Desserts | Busy Mommy: An Iowa Mom Blog

Scotcharoo Dessert Pops

May 3, 2012 By Emily

Everything’s better on a stick, right?

The infamous cake pop has been appearing at birthday parties, weddings and baby showers across the world. There are hundreds of cute, intricate and time-consuming designs. I even have a cake pop pinterest board of pops I’ll probably never even try to make.

Why?

Maybe I’m just a cake pop failure, but mine never turn out like the photos. The balls end up bumpy, the chocolate isn’t smooth and they end up looking like my five year old made them.

In come Scotcharoos, one of my favorite childhood desserts. The rice krispie mixture makes them easy to mold into shapes and it takes far less time than cake pops!

Use your favorite recipe for Scotcharoos. I like the recipe from ricekrispies.com.

Scotcharoo Pops

1 cup light corn syrup
1 cup sugar
1 cup peanut butter
6 cups Rice Krispies cereal
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup butterscotch chips
Sprinkles or other decorations for garnish
Lollipop sticks or Wooden Treat Sticks

Place the corn syrup and sugar into a saucepan and cook over medium heat, continuously stirring, until the sugar dissolves and the mixture begins to boil. Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter. Then pour in your Rice Krispies and stir until combined. Press mixture into a pan coated with cooking spray. Set aside for 20-30 minutes so the mixture can cool and harden a bit.
Cut your rice krispie mixture into 1×1 inch squares and roll each of those into balls. Stick the Lollipop sticks in the center and set aside.
Melt the chocolate and butterscotch chips together in a saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly until melted. Dip each “pop” into the melted mixture and then roll in sprinkles. Stick in styrofoam or a Cake Pops Stand to dry and harden!

Ok, these huge ice cream-looking Scotcharoos are too decadent! Use the same process as the circle pops, but shape into an ice cream bar shape.

Yum!

Filed Under: Blog, Desserts, Recipe Box 12 Comments

Chocolate Strawberry Shortcakes

May 31, 2011 By Emily

When we have summer cookouts my mother-in-law often makes strawberry shortcakes with homemade biscuits. I have to admit, these are the only strawberry shortcakes I have ever tasted, but they are delicious, especially warm. I believe the biscuit recipe is from an old Better Homes and Gardens cookbook not even intended for this dessert.

First you hull and slice a few small packages of strawberries (2 lbs) and mash them with a bit of sugar, about 1/4 cup. (You can use a potato masher or a cup). Let them macerate in the fridge for awhile.

For the biscuits: Stir 2 cups of all purpose flour, 4 teaspoons baking powder, 2 tsp sugar, 1/2 tsp cream of tartar, and 1/2 tsp salt. Cut in 1/2 cup margerine until there are coarse crumbs (I like to use my hands). Set aside. Heat 3/4 cups chocolate chips, 2 Tbls butter, and a splash of milk together until melted. Add the melted ingredients to the dry mixture along with 1/2 cup milk.

Stir dough together. Knead gently on a lightly floured surface for 10-12 strokes. The dough will be somewhat crumbly. Roll or pat to 1/2 inch think and use a drinking cup to cut your biscuit circles.

Bake at 450 for 10-12 minutes. Serve biscuits warm topped with strawberries and whipped cream. Just an FYI, these are delicious re-heated. Pop them in the microwave with a tiny bit of butter and you are in heaven!

If you’d like to make these Chocolate Strawberry Shortcakes, here is a printable recipe.

Filed Under: Blog, Desserts, Featured, Recent Articles, Recipe Box 21 Comments

Peanut Butter Bar Ice Cream Cup Recipe

April 20, 2010 By Emily

This creation was thought up after my Grandma watched the Pillsbury bake off winner win a million dollars for a “cookie cup”. I didn’t watch the show, but was introduced to the cookie cups when my Grandma brought over a tray of chocolate ice cream filled peanut butter cookie cups. That is one of those ideas that I’m like “why didn’t I think of that?!” I think my Grams was in the creative mood because I stopped by her house the next day and she had another dessert concoction sitting in her fridge, this time it was some sort of an oatmeal chocolate bar.

I then thought…..

How delicious would it be to combine both desserts? It would be like a cookie/bar/ice cream dessert.

Oh gosh, just when I’m trying to start eating healthy.

Well here they are: Peanut Butter Bar Ice Cream Cups

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Ingredients: Peanut Butter Cookie dough (you can make your own or even try a different flavor. I used refrigerated Pillsbury cookie dough), quick cooking oats, brown sugar, chocolate chips and your choice of ice cream and toppings.

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1 roll of cookie dough fills about 8 or so large muffin cups or 24 small ones.

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It’s easiest to cut the cookie dough in equal pieces, than roll each piece in a ball and flatten in your hand. Then you form a cup in your preferred size of muffin tin.

As you can see… they don’t have to be pretty.

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I then made a mixture of brown sugar and oats. No need to measure here. I’d say maybe 1 cup of each?

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You then fill up the cups with a little of the oat mixture. I filled maybe 1/4 of the cup up, but next time I think I would fill it up 1/2 way.

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Then comes the chocolate chips. You could even use white chocolate chips or I guess, whatever you want! Be creative like Grams

OK now is baking time. I suggest baking the cookie cups at a temperature lower than what the package says. This will make sure the cookie is baked throughout rather than a crispy shell. Bake until they look and feel done. They might be a little puffy, but you can take a spoon and flatten the sides down so it looks like a cup again.

Let them sit for awhile and then take them out, or you might have a dozen leaky cookie cups on your hands.

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The minis would be adorable for a dinner party. Make a few different kinds: sugar, chocolate chip and peanut butter all with different ice cream flavors. Harden in the freezer before serving, so it doesn’t become a sloppy mess! Include the three different minis on the same plate and it would look gorgeous!

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