Banana Pudding

 

The Alabama in me needed some Banana Pudding and it NEVER disappoints.  It's so rich and delicious and perfect.

2 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream

3/4 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1 (8oz) block of cream cheese, softened

1 (14oz) can sweetened condensed milk

1 (5oz) box instant banana pudding mix

1 cup whole milk

1 box Nilla Wafers

6-8 bananas, sliced

Lightly butter a 9x13 baking dish and set aside.

Using your stand mixer, whip the heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla using the whisk attachment until stiff peaks form.  It usually takes around 5-7 minutes.  Transfer the whipped cream to a medium mixing bowl and place in the fridge for later.

To the wiped out stand mixer bowl, add the cream cheese and whisk for 30-60 seconds, until fluffy.  Add the can of sweetened condensed milk and beat until smooth and no lumps of cream cheese remain.  You'll need to scrape the bowl a few times.

Add in the dry pudding mix and mix well.

Add the milk and mix until fully combined.

Add 2/3 of the whipped cream you made earlier and gently fold it into the pudding mixture until no whipped cream streaks remain.  Set aside.

In your baking dish, place an even layer of Nilla Wafers and top each wafer with a sliced banana coin.

Top the bananas with half of the pudding mixture and spread evenly.

Repeat the layers again; Nilla Wafers, banana coins, and pudding mixture.

Top with the remaining 1/3 of the whipped cream.

Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Puff Pastry Braid

 

Lately this has been my go-to dessert for everything!  It's SO versatile and the easiest thing ever to make.  My most recent one was an Apple Cinnamon one and it was DELISH!  I'll put more suggestions at the bottom of the recipe, but the possibilities are endless.  This recipe is enough for two braids.

2 puff pastry sheets, thawed (I buy the Pepperidge Farm two pack, found in the freezer aisle)

1 block cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup powdered sugar

2 tsp. vanilla

1 can of pie filling

1 egg

1 tablespoon water

In a small bowl, mix together the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla.  Set aside.

On a parchment lined baking sheet, lay out one sheet of puff pastry.  Cut slits on the outer thirds as shown in the picture. 

Place half of the cream cheese mixture down the center third of the puff pastry.  Top with half of a can of pie filling.

Take the pastry slits and begin placing them on top of the fruit filling, alternating each side to give it a braided look.

Beat the egg and water together in a small bowl.  Use a pastry brush to brush the top of the pastry.

Repeat the process for second puff pastry.

Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 18-20 minutes.

If you want it to look extra fancy you can drizzle it with a topping of your choice.  You could make a powdered sugar glaze or drizzle caramel or nutella over it depending on what flavors you're going for.

Filling Ideas: (Keep in mind the cream cheese mixture stays the same.)

Apple Pie Filling (sprinkled with cinnamon)

Cherry pie filling

Blueberry Pie Filling

Raspberry Pie Filling

Strawberry Pie Filling

Peach Pie Filling

Lemon Curd

Nutella

Chocolate Chips

White Chocolate Chunk Oatmeal Blueberry Cookies

 

Oh-muh-word...these are amazing!  Alaska has some of the most amazing little wild blueberries!  There are patches and patches of them, you just have to know where to go find them.  It's not super hard to find them, but they can be VERY difficult to get to.  Alaska is wild and rugged and very unforgiving.  So if you want what it has to offer, you have to work for it and you have to be smart and safe.  Thankfully, we have some awesome friends who teach us all the things and they took us blueberry picking with them.  You have to be very aware of your surroundings because you're not the only one who is after those blueberries.  Bears are abundant and they're on a mission to gain as much weight as they possibly can during the short Alaskan summer months.  They only have a matter of weeks to bulk up and they loooooove blueberries.  Just like with almost everything else, you never go blueberry picking alone and you always have a couple of different types of protection on you at all times.  It's a lot of fun, the kids always eat way more than they put in the bucket, you're in the middle of the wild Alaskan wilderness where it's quiet and beautiful beyond description.  If you visit us at the end of July-beginning of August, we'll take you!  It's funny because the other thing about blueberry picking here, is EVERYONE is SUPER secretive about where "their spot" is.  We're not so much that way.  We want you to come hang out with us and we'll protect each other from the bears. ;)

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup white sugar

2 eggs

2tsp. vanilla

3 cups flour

1tsp. baking powder

1tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 1/2 cup rolled oats

2 cups white chocolate chunks

1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen (and thawed) or dried but use 1/2 cup

(If you don't have blueberries you can also use Craisins!)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. 

