mmmmm

The good news is that bikini season is over. The bad? I still probably shouldn’t eat these anyway. But taking a quick gander at beautiful sweets can’t hurt. Go ahead, get a pseudo sugar lift and peruse these picks.  They’re just so pretty…

initiating the gallery...

Summer is winding down, school is starting up, alumni are still doing the same-sh*t-different-day dance. In summary, the end of August kind of blows. Which is why this week’s Intro to Cooking is throwing nutrition to the wind (sort of), because it’s time for something indulgent!

The Ingredient: Dark Chocolate

In truth, dark chocolate IS good for you. In small servings, it can lower blood pressure, due to its richness in antioxidants. Why the dark stuff, over its milk- and white-chocolate sisters? Researchers think that the milk found in the latter two varieties may temper with the body’s absorption of the healthful nutrients found in pure chocolate.

Easy recipes (do you really need an excuse?)

* Pair a few pieces with a glass of red wine (more antioxidants!) for a refined evening snack.
* Mix 2 tablespoons agave nectar with 1 tablespoon dark cocoa powder for a healthier alternative to chocolate dip, and serve over pieces of apples, raspberries, and bananas.
* Toss some dark chocolate pieces in a baggie with almonds, goji berries, walnuts, and peanuts for an upscale, super-tasty trail mix for those really hectic days.

The Recipe: Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes
Whoever discovered the combination of chocolate and peanut butter should be given the Nobel Prize, for their contribution to countless moments of decadent dessert bliss. So if you want a cupcake that is truly a religious experience (seriously, just look at that photo), pull out this recipe from Food & Wine, and you’ll be praying to the chocolate gods in no time. Read More »

Got something awesome everyone needs to know about? A really rad singer? A wicked new book? Delectable and healthy snacks?? Email your “The Know” ideas to Jill@collegecandy.com or tweet me and I’ll pass them along to everyone right here, every week. Make your kindergarten teacher proud and share!

Fact: Fro-yo in the summer is amazeballs.
Fact: Fro-yo stores are often overpriced.
Fact: Every time I finish my serving of overpriced fro-yo I’m sad its over and I want more, but don’t want to be fat. Or broke.

You feel me?

Well, what if I had a recipe for a yummy fro-yo dessert that was both lo-cal and low price?! I bet you’d say, “Sign me up for that biatch.” And sign you up for that I will, thanks to my friend Sam who made a kick-ass version for my birthday last year. Read More »

(Editor’s Note: We realize we’ve featured these before, but they are so freaking good and perfect for V-day that we just had to bring them back.)

OK, so we’ve only got 5 days until Valentine’s Day. And that means 5 days until you are inundated with cards, candies and treats…. and you still have nothing to give anyone else.

Have no fear! I’ve got the perfect little treat that is cheap, super easy to make, and is so totally delicious you will make hearts melt across campus.

Behold: the Oreo Truffle.

You don’t even need a real kitchen to whip up these little nuggets of goodness, making them the perfect Valentine’s Day gift (for your lover/friend/self) for the college girl. And you can customize them any way you’d like: add chopped nuts, colored sprinkles, graham cracker crumbles…. the options are endless. Read More »

Do you need a super-quick and easy dessert recipe to take to a last-minute holiday party help ease the pain of a break up? Do you love peanut butter? Do you love desserts that are indulgent and–gasp!–healthy?

Read on, my friend.

This recipe for pumpkin peanut butter mousse (adapted from The Peanut Butter Boy‘s formula) is about as close to Food Pyramid-certified as you’re going to get. The only fat in this dessert is in the peanut butter (which is loaded with “good” monounsaturated fats, as well as protein), and hey, pumpkin is a fruit!  Best of all, this recipe is multi-functional (see below) and takes less than five minutes to make.

If there were ever a sign that god exists, it is here. And it is tasty. Read More »

Mmmm beer cake.

I love drinking alcohol, but weekend after weekend of beer pong and vodka shots can get old. So I got to thinking…how can I spice up my weekly binge drinking sesh?

I hit the web in search of some “unique,” “fun” alcohol ideas, and out of these keywords came the most glorious idea I have ever heard.

Cake-tails.

It seemed so simple. Why had I never thought of this before? Why drink my calories when I can kill two birds with one stone? Gobble down baked goods from the snack table while still getting my drink on?

Within minutes I had an entire list of cocktail inspired recipes and alcohol based desserts that I knew my friends would be all over. (No seriously, if they tackled my kitchen table I wouldn’t be surprised).

So here are some of my favorites. Try them out for your next girls’ night or bring it to the house party on Saturday. (If you’re feeling particularly adventurous, make 20 mini bunt cakes for a delicious Beer Pong game.) You will most definitely be everyone’s favorite guest. Let’s be real, who is going to say no to alcohol-and-dessert-in-one? That’s right, absolutely no one.

Plus, our favorite girly cocktails can continue to live on despite the fact that the cutest thing we can drink in a beer-soaked-frat-house is a jello shot – and even that’s a luxury.

Read More »

I have a confession to make: I’m a little bit of a cupcake ho. How can you resist those cute, mini cakes? A portable slice of heaven? The perfect frosting to cake ratio? Recipes that make a dozen so you don’t have to stop after one?

How could you not fall truly, madly, deeply in love?

Unfortunately, being that I’ve been around the cupcake block a few times, I’ve become a bit of a cupcake snob and find myself snubbing the dry and uncreative store-bought variety.

Lucky for me (and you!), I found a simple and yummy cupcake recipe via Appoggiatura. Read More »

Who doesn’t love a little Southern cooking? Fried, greasy goodness? I wouldn’t trust someone who didn’t dream about it once in awhile.  And better yet, who doesn’t love a little Southern dessert? There is nothing. better. on earth. (I love you, Paula Dean!)

This recipe comes from my best friend’s mother, Mrs. D, a Southern mom who doesn’t have time to bake like all those other mommas.  These Oreo Balls are easy, quick and delicious, which is perfect for the college girl with a sweet tooth. You’ll need zero to no cooking experience or talent, so don’t fret if you’re not Betty Crocker. Hell, you don’t even need a full kitchen; you can make these balls of heaven right in your dorm room.

There are a lot of different recipes for Oreo Balls out there, but, again, I’m sticking with Mrs. D on this one. That woman totally knows her shiz. Read More »

My biggest issue with drinking is not the hangover the next morning or my desire to sing REALLY loudly at the bar, but the fact that I’m taking in all those calories for something that doesn’t taste good. I’m talking to you, Tequila!

If I’m going to get fatter, I better damn well enjoy it, am I right?

I’m sick of plugging my nose while throwing back a shot and rummaging through my kitchen for an open can of Diet Coke to chase it. I want to enjoy my drink from beginning (taste) to end (drunkity drunk drunk). So I sifted through the internet to find drinks that taste less like gasoline and more like my favorite thing: dessert. I’ve tested these recipes again and again (and again…) and they do the trick.

Potent? Check.
Lip smacking good? Mmmmmcheck!

Here are my faves: Read More »

The Idol Finale was full of surprises.

Dessert for dinner? Do it!

This is totally not P.C., but we kinda laughed anyway.

We’re obsessed with the maxi dress!

Will Chase Crawford do Kevin Bacon justice?

Um. Bacon lube exists.