Mini Cherry Pies

The weather here in Southern California has been gorgeous and I can't wait for spring and the continuous warm weather! Lately I've been craving warmer weather desserts including my all time favorite... PIE! I have a special connection with pie, probably because it was one of the first desserts I successfully made from scratch as a teenager. I didn't even know at the time that pie crust was something that required skill and practice, but I just followed the recipe and lucked out with an amazing home-made pie! Since then, this cherry pie recipe has been my absolute favorite and I make it all the time. The recipe comes from an old 1990's Debbie Fields cookbook that my mom has called Debbie Fields' Great American Desserts (which I can't even find anymore or I'd link to it!) and it is truly the PERFECT cherry pie. If you have a mini pie maker you can use that, but if not, you can just make them regular sized or experiment with mason jars, ramekins, or a cupcake tin. There are so many cute ways to package a pie and they make great gifts for the pie lover in your life! I made these for my bridesmaids for our wedding crafting night and everyone loved them!

Crust: 

•  2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 sticks COLD unsalted butter
• 6-7 tablespoons ICE water

In a large bowl whisk together the flour and salt. Using a pastry cutter or a knife, cut small pea sized pieces of the cold butter into the flour mixture until the mixture is course and crumbly. (These pieces are what make your pie crust flaky so don't skip this step even if it is a hassle!) Then, add the ice water one tablespoon at a time and stir with a fork until the mixture starts holding together. Do not overmix! Seperate the dough into 2 balls, one slightly larger than the other, flatten into a disk shape and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill for at least 1 hour before using.

Filling:

• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 5 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 16oz cans of tart, pitted red cherries drained (reserve 1 cup of the juice)
• 2 tablespoons maraschino cherry juice
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

In a large saucepan whisk together the sugar and cornstarch. Over medium-high heat slowly add the cherry juices whisking until smooth. Bring to a boil stirring constantly until thickened. Gently stir in the cherries and bring back to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in butter. Cool slightly while preparing the crust.

On a floured surface, roll out the larger disk 1/8 inch thick and at least 2 inches larger than the pie pan. Transfer to the pan and trim the edges to a 1 inch overhang. Chill the pan in the freezer. Grab the smaller disk and roll out. Cut into 12 strips. Remove the chilled pan from the freezer and pour in the pie filling. Top with the dough strips in a lattice pattern and press the edges with your finger to seal. Brush the pie with an egg wash (1 beaten egg + 2 teaspoons sugar) and bake at 425 for 20 minutes. Lower the temp to 350 and bake for 30 more minutes or until its golden brown and bubbly.

Now obviously that is for a regular sized pie so you'll need to adapt it to whatever way you're making it. For mini pies, you would cut the dough using the cutter your machine provides and only cook for about 8 minutes. You could also fill a mason jar with the filling and lattice the top with dough. Experiment with different containers and see what you like the best! There is no wrong way to eat pie, people! Enjoy and happy Monday! XOXO

Chocolate chunk pretzel cookies

Lately I've been craving the sweet and salty combination in desserts and I've been pouring sea salt on everything I make! There's nothing like the crunch of salt to bring out the sweetness of chocolate. It's to DIE FOR. I've been looking for the perfect chocolate/pretzel dessert but every recipe I come across has something I either don't have or don't like. I decided to do my own take on the chocolate chip/pretzel cookie and created my own recipe! This is one of my most successful cookies to date! It's the perfect combination of soft and chewy and salty and crunchy. I used my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe as a base and then made a few changes as needed. They turned out beyond delicious so I knew I had to share the recipe!

You will need:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks) at room temperature 
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 large egg and 1 large egg yolk at room temperature 
• 1 cup broken pretzel pieces (I put pretzels in a ziplock bag and just crushed them with my hands until I got the right size pieces)
• 1 cup milk chocolate roughly chopped (I chopped up a giant Hershey kiss that Mando gave me for Valentines Day, but you can use a few Hershey bars instead or any good milk chocolate bar or even milk chocolate chips)

First, pre-heat your oven to 325 degrees. Then mix the flour, baking soda and salt with a wire whisk and set aside.

In a medium bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar and white sugar until well blended. Then beat in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until light and creamy.

