Whole Wheat Plum Galette

I love this recipe! The short butter crust and plums compliment each other so well! I especially like it because it uses little artificial sweetener. It's beautiful and there are different variations you can try!

You will need:

For the crust-
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
2 tbsp. brown sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
5 tbsp. softened butter
2 tbsp. cold water

For the filling-
2 black plums sliced (30-33 slices)
2(ish) tbsp. honey
1 tsp. brown sugar

To start:
1. Pre-heat oven to 350 F.
2. Mix the flour, brown sugar and salt together. Cut the butter into the dry mixture using a pastry cutter or fork. Add the water and the mixture should come together.
3. Roll the dough out on a piece of parchment or silicone baking mat. It should be about 1/2 inch thick.
4. Arrange the plum slices on the dough leaving about 1&1/2 - 2 inches of dough on the edges.
5. Drizzle the plums with honey and fold the edges of the dough over them. This part can be tricky so take it slow. The dough should overlap and fold a bit which is normal.
6. Sprinkle the top with a teaspoon of brown sugar. I also sprinkled salt over mine and it was great.
7. bake for 25 minutes or until dough has become crunchy.
8. Allow to cool and cut it like a pizza to serve.

These are great for breakfast or to have with sweet tea and lemonade! They're simple, tasty, and healthy: a triple threat! I love them and I hope you do too!

Happy Baking!

Blueberry Dutch Baby Pancake

I love baking in my skillet! I've recently discovered Dutch baby pancakes and have been itching to make one. I chose to use blueberries in mine, but you can improvise other berries or just omit the berries altogether. This dish is neat because as it bakes, the edges rise up and fall like a pizza crust! Dutch babies are nice for brunch or breakfast with friends and an easy option for early mornings.

You make these in a cast iron skillet, but a round baking dish will suffice.

You will need:
2 tbsp. butter
1 cup fresh blueberries (Frozen can be substituted)
3 tbsp. granulated sugar
2/3 cup all purpose flour
2/3 cup milk
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
Nutmeg
Cinnamon
OPTIONAL : Powdered sugar for dusting

To begin:
1. Pre-heat your oven to 400F.
2. Put the butter in the skillet and put the skillet in the oven while it's heating (2-3 minutes  or until butter is melted.) Remove the skillet and make sure the butter covers the bottom of the pan completely.
3. Evenly distribute the berries in the bottom of the skillet an set it aside for the moment.
4. In a mixing bowl combine the eggs, milk, flour, vanilla, and sugar. Sprinkle a dash of nutmeg and cinnamon in the mixture if so desired.
5. Pour the mixture over the blueberries in the skillet. If the berries get shuffled around in the pan, just use a spoon to redistribute them.
6. Bake the pancake for 20-25 minutes.
7. Allow it to cool a bit before dusting it with powdered sugar.

I really love Dutch babies and I think you will too! They have a warm flavour and fill your house with a lovely aroma. The variations of Dutch baby pancakes are endless, so it's fun to be creative with them! I served mine with fresh lemon curd and panna cotta (recipe soon to be posted!) I hope you enjoy this recipe and fall in love with Dutch baby pancakes. 

Happy Baking!

Fresh Lemon Curd

Love lemons as much I do? Wanna put them on everything you make? Whip up a batch of lemon curd and pour it on all your citrus-lacking food! It's fairly easy to make, as long as you remember patience is  the key.

You will need:
1 cup granulated sugar
Zest from 1 lemon
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
6 tbsp. butter (softened)
2 whole eggs
2 egg yolks
1  1/2 tsp. vanilla

To start:
1. Put the lemon zest and sugar in a food processor together and finely mince them together. You may need to stop the processor and shuffle the mixture around to avoid clumpy lemon-sugar.
2. Next, thoroughly  cream together the butter, vanilla, egg & yolks, and lemon-sugar.
3. Now, stir the lemon juice into the creamy mixture. It won't want to combine and will look curdled, but this is normal.
4. Pour the mixture into a medium sauce pan and turn your stove to low heat. Constantly stir the pot until the mixture is smooth and consistent.
5. Next, turn up the heat to medium. Continue to stir as it thickens. Once it has thickened to a pudding-like consistency. Pour the curd into a jar or container and allow to cool completely before putting a lid on it or serving it.