In a large mixing bowl, beat together the softened butter, brown sugar, and white sugar.  Add in the eggs and vanilla and mix well.  Stir in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until completely incorporated.  Fold in the oats, white chocolate chunks, and berries.  Drop by the tablespoonfuls onto cookie sheets and bake for 9-12 minutes (do not over bake!).  Allow the cookies to cool for a few minutes on the cookie sheet and then transfer them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

Dirt Pudding

When I was a kid, THIS was the dessert I wanted to see on our holiday table.  My aunt would always make it and it was my favorite!  There are LOTS of ways you can serve it.  Here are some ideas if you don't want to use a trifle.

You can serve it in a trifle like this one for a pretty display.  

You can also make individual serving cups of it if you wanted to make it for a birthday party or something.  Just get some clear punch glasses and fill them layer by layer.  

If you just want to use a 9x13, you can also use that!  You will likely only get two layers out of it and I recommend starting with the pudding layer on the bottom and finishing it with the cookie layer.

1 (15oz) package of Double Stuffed Oreo's, divided

2 small boxes (3.5oz) JELLO french vanilla instant pudding (chocolate is good too!)

3 cups milk

8oz cream cheese, softened

1 stick butter, softened

1 cup powdered sugar

12oz cool whip, thawed

gummy worms (optional)

Pudding

In a large mixing bowl, combine the pudding mix and milk.  Whisk until all lumps are dissolved and mixture is thickened slightly.  Stick it in the fridge to firm up a bit while you work on the next part.  

Dirt

Start by removing 8 Oreo's and chop them into 1/4"-1/2" pieces.  This will make your dirt pudding stand out from any others you've ever had.  Trust me.  The best part is biting down into a slightly softened piece of pudding infused Oreo...it's a great texture thing.  Maybe I'm weird.  But you'll like it too.  Anyway, chop those 8 Oreo's and set them aside.  

Put the rest of the Oreo's into a food processor and process them until they're a super fine crumb.  If you don't have a food processor, a rolling pin will work, just make sure they're really really fine crumbs (like dirt).

Pudding Layer

In another large mixing bowl, mix together the cream cheese and butter until smooth.  

Add in the powdered sugar and beat until fully incorporated.  

Take the pudding from the fridge and pour it into the cream cheese mixture.  Beat on Low speed until fully incorporated.  

Gently fold in the tub of cool whip until the whole mixture is combined and no streaks remain.  

Assembly

-Start by adding 2 cups of the Pudding Layer to the bottom of a trifle dish.  Smooth it out so it's an even layer.  

-Sprinkle 1/2 cup cookie crumbs on top of the puddling.

-Sprinkle 1/4 cup of the chopped Oreo chunks on top of the crumbs.

-Repeat each layer making sure you're ending with cookie crumbs.

-Refrigerate overnight before serving.

-Garnish with gummy worms, if desired.

**If you like more cookie crumbs, use a larger package of Oreo's or grab 2 packages.  You can add as much or as little "dirt" as you like.

**If you have some chocolate lovers, sub the french vanilla pudding mix for chocolate.  I'm a HUGE chocolate lover, but I love the French Vanilla most for this dish.  It *must* be Jello brand instant French Vanilla pudding and pie mix.  If you use regular Vanilla, it won't be the same.  If you use a different brand of French Vanilla pudding, it won't be the same.  Jello French Vanilla.

**If you're using a 9x13 pan, put the entire Pudding Layer on the bottom of the baking dish, sprinkle the chopped cookie chunks on top of the pudding, then put the entire layer of cookie crumbs on top.

Cheesecake

My aunt makes *the best* cheesecake.  She brings it to every major holiday and you guys.  It's to die for.  I can't even.  I don't even put anything on it.  No fruit.  No chocolate.  No toppings.  Nothing.  Plain.  It's perfect.

It's a fussy recipe to make and I'm sorry about that.  If you know me at all you know I love good food that's easy for everyone to make.  This one is a little challenging (for me...but you've got this) and again, I'm sorry.  Cheesecake is finicky but when you get a good one, it's worth the work.  

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1/4 cup white sugar

1/4 cup butter, melted

5 (8oz) packages cream cheese, softened

5 eggs

2 egg yolks

1 3/4 cups white sugar

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

1 tablespoon vanilla

Preheat your oven to 200 degrees.

Prepare a 10" springform pan by lining the bottom with parchment paper and wrap the outside of the pan in foil.

Mix the graham cracker crumbs, 1/4 cup sugar, and the melted butter together.  Press the graham cracker mixture evenly into the bottom of the parchment lined springform pan.  Set aside.  

In a large mixing bowl combine the cream cheese, egg yolks, and vanilla on low speed.  Add the remaining eggs one at a time, on low speed, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl between each addition to ensure all of the cream cheese and egg become fully incorporated.  

