blueberry banana doughnuts.

I got a doughnut pan for Christmas and I have been dying to use it. 2 months later, I finally got around to using it. 

We had a very ripe banana just begging to be baked and tons of frozen blueberries packed away in the freezer from this summer. Therefore, this was the perfect recipe to inaugurate this doughnut pan. (Did I use that word correctly? Hmph, probably not- oh well!)

If you go to the original doughnut recipe, I made several changes. I used different flour, sugar, and yogurt. I also made a delicious blueberry glaze which I highly reccommend. If you don't have enough blueberries or you prefer a more traditional glaze, you can't go wrong with vanilla glaze! Just go to whole and heavenly oven to find it. I hope you enjoy this health(ier) doughnut recipe as much as we did!

~

blueberry banana doughnuts {with blueberry glaze}

Ingredients

• Doughnut recipe from whole and heavenly oven
• 2 cups flour (I used all purpose)
• 1/2 cup sugar (I used 1/4 cup stevia, 1/4 cup granulated sugar)
• 3 teaspoons cornstarch
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 medium ripe banana, mashed
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup yogurt (I used strawberry greek yogurt)
• 3/4 cup buttermilk (I used 1% milk+lemon juice)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries 
• 
  
• Glaze recipe from blahnik baker
• ½ cup blueberries
• 1-1½ cups powdered sugar

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350F and grease a doughnut pan. Set aside.
2. In a bowl, combine flour, sugar, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt. In a large bowl, mix mashed banana, eggs, yogurt, buttermilk, and vanilla until smooth. 
3. Gently fold dry mixture into liquid mixture until just combined. Gently fold in blueberries.
4. Fill greased doughnut pan 3/4 full of batter. Bake donuts at 350F 15-17 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool doughnuts in pan 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
5. In a small bowl, mash blueberries (or stick them in a food processor). Add powdered sugar to blueberries until smooth. You want the glaze fairly thick so add powdered sugar as needed.
6. Once doughnuts are cooled, transfer to wax paper (for easier clean-up). Dip them into the glaze or spoon glaze over doughnuts. 
7. We left doughnuts out for 2 days then transfered them to freezer. Pop in the microwave as desired  and enjoy!

pretzel buckeyes.

Peanut butter + chocolate = pure bliss

^^

That right there is my favorite math equation. Ever. 

I have recently been enjoying peanut butter on a spoon and sprinkling chocolate chips on top. I read that on a food blog somewhere but can't remember which blog! Thank you to whoever shared that simple idea. I also love melting peanut butter and chocolate chips and dipping apple slices in it. And these. I love these.

They are simple and delicious- salty and sweet at the same time. A perfect bite sized treat. Grant who doesn't even like the pb+chocolate combination liked these- VICTORY!

I got this recipe from my sister's blog and I couldn't get enough- enjoy!!

~

pretzel buckeyes 

from the pajama chef

Ingredients:

• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar + extra (if needed)
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• Pretzels
• 12 ounce bag chocolate chips (semi sweet or milk chocolate)

Directions:

1. Line a baking sheet with wax paper, baking mat, or parchment. Set aside. Beat together peanut butter and butter with an electric mixer until well combined. Scrape down sides of the bowl, add powdered sugar and brown sugar, and beat again until fully mixed.  You don't want the dough to stick to your fingers so add more powdered sugar as needed. 
2. Roll peanut butter mixture into balls of about 1-2 teaspoons each and sandwich between two pretzels. Or alternately, you could spoon a dollop of the peanut butter mixture onto the pretzel and stack another pretzel on top. Place on prepared baking sheet and repeat until peanut butter mixture is gone. Place baking sheet in freezer for 30 minutes.
3. When nearing the end of the 30 minute period, melt chocolate in a metal bowl set over a pot of simmering water or in the microwave, as directed on package. You want the chocolate as smooth as possible. Dip each pretzel sandwich halfway into the melted chocolate and return to baking sheet. Refrigerate or freeze until chocolate is set.
4. The original recipes says these freeze well but we didn't need to do that ;)

cinnamon chip scones.

Have you ever had cinnamon chip scones before? For our anniversary, Grant and I stayed in a hotel and ate the restaurant there the next morning. They had the best cinnamon chip scones ever- I even ate 2! Being diabetic, I try to eat more protein at breakfast instead of the "bread-y"/high carb foods. That's why it was a huge deal I ate 2!

Within days of eating these scrumptious scones, I set out to find cinnamon chips and a killer scone recipe. I found it and I am sharing it with you- enjoy!!

