Baked Chocolate Doughnuts

I understand that you try to have a healthy breakfast most days.  Really, I do.  Monday through Friday is all about high-fiber cereal and green smoothies.  But when the weekend rolls around and you just want to have cake for breakfast, I’m here for you. 

This recipe for baked chocolate doughnuts is another winner from Tracy at Shutterbean.  Imagine soft, chocolaty cupcakes topped with a rich espresso glaze, and baked in a pan with holes in the middle.  There you have it.  It helps that they’re so easy to whip together.  Perfect for mornings after you’ve slept in (just a little). 

Cranberry White Chocolate Cookies

I like everything about cookies.  It’s true.  

Cookies are probably my favorite thing to bake.  They are easy to whip together most of the time, they are portable, and they please a crowd.  From the time I was a young person when my mom let me bake Snickerdoodles by myself, I have enjoyed browsing cookbooks for new cookies, and more recently, finding them online to tuck away on the pages of Pinterest.  And for real, who doesn’t love a good cookie? And this cookie is definitely one of my faves.  It meets all the above criteria, and as a plus, you don’t even need a mixer to make the dough.  You could be noshing on these cranberry white chocolate cookies soon after the cookie craving strikes.

Cocoa Shortbread Cut-out Cookies

Can you believe that it’s time for Halloween already?  Soon the neighborhood will be full of trick-or-treating witches, superheroes, and princesses.  But then we’ll blink, and it will be covered in snow, Christmas lights, and the occasional inflatable Santa.
These cocoa shortbread cut-outs are so easy to whip up for any holiday, and they’re tasty, too.  In Martha Stewart’s Cookies, they’re cut as simple diamond shapes and drizzled with melted white chocolate.  But you can cut them into as many shapes as you have cutters.  The dough mixes up in a food processor, and is ready to be rolled out right away.  No chilling required – bonus.
While we’re on the subject of Halloween, did you watch Modern Family last week?  That show always cracks me up, but especially the Halloween episodes.  Only Claire could dress as Little Bo Peep and still frighten the kids away. 

Confetti Cookies

Are you looking for a party in a cookie?  This is it.  Every party starts with sprinkles, and this cookie is full of them.

The recipe comes from Momofuku Milk Bar, which is one big party in itself.  It’s loaded with cookies, cakes, and ice cream that not only make me want to bake them myself, but also visit the bakery in person one day.

This cookie starts out with a birthday cake crumb that tastes like bits of shortbread mixed with sprinkles. Since the cookie recipe only uses half the crumb mixture, you may be tempted to only make half the recipe.  I would advise against that because you’ll want extra for sprinkling over ice cream or just popping into your mouth.

Enjoy the party!

Maple Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

Everywhere I look, I see another recipe I want to try that is all about pumpkin.  Seriously, they are everywhere.  I know that I just made pumpkin snickerdoodles, and they were great. But what about pumpkin English muffin bread, pound cake, or even ice cream?  Even the new book from the boys at Baked has a section dedicated to this favorite ingredient of fall.  I don’t even know where to start.

 

I’m sure there is some kind of rule about posting two, three, or five recipes in a row that are all about pumpkin.  So I’ll wait.  But speaking of the boys from Baked, they have a maple cupcake in Baked Explorations that is perfect for this time of year.  They are really good, though they are crazy sweet.  Not that it’s a bad thing. 

Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

I know, just yesterday two weeks ago I was in denial that summer was over.  And now summer is long gone.  The days are much shorter, and the mornings are downright chilly.
When I look up to the mountains, I see leaves that are changing to autumn colors of golden and scarlet.  When I look online, I see recipes full of fall ingredients like apples and pumpkins.  That must be the reason these cookies from Annie’s Eats just about jumped off the page when I saw them.

Snickerdoodles are one of my favorite cookies anyway, but with pumpkin?  Say no more.  They looked like the perfect cookie for fall, and if the box I took to work was any indication, my co-workers agreed.  These cookies disappeared faster than the summer temperatures.

