Snickerdoodle Muffins with Crunchy Topping

My fall break is over, which means I only have 8 more weeks until I’m a big kid.  Graduating in December is so scary and exciting at the same time.

I’m still enjoying not waking up until 10, having the cafeteria make my food, going to formals with Kellen, and having advisors and teachers help me make my schedule.  Siiighhh…I will miss it all, but I’m also excited about having a career and makin’ some monaaayyy.

Anyway, to console myself, I made some delicious muffins.

Snickerdoodle Muffins with Crunchy Topping
Adapted from: Lil Luna

Ingredients:

• ½ cup butter
• 1 cup sugar
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 ¼ cups flour
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp cream of tartar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• ½ cup sour cream
• 1 egg
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 3 tbsp cinnamon

Directions:

1. Cream butter, sugar, salt and cinnamon until fluffy. Add egg and mix well.
2. Add vanilla and sour cream and mix well.
3. Mix flour, cream of tartar, and baking powder in a separate bowl.
4. Add to wet ingredients and mix until all combined.
5. Spoon batter into 12 cupcake liners in a cupcake tin.
6. Mix 3 tbsp sugar and 3 tbsp cinnamon in a bowl and sprinkle even amounts over each muffin.
7. Bake at 350 for about 25-30 minutes minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let cool and devour.

 

Candy Corn White Hot Chocolate

Okay, so I’m finally starting to get excited about Halloween being right around the corner.

I’ve been all about fall lately, but fall and Halloween are two separate things.

Anyway, like I said, I’m excited about Halloween, but I don’t have any clue what/who to be.

I want something cheap and homemade.  Right now I’m leaning towards a Kristen Wiig SNL character, because who wouldn’t want to be her?!

(Not my photos)

I love her!!! What’s your favorite Kristen Wiig character?

If you guys have any other ideas, please share!  What are you going to be for Halloween?

Anyway, since I’m in the Halloween spirit, I bought some candy corn and was determined to use it in a recipe.  Candy corn is tricky to bake with, so I went with hot chocolate.  It turned out really well!  It would be a great recipe for a Halloween party.

Candy Corn White Hot Chocolate
Adapted from: Paula Deen – my fav! 

Ingredients

• 1 cup white chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup candy  corn
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 4 cups half-and-half
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine white chocolate chips, candy corn, and heavy cream.
2. Stir continuously until white chocolate chips and candy corn have completely melted.
3. Stir in the half-and-half, and vanilla extract. Keep stirring occasionally until heated through. Pour into mugs and enjoy!

“The Best Friend’s Guide to Breast Cancer” and Pink Donut Holes

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

If you know someone or have a loved one or friend who has breast cancer, I really suggest you read this book:  The Best Friend’s Guide to Breast Cancer, written by Sonja L. Faulkner, who battled breast cancer herself.   It’s easy to feel lost and hopeless when something this tragic happens to you or someone you know, and this book is an inspiring resource.

Not only does this book offer support and inspiration, it also offers information and cancer-fighting foods.  If the book isn’t enough, it also provides websites and organizations that provide more information and help.

Also, 20% of the proceeds of sales from this book go to Pink Lotus Petals, a non-profit organization that provides help for women with breast cancer.

Sonja’s website offers so many delicious recipes for fighting breast cancer, such as Lemony Blueberry Zucchini Loaf,  Tropical Quinoa Pudding Made with Green Tea, and Very Berry Muffins.  Check it out!

Pink Donut Holes
From: Hummingbird High

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 cup milk, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• A few drops of red food coloring
• 1 cup coconut oil
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar, for sugar coating

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, whisk together 1 1/4 cups flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Set aside.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup milk, 1/4 cup buttermilk, 1/4 cup sugar, vanilla, red food color, and 3 tablespoons melted butter until just combined.
3. Combine the small bowl of dry ingredients with the medium bowl of wet ingredients, using a rubber spatula to stir in the dry ingredients and mixing until just combined. Be careful not to overmix, or you will get dense donut holes and I will cry for you. The texture of the dough should be sticky.
4. Preheat 1 cup of oil over medium heat in a 10 inch pan (I used an iron skillet).
5. Once the oil has reached 350 (F), measure out 1 tablespoon of dough and roll into a ball with your hands.
6. Drop the dough into the pan of oil. Fry until golden brown on bottom then flip and cook on the reverse side until golden brown.
7. When the donut hole is finished frying, carefully remove with metal tongs or a fork and place on a cooling rack lined with paper towels to absorb the excess oil.
8. When the donut hole has cooled down enough so that it doesn’t burn you when you pick it up, roll in a small bowl filled with 1/2 cup sugar. Set aside.
9. Repeat this process with remaining dough. You can cook more than one donut hole at a time.

