Name: Mocha Chip Cinnamon Rolls
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 22 min
Total time: 52 min
Yield: 9
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 3/4 cup brown sugar; 1/4 cup sugar; 2 teaspoons cinnamon; 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg; 1 Tablespoon butter, melted; 1/2 cup miniature chocolate chips; 2 1/2 cups flour; 2 Tablespoons sugar; 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder; 1/2 teaspoon baking soda; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1 1/4 cups buttermilk; 2 Tablespoons instant coffee; 7 Tablespoons melted butter, divided; 1 Tablespoon cream cheese, softened; 1 Tablespoon buttermilk; 1/2 teaspoon instant coffee; 1/2 cup powdered sugar

Roasted Red Pepper & Garlic Hummus

Are you looking for a light lunch option for work or for at home? This Roasted Red Pepper & Garlic Hummus is the perfect dip for all those vegetables in your refrigerator.

I know that you don't believe me when I say that I eat fairly healthy. I wouldn't believe me either if I saw things like Cake Batter Cheesecake Brownies and Mocha Chip Cinnamon Rolls coming out of my kitchen all the time 🙂

My husband and I actually do eat hummus for lunch probably 4 days out of the week. This is the perfect lunch for when you are looking to cut calories and eat healthy.

[Read more...]

Cake Batter Cheesecake Brownies

Are there days you crave cake? Maybe you want brownies? No wait, you really want a big piece of cheesecake. Today you can have all three with these Cake Batter Cheesecake Brownies.

I am having a hard time believing that this week is really May. That means summer is seriously just around the corner. I am so not ready to be seen at the beach or the pool. (Brownie Batter Popcorn anyone?)

The other day I was cleaning my closet and putting away the sweaters in totes for next fall. Behind all the sweaters was a pile of shorts...I just looked at them and then pulled the door closed quickly. I briefly thought about trying some on...you know for motivation. But then I realized I didn't want to be sad the rest of the day.

So, what did I do? [Read more...]

Behind BruCrew Life

It's been a while since I just shared some fun randoms with you...I really need to do that more often. What do you think? Want a random fun post here and there? Today is really a compilation from the past 2 months...I told you it's been a while since I shared.

I met up with Aimee and Liz on two different fun days. Aimee and I went to a Maple Syrup Festival and spent the day laughing our butts off...I heart that girl!!! Then Liz came for a day, and we did coffee and shopping a few weeks ago...she is seriously the cutest and so much fun to hang out with. I am so blessed to have them as such great friends.

The kids made and raced their Awana cars. Mr. Man took second in speed with his angry bird car, so we are headed to the BIG race this weekend.

It was time for a cupboard cleaning. My husband was tired of trying to find the salt and pepper under all this mess. I think I need to bake more...or just buy less. Please tell me I'm not alone in this madness.

Contact paper and cardboard/foam board make great photo props for super cheap. I used two boards and covered each side with a different color.

Summer is coming way too quickly, and I decided to give this diet a try. Turns out I'm not good with sticking with this one either, although I did lose 8 pounds in 2 weeks. Too bad I didn't stay out of the sweets...I'm sure I gained it all back. So...I'm trying round 2 starting now.

Even though I do post tons of desserts here, this is a normal dinner around our house. Veggie Salad and baked Tilapia...YUM!!!!!

Exercise at it's finest. I actually don't mind running...when it's outside. I do go to the gym and use the treadmills when it's raining or cold, but I would much rather run outside. I use landmarks to encourage myself to go a little farther each day. I try to always go 10 steps past the point where I stopped running from the day before. I walk some, then run again and try to beat another point.

Can you tell I'm addicted to Reese's? I mean did you see these Chocolate Reese's Cheesecakes and these Reese's Rocky Road Brownies? It's why I run.

We shopped at World Market for the very first time. Well, I shopped and my hubby wandered with me. I found all sorts of crazy things like chocolate with bacon and Happy Hippo cakes. But I ended up with a cute cupcake plate and a bowl and whisk.

My hubby is the best. This year for my birthday (yes, I'm still talking about it because it's birthday month still...no one else knows that though) we went out to dinner and then got frozen yogurt. Can you tell which bowl is mine 😉

Then the kids bought me these fun nail polishes and perfume. The best though...my hubby bought cupcakes because he didn't want me to bake my own this year. That cheesecake cake was pretty yummy for being from Walmart.

Has anyone else tried these new Skinny Cow chocolates? I have to say that I am usually a die hard peanut butter and chocolate girl, but those caramel ones are my favorites for sure.

