The much anticipated wait for eggnog is over! We just purchased our first carton of eggnog and certainly not our last. Eggnog milkshakes, eggnog pancakes, eggnog french toast, eggnog custard, eggnog hot or cold, and yes why not eggnog scones too! Just made my first batch tonight and they were well received by my family.

Holiday Eggnog Scones
adapted from Allrecipes – Simple Scones

2 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
7 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold & cut
1/2 cup Eggnog ( I used light )
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Eggnog Glaze

1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 tablespoon eggnog
1 tablespoon milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg in food processor. Add butter and process until butter is combined and resembles coarse meal. In small bowl combine, eggnog, egg, and vanilla extract. Add to food processor and pulse until dough forms a ball (be careful to not over pulse) Note: Dough may be a little sticky. Remove to a lightly floured surface and divide dough into two balls. Pat each ball into a 3/4 inch thick circle. Cut each circle into 8 triangles, making a total of 16 mini scones. Place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper about 1 inch apart. Bake until lightly golden, about 10-12 minutes,. While scones are cooling make the glaze. Combine 1 cup of confectioners’ sugar with eggnog, milk, vanilla extract, and nutmeg. You can use a spoon to spread on the tops of each scone or dip each scone to coat top.

Back in 05′ I stumbled across a banana bar recipe on Allrecipes that inspired these bars. I remember at the time I didn’t have sour cream to make another bar that had great reviews so I used this recipe as a springboard to create my own version with the ingredients I had on hand.

I made several changes that really made the bar. I replaced the shortening with 1/4 cup butter, reduced sugar to 1/2 cup, added 1 egg, and used 2 ripe bananas. I also made some changes to the frosting by reducing the confectioners’ sugar to 2 cups and omitting the salt. Viola a brand new recipe that we have loved for years!

These bars are very delicious and moist, bursting with banana flavor. I especially love them cold so I keep the bars covered in the refrigerator.

Enjoy!

Frosted Banana Bars

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup low fat milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 very ripe bananas, mashed

Frosting

1/2 ripe banana, mashed
1/4 tsp lemon juice
2 Tbsps melted butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups confectioners’ sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9×13 inch baking pan.

Combine the flour, baking soda, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in medium bowl; set aside. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Add egg. Stir in the milk and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Mix in the mashed bananas. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix just until combined. Spread evenly into the prepared pan. Batter will be spread thin but try to spread evenly.

Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let bars cool completely before frosting.

To make the frosting:

In a medium bowl mash the banana and add lemon juice. Add the melted butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and confectioners’ sugar. Beat until smooth. Spread over cooled bars. Refrigerate and cut into bars.

Just about every time we go to Trader Joe’s the kids will ask for me to buy one of the delicious looking mini cakes that they sell and I always tell them “Oh that looks good but you know what we can make that at home.” The problem is I leave with the inspiration to make one but so often completely forget to make it. So I finally did what I said I wanted to do.

The cake turned out absolutely delicious and very moist!

Carrot Cake
adapted from allrecipes
Note: I halved the recipe in order to make just enough for the 6 inch mini layer cake.

2 eggs
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 cup grated carrots

Cream Cheese Frosting
adapted from allrecipes

1 8 ounce package light cream cheese
1/4 cup butter softened
2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 6-inch round cake pans ( or use baking spray). I did one extra step and cut parchment paper to place in the bottom of the pans.

In a large bowl beat together eggs, oil, applesauce, brown sugar, white sugar, and vanilla. In another bowl combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Add flour mixture to wet ingredients and mix just until combined. Add carrots. Divide cake batter equally into prepared cake pans. I must admit that this was originally going to be a four layer mini cake but I didn’t divide my cake batter as equally as I thought so it became a triple layer ;-). Really you can decide how many layers. I just think it looks nice to have more than the standard 2 layers.

Bake for 25 minutes, checking them at 20 minutes and when toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool in pan for about 10 minutes and then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely before frosting.

To Make Frosting:

In medium bowl combine cream cheese, butter, and vanilla. Add confectioners’ sugar and beat until smooth and creamy. After cutting cake into layers spread frosting between each layer and then top cake with remaining frosting. Keep cake refrigerated.

