PINK BUTTERCREAM FROSTED BROWNIES FOR EASTER

I love the color PINK! If everything could just be bright and pretty I would be one happy girl! In the meantime, I can just make beautiful baked goods to make me smile! And boy do these do the job!

I baked the brownies in this "bar" pan that I got for Christmas! 

It was the same as baking in an 8 or 9 inch pan

The Brownies: (don't have chocolate squares or want to make a 9x13 pan recipe?!? Check out my FAVORITE BROWNIE RECIPE HERE!)

• 2 eggs
• 1 cup of sugar
• 3/4 cup of flour
• pinch of salt
• 1 tsp of vanilla
• 1/2 stick of butter OR margarine (I used margarine for these to make them more fudgy)
• 2 squares of unsweetened baking chocolate
• 1 cup of semi sweet chocolate chips 

Beat eggs and sugar together. Add flour, salt and vanilla. Melt chocolate and butter together in the microwave and stir until smooth. Mix all together well, add chocolate chips and put in a greased 8 inch square pan or brownie bar pan. Bake at 350 degrees (or 325 degrees if using a darker pan) for about 20-25 minutes. Do not over bake! Cool completely before frosting or cutting into squares.

The PINK Buttercream Frosting:

• 1 stick of butter
• 1/2 box of powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1-2 tbsp of milk
• PINK food coloring (YAY!)
• Sprinkles or fun Easter Candies (YAY)!
• Mix ingredients together and frost away!!!

I used the SPECKLED PLAIN EASTER M&M'S since they are shaped like little eggs!

Nicely packaged up in Wilton cupcake boxes that I found at Bed Bath and Beyond!

HAPPY EASTER

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YOU CAN WATCH MY FROSTING TUTORIAL HERE!!

Cookie Cupcakes with Buttercream Frosting!

Oh MY! These are heavenly! I love cookies and I love cupcakes! So today I thought, why not make cookie cupcakes!?!

Oatmeal Butterscotch Chocolate Chip Cookie Cupcakes
WATCH MY YOUTUBE VIDEO ON HOW TO FROST THESE HERE!  

Ingredients:

1 cup of butter

1 cup of brown sugar (packed)

1 cup of sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp of vanilla

2 cups of all purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp of cinnamon

1 tsp of baking soda

1 tsp of salt

3 cups of (uncooked) oats

1/2 bag of mini chocolate chips

1/2 bag of butterscotch chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350

Spray mini muffin tins with non-stick cooking spray

Cream together butter and sugars until smooth; beat in eggs and vanilla

In a separate bowl; combine flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon together then beat into the creamed mixture. Stir in oats and chocolate/butterscotch chips

Roll dough into balls and press to flatten into muffin tin

Bake for 11-13 minutes....(makes about 54 mini cupcakes) Note: the center will fall in a bit

 

Let them cool in the muffin tin for about 5 minutes before taking out them out to cool on a cooling rack

Now it's time to make the buttercream frosting!!! Yay! I mean seriously, is there anything better than buttercream frosting?

Ingredients: 

2 sticks of butter

4 cups of powdered sugar

1 tsp of vanilla

1/4 tsp of salt

2-3 tbsp of milk 

Cream together butter and slowly add in the powdered sugar and the rest of the ingredients

I used a piping bag with the 1M Star tip to get the swirls on my cupcakes and added a mini chocolate chip in the center. I will be posting a video soon on how to get the swirls to look like this!

CUTENESS! RIGHT?

WATCH MY YOUTUBE VIDEO ON HOW TO FROST THESE CUPCAKES HERE! 

Baking with Melissa Hosts Baking Parties and Cupcake Decorating Parties in Los Angeles and the surrounding areas!  Find Melissa on INSTAGRAM, FACEBOOK, AND PINTEREST!