Add the remaining 1 3/4 cups sugar, flour, and heavy cream.  Blend on low until smooth.  Pour the batter into the prepared pan.  

Bake at 200 degrees for 3 hrs. 40 minutes.  

Turn the oven off, crack the oven door open and allow it to cool IN the oven for 4-5 hours.

Remove from the oven and cool in the fridge, uncovered, for 24-72 hours before serving.  

Before serving, cut the cheesecake with a hot knife, wiping the knife blade clean between each cut.

*Pumpkin Variation*

Leave out heavy whipping cream.

Add 15oz can of pureed pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie filling), 1 tsp. cinnamon, 1/4 tsp. ginger, 1/4 tsp. cloves.

Increase baking time to 4 hrs. 10 minutes.

Bread Machine Cinnamon Roll Dough

I have two fantastic Cinnamon Roll recipes on my blog already.  A Keto version and a Traditional version.    If you haven't made either of them, you totally should.  They're incredible.  If you're just not feeling kneading that dough though, I get it.  I love for my bread machine to do the work for me.  If that's your jam today, here you are my friends.  All that is required is for you to dump all of your ingredients into the bread machine, turn it on, and let it go.  When it's done, I use the filling recipe already posted in my Homemade Cinnamon Roll post.  I'll link it here for your convenience.  This recipe makes a slightly bigger sheet of dough but the filling is still enough.  

1 cup warm milk

1 large egg

4 tablespoons grass fed butter

3 1/3 cups organic flour

3 tablespoons organic sugar

1/2 tsp. pink Himalayan salt

2 tsp. active dry yeast

Add the milk, egg, and butter to the pan.

Add the flour, sugar, and salt to the pan.  Tap the pan to settle and level it off with your finger, if needed. 

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the yeast.

Lock the pan into your bread maker and close the lid.  

Select the Dough function on your bread machine and press Start.

When the dough cycle is done, remove the pan from the bread machine and place the dough on a floured surface.  Knead the dough by hand for 1 minute, then let it rest for 15 minutes.

Roll the dough into a 15x10" rectangle and continue with the filling, slicing, second rise, and baking instructions found here.  *Note: use a 9x13" baking dish for this recipe.

Cinnamon Oatmeal Raisin Bread

This is a super yummy breakfast bread!  I love to have it toasted with lots of grass fed butter.

1 1/4 cups warm milk

2 tablespoons grass fed butter

2 3/4 cups organic flour

3/4 cup quick oats

2 tablespoons organic brown sugar, packed

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 3/4 tsp. active dry yeast

1/2 cup raisins **

Add the liquid ingredients and butter to pan in the order listed.  

Add the dry ingredients in the order listed, except yeast and raisins.  Tap the pan to settle the dry ingredients and level off with your finger, if needed.

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the yeast to the well.

Lock the bread machine pan into place and close the lid.  

Program your bread machine for the Basic setting, choose the crust color you like, and press Start.

On my machine, there is a beep during one of the knead cycles.  If you have that feature on your machine, add the raisins when the beep sounds.  Once it's finished, remove the pan from the machine and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before shaking the bread out of the pan to cool completely.  

Keto Cinnamon Rolls

Alright.  Time to lighten things up again.  I've sampled too many quarantine baking projects and I'm starting to feel it.  Before this COVID mess started I was on a really clean diet and lost 20lbs!  I don't want to relapse!  Time to make some goodies that mama doesn't feel guilty about.  

These little guys are a combo between a cinnamon roll and a pecan swirl?  Remember those?  Tasty Cake, or something like that, made them?  I remember my dad sneaking a sweet on occasion and he really likes pecan swirls.  This reminds me of them a lot!  Only these are guilt free, sugar free, and low carb at only 2 net carbs per roll.

For the Rolls:

2 cups shredded mozzarella

3oz. cream cheese

3/4 cup almond flour

2tsp. baking powder

For the Filling:

4 tablespoons softened butter

1/4 cup chopped pecans (or walnuts)

1 tablespoon cinnamon

2 1/2 tablespoons granulated Swerve

For the Icing:

2oz. cream cheese

3 tablespoons powdered confectioners Swerve

2 tablespoons heavy cream

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Spray 8 cups in a muffin tin with non stick spray.

In a microwave safe bowl combine the mozzarella and cream cheese.  Microwave for one minute then stir to combine.  Add the almond flour and baking powder, stir until somewhat incorporated and return to the microwave for an additional 30 seconds.  Combine the mixture until a soft ball forms.

Place the mixture on a sheet of parchment paper and top it with another sheet of parchment.  Using a rolling pin, roll the dough until you have a rectangular sheet that measures roughly 13x10.  Remove the top piece of parchment paper and discard.

