Mice you do not need to call the exterminator for (or buy a cat to get rid of)...

Trust me- these tasty little cuties will disappear quickly enough on their own! And, they are easy to make to boot! People look at them and are amazed, thinking they took greuling hours on end to create, but it is just the opposite- there is no baking, no fuss, and hardly any mess to clean up once you are done! Sound too good to be true? Would I lie to you?

Aw, how precious!
So, here is how it's done:

What you need:
-As many Hershey kisses and cherries as mice you want to make. You will need one maraschino cherry (WITH STEM ATTACHED- I bought ones without stems and awkwardly had to exchange them the next day) and one kiss per mouse
-1 bag of semi-sweet or milk chocolate morsels
-1 tube decorating gel (whatever color you please. I used red, as you can see)
-1 bag sliced almonds
-Perafin wax (I did not have any so I used a tiny bit of shortening to get the melted chocolate at the correct consistency)

How to make:
-Melt the chocolate morsels and shortening/wax in a microwave-safe bowl. It takes about 2 minutes, but remember to stir at around 30-second intervals
-Dip the cherries into the chocolate and place onto aluminum foil
-After placing each cherry onto the foil, attach the unwrapped Hershey kiss as the head. Then, attach the almonds between the chocolate-covered cherry and the kiss, ensuring you do so while the chocolate is still wet
-Use the gel to make the face on the mouse
-Repeat until all cherries are used or until you get sick of making them
-Allow the mice to sit until their cute little chocolate bodies harden
-Serve and watch them disappear!

Sometimes, low-fat can taste just as good!

This was quite an experiment. I found the recipe for candy cane-topped chocolate cheesecake bars with chocolate glaze online, as usual (isn't that how we find everything these days?), and thought it looked and sounded like the yummiest holiday treat ever. However, I am a very busy girl, so I needed to make it while attempting to cross other tasks off my ever-growing to-do list. I thought this would work okay, mix some ingredients here, wrap a couple presents there, make some phone calls there, etc. Needless to say, these bars, though delicious, turned out a bit sloppy. However, what is it I am always saying? If it makes your tastebuds leap for joy, what do looks matter? I say they don't.

Your artieries will thank you:
-Substitute the cream cheese for low-fat cream cheese. I did and they were still amazing!
-Substitute the regular sour cream for fat-free. Once again, the taste was still stellar!
-Substitute the butter for a butter substitute

Tips and Tricks:
The egg and cream cheese being at room temperature is actually very important! I tend to overlook these things due to laziness and then it ends up making the texture of the final product off.

To crush the candy canes, place a few in a bag and roll over it with a rolling pin

What's inside:
Crust:

• 20 chocolate wafer cookies (I took apart Oreos and scraped off the frosting)
• 3 tablespoons melted butter
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coffee beans (or, whole ones, since you are putting it in the food processor anyways)

Filling:

• 8 ounces semi-sweet, bittersweet or milk chocolate, broken up
• 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 large eggs, room temperature

Glaze:

• 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 teaspoon light or dark corn syrup
• 2 tablespoons sour cream, room temperature
• 1/2 cup crushed candy canes

Directions:

Before you begin...1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. Line an 8-inch square baking dish with foil

For the crust:

1. Process the chocolate wafers, butter, sugar and coffee in a food processor until fine

2. Evenly press the crust into the prepared dish covering the bottom completely

3. Bake until the crust sets, about 15 minutes.

While the crust is baking, make the filling:

1. Put the chocolate in a medium microwave-safe bowl; heat at until softened, about 2 minutes. Stir, and continue to microwave until completely melted, up to 2 minutes more. (Or, bring a saucepan filled with an inch or so of water to a very slow simmer; set the bowl over, but not touching, the water, and stir occasionally until melted and smooth.)

2. Blend the cream cheese, sugar, and sour cream together in the food processor until smooth. Scrape down the sides, as needed. Add the eggs and pulse until just incorporated. With the food processor running, pour the chocolate into the wet ingredients and mix until smooth.

3. Pour the filling evenly over the crust. Bake until filling puffs slightly around the edges, but is still a bit wobbly in the center, about 25 to 30 minutes. Cool on a rack.

For the Glaze:

1. Put the chocolate, butter and corn syrup in a microwave safe bowl. Heat glaze in the microwave at until melted, about 2 minutes. Stir the ingredients together until smooth; add the sour cream. Spread glaze evenly over the warm cake (not when it immediately comes out of the oven- wait about 10-15 minutes) and scatter the crushed candy canes over top. Cool completely, then refrigerate overnight.

