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Baking Inspiration

Baking has not always been my thing and I'm still far from a pro, but I've found the more I explored and tried new recipes, the more comfortable I felt. Believe me, I messed up plenty of cookies and cheesecakes, but I just kept at it.  After all, as long as you're having fun with it, that's all that really matters.

Which brings me to baking with the kiddos! It can be chaotic and messy to bake with them, but try to let your inner clean-freak go and have fun with it. Think of all the memories and traditions your'e building with them. Whether your'e a parent or grandparent...you'll miss this time one day, so make the most of it! 

I now have a special kids section with some fun accessories to have when baking with them. This is now posted- just in time for the holiday season!

Now let's bake!

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Steps: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prep an 8.5 x 4 x 2.5 inch loaf pan by greasing it with non-stick spray. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the brown sugar and 1 tsp. cinnamon and set it aside. In a large mixing bowl, use an electric hand mixer to cream together the 2/3 c. granulated sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time and vanilla just until combined. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder. Add the flour mixture to the wet mixture and stir until combined. Add the milk and mix until smooth. Pour half of the batter into the prepared loaf pan and spread out evenly. In a small mixing bowl combine the apple filling ingredients. Pour half of the apples over the batter in the pan, then spread the remaining batter. Top with the remaining apples then press the apples down slightly. Sprinkle the brown sugar mixture over the top of the bread. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour, or until a toothpick comes clean out of the center. Cool the pan for about 30 minutes. In a small bowl, combine the glaze ingredients until smooth. Drizzle over the cooked bread. Slice the bread and serve.

Apple Fritter Loaf

Recipe

If you're a Dutch Apple Pie lover, you need to try this bread version.

Steps: For the Pastry: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment. To make the pies, unfold the thawed pastry and roll out to 10-inch squares, if needed. Cut each square in quarters, making four 5-inch squares from each square. Brush around the edges of squares with the egg wash. Fold the pastry over the filling on each to make a triangle, pressing lightly to remove any air pockets. Crimp the edges shut with fork. Put the pies on the prepared baking sheets. Brush the tops of the pies with the egg wash. Make 2-3 small slits in top of pies. Bake until golden brown, about 20 min. Transfer to a cooling rack set over a baking sheet. For the glaze: Mix the powdered sugar, vanilla and 1/3 c. cold water in a bowl until smooth. Drizzle the glaze over the pies and let set until dry.

Apple Hand Pies

Recipe

These are surprisingly easy to make!

Heat oven to 350 degrees Spray a baking pan 15"x 10.5" pan with non-stick spray. Peel bananas and mash well. Stir in brown sugar, oil, milk and eggs until combined. Add in dry ingredients and stir. Fold in 1/2 the chocolate chips. Spread the batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle remaining chips on top. Bake 18-22 minutes until wooden toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool completely and cut into squares.

Banana-Chocolate Chip Bars

Recipe

Hangover Breakfast! ;)

Pull out all of your ROOM TEMP ingredients first. Whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt in bowl. In a stand mixer, fitted with paddle attachment, cream the butter on medium speed until light and fluffy, then add the shortening until evenly mixed in. Add sugars and beat for 3 min. on medium speed. Mix in vanilla. Add eggs one at a time and mix on medium-low speed just until incorporated. Add flour and mix just until incorporated. Mix in chocolate. Scoop cookie dough using a (ice cream or melon) scoop. You can choose how large you want the cookies, but it will affect the baking time. The time I show here is for larger cookies using an ice cream scoop. Refrigerate the dough for at least 30 min. if you are in a hurry, but they improve if you let them chill for 24-36 hrs. Resting will make the taste better, come out more uniform in shape and color when they bake. After they are chilled you can bake them or freeze the dough balls for later baking. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees Bake 6 chilled cookie balls, spaced evenly on a sheet pan in the middle of the oven for 15 min. Watch this first batch, as oven cooking time can vary depending on the oven you use.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Recipe

I've tried so many recipes for this classic, but this one is truly the best!