After making fresh lemon curd for the first time, I've realized it's very important to make this on a regular basis. I used it with panna cotta and a blueberry Dutch baby pancake (recipes to be posted soon!), but you could use it for practically anything! It would be good in crepes or to serve with scones. Many people like to use lemon curd to top blueberry pies! If you love lemons, you don't really need a reason to make this! Just whip up a batch to keep in your fridge for whenever you get a citrus craving! I hope you found this recipe to be helpful and delicious!

Happy Cooking!

Whole Wheat Bread

There's just something so satisfying about making your own bread! This is great bread to have with jam and tea or coffee. It's perfect for serving with breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner! Wrap it in pretty paper, tie it off with a bow and you've got a nice gift for a friend!

You will need:
2 1/4 teaspoon active dry yeast
3 cups whole wheat flour (plus some for sprinkling)
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
3 Tbsp. non-fat dried milk
2 cups + 2 Tbsp. warm water
OPTIONAL
1 egg
salt

To start:
1. In the bowl of your standing mixer dissolve the brown sugar into the oil and water. Sprinkle the yeast onto the surface of the liquid. Once the yeast is also dissolved, add the dried milk.
2. Using your standing mixer fitted with the bread hooks, mix the flour into the liquid. one cup at a time.
3. Once thoroughly mixed, turn the dough out onto a floured surface. The dough may be sticky, so you'll want to flour your hands as well.
4. Put the dough in an oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Place the bowl in a room-temperature, draft free place. (an unheated oven works well for this.) Let the dough rise for two hours (or until doubled in size.)
5. After the two hours, pre-heat your oven to 375 F. Grease two 8x4" loaf pans or line them with parchment.
6. Punch the dough down to size. Make sure you flour your hands because the dough is apt to be sticky. Separate the dough into two even portions and place them both in the pans. If the dough is not sreading to edges of the pan, use your hands to spread it out. OPTIONAL- Beat an egg and wash the dough with it. Salt the top of your dough and slash it.
7. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown.

Yeilds 2 loaves.

Happy cooking!

Baked Peaches and Plums

I love peaches, plums, and baking, so this recipe is just about my all time favorite! It's a healthy, yet delicious breakfast option!  The plums and peaches are so warm and gooey and just melt in your mouth.

This recipe calls for butter, but it can be omitted for an even healthier version.

You will need:
2 peaches
2 plums (red or black)
1/2 cup light brown sugar
2-3 tbsp. melted butter
Cinnamon- OPTIONAL

To start:
1. Pre-heat your oven to 350 F.
2. Half your peaches and plums and scrape out the pits. Halving them can be tricky business.  Starting at the top of the fruit, make a cut that goes as deep as the pit and wraps all the way around the fruit.  Twist the two sides in opposite direction of one another. Be careful when doing this with the plums because their skins are more sensitive than the peaches'.
3. Place all the halves in a baking dish big enough to fit all the fruits. Lay them so the cut side is facing up.
4.  Sprinkle the brown sugar over all the fruit, paying special attention to the plums. They tend to be more tart than peaches. OPTIONAL- Sprinkle a little cinnamon over the entire dish.
5. Drizzle the melted butter over and in between the fruits.
6. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

I loved this dish with some heart shaped egg on toast and good company! It's a simple, but tasty recipe that will impress your friends and family; not to mention beautiful! I love making baked peaches and plums and hope you find that you do as well! I hope you found this recipe helpful!

Happy cooking!

Chocolate Chip Cream Cheese Cookies

I've discovered the secret to chocolate chip cookies that never get hard... cream cheese! These little cookies are so perfect and delicious!! You'll amaze any and every one who tries these cookies. They literally do melt in your mouth.

You will need:
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 tbsp. imitation vanilla
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1 tbsp. cornstarch
2/3 cup all purpose flour
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 large egg

To start:
1.  Let the butter and cream cheese set out for about 30 minutes to get soft.  If the cream cheese is not soft enough, it will ruin the consistency of the cookies.
2. In a large bowl cream together the butter, cream cheese, sugars, egg, and vanilla.
3. In a separate bowl mix together all the dry ingredients, including the chocolate chips.
4.  Fold the dry mixture into the wet mixture 1/3 at a time.
5.  Heat oven to 325 F.  Line a 9x13 cookie sheet with parchment paper and drop cookies onto it.  This batter is runny, so don't try to to roll into balls unless you want sticky hands! Drop them 1 1/2 inch apart because they will spread.
6.  Bake for 20-23 minutes or until cookies don't jiggle when the pan is shaken.
7.  Allow the cookies to cool down completely before removing them from the sheet, otherwise the bottoms will fall out.

