Triple-Layer Peanut Butter Brownie Recipe
Prep Time | 15min.
Total Time | 2hr. + 15min.
Servings | 32 servings
Elevate brownies (in both senses of the word) with layers of chewy and creamy. This Triple-Layer Peanut Butter Brownie Recipe is a tall stack of yum.
Ingredients
1 pkg. (19 to 21 oz.) brownie mix (13×9-inch pan size)
1 pkg. (3.4 oz.) JELL-O Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding
1 cup cold milk
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1-1/2 cups COOL WHIP Whipped Topping (Do not thaw.)
3 oz. BAKER’S Semi-Sweet Chocolate
1/2 cup PLANTERS Dry Roasted Peanuts, coarsely chopped
Make It
Prepare and bake brownies in 13×9-inch pan as directed on package; cool.
Meanwhile, beat pudding mix and milk with whisk 2 min.
Add peanut butter and sugar; mix well.
Refrigerate until brownies are completely cooled.
Spread pudding mixture over brownies.
Microwave COOL WHIP and semi-sweet chocolate in microwaveable bowl on HIGH 1 min. or until chocolate is completely melted and mixture is well blended, stirring every 30 sec.
Spread over pudding mixture; sprinkle with nuts.
Refrigerate 1 hour.
Recipe | Sherry Wine Cake by Natalie and Al W. on Laddoos Ave.
Natalie and Al love to share the holiday season with their friends and family. Each year, Natalie makes her famous Sherry Wine bundt cake and it’s always a hit! It’s extremely easy to make but will make each holiday gathering seem uniquely special.
Sherry Wine Cake
1 pkg yellow cake mix (e.g, Duncan Hines)
1 pkg vanilla pudding mix
3/4 c. vegetable oil
2/3 c. sherry wine
1 teas. nutmeg
1 c. walnuts chopped fine
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare the bundt pan. Mix the dry cake mix and the dry pudding. Add the vegetable oil, nutmeg and the Sherry. Beat on high to mix well. Add eggs, beating them into the mix one at a time. Add the nuts and beat. Pour the mix into the oiled and floured bundt pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes. Let the cake cool completely. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Enjoy!!!
​Gingerbread Pear Loaf Recipe by Frank and Kit P. on Elysian Pass
Makes 2 (8 ½ “ x 4 1/2 “)
With their elegant tapering necks and firm texture, whole Bosc pears baked into this rustic loaf elevate its look and taste.
POACHED PEARS
5 (12 oz) bottles ginger beer*
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 cinnamon sticks
8 cardamom pods
6 firm Bosc pears, peeled
In large Dutch oven, combine ginger beer, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and cardamom. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium, and simmer until reduced by half, about 1 hour and10 minutes. Remove from heat, and let stand for 15 minutes. In a large bowl, place pears. Pour syrup over pears. Refrigerate for at least 12 hours.
CAKE
¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
1 ½ cups firmly packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
½ cup unsulphured molasses
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
2 ½ teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon ground allspice
½ cup whole milk
½ cup sour cream
3 tbsp ginger sugar
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray 2 (8 ½†x 4 ½â€) loaf pans with baking spray with flour
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and brown sugar at medium speed until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes, stopping to scrape sides of bowl. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in molasses and vanilla.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, ginger, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, cloves and allspice. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture, beating just until combined after each addition. Stir in sour cream. Spread batter evenly into prepared pans.
4. Strain pear mixture, discarding excess fluid. Place 3 pears, stems up, in each prepared pan. (Gently place pears ¼ “ into batter so pears do not sink to bottom.) Sprinkle with ginger sugar.
5. Bake for 10 minutes. Gently pull pears by stems to ensure they remain upright during remainder of baking time. Continue baking until a wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean, about 1 hour and 15 minutes, loosely covering with foil to prevent excess browning, if necessary. Let cool in pans for 15 minutes. Remove from pans, and let cool completely on wire racks.
Halloween Crafts + Recipes
Halloween jumps starts the holiday season with warm flavors, welcoming decor, and youthful fun for everyone.  As any super-crafty person will tell you, this makes it the absolute best time of year for all things DIY. Get your family and friends together to try out some (or all!) of these crafts and recipes.
Striped & Polka Dot Pumpkins
What a seriously adorable Halloween decoration! Pretty easy to do, and there are ideas for other holidays on the blog as well.
10Â Pumpkin Seed RecipesÂ
Swanky Recipes details everything you need to know about  preparing and drying the seeds, plus 10 different recipes for you to try. Never throw out the seeds from your pumpkin carve again.
Mini Caramel ApplesÂ
These are just amazing— delicious caramel apples in neat, bite-sized portions. Best idea ever?
Glow in the Dark Slime Â
For the kiddos. You can tackle this mini-science project together, then switch off the lights and watch their little faces light up with delight!