Mix in the sifted ingredients until just blended. Stir in the chocolate and pretzel pieces by hand using a wooden spoon. The dough will be very chunky and delicious!

Scoop out cookie dough and loosely roll into 1 inch balls onto the prepared cookie sheets. Don't worry if the balls of dough are falling apart a little bit, they don't have to be perfect! The cookies will spread a bit while baking so make sure to allow enough room.

Bake for 12-15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the edges are lightly toasted. Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely. (DO NOT skip this step! It's what keeps them soft and chewy!)

Make sure to try the cookies while they are still warm! The melted chocolate with the crunchy pretzels will send your taste buds over the edge! Delicious! If anyone tries these make sure to let me know how you like them! Enjoy! XOXO

Wedding Planning Wednesday - Dessert Menu

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I know I have posted about our wedding cake design in the past, but it has changed since then. You will find this happening a lot in wedding planning, especially when it comes to me! New ideas come up all the time and I'm switching things up! When we found out that our wedding planner has a friend who is trying to start his own baking business (He was featured on the Food Network show Cupcake Wars! How fun is that?) we knew we wanted to meet with him to see what flavor combinations and ideas he had. As soon as we met him and his business partner (our wedding planner's brother) we instantly loved them and I knew they would have a fresh perspective for my non-traditional ideas. His presentation was beautiful and we loved all 3 cupcakes he brought for us to taste!

Mando and I weren't sure if an entire dessert table would be in our budget but after talking to Isaac we determined that we could make it work! Instead of doing a gigantic wedding cake, we will be doing a smaller cake for Mando and I to cut into and then individual cupcakes of the same flavor for the guests. This was an easy way to bring the cost down and make more room for the dessert table budget.

I knew I wanted to do a theme for the dessert table, because honey, I'm all about the themes! I almost NEED one when it comes to planning! We thought about our absolute favorite desserts and I came up with the idea of rustic, country fair themed desserts. So, here's what's on the menu... most are being made by Isaac but some things we will be bringing ourselves!

• S'mores cake and cupcakes - these cupcakes are freaking amazing! I totally copied my wedding planner on the flavor, because she had it for her wedding and I fell in love with the idea. It's very different and I think the guests are going to love it.
• Mini cherry and apple pies - I knew if I was going to do a dessert table there would be pie. Because, obviously. Pie is amazing and everything is better in mini form, am I right?!
• Donut holes - A big ol' platter of them. Yum. Enough said.
• Gourmet mini caramel apples - Caramel apples always remind me of my mom because it's one of her favorite desserts. These are kind of dedicated to her and a silly thank you for all the help she's given us while planning the wedding. I think they are going to be so pretty once decorated, I can't wait to see what he comes up with!
• Cotton candy - you can't have a country fair dessert table without cotton candy! I think this will be something all of the kids at the wedding will specially enjoy. And trust me, there will be A LOT of kids there!
• Kettle corn - Mando and I are obsessed with kettle corn and we always get a huge bag when we go to the fair so this was a must on our table! We have a local popcorn shop that we love so we'll be picking it up from there and packaging it into individual bags for the guests!

I'm ridiculously excited about this menu. Like, I can't stop thinking about it. Wedding dress be damned, I will be stuffing my face with a little bit of everything! As for the design, I rented a covered wagon from a local prop house and we'll be using that (without the cover) as the dessert table. Fun stuff! Right now is crunch time, so we are busy working out all the tiny details that go along with planning a wedding. Less than 3 months to go! XOXO

My Favorite Gingerbread Cookie Recipe

If there's one thing I love to bake around Christmas time, it's gingerbread. For the past few years now I've been making this recipe from Food.com and it has become an absolute favorite. If you like traditional, classic gingerbread cookies then this is the recipe for you. This year, I made cookies and a gingerbread house and they were both incredibly delicious. This isn't my recipe, but I wanted to share it with you guys so you can use it, too!

You will need:

• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tbl ground ginger
• 1 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 6 tbl unsalted butter at room temp
• 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup molasses
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

In a small bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves. In a separate large bowl beat the butter, brown sugar, and egg until well blended. Add molasses and vanilla and continue to mix until blended. Gradually stir in dry ingredients until blended and smooth. Divide dough in half and wrap each half in plastic and let stand at room temperature for at least 2 hours or up to 8 hours.

