Category Archives: Recipes

Easy Baked Home Fries

Crispy baked home fries on a white plate

Potatoes. They are cheap, kid friendly, and easy to fix! My kids all prefer roasted potatoes over mashed so this recipe for baked home fries is a winner in this house. In fact, my kids eat them like they are candy.

These potatoes are perfect to serve for breakfast along side eggs and bacon. They would also be great to go with hamburgers or baked chicken. Baked home fries are so versatile.

Home fries are basically another name for seasoned, cubed potatoes that you bake in the oven or cook in a skillet until crisp. They can be a substitute for French fries or hash browns. So, yes that means the kids enjoy dipping these in ketchup.

Check out how easy these are to make.

Baked Home Fries Ingredients

  • Potatoes (I typically use russets because they are cheap, but I love Yukon gold potatoes and baby potatoes)
  • Oil (olive oil, refined coconut oil etc)
  • Bell peppers and onions, optional
  • Seasonings: garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt. I love adding rosemary too.

Baked home fries on a pan ready to go into the ovenBaked Home Fries Instructions

  1. Dice your potatoes into similar sized pieces. (Peel, wash, dry and then chop them or scrub the peel, dry, and chop.) Cut between 1/2-1 inch chunks – your preference. The smaller size would cook faster.
  2. Put your potatoes into a bowl and toss with olive oil (or oil of choice) and some seasonings (but not the salt).
  3. You can add diced onions and bell peppers if you’d like. I love these, but some of my kids prefer without. They are totally optional. Add these halfway through the baking process.
  4. Bake on a large baking sheet (you don’t want your potato pieces to be touching) at 425 degrees. Once or twice during the baking you will want to flip the potatoes so they get crisp on all the sides.
  5. Remove from oven and salt to taste.

picture of baked home fries on a plate

Baked Home Fries
Author: 
Recipe type: Side
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 2 cups cooked potatoes
 
These baked home fries are easy, frugal, and so good! The perfect recipe for breakfast or a side to go with dinner. Kid friendly and flavorful, these will be a favorite.
Ingredients
  • 3-5 Potatoes (you want 4 cups of cubed potatoes)
  • 2 tablespoons oil
  • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ¼ teaspoon onion powder
  • ¼ teaspoon paprika
  • ¼ teaspoon dried rosemary, optional
  • ¼-1/2 cup diced bell pepper, optional
  • ¼-1/2 cup diced onion, optional
  • salt, to taste
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
  2. Peel , wash, dry (or leave peels one and simply scrub and dry) the potatoes and cut into ½ inch cubes until you have 4 cups. Place in a bowl.
  3. Place olive oil, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and rosemary (if using) in the bowl with potatoes. Stir to coat evenly.
  4. Spread potatoes onto a baking sheet. You don't want your potatoes to be stacked. A small amount of space between each piece is ideal to help with even cooking.
  5. Bake for 35-45 minutes depending on size. Use a spatula to flip the potatoes after 20 minutes. Add the onions and peppers at this point, if using.
  6. Cook another 10 minutes and check. Keep checking potatoes every 5 minutes. When they are the desired crispness, remove from oven, season with salt and enjoy!

 

Easy & Delicious Brownie Brittle Recipe

Brownie Brittle on a white cloth

Fair warning. This treat is addictive! Chocolate goodness with the perfect crispy texture. This brownie brittle recipe is so good.

Even for those of us that prefer chewy cookies over crispy (that’s me) there is just something about this goodie that keeps pulling you back in.

All 3 kids and my husband also raved about this.

It’s a fast and simple recipe. You can save yourself money by skipping the prepackaged version and making it yourself.

Bonus, make and package it up yourself to use as a gift or part of a gift basket.

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Brownie Brittle Recipe Ingredients:

Super simple ingredients. They are all things you most likely already have in your kitchen if you do any type of baking.

