Desserts Archives — Bless this Mess

October 10, 2018

Cake Mix Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Quick and easy pumpkin chocolate chip cookies made with only 4 ingredients including a cake mix.

I’m sure that you’ve seen and probably even made this really easy cake mix pumpkin cookie recipe; it’s been floating around the internet for years. I wanted to share it with you today, not because it’s new, but because it’s awesome. And with my tips and tricks, it’s even better.

What’s my secret?! An EGG! The addition of one egg to the cake mix, pumpkin puree, and chocolate chips makes all the difference. That and not under-baking the cookies. Those two things are the secrets to these simple cookies. The egg acts as a leavening agent and helps to make the cookies less gummy. Cooking them a full 12-14 minutes also helps them to not be gummy and sticky either. Nothing too new or exciting but a few little things can make a big difference when it comes to a recipe with a super short ingredient list.

These cookies are so simple that my kids can make them almost on their own. My oldest loves to have friends over and bake. They’ve had many (MANY) kitchen disasters. I think it’s a great learning experience. But when I think it’s a good day to have a treat turn out, I’ll encourage them to make this recipe. It’s easy and you can’t mess it up. Nothing wrong with starting with a cake mix in my book (I use a cake mix in each of these recipes: Vanilla Sheet Cake, Homemade Soft Oreos, Grandma Shoaf’s Chocolate Sheet Cake, Cheater Brookies (Chocolate Chip Cookies + Brownies), Cheater Gooey Pumpkin Butter Cake, Cheater Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars). See? There is a time and a place for cake mix. It’s a great starting point for new bakers and busy mamas alike.

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October 5, 2018

Easy Oreo Spider Halloween Snacks

Easy Oreo Spider Halloween Snacks are made with cookies, licorice, and chocolate candies and make the perfect edible craft project.

I have planned on sharing this “recipe” for our all-time favorite Halloween snack with you for years and years. Every year I think that this will be the year that I get a few pictures and share with you, and this is the year that I finally did it!

I know my Oreo spiders don’t look like much, but that’s just it. They are so fun and easy that you’ll be making them over and over again because all they require of you is a trip to the grocery store. I have been making these spiders for decades! I made these with my mom growing up in Indiana, and I have made them every year since I moved out of the house. I can remember making them in college to take to a little party, I’ve made them with my own kids for at least 10 years. We love to make these for our “BOO!” plate (where we doorbell ditch our neighbors and friends – get the cute poem to go with the goodies here), and they are so nostalgic for me that I know I’ll be making them for years to come. Quick, easy, and cute – that’s all there is to them.

I love that this recipe can be made with the smallest of kids. Most little ones can stick something into the middle of the Oreo. They aren’t messy at all, and they take no preparation on your part. As simple as they are, I know that you’ll love them as much as I have over the years! Happy Halloween snack making, friends!

This post is part of a little Halloween event my friend Tara from Tara Teaspoon and I are hosting! We’ve dedicated a few days in a row to sharing our favorite Halloween recipes! Today Tara is sharing the cutest Halloween Spiderweb Caramel Apples. I love caramel apples with my whole heart and these are cute to boot. I can’t wait to try the recipe.

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October 3, 2018

5 Easy No-Bake Halloween Treats

5 fast, kid-friendly, no-bake Halloween treats that are so easy to make, your kids could do it on their own.

Who else loves all things October?! Bring on the pumpkins, parties, homemade donuts, and all things fall! These super easy no-bake Halloween treats are my little gift to you to start your month off right. These are so easy, super cute, and perfect to take to a party or to plan for your kids to make after school.

I love little treats like these because they feel like they are almost an edible craft project. Fun to make and fun to eat! My no-bake Halloween treats feature store-bought items so that you really don’t have any prep to do ahead of time. You probably don’t need a lot of instructions to make these, but I’ve gone ahead and written it all out for you including tips and tricks on where to find everything you’ll need to make your Halloween treat-making party a success.

This post is part of a little Halloween event my friend Tara from Tara Teaspoon and I are hosting! We’ve dedicated a few days in a row to sharing our favorite Halloween recipes! Today Tara is sharing the cutest Halloween Pumpkin Marshmallows on Cupcakes . Seriously how cute are those? I LOVE how festive these are and can’t wait to make them with my kids. Check them out!

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October 2, 2018

Basic Apple Pie Recipe (Using Fresh Apples)

Your go-to basic apple pie recipe using fresh apples in a homemade crust with very little added sugar.

A basic apple pie recipe is simple and the end results are just plain tasty. It’s a recipe that everyone should have in their collection. This apple pie doesn’t use a lot of added sugar and you don’t have to cook the apples before adding them to the crust. It has about an inch or inch-and-a-half of sliced apples inside the crust, which I think is a nice amount. I think apple pies that are 3 or 4 inches high and stuffed with apples are gorgeous, but I like a more even crust-to-apple ratio myself. When you don’t have that many apples in the crust, you don’t have to precook the apples because there are a lot less in there to shrink and put out extra liquid.

Need a crust recipe to make your apple pie? I got you covered!

