Category Archives: sweets

Banana Bread

Posted in breakfast, sweets, things we like to eat by

Banana Bread 1- My Daughter and I

Way back in June, we posted our Best Banana Bread recipe, minus finished product pictures. Some unfortunate circumstances (a.k.a. hungry boys) led to a shocking lack of pictures.

The other day we decided to make a loaf of banana bread and we realized that it would be the perfect time to re-do the post. So here’s the same delicious, amazing recipe with pictures!

Banana Bread 2- My Daughter and I

Banana Bread

2 sticks butter

1 and a 1/2 cups +2 Tablespoons sugar

3 eggs

3-4 mashed ripe bananas

1 teaspoon vanilla

4 cups + 2 Tablespoons flour

1 teaspoons baking soda

1 and a 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 and a 1/2 cups sour cream

1 cup chopped walnuts or mini chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat oven to 350*. Grease and flour bundt pan or two loaf pans.

Cream butter and sugar together. Add eggs one at at time, beating for a few seconds after each addition. Add mashed bananas and beat. Add vanilla and mix well.

Combine dry ingredients in separate bowl. Add dry ingredients and sour cream alternately to the mixing bowl. Beat well until all combined. Add chopped nuts or mini chocolate chips, if desired.

Pour into bundt pan or loaf pans and bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes for bundt pan, and 1 hour for loaf pans, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Invert on a cooling rack and allow bread to cool slightly before slicing and serving.

 

Jordan

Throwback: S’mores Pie

Posted in sweets, things we like to eat by

Smores Pie 1 - my daughter and I

Our very first post! We’re very rapidly approaching the one-year anniversary of this blog, so here’s a throwback post to the very beginning!

Who doesn’t love s’mores made over a campfire?? This is the same idea, only in a rich, creamy pie version. Totally yummy and super decadent! The chocolate pie itself would be delicious on it’s own, but the marshmallow topping makes it even better.

smores pie 2 - My Daughter and I

S’mores Pie

Makes one 9 1/2 inch pie.

Ingredients:

For the crust:

  • 2 cups of finely ground graham crackers (about 15-16)
  • 6 Tbsp melted butter

For the filling:

  • 3/4 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 3/4 cup of milk chocolate chips
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter
  • 2 whole eggs
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1 tsp vanilla

For the topping:

  • 2 egg whites
  • 1 cup corn syrup
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla
  • 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
  • 2 Tbsp sugar

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350*. Grind graham crackers in food processor until they are crushed into a fine crumb. Place graham cracker crumbs into pie plate, add the melted butter. Mix well until combined. Press crumbs to bottom and side of pan with the palm of your hand until evenly distributed.

Place chocolate chips and butter into a heat-safe bowl. Heat heavy cream in a sauce pan until it simmers, pour hot cream over the chocolate chips and butter, and whisk until melted and combined. Add whole eggs and egg yolk and mix until combined add vanilla, mix well.

Pour chocolate mixture into pie crust and bake 20-25 minutes until pie filling is set and a toothpick comes out clean.

Place pie in the refrigerator for a minimum of 1-2 hours before starting the marshmallow topping.

To prepare the marshmallow topping place egg whites, corn syrup, salt, vanilla, and cream of tartar in a bowl, and whip on high until stiff peaks form. Slowly add sugar and mix well.

Add the topping to the pie, creating decorative peaks with a spatula as you go.

Place pie under broiler for 1-2 minutes until marshmallow topping is toasted and golden brown. Watch carefully- the marshmallow burns quickly.

Serve immediately, store leftovers in the refrigerator. Enjoy!

 

Cindy & Jordan

Eggless Cookie Dough

Posted in extras, sweets, things we like to eat by

Eggless Cookie Dough 1 - My Daughter and I

I considered titling this post Eggless, edible, ready-in-ten-minutes, make-it-now-and-eat-it-all-in-one-sitting cookie dough, but I felt like the amount of punctuation could be a bit overwhelming. I mean HYPHENS.

But, seriously, this stuff is amazing. I am such a huge fan of regular cookie dough, that it takes a lot to convince me that an eggless version is just as good as the real deal. Oh, but it is! I wasn’t able to tell the difference between our original chocolate chip cookie recipe and this one- which is quite impressive. In order to keep myself from eating the entire batch, I wrapped it tightly in plastic wrap, put it in a Ziploc bag, and stuck it in the freezer.

Eggless Cookie Dough 3 - My Daughter and I

^^^All wrapped up and ready for the freezer. 

The fact that the whole recipe took about 10 minutes to whip up makes it that much more dangerous. So what are you waiting for? You’re ten minutes away from a bowl of totally delicious cookie dough.