  • Egg whites
  • Sugar
  • Butter
  • Vanilla extract
  • Water
  • Flour
  • Salt
  • Baking soda
  • Cocoa powder
  • Chocolate chips

How to Make Brownie Brittle:

This is so easy to put together. I use my Kitchen Aid stand mixer with the whisk attachment. You could also use a  hand mixer. (Mine burnt out over year ago and I haven’t gotten around to replacing them – I just use the stand mixer more often)

Beat 2 egg whites until foamy. Add the sugar and beat some more.

egg whipped in mixing bowl

To the egg mixture you will add melted butter (that has cooled off), vanilla extract, and a little water and mix some more.

Into a small bowl, sift the flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking soda. Fold it into the wet batter.

dry ingredients sifted into a bowl

Next place a silicone baking mat or parchment paper onto a baking sheet. (I used a baking mat.) Spread the batter into a rectangle approximately 9.5 inches by 14 inches. Sprinkle with chocolate chips and then press the chips into the batter.

brownie brittle spread on silicone baking sheet

Last up is baking. You use a lower baking temperature so you can cook this longer to get the great crispy texture without the brownie brittle becoming burnt.

Bake at 300 degrees for 30-40 minutes. (Mine needed the 40 minutes, but every oven is different so start checking at 30 minutes.)

When it’s done, it will not be completely hard, remove from the oven and let cool completely. As it cools the brownie brittle with crisp up perfectly! The kids love to help break it into pieces after it’s hardened up.

baked brownie brittle on a baking mat

Hopefully your family enjoys this recipes as much as mine does.

Are you a brownie brittle fan? Any fun combinations I should try? Or any easy must make treats I need to know about?

Looking for some other chocolate desserts to try?
The Best Homemade Fudge
Dark Chocolate Pretzel Bark
Chocolate Crinkle Peppermint Cookies
Toll House Pie

Easy Brownie Brittle Recipe

Broken pieces of crispy brownie brittle on a white cloth

Easy Brownie Brittle Recipe
Author: 
Recipe type: Dessert
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 20 pieces
 
This brownie brittle recipe is spectacular and so simple to make! The great chocolate flavor of a brownie with a perfect crunch. Everyone will love this and it makes a perfect gift.
Ingredients
  • 2 egg whites
  • ⅓ cup white sugar
  • ¼ cup melted butter, cooled
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • ⅔ cup flour
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ⅓ cup cocoa powder
  • ½ cup chocolate chips
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
  2. Using a stand mixer (with the whisk attachment) or hand mixer beat the 2 egg whites until very foamy.
  3. Add the sugar and beat again.
  4. Make sure the melted butter isn't hot and add butter, vanilla, and water to the the egg mixer and beat until combined.
  5. Sift the flour, cocoa, salt, and baking soda into a separate, small bowl. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet.
  6. Line a pan with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Spread the brownie brittle batter into a 9.5 inch x 14 inch rectangle.
  7. Sprinkle with chocolate chips (amount can be up to you) and then press the chips into the batter.
  8. Bake for 30-40 minutes, checking after 30 minutes.
  9. Remove from oven and let cool completely on the baking sheet. It should crisp up completely when cooled.
  10. Break into pieces. Store in an air tight container.

 

Easy Dark Chocolate Pretzel Bark

Plate with pieces of dark chocolate pretzel barkYou need this dark chocolate pretzel bark as part of your recipe repertoire! A dark chocolate base topped with pretzel pieces and sea salt it’s a combination you are sure to love!

Think a quicker, fancier, and tastier version of dipped pretzels!

So, if you are looking for the easiest treat ever, this is the one and it’s also relatively healthy. With appropriate pretzels, this is even gluten free!

It’s a great dessert to bag up and use for gifts or to include as part of a treat platter you are giving to the neighbors or to bring to a Christmas party.

After you’ve made it once, you’ll come back to it again and again (and again)!

This is a great Christmas treat! It’s a nice contrast to the normal holiday desserts that are very sweet. Using dark chocolate (and that is the only form of sweetener in the recipe) tones down the sugar. The pretzels give it the perfect crunch and the salt that great salty sweet combination.