National Chocolate Week Recipes

Extra Moist Chocolate Lava Cakes

Happy National Chocolate Week!

I’ve been doing my best to eat a lot of chocolate to celebrate.  However, I wasn’t able to bake anything this week because of midterms in my 16 week classes and finals in my 8 week classes.

No worries, though, because I’ve been stalking some of my favorite blogs for their chocolate recipes.  Check them out!  (All of the following photos belong to the owners of each website.)

Chocolate Snickerdoodles by Baked Bree:

Chocolate Velvet by Love and Olive Oil:

Easy Chocolate Cupcakes by Your Cup of Cake:

Sweet Chocolate Kiss Cookies by Cake Spy:

Chocolate Covered Pretzel Peanut Butter Brownies by Sweet Pea’s Kitchen:

Chocolate Ice Box Cupcakes by Two Peas and Their Pod:

How have you been celebrating National Chocolate Week? Leave links!  I would love to see your chocolate creations.

“Extreme” Walnut Banana Bread with Streusel Topping

My freshman year of college, I used to live for coming home to my mom’s banana bread.

I would force her to make it and I think she loved making it for me just as much as I loved eating it.

Sometimes, I would come home and it would already be baking in the oven and the smell was like… rich waves of heaven.. haha!

But really, I thought she was a baking genius.  When she showed me the recipe she uses, I decided to try it myself and add some streusel.  It of course wasn’t as good as my moms, but it’s still a really awesome recipe.

 

 “Extreme” Walnut Banana Bread with Streusel Topping

Adapted from:  All Recipes and Buns in My Oven

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 cup butter 
• 1 cup granulated white sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 3 large overripe bananas, mashed
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup walnuts

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 8 tbsp butter, cubed

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour two 9×5 inch loaf pans.
2. Sift the flour, salt and baking soda into a large bowl.
3. In a separate bowl, mix together the butter and sugar until smooth.
4. Stir in the bananas, eggs, and walnuts until well blended. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry mixture, and stir just until blended. Divide the batter evenly between the two loaf pans.
5. Make the streusel: mix together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and brown sugar.
6. Cut in the butter and mix until crumbly.
7. Evenly crumble the streusel over the banana bread mixture.
8. Bake for 60 to 70 minutes in the preheated oven, until a knife inserted into the crown of the loaf comes out clean.
9. Let the loaves cool in the pans for at least 5 minutes, then turn out onto a cooling rack, and cool completely.

*Tip- Wrap in aluminum foil to keep in the moisture.

Giveaway Winner + Vanilla Gelato with Chocolate Peanut Butter Ganache Topping

Congratulations to Jennie over at The Messy Baker Blog for winning the Redwood Hill giveaway!

She is a lucky girl!  But, if you didn’t win, don’t worry… I will have more giveaways.

Okay, two really exciting things happened this week:

1.  The president of Micronesia visited my college on Sunday.

2. I got Homecoming Queen.  Funny story, though… they got two “Homecoming King” sashes, so I got to rep a king sash all night long.  Don’t care!

Anyway, before it gets too cold, I want to share one more freezing cold recipe with you.

I have eaten Gelato a few times, but this is the first time I had ever made it.  I could not believe how creamy it was.  So decadent and the chocolate peanut butter topping was also smooth and creamy, so there were some nice textures going on.

If you happen to get another unseasonably warm day, I suggest you make this Gelato.

Vanilla Gelato with Chocolate Peanut Butter Ganache Topping

Ingredients:

• 3 1/2 cups vanilla Kefir (I’m obsessed with Kefir right now if you can’t tell)
• 1 cup greek yogurt
• ¼ cup creamer
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup peanut butter
• 1/3 cup chocolate chips
• 2 tbsp oil

Directions:

1. Mix sugar, cornstarch, salt, and Kefir in a medium saucepan. Whisk and heat over medium heat, frequently scraping the bottom, until the mixture begins to barely simmer around the edges.
2. Then, stirring constantly and scraping the sides and corners of the pan to prevent scorching, let the mixture simmer for 2.5 to 3 minutes to fully cook the cornstarch.
3. Scrape the hot mixture into the bowl and whisk until well blended
4. Set in the freezer to cool for about 10-15 min.
5. When cool, whisk in the frozen yogurt until you get a smooth consistency.
6. Pour the Gelato mixture into the canister of an ice cream maker. Freeze according to manufacturer’s directions.
7. Once frozen, melt the peanut butter, chocolate chips, and oil in a microwave safe bowl in the microwave until melted, about 1 minute.  Whisk until blended and spread evenly on top of the Gelato.
8. Freeze again until the chocolate layer has hardened.