Combine oats, peanut butter (or other nut butter), honey, chocolate chips and coconut in a medium bowl.
Using a 1-tablespoon measure, roll the mixture into balls.
Put balls in the fridge (or freezer) to harden.
Enjoy!
Review:
This recipe was great to make. It took me less than 10 minutes to make the balls, and it was so easy. There aren’t many ingredients at all and only 3 steps! The balls themselves tasted amazing, the peanut butter was very savory so the sweet honey really balanced it out. The chocolate chips and oats gave it a bit of a crunch and great texture. Sometimes I like to dip them in melted chocolate and freeze them to make them into more of a dessert.
I absolutely love eating these before going to the gym or going on a run. They give me lots of energy and protein, just without the unnecessary additives like a protein bar has. It has all very natural ingredients and is so healthy. I also eat them just for a snack because they are very satisfying and filling.
I got this recipe from Eating Well (https://www.eatingwell.com/recipe/275207/peanut-butter-energy-balls/) by Lisa Valente. She made this recipe so easy to follow and the website is very easy to navigate. The peanut butter balls were so good and so healthy, and she balanced health and a treat perfectly.
I have made these many times now, and each time they are gone very quickly because my brother likes to eat them before a workout as well. I really enjoy them, and I think you would too! Try this easy recipe out!
1 cup graham cracker crumbs (around 8 full sheets)
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 heaping cup marshmallow creme (fluff)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line an 8-inch square baking pan or 9-inch square baking pan with parchment paper and set aside.
In a large bowl using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and brown sugar on medium-high speed until fluffy (about 2 minutes).
Beat in the egg and vanilla extract until combined. (It may look curdled but that is ok) scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula.
In a separate medium bowl mix together the flour, graham cracker crumb, baking powder, and salt.
Pour the dry ingredients into the wet and mix on medium speed until combined.
In your prepared baking pan, spread ⅔ of the cookie dough onto the bottom of the pan. The dough will be sticky so do your best to evenly spread the dough in a thin layer.
Use a spatula to spread the marshmallow creme on top of the dough. It is very sticky so just do your best to spread it in an even layer.
Sprinkle the chocolate chips on top of the marshmallow creme in an even layer.
Using the remaining cookie dough, mold it into flat pieces and layer on top of the chocolate chips. (There won’t be enough dough to cover the whole top in a single layer, some marshmallow and chocolate chips will be exposed.)
Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
Remove from the oven and place the pan on a wire rack to cool completely.
Lift the bars out of the pan and cut into squares
Cover and store the leftover bars at rooms for up to 1 week.
Lastly, Enjoy!
Review:
The process of making the bars was very straightforward and the recipe was easy to follow. Once the dough was made the only part that was kind of hard was the assembly, only because of how sticky the dough and marshmallow creme was. I used my hands to spread out the dough, which made it easier to make sure it was spread evenly to each corner. Using a rubber spatula to spread out the marshmallow creme was a lot easier than anything else because it didn’t stick to it as much. I found that placing a few dollops of the creme on the dough before spreading it out made it much easier.
The hardest part of the whole process was waiting. The combination of the baking time and cooling time felt like forever and the smell of sweet graham cracker filled the air.
These cookie bars were so good! The inside of the cookie was soft from the marshmallow and the actual cookie itself, and the outside had the perfect amount of crunch. The sweetness from the marshmallow complemented the bitterness from the chocolate. I wasn’t sure how the marshmallow creme would bake, I didn’t know if it would get hard like other marshmallows when they are cooked for a while, but they were still soft.
These bars were so good, I made them a second time. They were the perfect way to end the night and my family loved them. I think that these would be perfect for a summer night and definitely are a better version of the classic s’more.
Are you bored with time to waste but can’t decide where to go? Saint Paul, Minnesota, offers a variety of indoor and outdoor venues where you can enjoy fun activities, eat delicious food, and create fun memories.
Puzzle Works – Located in the Twin Cities, offering the most exciting and intense escape rooms.
They provide a variety of rooms including The Loose Sleuth, The Vault, The Dungeons, The Hospital, and The Nightmare at the Museum, difficulty levels ranging from 5-10.
