Baked Oatmeal with Blueberries and Bananas

I thought I'd take a break from all of the sweet treats to share a simple breakfast idea with you. 

 

I love oatmeal.  This has not always been the case.  I used to be an oatmeal hater.  I forced myself to suck it down during my first job in Chicago, when the easiest thing to do was grab a pack of the Quaker instant (super sweet) stuff on my way out the door -- maple and brown sugar was my go-to. 

 

Then I discovered overnight oats.  Yogurt, almond milk, rolled oats and naturally sweetened with bananas or berries -- my new go-to!  However, on the weekends, baking is my preferred prep method.  The banana bread baked oatmeal still takes the cake but I love the addition of berries in Gina's version!  If you're feeding a larger group, follow her recipe for baking the oatmeal in a larger pan.        

Blackberry Pie "Cookies"

I have been so excited to share this recipe with you!  These were by far my favorite dessert that I made for the shower a few weeks ago.  For presentation alone, they get 5 stars.  They are just as delicious as they look -- a crisp, buttery, sugar-coated crust with a sweet (but not toooo sweet) center.  

The thing I love most about pies is the star of the show is typically the fruit filling.  These little guys definitely have a higher crust to fruit ratio but you still get the fresh berry taste that I love so much!

Love, love, love summer berries!

Assembly done.  Ready for bakin'!

Glazed Lemon & Blueberry Quick Bread

This recipe turned out just as delicious with the addition of fresh blueberries.  Enjoy :)

Very Blueberry Muffins

Maggie has posted two versions of blueberry muffins but these muffins I'm sharing with you today are not your standard blueberry muffins.  They are very "blueberry-y" and are made in a way I had never heard of until I discovered this recipe in Cooks Illustrated...and they're so summery and perfect!!

To put it simply, half of the blueberries in this recipe are cooked down to make a "jam" while the other half are left as fresh blueberries.  The fresh blueberries are folded into the batter just like any other recipe would call for, but the "jam" is then swirled into the batter to make them amaaazing!!!

These would make for a festive breakfast to serve to guests this weekend to celebrate the 4th of July.  Enjoy!

Strawberry Margarita Cupcakes

I have seen a lot of recipes for margarita cupcakes lately but I wanted to do something a little different.  I had strawberries in my fridge that needed to be used (buy one get one free for berries these days has me buying a little more than I can handle) and I was desperately in need for a study break.  So I thought up these decadent cupcakes.  The icing is very margarita-y, which I happen to love, and you will too, especially on a hot summer day at a cookout...with a margarita already in hand.  Ahh, love summer!

Make these...now.  These just might be the most perfect summer cupcake.

Simple Strawberry Cake

If you're looking for something to do with those berries you have sitting around -- you should make this cake.  It is perfect for summer.  The cake is so simple so the star of the cake is the strawberries.  For the upcoming 4th of July holiday, you could be festive and substitute half a cup of blueberries for half of the strawberries.  It would actually be great with any variety of fruit.

Serve with whipped cream... vanilla ice cream would be great too... Enjoy!

Cranberry Bliss Bars

The holidays are officially here.  I love everything about the holidays but of course, I especially love baking any sort of Christmas cookie I can imagine.  I already shared my favorite ginger chewies from last year (seriously, they are to die for), but today I'm sharing another cookie (its a bar but I'll categorize it as a cookie) that I made last year (at least a few times).  Although I got the idea from Good Things Catered, they are a version of the treat you see in the Starbucks display case.  I've never tried the Starbucks version, but these are amazing -- a white chocolate, cranberry, ginger cookie with cream cheese frosting.

I hope to share all of my favorite holiday cookie and dessert recipes with you over the coming weeks!  If you have a favorite treat that you make year after year, we'd love for you to share it with us!

Maple Almond Granola

 

My sisters and I got this recipe from a good family friend of ours, which she got from her trainer.  This granola is delicious!  I have tried many different kinds of granola over the years and this one might just take the cake.  It is very easy to throw together and has a ton of flavor.

I put it on my Greek yogurt this morning for breakfast; you could also have it as a cereal with milk...or just plain!  It's reaallly good.

It might seem like there is a lot of cinnamon in the recipe; that's because there is!  But it is not overwhelming at all and it complements the maple syrup perfectly.  I chose to use cran-raisins but you could also go the sunflower seed route to add some salty flavor to the granola.

You might also like:

Pumpkin Spice Granola 

Homemade Granola Bars

Homemade Protein Bars

Peach Blueberry Cobbler

I hope everyone had a fun Fourth of July weekend; I know I did!

This cobbler is super easy and delicious!  This is a perfect dessert for the summertime and it is a crowd favorite.  My mom has been making this for quite a few years now and it never gets old.  Serve it up with some fresh whipped cream or some vanilla ice cream.

Blackberry Breakfast Bars

These may be called breakfast bars but you can have these any time of the day, including for dessert!  They are similar to Maggie's oatmeal-raspberry bars so if you were a fan of those then you'll love these as well.  Since berries are in season right now, you can substitute any kind of berry you like, or even do a combination.  The original recipe called for raspberries but the blackberries I found at the farmers market looked amazing and I couldn't pass them up!

White Chocolate Chip Cranberry Cookies

These are by far my favorite cookie.  This is surprising for a girl who doesn't even really like white chocolate... so you MUST try these cookies.  My mom makes a variation of this cookie which is more like an oatmeal raisin cookie -- equally as delicious but just different.  This is my variation.