Preheat your oven to 375°. Grease or line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Place half of the dough on a lightly floured surface. Roll dough 1/4-inch thick. Use more flour to avoid sticking if needed. Cut out cookies with whatever cookie cutter you prefer. Bake for about 7-8 minutes and then allow to cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. Once completely cool, it's time to decorate! I just used store bought vanilla frosting but homemade buttercream or royal icing would be great too!

I hope you all give this recipe a try this year! They would make great cookies to leave out for Santa on Christmas Eve night. Just sayin!

Quick note: As you can tell, my blog posts have been fewer lately. I'm not posting as much due to the holidays and spending time with family, but I will be back to my regular posting schedule after the New Year. I have a ton of fun giveaways planned for you in January so stay tuned! XOXO

Friday Favorites: Peppermint Treats!

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Happy December everyone! Holiday season is upon us, and just like apples are for September and pumpkins are for October/November, December is all about peppermint! I'm normally not a mint lover, but I won't say no to the magical combination of spicy peppermint and sweet chocolate! This time of the year is when I bake the most, so I've been hoarding some of my favorite chocolate/peppermint treats on my Pinterest board to share with you! And don't forget, some of these would make lovely last minute Christmas/hostess gifts!

If the peppermint mocha from Starbucks is your go-to holiday drink, you might want to whip up a batch of these peppermint mocha cupcakes from Bakers Royale immediately. Peppermint extract and Starbucks via instant coffee are the delicious base for this cupcake and it's all topped off with some peppermint infused buttercream. YUM!

If coffee isn't your thing, how about trying these delicious chocolate cupcakes with a sweet peppermint cream cheese icing from Glorious Treats?  She'll also tell you how to do that candy cane stripe effect for the frosting! Fun!

Here's something to make with all of your leftover candy canes... Chocolate peppermint cookies from My Baking Addiction! There are crushed candy canes inside the cookies and then they are dipped in melted chocolate and embellished with even more crushed candy canes for double the peppermint goodness! It's almost like peppermint bark in cookie form!

If you're a chocolate lover like me, you may appreciate these double chocolate peppermint crunch cookies from Sweet Pea's Kitchen. With dark chocolate, espresso powder, and peppermint extract, these cookies are sure to satisfy any Christmas craving!

Christmas isn't Christmas without a hot drink to cozy up with! Martha Stewart doesn't disappoint with her recipe for peppermint hot chocolate. Throw some in a thermos and go look at Christmas lights for a festive night with the family!

For once Miss Paula Deen isn't talking about butter, ya'll! Instead she's bringing us a delicious recipe for peppermint chocolate coffee. I don't know about you, but this is something I would definitely get out of bed for! She mixes a pot of freshly brewed coffee with chocolate and peppermint syrup and tops it off with whipped cream and chocolate shavings. Can you say YUMMY!

I hope you all enjoy at least one of these fabulous concoctions this Christmas! We are busy over here with our 24 days of advent calendar activities (more about that later) and have a weekend packed full of winter fun! Have a great weekend everyone! XOXO

Happy Halloween + Pumpkin Pie Bites

Hello everyone! I just wanted to pop in quickly to wish you all a safe and happy Halloween! Being that this is one of my favorite holidays, I decided to whip up some delicious pumpkin pie bites late last night to share with you all! I was inspired by Miss Bakerella's pumpkin pie bites, but I didn't love her ingredient list so I made up my own pumpkin filling. These are super fun and yummy and perfect for your Halloween get together!

Ingredients:

• 2 frozen pie shells
• 15 oz can pure pumpkin
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 cloves

First, pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees and thaw out your frozen pie shells. When they feel soft roll them out on a floured surface with a rolling pin until flat and thin. Using a cookie cutter or biscuit cutter, cut out circles about 4 inches wide until all of the dough is gone (depending on size, it should make about 20 circles). Spray a mini muffin tin with baking Pam and insert dough circles. Don't worry about making them look perfect; the dough should scrunch up around the edges naturally.

In a large bowl, combine sugar, salt, and spices. Whisk together and then add eggs one at a time. Mix until just incorporated. Slowly add in pumpkin and stir. Spoon pumpkin mixture into your pie shells and fill about 3/4 full. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the edges are golden brown and an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Immediately transfer to a wire cooling rack and then cool for about 20 minutes. Top with melted chocolate, whip cream, or enjoy them as-is!

