Honey-licious Cookies

     I recently made these cookies for Liam's Avenger Birthday party.  I called them Wasp's Honey Cookies.  They taste like a soft graham cracker!  So good!  They've become one of my favorite cookies!

Recipe from Lil' Miss Cakes

Here's what you need:

2/3 cup vegetable oil

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup honey

1 egg (room temperature)

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups all purpose flour

2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

Turbinado sugar (for rolling)

How to make them:

Preheat the oven to 350˚F.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a bowl sift the flour, baking soda, and salt, set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the oil, honey, and sugar until smooth.

Add in the egg and vanilla, mix until combined.

Add in the flour mixture, mix until combined.

If the dough is soft, refrigerate for 15-30 minutes until firm.

Shape the dough into balls and roll each ball in the Turbinado sugar making sure to coat the whole cookie.

Place on prepared baking sheet and bake for 7-9 minutes until the edges are light brown.

Let cool slightly, then ENJOY!

Peachy Keen Coconut Banana Bread

          Well, I had way too many frozen bananas in the freezer to make just one loaf of Cinnamon Swirly Banana Pumpkin Bread.  So I made this one, it turned out more of cake, since I used a square baking pan.  

Recipe from Lil' Luna

Here what you need:

1 cup sugar 2 TBsp unsalted butter (melted) 1 egg (room temperature) 3/4 cup milk 3 cups flour 3 1/2 tsp baking powder 1 tsp salt 1 cup mashed bananas 1 cup peaches (diced small) 1/2 cup shredded coconut

How you make it:
Preheat oven to 350˚F. Prepare a loaf pan by spraying with cooking spray. In a bowl sift the flour, baking powder, and salt, set aside. In a bowl of an electric mixer, mix sugar, butter and egg until well combined. Stir in the milk. Add in the flour mixture and mix until combined. Gently fold in the bananas, peaches, and coconut. Sprinkle a teaspoon or two of coconut on the top of the batter. Bake for 50-60 minutes. Loaves are done when slightly golden on top and when a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool a bit before slicing, then ENJOY!

Cinnamon Swirly Banana Pumpkin Bread

      With our move coming up, I thought I would clear out the bananas I had stocked up in the freezer.       I usually do just a simple banana bread, but decided to try a new recipe.  So here ya go...

Recipe from The Messy Baker

What you need:

2 cups white whole wheat flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
2 ripe bananas
3/4 cup brown sugar
4 TBsp unsalted butter (melted)
1/3 cup plain or vanilla Greek yogurt
2 large eggs (room temperature)
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup pecans (toasted and chopped, optional)
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

How to make it:

Preheat oven to 350˚F.
Grease and flour a 9x5inch loaf pan.
In a small bowl, sift the dry ingredients together.
In a large bowl, add the pumpkin puree and bananas, mash together with potato masher.
Add the brown sugar, melted butter, and yogurt, whisk to combine.
Add in the eggs and vanilla, whisk to combine.
Fold in the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until well combined.
Fold in optional pecans.
For the cinnamon swirl, stir together the sugar and cinnamon.
Add half of the batter to the pan, top with the cinnamon swirl mixture.
Top with the remaining batter and place in the oven.
Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Let cool, before turning out on a wire rack to finish cooling.
Slice it up and ENJOY!

Biscoff Pumpkin Muffins

Recipe modified from Lil' Luna

What you need:

Muffins

1 1/2 cup all purpose flour (sifted)

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 cup pumpkin puree (not pie filling)

2 eggs (room temperature)

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/4 cup water

3/4 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp baking powder

2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Streusel

1/4 cup all purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup Biscoff cookies (finely crushed) or oatmeal (I was out of cookies so used this)

2 TBsp Biscoff Creamy spread

3 TBsp unsalted butter (cold)

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Filling

4 oz original cream cheese (softened)

2-3 Tbsp Apple butter

How to make them:

Preheat oven to 350˚F.

Line one standard size muffin pan with liners, set aside.

In a bowl of an electric mixer on low speed, combine the sugar, brown sugar, puree, vegetable oil, applesauce, water, and vanilla extract.

Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing until just combined.

In a medium size mixing bowl, sift together the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, and ground cinnamon.

With the mixing speed on low, gradually add in the dry ingredients, scraping down the sides as needed, mix until no flour pockets remain, set aside.

For the streusel, in a small mixing bowl combine the sugar, brown sugar, flour, crushed cookies or oatmeal (like I used), and ground cinnamon.

Using a pastry blender, cut in cold butter and Biscoff spread.

Continue working the mixture with the pastry blender until it resembles chunks about the size of a pea.

Scoop in enough batter to fill 1/3 of each muffin well.

Then scoop a bit of the cream cheese filling on top of the muffin batter.

Next top the cream cheese with another scoop of muffin batter.

Sprinkle some of the streusel topping on the muffin batter.

Gently pat the streusel into the batter to help it bake into the muffin.

Place in the oven and bake for 18-22 minutes or until the tops spring back and the streusel is golden brown.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for 2 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Then ENJOY!

Key Lime Pie

 Recipe featured on Cook. Eat. Love.

What you need:

Crust

3/4 lb graham cracker crumbs

4 TBsp sugar

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter (melted)

1/4 tsp salt

Filling

4 egg yolks (room temperature)

1 can (14oz) condensed milk

2/3 cup fresh Key Lime juice

1 lime grated zest

Topping

1 cup heavy cream (chilled)

2 Tbsp confectioner's sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

How to make it:

Preheat oven to 325˚F.

Break up the graham crackers by placing in a food processor and process into crumbs.