Yields: 3 dozen small cookies

I absolutely adore these cookies. Bake with caution: they are extremely rich and highly addictive.

Happy Baking!!

Lemon Cream Cheese Cookies

My family was needing a little comfort food tonight, and these cookies were the perfect fix.  They're tangy and sweet and so addictive.  They're soft, chewy, and melt in your mouth!! I frosted mine with Martha Stewart's Swiss Meringue Buttercream (my newest obsession!)  This icing complements these sweet little cookies perfectly and I strongly suggest using it with this recipe!

Yields 36-48 cookies

You will need:
1 8oz. package of cream cheese
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 large egg
3/4 cup almond meal (sifted)
5/6 cup (1/2 plus 1/3 cup) all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 cup confectioners sugar

To begin:
1. Your cream cheese needs to set out for 25 to 30 minutes before being used.  If it's not soft enough, it will cause the batter to be clumpy. Pre-heat oven to 325 F and line two 9x13 cookie sheets with parchment.
2.  Once the cream cheese is soft enough, cream it together with the sugar, lemon juice, and egg.  Mix well until there are no clumps.
3.  In another bowl, combine the sifted almond meal, flour, baking soda, and confectioners sugar. Add a quarter of the dry mixture to the wet mixture at a time.
4.  Drop dough balls 1 1/2 inch away from each other. The dough should be a little runny, so once it hits the cookie sheet, it will spread itself out.  Bake for 20-23 minutes or until slightly golden on the edges.
5.  Let the cookies cool before removing them from the parchment. If you try to take them off too soon, the bottoms will fall out of them.
6.  Once the cookies are completely cool, ice them with the Swiss Meringue Buttercream.  This icing is extremely sensitive to heat, so make sure you've allowed your cookies enough time to sit.

I love these cookies! They're fun to personalize and decorate, not to mention soooo tasty! I hope you found this recipe helpful and simple!! Happy baking!

Coconut Crepes

I just recently a recipe for crepes (see here), but the other day I was feeling creative and decided to jazz them up a bit!

You will need:
1 cup flour
1 tbsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1  1/3 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. imitation coconut extract
3 eggs
3 tbsp. of melted coconut oil (Melted butter will work fine)
Additional sugar for sprinkling.

To start:
1. In a small bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, and salt.
2. Pour the milk into a medium sized measuring bowl. You'll want to let the milk sit out for about 10-15 minutes before adding oil. Add the coconut, vanilla, eggs, and oil and whisk with a fork. When hot oil comes into contact with cold milk, the oil thickens and ruins the consistency of the mixture.
3. Pour the dry ingredients in with the wet and whisk until there are no lumps.
4. Grease a small frying pan and turn your stove to medium heat.
5. Once the pan is heated, pour about a 1/4 cup of the batter into the pan. Tilt the pan until the batter is spread over the whole pan.
6. Let it cook until you can see it solidifying and the edges are slightly brown. Sprinkle some sugar over the surface of crepe then, using a spatula, flip the crepe. Sprinkle more sugar on the other side.
7. Once the crepe is fully cooked on both sides (it should look a lot like a flour tortilla), flip it once more to make sure the sugar melts on both sides.

These coconut crepes are absolutely heaven! They don't even need any toppings because they are already so sweet! Not a fan of coconut? Not a problem! You can use whatever kind of flavouring you like! Almond, coconut, or strawberry extract can all be found on the baking aisle, among other flavours. I hope you found this recipe helpful and enjoy your crepes!

Happy cooking!

Crepes, ooh la la!

I absolutely love making crepes! They're basically just French pancakes. They're very simple to make and delicious to eat! This recipe makes 12-14 crepes, depending on the size of your pan and how thick you make them:)

You will need:
1 cup flour
1 tbsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1  1/3 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla
3 eggs
3 tbsp. of melted butter
Additional sugar for sprinkling.

