Dessert blog, recipes, inspiration and more!
One more last minute St. Patrick’s Day idea–Leprechaun Hat S’mores! Courtesy of The Cake Blog, this treat doesn’t get any easier or yummier. I mean seriously, how cute is this?! Cookies and marshmallows?? I am SO there! Thanks to The Cake Blog for this ingenious idea–we love it! Get all the details on how to do it yourself here!
I know there are many holidays right around the corner that I should be blogging about…St. Patrick’s Day, Easter, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day….on and on and on. But yesterday I had an INSANE craving for banana muffins so I went with it! And I’m SO glad I did. These banana muffins are to. die. for. Seriously some of the most moist, flavorful, yummy banana muffins I have ever had. The original recipe is by Ina Garten so you know you’re off to a good start when you begin with one of her fabulous recipes. I made some minor changes and was so pleased with the results! Treat yourself to these for breakfast tomorrow morning…but make them tonight! They are even better the next day!
Enjoy!
Jeremy and I love, love, love to visit B&B’s and I’ve posted about a couple on the blog before (read about them here, here and here). We decided to do a quick trip to one for a combined Valentine’s Day/babymoon getaway, but it will definitely not be the last! We realized that we’ve been to four in just the past year so I guess you could say we’re kind of addicted haha. Jeremy found this absolute gem of a B&B called White Cliff Manor in St. Mary, MO. You’ve probably never heard of St. Mary, MO but it is a VERY quaint little town near St. Louis and Illinois (the view from our bedroom window was actually of Illinois!) with one of the biggest antique malls we have ever been to! I mean there is literally nothing there but houses and this antique mall. However, if you drive about 30 minutes you’ll start seeing signs for a ton of wineries! They’re everywhere! And thank goodness because we really weren’t sure what we were going to do for dinner the Friday night we were there but one of the wineries, Chaumette Winery, was open for dinner and highly recommended. This place was quite possibly one of the best meals Jeremy and I have ever had. They only use local, seasonal, organic ingredients and wow, does it totally make a difference! If you are ever in east MO near St. Louis, definitely check Chaumette Winery out! I have a few pictures below of our brief but wonderful trip to the B&B.
First up, the cutest little candy shop, Sweet Things, in St. Genevieve, MO which is about five minutes from St. Mary. We tried a couple of truffles and some turtle fudge. Yum!
Pics of our bedroom and the view from the balcony outside our bedroom! The snow was perfect.
Chaumette Winery. There was a huge, roaring fireplace we stared at during our whole meal. So cozy.
I had the Cinnamon Bread Pudding made with their house bread, topped with a locally made apple butter, cinnamon whipped cream and a browned butter/sugar sauce. OMG. I was practically licking the plate. Jeremy got the Dark Chocolate Brownie, which was their homemade, fudgy brownie, topped with chocolate whipped cream and a port infused ganache. Heaven.
This place, The Anvil, was our lunch stop in St. Genevieve before heading home. Some of the best onion rings I’ve ever had, amazing burgers and even chicken livers!!! Yes, I love chicken livers and they don’t show up on menus that often, ya know. We also tried their homemade coconut cream pie and it was delicious!
It was a great weekend and we loved every minute! If you are looking for a cozy, accomodating B&B (with wonderful breakfast), definitely give White Cliff Manor a try!
Behold, doughnut heaven. Time to start planning a trip to Chicago!
I have found my new favorite thing–homemade ice cream. Believe it or not, I have never made homemade ice cream! I mean, I’ve made my parents recipe which is DIVINE and probably will be my all time favorite, but it’s a no-cook, eggless recipe so it’s a little different than this one. Yes, this one had eggs, had to be tempered, the whole nine yards but honestly it was NOT hard and turned out soooooo good.