Now the filling!  Spread the softened butter all over the sheet of dough making sure to get all the way to the edges.  Combine the cinnamon and granulated swerve and sprinkle liberally on top of the butter.  Sprinkle the chopped pecans all over the top of the cinnamon and Swerve.

Then, starting on a long edge, begin to tightly roll up the dough into a log.  Cut the log into 8 pieces.  Place one piece per muffin cup.  Bake for 15-18 minutes, until golden brown.

Once they've cooled slightly, it's time for the icing!  Place the cream cheese in a 2 cup measuring cup or small bowl.  Microwave the cream cheese for 15 seconds or so, until it is creamy and can be stirred easily with a fork.  Add the powdered Swerve and heavy cream.  Stir vigorously with a fork until the powdered Swerve is dissolved.  The icing is pretty thick.  If you like it thinner, thin it out with some more cream.  If you like it thicker, add some more powdered Swerve.  Add a generous plop of icing on top of each cinnamon roll and serve!

No-Bake Coconut Caramel Pecan Cookies

You guys.  These. Are. Decadent!  You'd NEVER know there's no processed junk in them.  And SO easy!

1 stick butter

1/3 cup Swerve Brown Sugar substitute (I've also used Date Sugar successfully!)

1/3 cup heavy cream

1 cup pecan halves

1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes

Sugar-free chocolate chips

Place the butter in a saucepan over medium heat until melted.  Once the butter has melted, whisk in the Swerve Brown Sugar substitute (or date sugar) and whisk until dissolved. (Note: If you use Date Sugar, it won't dissolve, just mix it in.)

Next, stir in the heavy cream and stir until completely combined.  Let the mixture to lightly boil 8-10 minutes.  

Remove the mixture from the heat and stir in the pecan halves and coconut flakes.  

Using a large spoon, drop spoonfuls onto a parchment lined cookie sheet.  (Note: Some butter will leak out of each cookie as they set.)  Press a few sugar-free chocolate chips into each cookie.  Place the cookies into the fridge for 30-60 minutes until set.  Store in an air tight container in the fridge.  This recipe should yield 11-13 cookies.

No-Bake Peppermint Cheesecake

Merry Christmas!  As we're gearing up to spend our first Christmas in Alaska, I've made some yummy desserts that will also keep our blood sugars low without your sweet tooth making the ultimate sacrifice.  For the past several months our family has really changed the way we've been eating and this pie stays within our new normal.  It's sugar-free, keto, gluten-free, low carb, no-bake, and an option to be nut-free if that's your jam.  

Crust:

2 cups almond flour (or sunflower seeds for the nut-free option)

1/3 cup unsweetened, dutch processed cocoa powder 

1/2 stick butter, softened

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 cup Swerve Granulated Sweetener

Filling:

2 blocks (16oz.) cream cheese, softened

1 tsp. liquid stevia

8 drops Young Living Peppermint Vitality Essential Oil (Click here to grab the best oils ever!)

1/4 tsp. salt

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup Swerve Confectioners Sweetener

2 drops Young Living Peppermint Vitality Essential Oil

Topping:

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup Swerve Confectioners Sweetener

1 drop Young Living Peppermint Vitality Essential Oil

Optional Extras:

Sugar-free crushed candy canes/peppermints

Sugar-free chocolate bar shavings

Sugar-free chocolate chips

First Step: The Crust

Add all of the crust ingredients to a medium mixing bowl.  (If you have a food processor or bender, throw them in that and blitz/pulse them all together until they make a fine crumb.)  If you're like me, and just moved to Alaska and they're still in storage, a medium mixing bowl will do.  Using your hand, mix and squeeze all of the ingredients together until the butter is fully incorporated.  Give it a taste to make sure it's sweet enough for you.  If not, add some more Swerve.  Press the crust into a 9-inch pie plate and set aside.

Second Step: The Filling

Place the first four filling ingredients into a medium mixing bowl (or your stand mixture with the paddle attachment).  Beat those together until smooth.  Give it a taste and make sure it's sweet enough and pepperminty enough.  If not, add more stevia/peppermint vitality.  Keep in mind, you're going to fold in some whipped cream so if it tastes a little strong, it will be diluted in a second.   Add 1 cup of heavy cream, 1/2 cup Swerve Confectioners Sweetener, and 2 drops Peppermint Vitality to a medium mixing bowl.  Beat until stiff peaks form.  Fold the peppermint whipped cream into the cream cheese filling and place the mixture in the pie crust.  Place the pie in the fridge until you're ready to top.