Enjoy!

Happy New Year! I wanted to start off the year with an easy, very moist, and refreshing lemon bundt cake. If your trying to keep your waistline in check you will be happy to know that butter is not called for in this recipe ;-).

I replaced half of the vegetable oil with lemon juice and used a nonfat vanilla greek yogurt instead of plain whole milk yogurt. Result was a moist lemon infused bundt cake. Will definitely be making often since we love all things lemon.

Lemon Yogurt Bundt Cake
adapted from Barefoot Contessa

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup nonfat vanilla greek yogurt
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

Lemon Syrup

1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour bundt cake pan or use baking spray. Set aside.

Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt in one bowl. In another bowl whisk together the yogurt, sugar, eggs, lemon zest, vanilla extract, oil, and lemon juice. Slowly whisk dry ingredients into wet until combined. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean.

While cake is baking prepare the lemon syrup. Cook sugar and lemon juice in small pan until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is clear. Set aside.

Allow cake to cool for 10 minutes and then turn over onto a baking rack. Be sure to place some waxed paper under baking rack to catch the syrup that will run off the sides of your cake. Poke cake with your cake tester several times before pouring the syrup on top. Slowly pour syrup all around the bundt cake allowing for it to drip down all sides. Carefully place bundt cake on desired cake stand or plate.

Enjoy!

Peppermint hot chocolate, peppermint mochas, and peppermint bark are undeniably some of our favorite holiday treats. Sometimes these holiday treats can be a bit costly if you enjoy them as much as we do.

My solution was to figure out how to make my own peppermint bark ;-).

The nice thing about making your own batches is that you can make as gifts, enjoy with your family, and keep some hidden for Santa’s late night treat cravings. Making peppermint bark at home can also be a memorable time with kids. What kid would say no if they were asked to help crush candy canes with a mallet? LOL

Peppermint Bark

1 12 ounce bag semi sweet chips
1 12 ounce bag white chocolate chips
8-10 candy canes crushed
peppermint extract (optional)

Directions:

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Unwrap candy canes and place into a gallon sized ziplock bag. Using a mallet or rolling pin crush candy canes until all pieces are broken up into small pieces. Next you will need to separate the smaller pieces from the larger pieces. I use the lid on a gravy separator I have because the holes are just the right size to separate the candy cane powder and very tiny pieces from the larger pieces that you will want to use on the top of your bark. You don’t have to do it this way. You can really crush the candy canes any way you desire ;-). I like to add the candy can powder/tiny pieces right into the melted white chocolate along with a dash of peppermint extract. Then I use the larger pieces to press into the top of the bark after spreading the white chocolate over the dark chocolate.

After preparing the candy canes you will want to get started on melting your chocolate. Grab two medium sized microwavable bowls and in one place your semi sweet chips and in the other place your white chocolate chips. You will want to start with the semi sweet first. Melt in microwave by checking after 30 second intervals. Mine took 1 1/2 minutes to melt. Pour chocolate onto parchment lined cookie tray and spread with an offset spatula. Place in freezer to harden.

Next you will want to microwave your white chocolate chips. Once they are melted stir in the candy cane powder/small pieces. Add peppermint extract if desired. Spread over hardened dark chocolate. Be careful with this step. You’ll want to work fast but gentle because sometimes the dark chocolate may melt and swirl into your white chocolate. Next add the larger pieces to the top of your bark. Place in freezer for about 5-10 minutes until the top layer has hardened. You can now cut your bark ;-)! After cutting keep the bark refrigerated until you serve.

Merry Christmas! Enjoy!

Note: I used Trader Joe’s morsels.

I’ve been on a scone making kick for some time now and it’s time I combine my love for making scones with my love of pumpkin. Every year Starbuck’s makes a delicious pumpkin scone with a thick sugar glaze that I look forward to devouring alongside a cup of coffee or my all time favorite, a chai latte. It represents Fall in every bite!

Being a baker I always enjoy attempting to make my favorites at home and it has become a fun challenge. I’ve made pumpkin scones in the past but it has been a while and I wanted to make them a bit sweeter.

When I went searching for a new recipe I found exactly what I was looking for!

