Friday 5: Desserts

Welcome to this week’s Friday Five. If you haven’t been here before, this is nothing more than my random rambling about something that interests me, with a list of five, in no particular order. This week’s list is Five Desserts I Can’t Resist. Hope you enjoy!

Five Desserts I Can’t Resist

Mississipi Mud Brownies: My dear friend Debbie  introduced me to these irresistible little delights. When I was sick after my surgery for so long, and could barely eat anything, this was one thing I had no problem eating. Because these are so amazing, I’m putting the recipe at the bottom of this post for you. (Full disclosure: Debbie is a seriously amazing cook. You should check out her blog where she shares many recipes with step-by-step pics for the cooking challenged like me.)

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies/Bread: The cookies are especially irresistible when they’re homemade, but I’m not a food snob—I’ll happily eat them store bought. The bread is pretty much the same story. I’m not sure why the combo of the pumpkin and chocolate chips tickle my taste buds so much, but they do. And who am I to refuse my taste buds what they desire?

Cookie Zookie: I’m sure that’s not the official name (if there is one) but I’m talking about a hot, gooey, not-quite-cooked-all-the-way chocolate chip cookie topped with a scoop a vanilla ice cream and a blob of whipped cream. The two best I’ve found are at the local Winger’s restaurant and a yummy little place that serves nothing but dessert called The Chocolate (which happens to be where I had the launch for Rapunzel Untangled).  If you’re in the area, you should definitely stop by and get one. They make them fresh while you wait.

Debbie’s I Love You Cake: Yup, Debbie does it again. I’m a chocolate cake lover anyway, but when Debbie throws her masterpiece together, I can’t possibly say no. I’ve tried to make it myself and it’s never quite right. Maybe that’s the “love” part that she adds. She calls it the I Love You cake because she bakes it in a heart shaped Bundt pan and always managed to know just when you need it most. I’m giving you the recipe for this below also. Hopefully your try at it will work better than mine.

Ice Cream: Okay, normally at home I never eat ice cream. If we have ice cream in the freezer, it usually goes bad before it gets eaten. But offer to take me to Leatherby’s or Coldstone, and I’m totally in. Even if I’m not hungry. At Leatherby’s I always order Shane’s Chocolate Chip Swirl with cake batter and vanilla ice cream and a side of hot fudge because their hot fudge is heaven in my mouth, as is the loads of chocolate whipped cream that surrounds the ice cream. Mmm, my mouth waters even now. At Coldstone I get oatmeal cookie batter ice cream with cookie dough and hot fudge mix-ins. No calories there.

Mississippi Mud Cake

Combine till smooth with hand mixer:2 Cubes butter, melted and slightly cooled (so you don't cook the eggs when adding them)
2 C. sugar
4 eggs
1 tsp. vanillia

Add to above mixture using a folding in method rather than hand mixer so as not to over mix:
1 1/2 C. flour
1/4 C. cocoa powder
1 C. chopped pecans
1 C. coconut

When combined, "pour" into a 9x13 greased pan and Bake 325 degrees for approximately 50 minutes. Remove from oven and while still hot, spoon 7 oz. jar marshmallow cream in dollops on top and when slightly melted, spread with knife to cover the brownie. When cooled frost with a chocolate buttercream frosting.

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