I wrote a huge post all about pie crust! This basic apple pie recipe is a staple in our house and I hope you love it. You can find this recipe plus SEVEN other pie recipes in one post if you are looking around for something that looks perfect for your Thanksgiving table.

There’s something magical about pulling a pie made from scratch out of the oven. It seems to take you back to a time when life was simpler and homemade pie was standard fare in American kitchens. Today, amidst the hustle and bustle of everyday life, taking time to make pie is almost therapeutic. It’s a slower process than opening a box of brownie mix, but there’s so much satisfaction in it. Butter, flour, and sugar are the building blocks of all things good, and making a homemade pie is a pretty great way to use them. Plan to take an afternoon to bake and you just might love how grounding the whole process is for you. And you’ll have a beautiful pie to enjoy after dinner or to share with friends, and that’s a pretty great reward, too.

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September 27, 2018

Perfect Pumpkin Bread

This is THE Perfect Pumpkin Bread recipe made with or without chocolate chips. It’s sweet and moist but never gummy. You’ll make it over and over again.

I. Love. This. Pumpkin. Bread.

It’s the best recipe out there and one that you’ll make again and again. The bread always cooks so nicely with a firm crumb, a sweet little crust on the outside, and no gumminess. I like that this recipe makes two loaves (they freeze well, FYI!) and I like that you can choose to add chocolate chips or not. I normally will scrape half the batter without chocolate chips into one pan, stir chocolate chips into the remaining batter, and then add that to the second pan. It’s the best of both worlds for my family who is split down the middle when it comes to team chocolate and team no chocolate.

This bread is the perfect combination of sweet and spice with just the right amount of pumpkin flavor. It’s a dessert in my book, and oh-so-good! I can’t wait for you to make this so you can understand just how perfect it is. I dare say this is the best pumpkin bread recipe ever, but you’ll have to judge that for yourself.

This recipe is part of Pumpkin Week! A week I dedicate to all pumpkin recipes on the blog. I have SO MANY pumpkin recipes in my archives that it took me a little while to decide what I wanted to make this year. I realized that even though I have multiple pumpkin muffin recipes on Bless this Mess, I hadn’t shared my favorite pumpkin bread recipe. I’m so glad we could remedy that problem today. It’s a recipe you are going to make again and again.

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September 24, 2018

One Bowl Pumpkin Spice Muffins

One Bowl Pumpkin Spice Muffins made with whole wheat flour, rolled oats, pumpkin puree, and all of your favorite fall spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.

Long live allllllll the pumpkin recipes! I am a huge fan of these pumpkin spiced muffins and I can’t wait for you to make them, too. They are made with whole wheat flour and oatmeal, lots of pumpkin, and plenty of those fall spices that make your house smell amazing while they bake. These muffins are light, fluffy, sweet, and all around delicious. They make the perfect breakfast, after school snack, addition to a lunchbox, or little treat to eat with a hot cup of cinnamon tea. They also freeze well which means you can make a double batch and keep some on hand for busy times.

I also like that these muffins cook up great if you make 12 big muffins or 18 smaller muffins. I like the big ones for breakfasts or if I’m taking them to a social gathering with girlfriends. I like the smaller muffins for snacks and sticking in lunchboxes. You get to choose what works best for you – just see the notes at the end of the recipe on adjusting the cooking time according to size.

This pumpkin recipe is part of pumpkin week! A week that I dedicate on the blog to all things pumpkin – sweet and savory alike. I’ve done this every year for a few years now, and I enjoy it so much. I hope it inspires you to get in the kitchen and gives you a few more ideas on how to use pumpkin besides the classic pumpkin cookies.

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August 16, 2018

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Zucchini Cookies

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Zucchini Cookies made with whole wheat flour, oats, chocolate chips, pecans, and shredded zucchini.

Did you know you can toss zucchini oatmeal cookies, throw in some chocolate chips, and have yourself one beautiful cookie that is full of veggies and whole grains?! Well, you can! It still has its share of sugar and butter but I like to think that the whole grain oats, whole wheat flour, and zucchini help add some nutrition to the ever popular chocolate chip cookie. I’m not going to pass these off as a breakfast or healthy cookie, but I sure don’t feel bad when my kids are eating dessert with vegetables hanging out in them.

I LOVE this recipe because it’s all the things you love about zucchini bread, mixed with everything you love about oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. You’ve got that lightness and moistness from the zucchini and the spices from classic zucchini bread and then you have that great texture from the oatmeal and the chocolate, because, well, chocolate. Chocolate chip zucchini cookies are a fun twist on a classic recipe, and one that I know you’ll be making over and over all zucchini season long!

This post is part of Zucchini Week here on Bless This Mess – a week dedicated to all things zucchini. Stay tuned all week long to get 5 new sweet and savory zucchini recipes.

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August 2, 2018

Fresh Peach Ice Cream

Fresh peach ice cream made with peaches right off the tree, heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla is easy, simple, and delicious.

Fall is in the air here in southern Utah. The nights are cool even tough the day can still be blazin’ hot. I love this time of year because you can swim and eat ice cream during the day and make a fire to roast mallows on at night. I’m so glad I live here; it is beautiful.

