Oreo Truffles!

It's Simply Sweet Sunday! I'm a traditional kind of girl,and I like to do my holidays in order.  I refuse to listen to Christmas music or put up my tree until after Thanksgiving.  But now that Thanksgiving is over it's time to be thinking about the most magical time of year, the Christmas season.  I LOVE this time of year for so many, many reasons and I'm not going to lie that one reason is because of all the sweets.  Seriously right around the holiday I justify eating dessert at breakfast, lunch and dinner.  These little treats are one of my all time favorites!  I've been making them for years and they're always a hit.



 

 

Oreo truffles are a delectable and rich sweet that will leave you mouth begging for one more!  One of the best parts is that they only have 3 ingredients.  The biggest downfall is that you have to dip each one which can take some time but believe me they are sooo worth the effort. So crank up the Christmas tunes and get dipping!

 

Here's what you'll need:

 

1 package of your favorite Oreos (I always go for mint!)

1 8 oz block of cream cheese

12 oz of melting chocolate (I usually use Almond Bark)

Wax paper

 

 

 

First, you have to smash your Oreos.  I use my chopper for this but you could put them in a ziploc bag and use a rolling pin as well.  

 

 

I like to get mine fairly fine.

 



I like to garnish my chocolates after dipping them and often I'll use some of the cookies crumbs to do so.  If you plan on doing this take a couple of tablespoons out now and put them in a separate bowl.  Next, mix in the block of cream cheese.  It helps if the cream cheese is soft and I use to a pastry blender or spoon for this.

 

Now, you're ready to form little chocolate balls.  I use a scoop for this but your hands work too.  The dough will be very sticky and I recommend putting the dough in the freezer for 15 to 20 minutes so they will be easier to dip.



 

While your dough is setting it's time to melt your chocolate.  Chocolate does burn fairly easily, so you need to keep the burner low and stir often.

 

Once your chocolate is smooth and creamy it's time to start dipping!  Professional chocolate dippers actually use their fingers for this but I prefer to use a fork or slotted spoon.



Once the truffles are covered in chocolate put them on wax paper to set.  If you are going to top them with anything now is the time.  Once the chocolate sets it won't be sticky enough to hold anything on.  Your options are limitless here.  Some of our favorites are candy pieces, cookie crumbs, sprinkles, white chocolate swirls, almost anything will work, so get creative!

They don't take too long to set, then you can either devour them or save them for your holiday event.  They do store well so you can prepare them 2 or 3 days before a party but do keep them in the fridge.  Here's to the sweetest time of year!

Enjoy!

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Chocolate Strawberry Trifle

Welcome to another Simply Sweet Sunday! I hope you're having a great day!



Chocolate and strawberries, it's hard to go wrong with that combo! This delicious dessert will not let you down.  This is one of my best go to desserts for special occasions or for when I'm entertaining.  It's looks good but it's also super duper easy!

 All you'll need is your favorite chocolate cake mix, a small box of pudding (I usually use chocolate but I let my kids pick this time), all the ingredients to make the cake and pudding, one tub of cool whip and strawberries.  Oh and you'll need a trifle bowl!

First bake your cake, while it's baking mix up your pudding and put it in the fridge to set.

 Once your cake has cooled cut it into small pieces.

 Fill the bottom of the trifle with a layer of cake.

 Make sure you really squish it in there good.

Next add a layer of pudding and then a layer of cool whip.  Top it off with a gernerous helping of strawberries.

 Repeat the layers; cake, pudding and cool whip.  I usually do something fun with the strawberries on top.

And you're done!  You've just made a beautiful, scrumptious and easy dessert! Dig in and enjoy!

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Rolo Brownies

Welcome to the new Simply Sweet Sundays! We have decided to dedicate our favorite day of the week to one of the best things in life, dessert!  Here at Many Many Hats we LOVE our desserts and are excited to have one of them be the main attraction every Sunday.  Today's special is Rolo Brownies!