Original recipe can be seen at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/chocolate-cheesecake-candy-cane-bars-recipe2/index.html 

This dessert is exactly what Christmas smells like...

If a candle company could incorporate the aroma that this delicious gingerbread gave off as it was in the oven, they would instantly make a ton of money. I do not think the house ever smelled this good. That alone should be enough incentive to cook this delicious, old-fashioned and simple bread during Christmastime.

What's Inside:

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup butter

1 egg

1 cup molasses

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

2 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves

1 cup hot water

Your arteries will thank you...
Substitute a 0 trans-fat butter substitute or margarine for the butter

How to make it:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9 inch square pan.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the sugar and butter. Beat in the egg, and mix in the molasses.
3. In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. Blend into the creamed mixture. Stir in the hot water. Pour into the prepared pan.
4. Bake 1 hour in the preheated oven, until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in pan before serving.

Chocolate, toffee, caramel... a bit of everything bad for you

These cookies were intense, and I could not make them look nearly as beautiful as the person who made them in the recipe I found. Esentially, I learned that I am completely inept at drizzling chocolate. However, when cookies taste as yummy as these, I hardly think that looks are of any consequence. They were quite easy to make as well, and perfect for any occasion. I made them for co-workers and actually recieved thank-you notes. So, without further ado, here is the recipe for Chocolate Drizzed Peanut Caramel Crunch Cookies! Original recipe from Myrecipes.com.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter or margarine or a butter substitute acceptable for baking
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 2/3 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 large egg
• 2 cups all-purpose baking mix
• 2/3 cup almond toffee bits (I used Heath, I am not sure if anyone else even makes them)
• 2/3 cup chopped peanuts
• 2/3 cup milk chocolate, semi-sweet, or bittersweet chips
• 10 ounce vanilla caramels
• 2 to 3 tablespoons whipping cream
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup melted milk chocolate chips for drizzle (or semi-sweet, or bittersweet, whatever you are craving)

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Beat first 4 ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Add egg followed by baking mix, beating until blended. Stir in toffee bits, chopped peanuts, and 2/3 cup chocolate chips.
2. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets; flatten dough with hand.
3. Bake at 350° for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool cookies on baking sheets 1 minute; remove cookies to wire racks.
4. Microwave caramels and 2 tablespoons cream in a glass bowl at HIGH 1 minute; stir. Continue to microwave at 30-second intervals, stirring until caramels melt and mixture is smooth; add remaining cream, if necessary. Stir in vanilla. Spoon caramel mixture evenly onto tops of cookies; drizzle evenly with melted chocolate. (This is a lot easier said than done... mine ended up just having unattractive blobs of chocolate on top of the caramel, as you can see from my picture).

Pumpkin is the flavor of the season, especially with this recipe...

I love pumpkin. Pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread, pumpkin spice lattes from Starbucks... I adore it all. So, imagine how excited I was to find an easy pumpkin dessert recipe that is both quick and delicious! I followed it very accurately, but with a bit less butter. Acutally, I used the sticks that are half butter and half SmartBalance and it worked perfectly, so that is what I recommend. Your arteries will thank you.
The picture does not even remotely do it justice, but it is not the fault of my photography- pumpkin desserts, as tasty as they are, are just simply not very attractive.

Original recipe from allrecipes.com

Ingredients:-1 (29 oz) can pumpkin
-1 cup white sugar
-3 eggs
-1 (12 fl oz) can evaporated milk
-1 tbsp pumpkin spice
-1 (18.25 oz) package of yellow cake mix (I used Pilsbury)
-3/4 cup butter (the original recipe calls for 1 cup, but I found 3/4 to be plenty)
-Whipped topping (I used fat free Cool Whip) to serve with

Directions:1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9 x 13 inch baking pan with tin foil
2) In a large bowl, stir together the pumpkin, sugar and eggs. Mix in the evaporated milk and pumpkin spice. Pour into the prepared pan.
3) Sprinkle the dry cake mix over the pumpkin and drizzle melted butter over the cake mix. Make sure all of it looks wet. I made the mistake of not doing so, and had to take it out halfway through baking time and even it out.
4) Bake for 1 hour in preheated oven or until knife inserted into cake comes out clean. Cool, then invert onto a serving dish. ( I am not sure that this last part was really necessary- it depends on how fancy you want your dessert to sound. The name "upside-down pumpkin cake" sounds a bit more fancy and complicating).

What is more delicious than eggnog and chai?