If you use your freezer to speed up the cooling process, you can have this ready to go in 10 minutes!

Be aware that the chocolate will melt, so you will want to avoid contact with a heat source (or too warm of a house) to keep it from turning into a soupy mess. Depending on the temperature of your home, you might want to store it in the refrigerator. (If you keep your house cold, like I do, room temperature won’t be a problem.)

hardened chocolate with pretzel pieces pressed in

Dark Chocolate Pretzel Bark Ingredients

All you need are 4 simple ingredients!

  • Dark chocolate chips
  • Pretzels (gluten free or regular, twists or sticks – but I think twists look a little better)
  • Sea salt
  • Coconut oil

Technically, you can do without the coconut oil but I prefer the texture with the oil a little more.

Dark Chocolate Pretzel Bark Instructions

Break pretzels into pieces until you have 1/2-2/3 cup.

Take the chocolate chips and put them in a glass bowl. You can use a double boiler or simply put them in the microwave.

chocolate chips melting in a bowl

Microwave the chocolate chips for 30 seconds. Stir. Microwave another 30 seconds. Add the coconut oil and stir the chocolate until smooth. If your chocolate chips aren’t yet completely melted, microwave in 10 second increments.

melted chocolate chips

Place parchment paper on a baking sheet. Pour the melted chocolate onto the paper and spread into a 9×12 inch rectangle.

melted chocolate spread onto parchment paper

Sprinkle pretzels over the top of the chocolate. Be sure to press pretzels into the chocolate. (If you don’t push them into the chocolate, they will fall off when you break it into pieces – I always remember this the hard way)

Sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt.

Let harden in the fridge. After completely hardened, break into pieces and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. (It will be fine at room temperature to serve at a party, I’ve done it many times.)

Plate of broken pieces of dark chocolate with pretzels pressed into it.

Other Treats You Will Want to Make:
My Go To Sugar Cookie Recipe
Molasses Cookies
Rich and Creamy Fudge
Dark Chocolate Fudge
Russian Tea Cakes
Peanut Butter Fudge

Dark Chocolate Pretzel Bark Recipe

Dark Chocolate Pretzel Bark
Author: 
Recipe type: Dessert
Prep time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 20 pieces
 
This dark chocolate pretzel bark is such an easy and tasty treat that's not overly sweet! Perfect for gifting too.
Ingredients
  • ½-2/3 cup broken pretzel pieces
  • 12 ounces (2 cups) dark chocolate chips
  • ½ teaspoon coconut oil
  • pinch of sea salt
Instructions
  1. Set out ½-2/3 cup of broken pretzel pieces. (Amount depends on your desired chocolate to pretzel ratio).
  2. Melt chocolate chips and coconut oil using a double boiler. Or microwave in a glass boil. To microwave cook for 30 seconds, stir, and put in for another 30 seconds. Add coconut oil and stir until smooth. (If not smooth, microwave for 10 second increments stirring each time).
  3. Place a piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet.
  4. Spread melted chocolate onto the paper in a 9x12 inch rectangle.
  5. Drop the pretzel pieces over top of the chocolate. Press pretzels down into the chocolate.
  6. Sprinkle chocolate with a pinch of sea salt.
  7. Let harden in the fridge. After completely hardened, break into pieces, Store in the fridge (or cool location) in an airtight container until ready to enjoy!

 

 

The Easiest Dark Chocolate Fudge Ever

Cut pieces of dark chocolate fudge on a white cloth

It’s the best time of the year and that means all sorts of yummy Christmas treats. Today’s recipe is for the easiest ever dark chocolate fudge! Though, I would say fudge is one of those goodies that can be enjoyed year round.

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There’s no secret that I love fudge.

I have a more traditional fudge recipe on the blog (my absolute favorite) that involves boiling sugar and evaporated milk and beating in butter and chocolate. An amazing rich and creamy recipe, but it does take a bit more time than this dark chocolate fudge recipe.

You can also check out this recipe for chocolate peanut butter fudge – another that we love.