Graham Cracker Crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grind Graham Crackers, brown sugar, butter and salt together until it is uniform and sticks together when squeezed. Dump it into a 9" pie dish and press the crust into an even crust. Bake for 15 min., until set and toasted. Allow to cool. Filling: Beat the cream cheese in a stand mixer on medium speed using the paddle attachment, until it is light and fluffy. Add the peanut butter and confectioner's sugar; continue beating on low speed for about 1 min. Add the condensed milk, sour cream, vanilla and lemon juice, mix until smooth. Add the melted and cooled milk chocolate and mix until evenly distributed. Fold in half the whipped cream to lighten the batter, then fold in the remaining cream until it is evenly distributed. Pour into the chilled crusts. Place the pies into the refrigerator to chill uncovered for about an hour. Chocolate Ganache: In a small sauce pot heat the heavy cream on low to a gentle simmer. Turn off the heat and add the chopped chocolate, swirl together gently and then let it sit for one minute. Gently whisk until smooth. Allow to cool slightly, spoon the ganache over the chilled peanut butter filling. Return the pies to the refrigerator to chill for another hour. Candied Peanuts: In a large skillet mix together the raw peanuts, sugar and salt. Cook over medium-low heat until the sugar begins to melt and the nuts start to toast slightly, stirring constantly. Once the sugar starts to melt, turn the heat to low and cook until the nuts are lightly caramelized. The mixture may smoke a little as they get darker. Don't panic! ;) Pour the nuts onto a silicone baking mat to cool. Once they are cool, you can chop them into small pieces or leave them whole. Once the pie is throughly chilled (about 2 hours or overnight) top with the whipped cream and candied peanuts. Tips: Don't skip the lemon juice in the filling. Adding this bit of acid helps balance out the sweetness of the pie and helps to set the proteins so it sets up well. You can use unsweetened whipped topping if you want to ease up on the sweetness of the pie.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

Recipe

Special Occasion Show Stopper

Steps for the french toast: Grease the baking pan with butter. Tear the bread into chunks, or bite-size pieces and evenly distribute them in the pan. Crack the eggs in a large bowl. Whisk together the eggs, milk, cream, granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt and some nutmeg in a separate bowl. Stir together using a fork. Add the butter and with a pastry cutter, mix it all together until the mixture resembles fine pebbles. Store in a re-sealable plastic bag int he fridge. When you're ready to bake the french toast, pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Remove the french toast from the fridge and sprinkle the topping over the top. Bake for 45 min. for a softer, pudding like texture...or for 1 hour for crispier texture. Scoop out individual portions. Top with butter and drizzle with warm pancake syrup.

Cinnamon Baked French Toast

Recipe

This is a Christmas morning tradition and an occasional weekend treat for my family. You will most likely have no leftovers😉

Cake Directions: 🥣 Using a Large bowl-beat butter, veg oil & sugar until light & fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each egg Beat in the mashed banana, sour cream or yogurt, vanilla & cinnamon Weigh flour (270g) - I highly recommend weighing** 🥣 Use a Medium bowl- whisk all dry ingredients together- then add to banana mixture, beating until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again 30 seconds more. Fold in cinnamon or chocolate chips. 🧈Grease bundt pan well and pour batter into the pan. Bake for 45-50 min. or toothpick comes out clean. Remove from the oven & let it cool down 10 min. in the pan. Turn cake out onto cooling rack. 🥣 Icing Directions: Mix cream cheese w/confectioner's sugar until smooth Stir enough milk, starting w/ 2 TBS to thin the glaze until drizzle-able. (Is that a word? ;) Pour the glaze slowly around top of completely cooled cake, letting it drip down sides. 🎉Look at this delicious Work of Art!! You did it! 🙌🏼 Storage: Store this cake for up to 3 days at room temp. Can freeze for longer storage.

Cinnamon-Banana Cake

Recipe

This is one of those easy desserts that can be served any time of the day, whether it be with coffee, for a brunch or after any meal. You can use any bundt pan you have on hand. I just used a flat round on this vs. the molded decorative types. **Note: I use to scoff at recipes suggesting you weigh the flour because I just didn't want to mess with it. My baked goods would always turn out a little dry and dense. I finally broke down and bought an inexpensive scale on Amazon and glad I did. It really will make a difference in moisture/texture. Also, another tip when measuring flour- don't pack the flour down after scooping. Keep it loose! Here we go!

In a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment and a completely clean bowl, add the cream, powdered sugar, cream of tartar and vanilla. Beat on high until soft peaks form. Add the mascarpone and beat again just until stiff peaks. The frosting will be light yet spreadable. Evenly divide the frosting in the middle of the cooled cupcakes. Using a butter knife, gently smooth off the top. The cupcakes are best after a minimum 2-hour rest. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Cupcake Icing

Recipe

This is a nice twist on cupcake icing using mascarpone. I like using mascarpone instead of cream cheese because it has a buttery flavor.