...Well, a lot of things, as it turns out. I was really excited to try this recipe, but it was not as amazing as I would have hoped. However, I think a great deal of this has to do with the fact that I do not LOVE chai or eggnog, I am only okay with both of them. So if you are a fan of both, I assure you that these will not fail to please. They are definitely a very unique flavor. I followed the recipe rather closely but took out my first batch a bit too early. Do not make this mistake- make sure they have been in the oven long enough.

First, as usual, a picture:

There they are, just hangin out with my delicious peanut-butter chocolate drops (for which there is a recipe a couple of posts down). I admit this is not my best picture, but hey. I did a LOT of cooking that night. I think they still look festive. So, without further ado, here is the recipe (which I found on myrecipes.com) for Chai Tea Eggnog Cookies.

Ingredients

• 1 chai tea bag (I used Celestial Seasonings)
• 1 (17.5-oz.) package sugar cookie mix
• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 1 large egg
• 4 tablespoons eggnog, divided
• Parchment paper
• Cinnamon sugar
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Remove tea leaves from tea bag; discard bag.
2. Stir together tea leaves, cookie mix, butter, egg, and 2 Tbsp. eggnog until well blended.
3. Drop dough by tablespoonfuls onto parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Flatten dough slightly with bottom of a glass dipped in cinnamon sugar.
4. Bake at 350° for 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from baking sheet to a wire rack, and cool completely (about 10 minutes).
5. Whisk together powdered sugar, nutmeg, and remaining 2 Tbsp. eggnog until smooth. Spoon over cooled cookies.

For the inner Hawaiian in all of us....

There is the Maui Cake! I'm not sure which intrigued me more: the name of this dessert, or the scrumptious-looking picture posted along with the recipe. It was probably the picture. Anything topped with a flower and chocolate-covered espresso beans will get me everytime. Now, let me start off with a few of the lessons which I learned from this experience of cooking a layer cake:

1) When it says to grease and flour the pan, actually do it. Don't take the easy way out and use cooking spray unless you want to spend time scraping your cake layers out of the pans and then begging your mother to fix the falling-apart cake to make it look nice and actually stay in one piece.

2) You may want to skip the chocolate-covered espresso beans. For me, doing so was not an option, but it turned into a nearly impossible mission just to find them. I finally did at Peet's. Not even my beloved Starbuck's had any!

3) I highly recommend adding coconut to the top of the cake, and skipping the flower. I made these alterations to the original recipe, which called for a fresh flower to put on top of the case for aesthetic's sake. I skipped it because I was making this cake for a holiday party and that seemed sort of out of place. But if you are making it for a luau, maybe it is worth it. I will let you be the judge. The coconut addition, however, seems like a necessity!

Without furthur ado, I will present you with a picture and see if my photography skills make it look as inticing as the original picture did for me.

Just looking at these now makes me want to make another one! Acutally not quite, it was pretty delicious but it was a lot of effort- so be prepared for a bit of work!

Maui Cake Recipe (originally from myrecipes.com)
Ingredients (for cake layers)

• 1 cup water
• 1 1/2 cups raisins
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup chopped walnuts

Cake Preparation:
Combine 1 cup water and raisins in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover, and simmer 10 minutes. Drain and reserve water, adding water to make 1/2 cup; cool.

Combine flour and next 4 ingredients in a bowl.
Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy; gradually add sugar, beating well. Add egg, beating just until combined. Add flour mixture alternately with reserved water beginning and ending with flour mixture; beat just until combined. Stir in raisins and walnuts. Spread batter into 2 greased and floured 9-inch round cake pans.
Bake at 375° for 15 to 20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Run a knife around edge of pans; cool in pans on a wire rack 10 minutes. Remove from pans, and cool completely on a wire rack. Spread egg custard filling over one cake layer; top with remaining cake layer. Frost top and sides of cake with Mocha Frosting. If desired, place chopped nuts around sides of cake, and garnish with chocolate-covered coffee beans and coconut. Store cake covered and chilled! 

Egg Custard Filling:
Ingredients

• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 cup milk
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation:

Combine sugar, cornstarch, egg yolks, and milk in top of a double boiler; stir well with a whisk. Cook over simmering water 8 to 10 minutes or until thickened, whisking constantly. Remove from heat; whisk in butter and vanilla. Pour custard into a bowl; place plastic wrap directly on top of custard to prevent a skin from forming. 

Mocha Frosting

Ingredients: (I would advise doubling this- I used a LOT of frosting, but had to mend a broken cake which may have been why)

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup cocoa
• 3 tablespoons cold strong brewed coffee (I accidentally used tea that was flavored like hazelnut coffee, but it somehow turned out really delicious anyways)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation:
Beat first 4 ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Stir in vanilla.

