Review: Reese's Spreads Peanut Butter Chocolate

I was so excited to be chosen by Influenster to get to try Reese's Spread Peanut Butter Chocolate! The main reason? It's gluten free! Since finding out I have Celiac Disease in 2013, I have been so glad that the regular Reese's Cups are safe because they have always been on my favorite candy bar list, but a bit disappointed that the holiday offerings like trees, hearts and eggs aren't safe since they are made in a facility that processes products with gluten.

But this spread? Totally on the safe list! And it's so yummy! My daughter said, "It's basically a Reese's Cup all smashed and blended together!" She is so right.

And there are so many serving options and pairings. Reese's Spread Peanut Butter Chocolate is yummy on salty things like pretzles and crackers, and equally good on healthier options like apples and strawberries.

But our fave? Served simply on a spoon. Yum!

Disclosure: I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes.

LOTD #75 and Toffee Bars

I'm a little embarrased to tell you this, but I recently reached Sephora's VIB Rouge status. Which means I have spent enough there to warrant free shipping on anything I want to order. I don't even have to reach the $50 minimum. Don't ask how much I have spent to reach this status, because I won't admit it.

In my VIB Rogue welcome kit was the cutest little mini lipstick created just for us makeup crazies. It's Bite Beauty's Luminous Creme Lipstick in the custom color VIB Rouge.

Bite Beauty's Luminous Creme Liptick in VIB Rouge

(this shade is not available for sale, but other shades are $24)

I LOVE it! So creamy and long-lasting. I applied at 8 and it still looked fab when I left for lunch. Keeper!

Toffee Bars

Last night I needed to whip up something for a work birthday celebration  and I decided on using Mix and Match Mama's recipe for Chocolate Toffee Bars, but modifying it a bit. I subbed applesauce for oil, and egg beaters for eggs. I also used the toffee chips in a bit of a different way. They turned out great!

Toffee Bars
(recipe adapted from Mix and Match Mama)

Ingredients:

1 box yellow cake mix

1/2 cup liquid egg substitute

1/2 cup applesauce (2 small individual containers)

1 1/3 cups toffee candy pieces (one bag of Heath's Toffee Bits)

1 can Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spray your 9X13 glass baking dish with Pam.

Combine cake mix, egg substitute and applesauce with an electric mixer.

Pour roughly 2/3 of this cake mixture into the bottom of your baking dish. Bake 15 minutes.

Pour 1/2 cup of toffee Bits into remaining cake mixture and mix by hand and set aside.

In a separate bowl, combine remaining Toffee Bits, Eagle Brand Milk, and chocolate chips in a small bowl.

After bottom layer is done baking for 15 minutes, pour Eagle Brand Milk mixture on top and spread evenly. Top this with the remaining 1/3 of cake mixture.

Bake 25 more minutes. Cool on counter and store in refrigerator.

Queen of Shortcuts: Reese's PB Cupcakes

Last week I ran across a recipe for some cupcakes with a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup at the bottom, and I knew I had to try them.

The only problem was that the recipe I found was all homemade-y and had lots of ingredients that aren't typically stocked in the Sasha pantry.

So...... in typical shortcut fashion, I cut a few corners are created my own version. And they are YUMMY!

Here's the finished product.

Cast of characters:
Cupcake mix (the one I used made 12 cupcakes, perfect for one batch)
Ingredients for cupcakes per box- water, oil, and eggs
Foil liners (important!)
Full-sized Reese's Peanut Butter Cups



Stick your Reese's PB Cups in the freezer for a bit so they come right out of the wrappers. Preheat oven to 350. Place one upwrapped PB cup in each foil liner.

Mix cupcake batter and fill liners. Be messy like me.

Bake for about 15-17 minutes.

I frosted them using the whipped frosting.... so so good!

With this recipe, I will rule the world

Last week I saw a fabulous recipe for Chocolate Cookie Dough Cupcakes on Kevin and Amanda's blog and knew the perfect occasion to make it: a birthday celebrate at work.

