Black Bottom Chocolate Butterscotch Cookies Recipe

Chewy butterscotch chip cookies with a chocolate surprise underneath!

Chewy butterscotch chip cookies with a chocolate surprise underneath!

Like any college kid worth her salt, I spent the better part of my freshman year living off the food in the vending machines.

“Healthier” Chocolate Butterscotch Cookies

My “healthier” meals consisted of egg salad sandwiches and granola bars. And an occasional visit to the salad and wrap bar in the student center.

But more often than not, I ate junk all day every day. And, boy… it was good. My typical choices were usually something along the lines of chocolate milk, Twix ice cream bars, Dunford pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, Dark Chocolate Peanut M&MS, chocolate covered Sunbelt granola bars, and Black Bottom Toffee Doodles.

Chewy butterscotch chip cookies with a chocolate surprise underneath!

Oh my gosh, you guys.

Those toffee doodles were LIFE! So what exactly is a Black Bottom Toffee Doodle?! Well. I’m glad you asked! This little gem of a cookie is (not so little, first off…) a fabulous combination of a snickerdoodle and a chocolate chip toffee cookie with a thin coating of chocolate on the bottom of the cookie.

It’s everything you want out of a vending machine cookie and so much more ????. If you are ever lucky enough to stumble across one, promise me you’ll buy it!

Chewy butterscotch chip cookies with a chocolate surprise underneath!

Anyway. All this to say… adding chocolate to the bottom of a cookie is realllllllllly good. And I just knew that if I dipped the bottom of my favorite butterscotch chip cookies in chocolate, all would be well with the world.

So I did. And it was. ????????✌???? ????.

Enjoy!

Caramel Filled Snickerdoodles Recipe

Soft and chewy snickerdoodles with a buttery caramel surprise on the inside.

Soft and chewy snickerdoodles with a buttery caramel surprise on the inside.

Happy Tuesday! Can you believe we are HALFWAY through October?? Halfway! Cooler weather is on the way, the leaves are just starting to turn, and I’m getting a million other cues that it’s time to hunker down in my kitchen for Fall baking.

But before we go there, I have to go here:

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Meet my newest baby, Mackenzie.

Remember when I wrote this post all about how I don’t actually like dogs all that much? It’s still true. I am totally not a dog person. Or an animal person for that matter. Frankly, I have no idea what we were thinking adopting a dog out of the clear blue!

But it was like some crazy cosmic force drew us in, and even though we kept saying, “but we really didn’t ever want a dog….” we just couldn’t NOT take this sweet pup home with us. And even though all the annoying-dog stuff we were worried about really is as annoying as we thought it would be (omg, like I NEED more poop in my life!), the joy of having someone else in our home to love outweighs it somehow. We’ll just figure out how to deal with the poop and dog hair and stupid vet expenses and the 5 more weeks we’re all cooped up in an apartment together, because she’s ours and we love her!

It’s been less than 48 hours and I already can’t remember life without her.

It’s been the most bizarre twist of events in my life. Seriously.

Soft and chewy snickerdoodles with a buttery caramel surprise on the inside.

Speaking of bizarre twists… how about this delicious surprise– caramel filled snickerdoodles!

I am so excited to share this recipe with you today. Not just because it’s an absolutely delicious, soft, buttery, cinnamon-y cookie that you will fall insanely in love with. But also because it comes from a cookbook written by one of my very favorite bloggers, Jamielyn Nye who blogs over at I Heart Naptime.

Jamielyn is one of the sweetest people I have come across in the blogging community. She has a beautiful blog, a creative mind, and such a big heart. I couldn’t be more thrilled for her to release her very first cookbook, aptly titled The I Heart Naptime Cookbook. I haven’t been able to put it down– between the beautiful photography and the recipes that are so very perfect for the busy home-cook, it’s a fabulous addition for any kitchen.

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Soft and chewy snickerdoodles with a buttery caramel surprise on the inside.

Just as she’s done on her blog for years, Jamielyn has filled this book to the brim with beauty, smarts, good taste (figuratively and literally), and extremely functional tips, tricks, crafts, and recipes. In fact, each recipe in the book can be made in under an hour! Woot!

