HAPPY ST. PATRICK’S DAY!

We are having a potluck lunch at work to celebrate the day of the green. I didn’t feel like making treats from scratch, but I wanted to make something fun and festive. I came up with these minty chocolate treats that can be made with 4 ingredients. These cookies are so easy to make, and they are perfect for St. Patrick’s Day. Enjoy!

Chocolate Mint Thumbprint Cookies

Ingredients:

1 pkg. Refrigerated Nestle Mini Brownie Bites

1 tub Vanilla Frosting

Peppermint Extract

Green Food Coloring

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Separate brownie dough into 20 individual pieces.
3. Roll into balls, place on prepared cookie sheet, and flatten slightly.
4. Bake for 15 minutes.
5. Remove from oven and immediately create small bowls in the middles of the cookies with the back of a teaspoon.
6. Allow cookies to cool.
7. Mix 1 1/4 tsp peppermint extract into frosting.
8. Slowly mix drops of green food coloring into frosting until you reach the shade of green you desire.
9. Fill the middle of the cookies with mint frosting.

Today is my nephew Preston’s third birthday! Unfortunately, I didn’t get to travel to Florida to be there for his birthday party, but it sounds like he had a great time. His party was at Little Gym, and the theme was Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. My sister worked her magic again, and made an amazing cake!  All her cakes are amazing, but I think this ranks as her best ever!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PRESTON! AUNT MEGAN LOVES YOU!

Want to make rich cupcakes that look and taste professional, but are easy to make? These cupcakes definitely live up to those standards. They are a chocolate lover’s dream…dark chocolate cake filled with mini chocolate chips and topped with a rich and creamy ganache topping. The best part is the ganache topping is made with only two ingredients!

Triple Chocolate Cupcakes

adapted from Truffle Lover’s Cupcakes

Ingredients:
1 box Pillsbury dark chocolate cake mix
1 1/4 cup water
3 eggs
1/3 cup oil
1 1/4 cup miniature semi sweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup whipping cream

Directions:

1. Place paper baking cups in muffin pan.
2. Prepare cake mix according to package directions. Stir in miniature chocolate chips.
3. Divide batter evenly among 24 baking cups.
4. Bake 19 to 23 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
5. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pan to cooling rack.
6. In heavy 1-quart saucepan, heat whipping cream over medium-high heat until hot but not boiling; remove from heat.
7. Stir in 1/2 cup chocolate chips until melted. Let stand 10 minutes.
8. Dip tops of cupcakes in ganache. Top with mini chocolate chips.

When I was dipping the cupcakes in the ganache, I was thinking about how fun it would be to use the treat dipper in my OpenSky store for dipping cupcakes in melted dark chocolate. I imagine it would fun for kids (and adults too) to dip mini cupcakes in the chocolate and then have a variety of sprinkles and toppings to sprinkle on top. Sounds fun…..right?! Well you can get this fancy treat dipper for yourself! For the next 24 hours there is a 25% discount on this fun product. Just click here to order yours and enter DIPPER25 as your coupon code.