And I've got to tell you- they are amazing! I am eating one as we speak.

Here's what the finished product looks like:


I do have to disclose that I am all about the semi-homemade, so I used a tub of premade Pillsbury cookie dough, a boxed cake mix, and canned frosting. Nothing to be ashamed of!

1. I took a vanilla cake mix and mixed it as directed. I filled my muffin tins about 2/3 full, as Amanda suggested.

2. Next, I plopped a frozen ball of cookie dough in the middle of each cup. (Earlier that morning, I had used a Pampered Chef scoop and made some cookie dough balls, which I placed in the freezer for about 10 hours.)

This is what it looked like before I put them in the oven. The cookie dough sinks to the bottom as the cake bakes.

3. Bake at 350 degrees for about 16-18 minutes.

4. Once they were cooled, I frosted with Betty Crocker Whipped Butter Cream frosting (amazing BTW!) and sprinkled mini chocolate chips on top.

I am ever-so-grateful to Amanda for sharing this fabulous recipe idea with her readers. This is definitely going to be a signature dessert and my next dessert contest entry.

Pineapple Neiman Marcus Bars

Pineapple Neiman Marcus Bars

You know my slight obsession with what I call Neiman Marcus Bars? It's gone from bad to worse.

When Slim provided me with a list of variations on the recipe, each yummier than the next, I knew I was a goner. I knew I'd go through them one by one. Of course, my coworkers are pretty excited, but SIODI isn't going so well..... The Peanut Butter Chocolate version was to-die-for and the one I made this week was pretty damn good as well.

For the pineapple version, I used a Pineapple Supreme cake mix, and added a drained 20 oz can of crushed pineapple to the topping along with an extra egg.

Anyway, here's what you need:

• 1 box Pineapple Supreme cake mix
• 1 stick butter (I use Parkay)
• 4 eggs
• 8 oz block of cream cheese (I use Philly 1/3 less fat)
• 1 box powdered sugar (I think it's 16 oz- but it's the box, not the bag)
• 20 oz can of crushed pineapple, drained
• glass pan (this is very important- must be a glass pan)

Combine: 1 egg beaten, 1 stick melted butter, and cake mix. Pat stiff dough in 9X13 pan that has been sprayed w/ Pam.

Combine: cream cheese, 3 eggs, and entire box of powdered sugar. Stir in drained pineapple. Pour this over dough.

Bake at 350 degrees 30-40 minutes, until top is golden brown. I let them cool and then store them in the fridge.

Show Us Your Life - Dessert Recipe

Um, yeah. I just improved upon perfection.

My famous, prize-winning Neiman Marcus Bars mated with Jif, Reese's peanut butter chips, and a chocolate cake and out came:

PB Chocolate Gooey Bars

All my co-workers pink-puffy-hearted me today.

And you will too! Although these are not SIODI-approved, they rock.

Anyway, here's what you need:

• 1 box Duncan Hines Deluxe chocolate cake mix
• 1 stick butter (I use Parkay)
• 4 eggs
• 8 oz block of cream cheese (I use Philly 1/3 less fat)
• 1 cup Jif peanut butter
• 1 bag Reese's peanut butter chips
• 1 box powdered sugar (I think it's 16 oz- but it's the box, not the bag)
• glass pan (this is very important- must be a glass pan)

Combine: 1 egg beaten, 1 stick melted butter, and cake mix. Pat stiff dough in 9X13 pan that has been sprayed w/ Pam.

Combine: cream cheese, 3 eggs, Jif, and entire box of powdered sugar. Stir in PB chips. Pour this over dough.

Bake at 350 degrees 30-40 minutes, until top is golden brown. I let them cool and then store them in the fridge.

A Dessert Update

Well, seems like lots of folks from here in the (south)west do call them Neiman Marcus Bars. But Chess Cake? That's a new one for me. That came up in the comments and by chance I stumbled upon a blog who mentions them.

