Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars

First off, I sincerely apologize for not blogging in such a long time. The end of my junior year in high school was...well - INSANE. But now it's summer! And all my hard work was totally worth it. Now I am officially a senior! 

You wanna know what I'm pumped about the most for this summer? BAKING! So my first post of the summer is this absolutely incredible recipe for cookie dough cheesecake bars. Oh my goodness, are they something magical. These scrumptious treats are the perfect combination of cheesecake and chocolate chip cookie dough. Can you even think of a more amazing pairing? I sure can't. I brought a full pan of these to a cross country party and they literally vanished before I could even blink. I guess you could say my parents were more than a little disappointed that I came home with an empty tray...

The recipe begins with a fool-proof, classic graham cracker crust. Above the crust lies another perfect, creamy layer of luscious cheesecake, wonderfully vanilla-y and delicious. Last but not least, my personal favorite layer is at the top: the cookie dough. Ahh cookie dough....my love...buttery and brown-sugary and studded with chocolate chips....can you say YUM??? This cookie dough is egg-less, so it's safe to eat (yes, by the spoonful if you wish). Together, the three layers form this heavenly dessert that you won't be able to resist.



Yield: about 12 bars

Ingredients:
Crust
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

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
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup chocolate chips

Cheesecake Filling
10 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 F. Line an 8 inch 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, cinnamon, 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: if the cookie dough looks a little dry, it's fine. It will be crumbled 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.

**Note: these taste best at room temperature.

Classic Monkey Bread

Hmmmm.....sticky....gooey....sweet....oozing with caramel and cinnamon....the amazing, classic monkey bread.  If you've never tasted it, mannnnn are you missing out because it's unforgettable.  I don't know if you have tried my fluffernutter monkey bread, but this classic recipe is, in my opinion, even better.  I guess I can't really compare the two recipes because the fluffernutter one is bursting with my favorite combo: peanut butter and marshmallow fluff.  However, this recipe is a CLASSIC, and it's just so darn good.  Also, the leftovers store wonderfully in a resealable container; just reheat them and they will taste almost as good as they do straight from the oven(:  I wouldn't change anything about this recipe except to make MORE of it because it goes so quickly.  Once you start eating it, you just can't stop!  You just keep popping the bite-size pieces of heaven into your mouth! It's truly irresistible.

Yield: about 12 servings

Ingredients

1/2

cup granulated sugar

1

teaspoon cinnamon

2

cans (16.3 oz each) Pillsbury® Grands!® Homestyle refrigerated buttermilk biscuits

1/2

cup chopped walnuts, if desired

1/2

cup raisins, if desired

1

cup firmly packed light brown sugar

3/4

cup butter, melted

Instructions:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease 12-cup fluted tube pan with shortening or cooking spray. In large -storage plastic food bag, mix granulated sugar and cinnamon.
• Separate dough into 16 biscuits; cut each into quarters. Shake in bag to coat. Arrange in pan, adding walnuts and raisins among the biscuit pieces.
• In small bowl, mix brown sugar and butter; pour over biscuit pieces.
• Bake 26 to 30 minutes or until golden brown and no longer doughy in center. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Turn upside down onto serving plate; pull apart to serve. Serve warm.

Golden Sweet Potato Brownies

I'm not one to cut the chocolate out of a brownie, but this recipe seriously doesn't need it.  Similar to my Sweet Potato Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting, this "brownie" is super moist, wonderfully sweet, with just the right amount of spice.  However, this recipe has more of a moist brownie-like texture than my cake recipe, and the cake part - or should I say "brownie" part - is a little sweeter as well.  These are not crumbly like brownies, though...I guess you could say they are stuck in the middle between a brownie and a cake.  The brown sugar, cinnamon, and butter make this recipe super sinfully rich. And the glaze on top is just delicious.  I don't recommend adding a frosting because that would make the dish a little too sweet.  I do, however, recommend adding the golden raisins (regular are fine too, but the golden complements the color better), and they are incredible when soaked in boiling orange juice for an hour. The shredded sweet potato (or yam) that you use melts away into the cake, similar to what a carrot cake would be like. I also love the sunny-orange-golden color this cake makes; it's unlike anything I've ever eaten before.  Do NOT use canned yams for this recipe because I have no idea how that would turn out!  I would think that it would make it too moist/wet.  Use fresh, shredded yams or sweet potatoes for the best results because they will be amazing!