Third Step: The Topping

Add all of the topping ingredients to a medium mixing bowl and beat on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form.  Taste to make sure you like the sweetness and pepperminty-ness.  Adjust as necessary.  Now, you can either get fancy or just spread it all over the top of your pie.  If you want to be fancy, place your topping in a piping bag with a pretty tip and pipe the whipped cream however you like all over the top of your pie.  If that's not your thing, just spread it all over the top.  You can leave it plain like this, or you can sprinkle some crushed sugar-free candy canes all over it, or shaved sugar-free chocolate bar curls, or sugar-free chocolate chips...whatever you like. 

The BEST Rice Krispy Treats

My 4 year old is starting to really enjoy helping mommy in the kitchen and at Christmas time we made A LOT of these to share with friends and family.  And they truly are the best rice krispy treats I've ever had.  They're so buttery and creamy and NOT AT ALL dry or chewy.  You can leave them plain or you can get festive and let your kids go nuts with holiday themed sprinkles!  I'm normally not a brand snob with too many things, but I do recommend Kellogs Rice Krispies and Jet Puffed Mini Marshmallows.  

4 Tablespoons of butter

8 cups of mini marshmallows

1 tsp. of Vanilla extract

1 Tablespoon of milk

6 cups of Rice Krispy cereal

Generously grease an 8x11 or 9x9 glass baking dish.  Set aside.

Slowly melt the butter over low heat in a large pot.

Once the butter is melted, add the vanilla and 6 cups of mini marshmallows.  Melt the marshmallows slowly.

Right before the marshmallows are fully melted, add the remaining 2 cups of marshmallows.  Stir until the added marshmallows are staring to melt (we don't want them fully melted...just heated and soft).

Add the rice krispy cereal and stir until it's all coated with the marshmallow fluff.

Dump the mixture into your well greased baking dish.

Spray a spatula with non-stick spray and use it to spread out the treats, pressing gently just a bit (you don't want them super compacted or they'll be rock hard).

If you're adding sprinkles, add them to the top now.

Allow to fully cool.  

Once cooled, spray a knife with non-stick spray and cut into squares.

Cover with a lid or cling wrap to keep them fresh.

Ooey Gooey Cake Mix Bars

Well these are just little squares of heaven.  They're easy and so so gooey.  So gooey.  And it's a Paula Dean recipe so you know it's indulgent.

CRUST:

1 box yellow cake mix, dry-not prepared

1 stick of butter, melted

1 egg

GOOEY LAYER:

8oz. cream cheese, softened

2 eggs, beaten

16oz. powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium bowl, combine the yellow cake mix, melted butter, and 1 egg.  Mix until smooth and combined.  Pat and press the dough evenly over the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish that's been sprayed with non-stick spray.  Set aside.

In a separate bowl, beat the cream cheese until creamy.  Add the eggs and beat until it's super smooth; about 2 minutes.  Add the powdered sugar and continue to beat until well combined.  

Pour the gooey mixture over the crust layer and bake for 25-30 minutes.  DO NOT over bake.  You want the gooey layer to be set and the edges juuuuuuust starting to turn golden but still a little jiggly.  

When it's done, remove from oven and allow it to cool completely.  Cut into squares and enjoy!

Caramel Apple Dessert Pizza

Ohhhhhhh MUH WORD you guys.  This.Is.Amazing!  It's everything you want in an apple, Fall dessert.  Like, everything.  

1 roll of Pillsbury Sugar Cookie Dough

2 Honeycrisp Apples, diced

1 1/2 (ish) cups of Club Soda

1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted

1 jar Smuckers Caramel Sauce (the kind in the glass jar)

1 (8oz.) block cream cheese, softened

1 stick butter, softened

2 cups powdered sugar

2 tsp. vanilla

cinnamon

2 tbsp. half-n-half or heavy whipping cream, if necessary

Preheat your oven according to the sugar cookie dough instructions.

Spread the dough in an even layer over the bottom of a 9" spring form pan.

Bake for 11-15 minutes.  Mine took longer than this.  If the dough is still super jiggly (technical...I know) in the center, put it back in.  You want it to be set, but still nice and soft.  Mine probably baked for closer to 20-25 minutes, but I kept checking it until it wasn't super jiggly anymore.  Allow the baked cookie to cool COMPLETELY.

Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth.  Add the butter and beat again until smooth and well incorporated.  Scrape down the sides.  Add the powdered sugar and vanilla.  Slowly incorporate the powdered sugar into the cream cheese/butter mixture.  Once all of the powdered sugar has been absorbed, beat on medium-high speed until it's soft and creamy, about 5 minutes.  If it's too stiff, add some half-n-half or heavy whipping cream to make it the consistency of icing.