Utah has lots of pioneer heritage and those pioneers were wonderful about planting fruit trees wherever they went. There is a three story apple tree in my neighbors yard that I’m sure is pioneer planted. I would have never thought of Utah as being a great place to grow fruit, but it really is. The warmth mixed with plenty of irrigated water from the mountain really does well for fruit. Right now peaches, plums, and pears are ripe while we wait for our apples to sweeten with the onset of cold. Mmm, I love apple season.

What fruit is ready in your neck of the woods? Do you have any trees of your own?

This recipe is a great way to use fresh peaches for dessert. Fresh peaches and ice cream is a combo that is just meant to be. It’s simple to make, is full of peach flavor, and has a perfect creamy texture with just the right amount of sweetness. This is a favorite to make a batch or two of and keep in the freezer while peaches are in season. We can’t get enough fresh peach ice cream so we indulge when it’s here.

Tips and Tricks for making Fresh Peach Ice Cream

If the peaches don’t want to blend up try adding part of the milk called for to help things move around. If you like more chunks in your ice cream, blend up 1/2 the peaches and dice the other half. Add the diced peaches to the ice cream just before serving.
I use a Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker that you just freeze the canister the ice cream is made in. It takes about 15 minutes to make ice cream with no salt and ice to mess with. I love it!
If you like a harder ice cream, put the ice cream in a freezer container and cover. Let it freeze for at least 2 hours and then let it sit for 10 minutes on the counter before serving. The ice cream straight out of the maker is just like soft-serve. Out of the freezer it is like store-bought.

Craving more? Subscribe to Bless this Mess to get new recipes, meal plans, and a newsletter delivered straight to your inbox! If you try this recipe, let me know what you think! Leave a comment, pin it, and don’t forget to tag a picture #blessthismesseats on Instagram. I love to see your kitchen skills in action!

Fresh Peach Ice Cream

Fresh peach ice cream made with peaches right off the tree, heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla is easy, simple, and delicious.

Author: Melissa Griffiths - Bless this Mess

Ingredients

3-4 medium peaches, peeled and pitted
1 cup whole milk
1 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 T. vanilla extract
pinch salt

Instructions

Add the peeled and pitted peaches to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
In a medium bowl mix the peach puree, milk, sugar, heavy cream, vanilla, and salt together until the sugar dissolves.
Add the ice cream mixture to your ice cream maker and process according to manufacturer’s directions.

Notes

If the peaches don’t want to blend up try adding part of the milk called for in the recipe to help things move around. If you like more chunks in your ice cream, blend up 1/2 the peaches and dice the other half.
Add the diced peaches to the ice cream just before serving.
I use a Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker that you just freeze the canister the ice cream is made in. It takes about 15 minutes to make ice cream with no salt and ice to mess with. I love it!
If you like a harder ice cream, put the churned ice cream in a freezer container and cover. Let it freeze for at least 2 hours and then let it sit for 10 minutes on the counter before serving. The ice cream straight out of the maker is just like soft-serve. Out of the freezer it is like store-bought.

If you love fresh peach ice cream, you might also like these recipes:

So many peach and ice cream desserts to choose from! ENJOY!

This post was originally published in September 2012 and has been updated in August 2018.

June 22, 2018

Classic Zucchini Bread Recipe

Classic Zucchini bread recipe made with fresh or frozen zucchini, melted butter, and just the right amount of sugar.

I feel like a really good zucchini bread recipe is kind of hard to find. You have to get one that’s sweet but not too sweet (I think of zucchini bread as a dessert, don’t you?). It needs to bake all the way through without drying out the edges (a gloopy middle is so gross). And it needs to have just the right amount of spices to make it smell good when baking and remind you of your grandma. I’ve tried a million and one recipe for zucchini bread and this is my favorite because it’s simple, consistent, and delicious!

When zucchinis are on, they are ON, and this is such a great way to make a little treat to enjoy them. This recipe makes one loaf, but can be doubled and can be made with fresh or frozen zucchini. That means you can stash some zucchini in your freezer when they are a dime a dozen and then eat on them all winter long when they are no longer available.

How do you grate zucchini for bread?

If you are working with small zucchini, just slice off the ends and use the largest holes of your box grater to shred the zucchini – no need to peel or remove the seeds. If you are working with larger zucchini, though, the seeds start to get tough. I like to peel and remove the seeds from really large zucchini because the texture is better.

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June 13, 2018

Perfect Every Time Brownies

Classic brownie recipe that turns out every time, is not too rich, is perfectly fudgy, and can be made your own with all kind of mix-ins.

Everyone needs a really classic brownie recipe that turns out fudgy and perfect every time, and this recipe is just that. They’re sweet and not too dark, the texture is just right, and they hold together and store really well. In fact, I’m making them again tonight for a party (to go with some homemade ice cream!). Long live delicious homemade treats to share with friends!

The fun thing about this recipe is that it’s really easy to customize with mix-ins. In the mood for extra chocolate and some nuts? Add them! Feeling coconut and caramel? Toss them in! I’ve added all kinds of mix-in suggestions to the recipe notes so that you can make this brown recipe truly your own.

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