Recipes
My Recipes
I make a lot of recipes that I find online, but I'm a firm believer that making use of premade stuff and/or box mixes is a great way to get comfortable with cooking when you either lack the skill to follow complex recipes or simply don't have time or energy to cook a lot. there are actual step-by-step recipes at the bottom of the page, but I use the word "recipes" somewhat loosely for the first section here because it's more like ideas I've tried and liked when it comes to premade stuff, most of which isn't really a recipe on its own.
Brownies
Betty Crocker fudge brownies are kinda boring after a certain point, so I started mixing shit into them and I'll never go back. also, I always use olive oil over any other vegetable oil, it makes the brownies have a more complex taste that isn't too sweet.
- pretzels and peanuts, mixed into the batter.
- any kind of nut that goes well with chocolate really, mixed into the batter.
- melted peanut butter (microwave around 30 seconds), poured over the top once it's in the pan and loosely swirled with a fork. you don't want it so mixed that you can't see it, it should look kind of like marble brownies but with peanut butter.
- broken up Hershey's chocolate bars, some mixed into the batter and some pressed onto the top after it's in the pan.
- crushed up graham crackers mixed with butter at the bottom of the pan, Hershey's chocolate bars mixed in. after it's been baked almost completely, cut a bunch of regular-sized marshmallows in half, stick them to the brownies in rows sticky side down, and broil for 1-2 minutes to lightly toast the marshmallows. if you've never broiled before, keep an eye on it or it will burn!!!
Pudding Pie Fillings
turns out you can just make your own pies super easy and there's no specific rules you have to follow if it's one where you bake the premade crust (or don't bake the crust at all) and use pudding as a filling. a premade flaky crust tastes super bland unless you brush the edges with butter before baking though.
- vanilla pudding (the kind you make over the stove) with like half a cup of melted peanut butter mixed in after it's taken off the heat.
- the same as the above, except with chocolate pudding instead of vanilla. vanilla absorbs the peanut butter flavor whereas the chocolate makes its own.
- this is the current arc of my dessert journey, will put more on this list soon >:3c
Waffle (or Pancake) Toppings
I use a specific waffle recipe rather than a box mix, but a box mix will work fine for these. I mean it's just toppings, you can do whatever. you can put them on pancakes too but I fuckin hate pancakes.
- peaches and whipped cream.
- strawberry syrup (2 parts stawberries, 1 part water, and 1 part sugar, mixed in and left to sit in the fridge while you make the waffles) + whipped cream. it's like the topping on a strawberry shortcake.
- pears, walnuts, and maple syrup.
- peanut butter syrup, made from like 1/2 cup maple syrup, 1/4 cup peanut butter, and 2 tsp of vanilla. this is the only one I put on pancakes and I honestly don't know if it would work on waffles.
Others' Recipes
these are just a small selection of the recipes I have collected in my cookbook binder, specifically the best of the best that I absolutely love every time I have them, but in no particular order.