Last month I went to the little man's mom and son dinner at school. He was so cute to watch as they sang a song about how they learn from watching their moms. Total tear jerker. Why do they grow so fast?

Then my daughter and I went for coffee and some dress shopping. It's getting harder and harder to find modest clothes for young ladies. I don't like that she is growing up so fast. Where is my little baby girl?

This month I tried two new things...this Maybelline lip gloss is not bad. For $3 I would buy more "shades".

Finally trying to get some sort of schedule going with blogging...it's a start for now. My husband keeps trying to get me to use charts and things on the computer, but I like paper and pen so much better. So far so good at sticking to it...I'm just slightly behind on all the little things I added to it. But it does keep me on task a little bit better. Now when I sit down at the computer, I have a better plan of what needs done.

The proudest moment in a parent's life is to have your child accept Christ as their Savior. This little guy trusted Christ about 2 years ago in Junior Church. Lately he had been asking to be baptized, so this past Sunday my hubby had the great honor of baptizing him. He was so excited to share this with our church and couldn't wait to get in. Although I did talk him out of a cannon ball. Thank you older brother for that one.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend with your families.

Mocha Chip Cinnamon Rolls

These easy no yeast cinnamon rolls are the perfect weekend breakfast. You can have Mocha Chip Cinnamon Rolls on your plate in under one hour.

These cinnamon rolls are ones that I have been making for a few years. I posted these Oreo Truffle Cinnamon Rolls a few years back, but I wanted to update the pictures and the recipe. Cinnamon rolls that don't take yeast or have any rise time are definitely my favorite way to make breakfast.

A few weeks ago my daughter had a friend spend the night. We got up the next morning and I told them I would make cinnamon rolls for breakfast...errr brunch.

This dough is seriously so easy to make and fill. It can be rather sticky, so I keep my counter covered with a good layer of flour. After you knead it about 10 times to work in a little bit of flour, then start pressing it with your hands until you have a rectangle about 16 inches by 10 inches. It should be fairly thin, but even all around. Spread out some melted butter and cover with the cinnamon sugar mixture. It may seem like a lot, but trust me. When you bite into an ooey gooey roll, you will thank you me for all the goo.

Of course I wasn't thinking when I decided to take pictures of these cinnamon rolls right away. If you have ever had 4 hungry kids looking over your shoulder at their breakfast, you will understand. I had them wait while I snapped a bunch of shots. Then I realized that about 4 of the rolls weren't really in the picture, so I appeased the hungry munchkins for about 2 minutes.

2 minutes was all I needed to cover the rolls with some of the mocha glaze and take a few more pictures. I could hear them gobbling down the rolls and coming back for another roll. Ok, whatever pictures I took were going to have to do...they weren't going to wait much longer for their second cinnamon roll.

See all that goo...you would come back for another roll right away too!!!

Recipe

Mocha Chip Cinnamon Rolls

Yield: 9 cinnamon rolls

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 22 minutes

Total Time: 52 minutes

Easy No Yeast Cinnamon Rolls made with coffee and chocolate chips are sure to get your day started right.

Ingredients

For the Filling

¾ cup brown sugar
¼ cup sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
1 Tablespoon butter, melted
½ cup miniature chocolate chips

For the Dough

2 ½ cups flour
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 ¼ cups buttermilk
2 Tablespoons instant coffee
7 Tablespoons melted butter, divided

For the Glaze

1 Tablespoon cream cheese, softened
1 Tablespoon buttermilk
½ teaspoon instant coffee
½ cup powdered sugar

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Combine all the filling ingredients and mix until it resembles coarse sand. Set aside.
Stir together the buttermilk and instant coffee for the dough. Set aside.
Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the coffee milk and 2 tablespoons of melted butter to the flour. Mix until combined.
Transfer the dough onto a well floured surface. Knead about 10 times to get some flour incorporated into the dough.
Press the dough into a rectangle about 16 inches by 10 inches. Spread the dough with 2 tablespoons of melted butter and top with the filling. Keep the filling about an inch away from the edges all the way around.
Starting at one end, gently roll the dough up. Press the ends together and into the roll. Cut into 9 even rolls.
Cover the bottom of an 8x8 pan with 1 tablespoon of butter. Place the rolls into the pan. Bake for 18-20 minutes.
While the rolls are baking, make the glaze. Dissolve the coffee in the buttermilk whisk in the cream cheese and powdered sugar. Let the rolls cool slightly before topping with the glaze.

