Name: Banana Caramel Cookies
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 30
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 caramel cake mix; 1/2 cup butter, softened; 1/2 cup smashed banana (about 2 bananas); 1 teaspoon vanilla; 3/4 cup white chocolate chips; 1/2 cup caramel baking bits

Chocolate Reese's Cheesecake

Desserts made with chocolate and Reese's are definitely my favorite part of the meal. Don't you just want to sink your teeth into a Chocolate Reese's Cheesecake?

These chocolate cheesecake have a peanut butter mousse and Reese's peanut butter cups on top. They are delicious!

Is it bad that I can't stop thinking of new ways to enjoy more Reese's candies? It has been awhile since I made mini cheesecakes, and I had some peanut butter cups to use up.

That sounded funny because usually Reese's peanut butter cups don't last more than a day in our house. I used to have my kids trained to bring me their peanut butter cups...then they grew up and realized that peanut butter cups are like the best candy ever. They now hide their Reese's from me. Silly kids 🙂

Don't they know that I have a cupboard full of candy, and there is usually some sort of Reese's candies hiding in there. I just make sure to put the spices and baking powder in the front, so no one will ever know what is in the very back.

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Peanut Butter Cheesecake Cookie Bars

Eating these Peanut Butter Cheesecake Cookie Bars will send you to your sugar happy place right away. This bar cookie recipe would be a great addition to your dessert table anytime.

There is nothing that I would classify as too sweet. I am quite a dessert heavy weight (LOL literally).

Now my hubby on the other hand, he takes one or two bites and he is over it. We were at Cheesecake Factory a few weeks ago, and we both ordered cheesecake after dinner.

Now I purposefully only ate a small portion of dinner because one must leave room for cheesecake when you come to a place called The Cheesecake Factory. It is a given.

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10 Tips For Eating Healthy Lunches on the Go

Eating healthy at home can be challenging enough most days. It is so easy to throw out those healthy habits you have developed when you start traveling for vacations. Here are 10 tips for Eating Healthy Lunches on the Go to help you maintain your healthy eating. All you need is a plan and the right containers.

1. Bring a cooler with ice packs to store containers of vegetables and fruit. These healthy options will keep you from picking up a candy bar when you stop for gas. [Read more...]

Heath Brownies

Heath_Brownie_Pizzas, International Delights coffee creamer, Heath pieces

Mini desserts are definitely more fun to make and to eat. These mini Heath Brownies are very easy to make, but they have a great wow! factor when served for dessert.

The other day my youngest son wanted to bake something with me. Of course, any chance I get to bake with my little ones, I definitely fit it in. Now his only request was that they be plain brownies.

Now I don't know about you, but the word "plain" does not exist in my vocabulary in regards to baking...well, in anything really. I mean look at these Tiramisu Brownies and these Salted Caramel Brownies...definitely anything but plain comes to mind.

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Eating healthy is all about moderation and food choices. These Fruit Salsa Yogurt Cups are a great way to enjoy a healthy dessert.

A cinnamon sugar shell on a white plate filled with frozen yogurt and topped with fruit salsa

Having a dessert blog definitely has its challenges when it comes to eating healthy. I get so many comments and emails asking how I stay healthy and fit with so many cookies and brownies in my kitchen. The biggest thing I have to say is moderation and lots of exercise.

Moderation is eating just one brownie, even though you really want to chow down on 4 more. I think that as long as you eat healthy throughout the day there is nothing wrong with a small treat, but that is definitely the key. I have found that keeping track of what I eat helps me stay on track.

Life here gets busy between work, school, sports, baking, blogging, and church activities. But I know that taking time each day for exercise and drinking plenty of water helps me be healthier and a better mom and wife. This winter, we bought everyone updated bikes, and we are looking forward to lots of trail riding this summer. It will be fun to share this "fun" exercise with our children. I want them to learn healthy eating and exercise habits early in life.

Staying active is definitely a big part of being healthy, but you also need to eat healthy foods. My metabolism has definitely slowed down as I have gotten older. That means it is even more important to watch and record what I put into my body. I have to keep my sweet tooth in check more often.

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Banana Caramel Cookies

Looking for a new and easy cookie recipe? Have you tried cake mix cookies yet? These Banana Caramel Cookies will satisfy the cookie monster in you.

