Root Beer Float Brownies

Need some inspiration for a Father’s Day dessert this weekend? Or just looking for a fun dessert to take to a BBQ? Look no further because these Root Beer Float Brownies are unique and delicious! I have been making them for years and have adapted them from a recipe I found on the Cookies and Cups blog.

I recently made this for my fun collaboration with Lee’s Marketplace and have gotten some comments like, “What? Chocolate and root beer?!? That sounds weird.” Trust me, the flavor combo is perfect! The root beer in the brownie batter gives them a rich, deep flavor. They turn out so thick and fudgy! The creamy root beer frosting is so ridiculously good too. Have I ever steered you wrong? Just. Trust. Me.

Because they turn out so thick, I cut them pretty small for serving. They also freeze really well! My husband is a huge root beer fan and absolutely loves these brownies! They are the perfect Father’s Day dessert and I hope you all love them as much as my family does!

Root Beer Float Brownies

  • Servings: 24
  • Difficulty: moderate
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Ingredients

For the brownies:
1 1/3 cup flour
1 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon salt
12 oz semi sweet chocolate
6 oz white chocolate
8 tablespoons butter
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
6 eggs
16 oz root beer
4 teaspoons vanilla

For the frosting:
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/3 cup root beer
5 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon root beer extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 375. Grease a 9×13 pan with baking spray.
Combine flour, cocoa powder and salt in a bowl by whisking slightly, set aside.
Add butter, semi sweet and white chocolate to a microwave safe bowl. Microwave in 20-30 second increments until melted then stir to combine, set aside.
Using a mixer, mix eggs, white sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla. Slowly add chocolate mixture.
Add the flour mixture and root beer alternately to the mixer. Mix until just combined. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 30-40 minutes or until center is just set. Let cool completely before frosting.

To make frosting, beat butter and 1 cup of sugar at a time on medium speed until combined. Mix in root beer (slowly) and extract and continue mixing until frosting is smooth.

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Jalapeno Cherry BBQ Sauce

***If you found me through the North Ogden Connection magazine (or Roy, Syracuse, etc.), here is the CORRECT recipe for my BBQ sauce. It was completely misprinted in the June issue that just came out!

I love taking my family to Cherry Days every summer. It’s one of my favorite things about living in North Ogden! I love the parade and the small, hometown pride that fills the streets here. I also love my giant cherry tree that gives us thousands of cherries every year. We get so many that I have to get creative in ways to use them up. My Jalapeno Cherry BBQ sauce is a delicious, unique way to use them! Dark sweet cherries add the perfect natural sweetness to this easy, homemade sauce. I used frozen cherries this time but can’t wait to make this BBQ sauce again with fresh cherries from my tree!

Jalapeno Cherry BBQ Sauce

  • Servings: Makes 3 cups
  • Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

12 oz (or 1 ½ cups) fresh or frozen dark sweet cherries, pitted and roughly chopped
2 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 ½ cups ketchup
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons liquid smoke
2 teaspoons ground mustard
Salt and pepper

Directions

Heat a large saucepan to medium-high and add butter. Add onions and jalapeno and cook until softened and browned.
Turn heat down to medium and add garlic. Cook about 1 minute then add remaining ingredients.
Simmer, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes. Carefully transfer to a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth.
Makes about 3 cups. Freezes well if needed.

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Shortcut Arroz Con Pollo

Anyone else feeling Maycember in full force? Whoever came up with that term for the month of May was spot on! Field trips, recitals, sports, projects, graduations…who else is going crazy?!? I’m feeling all of it double duty as a mom AND a school teacher. For my Lee’s Marketplace recipe this week I wanted to do something super easy but of course yummy. We all need something quick to feed our families and keep our sanity right now! I knew that my Shortcut Arroz Con Pollo would be perfect! I have been making this for at least 10 years. I used to just call it “Chicken and Sausage with Yellow Rice” but realized that it has many of the same flavors as Arroz Con Pollo. That sounds fancier anyway right? Ha! There are only 6 main ingredients besides water and oil. SIX! The rotisserie chicken, sausage, and rice all pack a punch with flavor which makes a simple dish tastes like you’ve spent hours. I always make cornbread muffins with this because they just go really well and it makes a more complete meal. I hope y’all love it as much as we do. To all the parents of school-age children…may the force be with you for the next couple of weeks! You got this!

Shortcut Arroz Con Pollo

  • Servings: 8
  • Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

1 (30 Oz) rotisserie chicken, meat removed
1 lb kielbasa, sliced into half circles
1/2 large yellow onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
7-10 Oz yellow rice mix
1 1/2 cups frozen peas
2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions

Using a large pot with a lid, drizzle olive oil and heat to medium high. Add sausage, onion, and pepper then cook for 5 minutes or until soft and browned. Add chicken and stir to combine. Add rice mix plus as much water as the mix calls for. Stir and bring to a boil. Put the lid on and turn heat down to low. Cook according to the rice mix directions (usually 20-25 minutes). When the rice is done, stir in the frozen peas and serve.

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Raspberry Cream Pie

Berry season is here! I don’t know about y’all but I’ve never been more excited for summer. We planted raspberries last summer and it looks like we are going to have tons this year! I have already started experimenting with recipes in anticipation of all of the fresh raspberries coming my way.
Recently, I was in my favorite kitchen supply store, Kitchen Kneads, and saw that they had something called Red Berry Pie Tone. I asked what it was and found out that it was a pie thickener. They said that it was better than the Danish Dessert stuff that is usually used for fresh berry pies. It was also WAY less expensive. I had to give it a try and it was a great excuse to make this delicious dessert!
Now, you’re probably thinking, “I don’t live near Kitchen Kneads so where can I get this pie tone stuff?” Well, you’re in luck because you can order it from them online! This store is such a GEM! They’ve been in business for 46 years! They have so many specialty items and it’s where I go to find unique things like Red Berry Pie Tone. You can order it here!
I adapted this recipe from one that I got from my mother-in-law, who got it from her sister, who got it from who knows where. Ha! I hope you love it because it is a family favorite in my house!

