Winstead Wandering

Prone to Wander

Brown Butter Chocolate Swirl Cookies

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Not only are these Brown Butter Chocolate Swirl Cookies a unique and delectable twist on a classic dessert, they’re also prepared on the stove in just one pan!

Not only are these Brown Butter Chocolate Swirl Cookies a unique and delectable twist on a classic dessert, they're also prepared on the stove in just one pan!

My brother-in-law began his first year of college just a few weeks ago. He’s going to school in New York so, along with mailing Unc Noah her artwork, B began asking if we could send him cookies pretty much as soon as he left. Of course I loved the idea because I’m always looking for an excuse to bake and give away treats, and also because my mom used to mail me cookies when I was in college, too.

One thing or another seemed to come up nearly every day for a couple weeks, and then my mother-in-law decided to make a last-minute trip to visit Noah. Perfect timing! Instead of sending the cookies through USPS, we sent them via Delta right in her carry-on.

Not only are these Brown Butter Chocolate Swirl Cookies a unique and delectable twist on a classic dessert, they're also prepared on the stove in just one pan!

I took the cookie-making opportunity to make these Brown Butter Chocolate Swirl Cookies. In addition to the depth of flavor the brown butter provides, this recipe is unique because the whole thing comes together on the stove in a saucepan. Yup, after browning the butter, you add the rest of the ingredients to the pan, mix it all up, and then you’r ready to shape cookies.

B and I had a great time making these cookies together and, of course, we all enjoyed eating them, too. Browning the butter and then melting in brown sugar provides a wonderful toffee flavor that takes these a step beyond traditional chocolate chip cookies. They’re further elevated with three different flavors of chocolate chips, some of which melt in the warm dough to leave sweet swirls throughout. The end result is chewy, tender cookies with plenty of chocolate and toffee flavor in every bite.

Not only are these Brown Butter Chocolate Swirl Cookies a unique and delectable twist on a classic dessert, they're also prepared on the stove in just one pan!

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Two Ingredient Low Carb Whipped Chocolate Mousse

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With just two ingredients, this Low Carb Whipped Chocolate Mousse is the perfect treat to satisfy your sweet tooth without ruining all your hard work.

With just two ingredients, this Low Carb Whipped Chocolate Mousse is the perfect treat to satisfy your sweet tooth without ruining all your hard work.

Since my gluten-free experiment morphed into low-carb eating (it seemed to make the most sense), I haven’t had too much trouble curbing my sweet tooth. That’s not to say I haven’t craved sweets at all because, well, duh. Clearly I love chocolate. My solution to the need for chocolate? This stuff right here.

When we were in Oregon over the summer, my sister-in-law requested a low carb/ketogenic dessert to celebrate her birthday, so I made this Two Ingredient Low Carb Whipped Chocolate Mousse. To make it a little more special, I turned the mousse into parfaits. I layered it with sliced strawberries and topped it off with homemade whipped cream that I made using the leftover cream and a little sweetener (I used a sugar alternative, but I can’t remember which one).

It was a huge hit, even with those of us who were still regularly indulging our sweet tooths (sweet teeth?). The mousse was so good that I made it again during that visit, and now I’m making it at home. This mousse is the perfect evening treat to keep in the fridge. A little goes a long way due to its richness, so a batch lasts me about a week.

With just two ingredients, this Low Carb Whipped Chocolate Mousse is the perfect treat to satisfy your sweet tooth without ruining all your hard work.

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Homemade Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

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Homemade Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting is quicker and easier to make than you think, and it is oh so worth the effort. You’ll never go back!

Homemade Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting is quicker and easier to make than you think, and it is oh so worth the effort. You'll never go back!

I’ve posted a lot of homemade frosting recipes because I’ve shared a lot of cake and cupcake recipes and I never use store bought frosting. I know, I know, that sounds snobby, but it’s true; homemade frosting is just too easy and too dessert-altering to settle for anything less.

It occurred to me a while back, though, that I never shared my recipe for Homemade Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting. It’s a recipe I’ve made again and again to go with things like Double Chocolate Brownies and Loaded Candy Bar Cake, but I never got around to sharing just the frosting here.

Today I’m changing that. If you’ve never made homemade frosting because you always figured it was too difficult, or because you think the pre-made stuff in the jar is just as good, I’m begging you to make this recipe. It’s fluffy and rich, smooth and decadent, everything a homemade frosting needs to be.

And if you aren’t into cream cheese frosting (make this anyway; it just might change your mind), you need my Homemade Chocolate Buttercream recipe.

Homemade Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting is quicker and easier to make than you think, and it is oh so worth the effort. You'll never go back!

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Chewy Gluten-Free Double Chocolate Cookies

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You won’t miss the flour in these delightfully chewy, perfectly fudgy, beautifully crinkly Gluten-Free Double Chocolate Cookies. With just six ingredients, you can whip up a batch in no time.

You won't miss the flour in these delightfully chewy, perfectly fudgy, beautifully crinkly Gluten-Free Double Chocolate Cookies. With just six ingredients, you can whip up a batch in no time.

