THE BEST, CRISPIEST TOPPING from Chew Out Loud

This crisp topping recipe comes from Chew Out Loud. I'm reviewing the topping only, not the peach filling recipe, as I made apple crisp to go with it. Like the name says, it's very crispy, which is how I prefer a crumb topping. It's made with equal parts flour and oats, and equal parts brown and white sugar. I did use half the amount of nuts. I didn't add spices to the topping.

I grade this an A+.

HERSHEY'S OLD FASHIONED CAKE from Hershey's

This comes from Hershey's. I made half and got ten cupcakes. It tastes basically like boxed Devil's Food Cake, so I'm real happy with it. I did use 1/4 c. of cocoa powder, not 1/3 c., not weighed out, and I doubled the vanilla. I made my own vanilla buttercream frosting for it. The cake is made with water though I wonder how it would do with milk, or part milk, part water. It's very moist and I'd definitely make this again. 

I grade this an A.

MASHED POTATO CAKES from Cook's Country

This recipe is from Cook's Country. These taste exactly like what they are...mashed potatoes seasoned with cheese, salt, pepper, and chives ( I used white onion). They were an awful lot of work and I wouldn't make them again despite them tasting good. The full recipe, which I made, makes a lot so you may want to make half.

I grade these an A in flavor.

CHOCOHOLIC MUFFINS from Once Upon a Chef

This recipe is from Once Upon a Chef. It uses buttermilk (I made homemade w/vinegar), all brown sugar, and melted butter. I made half the recipe, filling the muffin cups 2/3 of the way, and got ten. They baked in 12-13 minutes on 375 degrees F. I didn't bake them at a real high temperature then turn it down like the recipe stated. They're very good and cake-like. They have a finer crumb than any chocolate muffin I've ever made before. I do think they need less cocoa powder, so I'll use less next time, not 1/3 c. like I used this time. I think for half the recipe I'll use only three tablespoons. They need more salt too though I did add extra. 

I grade these an A- because of too much cocoa.

Edit: I made half a batch again using all vegetable oil, no butter, an extra 1/8 t. salt and just 3 tablespoons of cocoa powder and they turned out great. Those I grade an A+.

APPLE CRISP from Cooking Classy

This comes from Cooking Classy. I unintentionally used a lot more apples so I needed a larger baking dish, 13" x 9". I didn't increase the filling ingredients (sugar, flour) at all and it was perfectly fine. I omitted both lemon juice and vanilla extract from the filling. My dish baked in 50 minutes. Slicing the apples very thin is key to them cooking fully. The topping was good too. I'd maybe use less sugar in the topping next time. Using equal parts flour and sugar isn't a good ratio, IMO.

I grade this an A.

ALFREDO SAUCE from Cooking Classy

This recipe is from Cooking Classy. It turned out great. I used store brand parmesan cheese and it was good. I did use a little garlic powder instead of fresh garlic because I'm not too fond of garlic in any form. I used a little onion powder too, and fresh cracked black pepper and a small pinch of salt. I do think the one tablespoon of flour was unnecessary because the cheese thickens up the sauce a lot. To the finished sauce I added broccoli florets that I cooked in the pasta water along with linguine, half a pound, and I used the breast meat from a store-bought rotisserie chicken.

I grade this an A.

ULTIMATE CHOCOLATE BROWNIES by Hershey's

This recipe came from Hershey's. These are the best homemade brownies that I've ever made. They're incredibly moist. I love the texture and appearance and they look better in person than they do in my photo. I made half in a 7" square pan that was lined with foil and sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. If you use an 8" pan for half the recipe, yours will cook in slightly less time than mine did and will be thinner, and these are already thin in a 7" pan. They baked in 37 minutes. I doubled the vanilla to one teaspoon and tripled the salt to 3/8 teaspoon and I think it needs more, probably 1/2 t. total. I didn't make the frosting for this but will next time, only using half the amount of cocoa, two tablespoons, not four.

