Carrot Cake Muffins with Cream Cheese Filling

I have been MIA for quite some time and I can assure you that my posts will be very sporadic over the next month.  I will try to be in touch as much as possible but there is lots going on over here! While I should be packing and planning for a cross country move to Colorado on July 1st...

Most of my free time over the past month has been spent baking.  I have turned out dozens upon dozens upon dozens of cookies, bars and other treats all to raise money for the American Cancer Society and Hood to Coast Relay.  The support from friends, family and people I've never even met has been truly overwhelming. Thanks to y'all, I've raised $3,000+ and baked 75+ dozen goodies.  Amazing!!!  

I've also been busy planning Molly's bridal shower.  I can't believe the littlest sis is getting MARRIED!!  We'll be having the most perfect little Southern Brunch this Sunday to celebrate the bride-to-be.  I can't WAIT to share the details next week!!  

Oh and about these muffins, since we'll be having a gourmet brunch this weekend, I wanted to be sure you had something to make for yourself TOO!  These muffins are not a new recipe but they've recently made a comeback in our household.  Any excuse to incorporate dessert in breakfast is fine by me... Enjoy!

Oatmeal Raisin Energy Bars

Meet my new favorite snack.  I know I've posted a few too many Larabar knock-off recipes lately but this one is too good not to share.  Definitely ranks #1.  Easy to grab when you're on the go and a great pre-run snack to fuel you up without weighing you down.  

I love the flavor and texture of the toasted oats and almonds.  Molly tried them and said they tasted like peanut butter and jelly.  So perhaps I should call these PB&J Bars?  Anyways, I tried to make these with various nut butters and raisins.  The verdict?  Golden raisins win and the natural, salted peanut butter is key.  

Cranberry Orange Granola

 

I realize I post a lot of granola recipes.  Hopefully, you love it just as much as I do.  I mean, how can you not?  The possibilities are endless when it comes to variety and flavor combinations! 

 

In case you haven't noticed, the blog got a little face lift.  It was long overdue.  I also updated the "about me" section and I have my wonderful AND creative sister, Sarah, to thank for that!  I said thank you with a bag full of granola -- bursting with citrus flavor, lightly sweetened with honey and packed full of good-for-you ingredients like coconut oil, flax seeds and plenty of nuts and seeds.   

 

I had to save some for myself, especially after I saw ohJoy! snacking on homemade granola with honey and riccotta -- a delightful little afternoon treat!   

Blueberry Scones with Vanilla Bean Glaze

 

I just want to start by saying, these are not your average scone.  I think scones get a bad rep for being dry and, well, boring... but this is not the case when they are done right!  After you make these, you'll never think of scones the same -- I promise.

These are so cakey that they melt in your mouth.  And then there is the glaze...  the vanilla bean glaze.  It lends just the right amount of sweetness to compliment the buttery flavor of the scone.  I brought all of these to work and immediately regretted only saving one for myself because they were gone instantly.  They were actually the talk of the office all day.

I already have plans to make these scones again and can't wait to try other variations!

Mini Pumpkin Loaves with Maple Glaze

 

Its March 4th and most are getting excited about the lighter flavors that come with Spring.  I'm still eating pumpkin over here.  I could eat it year round -- luckily we have cans of pumpkin stockpiled in our cupboard!  This pumpkin bread is packed with the usual suspects -- cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger.  However, the maple glaze sets it apart from your basic pumpkin loaf.

 

The mini loafs (sold here) are perfect for gifting or, in my case, perfect for selling at a bake sale.   

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.        

Chocolate Chip Cookie Raw Bars

If you're a fan of Larabars, I have a great recipe for you today!  I'm big on DIY recipes so when I saw a recipe for homemade Larabars, I knew I had to make them.  I don't know what it is but I just get a great sense of satisfaction knowing I made something from scratch.  My DIY list is growing....

the recent Sweet and Spicy Jerky

various Nut Butters (Honey and Sea Salt Almond Butter & Maple Cinnamon Almond Butter to name a few)

LOADS of Granola

Homemade Graham Crackers

Dog Biscuits

AND I just started a new list of baking projects that I can't wait to tackle (first up, bagels and doughnuts!). 

Crunchy Cherry-Almond Granola Bars

I can't take credit for finding this recipe.  My mom made them and they are absolutely delicious.  I'm a snacker and like to have granola bars around for an easy snack to grab on the go -- a few of my favorites are Luna, KIND and Clif Mojo but homemade bars win any day.  One of my very first posts was a homemade granola bar recipe by Ina that I also love.  In terms of nutritional value, I think these ones score a little bit higher.  Anyways, these were too good not to share even if I didn't make them -- thanks, Mom!

Brown Sugar & Winter Spice Granola

 

I have a great breakfast idea for you this weekend!  This is probably my favorite granola I've made thus far.  Well, I love every granola recipe I've shared with you.  The difference with this recipe is the method -- it results in big granola clusters -- my fav!

 

When you read the directions, you might be shocked by the amount of cooking time (75 minutes + an additional 30 minutes!).  It works though with the low cooking temp -- low and slow! 

 

Cinnamon Apple Breakfast Cake

 

Christmas brunch is the same every.single.year.  Egg and sausage breakfast casserole and monkey bread.  This year, we decided to switch out the monkey bread for something new.  This cake, which we decided was perfectly acceptable for brunch, was delicious.  The recipe comes from Cooking Light but you would never know that its light. 