For me, anyways, second time is a charm

I found the recipe for these cookies when I did a Google search for "easy to ship cookies". These little chocolatey-peanut butter balls of wonder are one of the best and easiest things I have ever made, and I will definitely make them for any occasion that requires any sort of dessert, and probably for occasions that do not require dessert as well. Just look at how scrumptious they look:

They taste just as good as they look. My first attempt at baking these ended poorly because I decided not to carefully read the instructions. The recipe for the glaze called for "bittersweet chocolate" but I misread and used unsweetened, so they were a little bitter. I also used a bit more whipped topping the second time around for the glaze because the first time I did not use enough so it was too thick. I will include my alterations on the recipe. I obtained this recipe for "chewy peanut chocolate drops" from homecooking.about.com. Definitely make them. There is no reason not to :).

Cookie Ingredients:

• 4 ounces (squares) unsweetened chocolate
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, cut into 1/2-inch slices
• 1/3 cup smooth peanut butter
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten with a fork
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup chopped peanuts
• 1/4 cup miniature chocolate chips

Chocolate Glaze:

• 12 ounces whipped topping (such as Cool Whip®)
• 6 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate (I used Ghiradelli)
• 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar

Preparation:

Place unsweetened chocolate chunks, butter, and peanut butter in a large microwave-safe bowl. Cook on High for 1 minute, until butter is melted. Whisk until smooth, then blend in sugar. Add eggs and vanilla, beating until incorporated. Blend in flour, half at a time, until well-mixed. Fold in chopped peanuts and miniature chocolate chips. Cover and chill for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

Roll dough into 1-inch balls and place 1-1/2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Bake for 10 minutes. Do not overbake or the cookies will become crispy rather than chewy. Let rest on baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to racks to cool completely.

Chocolate Glaze:

Break bittersweet or semisweet chocolate into large chunks and place in a microwave-safe bowl. Add half of whipped topping and microwave on High for 1 minute. Remove and stir for 1 minute. Add remaining whipped topping and microwave another 30 seconds. Whisk until all chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Whisk in confectioners' sugar, beating until there are no lumps. Let the mixture rest for 10 minutes to thicken up.

Swirl the tops of the cookies in the chocolate glaze and place on waxed paper. Let stand, uncovered, 3 to 4 hours to dry and set glaze.

The most intensely sweet cocktail that graces the face of this planet

It is called a "Pecan Pie Martini", and I kind of got the idea from a specials menu at a restaurant (shhhh, don't tell!). It was good, but REALLY sweet and REALLY strong at the same time. So, just be VERY prepared for an intense drink. If that is what you are looking for, however, then this is perfect.

Pecan Pie Martini:
Ingredients:
1) Butterscotch Schnapps
2) Frangelico Hazelnut Liqueur
3) Three Olives Cake Vodka

You can play around with the portions for this a bit, we first tried doing 4 ounces total per drink, 2 ounces of Frangelico and one of the other two types of alcohol and then we tried doing 2 ounces of schnapps and one of each of the other two. It really depends on what you want more of taste-wise. Dip rims of martini glasses into corn syrup and then into brown sugar. Pour liquor combination into a shaker and shake, then pour into martini glasses and serve.

Probably the most delicious thing I have made thus far...

If that title does not instantly snag your attention then I do not know what will. The past two years or so for Thanksgiving I have made an ice cream pumpkin pie which I thought was delcious enough as it was. However, my world was turned upside-down when I was searching for the recipe online and this glorious thing came up as the first recipe on the list. It is called a "Pumpkin Ice-Cream Pie with Chocolate Almond Bark and Toffee Sauce." WHAT? I knew instantly I had to make this glorious thing for Thanksgiving this year. I made it, and it was a huge success. I followed the recipe to the letter so I am just going to copy it from where I found it, on epicurious.com. Actually I lied, I used 1.5 quarts of ice cream instead of the two that this recipe calls for.

Crust:

• 12 whole graham crackers (about 7 ounces)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 7 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Filling:

• 1 cup canned pure pumpkin
• 3/4 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
• 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1.5 quarts premium vanilla ice cream (which is a container of Breyers which is what I used. I used their "extra creamy vailla" variety and it was perfect)

Bark, sauce, and topping:

• Nonstick vegetable oil spray
• 6 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted, coarsely chopped
• 1 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
• 1/4 cup dark corn syrup
• 3 tablespoons water
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 cups chilled heavy whipping cream, divided
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons sugar

For crust:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Finely grind graham crackers in processor. Mix in sugar. Add butter; mix to blend. Press onto bottom and up sides of 10-inch-diameter glass pie dish. Bake until light brown around edges, about 12 minutes. Cool completely.