Add the melted butter, sugar, and salt, then pulse until combined.

Press the mixture into the bottom of a 9 inch pie pan, forming an even layer on the bottom, sides and edge.

Bake the crust for 10 minutes.

Remove from the oven and allow the crust to cool.

While the crust is resting, in a bowl of an electric mixer with the whisk attachment, whip the egg yolks and lime zest at high speed until fluffy, about 5 to 6 minutes.

Gradually add the condensed milk and continue to whip until thick, about 3 to 4 minutes longer.

Lower the mixer speed and slowly add the lime juice until incorporated.

Pour the mixture into the crust and bake for 15 minutes or until the filing has set.

Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.

Then refrigerate for 20 minutes or over night.

In a clean bowl of an electric mixer with a clean whisk attachment, whip the cream, confectioner's sugar, and vanilla until nearly stiff peaks.

Put whipped cream in a piping bag fitted with star tip.

Pipe the whipped topping onto the cooled pie around the edges and in the center.

Garnish the pie with a slice of lime.

Place in the freezer for about 20 minutes prior to serving.

Then ENJOY!!

Baking with MeeMaw

     After our little trip to Austin we went back to a normal schedule living at mom's house.  Well, on this particular day, MeeMaw decided she wanted to try her hand at making cake pops for the kiddos.  It was her first time to ever make them, you think she would've had a recipe, but nope.  She thought she could figure it out.....well, probably not the best idea, but she was on the right track. I recently tried my hand at making some Watermelon Cake Pops for National Watermelon Day and they were quite easy.  At least her and Liam had a great time decorating and eating them, even if they did fall apart.

Little Camden wanted to try some too!

Another fun day at MeeMaw's, actually the last one of this visit.

We were heading back home the next day...

Chocolate Banana Bread

Recipe from It's Always Autumn

What you need:

1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 1/4 cup mashed ripe bananas
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

How to make it:

Preheat oven to 350˚F.

Spray a standard loaf pan with cooking spray and dust with flour.

Beat sugar, eggs, and oil in a bowl of an electric mixer until well combined.

Beat in mashed bananas and vanilla until incorporated.

In another bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.

Stir dry ingredients into wet ingredients.

Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.

Bake for 60-70 minutes or until top is cracked and bread is cooked through.

Let cool in the pan before turning out on a wire rack to finish cooling.

Then ENJOY!

Elf on the Shelf: Let's get our Bake On!

     Zippy was totally ready to get his bake on with the kiddos!  

Chef Zippy!

Love your apron Zippy!

Look he even got out all the ingredients and utensils out for us!

I guess he wants to bake up some Chocolate M&M cookies for Santa!

A few Night Before Christmas surprises

I made us a Reindeer breakfast

Liam didn't want to bake, but Kinley did!

Loving the chef hat Kinley!

Before bed we made sure to set out some of the cookies we made

for Santa with some milk too!

We even put out an apple for Rudolph, per Liam's request.

Kinley didn't exactly understand the concept yet, so she kept

stealing the apple...such a cutie!

Zippy, have a safe trip home to the North Pole with Santa!

Vanilla Bean Scones

     As you know I love baking up some muffins, but today I whipped up some lovely Vanilla Bean Scones.  Similar to the ones you find at your local Starbucks, but I think these are way better.  Super moist and of course, home made!

Found this recipe on Rumbly in My Tumbly.

Ingredients:

Scones

2 cups all purpose flour (sifted)

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/3 tsp salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter (room temperature)

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 vanilla bean or 2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup milk

Vanilla Bean Glaze

2 cups confectioner's sugar (sifted)

4 TBsp milk

2 tsp vanilla extract (use clear vanilla extract if you want a white glaze, if using brown vanilla glaze will be cream/off white color)

1/2 vanilla bean (use the other half from earlier)

How to make them:

Scones

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

In a large bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Cut the vanilla bean in half lengthwise and scrape the seeds out with a small, sharp knife.

Add the seeds to the sugar mixture and beat to incorporate.

Mix in half of the flour, followed by the milk.

Stir in remaining flour mixture until dough comes together into a firm, slightly sticky mass.

Divide the dough into 5 equal pieces and roll into tennis-sized balls.

Place on a lightly floured surface and flatten each ball into a disc about 1/2-3/4 inch thick.

After all balls have been flattened, cut each into quarters and arrange on prepared baking sheet.

Bake for 11-15 minutes, until scones are light golden brown at the edges.

Cool on a wire rack before glazing.

Glaze

In a large bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the sifted confectioner's sugar, milk, vanilla extract, and the seeds from the other half of the vanilla bean.

Mix glaze until it is very smooth and has a pourable consistency.

Add a few extra Tablespoons of confectioner's sugar if it is too thin and an extra Tablespoon of milk if it is too thick.

Pour over cooled scones and Enjoy!

Summer Bucket List: Cookie Crumbs

     Today, Liam picked out making cookies!  If you couldn't tell by my past posts, but I have sort of a sweet tooth and I think I pasted it down to my son.  Deciding on a cookie was quite easy, I had a bag of sweetened coconut I wanted to use, so I found an easy recipe on this great My Catholic Kitchen for Coconut Macaroons.

Liam was my big helper...pouring in the egg whites, salt, and vanilla.

And manning the electric mixer.

Time to add the sugar and whisk to form sift peaks!

My little pastry chef in the making!

Look at that meringue!

Time to add the coconut! Mmmmmmmm!

I scooped out the batter and we baked for 20 minutes.

I drizzled some of them with some melted chocolate.

Liam approved, said they were delish!

They turned out great for our first time making them!

Looking forward to tomorrow's activity!