To start:
1. In a small bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, and salt.
2. Pour the milk into a medium sized measuring bowl. You'll want to let the milk sit out for about 10-15 minutes before adding butter. Add the vanilla, eggs, and butter and whisk with a fork. When hot butter comes into contact with cold milk, the butter thickens and ruins the consistency of the mixture.
3. Pour the dry ingredients in with the wet and whisk until there are no lumps.
4. Grease a small frying pan and turn your stove to medium heat.
5. Once the pan is heated, pour about a 1/4 cup of the batter into the pan. Tilt the pan until the batter is spread over the whole pan.
6. Let it cook until you can see it solidifying and the edges are slightly brown. Sprinkle some sugar over the surface of crepe then, using a spatula, flip the crepe. Sprinkle more sugar on the other side.
7. Once the crepe is fully cooked on both sides, flip it once more to make sure the sugar melts on both sides.

You can eat these plain or with toppings! Some like jam or chocolate sauce, but I drizzle honey over them and sprinkle cinnamon sugar over that. You can serve them with fruit for breakfast, lunch, or dinner! They're simple to make and so tasty! I hope you found this recipe helpful and easy to understand.

Happy cooking!

Cinnamon Raisin Bread

Hello! I'm so excited about this new raisin bread recipe! I've made it three times already this week. Its so sweet and has a warm taste. I've gifted it a few times and have gotten great responses! It's a fairly simple recipe and I hope you enjoy it!

You will need:

1/2 cup applesauce
1/3 cup oil (or melted butter)
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. of cinnamon
1 tsp. of baking soda
1  1/2 tsp. vanilla
a pinch of salt
1  1/2 cup flour
1/3 cup of raisins
OPTIONAL: Cinnamon sugar for sprinkling.


To start:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Mix the brown sugar, applesauce, egg, and oil together on low speed.
3. Next, blend in the cinnamon, vanilla, salt, and baking soda. Use a rubber spatula to smooth out any clumps that might form.
4. On medium speed, blend in the flour.
5. Mix in the raisins on low/medium speed.
6. Grease a loaf pan. OPTIONAL: Sprinkle cinnamon sugar on the sides and bottom of the loaf before pouring the batter. Once batter is poured, sprinkle cinnamon sugar on top as well.
7. Bake for 35-40 minutes.

Happy Baking!

Glazed Brown Sugar Banana bread.

If you love banana bread, this is the recipe for you! It's sweet and delicious and a favourite in my house! It's pretty simple to make.

You will need:
1. 3-4 bananas (mashed)
2. 1/3 cup + about 3 tbsp. melted butter
3. 1/2 cup granulated Sucralose (Splenda)
4. 1/2 cup + about 5 tbsp. brown sugar
5. 1 cup flour
6. 1 tsp. baking soda
7. 1 large egg
8. 1 tsp. vanilla

To make:
1. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a small loaf pan.
2. Cream bananas and 1/3 cup butter together in a large bowl.
3. Beat in egg, Splenda, vanilla, and 1/2 cup brown sugar. Once mixed add in baking soda.
4. Mix in the flour one half cup at a time.
5. Pour your mixture into the loaf pan and set to bake for 30 minutes.
6. While its baking melt the 3 tbsp. of butter and mix with 5 tbsp. of brown sugar. If its too runny, add extra sugar, if its too thick, add more butter. This is your glaze.
7. Once the 30 minutes are over, spoon the glaze to the center of the loaf and spread it. It will run down to the sides on its own, so don't spread it too much.
8. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until bread is golden brown.

It's great with coffee or tea, as a breakfast or desert, morning or night:) I hope you found this recipe helpful and easy! Happy Cooking!

Eggnog Latte

Have you ever woken up in December not really in the Christmas OR morning mood? I tried adding eggnog to my coffee as creamer this morning and it was GREAT! Just the perfect amount of Christmas in my joe:). Although it's pretty easy, here's a recipe;)

You will need:
3/4 cup eggnog
a half cup of coffee
1/4 tsp. vanilla.
OPTIONAL: Whipped cream (in a can)

To start:
1. Pour the coffee in a mug and add the eggnog & vanilla.
2. Stir until sufficiently mixed.
3. OPTIONAL Squirt some whipped cream on top of your latte.

Viola! You now have a steaming cup of eggnog coffee! It may sound a bit strange, but I can assure you, it was pretty wonderful:) I hope you enjoyed this recipe!

Merry Christmas & Happy Cooking!

