Blog - Inside BruCrew Life

Reese's Ice Cream Cake

Layers of hot fudge and peanut butter candies make this easy Reeses Ice Cream Cake a stunning summer dessert! It is so easy to change it up and make this ice cream sandwich cake in minutes with your favorite candies.

A white plate with a slice of ice cream cake drizzled with chocolate syrup on it.

We usually have some kind of ice cream in our freezer at all times because it is our daughter's favorite dessert. Every year, she asks for an ice cream cake for her birthday.

Over the years, this mint chocolate chip ice cream cake and this cookie dough ice cream cake have been a few of her favorite combos. We even did ice cream tacos one year.

We always have so much fun making and devouring these DIY ice cream cakes together. This year, we decided to layer ice cream sandwiches with hot fudge and candy in a pan. It was a great way to use the bags of Reese's peanut butter cups and Reese's Pieces in the pantry.

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Why This Ice Cream Cake Recipe Works

You honestly can't go wrong with whatever candy you use. Think of all the combos you could do! Caramel sauce with Snickers bars. Marshmallow topping and Three Musketeers....the possibilities are endless.

I love making homemade ice cream cakes with store-bought ice cream sandwiches because the cake is ready for the freezer in less than 15 minutes. You can't beat having a gourmet homemade ice cream cake in minutes, right?

A big slice of Reese's ice cream cake is definitely a great way to cool off on a hot summer day!

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Cherry Mocha Chip Muffins

Start the day off with a batch of these Cherry Mocha Chip Muffins and cup of coffee. Double the caffeine will help get you going in the morning.

A long, long time ago, right after I started blogging, I had a reader ask if I could make a cherry muffin recipe. I created a muffin recipe and shared it here on the blog.

Oh, my goodness. I just about died laughing when I looked back at those pictures. You see, I have been revisiting the old recipes that I have made. Sometimes the photos (and sometimes the recipe) just don't work.

If you are interested in the bad photo from the beginning, just scroll to the very bottom of the post. I kept one picture, just so I can see how far I have come in my photography and recipe development.

Since I'm not really a fan of flat muffins, I knew the recipe was going to need some work. After a few test runs, I finally came up with a winner muffin that everyone here loved. [Read more...]

S'mores Frappuccino Cupcakes Recipe

This fun cupcake was inspired by a Starbucks frappuccino. A graham cracker crust and marshmallow frosting makes these S'mores Frappuccino Cupcakes a delicious and fun treat. Perfect s'mores dessert for summer picnics and parties.

S'mores Cupcakes

Years ago, I had an amazing idea to make this delicious S'mores Latte. I was so excited for this fun "new" coffee drink. It turns out that I wasn't as creative and original as I thought.

The same year that I created that marshmallow latte, Starbucks added the S'mores Frappuccino to their summer menu. Mind blown! I had no idea that they were adding marshmallow to their coffee drinks too.

I was so disappointed this summer when they didn't bring the s'mores drink back again. Did you get a chance to try it in past years? It was so creamy and delicious.

One of my favorite things to do with Starbucks drinks is to turn them into fun and delicious cupcakes. These Frappuccino Cupcakes and these Salted Caramel Brownie Cupcakes are a couple of my favorite coffee creations.

When I started planning out my recipes for this month, I knew that I wanted to create a s'mores cupcake that looked and tasted like the frappe.

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Sour Cream Banana Donuts

These easy baked Sour Cream Banana Donuts get a fun flair from the different toppings. Enjoy cookies, chocolate chips, or sprinkles for breakfast!

Woot woot! Do you know what day it is? It's one of my favorite foodie holidays! Today is National Donut Day! Bring on all the sweet baked and fried balls of dough.

Curious minds want to know...which spelling do you prefer? Doughnut or donut?

I guess it really depends on the type of donut were are talking about. I tend to use the word doughnut for ones that have been fried like these doughnut sticks, and donut for the baked ones like these.

Whichever one is right or correct does not matter to me. What does matter is that we all enjoy a sweet treat on this national food holiday.

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No Bake Coconut Oreo Icebox Cake

Grab a fork and dive into the creamy layers of this No Bake Coconut Oreo Icebox Cake. Chocolate and coconut is always a good idea for easy no bake summer desserts.

Do you have certain foods that you just have to make in certain seasons?

For me, fall is all about apples and pumpkin, Christmas is obviously peppermint and eggnog, and then summer is coconut for me.

For some reason when summer gets here, all I can think about is putting coconut in just about everything. Of course, I think about coconut pretty much year round because I love the stuff.

I even think about it a lot in January because when it is cold and chilly, coconut reminds me of the warm, sunny days of summer!

I do have to show some restraint because my family is not as crazy for coconut as I am. That just means more Carrot Coconut Bread for me!!!

Although, I have found that the more I add it to sweets, the less complaining has been going on. Mwhahahaha! I feel like I'm weakening their coconut hating tastebuds! [Read more...]

