Brownie in a Mug

(Review by Denise)

There are so many “in a mug” desserts on Pinterest! This is the first one I tried. I am disappointed to report no real blog link exists for the recipe. As you can see, it is one of those pins with the information ready to go. When I clicked for the link, http://blog.gopromos.com was the site. I have my doubts that “Go Marketing Ideas” is the responsible party for this recipe. (If you happen to know the original source, please comment!)

We topped ours with ice cream and whipped cream, because we’re awesome like that. My sister-in-law is a higher-up tier of awesome because she requested that I put some M & M’s in the brownie batter before cooking it.

Verdict? Win. I especially love that there are no eggs in it, so you can under cook it if you like mushy desserts like I do. This would be great for college students, too!

Moist Chocolate Cake {Foodess}

source: http://www.foodess.com/2011/03/moist-chocolate-cake/

I’m proud to introduce today’s reviewer, my friend Steffi! Not only is she one of “those people” who often concoct their own fancy recipes (you know: “those people” we like to befriend), she is your go-to source if you’re on the hunt for gluten free eats. Check out her recipe blog, Steffi’s Kitchen! (Fun fact: Steffi speaks German. I know…totally demotes my bragging rights for speaking Spanglish.)

(Review by Steffi)

For Father’s Day I needed something that would make my husband’s taste buds dance. My man is a chocolate lover whose sweet tooth is rarely satiated. I’m gluten intolerant and don’t really have much of a sweet tooth, so I bake only for holidays and birthdays. When I found this recipe on Pinterest from Foodess I instantly thought it would be right up Rhett’s alley.

The cake is extremely easy to make. As Jennifer mentions – it is very quick. From the time I pulled ingredients from the pantry to the time I put the cakes in the oven to bake only 12 minutes went by.  The batter smells fantastic and it looks beautiful. The one thing I wasn’t too certain of is the coffee. Rhett is not a coffee drinker and doesn’t really care for the taste at all.

The cakes baked in exactly the amount of time the recipe listed. This shocked me. I find that baking times are always off when I bake. Sure enough, cake tester was inserted at 35 minutes and came out clean and clear!

I did two 9” rounds. I iced with buttercream and filled with choc mousse. Rhett said it was indeed the moistest cake he’d ever had. There is literally no trace of coffee flavor in the cake at all. I highly recommend this recipe for cake and/or chocolate lovers.

Pots de Creme {Pioneer Woman}

(Review by Denise)

My man and I have a Monday night routine going: put the kids to bed early,  then eat a yummy dinner and/or dessert for two on the couch while watching our show. (Previously Walking Dead, now we’re back to Mad Men.) Recently I made The Pioneer Woman‘s Pots de Creme for us to savor during our living room date. (If you’re unsure if you’re pronouncing “pots de creme” correctly, Ree gives a lovely tutorial. We wouldn’t want to sound goofy, like pronouncing “jalapeno” with the “j” from “jam.” Just don’t do it.) Check out the recipe (and pronunciation) here.

I’m not gonna’ lie: they were fun to make. I love how she made mistakes on her own recipe and then later told us what went wrong and why. (Room temperature eggs to the rescue!) See how it starts out looking like this…

…but then just a bit of coffee makes it transform in color and consistency?

I knew I was saving those jelly jars for something. (According to Pinterest, you’re supposed to save all jars. You never know what emergency craft may call for a mason or jelly jar.)

Verdict? Pass. Yum! You’ll especially like them if you like dark chocolate.  But be warned: these babies are rich. As in…Richie Rich. I don’t know how Ree served her’s up in those giant martini glasses. Of course, that Walking Dead living room date would’ve been even more romantic if we had to share….

Cookie Monster Dessert

(Review by Denise)

Remember The Country Cook‘s recipe on Oreo Puddin’ Poke Cake? Well she’s back with this yummy pin. I think when I pinned the photo above, I got more repins than any other dessert. Check out Brandie’s recipe right here.

We made plans to eat lunch at a friend’s house after church, so this seemed the perfect thing to bring. Her recipe calls for a 13×9 pan, but I divided it into two brownie pans so we could eat one right away and save the other for Sunday. Brandie recommends using “a trusty helper” and it just so happens that I have a handy preschooler who loves nothing more than helping in the kitchen. (I must say, she did a fantastic job using the handheld mixer all by herself.) The cookie dough was a challenge to spread evenly, but the recipe warned me ahead of time. I thought for sure it would burn in certain spots. Nope! All is well.

