Kefir/Yogurt Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

Fiiinnalllyyy, I’m posting a pumpkin recipe.

I’ve been feeling pretty innovative with the Redwood Hill Farm and Green Valley Organics yogurts and Kefirs, but this recipe came straight from the PR people at Redwood Hill.

And I do not suggest you change it; it’s pretty perfect!

Sorry about the photo quality, they’re iPhone pictures.  Also, don’t forget to enter my giveaway!

Kefir/Yogurt Pumpkin Pie Smoothie
From: Green Valley Organics

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup Green Valley Organics or Redwood Hill Farm Plain Kefir or plain yogurt
• 1/2 cup unsweetened apple juice or cider
• 1/4 cup unsweetened pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
• 1/2 medium fresh or frozen banana or 2 pitted dates
• 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
• 2 Tbs. sweetener of choice (we like maple syrup)
• 1/2 to 1 tsp. ground cinnamon (to taste)
• 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice (optional)
• 1/2 cup ice cubes (adjust to reach desired consistency)

Directions:

Place all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth.

Top It Off: Add a couple of tablespoons of cinnamon granola (and a bit of candied ginger) to the top, grab a spoon, close your eyes and you’ll swear you’re enjoying Thanksgiving pumpkin pie.

PER SERVING: 295 CAL; 8G PROT; 5G TOTAL FAT (2G SAT. FAT); 54G CARB; 5MG CHOL; 124MG SOD; 5G FIBER; 32G SUGARS*

 

Cinnamon Chocolate Bundt Cake and an AWESOME Giveaway!

I have exciting news for you all today.

1)  I get to do a really big and awesome giveaway thanks to Redwood Hill Farms and Green Valley Organics.  You guys do not want to miss this one.

and

2) I made a really delicious chocolate bundt cake, also thanks to Redwood Hill Farms and Green Valley Organics because I got the same package that I get to give away.

and

3)  I’m now obsessed with Redwood Hill Farms and Green Valley Organics… can you tell?

I had never tried lactose free yogurt or kefir before, but I honestly can’t tell the difference.  The only difference is that the lactose free kefir is not as thick as regular kefir.

Redwood Hill has all sorts of recipes, news, events, and other information on their website.  Definitely make sure to check it out!

Okkkay, now what you guys have been waiting for…

GIVEAWAY:

The prize package (minimum value of about $57.55) will include:

– 1 Eco-friendly insulated green “Get Your Goat, Have a Cow” co-branded tote bag (approximate value $5)

– 1 t-shirt (winner’s choice of Redwood Hill Farm Goat, Green Valley Organics Cow OR RHF kid-size shirt; approximate value: $15)

– 6, 6-oz cups Redwood Hill Farm Goat yogurts or free product coupons (valued at about $2.19 each = $13.14)

– 6, 6-oz cups Green Valley Organics Lactose Free yogurts (valued at about $1.59 each = $9.54)

– 1 32-oz bottle Redwood Hill Farm Kefir (about $6.39)

– 1 32-oz bottle Green Valley Organics Kefir (about $4.49)

– 1 12-oz Green Valley Organics Sour Cream (about $3.99)

Are you excited yet? Because when I received my package, I felt like a little kid in a candy store.

To enter, all you have to do is:

1. Leave a comment saying why you want the prize package.

For extra entries:

1. Like Green Valley Organics on Facebook and leave a comment saying you did so.
2. Like Redwood Hill Farms on Facebook and leave a comment saying you did so.
3. Like What Katie’s Baking on Facebook and leave a comment saying you did so.
4. Follow Redwood Hill Farms on Twitter and leave a comment saying you did so.
5. Follow What Katie’s Baking on Twitter and leave a comment saying you did so.
6. Subscribe to my RSS feed and leave a comment saying you did so.

The giveaway will end on Tuesday, October 2nd at 12:00 am.  Good luck! 🙂

If you don’t win, don’t worry, you can just buy their products!  Redwood Hill Farm and Green Valley Organics products are available at Whole Foods Markets, natural food stores and specialty grocers nationwide. To find a store near you, go to redwoodhill.com/store and greenvalleylactosefree.com/stores/

Now, for this deliiiiicious recipe (which got devoured extremely quickly in my house):

Cinnamon Chocolate Bundt Cake

Adapted from: Leite’s Culinaria

Ingredients:

Cake:

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, plus more for the pan
• 1/3 cup (1 ounce) cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup water
• 2 cups (9 ounces) all-purpose flour, plus more for the pan
• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup plain Green Valley Organics plain yogurt
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon, plus extra for pan coating

Glaze:

• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• ½ stick butter
• 1/3 cup Redwood Hills plain Kefir
• 1/3 cup sugar

Directions:

Make the cake:

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Butter and sprinkle cinnamon in a 10- or 12-cup Bundt pan and set aside.
2. In a small saucepan, combine the butter, cocoa powder, salt, cinnamon, and water and place over medium heat.
3. Cook, stirring, just until melted and combined. Remove from the heat and set aside.
4. Place the flour, sugar, and baking soda in a large bowl and whisk to blend.
5. Add half of the melted butter mixture and whisk until completely blended (the mixture will be quite thick). Add the remaining butter mixture and whisk until combined.
6. Add the eggs, one at a time, whisking until completely blended before adding the next egg. Whisk in the Green Valley plain yogurt and vanilla until smooth.
7. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes and then invert onto a rack. Let cool completely before glazing.