Once the cookie is completely cooled, spoon the cream cheese mixture over the cookie crust.  Spread it almost to the edges, like you would pizza sauce on a pizza.  *Note* I didn't use aaaallll of the cream cheese mixture...I had a little bit left over.  Sprinkle the cream cheese mixture with as much (or as little) cinnamon as you like.

Now...what is the club soda for?!?!  I did NOT know this before I made this recipe.  Get ready to have our mind blown.

Take your club soda and pour it into a medium size mixing bowl.  As you're dicing the apples, put them INTO the Club Soda.  Once they're all diced, let them soak in the Club Soda for 3-5 minutes.  This will prevent them from turning brown!  And it works REALLY well!  I had always used lemon juice and I never liked the taste of the apples after using it.  I like sweet, crisp apples.  The Club Soda doesn't leave any after taste AT ALL!  Once they've soaked, dry them off with a paper towel and sprinkle them on top of the cream cheese mixture.  

Next, sprinkle your toasted pecans on top of the apples.

Then, take your caramel sauce (I warmed it up in the microwave for a few seconds so it drizzled prettier) and pour a generous drizzle aaaaalllll over the entire pizza.  

Release the spring form and remove it from the pan.  For me, it was easier to serve the pizza from the bottom of the spring form, but you can remove it if you like.

ENJOOOYYYY!

*If you've never toasted pecans, it's super easy.  Chop them up into nice chunks...not too small.  Put them in a dry skillet and turn the burner on Medium-Low.  Keep an eye on them because once they start to toast, they can burn quickly.  I sprinkled cinnamon on my pecans as they toasted and OH MY WORD my house smelled like Christmas!  

Neiman-Marcus Cookies

Neiman-Marcus Cookies....The $250 chocolate chip cookie recipe.  Have you ever heard of these?  Legend has it a lady had lunch at Neiman-Marcus one day and loved these cookies so much that she asked her waitress for the recipe.  The waitress said she couldn't give it to her but she could purchase it for a great deal...only "two fifty".  The lady assumed she meant $2.50 but when she got her credit card bill, she was charged $250 for the cookie recipe.  To get her revenge on Neiman-Marcus for not being more specific, she started sharing the recipe in all the places so that Neiman-Marcus couldn't make another dime off of it.  It's an urban legend, but a fun story.  And the cookies are suuuuuuper yummy!  Oh, and the recipe makes A TON!  

2 cups butter, softened

4 cups flour

2 tsp. baking powder

2 tsp. baking soda

2 cups sugar

2 cups blended oatmeal (measure out 2 cups and blend them into a fine powder in a blender or food processor)

24 oz. chocolate chips

2 cups brown sugar

1 tsp. salt

1 8oz. Hershey bar, grated (any chocolate bar works great)

4 eggs

3 cups chopped walnuts

2 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cream the butter and both sugars.  Add the eggs and vanilla until well incorporated.

In a separate, large bowl, mix together the flour, oatmeal, salt, baking powder, baking soda.

Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients.

Add chocolate chips, grated chocolate bar, and nuts.  (You need a really big bowl for this recipe.)

Roll the dough into 1" balls and place on a baking sheet 2" apart.  Bake for 10 minutes.  Makes approx. 112 cookies!

Homemade Salted Caramel

There are 2 kinds of caramel in this house.  The first kind is for drizzling on treats that I need the caramel to "set up" on.  Things like caramel popcorn.  And things like topping brownies where I want a nice layer of soft caramel that I can slice.  The second kind is the drizzly, liquidy kind for things like ice cream and Apple Crisp.  That's what this recipe is for!  Right below this post is my recipe for Apple Crisp and this Salted Caramel is DIVINE drizzled on top!  

1 cup granulated sugar

6 tablespoons salted butter, cut up into 6 pieces

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 tsp. salt

1.)  Heat granulated sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly with a high heat resistant rubber spatula or wooden spoon.

2.)  Sugar will form clumps and eventually melt into a thick, brown, amber-colored liquid as you continue to stir.  Be careful not to burn.

3.)  Once sugar is completely melted, immediately add the butter.  Be careful in this step because the caramel will bubble rapidly when the butter is added.

4.)  Stir the butter into the caramel until it is completely melted, about 2-3 minutes.

5.)  Very slowly, drizzle in 1/2 cup heavy cream while stirring.  Since the heavy cream is colder than the caramel, the mixture will rapidly bubble and/or splatter when added.

6.)  Allow the mixture to boil for 1 minute.  It will rise in the pan as it boils.

7.)  Remove from heat and stir in 1 teaspoon of salt.  Allow the caramel to cool down before using.