I hope everyone has fun taking their littles out trick-or-treating tonight! Happy Halloween from my family to yours! XOXO

Friday Favorites: Fall Meals

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It's finally starting to feel like fall around here, and I couldn't be more thrilled. We had our first big cold front of the season and even had a few rainy days this week! I love this weather. The air is crisp in the morning and you can't go out without a jacket at night. It's perfect for cozying up under blankets and lighting pumpkin spice scented candles. Last week I talked about my favorite fall fashions, but this week I wanted to bring it a little closer to home and talk about all of the delicious flavors in fall foods. First up, appetizers!

Fall is the perfect time for soups. There's nothing better than coming home from a chilly day out to a steaming bowl of soup packed with delicious flavors. I've been wanting to cook with squash this fall so this corn and squash soup sounds amazing. I'll definitely be giving it a try!

One of my all time favorite soups is baked potato. You just can't go wrong with bacon, cheese, and creamy potatoes. This recipe from Betty Crocker looks delicious. I can practically smell it through the screen! The best part? You can throw it in the crock pot while you're at the pumpkin patch and come home to a hot meal!

 Every October there is a big chili cook-off in my mom's neighborhood. Last year we entered and won, but this year my mom will be a judge. Chili is the perfect fall meal; its hot and filling and tastes amazing served with cornbread. How fun would it be to serve up chili and cornbread in a jar to your guests? I love that it's portable and easy to bring outside for a fall dinner party!

Another delicious traditional fall meal is pot roast. Juicy meat, tender vegetables, and creamy mashed potatoes; is there any better meal than that? This roast from Jenny Steffans looks so beautiful and inviting. I've never made a pot roast, but this year I'll definitely be giving it a shot!

For dessert, nothing says fall like apples. I've been dying to go apple picking and now I have the perfect excuse... I need to make these amazing crock pot baked apples! With butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon it's just like apple pie without the crust! Can you say yum?!

I'm just gonna put this out there; pies are my specialty. Cherry pie was one of the first thing I ever baked completely from scratch when I was a teenager and my mom immediately named me the pie crust queen. I love the methodical mixing and rolling resulting in the perfect buttery, flaky pie crust. This year I really want to try some different variations of pies, including these adorable individual apple pies. Don't they look delicious?

I hope some of you are able to make some of these delicious meals this weekend and enjoy that crisp air! We're off to the pumpkin patch with family and I can't wait to continue our yearly fall traditions! XOXO

Friday Favorites: Fall has arrived!

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I don't know about you, but to me September 1st means one thing... Fall has arrived! Which means it's time to whip out the pumpkin puree and get to baking. My favorite favorite time to bake is in the fall. I love pumpkin, ginger, allspice, nutmeg, and all of the other delicious fall spices. Since I've been waiting ALL year to make this stuff, I am dedicating Friday Favorites to our favorite orange flavor... PUMPKIN!

I love making pies, but they can be a lot of work. These mini pumpkin pie bites from Bakerella are easy to make and even easier to eat. Perfect!

I think you guys pretty much understand by now that almost every post of mine will contain a cupcake somewhere. These cupcakes with a graham cracker crust and pumpkin pie frosting (!!!) are making my mouth water!

I'm not normally a huge fan of cream cheese frosting, but I have to admit, cream cheese and pumpkin are a match made in heaven. These pumpkin bars look soft and moist and the cream cheese frosting is the cherry on top!

I love whoopie pies. I love them in the summer, in the winter, in the spring, and most definitely in the fall. Especially if that means I get to make these pumpkin whoopie pies with... wait for it... MAPLE cream cheese frosting. Uh yeah, enough said.



I don't know why I never thought of making pumpkin snicker doodles, but I'm sure happy Recipe Girl shared them with me. These are the perfect fall cookies to share with friends!

Last year I made chocolate chip pumpkin bread (which is still my favorite pumpkin recipe to date) so this year I really want to try these chocolate chip pumpkin bars from Bake at 350. There's just something about the combination of melted chocolate chips that's unexpected yet delicious.