Honey Nut Granola

A big bowl of this Honey Nut Granola with milk is delicious for breakfast or an afternoon snack. Add it to a bowl of yogurt or chia pudding for a healthy start to the day.

We have been making our own homemade granola for a while now. A few months ago I forgot to buy a bag for my daughter, so I had to dig through the pantry to see what I could come up with.

It turns out homemade granola is extremely easy to make. Now that I know how to make it, I'm not sure I will ever buy those bags of overpriced granola at the grocery store. Plus, it's so fun to come up with fun flavors to munch on.

So far we have made four different flavors, but I think this Chocolate Covered Strawberry Granola was our favorite. I mean, how can you argue with chocolate for breakfast? Am I right?

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No Bake Banana Split Dessert

This No Bake Banana Split Dessert is a keeper for all those hot summer days. The BEST Banana Split of all times in an easy, no bake cheesecake form.

A slice of banana split lush on a plate topped with an Oreo.

Let's talk about the weather for just a minute.

Weather in Florida changes quite often. One moment it's sunny, then it's cloudy and rainy, and then it goes back to sunny with a lot of humidity. Although, I don't think Florida weather is as fickle as the weather we used to have when we lived in Indiana.

I remember one summer where it was cloudy, rainy, and cool one day, then sunny and 87 degrees the next. In less than 48 hours we experienced summer and spring!

I think I'll take the hot and humid months here in Florida instead. Those days mean lots of days by the pool with Raspberry Orange Slushies.

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Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Cookies

These Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Cookies are soft, chewy, and packed with chocolate chips and Reese's peanut butter candies. If you have ripe bananas on the counter and a peanut butter lover in the house, this recipe was made for you!

This post was first published in April 2010. The photos and post were updated and republished in May 2019.

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If you buy bananas as often as I do, you know exactly where this story is headed. You buy a big bunch with the best intentions. But somehow, by the end of the week, a few spotty ones are staring at you from the counter. Sound familiar?

I had already made banana s'mores muffins and frozen some bananas for smoothies and peanut butter banana ice cream. But I still had a few left to use up. So I did what I always do when I need inspiration and started flipping through old church cookbooks.

I found a peanut butter and oat cookie recipe that looked promising. However, my tendency to modify recipes got the better of me! I added the extra bananas, chocolate chips, and Reese's candies. Then I tweaked the flour-to-oat ratio, and just like that, we had chewy peanut butter banana oatmeal cookies.

Why You'll Love These Peanut Butter and Banana Cookies

A perfect way to use up ripe bananas. The riper the bananas, the better. They add natural sweetness and that classic banana flavor that makes these cookies so good.
No chill time required! Mix the dough, spoon it onto the pan, and bake. You will have cookies on your counter in no time.
Reese's candies and chocolate chips in every bite. The combination of peanut butter cups, Reese's pieces, and chocolate chips makes these cookies absolutely delicious.
Soft, chewy texture with a crisp. The cookies bake up thin and chewy with a slight crisp on the outside edges. It's honestly the best of both worlds!

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Strawberry Orange Spinach Salad

This Strawberry Orange Spinach Salad with chicken is a delicious side dish or main meal to bring for any dinner party. Fresh fruit, nuts, cheese, and chicken on a bed of spinach and drizzled with homemade balsamic dressing is the perfect meal.

Most of the time I share all the fun baking that happens in our kitchen, but healthy dinners actually happen more often than sugar treats.

Salads and lean and greens are what we make and eat for dinner because one cannot live on sweets alone. I know it seems like we eat Homemade Chocolate Chip Brownies and Salted Caramel Chocolate Cake all the time, but we really do try to make and share those when we have different activities and dinners to go too.

The other day after church we went out to eat with some friends. Since I am also trying to make better food choices when we go out to eat, I decided to only look at the salads on the menu. Normally, I'm all about the cheese and pasta, so this was a big deal for me.

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S'mores Oreo Icebox Cake

The layers of chocolate, marshmallow, and Oreo cookies make this S'mores Oreo Icebox Cake a dessert worth splurging on. This is a delicious cake to bring to summer picnics or barbecues.

It's also no-bake, so it's perfect for those days when it is too hot to even think about baking.

S'mores Oreo Icebox Cake - layers of chocolate, marshmallow cheesecake, and Oreo cookies give this easy icebox cake a s'mores twist. Try this no bake recipe for picnics and barbecues this summer! #iceboxcake #nobake #smores #oreocookies

So, I have realized lately that most stores know just how to get consumers to make those extra little purchases. You know the ones, right? The little purchases that you throw into your cart at the very last second.

Magazines are usually the main one that get me every time. I will be standing in the check out line just minding my own business (or scrolling through Instagram), and then I look up and see a new issue with some tantalizing recipe on the front. And before you know it, that magazine and probably 2 others are in my cart.

Target has gotten wise to this little tactic because they also put the newest Oreo cookies at the beginning of the checkout aisles. I'm a sucker for new Oreo flavors, so I always end up buying those too.

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