The game allows you to work together with a minimum of 4, and maximum of 10, people to solve puzzles located inside the rooms. Your mission is to complete objectives within a set time and escape.
The Vault: Assist an exiled prince into retrieving treasures from the bank.
The Loose Sleuth: Investigate the mysterious disappearance of a top detective.
The Hospital: Return a misplaced heart before the upcoming surgery.
The Dungeon: Escape execution after being caught stealing from an enchanted avocado.
Nightmare at the Museum: Bring an end to a doll exhibit that has been terrorized by a ghost.
A minimum of four participants are required for bookings. Tickets cost $32.99 per person Sunday through Friday and $34.99 on Saturdays.
Location: 755 Prior Avenue North, Suite 007A, Saint Paul, MN 55114
The Burrow – A multifaceted venue that offers a variety of entertainment that is suitable for different age groups.
They offer various entertainment like axe throwing, pickleball, a private karaoke room, rope courses, outdoor mini-golf, laser tag, and multiple arcade games.
Axe throwing allows you to throw axes on targets, engaging in sessions ranging from 30-60 minutes. $20 per person for 30 mins and $30 for 60.
Pickleball can be played on their indoor courts with a price of $15 per person for 2 hours. The private karaoke room rents for $55 an hour.
Rope Courses and Outdoor Mini-golf are seasonal, only being offered in specific weather conditions. Both activities are filled with their creatively designed courses and are set at a price of $15 per person.
Laser Tag is a fun elimination game where you get to shoot players with a laser gun, earning points for either yourself or your team, costing only $10 per person each round.
Not only does this place offer various entertainment options but they also offer dining areas with delicious food and an adult menu allowing people to relax and chill.
Location: 7053 10th Street North, Oakdale, MN 55128
Can Can Wonderland – An artistic entertainment venue filled with vintage arcade games, live performances, a mini-golf course, and a unique food and drink menu.
They offer over 150 vintage arcade games along with modern arcade games that are free to play.
They include regular live performances including music, themed nights, and talent shows. The venue updates its event calendar with upcoming shows and performances.
Can Can Wonderland offers a diverse food and beverage menu that complements its whimsical and wacky atmosphere while also including an adult menu, making this place suitable for various age groups.
Location: 755 Prior Avenue North, Saint Paul, MN 55104
Spirit Mountain – Located in Duluth, approximately 150 miles away from Saint Paul.
They offer outdoor activities, including snowboarding, skiing, adventure parks, and mountain biking. They also include a jumping pillow attraction for young kids, making this place suitable for all ages.
Winter Sports: Include 22 ski runs, terrain parks, and snow tubing.
Mountain Biking: A lift-accessed trail that caters to various skill level courses, offering both smooth and rugged paths.
Adventure Park: Features a 3,200 track alpine coaster, a 700-foot zip ride, scenic chairlift, jumping pillow, and mini-golf.
These spots offer many different activities and entertainment that are suitable for all interests. Next time you’re wondering how to spend your free time, consider one of these places for a fun experience and memories.
¾ cup semisweet chocolate chips or roughly chopped chocolate
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup packed light brown sugar
⅓ cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
½ cup all-purpose flour
Cookie Dough:
½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
½ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking powder
Instructions:
Line a 9×13 baking dish with parchment paper or grease it.
Heat the oven to 350Fº.
For the brownies, melt butter then stir in cocoa powder.
Whisk in both sugar and the salt then add the eggs and vanilla and beat well (secret to glossy brownies is to beat the eggs and sugar very well.)
Add the flour and mix until almost combined then fold in the chocolate chips
Transfer the brownie batter to your prepared pan and spread into a thin layer then set aside.
For the cookie dough, cream the butter, and sugars on high for 3-4 minutes or until light and fluffy.
Mix in the vanilla and egg.
Add salt, baking soda and powder then mix until combined.
Pour in the flour and mix until almost combined then fold in the chocolate chips.
Drop spoonfuls onto the brownie batter. You don’t need full coverage, it will be nice to see the brownie batter peaking through after baking.
Bake at 350Fº for 35-40 mins.
Allow to cool before removing from the pan and cutting.
Enjoy!