 

I am calling it a breakfast cake (nothing wrong with cake for breakfast!) but it would be great as a dessert, served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.  We all decided this recipe is a keeper! 

Gingerbread Granola

 

We've shared lots of granola recipes with you over the past few years.  This just might be my favorite of them all.  I made it for the first time last year and couldn't wait for the opportunity to make it again.  The smell when you are making this is just like gingersnap cookies -- heavenly.  I love the use of molasses instead of honey and the spices are so comforting. 

If you love gingerbread -- try these Ginger Pumpkin Chewies or the classic Sugar Crusted Ginger Chewies -- two of my favorites!

Light(er) Pumpkin Muffins

Its probably very clear to most of you that I love baking with pumpkin!  Fall is, by far, my favorite season for baking and cooking.  I just can't get enough of all of the pumpkin, apples, cinnamon and spices!

So far this season, I've made my pumpkin cream cheese muffins, pumpkin blondies, mini caramel apple tarts, healthy pumpkin banana muffins, apple toffee blondies and Bakerella's pumpkin chip cookies.  However, the my very first pumpkin baking of the season was done making this light muffins.  They are light and fluffy and full of pumpkin flavor. 

If you have any favorite Fall recipes to share, please send them my way!

Banana Bread Granola

If you've been a follower since the beginning, you've probably noticed an abundance of recipes for bananas and granola.  I finally decided to bring the two together in the form of Banana Bread Granola.  

I wasn't sure what to expect when I threw this together.  After making it the first time, I decided I wouldn't change a thing about it!  It tastes exactly like a slice of banana bread, combined with the crunchy, nutty texture of granola.  Serve up with some Greek yogurt or eat straight from the bag.

Some of our other favorite banana bread recipes:
Banana Bread Baked Oatmeal
Light Peanut Butter Banana Bread with Crumb Topping
Bananas Foster Banana Bread
Coconut Banana Bread with Lime Glaze
Pumpkin Banana Bread
Banana Bread Cobbler

Fresh Cherry Coffee Cake

We have had an abundance of cherries in our house for the past few weeks -- need to enjoy them while we can!  I refuse to buy them in the off season because they are so expensive and the taste just doesn't compare.  (FYI -- fresh cherries on sale today, July 13th at Whole Foods!  $1.99/pound.)  Anyways, we got a little carried away and wanted to incorporate our supply of fresh cherries into a recipe.

This fresh cherry coffee cake was made as a "thank you" to a friend so we never even got to cut into it ourselves.  However, we were told it was amazing -- sweet, but not too sweet, dense but not dry.  I will clearly have to make it again to find out!  Enjoy :)

Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Granola

I can't take any credit for this recipe.  Well, I did make it and eat the entire batch (you've been warned -- it is addicting).  Anyways, I didn't discover it or come up with the genius idea to create granola using all of the delicious flavors of an oatmeal cookie.  My baking bestie sent me the recipe multiple times and then begged me to make it.  So here it is -- the best granola you've ever tasted.

Banana Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins

I'm going to go ahead and call today "make-over Monday".  Most of my time spent baking and cooking is in an effort to try and create new recipes.  However, there are days that I just want to make one of my old favorites.  There are also times when I'm making an old recipe and I decide to switch things up, like with these Banana Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins!

My changes were small, switching out the butter for canola oil, increasing the amount of peanut butter and using dark chocolate instead of semi-sweet chocolate, but these little tweaks were just what the muffins needed.  The original post has been updated to reflect my changes.  Enjoy :)

Almond Butter Granola

Check out those clusters!!  Whenever I open a bag of store bought granola, I pick out all of the clusters because they are definitely the best part.  I'm always disappointed when I can't create those clusters with my homemade granola recipe... until now.

I kind of just threw this combination together and the results were perfect.  The taste is nutty and not-too-sweet and the texture is super crunchy.  I even got to use my homemade Honey and Sea Salt Almond Butter.

Honey and Sea Salt Almond Butter

Nut butter definitely ranks in my top 5 favorite foods.  I've made homemade almond butter a few times before -- I couldn't get enough of the Maple Cinnamon flavor that I shared with you a few months ago.  This honey and sea salt version is a little more traditional, if that's your thing.

Feel free to roast raw almonds on your own.  That is what I have done in the past.  This time around, I bought dry roasted, unsalted almonds at Trader Joe's.  No need to roast so this came together in minutes!

Side note -- I love watching the almonds whirl around the food processor, transforming from their whole state to this silky spread.  Its the little things...

Banana Bread Baked Oatmeal for One

Let me introduce you to the best breakfast I have had in quite some time.  I love all things bananas and especially banana bread (as you can see based on the variety of recipes we've shared in the past).  

I also eat at least one banana a day and it is always a part of my breakfast.  So it is clear why I am raving about this bowl of goodness.  It tastes like gooey banana bread fresh out of the oven.  A mighty fine way to start the day if you ask me.

Sausage Egg Bake

My family has had the same Christmas day brunch every single year, for as long as I can remember.  Sausage egg bake and monkey bread.  There is nothing complicated about this meal and it can be made in advance -- allowing for a morning spent lounging, opening gifts, laughing and just enjoying time together.  It would be equally as fitting for New Year's Day brunch.

This year was no different and I decided I finally had to share the recipe with you.  Over the years, the white bread has been replaced with wheat, pork sausage replaced with turkey sausage, eggs substituted with half egg whites but its still on the table every year.  I have included the original recipe below but it is easily adapted to suit your preference.