• skinny brownies full of fudgy goodness

    If you have been around Half Baked Land very much you know that brownies are a favorite for The Hubby and I both, but lets be real brownies are not the best option when you are trying to watch your waistline and what you are eating….that is until now….now we have skinny brownies. Now in my quest to find a delicious, fudgy and rich skinnier brownie I went through several versions that were not so delicious, or fudgy or rich.  I found a few that were too cakey or too bland or even worse way too dry, but finally it all came together and this pan of brownies came out…

  • bringing crunch to the bars

    I can’t believe Valentines Day is just around the corner.  I just got all my Christmas down (yes, it took me a little while) and now it is time to think red & pink with hearts everywhere…but first lets talk about bars. Valentines Day has always been a special holiday for me, it is my Mammaw’s birthday!  This year she will be 89 and we are making sure it is a super special day for her and these bars a favorite of hers (& mine) so they will definitely be on the birthday menu.  To be honest pecan pie is her favorite but I love turning a pie into a…

  • you have been good…time for a brownie

    We have been so good for the whole first week of 2016 and this weekend calls for a little treat…right?  And a brownie sounds like the perfect treat and these brownies laced with cream cheese make them an ultimate treat for sure.   Overtime I make these brownies they are gone before I can get a good pic so this last time I decided to set a few aside so after our company left I could take my pics…well that isn’t how it quite worked out.  My husbands family was over playing one of their favorite card games and as they played they kept eating the brownies…everyone LOVED them!  Eventually all…

  • cocoa a new way

    I still can’t believe Christmas is later this week.  I don’t know about you but I still have a ton to do and one of the things on my list is to make this fudge one more time.  There is just something so special about fudge around the Holidays…and especially this cocoa inspired version. Growing-up we always had tons of treats around our house especially sweet treats, especially FUDGE!  This fudge is so easy to make and it is so cute it is perfect for this Holiday season.  To start with the bottom layer is a rich dark chocolate layer topped with a white chocolate fudge layer and then to make it…

  • a little snowball fun

    No matter where you live you can have snowball fun…even with no snow.  Growing up in Southeast Texas it is rare (like never) that we have enough snow to make a snowball…so this year I decided to make my own snowballs…COOKIES that is. These cookies have been a favorite of my mom’s for years but I had never made them until just recently.  I was getting ready for my annual gift baskets and I knew I wanted a cookie that light & buttery with nuts and these immediately came to mind.   To make them perfect I decided to search through some of my grandmother’s old cookbooks and came across…

  • Gluten Free has never been so fun

    Chocolate is a must have in my house at all times.  I usually have a chocolate bar, a brownie, peanut butter cup or a cookie to satisfy my daily chocolate need.  For brownies and cookies the fudgier and richer the better for me.  My sea salt caramel brownies are super fudgy but finding a cookie to meet that criteria has been difficult, and I never imagined a gluten free option would give me the perfect chocolate cookie…but I am so glad it did. I have been making gift baskets and I wanted to have a gluten free option in each basket and so I went on the hunt for a…

  • a new Holiday treat…yes it’s fudge

    Do you have a favorite treat that you only have at Christmas?  For me family it was always my MeeMaw’s sugar cookies and english toffee, for my mom is is white chocolate peppermint candy, for The Hubby it is a broccoli & cheese casserole that his mom makes and for my dad it is fudge.  Now I am pretty good in the kitchen and can handle most everyones favorites but fudge has always been a little intimidating.  There is just something about candy thermometers that scare me just a little bit…but this year I was determined to find a fudge that he would love and that did not require any…

  • an unexpected sweet bundt treat

    Now I know that when you think of Holiday desserts pumpkin is at the top of the list .  As crazy as this might sound, my family are not big pumpkin lovers so we have always had several additional options besides the traditional pumpkin pie….one always being a bundt cake.  We love the traditional bundts but we also love this chocolate, chocolate chip bundt cake for chocolate lovers. A new favorite is this butter bundt.  It is lighter than a more dense cream cheese bundt cake but still super rich and full of butter love in each bite. When my brother and sis-in-law were down a month or so ago we had a big…

  • dreams are made of this new pumpkin love…

    Obviously pumpkin is on everyone’s brain this week…and my brain is defiantly no exception.  Really to be honest pumpkin is all I can think about…I just love pumpkin everything.  Now the traditional pumpkin desserts are perfect for your Thanksgiving table but this year I wanted to change things up a bit and create a lighter dessert but with all the best it had to offer.  The first layer is a delicious graham cracker crust, it is buttery and a little crunchy.  Next there is a cheesecake layer that is light with the added whipped cream but still very rich.  Next comes the pumpkin layer that is a wonderful pudding like layer loaded…

  • whipped cream for days

    I LOVE HOMEMADE WHIPPED CREAM!!  Ok there I admit it…I LOVE homemade whipped cream.  The first step is admitting it right??  Well there you go…I admit it…I not only love it but I am kinda obsessed with it a little bit.   My mom would always make homemade whipped cream for special occasions and I was always so excited.  The problem was she would always have to leave the gathering and pull out the mixer and whip it up while her guests were enjoying their drinks because it would deflate if she made it before they arrived…so over the years I have been experimenting with several different stabilizing options to…