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    Peanut Butter Cup Rice Krispie Treats

    By Jocelyn · PUBLISHED June 4, 2021 · UPDATED August 26, 2021 · 102 Comments

    A white plate with three peanut butter rice krispies stuffed with peanut butter cups stacked on it

    Rice Krispie Treats no longer have to be boring. Jazz up the best rice krispie treats with everyone's favorite Reese's candy. These Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats are easy to make and are off the chart amazing!

    Love easy no bake cereal bars? You are going to love these easy cinnamon toast crunch bars and these Lucky Charms rice krispies.

    A white plate with a stack of three peanut butter cup rice krispie treats stacked on it
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    Why Make These Peanut Butter Treats

    Rice Krispie treats are one of my favorite things to make for dessert. They are just so easy to make and always taste great.

    The problem is that I can't stop my mind from wandering when it comes to easy desserts. This time when I went to make a pan of original rice Krispie treats, I saw a bag of peanut butter cups and remembered how good these Rice Krispie candy bars were.

    Right away I had to add a layer of Reese's to the middle of the peanut butter rice Krispies with chocolate. Best idea EVER! The layer of peanut butter cups inside these treats made this one of the most requested treats in our house. 

    • No baking required!
    • Stuffed with peanut butter cups.
    • Sweet chocolate topping.
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    Banana Split Pie Recipe

    By Jocelyn · PUBLISHED June 3, 2021 · UPDATED July 17, 2021 · 58 Comments

    A white plate with a slice of banana split brownie pie topped with strawberries, cool whip, cherries, and sprinkles.

    Brownies combined with a banana split is the best of both worlds. This Banana Split Pie Recipe has layers of gooey brownies and a creamy banana cheesecake baked in a sugar cone crust. Watch everyone's eyes light up when you serve this banana split dessert.  

    A white plate with a slice of banana split pie topped with strawberries, hot fudge, and toppings on it.

    Banana splits are the ultimate summer dessert. There is something about bananas topped with ice cream and all the toppings that makes everyone smile.

    Years ago I waitressed at Friendly's and served banana splits and ice cream sundaes to customers. There is something so fun about adding all the toppings to a giant banana split!

    The best part about banana splits is how versatile they are.  You can add whatever toppings you enjoy to them!

    One of my favorite things to do is make banana split desserts. It's so easy to add those banana split flavors to different things like brownies, coffee cakes, or cookies.

    Why This Works

    This banana split brownie recipe was a fun way to add a banana split dessert on top of a brownie pie. Bananas and chocolate is a delicious combo.

    A gooey brownie baked in a crust is the perfect base for a creamy banana cheesecake. Adding all the classic banana split toppings before you serve this pie is a must. This sweet dessert will satisfy the chocolate and fruit lovers in your family.

    What makes this banana split pie unique is the crust. The original recipe from 10 years ago had a waffle cone crust, but that ends up a little chewy after baking.

    A sugar cone crust is a great option because they bake up nice and crispy!

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    Snickers Cheesecake with Brownie Bottom

    By Jocelyn · PUBLISHED June 1, 2021 · UPDATED July 17, 2021 · 5 Comments

    A white plate with a slice of snickers cheesecake with a brownie bottom on it

    This Snickers Cheesecake has a layer of no bake cheesecake loaded with candy bars and a chewy fudge brownie bottom.  Caramel and chocolate drizzles makes this easy cheesecake dessert look like you brought it home from the bakery. No one will guess you baked it in your own kitchen!

    A white plate with hot fudge drizzles and a slice of snickers cheesecake with a brownie crust on it

    Why You Will Love This

    This easy brownie bottom cheesecake is a delicious and gooey way to end any dinner.  Ever since I made these Mint Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Brownies I have been obsessed with making cheesecake desserts in the shape of a brownie cake.

    Yes, I realize that you would just call them a brownie bottom cheesecake.  Just humor me and let me call them cake, ok? For this "cake", I baked a batch of our homemade brownies in a springform pan and let it chill. Then I added a layer of no bake caramel cheesecake filled with Snickers bars and lots of Cool Whip.

    Drizzling hot fudge and caramel sauce on top made this Snickers cheesecake an impressive dessert that looked like it came from a bakery. Get ready for rave reviews from everyone.

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    Southwest Pasta Salad

    By Jocelyn · PUBLISHED May 29, 2021 · 18 Comments

    A blue bowl filled with ranch pasta salad loaded with veggies

    Fresh veggies, chicken, and an avocado dressing makes this creamy Southwest Pasta Salad one of our favorite summer meals.  This easy pasta salad recipe comes together in minutes and will be the hit of every summer picnic or barbecue.