Notes

If you are not a fan of coffee, you can leave out the instant coffee for regular cinnamon chip rolls.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 9 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 399Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 30mgSodium: 429mgCarbohydrates: 65gFiber: 2gSugar: 36gProtein: 5g

Other easy breakfast ideas:

Banana Butterscotch Muffins

Banana Blueberry Bread

Cheesecake Nutella Twists

Brownie Batter Cookie Dough Popcorn

Looking for a fun popcorn to eat while watching a movie or t.v. this weekend? Brownie Batter Cookie Dough Popcorn might just be the fun chocolate covered popcorn you have been waiting for.

It's no secret that I love chocolate covered popcorns. I mean, you have seen this Reese's Popcorn and this Almond Joy Popcorn right? Popcorn coated in chocolate and filled with candy and marshmallows is definitely my favorite snack to make in a hurry. Plus, it is a no bake recipe. As we head into the summer months, those are great recipes to have on hand for days when it is too hot to turn on the oven.

Have you seen this cookie dough bites candy? I found them in my local Walmart's candy aisle with the movie box candies. Word of warning...I found some cookie dough bites at the Dollar Tree...not good! Trust me and buy the ones from Walmart:-)

Another word of warning...buy an extra box of cookie dough bites because when you taste test them (and you will) there won't be any left to put in your popcorn.

This popcorn is really so easy to make. First make your popcorn. We have a Whirly Pop and we absolutely love how the popcorn comes out of it. But you could definitely use microwave popcorn too. Then you melt up some CandiQuik to cover the popcorn with. In my recipe I used two kinds of CandiQuik...it was actually because that was all I had left in my cupboard at the time. But it turned out so perfect and delicious that I decided that was the way it needed to stay. Using a little of both gave it the chocolate color and taste, but it didn't overwhelm the brownie mix.

Now I 'm sure you are wondering what to do with the extra brownie mix...don't you worry your pretty little head. Keep reading...I have four other recipes at the bottom of this post that you can use the brownie mix in 🙂

I found these cute little chalkboard boxes at Target last week. I knew right away that I wanted to decorate it with some washi tape and these cute Flowers Detailz Dies from Lifestyle Crafts. I know this isn't the greatest picture of the flower, but if you look really closely you can see how the flower is embossed around the edges and center. I used two of the dies and layered them for a fuller flower. I also added a polkadot brad and curled the edges of the center flower for some more pop. These boxes are perfect for filling with any popcorn mix. Make sure to put the popcorn in a plastic bag before handing out though.

Want to purchase your own die cuts? Head over to Lifestyle Crafts and use the code BRUCREW to save 20% on your total order.

Recipe

Brownie Batter Cookie Dough Popcorn

Yield: 10 cups

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

Chocolate covered popcorn gets another hit of chocolate from the brownie mix that is added to the chocolate. Cookie dough bites and mini chocolate chips add to the chocolate factor.

Ingredients

8 cups popped popcorn
2 cups mini marshmallows
½ cup dry brownie mix
¾ cup white chocolate melts
¾ chocolate melts
½ cup mini chocolate chips
1 cup cookie dough candy bites
¼ cup sprinkles

Instructions

Combine the popcorn and marshmallows in a large bowl. Set aside.
Place the white melts and chocolate melts in a microwave safe bowl and heat for 30 seconds. Stir and repeat until melted and smooth.
Add the dry brownie mix to the melted chocolate and stir until dissolved. Pour over the popcorn. Stir until everything is coated. Add the cookie dough bites and the chocolate chips and stir again.
Pour the coated popcorn onto a large baking sheet that is covered with parchment paper. Sprinkle the sprinkles over the popcorn before it sets up.
Let set before breaking into chunks. Store in a sealed container on the counter for 3-4 days.

Salted Caramel Chocolate Cake

This Salted Caramel Chocolate Cake has layers of two kinds of frosting and a soft homemade cake. Great cake for any party!

Why Make Chocolate Caramel Cake

Usually, I am a big fan of using boxed cake mixes to create fun cakes and cupcakes, but today I am sharing a homemade chocolate cake recipe with you.

I love using coffee as the liquid in this cake to boost the chocolate flavor a little more. Trust me, you will not taste the coffee at all.

This salted caramel mocha bundt cake is another one of my favorite cakes that uses coffee!

[Read more...]

Reese's Rocky Road Brownies

Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and Reese's Pieces give that extra peanut butter taste to these Reese's Rocky Road Brownies. They are ooey, gooey and delicious!