Review:
These brookies were absolutely amazing. The brownie was so rich and gooey, and the cookie was perfectly browned and sweet. The chocolate chips in both were melted and tied both of them together. There was the perfect ratio of cookie to brownie, so in every bite I got a little bit of both. I paired it with a cold cup of milk and it made my night.
The recipe was easy to follow, but took up a lot of time since you have to make two different mixtures. It was all very worth it though, and now I have lots to share.
The next day while I was hanging out with my friends, I shared the brookies with them and they tasted just as good cold or warmed up in the microwave. I also gave some to my brother and he said that they were great.
I got this recipe off of Preppy Kitchen (https://preppykitchen.com/brookies/#recipe) by John Kanell. The website was easy to navigate and the recipe was amazing. He did a great job with creating the perfect brookie recipe.
I had a great time making these, and the result was so worth the time spent! It was great to share with my friends and family. Try making these yourself! Enjoy!
According to the Loco Gringo food blog, in the 19th century, there was a recipe floating around Mexico for a bread cake that was soaked in wine and topped with custard. This is thought to be a spin of the Italian tiramisu or the English trifle, both alcohol soaked sponge cakes with heavy cream, cheese and sugar! All recipes were a great way to reconstitute leftover, stale cookies, cake or bread into a great dessert.
There are several different styles of tres leches such as, coffee, chocolate, piña colada, strawberry, and coconut. But many people enjoy and prefer regular tres leches.
Oftentimes there are tres leches that have fillings like strawberry, pineapple, cookies and cream, or peanuts and another filling could be peaches.
The things you will need to make the cake will be listed below:
cake mix of choice (I use Betty Crocker’s or make your own)
sweetened condensed milk (I use la Lechera)
evaporated milk (Carnation)
regular milk (of choice)
heavy whipping cream
sugar
vanilla extract
measuring cups
The majority of time when I make tres leches I often use cake mix. I follow the instructions on the box then when I take out the cake I let it cool down for at least one hour.
Once it is cooled down I begin to poke holes all around the cake with a fork.
While it’s cooling down, you can make the milk mixture (tres leche) by pouring a can of condensed milk with a can of evaporated milk (both contain a cup and a half) and lastly you add one cup of regular milk (of your desire).
Once you have finished the milk mixture you may add it to the cake and let that sit in the fridge for one hour to a hour and a half.
Once the milk soaks into the cake you may start the whipping cream. You use a cup and a half of heavy whipping cream and one fourth of a cup of sugar and lastly a teaspoon of vanilla extract. Once all the ingredients are in a bowl you may begin to mix them into a thick consistency. After that, you may put it on the cake.
If you would like, you also can put cinnamon as a topping, or strawberries, then you will have a tres leches cake.
As we get closer to summer, there’s a lot of free time in the future. One great way to fill this time is exploring our cities through museums and historical sites. The Twin Cities Area has lots to offer when it comes to art, culture, and history. Here are three of my favorites, perfect for all ages and interests.
Minneapolis Institute of Art— Mia is a must see site in the Twin Cities. It has 143 galleries, showcasing almost 5,000 years of artwork from around the world. Permanent exhibits include African, Asian, American Indian, and European galleries, as well as various eras of American art. More immersive galleries include rooms decorated in Frank Lloyd Wright’s Prairie Style and period rooms themed around the Renaissance era, Ancient Japan, and the American 1950s. Be sure to check out rotating exhibits, which feature local and international artists.
Mill City Museum— The Mill City Museum might not be on the top of everyone’s sightseeing list, but it’s one of the most interesting museums in the cities. Built in the ruins of downtown Minneapolis’ Gold Medal Flour factory, this museum has interactive exhibits themed around Minnesotan milling history. Board historic train cars, bake bread, and ride a flour elevator while you learn about the people who worked in one of Minnesota’s biggest industries. A highlight of this museum for me is walking through the ruins park; a part of the building preserved as it was after the 1878 Mill City disaster, an explosion which leveled the building and damaged much of the surrounding area. You can see the old walls, outlines of rooms, and pieces of metal equipment that survived the fire.