I first made these Chewy Gluten-Free Double Chocolate Cookies about six years ago. We were living in Oregon and I baked frequently for my coworkers, one of whom had celiac disease. I often tried to bake something gluten-free (like Homemade Peanut Butter Cup Bars) along with something gluten-full. At the time, I didn’t know it was possible to make good tasting cookies without flour and I figured, if it was, they wouldn’t be as mind-blowing as these cookies are.

You won't miss the flour in these delightfully chewy, perfectly fudgy, beautifully crinkly Gluten-Free Double Chocolate Cookies. With just six ingredients, you can whip up a batch in no time.

These cookies are the perfect example of gluten-free not being deprivative (confession: I had to google “what’s the adjective for deprive” for that one). Even those who regularly eat gluten will go crazy for them. The cookies bake into chewy, crinkly bites of paradise, with fudge-like centers. They’re awesome at room temperature, but they’re indescribable when warm. Either way, you’ll want to have a glass of milk handy.

You won't miss the flour in these delightfully chewy, perfectly fudgy, beautifully crinkly Gluten-Free Double Chocolate Cookies. With just six ingredients, you can whip up a batch in no time.

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Loaded Candy Bar Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

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Loaded Candy Bar Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting, with homemade frosting and candy bars in every bite, is every chocolate lover’s decadent dream come true.

Loaded Candy Bar Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting, with homemade frosting and candy bars in every bite, is every chocolate lover's decadent dream come true.

This Loaded Candy Bar Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting was my birthday cake pretty much every year when I was growing up. In fact, I love it so much it was my wedding cake, too. My mom was appalled by my choice because, in her words, “It’s such an ugly cake,” but to me, and to all chocolate-lovers out there, it’s a beautiful sight.

Since then, this gorgeous cake has become a staple at many family gatherings. It’s even become a tradition in J’s family. As true lovers of all things chocolate, they recognize a good thing when they see it. His family prefers to use only peanut butter cups, but I’m convinced the original method is best. Really, though, you can’t go wrong when you take a moist chocolate cake, slather it with homemade cream cheese frosting, and finish it off with handfuls of chopped candy bars.

Loaded Candy Bar Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting, with homemade frosting and candy bars in every bite, is every chocolate lover's decadent dream come true.

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Double Chocolate No-Bake Cookie Protein Bites

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With just the right amount of good-for-you sweetness, Double Chocolate No-Bake Cookie Protein Bites are the perfect healthy treat for breakfast or for on-the-go snacking.

With just the right amount of good-for-you sweetness, Double Chocolate No-Bake Cookie Protein Bites are the perfect healthy treat for breakfast or for on-the-go snacking.

My kids had a lemonade stand a few days ago. It was all their idea (I have no idea where they see or hear about half the things they come up with), so I made a batch of homemade lemonade, set up a table and two chairs in the carport, and helped them sound out “l-e-m-o-n-a-d-e” for construction paper signs.

They had it in their heads we needed to offer snacks, too, and since I’d been meaning to make a batch of Double Chocolate No-Bake Cookie Protein Bites to photograph for the blog, I obliged. I stirred the protein bites ingredients together, mixed up the lemonade (with their assistance, of course), and then shaped the bites into balls.
With just the right amount of good-for-you sweetness, Double Chocolate No-Bake Cookie Protein Bites are the perfect healthy treat for breakfast or for on-the-go snacking.

The only problem? We live in the country. Like, we have one neighbor and that’s my husband’s parents. So I texted grandma and she drove over, and then our sweet mail-lady came by a few hours later. They were so excited! I see another lemonade stand or two in our future.

Know what else I see in our future? More Double Chocolate No-Bake Cookie Protein Bites. The whole family loved these, and there’s no obvious indication that they’re a healthier version of the classic cookies. These guys are perfect for keeping in the freezer for school lunches, quick snacks, and easy breakfasts. They’re simple to make, too, so you can easily double or triple the batch.

With just the right amount of good-for-you sweetness, Double Chocolate No-Bake Cookie Protein Bites are the perfect healthy treat for breakfast or for on-the-go snacking.

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Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake Protein Dip

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A healthy two ingredient snack that tastes like a sinful dessert? Yup! This Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake Protein Dip is as good for you as it is delicious.

A healthy two ingredient snack that tastes like a sinful dessert? Yup! This Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake Protein Dip is as good for you as it is delicious.

You can file this one under “recipes I should have posted years ago.” I first made this chocolate peanut butter cheesecake protein dip as a snack for my husband. He’s a picky eater, but he loves Greek yogurt, peanut butter, and apples. He’d often eat a serving of yogurt, as well as a sliced apple dipped in powdered peanut butter (mixed with water per serving instructions). One day it hit me that I could mix the powdered peanut butter with the yogurt and it’d probably taste pretty similar to cheesecake (another food J loves).

I was right. This stuff isn’t good for a healthy dip; it’s just good. One serving contains nine grams of protein and, depending on the brand of powdered peanut butter you buy, it’s gluten free, too. In addition, the recipe is low in carbs and calories and contains plenty of healthy fat.