For filling:
Whisk first 9 ingredients in medium bowl. Slightly soften ice cream in microwave in 10-second intervals. Spoon ice cream into large bowl. Working quickly, add pumpkin mixture and fold just until swirled into ice cream (do not blend completely). If ice cream begins to melt, freeze until almost firm. Spoon ice cream filling into cooled crust, cover with plastic, and freeze until firm, at least 6 hours. DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 days ahead. Keep frozen.

For bark, sauce, and topping:
Line baking sheet with parchment paper; spray with nonstick spray. Stir chocolate in bowl set over saucepan of simmering water until melted and smooth. Pour onto baking sheet. Using offset spatula, spread chocolate in even layer into 12x9-inch rectangle. Sprinkle with nuts. Place in freezer until hard, at least 30 minutes. Invert onto work surface. Peel off paper. Coarsely chop. Place DO AHEAD: Chocolate-almond bark can be made 2 days ahead. Keep frozen.

Bring brown sugar, corn syrup, 3 tablespoons water, and butter to boil in heavy medium saucepan, stirring until butter melts and sugar dissolves. Reduce heat to medium and boil until dark brown, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Carefully stir in 1/2 cup cream, vanilla, and salt (mixture will bubble vigorously). Boil 1 minute longer. Cool slightly. DO AHEAD: Sauce can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and chill. Rewarm before serving.

Using electric mixer, beat 1 1/2 cups cream and 2 tablespoons sugar in medium bowl until peaks form. Spoon decoratively over pie. Sprinkle chocolate-almond bark over. Cut pie into wedges and serve, passing warm sauce alongside.

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Pumpkin-Ice-Cream-Pie-with-Chocolate-Almond-Bark-and-Toffee-Sauce-350477#ixzz1fOsYtHyg

Be sure to have a glass of milk handy...

Hello all, and welcome to my culinary diaries, a blog where I will be posting the recipes I try out and passing them on to you!
Tonight I made cappucino-frosted brownies, for which I obtained a recipe online, but with some personal modifications. I think they would have turned out better for me had I bought a better instant mocha mix, as the one I went with did not actually taste much like coffee, more like hot cocoa. But, if that sounds appealing to you, then this recipe will be perfect. Also, do not make the same novice mistake that I did and try to frost the brownies before they are fully cooled, I erred in this way and the frosting began to melt.
Okay, based on that introduction, it sounds like my brownies turned out to be a completely failed experiment, but that is simply not the case. They were delicious and rich, and definitely need to be accompanied by a nice, cold glass of milk. I also made an alteration to the recipe and I added Heath toffee bits to top off the brownies and that was a really good choice on my part, I give myself a nice pat on the back for that.
So, without further ado, here is the recipe for cappucino-frosted brownies:

Brownines:
Ingredients:1) 4 (1 oz.) unsweetened chocolate baking squares
2) 3/4 cup butter
3) 2 cups sugar
4) 4 large eggs
5) 1 cup all-purpose flour
6) 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
7) 1 cup semi-sweet (or milk chocolate) chocolate chips
8) 1 package Health toffee bits

Directions:
1) Microwave chocolate squares and butter in a large microwave-safe bowl at high for 1 1/2 minutes, stirring after 1 minute and then every 30 seconds or until melted. Stir until smooth. Stir in sugar. Add eggs, 1 at a time.
2) Stir in flour and vanilla, followed by chocolate chips. Pour mixture into a lightly-greased 13 x 9 inch pan.
3) Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean. Cool completely (seriously)
4) Spread buttercream frosting (see directions below) evenly over top and top with Health toffee bits.

Frosting:
Ingredients:
1) 1 envelope (about 4 ounces) instant mocha cappucino mix (the online recipe used Land O' Lakes Suisse Mocha hot cappucino mix, but I could not find that so I used the Kroger brand Swisse Mocha mix. The one I used did not have much espresso flavor, so if that is what you are looking for then use the one the online recipe called for)
2) 1/4 cup hot milk
3) 1/2 cup butter, softened
4) 1 16 ounce package powdered sugar

Directions:
1) Dissolve instant mocha cappucino mix in hot milk in a small cup, stirring to combine; cool completely. Pour milk mixture into a mixing bowl; add softened butter and beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until well combined.
2) Gradually add powdered sugar, beating until smooth and fluffy

The recipe I found originally was at myrecipes.com