One thing that I have always done since getting married is wash and fold the laundry. As a stay at home mom, it is just one of those things you do without really thinking about it. And quite honestly, I don't mind doing laundry. Well, most days that is 🙂

When the kids were younger, I also sorted all the folded clothes into piles and put everyone's clothes into their drawers. I like neat organized piles, and I like drawers that are clean looking. As the kids got older, one of the jobs that I "gave up" was putting the folded laundry away. It was time for them to learn some responsibility and for them to take on more chores. This resulted in me having to give up control of those neat organized drawers.

Seriously I'm not sure why I still fold their clothes because when they put it away it is shoved in every which way possible. For my sanity's sake, I try not to look in those drawers. The mess drives me to want more chocolate...and more Reese's candies.

[Read more...]

Easy Mango Chicken Wraps

These Easy Mango Chicken Wraps are filled with chicken bites, onions, mangos, lettuce, and drizzled with ranch dressing. Such an easy recipe to have on the dinner table when you are short on time.

A white plate with a mango chicken wrap cut in half and propped up on its side

Sundays are one of our busiest days of the week. My husband is the worship leader at our church, I sing on praise team, and our oldest son changes slides on the screen during morning practice.

Our day begins early in the morning because we all have to be over at the church early for practice and sound checks.

The last thing I want to think about is cooking a big meal on Sunday afternoon. I have enough struggles getting to practice on time. The sad thing is that I live right next door...

[Read more...]

Mocha Fudge Cupcakes

There are some days you want a good home made chocolate dessert. These Mocha Fudge Cupcakes will give you the boost to make it through your next tough day.

There are some days that I wonder how I manage to run a blog. Have I ever mentioned how computer illiterate I am? Seriously! I have real problems with computers and tech stuff in general. Oh, I know what I like and how I want it to look, but doing it...forget about it.

One of the things that I have been working on lately is my blog speed. Actually I haven't done anything to "work" on it. I have just sat in tears as my site has been down. They were really tears of joy because that just means there were lots of people trying to access my recipes, and that makes me so happy. But dealing with my server...that was really what the tears came from.

It isn't fun to sit on the phone for hours trying to convince them to turn your site back on, only to watch it crash again 30 minutes later. Finally after talking to 4 different tech support people, they got it back up. But it has been running extremely slow. When a page doesn't load in a couple seconds, no one is going to wait around. So I have been looking into new companies. Finally I found one that I felt comfortable switching too. [Read more...]

No Bake Fruity Pebbles Granola Bars

No Bake Fruity Pebbles Granola Bars are the perfect fun and chewy treat that kids of all ages love. Great no bake treat to make for a quick and easy after school snack.

Three fruity pebbles granola bars stacked on each other on a white doily

We love keeping granola bars on hand for a quick and easy treat any time of day. I have been making these No Bake M&M Granola Bars for a while now. I love how easy they are to put together.

Fruity Pebbles Granola Bars stacked on each other on a white doily with a box of bars behind it

When I was at the store getting the ingredients for another batch of no bake bars, I happened to see Fruity Pebbles on sale and decided to substitute those for the rice cereal that I usually use.

It was a fun and fruity twist to the granola bars. They are so fun and colorful and have that classic Fruity Pebbles taste to them.

A stack of fruity pebbles granola bars stacked together on a white doily with a box of cereal behind them

My favorite part of these bars...they are no bake. That means I can have a pan of homemade granola bars done in under 10 minutes.

A white doily with three fruity pebbles granola bars stacked on it

Then all you have to do is wait for it to set up. A quick trick is to throw the pan in the freezer for about 10 minutes, and then you can cut them into bars. My kids had no problem munching on these after school and for breakfast the next day.

Other easy after school snacks:

Recipe

No Bake Fruity Pebbles Granola Bars

Yield: 24 squares

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

Homemade granola bars get a fun twist from the Fruity Pebbles cereal.

Ingredients

¼ cup unsalted butter
¼ cup honey
⅓ cup packed brown sugar
1 ½ cups quick oats
2 ½ cups Fruity Pebbles cereal

Instructions

Butter an 8x8 pan.
In a sauce pan combine the butter, honey, and sugar. Cook on low heat until melted and it starts to bubble. Turn the heat down and cook for another minute, stirring constantly.
Stir together the oats and cereal in a bowl. Pour the hot butter mixture over the top and stir until completely coated.
Press the cereal tightly into the prepared pan. Let set before cutting into bars.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 24 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 68Total Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 5mgSodium: 32mgCarbohydrates: 11gFiber: 0gSugar: 7gProtein: 1g

Nutrition facts are an estimate and are not guaranteed to be accurate. If you need special diet advice, please see a registered dietician.

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Why Make Chocolate Caramel Cake

Other easy after school snacks:

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