For my first ice cream adventure I chose to do a Thin Mint Brownie Ice Cream with REAL mint, tons of crushed cookies and chunks of dark chocolate brownie. Oh and a chocolate chip swirl! Just for good measure. And I have only one thing to say about it–YUM. Actually, MAJOR YUM. Seriously people, this stuff is so, so good. Rich, creamy and totally addictive. I will NEVER buy ice cream from the store again. It does take a little forethought as you need to steep the mint and also let the final mixture chill but it could definitely be done in one day, just in time for after-dinner dessert if you start it early enough! I’ll definitely be experimenting more with flavors in the future so be warned–lots of ice cream recipes in the near future! Haha!
Enjoy!
Hey guys! So I had what I thought would be a GREAT St. Patty’s Day-themed cookie recipe to share with you today but needless to say they didn’t quite meet my expectations when everything was said and done. They weren’t horrible (actually pretty tasty!), but definitely not the prettiest cookie and not quite what I had in mind when I was making them. And I’ve decided if I don’t absolutely LOVE the recipe and think it turned out how it should, I just don’t want to share it with you guys. I want you to have the best! So I’m gonna do a little more research on this cookie and figure out what went wrong and how I can get it to turn out like I want…in other words, PERFECT. 😉
In the meantime, I wanted to share some green-inspired, perfect for St. Patrick’s Day recipes from some of my favorite bloggers that I thought might get your wheels turning for the upcoming holiday festivities! These foodies know their desserts and I’m confident you’ll find something delicious!
Enjoy!
Grasshopper Mint Chocolate Bark
Skinny Frozen Mint Chocolate Chip Pie
Jeremy is on a big lifting/protein kick right now so we’ve been searching for ways to incorporate LOTS of protein into his diet. One of his requests was a homemade protein bar along the likes of a Larabar or Cliff Bar. So the search began. I found one recipe that calls for blueberry and buckwheat (who knew buckwheat had so much protein?) and he found this one, so we tried his first. I’ll be making mine in the near future though, not to worry.
So the verdict on this one? Good. VERY good. At first I didn’t like them AT ALL. I thought they had too much of a greek yogurt flavor (and I’ll probably make them again and adjust that) and I didn’t care for the amount of cinnamon in them but then the taste of them really grew on me. And we keep them in the fridge and they are MUCH better cold. So I’m kind of addicted to them now…pretty sure I ate almost the whole pan by myself. Jeremy just didn’t care for the greek yogurt taste so there will most definitely be a second round of these with some adjustments here and there. Overall, I think they are delicious and most importantly a GREAT source of protein.
Enjoy!
Cake mix cookies…or as some call them, CRACK cookies. And I will not lie, they are good. But Sarah, they use a cake mix! Yes, I know. And I’ve discovered that very good things can come from cake mixes…such as Chocolate Ooey Gooey Butter Cake, Strawberries & Cream Cake, Strawberry Cakies and even Oreo Cheesecake Cupcakes! And while I much prefer a made-from-scratch-cake over a box mix any day, sometimes when you’re in a pinch and need something quick, a cake mix can be your best friend. Which is totally the case for these cookies. I needed something super quick for a meeting I was going to and recalled having these cookies for the first time at my friend Joelle‘s house. I honestly didn’t believe her when she told me how good they were but once I tasted one, I knew I was in trouble and could probably never trust myself with a batch of them in my house. They turn out super soft in the middle and slightly crispy on the outside. I added semi-sweet and white chocolate chips along with toasted pecans but you really could add in whatever you like and even use whatever cake mix you prefer…spice cake with cinnamon chips, orange cake mix with dark chocolate chips, chocolate cake mix with peanut butter chips…you get the idea!
Enjoy!
One last recipe before the big day of love tomorrow! This one is for a super simple and delicious breakfast, Raspberry Cream Cheese Pull Apart-Rolls. The original recipe was first published in Cooking Light Magazine in 1999. It was a little different with dried fruit and citrus zests and far less fat and calories than my recipe has. But I’m not going for “light” on this one. I wanted full fat and loads of sugar! And that’s exactly what I did. Because it tastes good.
