Pillsbury Million Dollar Recipe Contest

 Pillsbury Million Dollar Recipe contest!



Click on the link I've provided and enter some recipes of your own. There are so many products to choose from and work with!
Hey, you never know, and like they say "you've got to be in it to win it". It could be something that you've been making and enjoying that could win you a nice chunk of change!  LOL! So go ahead, and enter! Good luck!

I had a package of Pillsbury Chocolate fudge ready to bake cookies and played with these for the contest, and then I discovered that these cookies were NOT on the list of ingredients! Oh well, I quickly adjusted my recipe and went on to make some other delicious sweets and have submitted the recipe for them.

Recipe

1 package of Pillsbury cookie dough, ready to bake, or roll
1/2 cup sweet unsalted butter
3 - 4 cups confectioners sugar
1 cup smooth peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup heavy cream
9 ozs semi sweet chocolate, chopped into small pieces
sea salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

For bar cookies

Line a 9 x 9 or a 9 x 13 inch pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil so you have a 2 inch overhang on each side.
Spray lightly with nonstick cooking spray.

Press cookie dough into the bottom of the prepared pan so that you have an even layer. Bake for 10 - 14 minutes depending on the size of the pan you are using.

Take out of oven and let cool.

Make a peanut butter filling using one cup of peanut butter, 3 cups - 4 cups confections sugar and 1 stick (1/2 cup) of unsalted sweet butter (room temperature).  With an electric mixer on high speed whip peanut butter and butter until smooth, add confectioners sugar one cup at a time. Add 1 tsp of vanilla extract when mixing.

Using a spatula spread peanut butter mixture over cooled cookie mixture. Place in the refrigerator while making the ganache.

Place the chocolate pieces into a bowl that is heat proof.
In a small sauce pan heat heavy cream to a simmer.
Pour heavy cream over the chocolate pieces and let stand for about 2 minutes.
By hand, mix until the cream and the chocolate are smooth.

Pour this chocolate ganache over the peanut butter layer, sprinkle with sea salt and let chill for one hour or more.

Cut into 2 inch squares and Enjoy!

If you want to make cookie sandwiches, bake the cookies as instructed on the package.
Let cool on a wire rack.
Take one cookie so the bottom of the cookie is facing up. Fill with the peanut butter mixture. Top with another cookie so the top is facing up and dip into the ganache. Place on  cookie sheet lined with parchment paper  and let the ganache set. For a quicker set place the cookie sheet with dipped cookies into the refrigerator for 10 - 15 minutes.

I hope you enjoy! They were delicious!

Here are the pictures of the cookies and bar cookies that I made.

xoxoxo

Lorraine

Raspberry Brownie Bliss

Oh Yeah!
My friend Maria gave me this recipe. She is a fashion designer by day and has an extrodinary passion for baking in her spare time. Her cookies and baked goods are to die for! Not only are they sinfully delicious but they are always so gorgeous!  Maria is a such a beautiful person inside and out, and it reflects in everything she does, especailly in what she bakes!

I asked Maria for an easy recipe, and I wanted to make a bar cookie. The following recipe is hers. The nuts* in the bottom layer are my addition. Enjoy!
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
You'll need
3 sticks butter - I prefer unsalted
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
3 cups flour
1 cup nutmeat * pulsed in the food processor
(I like to use either almonds or pecans)
1 package of your favorite brownie mix
1/2  jar of seedless raspberry preserves/jam
strong coffee

Combine all ingredients. It will be sort of crumbly. Just make sure that it will all hold together when pressed into the baking pan.

chopped almonds

flour, sugar, nuts and butter mixed up

Press this mixture into a greased 15 x 10 inch pan and bake for 12 - 15 minutes or until lightly browned and golden. (My pan was a little larger, which makes more squares, but not as thick)

before going into the oven

Take the pan out of the oven and let it cool.

After the cookie layer has cooled spread 1/2 of the jar of raspberry preserves over the cookie crust.

Now comes the fun part! Using your favorite brownie mix, follow the instructions of the box and instead of water add strong coffee along with the oil and eggs as directed on the box.

With a spatula spread the brownie mixture over the raspberry layer, it doesn't have to be perfect and bake 25 - 28 minutes, checking it at 25 minutes. Don't over bake. It should be soft and gooey.
Cut into squares, try to let it cool and eat!

I know that Maria's would be perfect , while mine aren't perfect squares, they are absolutely just as delicious!
You are going to be amazed with the first bite and the delicious flavors it will be sending to your taste buds. You'll  definitely want another! The coffee brings out the flavor of the chocolate like you can't believe!
Come on, tell me, don't you want to make these? Better yet, don't you want to eat one, or two?

Buon Appetito
xoxoxo
Lorraine

Hunka Munka Burning Love

What do you get when you cross a Banana Cream Pie with a Peanut Putter Cream Pie? You get a Hunka Munka Burning Love Pie!

Nothing is better than the combination of chocolate, peanut butter and bananas.  There may be better combo's out there, but at the moment I can't think of any. My brain is too focused on The Hunka Munka right now!
The inspiration for this cream pie is a result of taking someone else's recipes and playing with ingredients and making it my own.  The Peanut Butter Cream Pie from In Jennies Kitchen,  and Bobby's,  Hunka Munka Blondies gave me the idea to combine the ingredients and make a cream pie! My husbands favorite is Banana Cream Pie, and he loved the Peanut Butter Cream Pie so what could be better than making it all into one. Layers of delicious indulgence!
Here's what I came up with. This is a no bake pie. Relatively easy to do. Get ready to blow your friends away! They are going to love this!

Hunka Munka Burning Love Pie


Crust
4 Tablespoons Butter
8 ozs chocolate cookies
1/2 cup chocolate chips

1/4 cup Hershey's Chocolate Syrup
1 cup peanuts, chopped
3 sliced Bananas
8 ozs cream cheese at room temperature
1 cup creamy smooth peanut butter
1 14oz can sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup milk
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 package instant banana pudding



In a food processor pulse chocolate cookies until they become a crumb.
Melt the butter and chocolate chips together, (I used the microwave )
With a fork mix the cookie crumbs with the melted butter and chocolate.

Press the crumb mixture into the bottom, and up the sides a little bit of a 9 inch spring form pan.

Add the chocolate syrup, and smooth it out with a spatula.

Sprinkle with the chopped nuts

Slice two of the bananas and layer on top of peanuts. Reserve one of the bananas to  decorate the top of the pie.

With a mixer beat the cream cheese and the peanut butter together until light and fluffy. Add the sweetened condensed milk and the vanilla.  Add this layer on top of the sliced banana layer.

In a deep bowl beat the heavy cream and the milk together, add the package of instant banana pudding to the liquid and beat to a whipped cream texture. It will happen very fast.
Scoop the pudding/ cream  mixture on top of the peanut butter cream.
Decorate with chocolate chips, and more chopped peanuts. Chill for at least 6 hours or overnight!

And before serving, add more sliced banana! Serve and indulge!

Enjoy!
Buon Appetito
xoxoxo
Lorraine