~

cinnamon chip scones

from sally's baking addiction

Ingredients:

SCONES

• 2 cups  all-purpose flour 
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 8 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cold
• 1/2 cup heavy cream (plus a little extra for brushing)
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups Hershey's cinnamon chips

GLAZE

• 1 cup  powdered sugar
• 3 Tablespoons heavy cream (or black coffee or milk)
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 F degrees. Place oven rack in middle-low position. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Dice the butter into small pieces. 
3. Toss the butter into the flour mixture and combine it with a pastry cutter, clean hands, or two forks until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Set aside.
4. In a small bowl, whisk the cream, egg, and vanilla together. Drizzle it over the flour mixture and toss the mixture together gently until everything appears moistened. Slowly and gently fold in the cinnamon chips. Do not overmix. Dough will be a little wet. 
5. Work the dough into a ball with floured hands  and transfer to the prepared baking pan. Press into a neat disc or rectangle and cut into equal wedges with a very sharp knife. Using a pastry brush or a spoon, brush lightly with a little bit of cream. Separate the scones and line them on the baking sheet with a little space between each one.
6. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until lightly golden and cooked through. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes. 
7. While the scones are cooling, make the glaze by whisking the powdered sugar, cream, and vanilla together until completely smooth. Drizzle over scones right before serving.
8. The scones taste best immediately but are still extremely delicious warmed up for 10-20 seconds in the microwave!

apple fritter cake.

On the way-too-incredibly-rare occasion I get a doughnut, I always get apple fritters. I don't know what it is about them but I can't get enough (it probably helps they always seem to be bigger than a regular doughnut ;) ! 

I have found numerous DIY apple fritter recipes but most of them require frying and that just seems like a lot of work (maybe someday).  I was pumped to find this apple fritter cake and believe me, it was delicious! 

Perfect recipe for this beautiful fall, apple-picking weather we are having now. 

~

apple fritter cake from the domestic doozie

Ingredients:

For the batter:

3 cups flour

1/4 tsp. salt (I omitted)

1 cup white granulated sugar (I used 1/2 c stevia & 1/2 c white sugar)

4 tsp. baking powder

1 1/2 cups milk (any kind)

2 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla

1/2 cup butter, melted

6 small apples cored, peeled and diced (I used 2 very large apples & 1 small apple)

For the topping:

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup brown sugar

2 tbsp. flour

1 tbsp. cinnamon

For the glaze:

2 cups powdered sugar

5 tbsp. milk

1 tsp. vanilla

Directions:

1. Start by mixing all the ingredients for the batter (except the butter) together in a bowl. Once combined, carefully pour in the melted butter. Mix on SLOW speed so butter doesn't splash everywhere.
2.  Pour the batter into a greased 9x13 pan. Evenly distribute the apples over the top of the batter. 
3. In a separate bowl mix together the topping ingredients. Drop small scoops of it evenly over the apples. Topping will be thick.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes. Depending on how many apples you put in and how juicy they were you may need to increase your time. If the top is getting too brown you can always cover with foil.
5. Combine powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla for glaze.
6. After you take it out of oven, let sit for 20 minutes and then pour the glaze all over the cake.

cherry almond coffee cake.

My sister invited me to participate in this month's mystery dish!

We had to make a recipe that included at least 3 of the following: coffee, sour cream,

farro, almonds, cherries, watermelon, cantaloupe, jicama, cucumber, tomatoes, infused or flavored olive oil, fresh herbs, cornmeal, and hot peppers. 

With all the fruit included on the list, I knew I wanted to make something sweet. And of course I immediately thought of combining cherries and almonds! 

I found several recipes using dried or maraschino cherries but I wanted to use fresh ones. I was super excited to find this coffee cake recipe because it combines fresh cherries and raw almonds, and also includes sour cream to keep it super soft and moist. 

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we did. It can be part of a balanced breakfast ;) ;), snack, or dessert!

~

fresh cherry almond coffee cake from noble pig

Ingredients

for coffee cake:

2 cups fresh, pitted, chopped cherries

6 Tablespoons brown sugar

2 cups all purpose flour

2/3 cup white granulated sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

1 cup sour cream

6 Tablespoons butter, melted

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 cup slivered or chopped almonds

for glaze:

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1 Tablespoon milk (I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

1. In a bowl, combine chopped cherries and brown sugar, set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a small bowl, whisk the egg, sour cream, butter and vanilla. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Batter will be thick.
3. Grease a 10 inch bundt pan (or 2- 8" round pans). Spoon half the batter into pan. Make sure to completely cover the bottom of pan.  Spread it around evenly with a spatula or something similar. Top with cherry-brown sugar mixture. By spoonfuls, put the remaining batter over cherries. Just swirl it around gently, you don't have to completely cover the cherries. Sprinkle with almonds.
4. Bake at 350 degrees F for 25-45 minutes (depending on which pan you use) or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.  I checked at 25 minutes and kept checking every 10 minutes until done. Cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes before removing from pan. During the cooling time, carefully run a sharp knife around the edges.
5. In a small bowl, combine the glaze ingredients; drizzle over the cooled coffee cake and serve.

Check out the links below for other yummy recipes!

