Baking from a Mix-The Easy Way To Make Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth!

Let's make baking fun and simple! Kids LOVE to help bake, and they love to eat the desserts even more.  So should everyone.  Sweets are an important part of a balanced lifestyle and a good way of creating variety in your balanced diet.  Below are some recipes all made from mixes, which are both healthy, and nutritious.  They satisfy your sweet cravings, while also not making you feel bad for eating them.




Pistachio Cake:

1 package of yellow or white cake mix

1 (3.4oz) package of instant pistachio pudding mix

4 eggs

1.5 cups water

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

(you can add green food coloring to make the cake appear more green, but it isn't imperative)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease and flour a 10 in bundt pan.  (I have done this in other types of pans, but a bundt works best).  
2. In a large bowl mix together all the ingredients, then blend them and beat for 2 minutes at medium speed.
3. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 50-55 minutes or until cake springs back when pressed lightly.  Cool in the pan for 15 minutes and then remove.  
4. Once the cake is cooled off, you can dust is with some powdered sugar, or ice it with your favorite frosting, but decorating it isn't necessary, the cake tastes fabulous plain as well.

Easy Donuts-

2 cans of large buttermilk biscuits (Pillsbury works really well)

1. Open up the packages of biscuits and lay them out on a cutting board.  With a 1.5 in. round cookie cutter,  cut out the center of each biscuit so you are left with a donut and a hole.  
2. Heat 2 inches of oil in a pot
3. Once the oil is hot enough, drop each donut into the oil, and let it brown, before flipping it over (using tongs) (This part should be done by an adult!!) You can do this with the donut holes as well.  
4. Then take the donuts out, lay them on a towel to soak up some of the oil
5. Once they have cooled a little you can decorate them or dip them in your favorite glaze.  (Ex. chocolate glaze, caramel, sprinkles, cinnamon sugar, etc).  

Nutella Cookies-

1 cup of Nutella

1 whole egg
1 cup of flour.

1. Mix ingredients together
2. Form cookies and place on a cookie sheet (use foil or wax paper if the sheet isn't non-stick already)
3. Bake for 6-8 minutes at 350 degrees.    

Nutella Cookie Cups

1 cup of butter, softened

1 cup white sugar

1 cup packed brown sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

Jar of nutella

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease mini muffin tins
2. Cream butter and both sugars in a bowl until light and fluffy.  Beat in eggs and vanilla.  Gradually add in dry ingredients until all is mixed together.
3. Roll dough into 1.5 inch think balls
4. Put them into mini muffin tins and bake for 10-12 minutes until golden brown
5. Remove and let them sit for 2 minutes.  Then make wells for the Nutella to sit in.
6. Add 1 tbsp of Nutella to each cookie cup.  

Cookie Dough Bites

1 cup salted butter

1.5 cups packed light brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups flour

6 ounces mini chocolate chips

1. Cream butter and sugar together.  
2. Add remaining ingredients
3. roll into 1 inch balls
4. refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.
5. Dip in or drizzle with melted chocolate (or leave them as is)

Cookie Dough Brownies

1 box Betty Crocker Original Supreme Premium brownie mix

water, oil and egg called for on box for brownie mix

1 pouch Betty Crocker Chocolate Chip cookie mix

1/2 cup of margarine, softened

1 egg

1 container of Better Crocker Chocolate Frosting

1. Heat oven to 350 F.  Spray bottom of a 13"x9" pan 
2. Make brownie mix as instructed on box, spread it in the pan
3. Make cookie mix as directed on pouch, use butter and 1 egg
4. Drop dough by the rounded spoonful evenly onto brownie batter.
5. Bake for 42-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.  
6. Cool for 30 minutes.  Then frost if desired.  

This is always my issue....how big of a brownie should I cut?? This recipe helps!

Brownie Cupcakes

1 box of Betty Crocker fudge brownie mix.  

Water, vegetable oil and eggs called for on box for cake-like brownies.  

1. Heat oven to 350 F.  Place paper muffin liners in each muffin cup.  
2. Make brownie batter as directed.
3. Fill each muffin cup 2/3 full
4. Bake for 18-22 minutes.  
5. Cool for 20 minutes.  

Cinnamon Apple Cake

1 3/4 cups sugar, divided

1/2 cup margarine, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

6 ounces fat free cream cheese, softened (about 3/4 cups)

2 large eggs

1.5 cups flour

1.5 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 

3 cups chopped apples

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Beat 1 1/2 cups sugar, margarine, vanilla, and cream cheese at medium speed of a mixer until well-blended (about 4 minutes). Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Add flour mixture to creamed mixture, beating at low speed until blended.
3. Combine 1/4 cup sugar and cinnamon. Combine 2 tablespoons cinnamon mixture and apple in a bowl, and stir apple mixture into batter. Pour batter into an 8-inch springform pan coated with cooking spray, and sprinkle with remaining cinnamon mixture.
4. Bake at 350° for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until the cake pulls away from the sides of the pan. Cool the cake completely on a wire rack, and cut using a serrated knife.