Less time cooking = more eating. There’s a little basic Ashton Kitchen Math for ya.

Let me share one of these amazing recipes from her book with you. These caramel filled snickerdoodles caught my eye right away, and I knew this would be the perfect October recipe to make for you all! It’s like every warm and cozy flavor wrapped up into one amazingly soft and perfect cookie.

Sweet cinnamon sugar on the outside of a super soft cookie wrapped around buttery, melty caramel. Ah! I can’t even hardly look at these pictures without needing to jump up and make another batch!!

Soft and chewy snickerdoodles with a buttery caramel surprise on the inside.

Will you just look at that caramel?? *swoon*

Tip: I used Werther’s Original soft caramels in a second batch of these (not pictured), and I actually liked that batch better. The caramel in the middle stayed softer after baking versus the standard cello-wrapped caramels pictured in this post. Right out of the oven, these were fine, but the caramel did harden after cooling. So look for Werther’s soft caramels in your grocery store!

 

Happy Fall Baking ya’ll! And be sure to get your hands on Jamielyn’s book. It will make a fantastic holiday gift!

Epicurious Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe

It’s easy to see why Epicurious ranked these as their favorite chocolate chip cookies!

It's easy to see why Epicurious ranked these as their favorite chocolate chip cookies!

It’s been a little while since I posted a chocolate chip cookie recipe. A month, to be exact (but who’s counting??). So it feels like a good enough time whip out another recipe in the Chocolate Chip Cookie experiment.

Is there ever a BAD time to make chocolate chip cookies? I submit that there is not.

Speaking of a good time to make chocolate chip cookies, wanna see a picture of the house we’re building?? She’s so pretty…

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And if you’re wondering… that’s pretty much how all of my conversations go these days. Talk, talk, talk, talk– wanna hear about my house??? Talk, talk, talk, talk– did I tell you about the house??

We’re just so excited, and it’s moving along so quickly that it’s hard to not be obsessed. I was prepared to be super patient in the beginning, but that went out the window as soon as they got the walls up. When I saw how fast it could happen, I started toe tapping.

Anyway.

It's easy to see why Epicurious ranked these as their favorite chocolate chip cookies!

I’ll pretend to think about something else.

Like chocolate chip cookies. If anything could distract me from the house, it would be warm chocolate chip cookies. You know this about me by now.

So let’s talk about these chocolate chip cookies. In case you’re not familiar, Epicurious is an online food community full of “expert” recipes and cooking advice. Truth be told, I’ve never spent too much time on their site, but I do enjoy their social media posts. And I was pretty confident they’d have a more than decent CCC recipe.

Some of what sets this cookie apart from other recipes we’ve tried:

???? This recipe calls for baking powder in addition to baking soda. The cookies aren’t puffy, like I’d expect a cookie with baking powder to be. But they don’t spread too terribly much, despite the lack of chilling the dough. And I think I’d attribute that in part to the baking powder.

???? There is a little less fat in this recipe. 10 tbsp instead of the 1/2 cup you would normally find in proportion to the amount of flour and sugar called for. This might also contribute to the cookies not spreading as much as I expected them to. I think it also contributes to the nice, crispy edges.

???? Two eggs instead of one. More eggs = more moisture and more fat = more chew!

It's easy to see why Epicurious ranked these as their favorite chocolate chip cookies!

In regards to how I would rank this recipe agains the other cookies I’ve tested, it gets a solid two thumbs up. That being said, I don’t think that particularly stands out as anything outrageously different than most other CCC recipes. But it’s a very good, very solid, worthwhile chocolate chip cooke recipe to hang on to!

You’ll enjoy the crispy edges, the chewy centers, and most of all– LOTS of chocolate! This recipe calls for chopped high quality chocolate– which always makes for a most excellent chocolate chip cookie 🙂 .

Enjoy!

Salted Caramel and Chocolate Covered Cheesecake Recipe

My new favorite 3-step cheesecake covered in chocolate, stuffed with salted caramel, and sprinkled with toffee.

My new favorite 3-step cheesecake covered in chocolate, stuffed with salted caramel, and sprinkled with toffee.