1. Watermelon Salsa - The Pajama Chef
2. Farro Salad - Chez CateyLou
3. Cherry Almond Coffee Cake - Two Happy Bellies
4. Watermelon Fruit Salad with Mint Lime Dressing - Yummy Healthy Easy
5. Toasted Almond Caramel Mocha Gelato - Culinary Couture Blog
6. Cherry Galettes with Almond Sour Cream Crust - The Well Floured Kitchen
7. Cherry Watermelon Granita - Joyful Healthy Eats
8. Cherry Almond Mocha Smoothie - Baking a Moment
9. Pepperoni Pasta Salad - I Want Crazy
10. Almond Cherry Bars - I Dig Pinterest
11. Cucumber Salsa - Weary Chef
12. Cherry Almond Popsicles - Blahnik Baker

soft homemade oreos.

I have been dying to make copycat Oreos but needed a special occasion to make them. You can only get about 10-12 sandwich cookies from this recipe which doesn't seem like enough for Grant to take to work and too many to keep at home. This would mean I would be eating them all day long until they were gone.

Grant's family invited us to Symphony on the Prairie last weekend. It is an event that takes place at Connor Prairie (a big historical park) in Indianapolis.  At this evening event, they have a of symphony come play.  Thousands attend and most bring a picnic dinner (anything from McDonalds to fancy cheese & wine. It's one of those events that makes you feel classy but it's still affordable.  Anyway, I was told there would be 7 of us and I could bring dessert. Hence the perfect opportunity to make these cookies.  Enough for all of us to have one and enough for Grant and I to sample beforehand and perhaps have a couple leftover. 

My handsome hubby and me at the Symphony

These cookies were a hit, too. They were super, super soft and had a creamy inside. Real winners. I hope you enjoy these cookies as much as we did!

~

Soft Homemade Oreos 

Ingredients

Cookies from crazy for crust

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (Hershey's special dark is recommended)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt 

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup butter, softened

2/3 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 large egg

Cream Filling from sally's baking addiction

1/4 cup butter, softened

1/4 cup vegetable shortening 

1 3/4 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. 
2. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, and flour. Set aside.
4. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and both sugars. Mix in egg and vanilla and mix until smooth. Add dry ingredients and mix until combined.
5. Scoop (about 1 tbsp) cookie dough onto the cookie sheets. I got 25 cookies. 
6. Bake for 8-9 minutes . It's ok if they are a little underdone, they will be softer that way.
7. Let cool completely before filling and making sandwiches.
8. While cookies are cooling, make the filling. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and vegetable shortening.  Gradually add powdered sugar then the vanilla. Filling will be pretty thick.
9. With a spatula, spread cream filling onto one cooled cookie and sandwich it with another cookie. 
10. Enjoy!

Recipe Sources: 

http://www.crazyforcrust.com/2014/05/soft-homemade-peanut-butter-oreos/ 

& http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2013/12/17/homemade-oreos/

glazed blueberry cake bars.

My new favorite blueberry dessert. Moist, soft, sweet, and oh-so-delicious. These I simply cannot get over. I literally have to restrain myself from the pan. I am sending them to work with Grant tomorrow because if I don't, I'll eat the whole pan!

This recipe couldn't be easier- mix up the dough and pour all except 1.5 cups into a lined pan (I used a 9"x13" one). Bake for 15 minutes. Now create your filling: blueberries and sugar. Mash, mash, mash. Take the pan out and pour your blueberry filling over baked dough. Spoonful by spoonful, pour your reserved dough over the blueberry filling. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Let it cool for about 10 minutes. During this time, make your glaze: powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk. After 10 minutes, you can drizzle all that yummy glaze over your cake. And you're done! Enjoy the delicious masterpiece you just created :)

 ~

glazed blueberry cake bars
from the domestic geek blog 

• Cake Ingredients
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3 cups flour

Blueberry Filling Ingredients

• 2 cups blueberries
• 3 Tablespoons sugar 
• 
  
• Glaze Ingredients
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
• 3 teaspoons milk

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Prepare a 9x13 pan by greasing with butter and lining with parchment.
2. Beat butter until smooth, add 1 3/4 cups sugar, baking powder, and salt. Continue beating.
3. Add eggs and vanilla, once incorporated add flour. Beat well, scraping at sides of the bowl when needed until all flour has blended in.
4. Set aside 1 1/2 cups of dough, spread remaining dough evenly in prepared cake pan. Bake for 15 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl sprinkle sugar on top blueberries. Mash blueberries to create a pie filling consistency.
6. Spread over pre-baked cake, spoon mounds of remaining filling on top of blueberry layer.
7. Bake for an additional 30 minutes, or until cake is golden brown.
8. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Meanwhile, add all icing ingredients into a bowl and mix. Add additional milk 1 teaspoon at a time until you have a icing consistency. 
8. Drizzle on top of the cooled bars.
9. Slice, serve, and enjoy.

Recipe Credit:

http://www.thedomesticgeekblog.com/2014/02/better-blueberry-pie-bars.html