Mini Pecan Pie Tarts

Confession time: I have never eaten Pecan Pie.

I'm sure I'm not the only one. The only real problem with that statement is that Joe and I were assigned to bring croissants and pecan pie to our fifth annual Friendsgiving dinner. Let's be real for a moment, Joe does not cook so in all reality, I was assigned to bring croissants and pecan pie. Since I didn't have a fool-proof recipe to fall back on, I turned to the interwebs. I ended up finding a pin for this recipe from Bits and Bytes. 

Turns out, it's a winner! 

These little bites got so many compliments throughout the evening. That was quite the feat considering that most of us gorged during the meal and could barely taste dessert by the end haha. The raves seemed to concentrate on the fact that these were just sweet enough.. nowhere near the heavy sugariness of a true pecan pie.

Football Friday - Fudgy Football Brownie Pops

Football season is the best season of all. Over the years, the Mr. has had quite the influence on this girl. We met in November while football was in full swing so I learned early on that our Sundays would be devoted to the pigskin. I wouldn't change a thing about it :) Monday Night Football was our first Eagles' game of the season so I made an extra special treat -- Fudgy Football Brownie Pops. 

You don't need any special tools or cake molds for these guys, just some patience and a steady hand.

Frozen Strawberry & Lemon Creamy Delight Bars

Oh how I love summertime get togethers -- they sure are fabulous ways to relieve day-to-day stress. We had a belated Independence Day celebration with two of our favorite people and their beautiful baby girl on Saturday. They gave me free reign on apps and I just knew I couldn't leave the house without a dessert in tow as well. I scoured my desserts and appetizer boards on Pinterest and chose a few I thought would please us all. I kind of hit the jackpot with The Recipe Critic's Frozen Strawberries and Cream Dessert. 

I ever so slightly adjusted Alyssa's recipe (while I'm 110% sure it would have been excellent on its own) - giving the lemon factor a bit more umph and cutting down on the sugar content as well. 

Spiced Pecan Pumpkin Pumpkins

How much do you like short-cuts? A lot? Me too! Well, these little pumpkins are practically made of short-cuts.

Indoor S'mores

I already mentioned that I had a girls' night on Saturday with my bestie. She had the most brilliant idea ever to do a wine, cheese, and chocolate night at home and what's not to love about that? Her papa got us some amazing artisanal cheeses (he spoils us girls), she picked out some delicious wine, and I was tasked with the chocolate treat. I was a huge procrastinator and didn't actually decide what I wanted to make until 90 minutes before I was supposed to be at her house. Being that time was not on my side, I threw together a quick dish of Indoor S'mores.

INGREDIENTS:
Graham crackers (quartered)
Marshmallows
Dark chocolate *Quality is important here*
Chopped and toasted hazelnuts

Chocolate Mousse Ice Cream

I'm about to throw myself under the bus for a second. I've been slacking on the "spoon" aspect of Spool and Spoon for awhile. The last recipe I posted was three weeks ago! Whoopsie! I try to cook creatively but lately the meals have been pretty ordinary in our household. That's all over now though. Hopefully, you'll forgive me after you try this latest treat. Fingers-crossed!

My mother-in-law makes a ricotta cake and serves it with a fluffy chocolate "mousse" topping. While I love it all on its own, I have a slight obsession with frozen goodness... okay okay, slight might be an understatement. I wanted to push the mousse a bit further on the scale of dessert deliciousness and turn it into ice cream. I scream, you scream, we all scream for Chocolate Mousse Ice Cream. Mmhmmm.

Ingredients:

I used fat free whipped topping, fat free milk, and fat free pudding mix to keep it light... well, relatively light haha.

Instructions:

After all of that, you are done! It's rich, creamy, and super delicious. The best part? You can use ANY pudding flavor you want so that really opens up the possibilities.

Even more is that while the ice cream melts, it still retains the light texture of the mousse. Two desserts in one? Now that's a real win-win over here. Go make yourself a batch, grab your sunglasses and a glass of red wine, and lounge on the patio with a heaping cup-full!

If you like what you see, you should consider following Spool and Spoon via email or through Google Friend Connect for other mouth-watering recipes and fun projects that will tickle your fancy.