The BEST Sugar Cookies.

If you love sugar cookies, this is the recipe for you! It's perfect for Christmas cookies and they're super easy to make (not to mention SO YUMMY!)  This recipe is great when using cookie cutters and they're easily decorated. :)

 You will need:

8 ounces (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature (salted or unsalted.)

1 3/4 cups granulated sugar

1 large egg

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 3/4 cups flour (plus some for sprinkling.)

OPTIONAL: 1 tbsp. milk

 

Getting started:

1. Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees F.

 2. First, leave the butter out for about 30 minutes so it can get soft. In a medium bowl, cream together the butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla.  For drop cookies, add some milk to this step.

3. Next, add in the flour. If it's too much to add in all at once, feel free to add about a half cup at a time. *You may need to knead the dough with your hands. 

4. Sprinkle some flour on a clean surface. Rub some flour on a rolling pin and roll out some of your dough to about a half inch. Using a cookie cutter of your choice, cut out some shapes and move them to a greased cookie sheet. 

5. Put in cookie sheets in the oven for about 10-12 minutes or until edges are golden brown.

6. Decorate your cookies with cookie frosting. Click here for the recipe.

I love this recipe so much and it yields about 36-42 cookies depending on the size of your cutter. It's great for Valentine's, Christmas, or any time of the year. I don't think I'll ever use another sugar cookie recipe again! I've made them several times and everyone absolutely loves them! I hope you found this recipe helpful and enjoy making these sweet cookies:)  

Happy Cooking!

The Best Banana Bread

I made this today and it was a huge hit! If you like banana bread, you're sure to love this!

You will need:
1. 3-4 ripe bananas
2. 1/3 cup melted butter
3. 1 cup sugar
4. 1 egg
5. 1 tsp. vanilla
6. 1 tsp. baking soda
7. A pinch of salt
8. 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour

OPTIONAL: For a healthier alternative, can use Splenda instead of sugar. I did and it tastes heavenly.

To start:
1. Pre-heat oven to 350 F.
2. Mash up bananas in medium bowl and mix with butter.
3. Next, add in the sugar, egg, and vanilla.
4. Now, mix in the baking soda and salt.
5. Lastly, mix in the flour.
6. Grease a small loaf pan and pour contents of the bowl into it.
7. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

This recipe makes one loaf, but you can double it for two. I definitely recommend using Splenda. It's light and sweet: total yum-fest! I hope you enjoy this recipe! Happy Cooking!

Easy Cookie Frosting

This is a really simple recipe for cookie frosting. It hardly takes any time and very little effort!

You will need:
1. Powdered sugar
2. Milk
3. A bowl
4. A spoon or small whisk
OPTIONAL:
Food colouring

To begin:
Pour powdered sugar and milk in a bowl and mix. If you want your frosting to be thicker, add more sugar. If you want thinner frosting add more milk. For coloured frosting, add a few drops of food colouring.

This recipe is so easy! You can put it in a pastry bag and pipe it on to your cookies or drizzle it on. Whatever you do I hope you enjoy yourself and found this recipe to be helpful:)

Happy Cooking!

The Best Brownies EVER. (forreal)

These seriously have to be the best brownies I've ever tried. I made a batch for my family to taste and they were so good I just had to make another!

You will need:
1. 2/3 cup un-sweetened cocoa powder
2. 2 cups of white granulated sugar
3. 4 eggs
4. 1 cup all purpose flour
5. 1 cup vegetable oil (melted butter will suffice)
6. 2 tsp. vanilla extract
7. 1/2 tsp. Baking powder
8. 1/2 tsp. salt
9. Two large bowls
10. Two large spoons

To begin:
1. Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Grease a 9x13 pan.
3. In one large bowl mix the eggs, sugar, oil, and vanilla.
4. In the second bowl mix flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt.
5. Pour the dry mixture into the egg mixture about a half cup at a time and stir.
6. Once thoroughly mixed, pour into greased pan.
7. Bake for 35-45 minutes.
8. Once finished baking, let cool for about 3 minutes.
9. Cut and enjoy!

I love these brownies because they're better than a box-mix and you get satisfaction of knowing you made them from scratch! I hope you found this recipe helpful and easy. If these aren't the best brownies you've tasted, post your recipe in the comment section:)

Happy Cooking!