I used to sell Pampered Chef a few years ago, aside from LOVING their products they also have some pretty darn good recipes as well.  This recipe is one that I used to do for shows all the time. Adding extra chocolate, sugar and candy to brownies was always a hit.  Pampered Chef calls this recipe Warm Nutty Caramel Brownies, I call it Rolo brownies and I have changed it up a little from their original.

Besides the fact that these brownies are completely scrumptious they are also super easy, which you know is a big bonus for me!  To start get your favorite recipe for regular brownies and mix them up.  I usually cheat and use a box mix.  If the box has the option for cake like brownies I would recommend following those steps.  Next mix in 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1 1/2 cup of your favorite kind of chocolate chips (I'm a sucker for milk chocolate, myself.)  If you like nuts in your brownies now would be a great time to throw in about 1/2 cup or so. Pour your batter into either a greased cookie sheet for a more thin brownie or a 9x13 for some really thick brownies.  Bake at 375 for about 20 minutes.

While your brownies bake unwrap 40 pieces of the Rolo caramels.  I usually buy a bag of Rolos so I can eat a few while I bake the brownies but if you want to buy the candy bar size you'll need five packages.  Set 24 pieces aside and then cut up the remaining 16 into quarters.

 As soon a your brownies come out of the oven evenly space out the 24 whole Rolo caramels on the top.

Once they are all in place go back and gently push in each Rolo, they will be nice and soft and easily go in.  Waiting until they've melted a little makes it so you don't have to push as hard and then your brownie won't stick to the bottom of the pan.

 Take another 1/4 cup of brown sugar and sprinkle in on top.

 Then sprinkle the 16 quartered Rolos on top of that.

 The finishing touch is to melt a 1/2 cup of chocolate chips and drizzle it on top.

  I do it a very fancy way by cutting a small whole in a plastic baggy. :)

I usually do a pattern like this.

Oh, how yummy they are!  Come back next Sunday for another sweet treat recipe that will be sure to tempt your taste buds. Have a sweet week!

This post has been linked at Ginger Snap Crafts!

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No Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

When it's too hot to bake and I'm craving a chocolate treat these are what I make.  I love these chewy not too sweet chocolate cookies.  I've tried other no bake cookies but this is my family's favorite.  Maybe because there's no peanut butter in these.  My husband doesn't like peanut butter desserts but likes peanut butter sandwiches, go figure.

1 cube margarine
1/2 cup milk
3 tablespoons baking cocoa
2/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups oatmeal

Melt margarine in medium saucepan. Add milk, sugar and cocoa. Bring to a boil.  Boil for 3 minutes, stirring often so it will not burn.

Take off burner and add vanilla and oatmeal. Spoon onto cookie sheet and refrigerate.  I like to use
a 2 tablespoon scoop to make them all the same size and to save time.

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Chocolate, Coconut Easter Nests

Russell Stover Nests have been a part of our family Easter egg hunts for as long as I can remember.
It's easy to make them at home.

12 oz package coconut flakes (toasted)
1 pound milk chocolate
small jelly beans (Starburst jelly beans and Jelly Belly size)

1.  To toast coconut preheat oven to 300.  Spread coconut out on a 10 x 15 cookie sheet.

Bake for 10 minutes, stir coconut.  Bake for 5 minutes more stir coconut again.  Repeat till coconut is turning golden, remove from oven when most of the coconut is golden but some is still white.  My took a total of 25 minutes but ovens very.  Watch closely once it is starting to toast. 

2.  To melt chocolate a lot of people use a micro wave oven.  Be careful using a micro wave oven, if chocolate gets too hot it is ruined.  I like to use the double boiler method.  I put a glass bowl over simmering water.  The water shouldn't touch the bowl.  Stir till chocolate is melted.