Big, Bold Lemon Bars with Toasted Coconut

Do you ever stumble upon a recipe with an enticing picture over these interwebs, and you HAVE to make that recipe right now?  Right now, as in, at the front of the line before countless dog-eared pages, bookmarks, and pins?  Yeah, me too, and this lemon bar recipe is an example of that.  When I ran across the recipe on FREUTCAKE, the enticing picture grabbed my attention, and the ingredient list held my curiosity.

On any given day, there’s a good chance I would pass over a chocolate-loaded brownie in favor of a good lemon bar.  I’m talking about a lemon bar with a buttery shortbread crust and a lemon layer that’s tart enough to make me pucker.  I had a feeling that these bars would not disappoint.  First, the crust is mixed with graham cracker crumbs and toasted coconut.  And then there’s the lemon layer that includes the zest and juice from eight lemons, twelve egg yolks, and four whole eggs. 

S’more Bars

A little kitchen tidbit I learned from my mom was to keep a collection of recipes that aren’t difficult to put together, and will please a crowd.  There will always be times when an unexpected event comes up and it’s nice to whip up a little something to share that doesn’t require an entire evening in the kitchen or a trip to the grocery store.  You know what I’m talking about.  Sure, everyone loves the wow factor of a four-layer cake that’s complete with frosting, oohs and ahhs, but I’ve never had anyone complain after being served Nutella Rice Krispie Squares, either.

These bars definitely fall into the category of easy to make and pleases a crowd.  And I love recipes that don’t even require a mixer.  Don’t get me wrong.  My Kitchenaid and I go way back and she’s never let me down, but I don’t miss the extra step of hoisting her up from the bottom cabinet.  And of course, no waiting for butter to soften means they can be thrown together on a whim. 

Lemon Ricotta Softies

I take some kind of treat to work most Fridays, and I can never guess what will be the best received.

I could spend a couple hours putting together some fancy multi-layered bar on Thursday night, and by 5:00 the next day, the tray might still be half-full.  Or, I could run out of time on Thursday and spend five minutes whipping up a batch of Nutella Rice Krispie Squares on Friday morning and they might easily be gone by noon.  Go figure.

When I saw these cookies over at The Way the Cookie Crumbles, however, I had a feeling they’d be a hit.  I have a similar recipe that uses sour cream to turn out a wonderfully soft, cakey cookie, and I knew the ricotta cheese would have the same effect, only possibly better.  Plus, you can never go wrong with the bright, citrus punch of lemon zest in the cookie as well as the glaze.

These lemon ricotta softies were indeed a hit.  One co-worker told me that they taste as fresh and bright as the way clean clothes feel.  Hmm, interesting.  I assure you these cookies do not taste like soap, but I think I get the connection.

Nutella Rice Krispie Squares

How long has it been since you’ve tasted a Rice Krispies® treat?  I’m not talking about the ones found in blue-foil wrappers, sitting on the shelf in your grocery store.  I’m talking about melting your own gooey marshmallows and butter, and stirring in just enough cereal to hold it all together.

 

Rice Krispies treats are somewhat nostalgic for me.  You see, I’m from the era way back when (did I just say that?) enjoying these sticky snacks required a bit of planning.  They were not mass-produced and ready to throw in your grocery cart.  No, these were a special treat, reserved for the occasional weekend sleepover or family get-together.  It made my day when my mom came home from shopping and pulled the marshmallows and rice cereal out of the bags, because they were only bought together for one reason.  From there, they only took minutes to put together, but the hardest part was waiting for them to cool enough to cut into squares.

If it’s been a while since you’ve made this classic in your own kitchen, now would be a good time to try them with an updated spin.  Adding the creamy, chocolatey-hazelnut spread, Nutella, puts them over the top.  So put this simple list of ingredients on your next shopping list and make someone’s day.