Desserts
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Christmas Fudge
We can all thank a lazy, snowy Saturday morning and Ree Drummond from Pioneer Woman for this one haha. I was watching the Food Network this morning and she said her recipe for Peppermint Fudge, was quick and easy, so I decided to give it a try! Three simple ingredients, 10-15 minutes in the kitchen, and 2 hours in the refrigerator, this fun, festive peppermint fudge couldn’t have been any easier. A few things to keep in mind: Lining your pan with aluminum foil and spraying it with cooking spray is a life saver–don’t skip this step! Breaking up the peppermint candies is loud and hard on your countertops. Make sure to use…
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Sweet and Tangy Key Lime Pies
What better way to say goodbye to summer than with individual key lime pies! This recipe took some research because I wanted to get the filling just right, and I wanted to really bring out the lime flavor, but I didn’t want to use egg yolks or commit time to baking these pies. So, I found a few no-bake, eggless recipes and I tweaked them to include both lime zest and lime juice. I love how these turned out and I’m really happy with how the filling combines a sweet and tart flavor profile to make a delicious pie. My biggest tip for this recipe is to be patient and…
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Raspberry-Lemon Cheesecake Bars
Light and refreshing, lemon cheesecake is the perfect spring dessert. Add in some raspberries and now you have a colorful, fruity dessert to share with friends and family. I’m so glad I came across this recipe from Kraft just the other day. I revised the steps a little bit below just to add in some implied instructions. I love that this cheesecake recipe was meant to be cut into bars which is perfect for smaller portions and individual servings. Family gatherings can get pretty big with lots of yummy desserts to try. With these bars, I can cut the pieces into the perfect serving size so even the little cousins…
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A Match Made in Heaven
Chocolate + Strawberries = Love With Valentine’s Day weekend coming to an end, you might be looking for something simple, yet thoughtful to give that special someone on the actual day. This year, Valentine’s Day is on a Tuesday which for most people means work and busy schedules. These easy, but festive, chocolate covered strawberries are the perfect way to satisfy your sweet tooth and let your Valentine know how much you care! *Disclaimer: These chocolate covered strawberries also make a great addition to any girls’ night or dinner party so feel free to enjoy them year round in any setting 🙂 Ingredients: Fresh strawberries (washed and dried–really, really dried) Baker’s…
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Apple Pie Two Ways
Apples, cinnamon, and sugar are pretty much staple ingredients in the fall, but I wanted to try something different than traditional apple pie. Below are 2 different desserts/pastries–and the best part is that you can use the exact same ingredients for both! Semi-Homemade Apple Turnovers Ingredients: 3 Honey Crisp Apples Pillsbury Pie Crust 1/4″ cup granulated sugar 1 tbsp. cinnamon 4 dashes of ground nutmeg Sprinkle of brown sugar Instructions: Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Wash, peel, and chop your apples. I usually slice the apples first and then chop the slices into smaller pieces. Add the apples to a medium bowl. Then add the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and…
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Royal Icing Sugar Cookies
Royal icing is pretty much magic in the kitchen! I never knew all of the fun designs and colors you could create to transform simple sugar cookies into wonderful little works of art. Below is the royal icing recipe I’ve come to love and the semi-homemade sugar cookie recipe I use as a canvas. Like many of my favorite recipes, this is one that you can use at any time of year to celebrate any occasion. Royal Icing: Ingredients: 3 tablespoons 8 oz. Meringue Powder 4 cups (about 1 lb.) Confectioners’ Sugar 5 tablespoons Warm Water Food Coloring Instructions: Add the meringue powder (found in the baking aisle…
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Blueberry Cheesecake Bites
Watching the food network can be a dangerous, but beautiful thing. While watching Valerie’s Home Cooking one Saturday morning, I decided I wanted to give her Blueberry Cheesecake Filo Cups a try. This recipe was fairly simple and in just a few steps, I had a lemony, summer dessert perfect for satisfying any sweet tooth. I tweaked a few things below to make the process a littler smoother. Instead of whisking the marscapone, powdered sugar, and lemon zest, use a dinner fork to mix everything together. The marscapone tends to stick to the whisk and makes it impossible to keep a good stirring motion to blend your ingredients. For a user-friendly…
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Chocolate Covered Pretzel Rods
For a quick and easy Fourth of July dessert, I made chocolate covered pretzel rods. Children and adults love these simple, chocolatey treats and if you’re low on time, but want to bring something festive to your July 4th picnic, this recipe is the way to go. Plus, you can get creative with your choice of sprinkles and mix up the colors to fit in with any theme or holiday season! Ingredients: 1 bag of Herr’s pretzel rods 1 container of Baker’s Dipping Milk Chocolate (or your choice of chocolate) Festive Red, White, and Blue sprinkles Instructions: Line a baking sheet with wax paper. Melt your chocolate based on the instructions included…
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Not My Gum Drop Buttons!
I’ve always wanted to make traditional gingerbread men for the Christmas season. This year, I went ahead and bought my cookie cutters in advance (stores tend to run out of them right around a week before Christmas) and settled in for the night to bake and decorate these yummy cookies for a department Christmas party at work. I think they turned out pretty great! Ingredients: 1/2 cup butter, softened 3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar 1/3 cup molasses 1 egg 2 tablespoons water 2-2/3 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons ground ginger 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon each ground cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice Directions: In a large…
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All Things Fall
Fall is a great time to experiment in the kitchen. Chilly Saturday mornings have been the best time to try out my new oatmeal recipes for a hearty breakfast option and for a mid afternoon snack, caramel popcorn has quickly become a fall favorite. Plus, my homemade apple crisp works well for breakfast or dessert! Here are some pictures of the finished products and some festive decorative pumpkins I crafted for a Halloween party at work. Cinnamon-Honey Oatmeal …
