February Birthday Lunch

About a year or two ago I started making the desserts for our birthday lunches at work. I have a lot of fun doing it and try to come up with fun and new things to try.


Chocolate Eclair Squares

Laura found this recipe on kraftfoods.com and made it for her mom's birthday. Both of us liked it, but everyone else crabbed about a cake made from "soggy cookies and puddin". I thought my coworkers would like it so I made it for our lunch. Laura's turned out much prettier though! She used the dessert plate chocolate in a squeeze bottle and I think it was easier to make it look pretty than just drizzling chocolate on it.

2 pkg. (3.4 oz. each) Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding
2 cups cold milk
1 tub (8 oz.) Whipped Topping, thawed
64 vanilla wafers
2 squares BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate

Beat pudding mixes and milk in large bowl with whisk 2 min. Stir in whipped topping.
Arrange 16 wafers on bottom of 8-inch square dish; cover with 1/3 of the pudding mixture. Repeat layers twice. Top with remaining wafers. Refrigerate 4 hours.
Microwave chocolate in microwaveable bowl on HIGH 1 min. or until melted when stirred. Drizzle over dessert.

*I used fat free milk & cool whip and reduced fat vanilla wafers to make it slightly healthier

Valentine Parfait Cupcakes

I saw these on bettycrocker.com and thought they were super cute, so I had to try them! They were super easy too!

1 box devil's food cake mix
Water, vegetable oil and eggs called for on cake mix box
1 can (1 lb) Betty Crocker Whipped fluffy white frosting
1 cup semisweet or milk chocolate chips (6 oz)
2 teaspoons shortening
heart sprinkles

Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pans). Place paper baking cup in each of 24 regular-size muffin cups. Make cake batter as directed on cake mix box, using water, oil and eggs. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups (about 2/3 full).

Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center come out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes; remove from pans to cooling racks. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.

Spoon frosting into decorating bag fitted with large round tip. Pipe dollop of frosting on top of each cupcake.

In small microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips and shortening uncovered on High 1 minute, stirring once halfway through heating. Drizzle melted chocolate over frosted cupcakes; sprinkle with hearts.

*Tip: I use my large cookie scoop (from Pampered Chef) to fill the cupcake pans. It perfectly fills the cup about 2/3 full and gives you uniform cupcakes. ;)