Cake Fridays

Peanut Butter Coffee Cake with Chocolate Crumb Topping...does it get any better than that?!

I adore this cake and know you will too!  Peanut butter and chocolate is one of my favorite flavor combinations.  This cake is not too sweet due to the chocolate crumb topping and does not have an overly strong peanut butter flavor like most peanut butter cakes do.  It is perfection in a slice.

Here is the recipe.    

Pumpkin Gingerbread

No butter or oil necessary to make this bread moist and delicious!  I took the blogger's advice and left out the stick of butter and boy am I glad I did.  It tastes a lot like my all time favorite bread: ginger studded molasses bread (look it up on my blog if you haven't made it yet, it's the bomb).

Another reason why I love baking with canned pumpkin and molasses...together, they make anything taste like fall with no extra fat involved.  Make this bread for your loved ones and watch them giggle with delight. I like to sandwich two pieces together with cookie butter spread in between.  Absolute heaven.  I will be making this bread often, along with my ginger studded molasses bread :)

FYI: I did not add raisins and used canned pumpkin puree.  My loaf baked for 40 minutes.

Here is the recipe.  

Perfect End of Year Teacher's Gift!

This is a straight forward, foolproof recipe any baker can make and any teacher would enjoy!

I made this bread for my daughter's teachers and they loved it!  The recipe makes two hearty loaves brimming with cinnamon and sugar.  Treat your child's teacher this time of year and make him or her something sweet.  You could even make a flavored butter to go along with it so he or she can have toasted buttery bread for breakfast or a snack :)

Here is the recipe.  

Southern Cookies to Cherish

Southern tea cakes are a new concept for me.  I've lived in North Carolina for almost 9 years now and can honestly say that Southern cooking is my favorite.  The pulled pork, the corn muffins, the black eyed peas and collard greens, the vinegar based sauces, and don't even get me started on the grits! My mouth is watering just thinking about a good Southern meal.  So when I saw this recipe that highlights a dear Southern dessert, I knew I had to give it a try.  It is my new favorite cookie recipe, hands down.  

Here is why I love these cookies so much.  They taste like chewy little cakes with a slight crisp on the bottom.  They have so much personality and simplicity.  With only a few ingredients, they all come together to form the perfect pillow of perfection.

I completely adore these cookies.  I always have just two cookies, but I make an exception with these. Both nights we've had these for dessert I've downed three.  I know, it sounds crazy but for me, that's saying something.  The vanilla flavor radiates throughout and to guild the lily, I added mini chocolate chips to half the batter.  I think I like them plain better than with chocolate chips but it's a close race.

These would make the ultimate whoopie pie sandwich or black and white cookie, according to my husband. Slather half of a cookie with white frosting and half with chocolate and viola!  Or sandwich two together with ice cream or French vanilla whipped topping.  The possibilities are endless.  I even considered slathering the bottoms with hazelnut spread.  I just love these cookies and could go on and on about them...

FYI: Mine baked for 15 minutes.

Bake them today!

Here is the recipe.  

Oatmeal Mondays

These granola bites made with oats, shredded coconut, honey, vanilla extract, chia seeds, peanut butter (and don't forget the mini chocolate chips!) went so fast that I didn't have the chance to take a picture of them!  My kids LOVED them!  I bet your family will devour them too :)

Here is the recipe.

Baked Pumpkin Butter Cream Cheese French Toast

This breakfast bake will have everyone jumping out of bed in the morning.  A quick and easy dish is just what this tired mother ordered!  

Ingredients and Instructions:

12-count Kroger honey dinner rolls, cubed

Set aside.

3/4 C almond milk
1/2 C Trader Joe's pumpkin butter
3 eggs

Whisk vigorously in 2 C glass pitcher.  Set aside.

3 oz light cream cheese, cubed

Set aside.

Now that you have all of the ingredients ready, let's start building this most delicious breakfast.  Grease an 8x8 glass baking dish and place 1/2 of the dinner rolls on the bottom.  Pour half of the pumpkin butter mixture over top. Evenly place the cream cheese cubes over that.  Now repeat with another layer of rolls and pour the remaining pumpkin butter mixture over top.  Be sure to saturate all of the bread with the liquid. Cover with a lid or plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator overnight.  When you want to bake it, preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  It should take about 20 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the middle is set.  Makes 6 servings.  Enjoy :)

Cake Fridays

Spiced Pear Cake...need I say more?!  I made this for Mother's Day and it was a great way to celebrate spring!  The kids loved their mini bundt cakes with whipped cream right in the center.  Fun and festive with the perfect amount of spice, these are delicate treats everyone will enjoy :)

FYI: I halved the recipe and baked mine in a greased mini bundt pan.  I got 9 mini bundts out of the batter. They baked for about 20 minutes.  I omitted the glaze.  

Here is the recipe.

THE BEST chocolate chip cookies!

I am a huge fan of the blog Bake or Break so I knew these cookies would be a slam dunk.  The texture is unreal with the addition of chopped pecans, milk chocolate, and ground oats.  I am not a fan of crispy cookies that break when you bite into them and scatter the floor with crumbs.  I like a chewy, toothsome cookie and these hit the mark.  As you can see from the photos, I made cookie sandwiches to mimic one of my favorite childhood treats.  I loved grabbing a Chipwich in the freezer case of our local 7-Eleven growing up, especially after basketball practice.  To me, the perfect bite contains a hunk of ice cream with a hearty chunk of a chocolate chip cookie...yum!