Yield: 1 9x13 inch baking dish (about 20 servings)

Ingredients
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
3 eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 cups peeled and finely shredded sweet potato (or yam)
1 cup golden raisins (optional)

1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons milk

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg; stir into the batter just until blended. Fold in the shredded yam and (optional) raisins. Spread the batter evenly in the greased baking dish.
3. Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until a toothpick inserted into the center, comes out clean. Mix together the confectioners' sugar, butter and milk until smooth. Spread over the brownies while they are still warm. They will absorb some of the glaze. Serve hot or warm.

Nutella Stuffed Cinnamon Sugar Muffins

I could go on all day with these mouth-watering pictures.......
                                            ....but I won't.  Because I know you guys just wanna get to the recipe already.  Let me start off by saying that these are the most magnificent muffins I have ever tasted in my entire life.  (My second favorite is tied with my lemon raspberry muffins and my chocolate chip muffins.) They are like CRACK.  You will be wanting one of these EVERY SINGLE DAY once you bake them.  In fact, my family has already decided to have these for Christmas day breakfast!  Yep yep --- they are that good.

Let me tell you a little bit about them.  The muffin cake itself has the perfect amount of spice; wonderfully cinnamon-y, with just the right amount of nutmeg. It is also super moist and tender, everything you would dream the perfect muffin should be.  You know what a snickerdoodle tastes like right? (I'm working on the perfect snickerdoodle recipe by the way)  Hopefully you do.  Well...these muffins tastes just like snickerdoodles...just in muffin form of course (which makes them way cooler).   Plus they are fluffy.  Which makes them way better than snickerdoodle cookies(:  Anyways, on the outside of these heavenly clouds of pure deliciousness is a decadent cinnamon-sugar-butter topping which causes every single bite to melt in your mouth.  Seriously...it may sound like I'm exaggerating but I swear I'm really not.  And I haven't even gotten to the absolute BEST part of these muffins: the NUTELLA center.  Mmmmm...once you take the first bite into these treats, you'll discover a chocolate surprise in the middle, filled with warm, fudgey, sinful nutella.  The chocolate in the nutella pairs amazingly with the vanilla-cinnamon-y-buttery muffin.  They make fantastic left overs too, but are best eaten warm from the oven (of course, these only lasted up until the day after I made them, but they were still awesome). 

Ohmygosh just make these muffins.  I promise they will be a new favorite of yours!

Nutella Stuffed Cinnamon Sugar Muffins

yield:  8 medium-large muffins

• 1/3 cup (5 Tbsp) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 egg, at room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 8 heaping teaspoons Nutella (about 4 tablespoons)

Cinnamon-Sugar Topping

• 6 tablespoons white sugar (1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons)
• 1 tablespoon + 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 4.5 Tbsp unsalted butter (1/4 cup + 1.5 teaspoons)

Preheat oven to 425F.  Spray muffin pan with cooking spray and set aside.

In a large bowl of an electric or stand mixer, cream butter and sugar together on medium speed.  Mix in the egg, vanilla extract, and milk. Gently stir in flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.  DO NOT overmix – stir until *just* combined.

Spoon 1 heaping Tablespoon of batter into muffin cavity.  Layer with 1 heaping tsp Nutella in the center and spoon another heaping Tablespoon of batter on top.  If the muffin tins are completely full, that is ok.  They will not overflow.  Repeat layering batter + Nutella into each muffin tin.  I got exactly 8 muffins.

Bake at 425F for 5 minutes.  Reduce oven to 350F and bake for an additional 12-15 minutes until batter is set. Allow muffins to cool for about 5 minutes.