Unsure what powdered peanut butter is? It’s exactly what it sounds like: peanuts are made into powder instead of fat-laden butter. Most peanut powders contain around 85 percent less fat than their butter counterparts. They also have healthy fiber and protein.

A healthy two ingredient snack that tastes like a sinful dessert? Yup! This Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake Protein Dip is as good for you as it is delicious.

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Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes

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Take cupcakes made from a jazzed-up chocolate cake mix, stuff them with rich and creamy chocolate ganache, and top with smooth peanut butter frosting. You’ve got Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes!

Take cupcakes made from a jazzed-up chocolate cake mix, stuff it with rich and creamy chocolate ganache, and top it with smooth peanut butter frosting. You've got Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes!

I volunteer to make the cupcakes any time there’s a baby shower at church. As a food blogger, I’m always looking for an excuse to bake and to test my recipes on others. I knew the most recent shower was for a couple expecting a baby girl, so I wracked my brain for some fun fruity flavor ideas. I had plenty of inspiration, but I kept coming back to chocolate.

Finally I decided to say to heck with the idea of a light and girly cupcake. I made these Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes instead. The cupcake recipe is the same as the one I used to make my Triple Chocolate Cupcakes; the ganache is the same, too. The frosting, though, is where things get interesting. I took my decadent cream cheese frosting and subbed for peanut butter for the cream cheese. The result was a smooth, delightfully-rich frosting that stole the cupcake show.

Take cupcakes made from a jazzed-up chocolate cake mix, stuff it with rich and creamy chocolate ganache, and top it with smooth peanut butter frosting. You've got Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes!

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Double Chocolate Brownies with Salted Caramel Frosting

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Double chocolate brownies with salted caramel frosting are a rich, decadent homemade treat that’s perfect for an indulgent dessert or weekend gathering.

Double chocolate brownies with salted caramel frosting are a rich, decadent homemade treat that's perfect for an indulgent dessert or weekend gathering.

One of my favorite ways to show people love and appreciation is through food. I’m sure this is at least partly due to my own love for food, but it’s also because food is universal. You don’t have to know someone’s preferred lotion scent or shirt size to express gratitude with food.

I made these double chocolate brownies with salted caramel frosting a few weeks ago for two special coworkers. The first, a fellow English teacher, is currently fighting cancer. My mother-in-law was planning to bring her family supper one night and asked if I’d like to make something sweet to go with it. Naturally, I jumped on the offer because I’d had this recipe in mind to try and because I wanted to show love to the family.

Double chocolate brownies with salted caramel frosting are a rich, decadent homemade treat that's perfect for an indulgent dessert or weekend gathering.

Also, I’d been planning for quite some time to bake something chocolate for another coworker. His planning period is the last period of the day and he’s always quick to volunteer to cover classes for J and me when we have to leave early (usually for children’s doctor-related reasons). His wife, G’s kindergarten teacher, told me he loves anything chocolate, so I figured I couldn’t go wrong with this recipe.

Like my triple chocolate frosted brownies, this recipe starts with my double chocolate brownies. It’s a homemade brownie recipe that’s thick, fudgy, and ten times better than a boxed mix. While the brownies are cooling, make a simple caramel on the stove, leave it to sit for a couple minutes, and then beat it with powdered sugar for a rich frosting.

Double chocolate brownies with salted caramel frosting are a rich, decadent homemade treat that's perfect for an indulgent dessert or weekend gathering.

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S’mores Cheesecake Bars

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What happens when you combine the classic flavors of s’mores with rich cheesecake? You get these creamy, dreamy S’mores Cheesecake Bars.

What happens when you combine the classic flavors of s'mores with rich cheesecake? You get these creamy, dreamy S'mores Cheesecake Bars.

Am I the only one whose greatest culinary creations are borne out of the simple need to use up ingredients in the kitchen? It’s the motivation behind my Crushed Oreo Triangles and Glazed Strawberry Lime Scones.

Now, it’s also the motivation behind these S’mores Cheesecake Bars. As I was mulling over ideas for a sweet treat to take to a staff party at school, I discovered we had two bricks of cream cheese chilling in the fridge. They needed to be used. J is a huge cheesecake junkie–when he isn’t requesting Homemade Peanut Butter Cup Bars–so I knew he’d be pleased if I went that route.

What happens when you combine the classic flavors of s'mores with rich cheesecake? You get these creamy, dreamy S'mores Cheesecake Bars.

Well, I love s’mores as much as J loves cheesecake, and I knew I could marry those two obsessions. Because I love being able to develop a recipe using just what I have on hand, I knew it was fate that I had a stray Hershey bar in my drawer of baking supplies.

Making these S’mores Cheesecake Bars was a solid decision. They’re surprisingly easy to make and, since they’re topped with s’mores ingredients, there’s no need to stress over getting that perfect crack-less top. People will be too blinded by the gooey marshmallows and melted chocolate to notice the fault lines.

What happens when you combine the classic flavors of s'mores with rich cheesecake? You get these creamy, dreamy S'mores Cheesecake Bars.

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