I'm linking to:

DIY Showoff | S3 | Classy Clutter | A Little Tipsy | I Heart Nap Time | Mine for the Making | Flamingo Toes | Craftomaniac | Shabby Creek Cottage | Somewhat Simple | Saved by Love Creations | My Simple Home Life | My Girlish Whims | Stone Gable | Young and Crafty | Nifty Thrifty Things

S'mores Cookies

Who doesn't love s'mores? I don't even like chocolate but I can inhale two s'mores without a second thought. They are the perfect summer time treat and a sweet nightcap to a long day. I'm always trying to come up with new ways to reinvent the wheel and these cookies are almost better than the original. They are super tasty and what's S'MORE (tee-hee) is that they are quick and easy. If we are going to jazz up the recipe anyhow, why not cheat a little and use cookie dough mix? I won't tell if you won't tell. 

S'MORES COOKIES

Ingredients:

• Betty Crocker Double Chocolate Chunk Cookie Mix (+ 1/4 cup of oil, 2 tablespoons of water, and 1 egg)
• 1 cup of graham cracker crumbs (about 10 crackers finely chopped)
• 10 large marshmallows

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 and gather all ingredients in one area
2. Form chocolate dough into semi-round blobs (the dough will stick so I used only one hand to touch the raw dough)
3. Toss the dough ball into the graham cracker crumbs and coat thoroughly
4. Place dough onto lightly greased cookie sheet
5. Bake for 8-10 minutes (it's okay if they are slightly undercooked as they will be back in the oven soon anyhow)
6. Chill on rack for 5-10 minutes, the return to cookie sheet
7. Cut large marshmallows in half diagonally with kitchen shears
8. Top each cookie with one half of a marshmallow -- sticky (cut) side down.  rounded side up. 
9. Place the cookies under the broiler for 2 minutes, or until toasted (don't take your eyes off of marshmallows as you don't want them to char)

Don't these look fantastic? The best part is that they taste BETTER than they look. There's no reason why you shouldn't try this recipe considering you can get everything you need for less than 5 bucks. 

They are best right out of the oven when everything is still warm but feel free to store in an air-tight container for up to one week.


If you like what you see, you should consider following Spool and Spoon via email or through Google Friend Connect for other mouth-watering recipes and fun projects that will tickle your fancy.

I'm linking to:

DIY Showoff | S3 | Classy Clutter | A Little Tipsy | I Heart Nap Time | Mine for the Making | Flamingo Toes | Craftomaniac | Shabby Creek Cottage | Somewhat Simple | Saved by Love Creations | My Simple Home Life | My Girlish Whims | Stone Gable | Young and Crafty | Nifty Thrifty Things

Hazelnut Ganache Pops

Who doesn't love Nutella? I sure do. It's rich, creamy, and such a treat. Then again, it's much too sweet for me to smother a piece of toast as the label would suggest. Like all good things, it's best in moderation. That's why these little pops are the perfect treat. Rich nutty goodness in a tiny little package.

What You'll Need (makes about 25 pops)

• 1 1/2 cups of fine (dark or milk) chocolate, chopped
• 1 cup nutella
• 1/4 cup  and 2 tablespoons of hazelnuts, divided
• 25 candy cups
• Optional: Lollipop Sticks & Double-Boiler

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees
2. Toast hazelnuts in a single layer for 5-7 minutes
3. Using a double boiler over medium-high heat, melt the chocolate chunks and stir until smooth and glossy
4. While that's melting coarsely chop the cooled hazelnuts (or use a food processor)
5. Mix the Nutella with the melted chocolate until combined
6. Stir in 1/4 cup of chopped hazelnuts to the chocolate/Nutella mixture (try not to resist eating it all write out of the bowl)
7. Pour mixture into fluted candy cups, fill about 3/4 of the way up
8. Top with the rest of the toasted hazelnuts
9. OPTIONAL: Once set (will be the consistency of fudge) insert lollipop sticks

These are delicious on their own, but are even better when used as coffee or hot chocolate stirrers (if you don't mind pieces of hazelnut at the bottom of your cup).

Enjoy other Nutella treats at "One Artsy Mama"

Like what you see? Consider following Spool and Spoon for other great recipes and DIY projects.

I'm linking to:

DIY Showoff | S3 | Classy Clutter | A Little Tipsy | I Heart Nap Time | Mine for the Making | Flamingo Toes | Craftomaniac | Shabby Creek Cottage | Somewhat Simple | Saved by Love Creations | My Simple Home Life | My Girlish Whims | Stone Gable