Imagine a soft, fluffy yeast roll, brushed with butter, studded with tart raspberries and finished with a layer of cheesecake topping. That’s what you get with these rolls! They are simply divine. The only thing I didn’t get to do (and regret immensely) was drizzle them with a yummy glaze. I highly suggest whipping up a simple powdered sugar/milk mixture and drizzling it over the rolls while they’re still warm. Just too add a little more sweetness since the only sugar is in the cheesecake mixture. They would make a great Valentine’s Day breakfast treat or even dessert!
Hope you enjoy them as much as we did!
If I told you this scrumptious looking Chocolate Fudge Tart was gluten free, dairy free, has ZERO refined sugar and is no-bake, would you believe me? Well, it’s totally true! I used this recipe from Deliciously Organic and modified it just a bit to my liking. What resulted was one of the richest, most delicious things I’ve ever had. If you like super dark chocolate and fudge, this is the recipe for you. And if you don’t like super dark chocolate and fudge…what’s wrong with you?!?!!
Just kidding.
I love that the crust uses almond meal…it’s absolutely delicious in the recipe. Little confession though…I had to use half almond meal and half oat flour (which I just made by processing organic rolled oats in my processor) because I ran out of almond meal. It was still delicious and I might just make it that way from now on. As with all “healthy” treats, this one still has calories and sugar, just not the refined, overly processed junk. So use moderation but definitely feel free to indulge without guilt! Make it for someone you love this Valentine’s Day!
I found a recipe on Pinterest for Strawberry Brownies and even though they had very mixed reviews (half said they were awesome, half said total flop), I decided to give them a try. I made some modifications. I know, big shock. And what resulted was possibly one of the best strawberry cakes I’ve ever had. And get this–I used a box mix. The horror! I was totally skeptical and slightly disgusted with myself for not making it totally from scratch but once I tasted this dreamy strawberry concoction, I forgave myself immediately.
No, these did not turn out thick and dense like brownies. And I admit, it was most likely because of my changes. But I was totally ok with that after tasting this stuff. I took the recipe and added in strawberry pie filling to give it a bit more strawberry flavor and added white chocolate chips. Topped off with vanilla buttercream and what resulted was a cake that reminded me of my childhood. It was slightly nostalgic of strawberry shortcake, minus the fresh berries and whipped cream. It was super simple to make and would be such a fun Valentine’s Day treat for your kids or co-workers. Don’t be put off by the use of cake mix, it totally works in this recipe. Even a from-scratch-cake-snob (such as myself ) will LOVE this recipe.
Enjoy!
I have one of the cutest posts for you guys today. I really can’t say that about many of the recipes I make because while they are delicious and look yummy, they aren’t necessarily cute or works of art. Not that I’m saying these tassies are works of art but they took a little more effort than I’d normally put into a recipe! What’s a tassie, you ask? Basically tiny, teeny miniature pies. About two bites worth. This is a recipe that I’ve had forever and used alot when I was catering, which also means I’ve never shared it! But when I saw this idea for the cute flower shape on Pinterest (I know, I know…you thought I was just that brilliant, right?!) I knew this would be the perfect recipe.
You start with a cream cheese crust, which I personally love because it has just a hint of tang from the cream cheese. I rolled the crust out and used a tulip shaped cookie cutter and then very gently pressed them into miniature muffin tins. Be extra careful not to puncture the crust even a little with your fingers/fingernails because the filling will seep through and you’ll have a mess! It happened to me on two of them. Bummer. Anyway, I then filled them with a dollop of raspberry preserves and about a teaspoon of a fudgy, brownie-like filling. Top it with buttercream and a cute M&M and you have tulip tassies! I thought they were adorable. And SO perfect for Valentine’s Day. Truly not difficult to make and not even that time-consuming, just a little extra effort. If you want to skip the cookie cutter, just shape the dough into 24, 1″ balls, place in the bottom of the miniature muffin tins and press down and up the sides of the tin. They’ll still be super cute and every bit as delicious.