Historic Fort Snelling— Historic Fort Snelling is a great place to learn about Minnesotan history, as well as experience the beauty of the Mississippi riverbank. Watch cannons fire and historic reenactors march military routes in this 1800s fort. Fort Snelling is also a great place to learn about Native history. Learn about Dakota language, history, and culture from community members and historic actors, and see how native people were treated during Fort Snelling’s time as an internment camp. Lastly, hear the story and see the living quarters of Dread Scott, a slave who sued the US government for his family’s freedom. So much history and many monumental moments have taken place at Fort Snelling, right in Highland’s backyard.
In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter and the sugars until they are creamy and combined, about 2-3 minutes
Add in the vanilla and the eggs and beat again, until everything is evenly mixed together.
Stir the flour, salt, and baking soda into the wet ingredients and mix.
Add the milk chocolate chips, semi-sweet chocolate chips, crushed pretzels, potato chips, graham cracker pieces, and toffee bits into the mixture and stir just until evenly distributed.
Scoop 1/3 cup sized balls of cookie dough onto the cookie sheets lined with parchment paper. Space them about 1 to 2 inches apart to allow for spreading.
Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes until golden brown
Top with the flaky sea salt.
Enjoy!
Review
I made these cookies for my friends and I to have. I have never tried to make these types of cookies before, and I was very pleased with the outcome. I absolutely loved the sweet chocolate, caramel, and graham crackers paired with the salty chips and pretzels. I also loved how crunchy the chips were along with the gooey chocolate and caramel. Overall, the cookies were very balanced, and the flavors compliment each other greatly.
I had decided to make these cookies because they honestly just looked so fun! My friends and I decided to have a bonfire because it was finally getting warm outside again, and I thought it would be great to have a treat with it. It was really enjoyable to make with my friends, we had a great time, and the outcome was so worth the time spent making them.
These cookies would be great for any occasion, whether it be a holiday, party, or just for fun. It is a great thing to make with your friends and family!
8 tablespoons/113 grams unsalted butter at room temperature
½cup/120 milliliters tahini, well stirred
1 cup/200 grams granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons/150 grams all-purpose flour, or matzo cake meal
½teaspoon baking soda
½teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1¾cups/230 grams chocolate chips or chunks, bittersweet or semisweet
Flaky salt, like fleur de sel or Maldon
Makes 12 to 18 cookies
This recipe was so fun to make. It took a long time to make though, but it was so good! I really enjoyed the warm salty cookies that I got out of this recipe. I would totally make this recipe again.
To make these cookies you need to mix together the dough in an electric mixer. Then you need to refrigerate for at least 12 hours; this was the hardest part of the recipe and it is why the recipe took so long. The total baking time was about 15 minutes and it took a long time to bake all the batches of cookies.
The baking and waiting time were a lot but overall the cookies were super good! This recipe was pretty easy to make, just throw all the ingredients into your electric mixer. The dishes used were also minimal because of this. The cookies came out of the oven warm and chewy with a bit of a salty taste that went great with the dark chocolate chips I used. Most people would say that they don’t like salty cookies but these are great!
When I started making these I was worried that the tahini might be too strong for these cookies and it would be all that you could taste. But in the end, these cookies were perfect, the tahini added a slightly salty taste to the cookies and the flaky salt sprinkled on top just helped bring out the slight tahini flavor. I would say that people who might not like the taste of tahini as much would still love these cookies. For anyone who might not know what tahini is, it is like sesame paste and it tastes like a saltier version of peanut butter in my opinion. I like it plain as a substitute for peanut butter in some instances, but it is a bit runnier. I really enjoy the taste of tahini and it is great in these cookies.
The cookies came out of the oven chewy and warm and when I sprinkled them with some salt it was absolutely delicious. They are the best if you eat them right after you take them out of the oven and they are nice and warm. I will say I kept them in an airtight bag after I baked them and the next day they were stale so I would eat them the same day. You could also freeze or refrigerate them and heat them up later. I would totally recommend this recipe to help you take your chocolate chip cookies to the next level!
If you’re anything like us, you have tried Tru Fru and loved it. Like Tru Fru, other frozen chocolate dipped fruits are very good but they leave quite a dent in your pocket! We decided to try to make our own and to see if we could make something comparable, but for a smaller price.
