BYU Mint Brownies

BYU mint brownies are one of my favorites! I found this recipe in a Utah Valley magazine a few months ago. It is awesome.

1 box of brownie mix

(I like Betty Crocker Hershey Supreme Brownie Mix w/Frosting Pouch)

Walnuts (optional)

5 tablespoons butter, softened

dash of salt

1 tablespoon of light corn syrup

2 1/3 cups powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon mint extract

food coloring

3 tablespoons milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Make brownies according to the box directions. Add 1 cup chopped walnuts if desired. Bake in a 9x13 dish.

To make the mint frosting combine butter, salt, corn syrup, and powdered sugar.

Beat until smooth and creamy, but it will look a little crumbly. Add the mint extract and food coloring. Mix in and then add the milk gradually until the frosting is a little more runny than cake frosting.

Spread the mint frosting over the cooled frosting and then place in the freezer for a short period of time to stiffen. Take brownies out of freezer and immediately frost with chocolate frosting.

I like just mint frosting on the top. Most like the chocolate too. If the chocolate frosting is too much just drizzle stripes instead of full on frosting it. So tasty!!

Granny B Pink Cookies

I roll out the sugar cookies on wax paper with powdered sugar so they don't stick. Yum! Look how puffy they are! Just like good ol' Granny's

I am a Pink Cookie freak. So are many people I know. My friend, Amy (a fellow freak), found this recipe on her sister's blog and gave it to me the other day. I couldn't wait to try it especially for Valentines Day. Today was the test run and they are awesome!!! Sugar Cookies:

1 cup butter

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

3 cups of flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup sour cream

Cream butter and sugar together. Slowly add eggs and vanilla. Sift dry ingredients together. Add dry mixture to the wet mixture along with the sour cream. Mix until smooth.

Chill 2 to 3 hours.

Roll out 1/4-1/3" thick depending on your preference and cut into shapes.

Bake at 375 degrees for 6 to 8 minutes or until golden brown on bottom. Let cool.

Frosting:

4 Tablespoons butter

2 1/3 cups powdered sugar

milk

3/4 teaspoon vanilla

(for chocolate frosting add 3 tablespoons cocoa)

Put butter in bowl and beat with electric mixer until fluffy. Then add about half of the powdered sugar. Beat in 1 tablespoon milk and the vanilla. Slowly add in the rest of the powdered sugar. Add more milk if needed. Add food coloring if desired.

*I cooked mine at 350 for 9 minutes because I'm a dork and thought that is what I read! They turned out just fine so if you do it right at 375 I'd say cook them for 8-ish minutes depending on your oven. Just don't over cook! I let mine chill on the cookie sheet for 1 minute before removing to the cooling rack. Also, I used almost twice the milk it called for. I got 24 medium sized heart cookies out of the dough. I doubled the frosting recipe and it was perfect for the 24 cookies. If you are making the cookies larger I'd triple the frosting recipe.

*Update 4/7/11* I added approx. 3-4 tablespoons of cream cheese to a doubled batch of the frosting to make it a little less sugary. It was awesome! I think it's the best frosting I've made so far:)

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes

This recipe is one I booked marked forever ago and finally got around to making it. It is from The Recipe Club. It was Casey's 17th birthday yesterday and he loves spice cake and cream cheese frosting. Rather than buy the same old mix from the store I decided to make it all from scratch and remembered I had this recipe. So glad I made it because it is hands down the best cupcake I have ever made!! If you follow the directions exactly they will end up perfect!! Don't be scared of the pumpkin. You can taste it but if you don't like pumpkin it isn't overwhelming. I used 4 tbsp of water in the frosting and I cooked the cupackes for 19 mins. I think the frosting would be awesome on cinnamon rolls!!

{pumpkin spice cupcakes}
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup oil
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
3/4 cup buttermilk
1- 15 oz. can pumpkin puree
2 1/4 cup flour
1 TBSP cinnamon
2 tsp. all spice
1 TBSP baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
In a large bowl, beat together sugars & oil. Add eggs & vanilla. Beat until incorporated. Mix in pumpkin & buttermilk & beat well.
In a small bowl whisk together all dry ingredients until combined. Add to pumpkin mix & beat until combined & creamy.
Grease or line 24 muffin cups & fill 2/3 full. Bake at 350 degrees for 18-22 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Let cool, top with cinnamon cream cheese frosting.

{cinnamon cream cheese frosting}
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup salted butter, softened
1 bag powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. vanilla
2-3 tsp. cinnamon
2-4 TBSP water
Beat together cream cheese & butter. Add half the powdered sugar, salt, cinnamon & vanilla. Beat until incorporated. Add other half of sugar & water. Beat on medium high until light & fluffy. Pipe or spread onto cooled cupcakes & sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.