Inside BruCrew Life

bake. eat. repeat.

Cookies and Cream Cookies

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These Cookies and Cream Cookies made with two kinds of chocolate chips and Oreo cookie chunks is our number one cookie recipe. Cake mix cookies are the perfect dessert for any occasion because they are so easy to make and to customize.

A stack of four chocolate chip cookies and cream cookies on a white napkin with milk behind it

Cookies and Cream Cookies

For some reason this week I am obsessed with all things cookies. Not just any cookies though.  Easy cake mix cookies have become my favorite type of cookie to make.

They are easy to mix up, you can customize them with your favorite mix-ins, and they stay soft and chewy for days.

These cookies and cream cookies made with a cake mix, chocolate chips, and Oreo cookies are one of our daughter’s favorite cookies.  Of course, anything with Oreos is never a bad idea! [Read more…]

Peanut Butter Pie Bars

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These easy Peanut Butter Pie Bars have a sweet cookie crust and a fluffy peanut butter filling. Chocolate glaze, a swirl of homemade whipped cream, and peanut butter cups make this no bake peanut butter pie look so fancy.

*I am partnering with Dixie Crystals to bring you this cake recipe. Click HERE to see the full recipe.

A white plate with a square of peanut butter pie bars topped with whipped cream and a peanut butter cup on it

No Bake Peanut Butter Pie

A no bake peanut butter pie is an easy dessert that peanut butter fans will go crazy for. The rich and buttery Oreo crust topped with a creamy no bake peanut butter cheesecake filling and a silky chocolate ganache will get rave reviews. 

Years ago we lived in the midwest and would eat at Baker’s Square from time to time.  To be honest, I was only there for the pie.  One of my all time favorites was a peanut butter pie that was to die for.

I decided that I wanted to recreate that amazing pie, but with a little twist.  I turned the peanut butter pie into pie bars by using a square dish.  Same great taste, just a different shape. 

If you really want the traditional pie form, use a 9 inch deep dish pie plate instead of the square baking dish. Either one works! 

What I love most about these peanut butter pie bars is that they are rich and creamy without being overly sweet and heavy.

[Read more…]

Loaded Blonde Brownies

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These sweet Blonde Brownies are chewy, delicious, and loaded with so much fun!  Get creative with the leftover bags of cookies, candy, and chocolate in your pantry. This best blondie recipe is easy to make with one bowl and 15 minutes.

Four blonde brownies loaded with cookies, chocolate, and candy stacked on top of each other with candy around them

Blonde Brownies:

Blonde brownies are one of our favorite desserts. When I need a quick treat, I always bake a pan of blonde brownies. They are easy to mix up in one bowl and are so easy to customize with your favorite mix-ins.

This blondies recipe is one that I have been making since high school. Everyone loves blondies because they are chewy, buttery, and have a delicious brown sugar flavor.

We like to under bake our cookie bars because our family prefers them slightly gooey and delicious. If you want yours a little more done and easier to pick up, make sure you bake them the full time.

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Easy Chicken Enchiladas

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This Easy Chicken Enchiladas recipe is a delicious meal to make with leftover chicken and your favorite toppings. They make a quick weeknight dinner because you can prepare them in minutes. You can also make the filling and sauce for green chicken enchiladas ahead of time to make dinner prep even easier.

A white plate with a chicken enchilada cut in half showing the filling and topped with sour cream, cilantro, and avocado

Easy Chicken Enchiladas:

We usually make and eat tacos at least once a week. Everyone in our family loves them. It’s the perfect meal because we like to have taco shells one night and taco salad the next night. 

We also like making enchiladas to use up leftovers. In minutes you can transform taco night leftovers into an easy and flavorful enchilada casserole. The layer of sauce and cheese bakes up all melty and bubbly.

Enchiladas are so easy to make, and you can customize them with your favorite fillings. It’s also a delicious dinner for Cinco de Mayo.
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Cinnamon Banana Bread

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A coating of cinnamon sugar gives this Cinnamon Banana Bread the most delicious crunch all over the outside. This moist banana bread recipe is a great way to use up over-ripe bananas because it turns out perfect every time.

Slices of cinnamon banana bread standing up on a gray slate tray

Fruit seems to be a hit or miss item with our kids.  One month they eat all the berries in the fridge before I can even blink. The next month all they will touch are bananas and grapes. Luckily I love to find ways to use up the different fruits when they sits too long.

Banana bread is definitely one of my favorite things to bake when we have extra spotty bananas. I have made so many variations to our classic banana bread recipe over the past few years.

Most of the time I make chocolate chip banana bread because our kids love it, but sometimes I like to have fun with this banana bread with sour cream and add different mix ins to change it up.

