Mom’s Easy Caramel Brownies

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Mom’s Easy Caramel Brownies

Mom’s Easy Caramel Brownies

My mom’s famous caramel brownies are hands-down the most requested recipe in our family. These cake mix caramel brownies are fudgy, gooey, and unbelievably easy to make. All you need is cake mix, chocolate chips, caramel, butter, and evaporated milk to create the most irresistible brownies ever!

A stack of brownies with each with a gooey layer of caramel.

Caramel Brownies with a Cake Mix

My mom has been making these caramel brownies for as long as I can remember. They were the birthday request of choice in our house and a must at every Fourth of July pool party. Everyone looked forward to them. They’re that good. When Cade and I got engaged, I baked a batch for his birthday and left them on his counter as a surprise. Two days passed, and he still hadn’t touched them. He was deep into clean eating and avoiding sugar. I felt crushed. I told him how much it hurt, so he tried one. Ever since, they’ve been his favorite dessert. Now, my mom even mails him a batch every so often.

The secrets? We always use margarine instead of butter. It makes the brownies extra gooey but still hold their shape. Only Betty Crocker German chocolate cake mix and Kraft caramels will do.

Now go make these brownies and leave a little love note for my mom so she feels special.

Ingredients for an easy dessert. Cake mix, buttery sweet candies, butter, chocolate chips, and cream!

Can a Chocolate Cake Mix Really Make Brownies?

You know what I love most about this recipe? No tedious sifting of flour, sugar, salt, or cocoa powder. Instead, it uses just a few simple ingredients! And the best part? N

Lemon Blueberry Ice Cream

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Creamy sweet and tart lemon ice cream is swirled with beautiful blueberry sauce in this refreshing lemon blueberry ice cream. Made with fresh or frozen blueberries, you can enjoy this sunshiney taste of summer year ’round.

lemon blueberry swirl ice cream in a pan with a couple scoops in a bowl

Lemon Blueberry Ice Cream

Lemon desserts are the ultimate in the summer: bright, citrusy, and tart, they are the best at capturing that warm weather essence. And blueberries, oh blueberries. Fragrant, sweet, and a little tart themselves, there is nothing that pairs with lemon quite so well as blueberries.

This recipe is made in two parts: you create the ice cream and blueberry sauce separately. You can get a jump start on the process and make the sauce up to a day ahead of time.

The most popular question I get is whether it’s possible to make ice cream without a machine. The answer is YES. You can make ice cream without a machine. Find the full directions here!

Cottage Cheese Taco Dip

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Inspired by the cottage cheese dip that I shared a few weeks ago. This cottage cheese taco dip is creamy, loaded with spicy southwest flavor, and reminiscent of the old-school layered taco dip we all know and enjoy.

overhead horizontal photo of taco dip made with cottage cheese

Cottage Cheese Dip

I suppose it’s possible not everyone has tried the creamy cottage cheese dips that are all over the internet these days, so I’ll remind you that when cottage cheese is blended smooth, it becomes the perfect protein-packed base for all kinds of recipes. In this recipe, it is mixed with cream cheese and taco seasoning to create the base of this fresh layered taco dip.

While this is a lightened-up variation on the classic, it’s still full of protein and does satisfy. My kids devoured it in minutes, and then proceeded to ask if we could make it with meat next time to make it even heartier. I think it would be excellent with a scoop or two of our beloved taco beef mix over the creamy cheese layer.

vertical photo close up of a scoop of taco dip

Cottage Cheese Recipes

I know, I know, cottage cheese is having a whole moment right now. It’s gotten to the point where it’s often out of stock in our local grocery stores – no joke. While I typically eat my cottage cheese in a very basic breakfast bowl with some fresh fruit, I still appreciate all the other ways this humble cheese can be enjoyed.

We’ve been making these cottage cheese eggs for almost 15 years now and my kids still call them “power eggs.” (Admittedly, it’s a little less adorable now that they aren’t toddlers showing off their Popeye muscles while they say it, it still makes me grin.)

You know how much we love our Read more

Vanilla Cookies

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Crisp-edged, crunchy cookies with an intense but perfectly balanced vanilla flavor make up these homemade vanilla cookies. These bite-size cookies go way beyond putting traditional ‘Nilla Wafers to shame, they’re a whole new ballgame.

vanilla wafer cookies in a bowl

Homemade Vanilla Wafers

I could not be more ecstatic over these vanilla wafer cookies: the crunch, the flavor, the everything. They are utterly wonderful. While I was working on the recipe for Banana Pudding Ice Cream, I became low-key obsessed with homemade vanilla wafers. (I’m happy to tell you that ice cream is fantastic with both homemade AND store-bought cookies, so feel free to go either route with that one.)

I made these cookies so many times that I lost count while working on this recipe. In the end, I am thrilled with them. So very, very happy. I never would’ve chosen a vanilla cookie as a favorite cookie before making these vanilla wafer cookies, but now? They’re a top 5 for me.

vanilla wafer cookies in a bowl

These cookies have proven completely irresistible to every single person who has tasted them, and we all wind up going back for “just one more” all day long.

I find it amusing that I adapted this recipe from a Swan’s Down recipe using their cake flour. But in the end, I preferred the vanilla wafers when I re-tested them with a slightly lowered amount of plain old all-purpose flour. If you prefer a chewier cookie, the cake flour delivers that. My goal was a crispy cookie, most similar to the original Vanilla Wafers, and the all-purpose flour delivers that.

vanilla wafer cookie dough on a panRead more

How to Freeze Peaches

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How to Freeze Peaches

Vacuum-sealed freezer bag filled with sliced peaches, ready to be stored for long-term freezing.

Don’t let juicy, sun-ripened peaches go bad! This guide on how to freeze peaches shows the easiest way to keep their sweet flavor locked in for smoothies, cobblers, and favorite peach recipes all year.

No messy boiling water or syrup needed – just slice, freeze on a baking sheet, and stash in freezer bags. It’s quick, clean, and keeps freezer burn away.

Tired of Mushy Frozen Peaches with Zero Flavor?

A lot of guides focus on home food preservation using liquid like heavy syrup or white grape juice, but those methods can leave your peaches soggy and overly sweet. This simple freezing method skips the mess and keeps your slices firm, flavorful, and freezer-ready. No syrup, no fuss, just pure peach goodness!

My Freezer is Never Without a Stash of Peaches

I grew up completely surrounded by canning, freezing, and preserving. My mom is an incredible gardener, and we spent hours snapping beans and stuffing jars full of peaches. These days I don’t can as much, but my freezer is never without a stash of peaches. I use them for cobblers, smoothies, or tossing into a hot pan with butter and brown sugar – instant summer dessert on a weeknight!

What to Use Peaches For

Frozen peaches bring fresh, juicy flavor to everything from quick desserts to slow weekend bakes. They’re just right for Peaches ‘n Cream Crumble BarsThe Best Peaches and Cream Pie, or our cozy Dutch Oven Peach Crisp.

What You Need to Freeze Peaches

You only need a few simple tools to freeze peaches with all that sweet, juicy flavor intact. No syrup or canning gear required – just freezer basics and fresh fruit.

  • Ripe Peaches: Go for freestone peaches if you can – they’re easier to slice and pit than clingstone varieties.
  • Peeler or Paring Knife: Skip blanching and peel by hand with a great peeler.
  • Pot & Ice Water (Optional): Needed only if you choose to blanch.
  • Baking Sheet: For flash-freezing slices in a single layer so they don’t stick together.
  • Freezer Bags or Containers: Store your frozen peaches and press out as much air as possible to avoid freezer burn – our foodsaver is a must-have!<
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