My frosting recipe is: 1 c. powdered sugar (I didn't weigh the sugar), 1 T. unsweetened cocoa powder (Dutch process cocoa is best), 2 T. butter/margarine/spread, 2 T. milk, scant 1/2 t. pure vanilla extract. In microwavabel bowl melt together butter and milk. Stir in cocoa powder, pressing out all lumps with back of spoon. Add vanilla. Pour mixture into bowl containing powdered sugar, stirring until well incorporated. Pour over cooled brownies. Top with nuts if desired.

I grade these an A++.

Edit- I made these again 11/2020 and I made chocolate frosting for them. See photo below. 

Edit- I made these yet again 12/2020 and I used just 1/4 c. cocoa powder, which is 2 T. less than called for, I didn't weight it, and used equal parts melted butter and vegetable oil. They were too moist so just stick with all butter.

ANDREA BEMIS'S MINT CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

I made these cookies, without the mint, more than a year before I made them a second time. The second time I actually weighed out the flour and got better results than the previous time (the dough didn't spread out properly the first time, likely from too much flour), and still left out the mint. I got the recipe from Williams-Sonoma, but it's also posted on Food52, with a different photo of the cookies. These are very good with a good flavor on the edges. I used 1 1/4 c. semisweet chocolate chips, not 1/2 c. like the recipe stated, and got 31 one tablespoon dough balls. Mine baked in 9 minutes and the dough was at room temperature for 30 minutes before baking.

I grade these an A.

EASY CHICKEN PARMESAN WRAPS from Two Healthy Kitchens

This recipe is from Two Healthy Kitchens. I made half using one large boneless skinless chicken breast and instead of using flatbread and making these into Taco Bell Crunchwrap-type wraps I used crepes (half of this recipe) and made them into enchiladas. I used Monterey Jack cheese instead of an Italian blend, since I already had it on hand. I added a little onion and garlic powder to the filling. Half the recipe yielded three 6" enchiladas. They baked in 23 minutes on 400 degrees F. They're very good but too salty from the cheese. This tastes just like chicken lasagna. If you make enchiladas, leave the cheese out of the enchiladas and just use it on top. I used this exact marinara from Walmart, pureed in the food processor to make smooth.

I grade these an A.

PAN FRIED CHICKEN CROQUETTES from AllRecipes

This recipe is from All Recipes. I've made them four times. The last two times I made half and got three large patties. I use one large boneless, skinless chicken breast, baked then shredded and chopped finely. I use unseasoned bread crumbs, not seasoned, and I use onion powder, not minced onion. I don't use cayenne powder. I use slightly less bread crumbs in the mixture than called for. I form the patties before I chill the mixture, not after, then chill until I'm ready to fry them. These are fully cooked except for the egg. I think they take about seven minutes per side to fry. I use a mixture of vegetable/canola oil and Blue Bonnet. I make gravy for them using one tablespoon butter, one and a half tablespoons flour added after butter has melted, and 3/4 cup canned chicken broth, salt, pepper. It makes just enough for three.

I grade this an A+

THE BEST HOMEMADE ENCHILADA SAUCE RECIPE from Skinny Taste

This comes from Skinny Taste and is far from the best. I made half the recipe. It uses Mexican spices added to tomato sauce and chicken broth. I used regular chili powder, not Mexican hot and a lot less chipotle than called for, only a little more than 1/2 teaspoon of pured chipotle in adobe sauce, and that was pretty spicy. I made enchiladas with it using half of this crepe recipe in place of flour or corn tortillas. I made the crepes 7". I made the same filling as the one I used in the recipe on this post called Chicken Enchiladas Verdes.

I grade this an C because of the high amount of heat the recipe called for and it's salty. I don't know how anyone could handle that much heat.

PEACHES AND CREAM MUFFINS from Taste of Home

These come from Taste of Home and are nothing special. I made half the recipe and got five. I added vanilla, cinnamon, and ground toasted pecans. We could use sour cream or milk so I used sour cream. They need more salt. I baked these at a lower temperature for about 15 minutes, not 20-25 like the recipe stated. I wouldn't make these again and threw the last muffin out.

I grade them a C.