While the muffins are cooling, make the cinnamon-sugar topping.  Melt the butter for about 30 seconds in the microwave.  Stir and stick back in microwave if not fully melted.  In a separate small bowl, stir together the sugar and cinnamon.  Dip the top of each muffin generously into the melted butter and dip into the cinnamon-sugar mixture.  Swirl them around in the cinnamon-sugar a bit to make sure you get a thick coating. Set upright on cooling rack.  Enjoy!

***photo-creds to Sally's Baking Addiction, and this recipe was adapted/altered from her as well.

Sweet Potato Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Woah now.  Sweet potato cake?  There's sweet potato pie...and pumpkin cake...and potato bread...and sweet potato casserole...but sweet potato cake?  Yeah okay so it sounds a little strange at first, but it's really not all that weird when you think about it.  Sweet potatoes are super similar to pumpkin, and there's pumpkin cake, so why not have a sweet potato cake?  At least this is what I was thinking before I made this magnificently scrumptious masterpiece.  I brought this to school for a party, and all my friends - and the teachers - raved about it. It is SO amazing.  The secret ingredient in this recipe is the beer.  I don't know the scientific reason for it, but beer makes baked goods so incredibly moist and have the softest texture.  Oh and I haven't even started on this cream cheese frosting.  It's like heaven in your mouth.  Beating it for 3 minutes makes it fluffy and it melts in your mouth.  And the cinnamon flavor mixed with the sweet potato flavor makes the whole dish just scream fall.  And with fall comes Thanksgiving(:  This cake may just be on our Thanksgiving table this year...

Yield: 1 9x13 inch pan

Ingredients
1 cup white sugar

3/4 cup lightly packed brown sugar

3/4 cup vegetable oil

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups cooked, mashed sweet potatoes

2 cups all-purpose flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1 pinch of nutmeg

Directions
1.Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9×13 inch baking dish.

2.Stir together the sugar and vegetable oil in a large bowl until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla and sweet potatoes. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon in a separate bowl; stir into the batter 1 cup at a time, alternating with the beer just until everything comes together. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan.

3.Bake for 30-35 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting (optional) or serving.

Melt-In-Your-Mouth Cream Cheese Frosting: 

• 1/2 cup of butter (1 stick), room temperature
• 8 oz of Philly cream cheese (1 package), room temperature
• 2 - 3 cups of powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Instructions

1 With an electric mixer, mix the butter and cream cheese together, about 3 minutes on medium speed until very smooth. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure even mixing.

2 Add the vanilla extract and mix. Slowly add the powdered sugar. Keep adding until you get to desired sweetness and thickness.

5 Minute Coffee Cake In a Mug

Ohmygoodness.  This is pure GENIUS.  Who wants to go through the trouble of baking a huge pan of coffee cake one morning that would take over an hour to prepare when you're super hungry?? Not me, that's for sure..  I prefer eating not long after waking up.  This recipe is absolutely amazing.  It's SO delicious!  It's perfectly sweet, moist, buttery, and pairs perfectly with --- shocker --- coffee! I can honestly say it's one of the best coffee cakes I've ever had.  It's definitely THE BEST classic coffee cake I've ever had (yup, even yummier than Starbucks).  And it's ready in minutes.

You can find this incredible recipe here.  BUT make the alterations below!

The alterations I highly suggest are:
~Do not let the butter get melty. It should be softened; just soft enough to cream the sugar in.  You will get a much moister cake when the butter is soft like this.
~Cook it based on your microwave.  All microwaves are different levels of power. Check it after 45 seconds.  My microwave is pretty powerful, so my cake was perfectly cooked in only 45 seconds.  The very tippy-top was still slightly gooey (in a good way!), but the inside was definitely cooked.  To check, try sticking a knife into the center of yours to see if it comes out clean.
~Use 1 tablespoon of flour in the topping. The topping was way too floury with 2 tablespoons.  You may have to crumble it a little with your hands cause it was kind of wet, but super yummy.
~Mix half of the topping into the batter. This assures a delicious, buttery, brown sugary, cinnamon-y delight in every bite(: Instead of a heaping sugar-butter blob on top.

