Chocolate Pecan Pie

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons butter, melted
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup dark corn syrup
• 1 1/2 cups pecan halves
• 1/2 cup mini milk chocolate morsels
• 1 9 inch deep dish unbaked pie shell

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Melt butter in a small bowl in the microwave for a 60-90 seconds.  . While butter is melting, add beaten eggs to a medium sized bowl. Stir in brown sugar, flour, vanilla extract, and corn syrup until combined. Add butter when just melted.

Mix in the pecans and chocolate morsels. Mix all together. Pour mixture into pie shell.

Place on a sheet tray and bake for 50 to 60 minutes.

Serve and enjoy!

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Chocolate Cake with Caramel Frosting

Last weekend was my birthday and my mom asked me what cake I wanted HER to make me!  Being the baker that I am I decided baking my own birthday cake would be the best option! I decided on a chocolate cake with caramel frosting and decorated it cheetah print! It is not as difficult as you might think, I promise!

Ingredients:
Cake:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans
2 cups sugar
3/4 cups cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk, shaken
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Frosting:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/3 cup heavy cream, plus more as necessary
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 16-ounce box confectioner’s sugar

Decoration:
milk chocolate frosting
black gel icing

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter two 8-inch x 2-inch round cake pans. Line with parchment paper, then butter and flour the pans.

Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low speed until combined. In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry.  Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.

Melt butter in saucepan.  Add brown sugar and cream.  Cook over medium-low heat for about 2 minutes, until the sugar is dissolved.  Remove from heat and add vanilla. Transfer to a large bowl.

Using a handheld electric mixer, beat in confectioners’ sugar until smooth.  If frosting is too thick, add 1 tablespoon heavy cream at a time until consistency is right.

Place 1 layer, flat side up, on a flat plate or cake pedestal. With a knife or offset spatula, spread the top with frosting. Place the second layer on top, rounded side up, and spread the frosting evenly on the top and sides of the cake.

Once cake is completely frosted, chill in the freezer for a half hour.  Take a butter knife and smear dots (spots) onto your cake with the chocolate frosting sporadically.  Once you have done this to the entire cake, freeze for another half hour.  Then outline half  or 3/4 of each spot with the black gel icing.  Refrigerator until service.

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Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Ingredients:
2 cups pumpkin seeds
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Lay pumpkin seeds in a flat layer in a baking pan.  Drizzle with melted butter, sugar, and cinnamon.  Toss around until everything is completely coated and lay in a flat layer.  Bake for 30 minutes, stirring halfway through cooking.

Serve and enjoy!

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Artichoke Bread

Ingredients:
1 14 ounce can artichoke hearts
2 garlic cloves
4 ounces cream cheese
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1 loaf italian bread

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Drain the artichokes from the can and chop into bite sized pieces.  Mix this with the chopped garlic cloves, cream cheese, mayo, sour cream, mozzarella and parmesan cheese.  Make sure everything is evenly combined and distributed.

Cut open the loaf of bread lengthwise.  Slather both sides of bread with the artichoke mixture coating every piece of bread.  Sprinkle with a little bit more mozzarella if you would like.  Bake in the oven for 15 minutes or until the top becomes golden brown.  Slice and enjoy!

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