A few of my favorites are this Reese’s Banana Bread, this Triple Chocolate Banana Bread, and this Maple Banana Bread.

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Unicorn Sugar Cookie Bars

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Transform easy Sugar Cookie Bars into a fun unicorn dessert with colorful vanilla frosting and lots of rainbow sprinkles. Unicorn Sugar Cookie Bars are so easy to make because you bake and frost them in one pan. Such a fun treat to make for picnics, parties, or holidays.

Three frosted sugar cookie bars with unicorn sprinkles stacked on top of each other with more bars behind it

Sugar Cookie Bars with Frosting

These frosted sugar cookie bars make me smile so much!  After I made this fun colored Unicorn Cheesecake, I was inspired to use the leftover sprinkles in a vanilla unicorn dessert.

Baking and frosting sugar cookie bars in one pan is one of my favorite types of dessert. It seriously saves so much time.  No more rolling dough out, cutting cookies, and placing each one on a baking sheet.

The box of cookie cutters in our pantry hasn’t been used in quite some time because all I make are cookies in a pan now. I’m still holding on to them just in case I get that urge to roll out dough.  So far that urge hasn’t happened!

[Read more…]

Easy Lemon Bars

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With only a few ingredients and a blender these Easy Lemon Bars come together in minutes. A sweet cookie crust adds the perfect touch to the tart and creamy lemon curd filling. Make the Best Lemon Bars for spring parties, showers, picnics, or bake sales.

Add this Strawberry Cream Pie recipe and your dessert table will be full of lemon dessert goodness.

Three lemon bars with powdered sugar stacked on top of each other on a wooden cutting board

Lemon Bars with a Cookie Crust

These shortbread lemon bars are responsible for changing my mind about sweet and sour desserts. I used to avoid all sour things because they would make me pucker. 

Even thinking about lemon desserts would make me shiver, but then I am happy to report that I decided to give lemon another chance. Adding a sweet cookie layer balances out that sour flavor for me.

These classic lemon bars and these Lemon Sugar Cookie Bars made me realize that I DO like lemon…with lots of sugar. LOL! [Read more…]

Carrot Cheesecake Muffins

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Love carrot cake? You are going to love these Carrot Cheesecake Muffins. The soft carrot cake muffins are stuffed with a cream cheese filling and make a delicious choice for breakfast, snack, or dessert.

Two carrot cake muffins stacked on top of each other on an orange towel with a bite taken out of the top one showing the cheesecake center

Carrot Cake Muffins with Cheesecake Filling:

Carrot cake with cream cheese frosting is one of my all time favorite cakes, so it just made sense to make these carrot cake muffins with a cream cheese filling.  

As I was working on the recipe for these carrot cheesecake muffins, I had to make a few batches to get it absolutely perfect. 

After a few test runs on the carrot cake muffins, I doubled the cheesecake center because more cheesecake is never a bad idea.  Am I right?

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Easter Cookie Cake

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An Easter Cookie Cake is soft, chewy, and easy to make. Decorate this easy cookie cake recipe with green frosting and chocolate bunnies for Easter. It’s a delicious and fun treat to share with friends and family.

Want to make a smaller version? Check out these Num Num Cookies too.

A slice of easy cookie cake with green frosting and chocolate bunnies on a pastel plate with more cookie cake behind it

For those of you who grew up going to the mall every Friday night, this recipe will be a blast from the past.  It will remind you of the decorated cookie cakes from the Great American Cookie store.

Cookie cakes are the best kind of treat for any party.  They have a soft, chewy center, a slightly crisp outside edge, and can be decorated with frosting, sprinkles, and candy. 

Make one for birthdays, holidays, picnics, or even tail gate parties.  They are easy to make, decorate, and transport just about anywhere. [Read more…]

Coconut Chocolate Pie

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The rich and creamy layers in this Coconut Chocolate Pie recipe will make this pudding pie a hit with everyone. No bake coconut cheesecake and chocolate pudding will have you going back for another slice in a hurry!

A white plate with a slice of coconut chocolate pie topped with toasted coconut on top and more pie behind it

Chocolate Pudding Pie with Cheesecake:

The other day I was craving pie like crazy.  I’m not sure why.  Usually when I want something sweet, I crave these Homemade Chocolate Chip Brownies.

But for whatever reason I couldn’t get the idea of a creamy pie out of my mind. So, I looked through the pantry and refrigerator to see what I could come up with.

I found a few boxes of chocolate pudding, shredded coconut, cream cheese, and Cool Whip.  I knew right away that a pudding pie with a no bake cheesecake layer had to happen right away.

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