As far as simplicity goes, today’s recipe takes the cake.

Sweetened condensed milk and chocolate chips in a pan

2 main ingredients (plus a little salt and vanilla extract) and you can have it poured into the pan to cool in less than 5 minutes. A great easy fudge recipe that would be a little less dangerous to have the kids make than standing over a pot of boiling sugar.

Not only do I love fudge, I also love dark chocolate. The depth of flavor and being able to taste the almost bitterness of the chocolate mixed with a little sweet. It’s just so good.

Dark Chocolate Fudge Ingredients

Check out how simple these are:

Dark Chocolate Chips
Sweetened Condensed Milk
Salt
Vanilla Extract

Use your favorite dark chocolate chips, because they are what you get the chocolate flavor from. You will need 3 cups, which is usually 1 1/2 bags.

All you need is a pinch of salt. You can pinch it out or do what I did and use these fun measuring spoons:

One change you can do is to swap out the vanilla extract for peppermint extract to make a dark chocolate peppermint fudge – yum!

Dark Chocolate Fudge Instructions

These instructions will convince you these is the easiest dark chocolate fudge ever.

Grab a pot and pour in a can of sweetened condensed milk. Add the dark chocolate chips and heat over medium low heat until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.

(If you are feeling fancy, you can stir in a couple tablespoons of butter at this point it’s totally not necessary.)

Stir in the salt and vanilla extract.

Stirring salt, vanilla, and butter into melted chocolate chips

Pour into a 7-8 inch square baking pan (mine is 7.6 inches) that is lined with parchment paper.

square baking pan lined with parchment paper

Let cool on the counter. After completely cool, use the parchment paper to remove fudge from pan and use a sharp knife (run knife under hot water and then dry for the cleanest cut) to cut into squares.

Dark chocolate fudge poured into panTo store fudge: Store fudge in an airtight container in the freezer. Let come to room temperature before serving. (Or if you can’t wait, eat it cold!)

cooled and hardened dark chocolate fudgeFudge add-ins: You can make your fudge even fancier by adding in extra ingredients with the salt and vanilla. Think of things like:

  • Chopped pecans
  • Chopped walnuts
  • Peanuts
  • Chopped candy bars
  • M&Ms

close up of dark chocolate fudge square on white napkin

Easy Dark Chocolate Fudge Recipe

Easy Dark Chocolate Fudge
Author: 
Recipe type: Dessert
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 49 1-in squares
 
This is the easiest dark chocolate fudge ever. A few simple ingredients and in 5 minutes this will be in the pan waiting to cool. Perfect for a rich treat or homemade gift.
Ingredients
  • 1 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk
  • 3 cups dark chocolate chips
  • pinch salt
  • 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
  1. Line a 7 to 8 inch square pan with parchment paper.
  2. Pour the sweetened condensed milk into a saucepan. Add the chocolate chips and stir over medium low heat until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.
  3. Remove from heat and stir in the salt and vanilla extract. (You may also add in any extra ingredients at this point - chopped nuts, chopped candy bars, m&ms etc.)
  4. Pour into the lined pan. Let cool on the counter - can put in the fridge to speed up the process.
  5. After cool, use the parchment paper to remove fudge from pan. Cut into squares.
  6. You can store leftover fudge in an airtight container in the freezer.

 

Double Chocolate Quick Bread

sliced loaf of double chocolate quick bread

We have a lot of chocolate fans in our house, so this double chocolate quick bread was a winner!

Quick breads are typically used as a breakfast item. A very indulgent one, in this case. (Though donuts are also considered breakfast, so this can’t be much worse! Perfect for an occasional treat.)

This bread is yummy enough that we have also enjoyed it for dessert after supper in the evening.

Lots of cocoa powder and a decent amount of chocolate chips will make this double chocolate quick bread a frequently requested recipe.