I don't know about you, but I'm off to the grocery store to stock up on pumpkin! Have a great weekend everyone! XOXO

Friday Favorites: Can I have s'more?

To me, the end of August also means the end of summer. Soon the days will be shorter and the nights cooler. Maybe because I grew up in Newport Beach, but the end of summer always makes me think of bonfires at the beach. We would grab a fire pit and roast marshmallows as the sun set surrounded by all of our friends and family. And we always made s'mores which are pretty much my favorite sweets on the planet. There's something perfect about the combination of chocolate, graham cracker, and toasted marshmallow... it's sweet, crunchy, and gooey all in one bite. When we took Cayden to the beach a few weeks ago we planned to have a bonfire that night, but all of the fire pits were taken by the time we got there. So I was left with all the necessary s'more ingredients and decided to try this recipe from Fahrenheit 350.  These s'mores cookies are amazing! You take a chocolate chip cookie, add marshmallow, and bake them right on top of a graham cracker. It just tastes like summer! There are so many creative s'mores treats around lately, I wanted to dedicated Friday Favorites to the yummiest summer dessert as we say goodbye to another season!

 I love the idea of s'mores pops! Pre-roasted marshmallow, dipped in melted chocolate, and coated in graham cracker crumbs already on a stick and ready to devour? Perfect!

Okay, how creative and original is a s'mores cake? This cake found on The Sweetest Occasion looks amazing! Layers of chocolate and graham cracker and topped with a toasted marshmallow buttercream... Heaven!

 You knew there would be a cupcake somewhere in this post right? I have to try these chocolate s'mores cupcakes from Glorious Treats. You just can't go wrong with a moist chocolate cupcake topped with marshmallow frosting and a piece of baked graham cracker! YUM!

These s'mores bars are about as close to the real thing as you can get! I love how she mixed both chocolate chips and mini Hershey bars for double the chocolate-y goodness. Now get in my mouth!

Want to skip the whole open flame and stick hassle? These homemade s'mores candy bars might be the perfect solution, especially if you have young children. Just layer the chocolate, marshmallow fluff, and graham cracker pieces and let set and you are good to go!

Okay, I can't get over these s'mores in a jars from How Sweet It Is. I love anything in a jar (it's true). She layers a graham cracker crust with double chocolate chip cake, and then tops it off with big puffy marshmallows. AMAZING. How cute would these be as desserts or favors at a camping themed birthday party?

Obviously these are all wonderful ideas, and I think I need to make all of them by the end of the month. What about you? Are you ready for summer to end? I, personally, can't wait for fall... sweaters, pumpkin spice, and the holiday season! It's going to be amazing! XOXO

The BEST chocolate chip cookie recipe.

I'm going to tell you a secret, something I don't normally tell people: I used to be cursed when it came to chocolate chip cookies. No, seriously... I would try twenty different recipes of the basic chocolate chip cookie and they would NEVER turn out right. Sometimes they would melt into a gooey puddle and sometimes they would harden into a rock. I could never understand why and it eventually became a running joke in the family. I had no problems baking any other type of cookie, but the chocolate chip cookie hated me. It got to the point where I just stopped trying to make them altogether. Then one day, I decided to blog 3 fun Valentines Day treats and this was the first one. The first step was to bake chocolate chip cookies so I decided to give it a try and OH MY GOD. They were a-m-a-z-i-n-g! Soft, chewy, melt in your mouth, fluffy deliciousness (and no I'm not exaggerating)! Ever since that fateful day, I've made these cookies a dozen times and they've always turned out perfectly. I decided to share the BEST chocolate chip cookie recipe with you guys, in hopes that someone who has also been cursed can break through and enjoy the warm chocolate-y gooeyness that are these cookies. So without further ado...

The BEST chocolate chip cookie recipe:

 You will need:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), melted
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 large egg and 1 large egg yolk at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

First, pre-heat your oven to 325 degrees. Then you're going to mix the flour, baking soda and salt with a wire whisk and set aside.

In a medium bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar until well blended. Then beat in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until light and creamy.

Mix in the sifted ingredients until just blended. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand using a wooden spoon. Scoop out cookie dough and roll into small 1-inch balls (a little smaller than the size of a walnut) onto the prepared cookie sheets.