    A blue bowl on a red towel filled with a ranch pasta salad that is loaded with veggies and chicken

    Summer Pasta Salad

    Summer in our house means pasta salad for dinner most nights.   Our family really does love these types of salads and would be ok eating them all the time with different meats.  Something about fresh air, sunshine, and summer just makes a pasta salad that much more delicious.

    Pasta salads are so easy to make for summer picnics. Add a batch of Homemade Chocolate Chip Brownies and a Dessert Salad and everyone will be asking you for your recipes.

    There are so many different ways you can customize a pasta salad, so you are not eating the same thing over and over. We like to use Hidden Valley Ranch Dressings to change up the flavor of our creamy pasta salad recipes and our regular dinner salads.

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    Red White and Blue Cheesecake Bars

    By Jocelyn · PUBLISHED May 26, 2021 · UPDATED July 17, 2021 · 84 Comments

    A white plate with a square of red white and blue cheesecake bars with whipped cream and sprinkles on it

    Swirls of colors make these Red White and Blue Cheesecake Bars a fun dessert to share at holiday BBQ's. This super simple red, white, and blue dessert is sure to brighten your Memorial Day and 4th of July picnics. So, let's get this party started.

    Add a batch of these 4th of July Cookies and your picnics will be perfect.

    A white plate with a square of red white and blue swirled cheesecake topped with Cool Whip and sprinkles on it

    Cheesecake Bars

    One of our favorite desserts is this Rainbow Cheesecake. I love that it is so easy to make and to customize for any party.  You can change the swirls of color match any party theme. 

    All the stores have red, white, and blue decorations out right now for Memorial Day and 4th of July, so I picked a few things up for our summer picnics. One of my favorite things to do for holidays is to make a dessert that is fun and colorful, so I grabbed some star sprinkles too.

    Cheesecake bars are a great way to add some color and fun to any party.  I was looking through the 4th of July treats I have made over the years, and there was nothing red, white, and blue in the cheesecake section, so I had to make a red white and blue dessert right away. 

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    Chocolate Cookies and Cream Cupcakes

    By Jocelyn · PUBLISHED May 24, 2021 · UPDATED July 17, 2021 · 34 Comments

    A chocolate cupcake with an Oreo in the bottom and cookies and cream frosting dipped in chocolate

    Enjoy a sweet surprise when you bite into these Cookies and Cream Cupcakes.  Each chocolate cupcake has an Oreo cookie hidden inside the bottom.

    To make them even better, they are topped with Oreo frosting and have another mini cookie on top. Such an easy cupcake recipe to make for any party or event.

    Two cookies and cream cupcakes topped with Oreo frosting and chocolate frosting with a bite out of one showing the hidden cookie

    Years ago I used to make over the top decorated and themed cakes for our kid's birthdays. They requested Ninja Turtles, Strawberry Shortcake, Star Wars, and so many other fun ones. Those kinds of cakes always took hours and hours of time to make and decorate. 

    As they got older, they started to ask for cupcakes for their parties. I learned pretty quickly that cupcakes are so much easier to make. Everyone gets their own little "cake", and they take way less time to prepare. Cupcakes can also be jazzed up with extra ingredients to make them look and taste awesome.

    Why we love these Oreo Cupcakes

    1. Starts with a box mix.
    2. Have a hidden Oreo cookie in the bottom of each one.
    3. Topped with the best fluffiest cookies and cream frosting.
    4. Dipped in melted chocolate frosting, so they look like a Dairy Queen cone.

    These fun cookies and cream cupcakes were ones that we created years and years ago for birthday parties. It's still one of the most requested cupcake recipes in our house. 

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    Peanut Butter Banana Cookies

    By Jocelyn · PUBLISHED May 18, 2021 · UPDATED June 9, 2021 · 19 Comments

    Three oatmeal banana cookies stacked on top of each other with a cookie cut in half showing the full peanut butter cup inside

    Add a fun twist to oatmeal banana cookies by adding a full-size Reese's peanut butter cup to the top. This oatmeal cookie recipe is soft, chewy, and loaded with oats, bananas, and chocolate chips. 

    Three oatmeal banana cookies stacked on top of each other with the top one cut in half showing the peanut butter cup inside

    Oatmeal Cookies with Banana and Peanut Butter

    Bananas are the one thing that we always have on our counter. They are the perfect pre-workout snack when they are green or yellow, and they are awesome to bake with once they turn spotty and brown.

    Some of my favorite things to bake when we have an abundance of ripe bananas are bread, muffins, and cakes.  Over the years, I have also started to include them in a few easy oatmeal cookie recipes.

    If you are looking for something different to bake with your over-ripe bananas, try these oatmeal chocolate chip banana cookies ASAP. You will fall in love with this recipe because the cookies are soft and chewy.

    Plus, they are loaded with oats and chocolate chips and topped with a full-size peanut butter cup. Peanut butter and banana is a classic combo that is so delicious together.