CRUST: In a medium bowl, mix flour, salt and sugar. Cut in the cold butter using a pastry blender until particles are size of small peas Cut in the cold shortening the same way until you can squeeze it gently and it stays together. Add the vodka to the cold water a little at a time in sprinkles (It won't be a solid mass at this point) Dump it on a board and use flat spatula to fold it 6-8 times. It should be coming together now. Shape it into a short log. Cut it in half and shape 2 discs Wrap each disc in plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour Roll out your dough on a floured board. Rolling up on the edges and keep turning the dough. Fold it in 4 to transfer to pie plate. OR roll it up on your rolling pin and roll off the pin transfering that way. Put this in the frig to keep cold. Do the same with the top crust- rolling out, you can make your lattice. One tip for lattice: After you weave it, put it in freezer for 10 min. (much easier to handle this way) Fill your pie, pull the lattice out of the freezer and cover the pie. Pinch the edges and return to freezer. FILLING: Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in 3 Tbsp flour then simmer for 1 minute, whisking constantly. Whisk in 1/4 cup water, 1 cup sugar and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and continue simmering 3 minutes, whisking frequently then remove from heat. Peel, remove cores and thinly slice 7 cups of apples and place them in a large bowl. Sprinkle the top with 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon and toss to combine. Pour the sauce over the apples and stir to coat the apple slices. Add apple mixture, mounding slightly in the center and being careful not to get the filling on the edges which would make it difficult to seal. Brush the top with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar. Bake at 425˚F in the center of the oven for 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350˚F and continue baking another 45 minutes or until apples are soft and filling is bubbling through the vents. Rest at room temp 1 hour before serving.

Dutch Apple Pie

Recipe

Took me 10 yrs. to make a pie my husband really liked. The classic Betty Crocker-tweeked a bit- is the winner!

In a small bowl, add the peach flavored gelatin, sugar and lemon zest. Add boiling water and stir until sugar and gelatin are dissolved. Set mixture aside to cool to room temperature. PREPARING YOUR PEACHES While gelatin mixture is cooling, prepare your peaches. Start by peeling the peaches. Bring medium saucepan of water to a boil and prepare a bowl of ice water. Using the tip of a paring knife, make a small X through the skin on the bottom of the peach, taking care not ot cut deep into the flesh. Using a slotted spoon, place the peach inboiling water for 10-15 seconds before removing it and placing it in the bowl of ice water. Once cool, the skiln will easily peel away with a paring knife by starting at the corners of the X and peeling towards the stem Once the peaches are peeled, remove the pit, cut them into thin slices and place in a large mixing bowl. Pour the cooled gelatin mixture on the peaches, toss to comine fully and transfer to the prepared pie crust. Arrange the peaches to evenly fill the crust if needed, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2-3 hrs. until fully set. Top with whipped topping in any design you like. Arrange the extra peach slices anyway you like and add a sprig of mint for garnish! Look what you created!

Easy Refreshing Peach Pie

Recipe

This Peach Pie involves peach gelatin, which is why it's so refreshing!
(Husband approved😉)

**Pull out your eggs to have them at room temp.Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a large bundt pan well. Combine first six ingredients (using only 3/4 c. Kahlua) in a large mixing bowl. Beat at medium speed until smooth, about 4 min. Pour into bundt pan and bake for 45-50 min. Cool on a wire rack. Remove from the pan when cool to the touch. When cake is thoroughly cooled, melt chocolate chips and butter in microwave (or on the stove-very low heat). Add remaing 3 TBS Kahlua and stir gently. Drizzle over the cake.

Kahlua Cake

Recipe

Amazing cake that a co-worker of mine brought into work. Thanks Joanie!

Steps: Set out your graham cracker crust Bottom layer: Add cream cheese, sugar and 1 tub of the cool whip to a bowl and mix together with hand-mixer. Fill the crusts with this mixture on bottom. Next layer: Mix pudding and milk - stir until blended & thick Add 2c. of canned pumpkin Add pumpkin pie spice, nutmeg and cinnamon. Stir until blended and spread on top of Cream cheese layer in pie. Top layer: 2nd container of Cool Whip- spread on top of pie. Sprinkle some of the Pumpkin Pie Spice on top for garnish. Store in the fridge until ready to serve.

No-Bake Layered Pumpkin Pie

Recipe

If you're not a baker, this is your Fall dessert! You can play with decorating it any way you'd like.

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