath and around the edges of the cake as it bakes). Allow this to cool for 15 minutes before you serve it (just make sure it's very warm when you serve it).
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To serve, top a slice of cake with scoop of vanilla ice cream and spoon the hot fudge sauce (from the bottom of the pan)over the ice cream.
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As simple as this dessert is�it is just unique enough (and delicious enough) for company as well.