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dry ingredients for double chocolate quick bread

Double Chocolate Quick Bread Ingredients

  • Flour
  • Brown sugar
  • Salt
  • Baking powder
  • Baking soda
  • Cocoa powder
  • Buttermilk
  • Oil
  • Butter
  • Eggs
  • Vanilla
  • Chocolate chips

It might seem like a long list, but they are almost all things you have at home in your pantry already!

Buttermilk might be the only ingredient you don’t have on hand, but trust me it’s worth it! Buttermilk makes yummy dinner rolls, the best pancakes, and also a great quick bread!

double chocolate quick bread batter in pans

Chocolate Chocolate Quick Bread Instructions

The first thing you need to do is measure your buttermilk and set it and the eggs out on the counter to come to room temperature.

This is important because you don’t want to cause the melted butter and coconut oil (if that’s what you choose to use) to harden from the milk and eggs being cold.

Next, preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

(I learned this tip from Andrea Dekker – always preheat your oven to 25 degrees hotter than what you are going to bake it at and turn down after putting the baked goods in.)

Now combine your dry ingredients: flour, sugar, salt, baking powder & soda, and cocoa powder. Be sure to stir well so there are no streaks of flour or cocoa powder remaining. Stir in the chocolate chips. (Reserving a few for the top)

Note: The amount of chocolate chips is up to you! I recommend between 1 and 2 cups. Obviously, more chocolate is always better but I totally get using less to stretch the bag. Do what you want.

Melt the butter and coconut oil. Let cool until warm, not hot. Add the room temperature buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla and whisk until combined.

Pour wet ingredients over the dry and fold mixture until combined. Don’t over mix but you don’t want clumps of flour either.

Grease your baking pans well! Pour mixture in. Press remaining chocolate chips into the top of the dough.

Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. (Check at 30 minutes.)

Let cool in pans for 10 minutes and remove to cooling rack.

Let’s talk pans!

I use my set of mini USA Pans. You’ve heard me talk about these before. My favorite brand of muffin tin as well. These pans measure 5.25 x 3 x 2.25 and the batter will fill 3 of them. Of course you may use a different pan, or even one large pan – just know you will need to adjust the baking time so watch carefully!

This recipe would also work great as double chocolate muffins!

close up of double chocolate quick bread

If you are want a little healthier muffin, be sure to check out these 3 recipes:

Oat Flour Pumpkin Muffins with Cranberries and Chocolate Chips
Chocolate Banana Oatmeal Muffins
Dairy Free Oat Flour Banana Muffins

Double Chocolate Quick Bread Recipe

Double Chocolate Quick Bread Recipe
Author: 
Recipe type: Bread
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 3 loaves
 
This double chocolate quick bread makes a delicious breakfast bread or you can even enjoy it as dessert. Loaded with cocoa powder and chocolate chips, it's the chocolate lover's dream!
Ingredients
  • 1¾ cups flour
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ¾ cup cocoa powder
  • 1⅓ cup buttermilk (room temperature)
  • ¼ cup oil (coconut oil melted or oil of choice)
  • ¼ cup butter, melted
  • 2 eggs (room temperature)
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1-2 cups chocolate chips
Instructions
  1. Measure the buttermilk. Put buttermilk and eggs on counter to come to room temperature. (Very important!)
  2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter well 3 mini loaf pans (5.25 x 3 x 2.25). (You may use a large loaf pan, you will need to adjust baking time.)
  3. In a mixing bowl combine flour, brown sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cocoa powder. Be sure to mix until no streaks of flour or clumps remain. Add desired amount of chocolate chips, reserving a few to sprinkle on top of the bread.
  4. In a small bowl place (room temperature) buttermilk, eggs, liquid oil, melted butter, and vanilla extract. Whisk until combined.
  5. Pour wet ingredients into dry and fold to combine. Don't over mix but you also don't want streaks of dry ingredients remaining.
  6. Pour batter into the 3 prepared pans. Press remaining chocolate chips over the top of the batter.
  7. Place in oven. Turn oven down to 350 degrees.
  8. Bake for 30-35 minutes.
  9. Let cool for 10 minutes in pans. Carefully remove from pans and cool completely on rack.