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    Chocolate Fluff

    By Jocelyn · PUBLISHED May 12, 2021 · UPDATED June 9, 2021 · 49 Comments

    A yellow and white bowl filled with chocolate fluff loaded with almonds, chocolate chips, and marshmallows

    Our creamy Chocolate Fluff Salad is perfect for spring or summer picnics. The easy mousse is filled with nuts, chocolate, and marshmallow goodness. If you enjoy Rocky Road ice cream, you'll love this pudding dessert.

    A yellow and white bowl filled with chocolate fluff loaded with marshmallows, chocolate chips, and almonds.

    The post for Rocky Road Fluff Salad was first published in April 2015. It was updated and republished in May 2021.

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    Chocolate Salad

    Let's talk about salad for a minute.  When you first hear the word salad, I am sure you think of green leaves, vegetables, and dressing, right?

    Did you know that a salad is actually a dish consisting of small pieces of food mixed with a sauce? So this chocolate pudding dessert could be called a salad! It has small nuts and chocolate mixed with a fluffy chocolate pudding "dressing." Sounds like a salad to me. Wink, wink!

    One of our most popular fluff salads is this banana split fluff salad. It is an easy, no-bake dessert that is perfect for spring and summer picnics.

    Since that dessert salad was such a hit online, I started thinking about other fun variations.  Rocky Road ice cream is one of my favorites. I love soft marshmallows mixed with chocolate and nuts, so I added those flavors to this chocolate delight recipe.

    This chocolate fluff salad with rocky road toppings turned out to be the best idea of the summer so far! 

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    Lemon Meringue Cheesecake

    By Jocelyn · PUBLISHED May 11, 2021 · UPDATED June 9, 2021 · 3 Comments

    A white plate with a slice of lemon cheesecake topped with lemon curd and marshmallow meringue on it

    Lemon curd and fluffy marshmallow meringue frosting make this Lemon Meringue Cheesecake the perfect dessert for lemon lovers. Enjoy a creamy cheesecake with the taste of lemon meringue pie.

    Every bite is creamy, delicious, and bursting with lemon flavor. This lemon cheesecake is great for summer time picnics or parties.

    A slice of lemon cheesecake topped with lemon curd and meringue on a white plate.
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    Does making cheesecake intimidate you? Trust me. I get it  I used to steer clear of cheesecake desserts because I worried that I would mess it up, or the baked cheesecake would crack like crazy. 

    What I realized is that cheesecake is actually quite easy to make with just a few ingredients and some tips and tricks.

    If you are still a little nervous, start out with some smaller ones like these lemon blueberry cheesecakes.

    A few years ago I made a lemon cheesecake topped with fresh fruit for our cookbook Cheesecake Love. This time I gave the lemon cheesecake a lemon meringue pie taste with a graham cracker crust and a toasted meringue topping.

    Why make a Lemon Cheesecake

    This lemon cheesecake will be a dream come true for the lemon lover in your life. It is creamy, delicious, and has the perfect lemon flavor from lemon juice baked in it and the ribbon of homemade lemon curd on top.

    The lemon flavor from the lemon cheesecake and lemon curd has the perfect sweet yet tart flavor. And the meringue topping is so fluffy and creamy.

    No one will be able to resist a slice of this lemon meringue cheesecake when you share it with them!

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    Orange Creamsicle Fudge

    By Jocelyn · PUBLISHED May 10, 2021 · UPDATED June 9, 2021 · 29 Comments

    A stack of orange fudge on a white plate with more fudge behind it

    Escape to summer no matter the weather with this delicious Orange Creamsicle Fudge. This simple orange fudge recipe is easy to make with just a few ingredients, and the flavor will transport you to a tropical place.

    But don't take our word for it, make a pan for yourself and see why this no fail fudge is so popular.

    A white plate with a few squares of orange creamsicle fudge stacked on it
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    A few weeks ago I made some pans of fudge, a few sugar cookie bars, and a lot of cheesecake parfaits for a school luncheon that we helped host.

    We absolutely love the flavor from this dreamsicle cake, so I decided to use the flavors to make a simple fudge. Adding just a little orange extract and a swirl of color made this orange creamsicle fudge my new favorite fudge.

    Why Make This Easy Fudge

    Fudge is one of those treats that can be made in just a few minutes, and it is a hit with everyone.  You only need one pan and two bowls to make this swirled treat.

    You are going to love how easy it is to make this no fail fudge and how it tastes like an orange creamsicle bar. The bonus is that this creamsicle candy will not make your teeth chatter when you bite into it.

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    Hi, I'm Jocelyn. The baker, photographer, and writer behind Inside BruCrew Life. I love creating semi-homemade recipes with a whole lot of flair that will make you look like a baking pro.

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