Make the glaze:

1. Just before glazing the cooled cake, combine the Green Valley kefir, cocoa powder, butter, and sugar in a small saucepan and put over medium heat. Stir constantly until the sugar is dissolved.
2. Drizzle the glaze over the cooled cake, allowing it to drip and dribble down the sides.  It will soak into the cake and taste delicious.

 

White Chocolate Peanut Butter Funfetti Cake Balls

I’ve got probs.

First of all, I haven’t jumped on the pumpkin bandwagon and I’m still making summery, Funfetti-colored cake balls. I have already had: pumpkin ice cream, pumpkin coffee creamer, Starbucks pumpkin latte, store-bought pumpkin muffins, and pumpkin tea, but I have yet to bake pumpkin-flavored food.  (Actually, I did, but I forgot to take pictures so it doesn’t count.)

Second of all, I may have overdone it here with the triple flavor combo, but it worked.

So, yeah, I’ve got probs, but it’s okay because I made you cake balls.

These are just like regular cake balls, but instead of frosting, you use melted white chocolate and peanut butter.  Yum, yum, yum.

 White Chocolate Peanut Butter Funfetti Cake Balls

Ingredients

• 1 pre-made cake (Use a box mix or your own recipe)
• 1 cup smooth peanut butter, melted  (Preferably Peanut Butter & Co Peanut Butter!)
• 1 cup white chocolate chips, melted
• 1 (3 ounce) bar chocolate flavored almond bark

Directions

1. Crumble your pre-made cake in a bowl.
2. Mix in melted peanut butter and white chocolate.
3. Melt chocolate coating in a glass bowl in the microwave, or in a metal bowl over a pan of simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth.
4. Use a small scoop to form balls of the chocolate cake mixture.
5. Dip the balls in chocolate using a toothpick or fork to hold them. Place on waxed paper to set.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars

I just need to tell you guys that Brandy is awesome because without her, I would have never discovered these gems.

I made these cheesecake cookie bars for my family a couple of weeks ago and they were devoured in a day.  Mind you, my family consists of my mom and dad… that’s it.  We have dessert issues.

If you like cheesecake, you’ll like these.  If you like cookie dough, you’ll like these.  If you like them both, you’ll love these.

Also, to add to how happy these cheesecake bars make me, I’m just going to post some more things that are making me happy right now  (*Note: the only pictures that are mine are the cheesecake bar photos):

 

What are you loving right now??

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars
From:  Brandy

Ingredients:

Crust:

• 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough:

• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup flour
• 2/3 cup chocolate chips

Cheesecake Filling:

• 10 oz cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 325 F. Line an 8″ square baking pan with parchment paper or foil allowing a little overhang and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.

2. Mix the melted butter and graham cracker crumbs until thoroughly combined. Press the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven for 6 minutes. Remove pan to a cooling rack. Leave your oven on while you prepare the dough.

3. While the crust is cooling, prepare the chocolate chip cookie dough. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, salt and vanilla until smooth and thoroughly combined, about 1 minute. Mix in the flour on low speed, and mix until just incorporated. Mix in the chocolate chips. Set aside. (*Note: This mixture is going to be dry…that’s okay. You’re going to crumble it on top of the cheesecake layer.)

4. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl with an electric mixer cream together the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Mix in the egg and vanilla on low speed just until incorporated. Pour the cheesecake batter into the prepared crust. Use your hands to form “clumps” of the cookie dough, smoosh it together and flatten it out.  Distribute the cookie dough onto the top of the cheesecake batter in teaspoon-sized clumps. Be sure to use all of the dough.

5. Bake for about 30 minutes, until the top feels dry and firm (the cookie dough) and the entire pan looks set if given a gentle shake. Move bars to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely. Chill in refrigerator overnight or for at least a couple hours.

6. Lift the bars out by the overhang and cut into squares for serving.

Garrett’s Caramel Corn Copycat Recipe

First of all, CONGRATS to Dawn for winning my giveaway! 🙂

When Kellen and I went to Chicago, we had Garrett’s Caramel Corn.

Once we left, I was on a mission to make a copycat recipe because it’s SO GOOD.  It’s really shocking how easy this popcorn is to make.  It’s a little time consuming, but so worth the wait because the slight crunch/slight chewiness is awesome.

Also, I recommend you either a) make your own cheesy popcorn or b) buy some cheddar popcorn to add to mix in with this because the sweet and salty mix of Garrett’s caramel corn is so addicting.  I bought these the other day just because I was craving that cheddar/caramel mixture so much after trying Garret’s:

 

I’m obsessed with these now. They’re SO good, although the cheddar flavor is a little overpowering.