Eggless Cookie Dough 2 - My Daughter and I

Eggless Cookie Dough

1 stick butter, softened

6 Tbsp brown sugar

6 Tbsp white sugar

1 cup plus 2 Tbsp flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

2 Tbsp milk (I used 2%)

2/3 cup chocolate chips (I used dark chocolate, but milk chocolate would be great too)

Beat butter, sugars and vanilla in a stand mixer. Add flour, baking soda, and salt to wet ingredients and mix well. Add milk and mix until dough is firm and smooth. Fold in chocolate chips.

Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 2 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

recipe credit to: Kailley’s Kitchen

Jordan

Glazed Lemon Cookies

Posted in sweets, things we like to eat by

Lemon Cookies 1 - My Daughter and I

I was browsing Pinterest the other day and came across this recipe and knew I had to make it right then. Those of you who have experienced the extremely addictive attributes of Pinterest know how monumental this is. I’d like to say that I repinned the recipe, and then got up and made it immediately.

That would be a bit of an exaggeration though. I actually repinned the recipe, spent another 45 minutes wasting time considering all the ways I could be improving my life, and then I got up and made lemon cookies. That’s pretty much how Pinterest works.

My life used to be fantastic and productive, until I got a Pinterest account. Now it's just fantastic.

Back to the cookies. We decided that they tasted like lemon pound cake in cookie form. In other words, they are amazing. Normally, recipes like this aren’t lemon-ey enough for my taste, but this was perfect. One last note: the recipe says to cook for 9-11 minutes- I cooked mine for 11 minutes and they were perfect, but if your oven cooks hot, definitely keep an eye on them. You do not want them to brown! If you think they might be done, pull them out- they’ll cook a bit more on the cookie sheet.

Lemon Cookies 2 - My Daughter and I

Glazed Lemon Cookies

Ingredients:

2 cups + 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour

1 Tbsp cornstarch

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup butter, softened

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

Zest of 2 lemons (about 1 1/2 Tbsp)

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Lemon Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar

2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

Zest from 1 lemon

Directions:


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt, set aside. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fit with paddle attachment, whip together butter, sugar and lemon zest on medium-high speed, until mixture is pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Blend in egg, then egg yolk. Mix in lemon juice and vanilla extract. Slowly add in dry ingredients and mix just until combined. Scoop dough out by the heaping tablespoonfuls, form into balls and drop onto parchment paper lined baking sheets.

Bake in 350* oven for 9 – 11 minutes. The cookies should not brown.

Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet several minutes before transferring to wire rack to cool. Drizzle cooled cookies with Lemon Glaze (you can do this while they are still slightly warm if desired).

Store in a single layer in an airtight container.

Lemon Glaze:
In a small mixing bowl, whisk together powdered sugar and enough lemon juice to reach a drizzle-able consistency (about 2 Tbsp). Zest in lemon zest. Drizzle over cookies and allow glaze to set at room temperature.

Makes approximately 3 dozen cookies.

Recipe Source: Cooking Classy – modified slightly.

Jordan

Apple Crisp Muffins

Posted in breakfast, sweets, things we like to eat by

Apple Crisp Muffins 1 - My Daughter and I

These muffins are delicious, hearty and not too sweet. We made ours using green apples, if you used a different variety of apple, they would be sweeter. I wouldn’t say they are exactly health food, but with the addition of unsweetened applesauce you use less fat and less sugar than some muffin recipes. They are great for breakfast on the go. The topping is crunchy and sweet and delicious!

Apple Crisp Muffins 2 - My Daughter and I

Apple Crisp Muffins
1/4 cup butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup oil
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups to 2 cups chopped apple, about 2 medium

Crisp topping
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup old fashioned oats
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup butter, at room temperature
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Directions:
Line muffin tin with liners and then lightly spray with cooking spray.
In a large bowl mix together butter, oil, sugars, and applesauce until combined, mixture will look curdled. Add egg and vanilla and mix to combine.

In a separate bowl stir together flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Remove 2 T of the flour mixture then toss with the apples in a separate bowl to coat.

Add remaining flour mixture to wet ingredients in two batches, mixing until just combined before adding the next batch. Fold in the apples. Scoop batter into prepared muffin cups filling them 3/4 of the way full.

For the crisp topping: mix the ingredients together in a small bowl until well combined. Sprinkle a heaping tablespoon on top of each muffin and bake for 15 – 17 minutes or until done. Let cool in the tins before removing to a cooling rack.

Makes about 15 muffins.

 

Cindy & Jordan