And Slim? She's on my list. Fo sho. She had the nerve to email me this list and now I can't wait to be well so I can make the last one on the list......

Pumpkin Gooey: This variation has to be at the top of my list, especially around Thanksgiving. For the cake part, I sometimes use a spice cake mix. I have even used a chocolate cake mix, but I think my favorite is the basic yellow cake mix. Follow the original recipe, adding a 15-ounce can of pumpkin pie filling and an extra egg to the cream cheese filling. Bake as usual, remove from oven, and allow to cool. Cut into squares and top each square with a pecan half. Serve with a dollop of fresh whipped cream. I promise you'll never want pumpkin pie again!

Pineapple Gooey: Add a 20-ounce can of drained crushed pineapple and an extra egg to the cream cheese filling. Proceed as directed above.

Lemon Gooey: Use a lemon cake mix in place of the yellow cake. Add the juice (approximately 1/4 cup) and zest of 2 lemons to the cream cheese filling. Proceed: as directed above.

Carrot Cake Gooey: Use a spice cake mix, and add 1 cup chopped nuts and 1 1/2 cup finely grated carrots to the cream cheese filling. Proceed as directed above.

Peanut Butter Gooey: Use a chocolate cake mix. Add 1 cup creamy peanut butter and an extra egg to cream cheese filling. You can sprinkle the top of batter with 1 cup chopped peanuts if you like. Proceed as directed above.

Chocolate Chip Gooey: Use either yellow or chocolate cake mix. Sprinkle 1 cup chocolate chips and 1 cup chopped nuts on top of filling. Proceed as directed above.

Banana Gooey: Use a yellow cake mix. Prepare cream cheese filling as directed, beating in 2 ripe bananas and an extra egg. Proceed as directed above.

Nutty Gooey: Use a yellow cake mix, and add 1 cup chopped nuts to the cake mixture. Proceed as directed above.

Chippy Gooey: Stir 1 cup white chocolate chips, peanut butter chocolate chips, butterscotch morsels, Heath Almond Toffee Bits or Heath Milk Chocolate Toffee Bits into filling. Proceed as directed above.

Would You Tell Me About

your experience with what I call "Neiman Marcus Bars"?

Last week I squeed in delight when one of my favorite blogs, CakeSpy, had a feature on a dessert that seemed identical to my all-time favorite (and prize-winning) dessert, Neiman Marcus Bars. Only Head Spy Jessie called it "Gooey Butter Cake."

I left Jessie a comment and said: Here in OK, we call them Neiman Marcus bars and store them in the refrigerator... delish!

To my delight, I found an email from Jessie in my in box the next morning: Sasha,
So I am SO curious--how did you come across that Neiman Marcus bar recipe? It seems that they have a few recipes attached to their name (and in some cases, it's urban legend rather than them having actually invented it!). I'm curious about pinpointing the connection between Neiman and sweets! thanks again for reading the site. Yours is wonderful!! jessie

My first experience with theses little pieces of heaven dates back to high school- sometime in the late 80s I recall eating these at a drill team function. Someone's mom was famous for these and made them for us quite a few times. I just can't remember exactly who!

Of course, since I was concentrating on beer in college, I didn't think too much about these again until after I graduated and moved out into my own home, complete with a kitchen and oven just waiting to bake some goodies. Only I couldn't find the recipe! And remember, the internet back then wasn't what it is today. No myspace or facebook to reconnect with all my high school friends and Nancy Drew the recipe.

In 2002 or 2003 I spied them again on a plate at a Junior League function and hunted down the baker. She shared her recipe for "Butter Puffs" with me and it was just as I remembered! I've been baking them frequently ever since, and sharing the recipe with anyone who wants it, but I've been calling it the name I remember from high school, Neiman Marcus Bars.

I posted a plea on facebook last night asking high school friends if they remember the dessert, and I did have one friend who shared the identical recipe with me and also titled hers "Neiman Marcus Bars", so that's one vote that I'm not crazy!

So tell me, are you familiar with these? What do you call them? Where did you get your recipe?