Raspberry Cream Pie

  • Servings: 16 (2 pies)
  • Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

2 pie shells (9”)
¾ cup Red Berry Pie Tone
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, room temperature
2 ¼ cups sugar, divided
16 oz Cool Whip, divided
3 cups fresh raspberries

Directions

Bake pie shells according to package instructions and set aside to cool.
Whisk pie tone with 1 cup water. In a medium saucepan, bring 3 cups water and 1 ¾ cup sugar to a boil. Let boil until sugar is dissolved. Add red berry mixture and bring to a boil again. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
Using an electric hand mixer, mix cream cheese and sugar for 2-3 minutes. Fold in 1 cup Cool Whip and 3 tablespoons of pie tone mixture. Spread in bottom of pie shells.
Fold raspberries into the remaining pie tone mixture then spoon on top of cream cheese mixture. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Top with remaining Cool Whip when serving.

Charlotte Hancey2 Comments

Korean Bulgogi Tacos

Didn’t think you’d get a Korean recipe from me did you? Well, let me tell you where the inspiration came from. About a year ago, a yummy Asian fusion restaurant called Rice Bowl Deluxe opened up near me. There are slim pickens when it comes to good, unique restaurants within a 5-10 minute drive from me so this place was much needed! I fell in LOVE with their Korean Bulgogi Tacos! We went back several times and I got them every time.
I was so sad when they closed down a few months ago! Luckily, I’m one of those people who has to take pictures of my food. I needed these tacos in my life so I studied the pics I took and re-created them. When I made them for my family, we all DIED. They are so good! Each component is a must so don’t skip out on any of it!
Gochujang sounds like a weird, hard to find ingredient but it’s not. It’s just red chili paste and I found it in sauce form at my local grocery store. It gives the beef such a perfect spicy kick but isn’t overpowering.
I had a blast making these on KSL’s Studio 5! It was my first time doing a segment with them and I can’t wait to go back. Watch me make my Korean Bulgogi Tacos here!

Korean Bulgogi Tacos

  • Servings: 6-8
  • Difficulty: moderate
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Ingredients

For the beef:
1 1/2 pounds flank steak
1/4 cup sesame oil
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons Gochujang sauce (optional)

For the slaw:
1/4 head purple cabbage, finely shredded
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper

For the sauce:
1/3 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon sriracha sauce
2 tablespoons lime juice

Flour tortillas
Cilantro
1-2 avocados

Directions

Slice beef very thin against the grain. Place in a zip top bag.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together sesame oil, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, brown sugar, water, and Gochujang. Pour over the beef. Close bag, massage to incorporate, and place in fridge to marinate for at least 4 hours or up to overnight.

Just before cooking beef, make slaw by tossing cabbage, vinegar, sugar, oil, salt and pepper in a medium sized bowl. Cover and place in fridge. Next, make the taco sauce by whisking sour cream, mayo, garlic powder, salt, pepper, sriracha, and lime juice together. Place in fridge until ready to eat.

Heat a large, non-stick skillet to medium-high heat. Add meat (with marinade) and sauté for 3 minutes. Stir then continue cooking for an additional 3-5 minutes.

To assemble, warm tortillas then place meat, slaw, and sauce in them. Garnish with cilantro and avocado.

*Note: Gochujang is a sauce/paste and can usually be found in the Asian section of your grocery store. Replace with Sriracha if you can’t find it.

On the set of KSL’s Studio 5 with Brooke Walker making these yummy tacos!

Charlotte Hancey1 Comment

Pineapple Pork Kebabs

Grilling season is upon us and I have the perfect recipe to get you started! These Pineapple Pork Kebabs are easy, delicious, and sure look pretty on a grill! What more could you ask for?!? If you like a little more spice feel free to add more sriracha to the marinade. With 2 tablespoons, the heat is barely there but noticeable. This is a custom recipe that I created for Lee’s Marketplace. I’m having so much fun creating recipes for them! If you make this or any of my other recipes please comment on them and let me know what you think!

Pineapple Pork Kebabs

  • Servings: 6-8
  • Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

1 pork tenderloin (2-2.5 lb)
3/4 cup soy sauce
3/4 cup pineapple juice
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground ginger
3 tablespoons sesame oil
6 garlic cloves, minced
1-2 tablespoons sriracha sauce
1 pineapple, cut into chunks
2 red bell peppers, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 red onion, cut into 1-inch pieces

Directions

Remove silver skin and any excess fat from pork then cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces. Place in a zip top bag.

In a mixing bowl, add soy sauce, pineapple juice, brown sugar, ginger, sesame oil, garlic cloves, and sriracha. Whisk to combine. Reserve 1 cup then pour the rest into the bag of pork. Let marinate in fridge for 2-8 hours.

Preheat grill to medium-high. Thread pork, pineapple, pepper, and onion onto skewers.

Place kebabs on grill and cook, turning occasionally, until done. Baste frequently with reserved marinade.

*Note: Cooking time depends on your grill. I used a Traeger smoker and it took 18 min. Internal temp of pork should be 150.

Charlotte Hancey1 Comment