11 Ideas for Pretty Pumpkins
Decorating Your Small Space put together this list of extra fancy pumpkin ideas, including this absolutely amazing Tinker Bell! I just love the idea of turning a pumpkin into a lantern.
Recipe | Chocolate Chip Cookies from Marilyn on Verde Blvd at Encanterra®
If you have ever stopped by Marilyn’s home you have probably been offered one of her amazing chocolate chip cookies! This recipe was given to Marilyn over 20 years ago by her friend Edna from Franklin, Tennessee. Edna had a daughter the same age as Marilyn’s daughter, Kelly. The girls would play together and enjoy these cookies!
CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
2/3 cup Shortening
½ cup Dark Brown Sugar
½ cup Granulated Sugar
1 Egg
1 tsp. Vanilla
1 ½ cups Flour
½ tsp. Baking Soda
½ tsp. Salt
6 ounces Chocolate Chips
½ cup Walnuts, chopped (optional)
Cream the shortening and sugars. Add egg and vanilla and beat thoroughly. Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt together and add to the creamed mixture. Stir in the chocolate chips and walnuts. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 8 minutes. Enjoy!
Recipe | Italian Spaghetti from Sherry + Dave B. on Azafran Trail at Encanterra®
Sherry has been making this recipe for her husband for almost 45 years. It’s a Betty Crocker favorite and comes from the cookbook they received as a wedding gift. Their cookbook is falling apart at the seams and their family loves gathering together for this meal. This recipe produces a thick and flavorful sauce that everyone loves!
2 pounds ground beef
1 medium onion, finely chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1 green pepper, finely chopped
2 cans tomato sauce
2 cans tomato paste
1 can pitted ripe olives, drained and sliced
2 packets of Italian style spaghetti sauce mix
3 cups water
1 tablespoon of sugar
1 teaspoon oregano leaves
2 cloves of garlic (crushed)
1 bay leaf, crumbled
16 ounces of Italian-style spaghetti
Cook and stir ground beef, onion and green pepper until meat is brown and onion is tender. Stir in remaining ingredients except spaghetti. Cover; simmer for 1.5 hours, stirring sauce occasionally. Cook spaghetti as directed.
Recipe: Homemade Ice Cream
Is there anything better on a desert summer day than ice cream? We can’t think of anything! Ice cream is a magically delicious treat and we think it deserves every day of this month’s National Ice Cream Month title. Here are some fun ice cream facts, plus a recipe for nearly instant homemade ice cream:
FUN ICE CREAM FACTS
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Vanilla is the most popular flavor of ice cream
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The ice cream soda was invented in 1874
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It takes roughly 50 licks to finish an ice cream cone
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California produces the most ice cream in the United States
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You can make homemade ice cream in a bag! Check out the recipe below…
QUICK & EASY HOMEMADE ICE CREAM RECIPE
GALLON-SIZE ZIPLOCK BAG:
Ice cubes +
1/2 cup kosher salt
PINT-SIZED ZIPLOCK BAG:
1 cup half & half +
2 tbsp granulated sugar +
1/2 tsp vanilla extract or other flavoring +
Any of your favorite ice cream mix-ins
INSTRUCTIONS:
Combine ice cream ingredients in the pint-sized bag, and combine ice cubes + kosher salt in the gallon-sized bag. Then place the small bag and shake for 5-10 until ice cream reaches desired consistency. Add in your mix-ins and enjoy!
Roasted Shrimp & Orzo Recipe
The Culinary Club at Encanterra® was kind enough to share with us one of their favorite summertime recipes, served cold or at room temp, from The Barefoot Contessa. Yummy!
Roasted Shrimp and Orzo
Ingredients:
Kosher salt
Quality olive oil
3/4 pound orzo pasta (rice-shaped pasta)
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (3 lemons)
Freshly ground black pepper
2 pounds (16 to 18 count) shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 cup minced scallions, white and green parts
1 cup chopped fresh dill
1 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 hothouse cucumber, unpeeled, seeded, and medium-diced
1/2 cup small-diced red onion
3/4 pound good feta cheese, large diced
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Fill a large pot with water, add 1 tablespoon of salt and a splash of oil, and bring the water to a boil. Add the orzo and simmer for 9 to 11 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it’s cooked al dente. Drain and pour into a large bowl. Whisk together the lemon juice, 1/2 cup olive oil, 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Pour over the hot pasta and stir well.
Meanwhile, place the shrimp on a sheet pan, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to combine and spread out in a single layer. Roast for 5 to 6 minutes until the shrimp are cooked through. Don’t overcook!
Add the shrimp to the orzo and then add the scallions, dill, parsley, cucumber, onion, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Toss well. Add the feta and stir carefully. Set aside at room temperature for 1 hour to allow the flavors to blend, or refrigerate overnight. If refrigerated, taste again for seasonings and bring back to room temperature before serving.