Enjoy!
I started pinning things for Valentine’s Day on Pinterest and couldn’t stop. Thus, this blog post. I knew there was no way I was going to be able to make everything I was pinning so I decided to just put them all into one massive blog post and let you decide what to make! In my opinion, anything pink, red, strawberry, raspberry, cherry or chocolate says Valentine’s Day! And that’s pretty much what you’ll find in this post. Lots of pretty, delicious, Valentine’s Day-perfect treats and ideas! How to choose?! I hate making decisions. Especially when it comes to dessert. They all look amazing.
Enjoy!
Chocolate Covered Strawberry Popsicles
Chocolate Dream Cupcake Bites with Whipped Chocolate Buttercream
Conversation Heart Cheesecakes
Dark Chocolate Raspberry Banana Bread
Pretty Pink Cookie Dough Truffles
Red Velvet Sweetheart Cupcakes
Skinny Berry Cheesecake Trifle
Skinny Strawberry Chocolate Chip Muffins
Strawberries and Cream Popsicles
Strawberry and Chocolate Nachos
Strawberry Chocolate Chip Cookies
Strawberry Cupcakes with Strawberry Buttercream
Triple Chocolate Cherry M&M Cookies
Valentine Love Letter Cupcakes
Valentine’s 5-Layer Finger Jello
Valentine’s Day Pudding Parfait
I have not found a cookie in awhile that it is hard to stop eating. You know, not so rich that you can only handle a few bites and then you’re done? But more along the lines of “Wow, those are so good I can’t believe I just ate five!!!”. Yeah, that. Let me introduce you to these White Chocolate Raspberry Cookies. They are soooooo good. The kind of good you can’t just stop at one with. The are so soft and slightly crisp around the edges and the tartness of the freeze-dried raspberries sets off the sweetness of the white chocolate perfectly. And I love the slight chewy texture from the oats. Yep, can’t make these often or we’ll be spending extra time at the gym!
Oh and the bright pinkish red bits make them a lovely treat for Valentine’s Day, don’tcha think?
Enjoy!
One more Superbowl recipe before the big game this weekend! Who is watching? Do you even care about the game and teams or is it ALL about the food?! I say food, duh. We’re having a party at our house and I can say with certainty I am looking forward to the food the most. I have some friends who are fabulous cooks so I know we’ll have quite the spread!
M&M’s Fun Size Milk Chocolate Candy, 11-Ounce (Pack of 6)
I found these cookies a couple of weeks ago via Sally’s Baking Addiction (fabulous blog I JUST discovered–where have I been?!) and she has hit it out of the park with this recipe! I have trouble getting cookies to bake up soft, thick and chewy and these Soft-Baked Monster Cookies fulfill all three of those requirements perfectly! The only thing I’d do different next time is use MORE crushed Butterfingers
Set out some milk along with these cookies at your Superbowl party! People will need it!
Enjoy!
Today I have given a little makeover to one of my all-time favorite recipes–No-Bake Cookies! My mom’s recipe is seriously THE BEST. Yes, I do think that about many of her recipes. Because it’s true! I’ve had lots of other no-bake cookies and people have no idea there is an exact time they need to boil otherwise you get dry, crumbly, icky no-bakes. Such a shame. Luckily my mom’s recipe uses the perfect ingredients and method and they are no-fail every time.
Like I said, I gave them a makeover…a healthy makeover. I was curious if altering the recipe with alternative ingredients would yield the same delicious cookie I grew up loving and eating way too many of in one sitting. Off to experiment land I went! I wanted them to be dairy-free because we don’t drink cow’s milk or eat cow products in our household unless it’s organic butter or Greek yogurt, so I used almond milk and coconut oil. I knew it could be tricky because coconut oil will only firm up according to the temperature in your house so these cookies needed a little help in that department. You must keep them in the refrigerator or freezer after they are done or you’ll have a sticky mess! But we LOVE them cold, straight from the freezer.
