Baked Vanilla Donuts

Super simple vanilla cake donuts dunked in chocolate frosting!

I don't know why, but I tend to forget about how quick homemade donuts are to make. And every time I finally get around to making them, I kick myself for not doing it sooner. Most of the recipes I've tried so far are cake donut style, which is my preference. Once the batter is ready, it's just 8 minutes of cooking time. That's it! Faster than a lot of other breakfast recipes out there for sure. These are super simple and super quick. You have to try them!

Reese's Peanut Butter Bars

Who hasn't wanted to make a pan full of bars that taste just like Reese's cups?!

Hello hello and happy May. I have this easy 5-ingredient recipe to share today that tastes just like a Reese's cup. And it makes a lot of bars that taste just like a Reese's cup, so it's honestly fantastic. It can be cut into whatever size you'd like, so this would be really fun for a party or get-together.

No Bake Chocolate Cheesecake Oreo Parfaits

A fun, chocolatey, no-bake dessert served up individually!

I love a good no-bake cheesecake type recipe! This one is pretty easy to whip up and it's served up in individual portions, so it's great for a party or get-together. I personally typically use mason jars for these types of desserts but I thought it might be easier to scoop into a stemless wine glass. It ended up being a little easier to eat out of the wine glass too, so win all around!

Butterfinger Butterscotch Cookies

Soft oat cookies with chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, and bits of Butterfinger candy bars.

I know it's a whole thing of people thinking they are getting a chocolate chip cookie and it's oatmeal raisin and they hate it, but I am not one of those people. Well, maybe. I definitely love chocolate chip cookies, but I also love oatmeal raisin too. Now these cookies are like a beautiful mixture of the two plus butterscotch chips and Butterfinger candy bits. What's not to love about that? It reminds me a lot of cowboy cookies or everything but the kitchen sink cookies. With a little patience with the freezing time, you get wonderful cookies!

German Chocolate Cookies

Forget cake, these German Chocolate cookies will absolutely win you over!

This recipe is one of my all-time favorite cookie recipes and they did not last long. No one could stop eating them. The coconut pecan frosting is sooo good. Honestly, you could use the premade kind but I feel like this homemade version is not only better tasting but also holds up a bit better.

Chocolate Crunch Cookies

Rich and chewy chocolate cookies with caramelized Rice Krispies and chopped Crunch bars mixed in!

I have made cookies with Cornflakes before and really enjoyed them but was really psyched to try a chocolate cookie recipe with caramelized Rice Krispies cereal in it. It was every bit as wonderful as I anticipated. The Crunch bar bits were a super nice touch too.

The Best M&M Cookies

Soft and chewy M&M cookies perfect for packing in school lunches or snacking on in the afternoons!

I love pudding mix cookies - they are turn out so soft and chewy! I stumbled upon these while trying to find a recipe that I could possibly con my picky 6 year old into eating (back when he was 5). Mason loves M&Ms, so I figured I might be able to convince him to eat these. Of course, he loved them and it opened the door to him trying a lot of different cookies without hesitation!

M&M Brownies

Classic fudgy brownies with M&Ms and chocolate chips mixed in for extra chocolateness!

This recipe is a very classic brownie recipe with chocolate chips and M&Ms added to it. They are fudgy and perfect with a glass of milk. Can't say much more about it - a solid recipe that is definitely going to be a go-to for me!

Mint Chocolate Chip Layer Cake

Triple layer chocolate cake with mint frosting and Andes mints for any mint chocolate fan in your life!

This was my oldest son's pick for a birthday cake in 2020 - he loves mint chocolate chip ice cream and I want to say he's almost chosen this cake multiple years in a row and then finally last year, he did choose it. It was relatively simple to make. I know it's going to be a perfect chocolate cake when there's boiling water to add to the batter. I'm not sure what science is behind that but it is always SO good. I have nothing much else to say about this one - it's a 10 out of 10!

Giant Reese's Peanut Butter Cookie

When you're craving cookies but just one, but maybe more than one, make a GIANT cookie just for you!

Desserts for one/two are some of my favorites because I've been known to slam some cookies and having fewer in the house is better. Because I will eat way too many cookies. I wish I had thought to post the dough ball next to a banana for size reference but it was heavy and as big as my palm - it was crazy. My husband knew I was making cookies but didn't realize it was just one. His face when he walked in when I had this giant cookie was priceless. We ended up splitting it four ways and it was awesome!

S'mores Baked Donuts

These baked donuts are double glazed and then topped with marshmallows and graham crackers!

I could have sworn that I have made s'mores donuts before, but apparently not. I always forget how easy and quick donuts are to make and so I was really excited about these and they did not disappoint. They have a white glaze, then a chocolate glaze, then marshmallow topping, and graham cracker crumbs. Seriously...these are so good!

Take 5 Cheesecake

This rich cheesecake has a pretzel crust, a caramel sauce topping (and drizzle), and a chocolate peanut butter ganache topping!