Chocolate Chip-Apple-Cinnamon Bread

I wanna start off by saying that I am SO SORRY I haven't posted in so long!  My school started at the end of August and I've been super busy with my crazy schedule.  Buttt.... this recipe is totally worth the wait.  I made this a few weeks ago and I fell in love with the flavors of cinnamon, apples, and chocolate.  I know they sound kind of weird together, but I promise the flavor is really delicious.  I love the nutty flavor as well.  It's such a wonderful bread/cake to make in the fall, and goes great with vanilla ice cream and whipped cream when hot from the oven.  It also tastes divine the next day with a cup of coffee.  What I loved the most about this bread is that it has so many different flavors, textures, and ways to eat it!  My entire family gobbled it up within a day, and I will definitely make it again.  The next time I make it, I will experiment with walnuts, white chocolate chips, and maybe vanilla chips and/or cinnamon chips.  I also may try swirling the topping into the batter, or maybe even swirling in some - - - - wait for it...........Nutella! Yumm!

Yield: 1 loaf

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons white sugar

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 cup finely chopped nuts (I used almonds, but walnuts would be my first choice)

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 cup margarine, softened

1 cup white sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons buttermilk

1.5 cups chopped apples

1/2 cup chopped nuts

1/2 cup chocolate chips (i used semi-sweet, but dark or white would be great too)

Directions:

1.  To make the topping, in a small bowl mix the sugar, cinnamon and finely chopped nuts. Set aside. 2. In a medium bowl combine flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside. 3. In a separate large bowl cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla extract, and mix well. Gradually beat in flour mixture alternately with buttermilk. Stir in apples, nuts, and  chocolate chips. Pour into a greased 9x5x3 inch loaf pan. Sprinkle with topping. 4. Bake in a preheated 350 degree F (175 degree C) oven for 45 to 50 minutes. Cool for at least 15 minutes before serving.

25 Minute Cinnamon Rolls

"Time saver. Interesting. Delicious. Amazing in its simplicity. Ingenious."

I don't know if you've ever tried making home made cinnamon rolls, but anyone who has would know that they are SO time consuming.  With making the dough, adding yeast, kneading the dough, and letting it rise...who has the time???  Well, now you can make home made cinnamon rolls in minutes.  I was super skeptical of this recipe when I saw it, but it looked so yummy that I just had to try it.  I used whole wheat bread, since it was all I had, and they still turned out phenomenal.  I can't even imagine how yummy white bread or cinnamon bread or cinnamon raisin bread would taste.  They truly taste like a home made cinnamon roll...so buttery and cinnamon-sugary. My parents and I gobbled so many of them down, especially since they are pretty small.  And with home made cream cheese icing...oh my word.  They were heavenly.  They reheat well the next day, too.

Yield: 12 small rolls

Ingredients:
12 slices of fresh bread
melted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
3 tbsp cinnamon powder

Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 190C (375F).
2. Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.
3. Cut the crusts off each slice of bread. Using a rolling pin, roll each slice as thinly as you can. 4. Spread both sides of the piece of bread with melted butter. Coat one side of the buttered bread with the cinnamon sugar, ensuring that it is generously covered. Roll as desired (be as creative as you like) and fit the cinnamon roll into a greased mini muffin tray. 
5. Repeat with the remaining slices. Bake for 15-20 or until golden brown. Cool in tray a few minutes before removing. Serve warm, as is, or with frosting and/or crushed nuts. 

***adapted from Lickthatspoon

Banana Crumb Muffins

These banana crumb muffins are so delicious that they are the number one recipe on allrecipes.com.  I'm talking about number ONE....numero uno!  Out of what...like MILLIONS of recipes on that site??  Okay, I'm not sure exactly how many recipes there are, but there has to be at least thousands.  Well...it's number one for a reason: they are magnificently scrump-ti-dee-ump-cious. I've never had such a good banana muffin in my entire life.  The only thing I did differently from the original recipe was use one more banana, use super ripe bananas (I'm talking completely brown and gross-looking), cook for a little less time, and adjust the quantity. They are so moist and fluffy, with the perfect amount of sweetness and just the right amount of banana flavor.  They don't even need nuts, chocolate chips, vanilla, cinnamon (besides in the topping), or nutmeg!  Sounds crazy, but I promise the flavor is absolutely perfect as is.  The thing that really sets these muffins over the top is the crumb topping.  It's brown sugary-buttery-cinnamony delight and it's my favorite part about these muffins.  These are delicious served warm, and also very yummy at room temperature.