HOW TO MAKE CANDY SUSHI

How to make Candy Sushi
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What you will need:

•   Rice Krispies
• Marshmallows
• Butter
• Twinkies (sliced)
• Gummy Worms
• Swedish Fish
• Green Fruit Roll ups
• Red Licorice 

Directions:

SUSHI ROLL: 

Make Rice Krispies Treats (follow the directions on the cereal package add extra marshmallows to make extra gooey). Make as much as you need according to how many “rolls” you will want to make. Press the mixture down flat on to a cookie sheet and let it cool completely before using.  Cut into long flat strips that are wide enough to put candies in. Place one gummy worm and one twizzler at the top of the strip and roll the candies tightly into the strip to form a nice sushi roll. The rice may crack while you are rolling it (it's okay) just continue to form the roll. Cut off any excess candies hanging out. Take a fruit roll up and wrap around the sushi roll. Cut off any extra bits of fruit roll up. Slice the roll into bite size pieces. 

FUN TIPS: 

• Serve with chop sticks and place on bamboo mats or square plates. 

• Top the sushi with thin swirls of green icing for the appearance of wasabi. 

• Serve with small dishes of chocolate syrup for the appearance soy sauce.

MORE SUSHI IDEAS:

Slice Twinkies into bite size pieces top with a Swedish Fish and cut a slice of a fruit roll up to place around the edge of the Twinkie.

Cut Rice Krispies treats into small flat rectangles top with a Swedish Fish and wrap the center with a slice of fruit roll up.

This is easy enough to do with kids and but fun for adults as well! 

Think color and presentation! 

On Facebook? Want more ideas? Visit www.facebook.com/bakingwithmelissa

(Easy) Saint Patrick's Day Cupcakes!!!

I love the color GREEN! And I LOVE buttercream frosting!! Yum! I have been looking at drooling over various bloggers all week creating the most beautiful sweet treats for Saint Patrick's Day and decided I wanted to join in on the fun! Here is an easy "almost homemade" cupcake recipe!  These cupcakes turned out so moist and wonderful, your guests will never know that they are only "almost homemade"!

Ingredients:

• 1 White Cake Mix (in order to make it taste more "homemade" follow this)
• 1 cup of butter milk (or box directions 1 cup of water)
• 1/3 cup of oil
• 4 eggs (or box directions)

Directions:

1. Mix ingredients together and then add green food coloring a little at a time until you achieve the desired shade
2. Line mini cupcake pan with cute little liners
3. Fill each liner with 1 tbsp of batter (this made 72 mini cupcakes)
4. Preheat oven to 350 and bake for 10 minutes

While the cupcakes are cooling...
make this amazing Buttercream frosting

Ingredients:

• 2 sticks of unsalted butter (softened)
• 4 cups of powdered sugar
• 1 tsp of vanilla
• 1/4 tsp of salt (only if using unsalted butter)
• 2-3 tbsp of milk

Directions:

1. Cream butter until smooth
2. Slowly add in powdered sugar one cup at a time and add in salt, vanilla and add milk as needed. 

Note: I split my frosting in half and added some green food coloring to it and left the rest white. I used a piping bag and a Wilton STAR TIP 1M to apply my icing, but you can frost them any way you like! I made this YOUTUBE FROSTING TUTORIAL for you in case you want some lessons on how to do this yourself! Don't forget to add the sprinkles!

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!

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Recipe was inspired by Hoosier Homemade

Cookies and Cream Rice Krispy Treats

 These were a HUGE hit in my Kids Cooking Class last week!

6 cups Rice Krispies cereal

20 regular Oreo's, crushed/chopped

5 cups mini marshmallows

3 Tablespoons butter

Directions-

1.  Put Rice Krispies into a large bowl.  Spray a 9x13" pan with non-stick spray, set aside. 

2.  Have the kids crush the Oreo Cookies in a plastic Ziplock bag. Add oreos to Rice Krispies and stir to combine. 

3.  Melt Marshmallows and Butter together on Stove top and continuously stir until melted.

4.  Pour melted marshmallows over cereal and Oreo's and use a spatula sprayed with non-stick cooking spray to quickly combine all the ingredients.  As soon as all the cereal is combined, spread mixture into the prepared 9x13" dish.  Use the spatula or wax paper to press and flatten the mixture in the dish.

5.  Allow to cool (about 20 minutes) before cutting into squares.  Eat and enjoy! 

Yield- About 24

I found the recipe On Glorious Treats!