Thin Mint Cheesecake

Oh, yes I just did!  I somehow ended up with FOURTEEN boxes of Girl Scout Cookies this year.  Fourteen boxes in this house for two people.  I'm not counting the baby, cause we don't feed her cookies. Yet.

So, aside from snacking on Girl Scout Cookies all. day. long, I've been coming up with ideas for desserts. You may remember the Tagalong Brownie Pie.

I've been wanting to make a chocolate cheesecake with thin mints for a couple weeks and I finally lit a fire under it and got it done.  It is SO good!  This will not disappoint.

I based my recipe off this recipe here.  Only, I made the following edits:

- Instead of chocolate wafer crumbs, I crushed up Thin Mints for the crust.  It took about a sleeve and a half.

- I used chocolate chips instead of chopped up chocolate.  I'm not a fancy chef, y'all and chocolate chips are less work!

- I don't own a stainless steel bowl and I don't do things like melt chocolate over a pot of water on the stove, so I just put the chocolate chips in a pyrex bowl and microwaved it.

- At the very end, I folded in more crushed up Thin Mints.  About a sleeve and a half's worth.

When you're ready to serve, just garnish with whipped cream and a Thin Mint! 

Have you made anything with Girl Scout Cookies lately?

You find find me partying here!

Tagalong Brownie Pie!

I seriously love this time of year.  Not winter, not Super Bowl (but I like that, too) not Valentine's Day.  Nope, you know what I'm talking about!  GIRL SCOUT COOKIE TIME!  I love me some Girl Scout Cookies!  I can't turn them down.  I think I ordered like 8 boxes from a girl in our neighborhood.  

But those won't come in for a little while and since I JUST SO HAPPEN to have a friend who JUST SO HAPPENS to be a troop leader for a troop that JUST SO HAPPENS to be selling cookies NOW, well, I bought some more and her her ship 'em on down to me. :)

Now, I'm not the best baker and definitely not the best food photographer, but bear with me because you don't want to miss this.  I was brainstorming ways to make desserts even more awesome and I came up with a few ideas that involved Girl Scout Cookies.  Then I got in the kitchen to test one of those ideas out and today, I bring you:

Yeah, Buddy.  You read that right.  It's a pie, it's a brownie, it has Tagalongs... It's a Tagalong Brownie Pie!!!  Squee!!!

Um, so delicious and so freaking easy.  Here's how to make your own!

You will need:
1 box of brownie mix (plus whatever the package says you need)

1 graham cracker crust

1 box of Tagalongs

Mix the brownie batter according to package instructions.  Friendly little tip here: splurge a little on the pasteurized eggs so you can finish off whatever batter doesn't fit into the pie shell.  I ♥ brownie batter!

Add a layer of brownie batter to the bottom of your pie shell.

Top that with a layer of Tagalongs.

Add the rest of the brownie batter.  (You could also just add a thin layer of batter, then another layer of Tagalongs and top it with batter, if you're feeling crazy!)

Bake according to package directions for an 8x8 pan.  You will probably need to bake for about 10 minutes longer.  Just stick a toothpick in and when it comes out mostly clean (not gooey), it's done!

This is the part that will kill you.  Let it cool down for at least 30 minutes.  I'm sorry.  You can do it!

Then cut in and enjoy!  It's super rich - you'll just want a small piece.  Probably.  And a glass of milk.

Check back in later this week and if my sister hasn't gone into labor, I may post another Girl Scout Cookie dessert recipe! :)

Linking up to these amazing parties!

Candy Corn Brownies - TWO Ways!

It's October, which in my house means CANDY CORN BROWNIES!  

I love them, I really do.  I love brownies, I love candy corn and these just take it to a whole new level. :)  I have posted about these previously, but I have a little revision for 2011, so I'm going to post both ways to make them for you.  The first method is, in my opinion, the most delicious. 

The Original Candy Corn Brownie

One box of brownie mix, made as directed

One bag of candy corn

Step 1: Make your brownies as directed on the package.  10 minutes BEFORE they're done, pull 'em out of the oven.

Step 2: Cover the brownies with candy corn and put back in the oven for the final 10 minutes.

The candy corn will get all melty and bubbly while the brownies finish cooking.

Step 3: As soon as you pull them out of the oven, swirl the melted candy corn around to create a top layer.

Let it cool and you're done!

Pros: super delicious, lots of candy corn

Cons: messy, not so pretty

SOME people (the crazy ones) think that much candy corn is overkill.  Also, you have to serve these with the disclaimer "I know they look like a mess, but trust me, they're really good!"

Enter:

Candy Corn Brownies, 2011 Revision

Follow the instructions for the originals, but when you top it with candy corn, instead of just dumping the whole bag on top, carefully place a few candy corn in individual groups, like so:

Then put it back in the oven, but when you pull it out, don't swirl it up.

This makes them much easier to cut and a little lighter on the candy corn for those who can't take the heat.  

I know you're probably thinking why even melt them? I could just sprinkle candy corn on top after the brownies are done baking.  No.  Trust me, some kind of magic happens when the candy corn melts that makes it super delicious.

  
 

Chocolate Covered Pretzels

I initially posted this tutorial over at The Scrap Shoppe in April and now I'm bring it on over here to you!  If you love simple and yummy, this is the thing for you!

I'm going to share with you how to make gourmet candy pretzels!  I recently made these as hostess gifts for my baby shower and they were a huge hit!  Enough talk, let's get down to the nitty gritty:

Stuff you'll need:

Pretzels: I used Snyder's Old Tyme pretzels.  They're the perfect size and thickness.
Chocolate almond bark
White chocolate chips
Toppings: Heath toffee chips, sprinkles, crushed oreos, crushed M&Ms and crushed Reese's Pieces (or whatever floats your boat!
Colored candy melts (I used pink)
Wax paper
A bowl or dish for dipping the pretzels
Various kitchen utensils (fork, rubber spatula)

Step 1: Melt your chocolate.

Put your chocolate in a glass bowl or dish and microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring in between, until melted through and smooth.

Step 2: Dunk your pretzel.

Put your pretzel in the dish and push it down so it's fully coated in chocolate.

Step 3: Drain the excess chocolate.

Pull the pretzel out with a fork or tongs and allow the extra chocolate to drip off. 

Step 4: Place pretzel on wax paper.

This can get messy.

Step 5: Sprinkle!

Sprinkle the topping of your choice on your chocolate covered pretzel before the chocolate sets.  OR you can drizzle another coating over the pretzel.  This, too, can get messy!

Once your pretzels have set up, you can take them off the wax paper and plate them up. If you're giving them as a gifts, stack them up in a clear cellophane treat bag and tie with ribbon.

Go crazy with the combinations!  From top to bottom, my combinations are:

1. Chocolate covered, drizzled with pink candy coating

2. Candy coating covered with sprinkles

3. Chocolate covered with Reese's Pieces

4. Plain, drizzled with chocolate, white chocolate and candy coating

5. Chocolate covered with sprinkles

6. White chocolate covered with Oreos

7. Chocolate covered with M&Ms

8. Chocolate covered with Heath toffee bits