Calling all cheesecake lovers!

And chocolate lovers.

And caramel lovers.

And toffee lovers.

This is the recipe for YOU. And most definitely for me too. I have a serious love of chocolate dipped cheesecake. Fortunately (for my waistline), I rarely get a chance to eat it simply because it’s not a super accessible food. Basically, they serve it at the fair and maybe at the odd food truck or two. But otherwise, it’s never really in my direct path.

My new favorite 3-step cheesecake covered in chocolate, stuffed with salted caramel, and sprinkled with toffee.

Until now.

Because now I know how incredibly easy this is to make in my own kitchen.

In my home.

Where I live. Every day. ????

My new favorite 3-step cheesecake covered in chocolate, stuffed with salted caramel, and sprinkled with toffee.

And, you guys, it turns out that chocolate dipped cheesecake is dangerously easy to make.

It all began when I bought the wrong kind of cream cheese from Sam’s. I accidentally bought a 3 pound BRICK of cream cheese instead of the 3 pounds of cream cheese in six 8-ounce boxes that I was trying to buy. And I thought, what on earth am I going to do with this??

Because, clearly, I wasn’t going to cut it up into six 8-ounce portions myself. ????

So I looked up the simplest cheesecake recipe I could find, tripled it, and stuck three cheesecakes in my freezer to use for cheesecake layer cakes throughout the holiday seasons.

My new favorite 3-step cheesecake covered in chocolate, stuffed with salted caramel, and sprinkled with toffee.

But as one’s frozen cheesecake tends to do, it called to me from the freezer.

And eventually I gave in and dipped it in caramel and chocolate and topped it with toffee and a chocolate drizzle and fancy flaked sea salt.

No, you have no self control!

My new favorite 3-step cheesecake covered in chocolate, stuffed with salted caramel, and sprinkled with toffee.

I think you’re going to be very happy with this recipe. Maybe not your pants. But you will be. ????

PS- don’t let the length of the instructions scare you! I just wanted to be detailed about the process to make it easier on you. I swear, I did all of the dipping in less than 30 minutes before I ran out the door for carpool! It’s totally NBD ????.

TGIF Cupcakes Recipe

Vanilla cupcakes studded with chocolate chips and topped with peanut butter frosting, chocolate shavings, toffee, and butterscotch caramel. A cupcake worthy of the name TGIF!

Vanilla cupcakes studded with chocolate chips and topped with peanut butter frosting, chocolate shavings, toffee, and butterscotch caramel. A cupcake worthy of the name TGIF!

This recipe was inspired by a book I read last week. I don’t know if it’s like this for anyone else, but there always seems to be a food theme in every book I read…. or at least there is in my mind.

And maybe “theme” is a bit too strong of a word. But do you know what I mean? You’re reading a book, and maybe it’s set in Antebellum South, and the main character eats a lot of cornbread smothered in honey and butter. All of a sudden, all I can think about is cornbread and honey.

Or the main characters frequently hang out at the local pizza joint. Now all I want to eat is pizza.

You get the picture.

Vanilla cupcakes studded with chocolate chips and topped with peanut butter frosting, chocolate shavings, toffee, and butterscotch caramel. A cupcake worthy of the name TGIF!

In last week’s book (which was #3 in the Porter Family Novel series by Becky Wade), a side character (who was the main character in #2) works in a bakery, and this is cupcake is her Friday specialty. The moment I read the description, I knew I wanted to recreate it for you guys.

And so…. ta-da!

Vanilla cupcakes studded with chocolate chips and topped with peanut butter frosting, chocolate shavings, toffee, and butterscotch caramel. A cupcake worthy of the name TGIF!

This has been one of my favorite recipes that I’ve made in a while, and I’m thinking that it needs to be recreated into a layer cake, a poke cake… possible fudge? Definitely into a cookie. So expect more TGIF treats to grace the blog before too long.

And I think these flavors are perfectly timed for Fall. They’re rich with deep notes of toffee and butterscotch and just perfect for winter comfort sweatpants food.

Vanilla cupcakes studded with chocolate chips and topped with peanut butter frosting, chocolate shavings, toffee, and butterscotch caramel. A cupcake worthy of the name TGIF!