Bake for 8-10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the edges are lightly toasted. Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely. (DO NOT skip this step! It's what keeps them soft and chewy!)

Now run, don't walk, to your kitchen and whip some of these babies up! You can thank me later! XOXO

Soft & Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies

 We are currently on our Oregon road trip, but I've scheduled some posts for you throughout the week. Enjoy!

It's late at night... the baby is asleep. Dinner was hours ago, and Mando and I have the munchies! 90% of the time I'm making these peanut butter cookies... Super easy to make and super delicious to eat, these cookies are the perfect late night snack! Try them tonight and you won't be disappointed!

Soft & Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies

Ingredients

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1 egg
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

First, preheat oven to 375°. Set out your egg and butter until they feel room temperature.

Cream the butter, peanut butter and sugars until light. Add the egg and mix until fluffy.

In a separate mixing bowl add the flour, baking powder, soda and salt and whisk together. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients mixing well after each addition.

Drop cookie dough by teaspoonfuls onto lightly greased baking sheets. Dip a fork into flour and gently press into the cookies making a criss-cross pattern. Bake for 10-12 until golden brown. Cool for about 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack (this step is very important; it's what makes your cookies soft and chewy!)

So yummy! If you want to mix it up a bit, try adding 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips as your last step (you can skip the criss-cross step, too) for warm peanut butter chocolate chip cookies. They are to die for when you have a chocolate craving! Enjoy! XOXO

Carrot cupcakes with cream cheese icing

This Fathers Day I wanted to bake something special for Mando. His most favorite dessert in the whole world is carrot cake so I decided to do carrot cupcakes with cream cheese icing. I was apprehensive at first because I've never made carrot cake and had no idea what was in it, so I hopped online and started searching for the perfect recipe. There are so many variations out there and it was hard for me to find one that didn't contain pineapple or coconut (yuck!). I finally stumbled upon this one from Gimme Some Oven and decided to give it a try. I made quite a few adaptations to it and came up with what I believe to be the perfect carrot cake recipe! They are chock full of yummy spices and come out moist and delicious. The cream cheese frosting adds the perfect amount of sweetness on top!

Ingredients

Cupcakes:

• 2½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1¼ tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp. nutmeg
• ½ tsp. ginger
• 1/8 tsp. ground cloves
• ½ tsp. salt
• 3-4 medium sized carrots, grated
• 1½ cups granulated sugar
• ½ cup packed light brown sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 1½ cups vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/2 chopped walnuts

Frosting:

• 12 oz. cream cheese
• 6 tbsp. unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1 tbsp. vanilla extract
• 4 cups powdered sugar

First preheat your oven to 350° F and line your muffin tin with cupcake liners.

In a large mixing bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt and whisk together.

Using a cheese grater shred the carrots until you have about 3 cups. This step can be a pain so if you have a food processor, USE IT! Once they're all grated, add them to the bowl with the dry ingredients and set aside. 

In a separate mixing bowl combine the sugars and eggs and mix with an electric mixer until creamy. Slowly add the oil and continue mixing until batter is light in color and thoroughly combined. Add this to the large mixing bowl and stir in the carrots and dry ingredients until incorporated and no streaks of flour remain. Then, using a wooden spoon, mix in the raisins and chopped walnuts.

Scoop the batter into the prepared cupcake liners until they are 2/3 full.  Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the frosting beat the cream cheese and butter in a medium mixing bowl on medium speed until smooth or 2-3 minutes. Add the vanilla extract. Gradually beat in the powdered sugar until totally incorporated and beat until smooth. Pour the icing into an icing bag or ziplock with the tip cut off. When your cupcakes are completely cool, frost as desired and enjoy! XOXO

 NOTE: I baked these on a hot day and my frosting started melting and became runny and unattractive. I suggest popping your frosting in the freezer or refrigerator for a few minutes until it thickens before icing your cupcakes!

Peanut Butter Cup Brownies

I made these sweet treats almost 2 months ago, and just never got around to blogging them. Late last night I had a sweet tooth and was searching my recipes for something to bake when I came across them. I instantly remembered how delicious and decadent they were and I knew I had to blog about them today. If you like chocolate and peanut butter then this is the recipe for you! It has been adapted from Bake or Break and is sure to satisfy even the biggest chocolate craving!