Ingredients
2 cups of raspberries (or other fruits we used strawberries)
1 cup of white chocolate chips
1 cup of dark chocolate chips
2 teaspoons of coconut oil
To make the homemade Tru Fru, we chose to use strawberries as our fruit. We started by cutting the stems off our strawberries, coring them, and cutting them in half. You want to make sure that your strawberries are completely dry because when you freeze them, they will stick together if they are wet.
After the strawberries are all cut and washed, we put them on a baking sheet to freeze. We covered the baking sheet with parchment paper and made sure that the strawberries weren’t touching each other.
After about 3 hours, the strawberries were fully frozen. We kept them in the freezer while we prepared the chocolates. In two microwave safe bowls add the chocolates (separately) and a tablespoon of coconut oil. Microwave the white chocolate chips first, before doing the milk/dark chocolate, we chose dark. Microwave in 30 second intervals mixing in between each one.
Once fully melted we pulled out the frozen strawberries and added them into a bowl so we could put our dipped strawberries on the baking sheet. We used a fork to dip the strawberries in the chocolate and shook off the extra chocolate so that there would only be a thin layer of chocolate on each strawberry.
After half the strawberries were coated in white chocolate, we had to melt more chocolate to finish the rest of the strawberries and continue dipping the strawberries.
Once they all were coated in white chocolate, we moved onto the dark chocolate. We used the same process of melting, and because the strawberries were frozen to start, the chocolate hardened onto the strawberries so we did not have to put them back into the freezer. After they were all dipped, they were ready to eat!
In the end, the strawberries were really good. Since we used a fork to shake off extra chocolate, there was a nice and thin layer on the strawberries. If it was thicker, it would have been really hard to bite. If you leave the strawberries out for around 3 minutes before eating, it makes the strawberries thaw just enough so they are easier to eat.
The dark chocolate evens out the sweetness from the white chocolate, and the two pair well with the strawberry. Since they are frozen, they would be a perfect sweet treat for on a hot summer day. The strawberries are sweet and fresh, with the chocolate added, they are really good. We made the strawberries when some of our friends were with us. They all really liked them and thought they were a perfect treat to end the night.
Overall, the recipe was pretty easy to follow and the strawberries tasted really good. We think that this recipe is a great way to save some money if you also like Tru Fru. We made around 40 strawberries and the total cost was around $11.78. A typical Tru Fru bag comes with around 16 strawberries for $6.99. For the homemade strawberries it cost around 30 cents per strawberry, the Tru Fru cost around 43 cents. While this is not that big of a difference, we both thought it was worth it. Not only was it fun to make, but we also got to have a delicious treat too. If you ever want a fun and delicious treat to make, we definitely recommend this homemade Tru Fru recipe.
Sift the flour, sugar, salt, baking soda and powder into a large bowl.
Mix the butter, egg whites, vanilla, sour cream, and milk into a separate bowl.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until fully combined.
Put cupcake liners into a muffin tin and fill them ⅔ of the way full.
Bake for 18 minutes.
Frosting
Heat the heavy whipping cream in a pot over the stove until simmering.
Put chocolate into a medium sized bowl and pour the simmering cream on top.
Cover the bowl with a plate for 2 minutes before mixing.
Take the plate off and cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill until smooth, creamy and set
Beat the mixture until fluffy
Piping
Put frosting into a piping bag.
After cupcakes have fully cooled, pipe the frosting to cover the top
Enjoy!
Review:
These cupcakes were absolutely divine. The cake was so fluffy and dense at the same time. The frosting was so creamy and the chocolate was so rich. I loved the sweet flavor of the vanilla cake and the frosting went with it perfectly because it was so rich. The two flavors complement each other perfectly.
I made these cupcakes with my friends, and we got the recipe from her grandma. They were very enjoyable to make, and we had a great time. It took us a while to make everything, but it was so worth it in the end. They were honestly the best cupcakes I’ve ever made and I will absolutely be making them again in the near future.
These cupcakes are perfect for any occasion, birthdays, holidays, celebrations, or just for fun! They are perfect for chocolate lovers and are so easy to share with everyone!
I hope you enjoy making these as much as I did! Enjoy!
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