Vanilla cupcakes studded with chocolate chips and topped with peanut butter frosting, chocolate shavings, toffee, and butterscotch caramel. A cupcake worthy of the name TGIF!

I hope you enjoy these as much as I did!

Pumpkin Chocolate Layer Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting and Butterscotch Caramel Recipe

You have to try this cake made with layers of pumpkin cake and pumpkin chocolate cake and cream cheese frosting. And don’t forget the butterscotch caramel!!

You have to try this cake made with layers of pumpkin cake and pumpkin chocolate cake and cream cheese frosting. And don't forget the butterscotch caramel!!

There are FOUR outrageously delicious flavors happening in this cake.

Can you guess them just by looking at the outside?? One of the flavors is a little tricky, but I bet you can do it.

You have to try this cake made with layers of pumpkin cake and pumpkin chocolate cake and cream cheese frosting. And don't forget the butterscotch caramel!!

Today we’re playing with:

Pumpkin cake.

Pumpkin + Chocolate cake.

Cream cheese frosting.

Annnnnnnnnd BUTTERSCOTCH CARAMEL. ????

You have to try this cake made with layers of pumpkin cake and pumpkin chocolate cake and cream cheese frosting. And don't forget the butterscotch caramel!!

You have to try this cake made with layers of pumpkin cake and pumpkin chocolate cake and cream cheese frosting. And don't forget the butterscotch caramel!!

You guys. This butterscotch caramel sauce is basically heaven on earth. I’ve been eating it on everything lately– apples, ice cream, straight outta the jar. It’s SO GOOD.

So don’t judge me too harshly for not whipping up a batch from scratch. I just figure, why fix what’s not broken, right? Plus…. it just makes things that much easier. Which is always A-Okay in my book.

You have to try this cake made with layers of pumpkin cake and pumpkin chocolate cake and cream cheese frosting. And don't forget the butterscotch caramel!!

Ok, so I am being 1000000000% for real when I promise you: this cake is SO EASY. Here’s the basic breakdown:

Both cakes are overly simple using just cake mix, pumpkin, and a little milk. You’ll need a yellow cake mix, a chocolate cake mix, and two cans of pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling).

Next, you’ll make my favorite cream cheese frosting. It’s easy. You can do it.

Last, you’ll buy that amazing butterscotch caramel sauce. I found it at Target near the ice cream. You could also use my other favorite– Smuckers Caramel Delight Sundae Sauce (which I also usually buy at Target).

You have to try this cake made with layers of pumpkin cake and pumpkin chocolate cake and cream cheese frosting. And don't forget the butterscotch caramel!!

And voila! You’ll have one incredibly moist, flavorful, and beautiful cake perfect for ushering in pumpkin everything season Fall.

Enjoy!

Baked Pumpkin Nutella Donuts Recipe

Perfectly baked pumpkin donuts coated with cinnamon sugar and topped with Nutella.

Perfectly baked pumpkin donuts coated with cinnamon sugar and topped with Nutella.

My daughter knows no seasonal boundaries when it comes to her love of pumpkin.

Regardless of the time of year, when we let her choose the dessert for family night– it’s always pumpkin pie. Always. Which is so funny to me, because she is an incredibly picky eater especially in regards to texture. And it took me until adulthood (and years of acquiring more adventurous palate)  to appreciate a good pumpkin pie, because I always felt like it was kind of slimy.

It is, after all, a cold pie made of squash. I feel like kids have a right to be a little leery when it comes to pumpkin pie. But not my girl!

Perfectly baked pumpkin donuts coated with cinnamon sugar and topped with Nutella.

As much as I love a good pumpkin pie (now), I just feel like there is so much more fun to be had when it comes to pumpkin season.

Pumpkin Monkey Bread. Enough said.

Pumpkin Cornnread with Maple Cinnamon Butter. ohemgee.

Pumpkin S’mores Cupcakes. Just yes.

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting. Swoon.

Pumpkin Oreo Cheesecake Bars. Need I continue??

Perfectly baked pumpkin donuts coated with cinnamon sugar and topped with Nutella.