You will need:

• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 tablespoon water
• 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup peanut butter chips + 1/3 cup more for garnishing
• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips + 1/3 cup more for garnishing
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

First, preheat the oven to 350° and line your muffin cups with 12 paper liners. In a large microwave-safe bowl combine your sugar, butter, and water and then microwave on high for about 1 minute or until the butter is melted. Add 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips and stir until they have melted. Add your egg and vanilla extract and then add the flour and baking soda and mix. Allow to cool to room temperature. When the mixture has cooled, stir in 1/2 cup of both peanut butter chips and semi-sweet chocolate chips. Spoon the batter  into muffin cups about 2/3 full and bake for 13-15 minutes or until top is set. Place pan on wire rack. The centers of your brownies will fall upon cooling - THIS IS SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN. If it doesn't happen then just use the back of a teaspoon to make a hole. Melt 1/2 cup of peanut butter in the microwave (about 45 seconds). bowl. While brownies are still hot, spoon a tablespoon of peanut butter into the center of each brownie. Top with semi-sweet chocolate chips and peanut butter chips. Cool completely and then shove as many in your mouth as possible! Enjoy! XOXO

M&M Sugar Cookie Bars

I have been baking, swearsies! Almost every weekend I've been making something yummy and delicious and even photographing it with every intention to blog them. I've just been focusing on other things lately and haven't gotten around to posting them! I first made these M&M Sugar Cookie Bars over Memorial Day weekend and they were a huge hit! I slightly adapted this recipe from Pinterest and I liked them so much that I decided I'm to bake them again for Cayden's party. The recipe is actually really easy and only uses a few ingredients that you probably already have in your kitchen!

Ingredients:

2 sticks butter

1 1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

3 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup M&M's + 1/4 cup for topping

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 and grease a 9x13 inch glass baking dish.

Melt the butter in a large mixing bowl then stir in the sugar. Let the mixture cook for about 3 minutes and then beat in the egg and vanilla extract.

In a separate bowl combine the flour and baking powder. Stir this into the wet mixture and then gently fold in 1/2 cup of M&M's. Pour mixture into greased baking dish and bake for approximately 15 minutes. Then remove it from the oven and top with remaining M&Ms, gently pressing them into the dough. Return to the oven and bake for an additional 10-12 minutes or until the top is set and the bars have barely golden edges. Cool completely in the pan before slicing.

If you like sugar cookies then you will definitely love these. They are sweet and chewy and perfect for any occasion. Enjoy! XOXO

Friday Favorites: Father's Day

I've been so busy worrying about the wedding and Cayden's birthday party (1 month away! When did that happen?!) that I've completely forgotten about Father's Day. Okay, I didn't forget, I just haven't been focusing on it. Mando is the best partner, father, lover, and friend a girl could ask for, so it's really important to me to make this day special for him, especially after the amazing Mother's Day he gave me.

I've been scouring the web for some sentimental and fun ideas, and I've found a few things that I love that don't take too much time or money but are still super sweet. So without further ado, here are my favorite Father's Day gifts...

Themed buckets. I love these buckets. They are useful, manly, and so easy to customize. The first one is for the reno-obsessed father or one with a mile long honey-do list. The second one is filled with car washing supplies and if your husband is anything like Mando, they are OBSESSED with washing their cars!

 

Framed photos. Every great dad loves pictures of their children and I love the idea of taking a special picture just for dad. The first idea is framing some of your child's artwork with a picture of them making it. I think this is so cool and unique. The second one would work if you have babies who can't draw or paint yet. Just cut-out big letters spelling DAD and photograph your baby holding them! Lastly, if you have multiple children, you can do something like the 3rd picture. I am obsessed with kid/baby feet so this is super adorable to me.

Bake something. I'm always baking for other people that sometimes Mando complains I don't bake anything specifically for him. I thought it would be sweet to bake his favorite carrot cake cupcakes on Father's day and putting them in some cute packaging like the suit and tie bags in the second picture!

There you have it! I hope I've given a few of you some quick and easy Father's Day inspiration. I hope everyone enjoys their weekend! We're off to go check out some wedding venues! XOXO

*All image sources can be found on my Pinterest page here.