Yield: about 12 muffins

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 medium, very ripe bananas, mashed
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/3 cup butter, melted, and cooled slightly
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon butter

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease 12 muffin cups, or line with muffin papers.
2. In a large bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, beat together bananas, sugar, egg and melted butter. Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture just until moistened. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.
3. In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, 2 tablespoons flour and cinnamon. Cut in 1 tablespoon butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Sprinkle topping over muffins.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 16 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean.

*adapted from Allrecipes.com

Glazed Spice-Cake Donut Muffins

I love spice cake.  I love donuts.  I love muffins.  Why not combine them all?  This recipe does not result in your typical Krispy Kreme, fried donut...although the glaze is quite similar.  The texture is more of a cake donut consistency, with a wonderful, spiced flavor.  They are the perfect thing to have in the morning with a warm, cup of coffee...so comforting, and very suitable for dunking.  They also keep well for a couple days (for best taste, no more than three), and who doesn't love leftovers? Another thing I love about this recipe is that there are so many options on how to prepare the batter.  You can bake them: into mini muffins (just reduce baking time), on parchment paper or greased baking sheet to create muffin top cookies, into one, large pan to create a snack cake/quick bread, in a donut pan, and/or you can frost them with cream cheese icing.  However, I absolutely adore this recipe the way it is - no alterations necessary.  

Yield: 12 muffins

Ingredients:

For the muffins:

• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
• 3 eggs, at room temperature
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled slightly

For the Glaze:

3 tablespoons butter, melted

1 cup confectioners' sugar; sifted

3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons hot water

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease a medium muffin pan with cooking spray, or line with paper liners.
2. In a medium bowl, mix sugar, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon and flour. Whisk buttermilk, eggs, maple syrup, and butter in a separate medium bowl until just combined, and stir into the dry ingredients. Do NOT over mix. Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan, about 3/4 of the way full.
3. Bake 12 minutes in the preheated oven, until golden brown.  Let rest for at least 5 minutes before removing from pan to wire rack.
4. For glaze, combine melted butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla, and hot water in a medium bowl.  Whisk until smooth.  When muffins have cooled slightly, dip the muffin crown into the glaze.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

Dutch Baby

For those of you poor souls who don't know what a dutch baby is (also called a German Pancake), it results from pancake batter being poured into a sizzling butter-filled cast iron skillet, and bakes into a wonderful breakfast treat.  Don't ask me why it's called a "Dutch Baby"...because I honestly have no idea.  If I was to give it a name myself, I would name it "Heavenly Pancake Puff." I've been making this recipe for as long as I can remember, and I have no idea why I didn't post it sooner. I've grown up making this delightful pancake. It's slightly more eggy than your usual pancake...but totally not in a gross way.  It's also very light; I could probably roll the entire thing up and eat it myself.  Since eggs make foods puff up, they cause the sides of this pancake to rise high above the edges of the pan, creating a light, puffy, slightly crispy crust with a moist, tender, eggy middle.  The staple topping that makes this pancake so unique is lemon juice.  It sounds weird at first, but the flavors are perfect together and I can't imagine eating a dutch baby without it (just like you wouldn't eat a normal pancake without maple syrup).  I absolutely love watching this baby puff up in the oven!  It does make me sad to watch it deflate once you take it out, though...but then I take a bite and the incredibly delicious taste makes me [happy] again(:

Yield: about 2-4 servings

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and divided
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt or sea salt (these have a better taste than table salt)
• 1/2 cup milk (preferably not skim...for best taste), room temperature
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Garnish: Lemon juice, powdered sugar, cinnamon
• ***jams, syrups, and fruit are also delicious toppings, but the 3 listed above are the most common (and in my opinion, most delicious) toppings for traditional Dutch Babies.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Place 2 tablespoons of the melted butter into a 10-inch cast iron skillet and place in the oven. Set the remaining tablespoon of melted butter aside to cool slightly. Wait 10 minutes before assembling the other ingredients.  If butter in the skillet is boiling pretty hard within these 10 minutes, remove it from the oven.  Lightly boiling is fine.