I am so excited to finally get around to sharing this recipe (although I'm a few days late actually getting it up like I was supposed to. Sunday Sarah here backdating to Friday - whoops! This is the cake that I made for my sister-in-law's birthday in February 2020. She asked for a cheesecake and said her favorite candy bars were Take 5s. I had never heard of them or had one before, but I was able to find out that they are chocolate with pretzel, caramel, and peanut butter. I mean what's not to love?! So I adapted a Twix cheesecake recipe and replaced the graham crust for pretzel crust and added peanut butter to the ganache. This is definitely really high up there on favorite cheesecakes of all time list. It was SO good.

German Chocolate Cheesecake

Luscious chocolate cheesecake with layers of coconut pecan on an Oreo crust

This cheesecake was my daughter's choice for her birthday cake in 2020. In true 2020 fashion, my oven broke when this was in the oven baking. I did not know until we went to eat it and mostly the center had some not fully cooked parts. The cooked parts were fantastic but that is why there are no pictures of this cheesecake sliced. So we think the heating elements went out towards the end of the initial baking time. I loved the coconut pecan topping/filling. That's easily the best part!

Salty Caramel Cookies

Rich semisweet chocolate cookies with dark chocolate and caramel bits inside and a topping of flaky sea salt.

I don't make chocolate cookies a whole lot because I find that I'm not a fan of many of the recipes I've tried. I love these chocolate cookies a ton though. I think partially because of how they are done. Instead of cocoa powder, you melt semisweet chocolate with butter for the chocolatey base. I think it makes all the difference. I love the bits of dark chocolate and caramel inside it and I also absolutely adore the flaky sea salt on top! It's the perfect combination of rich chocolate and salt!

Caramel Fudge Turtle Cookies

These turtle cookies are made with pouch sugar cookie mix - super easy and insanely good. They will not last long!

I have had this recipe saved for almost as long as I have had a blog which is coming up on 11 years in the summer time. In the beginning, I saved a lot of recipes from Betty Crocker and Kraft. A lot of these recipes use premade mixes, which is something I don't do as much anymore but I was so glad I got to do for these. They look a little intense but they are super easy to put together and then you get your treats faster. These did not last very long at all. They are small and so cute and completely addictive.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Blondies

Super soft peanut butter bars with chocolate chips, a chocolate ganache, and peanut butter drizzle

When I was in middle school, there was a little bar treat that was an option for dessert in the cafeteria every day. You got two of them and they were just a regular chocolate chip blondie of some sort. They were super soft and moist. I didn't often get lunch money and if I did, I may not have gotten enough to buy a full lunch. I would buy these chocolate chip blondies and that would be my lunch or I'd split my friend's lunch and we'd each get a bar for dessert. These peanut butter chocolate chip blondies are the closest in texture that I have ever come across in a recipe and it was absolutely unintentional. I had no clue that's what I was getting with this dessert. It was pure nostalgia!

Snickers Chex Mix

Chex Mix with chocolate and caramel drizzles, Snickers bits, and peanuts - all the sweet and saltiness you want in a snack!

I'll be honest and say that I think that this is the best Chex mix I've ever had. I love a sweet and salty combo which is probably why I like Snickers so much. This Chex mix is supposed to be chocolate Chex based, but unfortunately we didn't have that so I used plain Chex. For as good as this recipe was with plain Chex, I can only imagine how amazing it is with chocolate Chex. This recipe has a chocolate drizzle, a caramel drizzle, Snickers bits, and peanuts. It's exactly what you'd want in a sweet Chex mix.

Swirled Nutella Cheesecake Muffins

When you want a little sweet treat for breakfast, look no further than these yummy Nutella cheesecake muffins!

I tend to keep breakfast recipes on my meal plan and recycle them for months before I finally make them. I'm not sure why I do this when breakfast recipes rarely take long to make and I typically love them. This one was no different. The cheesecake swirl is so good and I loved the sugary topping too. They were such a nice sweet treat for breakfast!

Red Velvet Macadamia Nut Cookies

A great twist on macadamia nut cookies with cake mix - perfect for Valentine's Day (or whenever you feel like it)!

If you look through the past almost 10 1/2 years of me blogging, you will find very few red velvet recipes. I have no problem admitting that I know it's just chocolate flavor, but I still don't really care for it. To me, it just tastes like red food coloring and that's a no for me. However, occasionally I will make red velvet treats because my family likes them and occasionally, I will find one that I do actually like (for example, a sheet cake I blogged either last year or the year before - I'll link it near the bottom of this post). I have posted recipes that I didn't care for if the rest of my family liked them. It's definitely harder to describe them if I don't like them, but I'm not really the best at that anyways haha. So fortunately this recipe is one that I did like. I love white chocolate macadamia nut cookies and these were really a nice variation of them. I love cake mix cookies too - they are so chewy and delicious anyways, but a cake mix macadamia nut cookie is just *chef's kiss*

Oreo Peppermint Crunch Cookies

Soft and chewy cake mix cookies with bits of Oreos and candy canes inside

These were Santa's cookies last year and survived a road trip to Florida and a few days in a really small, cramped airbnb. They almost didn't survive due to the fact that they are insanely good. They are cake mix cookies with Oreos and candy canes in them and they are the absolute best. They are chewy and crunchy and so good.