Here is the recipe.

White Chocolate Cinnamon Cookies

These cookies are amazing!  I highly recommend you make them.  They taste like snickerdoodles with the added bonus of white chocolate chips.  Yum!

FYI: My cookies baked for 9-10 minutes.

Here is the recipe.

Cake Fridays

Cupcakes for my daughter's 4th birthday :)

I found this idea on Pinterest.  Here is the link.  

FYI: I used chocolate Oreos so I did not have to line the outside of the Oreos with icing since they were already brown.  If I make these again, I think I will use melted chocolate to attach the Oreos to the cupcake liners since some of them fell off and didn't stick as well with the icing.  

Pineapple Coconut Bars

FYI: I omitted the walnuts and used 1/2 C sugar in the filling.  These fruity bars are sweet, buttery, crispy and chewy.  The perfect refreshing spring/summer treat :)  

Here is the recipe.

Chocolate Buttermilk Banana Bread

I finally created a chocolate quick bread recipe that I really love!  I've made some dry, underwhelming chocolate breads in my baking days and this time, I think I got it right!  

Here is the recipe:

1 1/2 C flour
1/2 C baking cocoa
1/2 t salt
1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
2/3 C sugar

Whisk in large bowl.  Set aside.

1 C buttermilk
2 eggs
2 ripe, mashed bananas
1/4 C canola oil

Whisk in small bowl.  Add to dry ingredients and stir to combine.  Pour into greased loaf pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes.  Remove from oven and let cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes.  Invert pan and cool completely on wire rack.  Slather with lots of butter :)

Muffins for Mother's Day

These would be perfect to make for mom on Mother's Day!  Banana, peanut butter, chia seeds, ground granola bars...all ingredients you probably have in the house already.  Warm or at room temperature, these muffins pair well with Greek yogurt, butter, Nutella, more peanut butter, etc.  They are moist, light, and absolutely delicious :)

Banana-Peanut Butter Chia Seed Muffins
slightly adapted from: Girl Versus Dough

1 C flour
3 packages Nature Valley Oats 'n Honey granola bars, ground (about 3/4 C)
1/3 C brown sugar
1 T baking powder
1 T chia seeds

Whisk in large bowl and set aside.  

1 C buttermilk
1/2 C peanut butter
1 ripe, mashed banana
1 egg
2 T canola oil
1 t vanilla extract

Whisk in small bowl.  Add to dry ingredients and stir to combine.  Fill 15 muffin cups 3/4 way full and bake at 350 degrees for 18 minutes.

Cake Fridays

Cupcakes for my son's 6th birthday :)

I got the idea from Pinterest.  All you do is buy a bag of marshmallows and an edible food writer marker like Wilton brand.  I used black for this.  Copy the face of a stormtrooper onto a marshmallow, use white frosting to slather the tops of your cupcakes, and gently press the marshmallow into the frosting. They look so ominous yet cute as a button!  My son was thrilled with these!

Wild Rice Pancakes

I've been wanting to make these wild rice pancakes for quite sometime.  They were everything I dreamed they would be: chewy, nutty, savory, fluffy, and filling.  They proved to be the perfect side dish to some sloppy Joe meat and carrots.  The kids enjoyed them as sandwiches with cream cheese in the middle.

Bottom line: you've got to try these!

FYI: I only added 4 T butter to the batter.  Since these have enough fat in the batter, it is not necessary to butter the pan before cooking.  Makes 19 pancakes.

Chewy Graham Brownies

I came across this recipe for chewy graham brownies about the same time I discovered the recipe for pecan pie cupcakes (see Friday, May 1st post). Both recipes only require 5 ingredients!  Works for me!  If you're a busy mom and think you don't have time to make dessert for your family, think again. These are quick and easy to throw together and you probably have all of the ingredients right now in your pantry.  After you try these brownies, you will be making time to bake them over and over again...trust me :)

FYI: I used smooth peanut butter and omitted the pecans.  I also used plain, not chocolate graham crackers. My brownies baked for 20 minutes.

Oatmeal Mondays

This might be my favorite baked oatmeal yet.  Sweet, spicy and creamy...you've got to make this!

Here is the recipe.

Cake Fridays

These mini pecan pie cupcakes are my new favorite dessert.  They taste just like a slice of sweet, nutty pecan pie!  Once they cool, their tops form a hard, caramelized sugar crust.  This is the best part, in my opinion.  I like these straight out of the refrigerator with a big dollop of Greek Yogurt.  Be sure to put your yogurt on the side instead of over top so to not ruin that crispy top. With just five ingredients, you can whip up a batch of these cupcakes in no time.  

FYI: Mine stuck A LOT to the pan (see picture above) so next time I will use mini paper liners.  15 minutes in the oven was perfect for these gems. Inventive and tasty, these mini cupcakes would be perfect at your next get together.  Makes 24+ mini cupcakes.  

Here is the recipe.