Other changes I made were using a reduced amount of sucanat in place of the refined sugar. It gave the cookies an amazingly rich, dark chocolatey, fudge taste. I also used organic peanut butter and thick-rolled organic oats. Very small changes but they make a world of difference in the nutritional content of the finished product. Don’t get me wrong, you can’t eat five of these at once because they’re “healthy” or replace your daily fruit servings with a bunch of cookies! They still have sugar after all, just not refined, processed sugar. Which is a GOOD thing. These are still meant to be an indulgence, but one you can feel pretty good about. Jeremy and I both love them so much…maybe better than the original! Just don’t tell my mom!
Enjoy!
Get ready, Valentine’s Day is coming. Some will roll their eyes, others will get giddy with anticipation of flowers and gifts and then some will just look forward to eating CHOCOLATE. Lots and lots of chocolate. Like me. Nothing like a big box of chocolates whether single or attached. Everyone loves them. My favorites used to be Russell Stover and Whitmans while I was growing up but then I discovered See’s and I love, love, loooooove See’s. As a matter of fact we are actually getting a permanent store in our mall any day!!! Seriously, pinch me, it’s too good to be true! And you better believe I will be buying myself a box for Valentine’s Day if no one else does (hint, hint Jeremy). Raspberry Truffle, Dark Buttercream, Mocha, Orange Cream….ahhhh, they are ALL good.
Another great way to get a chocolate fix this Vday is with these M&M Blondies! They are super rich, super buttery from the BROWNED BUTTER (one of my favorite things to do with butter!) and chalked full of chocolate. Great for kid’s parties, work parties, your significant other, a night just by yourself….really, just come up with some excuse to make them.
Enjoy!
P.S. What is YOUR favorite chocolate?? Brand, flavor? I’d love to know!
So awhile back I made something that consisted of cookie dough, Oreos and brownies and put it in a muffin tin and baked it. It had no name and still doesn’t! Little did I realize that someone had already done these brownie/bar thingies (of course) and had named them Slutty Brownies. Scandalous! But totally appropriate. These brownie/bars are amazingly rich, amazingly good and amazingly sinful. Don’t think about the calories…it’s worth it. I decided to revamp my original recipe and do them in a pan, which quite frankly makes a lot more sense than doing them individually in a muffin tin. Duh.
Now are you ready for the really good part? I covered them in PEANUT BUTTER FROSTING. I mean we just went from slutty to total whore (excuse my language). Who doesn’t love brownies, Oreos, chocolate chip cookies and peanut butter frosting?? And altogether in one dessert?! Divine. And rich. Yes, milk is a must for this one.
Enjoy!
P.S. If you want to save a little time on these bars, you could make both the cookie dough and the frosting ahead of time and just keep it refrigerated until ready to use! Or you could even use a cookie and brownie MIX. I highly recommend the Ghirardelli Double Fudge Brownies!
I am not quite done with Superbowl recipes (I’ll have another later this week!), but I made these Cherry Pie Bars a couple of days ago and they were so fantastic I couldn’t wait to share the recipe! I love anything cherry and combined with the crumbly streusel topping, they are beyond yummy. And so incredibly easy to make. I think they would make a lovely Valentine’s Day treat!
Enjoy!
There was a time in my life when if you had told I could blend peanut butter and beans in a blender and get DESSERT out of the concoction, I’d have said you are CRAZY. But oh my how true it is. From brownies to cupcakes, beans are an absolute awesome way to make sweet stuff with less fat and tons more fiber! And you don’t have to compromise taste and texture to get the health benefits, which is nice.
When I came up with this recipe I was amazed how much it tasted like peanut butter fudge! So addictive and good. The short list of ingredients and simple instructions make it a win-win for a healthy, quick dessert! We love these things and I know you will too. Just trying to help you stick to those New Year’s resolutions!
Enjoy!