Garrett’s Caramel Corn Copycat Recipe
From: Anju’s Kitchen Treasures 

Ingredients:

• 1 heaping tablespoon solid coconut oil or peanut oil
• 1 cup unpopped white popcorn
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 cups light brown sugar
• 1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter
• 1 cup light corn syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Directions:

1. Heat coconut oil in a large pot over high heat.
2. Add 6 kernels to pan as testers; cover. When at least 3 of the kernels pop, add remaining kernels.
3. Shake pan occasionally as corn pops. Keep over high heat until popping slows to a few pops per second, about 5 minutes.
4. Empty popped corn into a large brown paper bag. Add 2 teaspoons salt. Shake bag to distribute salt and drain excess oil; discard un-popped kernels.
5. Measure 13 cups of fully popped kernels; spread on large roasting pan; set aside.
6. Combine brown sugar, butter, corn syrup and baking soda in medium heavy saucepan; heat to boiling over medium-high heat.
7. Cook, without stirring, until mixture reaches 235 degrees F on a candy thermometer, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat.
8. Heat oven to 250 degrees F.
9. Carefully pour caramel mixture over popcorn. Stir mixture with heat-resistant spatula or buttered wooden spoon to evenly coat popcorn, working quickly to coat kernels
10. Bake popcorn 1 hour, stirring every 10 minutes to continue coating uniformly.
11. Remove pan from oven; cool on wire rack. Break apart any clumps of corn with your hands.

S’mores Chocolate Chip Cookies

As the summer winds down and the weather gets cooler (HA!), fire pits start to sound a little more bearable than the did a few weeks ago.

Unfortunately, it’s still freakin’ hot here (in the 90s-100s), so I’d rather bake s’more than make them on a burning hot fire on a burning hot day.

Plus, who would pick a regular s’more over a cookie s’more?!

I used my standard chocolate chip recipe and added marshmallows and graham crackers, and this is what happened…

S’mores Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks, 8 ounces) unsalted butter, very soft
1 cup (7 1/2 ounces) packed brown sugar
3/4 cup (5 1/4 ounces) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 1/2 cups (11 5/8 ounces) All-Purpose Flour

1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 1/2 cups (9 ounces) chocolate chips
2 1/2 cups (5 1/4 ounces) mini marshmallows

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Place the very soft butter in a medium-large mixing bowl. Add the sugars, salt, vanilla, and stir well.
3. Add the egg and stir until well blended.
4. Add the baking soda and flour, mixing until blended.
5. Stir in the chips, graham cracker crumbs, and marshmallows.
6. Scoop rounded tablespoons of dough onto light-colored baking sheets.
7. Flatten into disks, using gentle pressure from your fingers.
8. Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes, until the bottoms and edges are lightly browned; the tops shouldn’t brown, they should still be slightly gooey.
9. Remove the cookies from the oven, let them rest on the pan for 5 minutes, then slide them onto a rack to cool completely.

Don’t forget to enter my giveaway!

New Books by Dede Wilson: Cake Balls and A Baker’s Field Guide to Doughnuts

First of all, Happy Labor Day! 🙂

Second of all, I don’t know if you have any of Dede Wilson’s books, but if you haven’t, you’re missing out.  But don’t worry, I can fix that.

Today, I’m giving away two awesome cookbooks:

Cake Balls
More Than 60 Delectable and Whimsical Sweet Spheres of Goodness

This features all sorts of cake balls- I couldn’t have even imagined some of the cake balls in this book.  Creme Brulee Cake Balls, Espresso Brownie Cake Balls, Key Lime Cake Balls, Mocha Toffee Crunch Cake Balls?!  Tell me you can resists that.  Also, not only does the book have cake ball recipes, but the beginning has the perfect cake, frosting, brownie recipes for the balls.  You won’t find any fake box mixes in this book.  Plus, the step-by-step cake ball making instructions with pictures in the front of the book are extremely helpful.

 

and

A Baker’s Field Guide to Doughnuts
More Than 60 Warm and Fresh Homemade Treats

I love this book because finally, I know how to spell doughnuts, haha!  Kidding.  This book is just as awesome as the cake pop cookbook.  It has baked doughnuts, fried doughnuts, yeast doughnuts, filled doughnuts, everything.   Dede is really good at creating original recipes, like Carrot Cake Doughnuts, Chocolate-Salted Caramel Doughnuts, Creme Brulee Doughnuts, Honey Cream-Filled Doughnuts with Milk and Honey Glaze.  She sold me!

I just got both of the books on Friday and I’ve already bookmarked almost all of the recipes (ha, helpful, huh?). And, I seriously sat in front of the TV last night making cake balls while Kellen and I watched a movie. So, just a warning, this book will make you do weird things.

Who wants these books?

Well, today is your lucky day. I’ve got a copy of each book to give away!  To enter, all you have to do is:

1.  Leave a comment telling me what your favorite cake ball and/or doughnut recipe is.

For additional entries:

2. Like Dede Wilson on Facebook and leave a comment saying you did.
3.  Like What Katie’s Baking on Facebook and leave a comment saying you did.
4.  Follow Dede on Twitter and leave a comment saying you did.
5.  Follow What Katie’s Baking on twitter and leave a comment saying you did. 

Good luck!

The giveaway will end on Monday, September 10th at midnight.  Make sure you leave your email address, or some form of contact information so I can get in contact with you if you win.