Starbuck’s Pumpkin Scones
adapted from this recipe

2 cups all-purpose flour
7 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
6 Tbsp cold butter
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
3 Tbsp half and half (or can use milk)
1 large egg

Powdered Sugar Glaze

1 cup powdered sugar
1-2 Tbsp milk (don’t make too runny)

Spiced Glaze

1 cup powdered sugar
1-2 Tbsp milk (don’t make too runny)
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425F, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and spice into food processor. Add butter and process until butter is combined and resembles coarse meal.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, milk, and egg. Add wet ingredients to processor and pulse until dough forms into a ball. Warning! This dough is a bit stickier than other scone recipes so be prepared and coat hands/dough with a some flour so it can be patted into a 3/4-1 inch thick circle. Cut into 8 triangles. You can also divide dough into two balls and cut into 6 triangles each to make a total of 12 scones. Place on prepared baking sheet. Bake for 10-15 minutes, checking them after 10 minutes depending on their size. Scones should begin to turn light brown when done. Place on wire rack to cool and prepare for glazing by placing paper towels or waxed paper under your wire rack to catch drippings.

Powdered Sugar Glaze

Mix the powdered sugar and 1-2 tbsp milk together until smooth. Use a brush to spread glazed evenly over cooled scones.

Spiced Glaze

Combine ingredients for spiced glaze. Drizzle over the top of hardened powdered sugar glaze. Let set and then enjoy!

Yes, another scone recipe ;-). I just love scones. Always simple to make and very versatile.

This combo came to me as I was thinking of something to bake for a new group I was attending. I love baking and sharing and I only had 2 hours before our group was meeting. Hmmm, what to make?

Didn’t take me too long to figure it out. Earlier in the day I had made a trip to Costco which resulted in a large quantity of beautiful strawberries sitting in my refrigerator. At first I thought I would just make strawberry scones but then realized how refreshing it would be to add lemon zest and a lemon glaze. What a great decision that was because they not only turned out delicious but I got many compliments!

Strawberry Lemon Scones
adapted from Simple Scones

2 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
Zest from 1 lemon
7 tablespoons cold cut butter
1 egg
4oz container of Trader Joe’s strawberry yogurt
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 cup strawberries cut into small pieces and patted dry

Note: you can substitute 1/2 cup of sour cream or vanilla yogurt for the 4oz container of strawberry yogurt and milk. I just happened to have strawberry yogurt on hand and it was just shy of a 1/2 cup so I added some milk to fill the cup. Hope this makes sense ;-)!

Lemon Glaze

1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1-2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and zest from 1 lemon in food processor. Add butter and process until butter is combined and resembles coarse meal. In small bowl combine, egg, strawberry yogurt, and 2 tablespoons of milk. Remember you can also substitute 1/2 cup of sour cream or any vanilla yogurt for the strawberry yogurt and milk. Add to food processor and pulse until dough forms a ball. Remove to a lightly floured surface and gently fold in fresh strawberries. Do not over work the dough. Just make sure the strawberries are somewhat incorporated. It may get a bit sticky so adding a light coat of flour to your hands may help. Divide dough into two balls. Pat each ball into a 3/4 inch thick circle. Cut each circle into 8 triangles, making a total of 16 mini scones. Place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper about 1 inch apart. Bake until golden, about 12-15 minutes. While scones are cooling make the glaze. Combine 1 cup of confectioners’ sugar with fresh lemon juice. You can use a spoon to drizzle glaze on the tops of each scone or dip each scone to coat top.

Scones. Light. Fluffy. Yum.

I love the petite vanilla bean scones offered at Starbucks. Even better, they sell them in sets of three for a discount but I tend to run into a little problem each time that leaves me empty handed. I’ll order one set of three, hand them back to a pair of hands ready for the sweet vanilla bean goodness, who then passes out the other two, and poof they are gone. I end up wondering why I didn’t just order four in the first place.

Solution. Make my own ;-).

Here is a simple and delicious recipe for mini vanilla bean scones that won’t leave you empty handed. Remember to bake them before you make your coffee run ;-)!