Apple Crisp

I LOVE all things Fall.  Pumpkin Spice, Caramel, Apple, Mulled Cider, Cinnamon...all of it.  Give me a cup of Pumpkin Spice coffee and a few great Fall scented candles burning and a blanket and that's my happy place.  This dessert is SO amazing and as it's baking it fills every corner of your house with it's amazing scent.  

For the Crumb Topping:

1 cup flour

1 cup old fashioned oats

1 cup brown sugar

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

2 pinches of salt

2/3 cup unsalted butter, cut into small chunks

For the Apple Filling:

8 large Honey Crisp apples, peeled and sliced thin (Honey Crisp!)

6 tablespoons butter, melted

1/4 cup flour

2 tablespoons lemon juice

6 tablespoons milk

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

2 pinches of salt

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

In a medium sized bowl, combine all of the Crumb Topping ingredients with a fork or pastry blender until it resembles small crumbs.  Stick it in the fridge while you prepare the Apple Filling.

In a small bowl, combine the melted butter and flour.  Whisk until it's well combined.  Add the lemon juice, milk, and vanilla.  Stir well.  Stir in the brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt.  Pour butter mixture over sliced apples and toss to coat. 

Spray a 9x13in. baking dish with non-stick spray.  Place the coated apple slices in the baking dish.  Sprinkle the crumb topping allllllll over the top of the apples in a nice even layer.  Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the crumb topping is set and golden brown.  Remove from the oven and allow to sit for 10 minutes before serving.  Serve with caramel sauce, vanilla ice cream, and whipped cream.

Berry Parfait

This dessert is so. much. fun!  It's incredibly easy to make and the "messier" it is, the better it looks.  I LOVE the look of rustic, homemade food.  So when you make this, don't make it perfect.  Let it just become the glorious mess of goodness that it naturally is.  Enjoy!

8oz. low-fat vanilla yogurt

powdered sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla

8oz. cool whip, thawed

4 cups sliced strawberries

3 cups fresh blueberries

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the yogurt and vanilla.  Gradually add powdered sugar until the tanginess of the yogurt is replaced by sweetness.  (Maybe half a cup or so...depends on how sweet you like things.)

Gently fold in the cool whip.

Now, the fun part.  Get some pint sized mason jars!

Take a handful of blueberries and place them in the bottom of the jar.

Then add a dollop of the yogurt mixture on top of the blueberries.

Then grab a handful of sliced strawberries and put them on top of the yogurt. 

Then another dollop of yogurt.

Blueberries

Yogurt

Strawberries

Yogurt...you get the picture

When you get to the top of the jar, top it off with the yogurt mixture and garnish with a strawberry.

Place all of the filled mason jars in the fridge for at least an hour before serving.  I doubled this recipe and made 5 GENEROUSLY filled jars.

*Note, if you like the hint of lemon flavoring with this berry combo, substitute the vanilla for lemon extract or even better, a couple of drops of 100% therapeutic grade lemon essential oil from Young Living.  It is divine!

Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon Filling

Oh my goodness, ya'll!  These cupcakes are fantastic!  This weekend I hosted a baby shower for my middle sister, Kendall.  She's having a sweet baby girl, so naturally, we had to have sweet cupcakes with lots of yummy elements.  Since she's having a girl, I decided to pipe PINK icing on top but instead of just coloring it with food coloring, I got a lil crazy...I used strawberries and immediately heard angels begin singing the hallelujah chorus.  The cake is made from a lemon cake batter, with a filling of lemon pudding, and then strawberry cream cheese icing piped on top.  They're incredible!

Lemon Cake

1 Box Betty Crocker Lemon Cake Mix

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 cup water

3 eggs

1/2 tsp. lemon extract

the zest and juice of 1 large lemon

Lemon Filling

1 small box Jello Brand Cook and Serve Lemon Pudding

(Follow the directions on the box and refrigerate until cold.  Set aside until ready to fill cupcakes.)

Strawberry Cream Cheese Icing

Click on this link for the icing recipe.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  

Line 2 muffin tins (24 total) with cupcake liners.  Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine all of the ingredients for the Lemon Cake.  Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then on medium speed for 2 minutes.

Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full and bake for 16 minutes.  Allow to cool completely.

Once the cupcakes have cooled, remove a portion of the center of each cupcake, about the size of a nickle.  (Note: Don't go all the way to the bottom of the cupcake with the hole.  Only go about half way through the cupcake.)