Cookies are the one thing that we are never short on around here. They are the perfect after school snack or after dinner treat. I bake quite a few and then freeze bags of them for lunches, or for my hubby to take to his meetings. They all love to see him coming with a tray of goodies. I'm glad they are willing to be my guinea pigs for all the recipes I make up.

Cake mixes are one of my favorite go to's for a fast cookie. All you need is a cake mix, some butter, and usually an egg. But today we are substituting the egg for some BANANA. For some reason my kids are not eating the bananas on the counter, so I have resorted to making lots of Banana Bread muffins and cookies to use up those brown bananas.

These Banana Caramel Cookies are just a spin off the Banana Reeses cookies that I made last year. They are one of my all time favorite cookies. They are soft and puffy and just perfectly full of Reese's. It was so fun to see one of the ladies from our church make them for our Christmas cookie exchange!

One thing I will suggest with these caramel filled cookies is to use a Silpat or parchment paper on your baking sheet. The caramel will melt under the cookies and stick to the pan if you don't get them off quick enough. I absolutely love using my Silpat because I don't worry about things sticking any more. Another quick warning is to put them on parchment paper to cool as well. I made the mistake of putting my first batch of cookies on a wire rack. Yeah...they stuck to the wire just a little bit when I went to move them over for the next batch.

Hey, wait a minute? Who has been sneaking bites of my cookies? I better find a better hiding spot in the freezer. Wink, wink!!!

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Recipe

Banana Caramel Cookies

Yield: 30 cookies

Prep Time: 45 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes

Caramel cake mix cookies made with bananas for a great after school snack.

4.5 Stars (4 Reviews)

Ingredients

1 caramel cake mix
½ cup butter, softened
½ cup smashed banana (about 2 bananas)
1 teaspoon vanilla
¾ cup white chocolate chips
½ cup caramel baking bits

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Beat butter, bananas, and vanilla. Add the cake mix and mix thoroughly. The batter will be very thick.
Stir in the white chips and caramel bits by hand.
Chill dough 30-60 minutes. This will help it from sticking to your hands.
Roll dough into 1 inch or 1 ½ inch balls. Place on baking sheet that has been lined with a Silpat or parchment paper so the caramel doesn't stick.
Bake for 10-12 minutes. Do not over bake. The cookies will look undone, but they will set up as they cool.
Let cool on tray for a few minutes before removing to parchment paper to cool completely.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 30 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 78Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 13mgSodium: 54mgCarbohydrates: 8gFiber: 0gSugar: 7gProtein: 1g

Here are a few other ways we like to get rid of brown bananas:

Banana Reeses Cookies

Banana Toffee Scones

Banana Split Cheesecake

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It's that time of year when Spring is just around the corner teasing us here in the Midwest.

We had a few mild days, and then a winter storm came through and dumped about 9 inches of wet, cold snow on us. The good thing is that it is supposed to be warming up again, and that snow should melt. I am starting to get anxious for warm weather, although I shouldn't complain because we have had the mildest winter ever. This is the first real snow storm all year.

But it still has me dreaming of warm beach weather.All the fun new spring flavors at the stores are really putting me into that warm weather mode too. Citrus must be the flavor for the spring season. I have seen so many different products using key lime, orange, and lemonade. It has me craving these Key Lime Cheesecake Cookie Bars too!

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Now you either are an A person who decided immediately that it sounds nasty, or you are a B person who is intrigued and want to give it a try. I am usually a B person with most new flavors, unless they are sour. Sour candy gives me the heebie geebies! Just can't do it!!!

Anyway, I instagrammed a picture asking opinions on this new flavor, and sure enough, the results were about half and half on whether you guys would try these too. Of course being a B person, I brought them home with me.

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St. Patrick's day is always so bright and colorful with everything green, pots of gold, and rainbows, so I knew that I wanted to incorporate those elements into these green treat boxes.

This month I pulled out all my die cuts with the intention of making our kids a cute treat container just for them.

Now don't get me wrong, every recipe I make, they eat. But sometimes that recipe is just a wild creation that I have come up with, or it is something that we need to take to a get together.

I wanted to make them a special treat that would surprise them when they come home from school.

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