Verdict? Pass. The only thing I might change in the future would be to add a bit of vanilla to the tub of Cool Whip. It just tasted a little too “Cool Whippy.” (I get to invent words here. I make my own perks.) The kids and our friends all liked it. I think The Country Cook has officially developed a yummy dessert reputation around Pin Eat Review.

What’s your opinion?

S’mores Cookie Bars

(Review by Denise)

I think this was the first pinned recipe I ever made. I mean doesn’t that picture look so good? Check out the recipe here on Lovin’ from the Oven.

The recipe is very simple conceptually–not much to it. But practically I had snafus. For one, do you have any idea what a stinking son-of-a-buzzard marshmallow creme is to work with? It had been a while since I’d bought the stuff, so I was not prepared for its unmanagibility. I also had a hard time fitting the chocolate bars in neatly, so they went in cattywampus-style. (I’m sorry I don’t have a photo to capture that very technical term.)  By the time I got to the last layer of ingredients, I had given up hope of a beautiful dessert and just blobbed it on haphazardly.

Verdict? Pass. Surprised? They were good. But even more so, my man ate them and talked me into a more positive opinion. (He loved them.)  And this isn’t Baked Alaska or Thanksgiving turkey. Next time I will just say the Serenity Prayer when I get to the blasted marshmallow creme. What about you?

“Pretzel Cookies with Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chips”

(Review by Denise)

Oh yes, you heard me right. Cookies with pretzels in them. I pinned this one ages ago and decided soon after making them, all cookies should have pretzels in them. It should be a rule. When someone eats a cookie without pretzels, they should cock their eyebrow and ask, “What are these? Because I know they aren’t cookies.”

And that is why I think Sarah at Sugar Cooking should win a Golden Hug for posting this. (I just made up the Golden Hug award, for anyone not catching on.) Check out her recipe here. 

One thing I had trouble with: the salt on top. You couldn’t even tell it was there, whereas her photo above is glistening with the savory opaque flecks. So don’t be a goofball like me and use margarita salt when she tells you to use pretzel salt or sea salt. She even gave options and I was like, “Sarah, nobody tells me what to do.” And see where that got me? BUT…..they were still delicious.

Verdict? Pass.

Have you made these sweet and salty cookies from Sugar Cooking? Would you also give Sarah a Golden Hug, or just a Bronze Shoulder Shrug. Please share!

Oreo “Puddin’ Poke Cake”

(Review by Denise)

One of my favorite desserts is Jello Poke Cake. (If you haven’t experienced that boatload of mushy goodness, STOP WHAT YOU ARE DOING RIGHT NOW. Check out the recipe here, then go to the store and buy the ingredients and make it. You can come back and read this review when your newly made recipe is setting in the fridge. You’re welcome.)  Puddin’ Poke Cake, as you may have guessed by now, is the same idea only uses pudding instead of Jello. Genius. I attribute that genius to The Country Cook, where she includes the recipe here.

The way she spins it, she bakes a chocolate cake and uses Oreo-flavored pudding. I didn’t even know such a flavor existed. (It really does.) I didn’t bother crushing Oreo cookies on top because then I wouldn’t have any Oreo cookies to eat the normal way. (As in, not crushed on top of a dessert.)

Here’s the downside: the pudding didn’t drip down into the holes to saturate the cake. It was just a chocolate cake with Oreo pudding for icing. (The things I complain about! “…just a chocolate cake with Oreo pudding for icing.” *Snort.*) Next time I will make deep craters all over the puppy instead of cute little holes. (And just so we’re clear, I didn’t abuse a puppy.) I’ll also whip up that pudding and pour it over the cake pronto, instead of waiting the two minutes A Country Cook suggests.

Verdict? Pass. You betcha’. You think I’m going to let a little issue like a lack of pudding marbleization throw this chocolate-Oreo-mushiness under the bus? You’ve got another think coming.

But truly, what is your opinion? Have you tried A Country Cook‘s Pudding Poke Cake? Let us know on the poll below!