Easy Butterfinger Brownie Trifles

So I have had a lot of food failures in the kitchen lately. Yikes. The good news is my kitchen cabinets have recently been repainted white and now my kitchen is beautiful and refreshing like a piece of spearmint gum, so I really like spending time in there.

My most recent mishap was a pot of would be pomegranate jam that I slaved over a hot kitchen stove for over an hour tending to, only to find that it turns out I don't really know how to make jam and also my 16 month old chooses the most inopportune times to start wailing from his crib to come let him out after his nap. Long story short, my "jam" turned into a burnt jar of molten rock that could've passed for something you'd find on a volcano site. Not. Edible.

This, amongst many other blunders, made me crave something easy, fast, delicious, FOOL-PROOF. And here you have it. My husband thought it was delicious, but also thought it was funny that it even needed a written recipe. That's the thing. It really doesn't. It's just brownies and pudding and butterfingers and a whole lot of yum. I even used store bought brownies to avoid having to turn on the oven again and also to avoid the risk of messing those up as well :) Enjoy!

Easy Butterfinger Brownie Trifle

1 pan of cooked brownies

1 package instant Vanilla pudding (3.4 ounce)

2 cups milk

10-12 Fun size Butterfinger candy bars

Whipping cream, for topping

1. Make pudding according to package directions using 2 cups milk.

2. Place Butterfinger candy bars in plastic ziplock back and crush into fine crumbs using hands or rolling pin.

3. Mix Butterfinger crumbs and vanilla pudding together.

4. Layer brownies and pudding in individual serving cups or in large trifle dish.

5. Top with whipping cream and reserved candy bar crumbs.

No-Bake Peanut Butter Bars

It's summertime and we're feeling fine! Although we are melting. Is anybody else melting?? It is just so hot! One can simply not be slaving away in a hot kitchen when the sun is beating down all around you. But you also don't want to go too long without a treat. The solution? No. Bake. Peanut Butter Bars. They are easy, fast, and oh so delicious. They are perfect for a potluck or BBQ. I recommend them chilled with a cold glass of milk. Bon Appetite!

No-Bake Peanut Butter Bars

1 cup salted butter (melted)

2 cups keebler graham cracker crumbs (yes, they come already in crumbs! no smashing required)

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 3/4 cups powdered sugar

1 cup creamy peanut butter

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1 (12 oz) bag milk chocolate chips

1. Combine melted butter, graham cracker crumbs, sugars, peanut butter and vanilla in bowl. Stir until well combined and creamy. 

2. Pour mixture into a 9 x 13 pan.

3. Melt chocolate chips in the microwave in 30 second increments, stirring each time until melted, about 1-2 minutes. Pour over peanut mixture and spread with a spatula.

4. Refrigerate at least one hour. Cut and enjoy!

Recipe slightly adapted from http://www.iheartnaptime.net/no-bake-bars/

Double Frosted PB Cookies

Pregnancy makes us do strange and delicious things. Like make PB cookies with not one, but two types of frosting. Why two you ask? Try them. You'll understand. Fortunately, out of my four sisters-in-law in my husband's family, three are pregnant and I am also pregnant. So I have plenty of people to try these out on. Pregnancy is really quite in right now, you see. We will go from two to seven grand babies by Christmas! If that math was tricky, I understand. One is having twins. Oh baby baby...baby baby baby.

Anyway, my pregnant self devoured these. They are a-mazing. And rather filling, if you ask me. I have been famished, I tell you, and these little/actually rather big treats took off the edge.

I know you probably shouldn't have double frosted peanut butter cookies every day. But if you are pregnant, today is that day. Or...if you may become pregnant, you were pregnant once, you know somebody who is pregnant, you are married to someone who is pregnant...or you like peanut butter...today is also that day.

Double Frosted Peanut Butter Cookies

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup white sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 eggs

3 1/4 cups cake flour

1-12 oz. bag peanut butter chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Cream together butter and sugars. Blend in vanilla and eggs.

3. Add dry ingredients; mix well.

4. Fold in peanut butter chocolate chips.

5. Using ice cream scoop or 2 large spoons, scoop into 2 inch balls and place on cookie sheet. Bake for 11-12 minutes or until set.

6. Let cool, then frost with peanut butter frosting and chocolate frosting (recipes below).

Peanut Butter Frosting

1/2 cup butter, softened

3 cups powdered sugar

1/2 cup smooth peanut butter (not natural)

milk to thin to proper consistency (whole milk recommended)

1. Cream together butter and powdered sugar.

2. Add peanut butter and beat until smooth.

3. Add milk a tablespoon at a time, just until frosting is smooth and creamy. 

Chocolate Frosting

1 cup butter

5-6 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa

1 tablespoon vanilla

1/4 - 1/3 cup milk

1. Cream together butter and 5 cups powdered sugar. 

2. Add cocoa and vanilla and beat until smooth.

3. Add milk a tablespoon at a time until frosting is smooth. If needed, add more powdered sugar. 

*I must confess; I did not actually make this frosting. I didn't have the energy to make two types of frosting (see above referenced medical condition) so I used chocolate frosting from a can. I can't say that I'm sorry. They were still delicious!

Bon appetite!

Recipe slightly adapted from A Bountiful Kitchen via Cutler's Cookies

p.s. The pictures on A Bountiful Kitchen's website of these cookies are amazing. I don't know how she made her cookies so perfectly round or got that frosting on there without making a huge mess, but she did. My pictures aren't so pretty, but I can't say that anyone minded when they tried them :)