I’d have to say, at the top of my pumpkin favorite recipes list is most definitely this one for pumpkin donuts with Nutella on top.

Pumpkin + Nutella is the kind of flavor combination that dreams are made of. Initially, I thought I might make some sort of Nutella “glaze” or Nutella “frosting.” But then I realized… why mess with perfection? So I warmed up a bowl of straight-up Nutella and dunked my cinnamon sugar coated pumpkin donuts right in.

And I didn’t regret it. No siree.

Perfectly baked pumpkin donuts coated with cinnamon sugar and topped with Nutella.

If you’re ready to begin your fall baking (and really, who’s not??), may I suggest that you start right here. Dig out that pumpkin, ya’ll! It’s Fall!

Almost ????.

Cinnamon Roll Pumpkin Pancakes Recipe

Pumpkin pancakes with a cinnamon swirl that melts in your mouth. Good morning!!

Buttery brown sugar and cinnamon swirled into fluffy pumpkin pancakes. Perfect for a yummy Fall breakfast!

I have a serious love-hate relationship with cinnamon roll pancakes.

They were suuuuuuuuper popular about a year ago. And it’s no wonder why– the pictures were absolutely drool-worthy. And the concept: totally genius. I mean, who doesn’t want cinnamon roll filling swirled in their pancakes smothered in cinnamon roll frosting? Everyone does.

But have you ever tried to make them?

Ohmygosh. I tried about a bazillion times last year before I just finally gave up. Every time I tried, my cinnamon swirl leaked out of the pancake all over the place, filling my kitchen with the semi-permanent smell of burning sugar. And, uh, burning sugar is HOT. So there were definitely more than a few finger blisters involved. It was messy, smelly, and painful. It’s idiotic that I tried to make them as many times as I did.

But those pictures!!!! I mean… they just look so perfect! So why weren’t mine turning out like I thought they should?

Buttery brown sugar and cinnamon swirled into fluffy pumpkin pancakes, topped with a dreamy cream cheese cinnamon roll frosting. Perfect for a yummy Fall breakfast!

This idea for cinnamon roll pumpkin pancakes has been nagging at me for a few weeks, and I kept pushing it away– not wanting to look a-fool in my kitchen again (not to mention wanting to spare my hands the burns!). But, in the end, this recipe was just too tempting not to try.

So I gave it some careful thought and drew up a game plan for making painless, mostly mess-free cinnamon roll (pumpkin) pancakes. And it worked!

Although, in full disclosure: one of the improvements I made to this recipe was simply to lower my expectations. I just realized that no matter how hard I tried, some of the cinnamon swirl was going to leak out of the pancakes. Once I came to terms with that, the rest was a breeze!

Be sure to read these tips before heading to the kitchen!

I added cornstarch to my cinnamon swirl mixture. It helped hold “things” together a bit and keep it from leaking out of the pancakes any more than it did.

Be SURE to insert the tip of your piping bag or bottle into the pancake batter a bit when piping on the cinnamon swirl. DO NOT simply pipe the swirl on top. It needs to be in the batter a little bit.

Pipe the swirl IMMEDIATELY after scooping the batter onto the griddle (just to ensure that you can pipe into the batter and not on top).

Let the pancake cook really, really well on the first side. You don’t risk drying out the pancake, thanks to the pumpkin (which keeps things extra moist). And by allowing the majority of the pancake to be cooked before flipping, you won’t lose quite as much cinnamon swirl on the “flip side.”

The edges of the pancakes should be dry, and the top of the pancake should look a little dry as well with bubbles that don’t pop and fill in.

Clean the griddle with a paper towel in between batches. It’s not as much work as it sounds if you do it in between each one. Getting the extra sugar off the griddle will prevent burning, and it will make things A LOT easier to clean in the end.

If you have an electric griddle, USE IT. Electric griddles are awesome for cooking evenly and preventing burned food. I’m not so sure how these would have gone over on the stove-top to be honest.

Single Serve Brownie Batter Dip Recipe

If you like to lick the brownie batter bowl, you’ll love this single serve brownie batter dip made just for one!

