Nieman Marcus Brownies

Hold everything...these are just TOO GOOD!

Neiman Marcus Brownies
1 box yellow cake mix
3 eggs
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
4 cups (1 lb) powdered sugar
Preheat oven to 300 and spray a 9×13 dish with cooking spray. Mix cake mix, melted butter and one egg to a soft dough. Press into the bottom of the pan. Mix powdered sugar, softened cream cheese and remaining two eggs until smooth, about 1-2 mins. Pour on top of crust. Bake at 300 for 40-50 minutes until top is golden brown.

pecan balls/wedding cookies

2 sticks margarine
4 tablespoons sugar
2 cups chopped pecans
2 cups cake flour
2 teaspoons vanilla.
Mix all ingredients together with hands and roll into balls. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Roll in powered sugar while warm then again when cooled. Enjoy.

Chocolate Velvet -Chocolate Cake of the Month

Crust:
4 whole graham crackers...
1 cup raw pecan halves or pieces
1/4 cup sugar
5 tablespoons melted butter

Preheat the oven to 350º. Line the bottom of a 9-inch spring form pan with parchment. Place the crackers, pecans, and sugar in the food processor and grind fine. Add the melted butter; process just until clumps are formed. Remove from the bowl and press evenly into the bottom and one inch up the sides of the pan until firmly packed. Refrigerate 30 minutes.

Chocolate Cream Cheese Filling

12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
3 (8-ounce packages) cream cheese, room temperature
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
3 large eggs

Melt the chocolate slowly in a double boiler, remove from the heat and cool slightly. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Beat the cream cheese, heavy cream, and sugar in an electric mixer until smooth. Add the vanilla, cocoa powder, and slightly cooled melted chocolate. Add the eggs, mixing well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Mix just until blended, about 30 seconds; do not overbeat.

Set the pan with the prepared crust on a large piece of aluminum foil and fold up to cover the bottom and sides of the pan to catch any batter that might leak. Pour the batter into the pan and bake in the center of the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 325º and bake an additional 30 minutes.

At the end of the hour, turn off the heat and with the oven door slightly ajar, leave the cake in the oven for 1 additional hour (set a timer). Remove from the oven and set on a rack to cool completely to room temperature. Remove the foil. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Remove 1 hour before serving. Run a thin knife around the edge of the pan to loosen the crust and carefully remove pan rim. Decorate with rosettes of cocoa whipped cream (recipe follows) topped with a chocolate coffee bean if you are making for a party. Otherwise, you can just serve slices with a dollop of the ever so delicious cream. Transfer to a cake platter.

Cocoa Whipped Cream
1/4 cup granulated superfine sugar 
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 cup heavy cream

Place the sugar and cocoa in a bowl and aerate by stirring with a small whisk. Add the heavy cream and stir to combine. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour. Whip until firm peaks are formed and decorate immediately. Makes about 1 1/2 cups. 

Creamy Crockpot Hot Chocolate

Christmas Eve Creamy Crockpot Hot Chocolate - 1.5 cups heavy cream, 1 can of sweetened condensed milk (14oz), 2 cups milk chocolate chips, 6 cups of milk, 1 tsp vanilla extract.

I see a new tradition starting this year.

Homemade Hershey’s Chocolate Syrup Recipe

You’re not going to believe how easy and delicious it is!

Ingredients:

3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 1/4 cups water
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Dash salt

Directions:
Use a big saucepan – at least 2 quarts. This will expand when boiling, and overflows will make a big mess on your stovetop! (I use this 3-quart saucepan that was part of a bigger set I received as a gift. It’s my favorite!)
Combine the cocoa powder, water, sugar and salt in a saucepan over medium heat. Mix with a whisk until smooth.
Stir constantly with a whisk or a wooden spoon until it boils.
Allow it to boil for 1-2 minutes.
Remove from heat.
Add vanilla.
Syrup will be very thin/watery. Allow to cool completely and it will thicken to about the same consistency as Hershey’s syrup.
Store the syrup in a mason jar or any other container. It will keep for several weeks in the fridge. If you want to be really sneaky, pour the cooled syrup into an empty or almost-empty Hershey’s syrup container and see if anyone notices the difference!

Makes about 16 ounces (2 cups)

KFC Original Recipe Chicken

11 Herbs and spices...... Enjoy.
Disclosure: Add Catchup...This makes it my recipe' KFC = Kool Freaken Chicken

1 whole chicken, cut into pieces
3 beaten eggs
4 tablespoons oil

For the coating

2 cups flour
4 teaspoons paprika
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon tarragon
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon onion salt
1/2 teaspoon celery salt

Directions:

1. Sift together all the coating ingredients and place in a clean plastic bag. Coat each chicken piece first with the beaten egg, then with the flour mixture in the bag. Make sure you coat each piece completely with the flour.
2. Heat the oil in a skillet. Brown the chicken in oil slowly, uncovered. Once browned, cover the skillet and keeping frying on a very gentle heat until the chicken is fully cooked. Place on paper towels to drain out the excess oil.

pumpkin cupcakes

Pumpkin Cupcake  (This is a double batch.  Cut in half for regular batch.) 2 sticks of butter (softened) 3 cups sugar 6 eggs 2 tsp vanilla 1 1/2 cans pumpkin (the regular sized can)
4 cups flour 1 tsp baking soda 2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp salt 3-4 tsp cinnamon 2 tsp nutmeg 1 to 1 1/2 cups milk 
Cream butter in a mixer.  Add sugar one cup at a time.  Add eggs cream together.  Add Vanilla & Pumpkin.  Blend well.  Add all flour, soda, powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg.  Mix but do not over mix.  Add 1 to 1 1/2 cups of milk.  You do not want it to be too thin or too thick.  Spoon into cupcake wrappers (I use a ice cream scooper).  Bake in a preheated 350 oven for 21-22 minutes. 
We made our own frosting.  It was like 2 cups powdered sugar, 1/2 cube butter, a pour of milk and 2 tsp vanilla.  The key word there is *like*.  We adjusted it immensely during the process cause it needed to be thicker, no wait that's too thick add more milk, a little more butter will make it creamier... you get the picture.  So those are just the key ingredients, adjust as needed.