3.  Stir coconut into the chocolate, you might not need all the coconut so don't dump it all in.  I would leave out about 1 cup of the coconut.  Let cool for just a minute or two or the scoops won't hold together.  I used a 2 tablespoon scoop.  I flatten the scoops with the side of the scooper.  Put three jelly beans in as you go, they won't stay if the chocolate sets.  Makes 30 nests.

Enjoy your nests!

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Divine Chocolate Cake

A cake so moist it's all most like a brownie, but better.  I got this recipe from a best friend in High School.  I've been making this Divine Chocolate Cake for many, many years.
Recipe from: Jan Francis Favero

1 cube margarine

1/2 cup oil

1 cup water

1/4 cup baking cocoa

1/2 cup buttermilk or sour milk
2 eggs
2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
dash salt

If using sour milk instead of buttermilk, pour 1 tablespoon vinegar into liquid measuring cup then pour in milk to make 1/2 cup. Set aside to use when needed.  I sauce pan melt margarine, add oil, water and cocoa; bring to a boil. Take off burner, cool slightly.  I like to mix the flour, sugar and baking soda in a separate bowl before adding to chocolate mixture.  This reduces flour lumps.  Mix with whisk as you add sour milk, eggs, sugar, flour, soda, vanilla and salt to the chocolate mixture.  Bake for 20 minutes at 400 in a greased pan. Can be baked in a 9×13 pan or 10×15 pan depending on how many servings are needed.   I use the same time and oven temperature for either size pan.  Frost cake while still warm, but not hot.

Frosting

1 cube margarine

1/4 cup baking cocoa

6 tablespoon milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

4 cups powdered sugar (1 pound box)

1 cup chopped nuts (opt)

Melt margarine, add cocoa and milk. Bring to a boil, stir to keep from burning. Take off burner  add vanilla and powdered sugar. Mix with hand beater till smooth.  Pour over warm cake.
                                                                                                                          
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Homemade Oreos

 

These delectable little goodies are so hard to resist!  My cousin gave me this recipe when I first got married and because I wanted to impress my new hubby with my cooking skills (which were pretty much non-existent at that point) I made them.  They were a hit and we've been mixing them up often (probably too often) ever since.  The reason why I was able to succeed back in the day with these yummies is because they are so very simple!  The cookies only have 4 ingredients!

Here's what you'll need:

2 Devils Food cake mixes
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cup shortening

All you do is mix the ingredients into a fairly sticky dough.  Roll into small balls, about 1 in.  Place on an ungreased cookie sheet.  Do not flatten.  Bake at 350 for 12 min.

You can use store bought frosting but I LOVE homemade too much, so here's the recipe for the filling that we love oh so much!

8 oz cream cheese
1 stick marg
3 3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Mix up the filling and then once the cookies have cooled slightly spread the filling between 2 cookies like a sandwich.

There you have it! Everyone will be so impressed with your homemade, and if I may say so, much better, oreos.  I will warn you that this recipe makes more than enough for one family so if we're not planning on sharing our goods then I usually half the recipe.  I can't resist them sitting around! The best part about these cookies is that they are even BETTER the next day.

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Brownie Pudding

My mother made this tempting dessert trying to impress my father when they were "courting".

Thank heaven it worked!  I think my father was impressed for the next 44 years. 

The top is like a brownie and the bottom is warm chocolate pudding.

It is simple to make.

1 cup flour

¾ cup sugar
2 tablespoons baking cocoa
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt

½ cup milk

2 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ cup chopped pecans or walnuts (opt)

¾ cup brown sugar

¼ cup baking cocoa
1 ¾ cup hot water

Stir together the flour, sugar, baking cocoa, baking powder and salt.  Add milk, vegetable oil and vanilla; mix till smooth.  Stir in nuts if using.  Pour into greased 8x8x2 pan.  Combine brown sugar, baking cocoa and hot water; pour over batter in pan.  Bake at 350 for forty minutes.  Cool before serving so that the pudding isn't too hot but still warm.  Makes 6 to 9 servings.  Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.     

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