Cream Cheese Cupcakes

Here's one of my childhood faves. I requested these instead of cake for just about every birthday. Well, these and permission to eat the batter from an entire cake all by myself :)

Chocolate cake mix (plus the ingredients listed on box)

8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened

1 egg

1/3 cup sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

Chocolate chips

Mix up cake mix as directed on box. Fill up each lined cupcake mold about 2/3 full. Beat cream cheese, egg, sugar and vanilla until combined. Mix in as many chocolate chips as desired (about one package is what i use). Drop a teaspoon of cream cheese mixture in center of each partially filled cupcake. Bake as directed for cupcakes on cake mix box. Dust with powdered sugar if desired. Enjoy hot with a glass of milk! yum!

Chocolate Caramel Toffee Bars

These are some amazing bar cookies courtesy of my good friend Sarah Porter. Sarah is one of the healthiest eaters I know but when she cheats, this is the amazing dessert she makes!

1 yellow cake mix

1/3 c. oil

2 eggs

1 (12 oz.) package semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 c. white chocolate chips

3 (1.4 oz.) Heath or Skor bars, broken into pieces

1/2 c. butter or margarine

32 caramels, unwrapped

1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk

Preheat oven to 350. Grease 13" x 9" pan. Combine cake mix, oil and eggs; blend well. Stir in all chips and candy pieces (you can get creative and use other stuff too!). Press half of the mixture into pan and bake for 10 minutes. (It helps to press batter into pan using saran wrap to keep it from sticking to fingers).

Meanwhile combine butter, caramels and sweetened condensed milk in a saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat until smooth and melted. Slowly pour caramel mixture over partially baked crust, top with remaining cake mix mixture. Return to oven and bake an additional 25-30 minutes or until brown. Cool 20 minutes in pan. Run knife around sides of pan to loosen bars. Cool 40 minutes and refrigerate 1 hour. Store in refrigerator, makes 24 bars.

**Try making two batches, one with a yellow cake mix on bottom and a chocolate one on top and the other vice versa. Bon apetit!