Now, fill the cupcakes with the pre-made lemon pudding.  I like to use a piping bag for this but you can just as easily fill a Ziploc bag with the pudding, snip a corner off of the bag and pipe the filling into the hole.
Once all of the cupcakes are filled with pudding, apply the strawberry cream cheese icing over the top.  In the picture, I used a piping bag without a tip.  I simply filled a piping bag with the icing and cut the tip off at the diameter I wanted.  Begin by holding your piping bag straight up and down over the center of the cupcake about an inch away from the top.  Squeeze the icing out until it covers most of the top of the cupcake and then in a clockwise motion, make a swirl as you pull away from the cupcake.  I like to watch a YouTube video to refresh my memory.  Just search "classic cupcake icing technique" and you can watch a tutorial.  OR, you can just take a knife and spread it on top...whatever makes you happy.   

Texas Sheet Cake

I have, sitting in my bookcase that holds all of my cookbooks, a little recipe box.  You can picture it.  It's orange with mushrooms painted on it and it jumped straight out of the 70's.  It's hideous.  Despite it's ugliness, it was my dear Gramma Hinson's.  Inside are dozens upon dozens of recipes written in her handwriting.  I love it.  I've made a "resolution", if you will, this year to start going through this ugly little box and make some of her recipes.  Some of them I remember from growing up, some of them I've never seen or heard of before, but this year I'm hoping to bring some of them to life.  The first one I decided to try is her Texas Sheet Cake recipe.  It did NOT disappoint.

Cake:

2 cups flour

2 cups sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

4 tablespoons cocoa

1 cup water

1 stick butter

1/2 cup buttermilk (see my note)

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. cinnamon

2 eggs; slightly beaten

1 tsp. vanilla

Frosting:

4 tablespoons cocoa

1 stick butter

6 tablespoons milk

1 (1lb.) box powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 cup chopped pecans

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl combine the flour, sugar, and salt and set aside.

In a small saucepan, combine the cocoa, water and stick of butter.  Bring to a rapid boil.  Add the boiling mixture to the flour mixture and whisk it mostly together.  It will be dry.

Dissolve the baking soda in the buttermilk.  Add the buttermilk mixture to the batter along with the eggs, cinnamon, and vanilla.  Mix well.

Pour the batter into a greased and floured 1x16 sheet pan (my regular 'ol cookie sheet/jelly roll pan worked just fine).  Bake for 20 minutes.  

For the frosting: In a small saucepan, melt the stick of butter.  Add the cocoa and bring to a boil.  Remove from heat and add the milk, vanilla, and powdered sugar.  Stir well until all of the lumps are gone.  Add the nuts and stir.  Allow the frosting to cool slightly.  While the cake is still slightly warm and the frosting is still warm, pour the frosting all over the top of the cake.  Use a spatula to spread it to every corner.  Enjoy!

*Buttermilk Note:  I never buy buttermilk because I can never use it all before it goes bad.

For buttermilk:
1/2 cup milk + 1/2 tsp. lemon juice or vinegar + 5 minutes of sitting time = buttermilk

1 cup milk + 1 tsp. lemon juice or vinegar + 5 minutes of sitting time = buttermilk

Mini Cherry Cheesecake Pies

These little guys are easy and DEEE-licious!  I think hands down, my favorite fruit pie would be cherry, so I chose to use cherry pie filling for them.  However, you can use ANY fruit pie filling you like.  Apple, blueberry, strawberry, raspberry, blackberry...I think I'll make it my mission to use all of them at some point.  And while these are FABULOUS as a dessert, they also double for a nice little breakfast treat.  Christmas morning, maybe?

1 (21oz.) can Cherry Pie Filling (or whatever fruit pie filling you choose and get the kind with extra fruit if you can find it)

3 tubes crescent roll dough

1 (8oz.) block of cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup powdered sugar

1-2 tablespoons milk

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

Spray 2 regular size muffin tins with non-stick cooking spray.  (If you don't have 2 muffin tins, just do these in batches.)

Unroll each tube of crescent dough and separate them into their individual triangles.  Place each triangle in the muffin tin with the widest bit of the dough in the bottom of the hole.  Set the prepared muffin tins aside.

 

 

In a medium mixing bowl combine the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla.  Mix until well incorporated and there are no lumps.  Using a teaspoon, place 1 tsp. of cream cheese in the center of the muffin tins.  Next, take your pie filling and place a little less than 1 tablespoon on top of each cream cheese dollop.

Once all of your crescent dough is filled, wrap the corners of the crescent dough around the filling.  It doesn't have to look perfect.  The dough will come together nicely as it bakes and some of the cherry juices will bubble out of the openings.  I like that look on a pie.  It lets the person eating it know what's in there.

Bake for about 13-16 minutes.  They should be firm to the touch and a nice golden brown color on the top.  Allow to cool completely in the pan.
Once the pies are cooled, whisk together the powdered sugar and milk until you get a nice, drizzly glaze.  Drizzle the glaze on the cooled pies and enjoy!