If you like to lick the brownie batter bowl, you'll love this healthful alternative!

This brownie batter dip is INSANE you guys. It’s thick and rich, right on the money for texture and flavor. If you’re a bowl-licker, you’ve come to the right place my friend.

Not only does this single serve brownie batter dip taste just like brownie batter, and not only is it a perfectly scaled down recipe meant just for one, guess what else? It’s actually kinda, sorta healthy!

WHAT?!

If you like to lick the brownie batter bowl, you'll love this healthful alternative!

This recipe’s key to success and star ingredient is ALMOND BUTTER. And everybody knows we need those healthy fats! Plus, this is what makes the brownie batter thick and so much like the real stuff. I was worried that the almond butter taste would be overpowering, but not so. The other ingredients balance out perfectly.

The sweetener? Honey. Also a major player in the texture game.

If you like to lick the brownie batter bowl, you'll love this healthful alternative!

And, of course, we’ve got flour, cocoa powder, salt, and vanilla. All major components to real brownie batter. I also added mini chocolate chips and walnuts, because I need a little crunchy ????.

PS- If you’re concerned about eating raw flour, you can heat treat it in the oven before using it.

If you like to lick the brownie batter bowl, you'll love this healthful alternative!

Eat it as a dip with apples, pretzels, graham crackers, and strawberries. Or just grab a spoon and dig in. I won’t judge ????.

Love brownies? So do we! Here’s a roundup of all of our Swanky Brownies, Bars and Blondies — in one place!

Apple Pie Cinnamon Roll Pull Apart Bread Recipe

Sweet pull apart bread made with Pillsbury cinnamon rolls, apple pie filling, and topped with a mouth-watering cinnamon icing.

Sweet pull apart bread made with Pillsbury cinnamon rolls, apple pie filling, and topped with a mouth-watering cinnamon icing.

Have you ever made pull apart bread before? And I’m not talking about monkey bread. I mean flattened flaky layers of cinnamon rolls layered with decadent fillings and iced on top. I’ve seen several different variations across Pinterest and the internet. Some are filled with chocolate. Others with cinnamon. I saw several with different kinds of pie fillings ????.

This was my first time making a pull apart loaf, and, since I’ve been feeling the urge to do some Fall baking, I decided to make this an apple pie pull apart loaf ????.

Sweet pull apart bread made with Pillsbury cinnamon rolls, apple pie filling, and topped with a mouth-watering cinnamon icing.

The mechanics of this pull apart loaf could not be easier.

All you’ll need to do is grab three easy ingredients (2 cans of cinnamon rolls, apple pie filling, and a little extra cinnamon) and preheat the oven for 350F.

Flatten the cinnamon rolls with your hands, and simply alternate each cinnamon roll with a small spoonful of apple pie filling.

And OMG! The way your kitchen will smell while this is baking!! If you aren’t already in the mood for Fall, I can guarantee that the smell of this loaf wafting through your home will do the trick.

Sweet pull apart bread made with Pillsbury cinnamon rolls, apple pie filling, and topped with a mouth-watering cinnamon icing.

Now, if you wanted to, you could leave out that extra bit of cinnamon and make this a two-ingredient easy-peasy recipe.

But if you’re like me and can’t resist a little extra cinnamon, mix it into the frosting that comes with the cinnamon rolls before you spread it over the warm bread. Ah-mazing. It’s like cinnamon rolls and apple pies and a donut had a baby. It’s basically the best thing ever.

I think I’m finally ready to trade in my summer shades and s’mores if this is what Fall has to offer ????.

Sweet pull apart bread made with Pillsbury cinnamon rolls, apple pie filling, and topped with a mouth-watering cinnamon icing.

Hostess Cupcake Cake Recipe

If you liked Hostess Cupcakes in your lunchbox as a kid, you’ll love this cake version that’s all grown up!

If you liked Hostess Cupcakes in your lunchbox as a kid, you'll love this cake version that's all grown up!