Mini Vanilla Bean Scones
adapted from Allrecipes – Simple Scones

2 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold & cut
1/2 cup nonfat vanilla greek yogurt
1 egg
1 vanilla bean (scrape 3/4 of the vanilla bean, save 1/4 for glaze)
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Vanilla Bean Glaze

1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1-2 tablespoons milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 of the vanilla bean

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in food processor. Add butter and process until butter is combined and resembles coarse meal. In small bowl combine, egg, yogurt, vanilla extract, and 3/4 of the vanilla bean. Add to food processor and pulse until dough forms a ball. Remove to a lightly floured surface and divide dough into two balls. Pat each ball into a 3/4 inch thick circle. Cut each circle into 8 triangles, making a total of 16 mini scones. Place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper about 1 inch apart. Bake until lightly golden, about 10-12 minutes,. While scones are cooling make the glaze. Combine 1 cup of confectioners’ sugar with milk, vanilla extract, and remaining vanilla bean. You can use a spoon to spread on the tops of each scone or dip each scone to coat top.

Note: You can use vanilla bean paste as an alternative if you don’t have a vanilla bean on hand.

I’m in love with these cookies and they are now at the top of my list. The texture is ever so chewy and the flavor is bursting with peanut butter. Move over Family Fun Night Cookie! LOL.

The only thing that I changed about this cookie was to replace 1/2 of the peanut butter chips with semi sweet morsels. Don’t change a thing though if your taste buds are craving peanut butter only ;-).

Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Cookies
Adapted from Magnolia Bakery Cookbook

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup smooth or chunky peanut butter (I use smooth)
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup peanut butter chips
1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Sugar for rolling cookie balls into before baking.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the butter and the peanut butter together until fluffy. Add the sugars and beat until smooth. Add the egg and mix well. Add the milk and the vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture and beat thoroughly. Stir in the peanut butter chips and chocolate chips. Use small or medium cookie scoop to make uniform cookies and then roll each ball into sugar. Place onto ungreased cookie sheets, leaving 2 inches in between cookies. Press each ball slightly down with the back of a glass so that the cookie will bake evenly or indent with with a criss cross pattern using a fork. Do not overly flatten cookies.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, and do not overbake. Cookies may appear to be underdone, but they’re not. Cool the cookies on the sheets for one minute, then remove to a rack and cool completely.

Note: Original recipe calls for 1 cup peanut butter chips. I like to sub 1/2 cup with semi sweet. You choose!

If you know me well, you know I love FALL. I love the colors, I love baking, and I love making all things Pumpkin! Every year I look forward to ordering Fall inspired beverages from both Peet’s and Starbucks.

Just had my first Pumpkin Latte from Peet’s the other day and was inspired to replicate the flavors in a muffin. The only problem was that I had to have chocolate incorporated and decided to top the muffins with mini chocolate chips so that’s how they ended up being called Pumpkin Spice Mocha Muffins instead of Pumpkin Spice Latte Muffins.

I used one of my favorite pumpkin bread recipes as a starting point for this muffin and then did a little doctoring up ;-) I was pretty pleased with the final taste. Moist and delicious!

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Spice Mocha Muffins
adapted from Downeast Maine Pumpkin Bread

1 15 ounce can pumpkin puree
4 eggs
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup fresh brewed coffee, cooled
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

Topping:

mini chocolate chips – 1 teaspoon sprinkled over each muffin
cinnamon sugar to sprinkle on top of muffins

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare muffin cups with nonstick flour baking spray or line with paper cups.

In large bowl mix together pumpkin puree, eggs, applesauce, oil, coffee, vanilla extract, and sugars. In separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice. Add dry ingredients to pumpkin mixture and mix just until blended.

Use large cookie scoop to distribute evenly among muffin cups (3/4 full). Sprinkle each muffin with 1 teaspoon of mini chocolate chips and sprinkle about 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon sugar on top of each muffin.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean. Makes 24-28 muffins.

Note: You can play around with how much oil you put into the recipe. You can try 1/4 cup oil and 3/4 cup applesauce. You can even try replacing some of the oil with vanilla greek yogurt. You can also sub out some of the all purpose flour for 1 cup of whole wheat flour. Next time I may try using instant espresso dissolved into 2/3 cup water for a stronger flavor.