Place the flour, sugar, salt, milk, eggs, vanilla and remaining tablespoon of melted butter into the bowl of a food processor or blender and process for 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides of a blender with a rubber scraper, if necessary.  Remove the skillet from the oven (watch out because it's very HOT so use an oven mitt!). Carefully pour the batter into the preheated skillet. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 20 to 30 minutes or until the edges are puffed and brown. Do not open the oven or else the Dutch Baby may fall. Carefully remove the skillet from the oven, and use a thin spatula to gently coax the pancake onto a large plate. It may fall slightly once removed from the heat, which is totally normal. To serve, cut into wedges and sprinkle with desired toppings. 

Applesauce Cookies with Caramel Frosting

Ohhh these were so, so yummy.  I seriously lost count of how many I ate within a few hours of making them. I took these to my friends lake house, and everyone gobbled them up even when we were stuffed from dinner.  The cookies themselves are super soft and fluffy and seem just like muffin tops.  They taste like a spice cake with a touch of apple....very comforting and delicious.  Then you get the wonderful, rich, decadent, smooth, dreamy, melt-in-your-mouth, caramel frosting.  The frosting definitely takes these cookies to the next level.  It's like you're biting into a heavenly cloud of perfect deliciousness.   I first spotted these cookies a few weeks ago on Pinterest, and had been dying to make them but we never had heavy cream in the house.  So when we finally did have heavy cream, I knew their time had come.


Recipe credit to Chef In Training.

Carrot-Oat Cake Bars

Who doesn't love a yummy, healthy snack?  This recipe was originally submitted from Whole Foods (best grocery store ever!!) and I figured I would try it out because I had been wanting to make a healthy recipe, since my family and I have had a little too many unhealthy things lately. (especially sweets....shocker, right?).  I love the hearty texture of this cake/bar.  It kind of reminds me of the Carrot Cake Lara Bar...only my recipe is wayyyy better.  The only fat in it is the coconut and nuts (which are healthy fats!), and a tiny bit of butter in the powdered sugar frosting - if you choose to use it. Everything else is made with extremely healthy ingredients!  This can be served for breakfast, dessert, or simply an anytime snack.  I had it warm for dessert with a powdered sugar frosting from my heavenly spice cake bars (found here) and at room temperature the next morning for breakfast with my healthy, yogurt glaze from my incredible, healthy carrot cake recipe (found here).  These bars only lasted a few hours in my house!  They are so perfect for on-the-go snacking as well!

Ingredients:

1 cup raisins

orange juice - enough to completely cover the raisins

Cooking spray 

1 cup rolled or quick cooking oats 

1 cup chopped nuts (I used almonds)

1 cup whole wheat flour 

2 teaspoons baking powder 

1 teaspoon baking soda 

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger 

1/2 teaspoon salt 

2 cups grated carrots 

1/2 cup pure maple syrup 

2 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce

1/2 cup sweetened finely shredded coconut 

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 325°F. Lightly oil a (9-inch) square baking pan with cooking spray and set it aside. 


Cover raisins with orange juice in a small sauce pan and bring to a boil, simmer for about 20 minutes, or until big and plump.  Drain and cool.


Pulse oats and nuts in a food processor until coarsely ground. Transfer to a large bowl. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger and salt and mix well. In a second large bowl, combine carrots, maple syrup, honey, applesauce, drained raisins, coconut and vanilla. Add carrot mixture to flour mixture and stir until completely incorporated. Transfer to prepared pan and bake until cooked through and deep golden brown, about 40 -60 minutes.  Set aside to let cool before cutting into squares.  Serve warm or at room temperature.  Frost if desired.

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