OH my gosh. This cake. YOU GUYS! Where to even begin?!? Because, honestly, this cake was all kinds of ridiculous. In the very best way…

I remember back when my mom would pack my lunches and would on a very rare occasion send me to school with a Hostess Cupcake in my lunchbox. I tried to not let my friends see me geek out over a cupcake in (but seriously, how come none of the other 5th graders ever seemed as fall-over-yourself excited about cupcakes as I did?? Was I truly alone in that feeling?!). So I’d carefully set it aside until I had finished my lunch. I wanted it to be the very last thing that I tasted before going back to class.

And there was no just shoveling the whole thing in my mouth. Oh no. I took my time and savored each component separately. First, I peeled (yes, peeled, you know what I’m talking about!) off the chocolate icing and ate that first. Next I scooped out the cream filling. And finally, I’d eat the remaining cake. If I was lucky enough to get a Hostess Cupcake in my lunchbox, you can darn well believe I made it a full-blown experience when it came time to eat it!

If you liked Hostess Cupcakes in your lunchbox as a kid, you'll love this cake version that's all grown up!

Being the mature adult that I am today, it’s been long, long time since I’ve sampled fine packaged delicacies such as a Hostess Cupcake. But that doesn’t mean I hold it in any less regard. In fact, I made this cake as an ode to my favorite lunchbox treat!

Basically, if a Hostess cupcake grew up to be a full-blown layer cake, this is what it would be. And it’s nothing short of OMG SO GOOD. To use my most eloquent terminology there.

If you liked Hostess Cupcakes in your lunchbox as a kid, you'll love this cake version that's all grown up!

If you liked Hostess Cupcakes in your lunchbox as a kid, you'll love this cake version that's all grown up!

Today’s cake recipe combines layers of my all-time favorite chocolate cake with a copycat Little Debbie cream filling (that I also used in these Oatmeal Cream Pies), and it’s topped with a sinfully indulgent chocolate ganache.

It’s literally a larger-than-life Hostess Cupcake with better chocolate frosting, a better cream filling, and much better chocolate cake.

So, what I’m say is pretty much this: if you were that child geeking out in the cafeteria over a Hostess Cupcake… this one’s for you ????.

Snickers Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe

The ultimate soft baked, super chewy cookie loaded with hearty oats and Snickers candy bars!

The ultimate soft baked, super chewy cookie loaded with hearty oats and Snickers candy bars!

I get asked this question all the time: what’s your favorite recipe??

And, honestly, I have a few. Definitely my mom’s frosted brownies. And this peanut butter apple dip is a daily snack in our house. M&M Brownie cookies, obviously. And omg these Baked Chocolate Donuts. I love them all, and any one of them is worthy of being my most top-notch favorite recipe.

But, as my frequent readers know, my heart will always and forever belong to chocolate chip cookies. As of now, I have 21 chocolate chip cookie recipes on my site (not including all the variations of those recipes). Some of my favorites have included these DoubleTree Hotel Cookies, AllRecipes.com #1 Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe,  and these King Arthur Chocolate Chip Cookies.

The ultimate soft baked, super chewy cookie loaded with hearty oats and Snickers candy bars!

One of my very, very favorite recipes I’ve found as I’ve dug around for new chocolate chip cookie recipes has been this King Arthur Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe. I have used it over and over and over again (here with M&MS and here with Reese’s Pieces), and it is consistently phenomenal.

And the recipe couldn’t be more straightforward.

Butter.

Brown sugar

Sugar.

An egg and an egg yolk (for extra thick and chewy cookies!).

Oatmeal and flour.

Aside from a few littles teaspoons of this and that, that’s really all there is to the recipe!

The ultimate soft baked, super chewy cookie loaded with hearty oats and Snickers candy bars!

Oh, and today, Snickers OF COURSE!

I couldn’t resist taking my favorite oatmeal chocolate chip cookie recipe and adding my current candy bar crush to it.

You know the best part about adding Snickers to cookies? The ooey, gooey melted caramel and nougat. It’s THEE best, and I don’t know why we bother eating cookies any other way.

The ultimate soft baked, super chewy cookie loaded with hearty oats and Snickers candy bars!

The ultimate soft baked, super chewy cookie loaded with hearty oats and Snickers candy bars!

Take it from me: happy people eat warm cookies stuffed with Snickers.

So go out there and make some people happy!