Recipe: Baked Pumpkin Spice Donuts

It's Fall which means I'm in a pumpkin recipe rampage and I decided to make this yummy recipe for baked pumpkin donuts from Cheeky Kitchen. I love pumpkin (you'll see from the next couple recipe's I'll be posting) and have a donut baking mold from Sur La Table so it was calling out to me to make them. 

They smell and taste amazing, aren't difficult to make and are fun to put together. I used a piping bag to fill the molds with the dough and used to forks to easily dip the donuts top down into the glaze. Who doesn't love donuts? Get the recipe after the jump.

Recipe: Chai Spice + Mexican Chocolate Cookies

It's been a while since I've been near an oven, much to the fault of the crazy heat here in Northern California. Goodness do I miss an ocean breeze. Anyway, I digress. I've been chugging iced chai spice lattes like water lately and I got to thinking that if I could put that flavor into a cookie it would make me one happy lady. So I got started with my favorite chocolate chip cookie {link below} and added things and changed things to suit my palate. In the flurry of complete surrender to my taste buds I thought, why not add a taste  of one of my other favorite drinks? Mexican hot chocolate. It would be like a Mexican hot chocolate cookie! Oh, my; the rich spicy flavors, creamy texture and heavenly aroma... I was drooling already. So there I was, ready to make my chocolate-y, spice, cookie dough dreams come true- just me, the mixer and a handful of flavors. 

The base of this cookie is this recipe, which I've previously already blogged about. It rocks my world. I knew I couldn't go wrong so long as I used it as a starter. So here's my little creation, I hope it's tempting enough to consider turning on your oven in the Summer time. Recipe after the jump.

Recipe: Summer Cool Off Drinks

I've hand-picked some delicious fruity, crisp, ice-cold homemade refreshments to help cool you off this Summer. If you're a tea lover like me and enjoy herb-infused drinks, you'll love these recipes with a twist on the original Arnold Palmer and old-fashioned lemonade. You'll find lavender, jasmine, mint and even rosemary as ingredients in these drinks making them as fragrant as they are sweet. Drinks should liven the senses not just quench your thirst. Check out my recipe for Brazilian Limeade, it's one of my favorites. Photos link to source with recipe.

 Jasmine Green Tea Lemonade

 Watermelon Sweet Tea

 Lavender Lemonade

Meyer Lemonade with Rosemary

 Pear-Lemon Fizz

Strawberry & Peach Sangria

Recipe: The Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Yet

I made this delicious chocolate chip recipe last night and wow, are they amazing. They make giant cookies that are chewy, flavorful and bake to perfection. The only adjustments I made were to bake them for 8 minutes in a convection oven after measuring the dough with a tablespoon instead of a 1/4 cup. And then once they're out of the oven I fan the cookies while they're still on the tray for about 15 seconds (I use my hand while it's still in the oven mitt, that helps) then transfer them immediately to a wire rack. I feel this prevents them from over-cooking, keeping that yummy chewy center. They're so good I had them for breakfast. It's definitely my new favorite go-to cookie recipe. Hope you make these and eat them all up! Recipe after the jump.

Eclectic Pretty: Teal and Hot Pink Dessert Table

{Images via Somewhere Splendid/ Design by Botanica Floral Design}

I instantly fell for this colorful dessert table when I saw it at Somewhere Splendid yesterday. It's a bit Moroccan and a bit Indian modernized with splashes of bright colors. I love the simple yet eye-catching florals and all the pretty detailed glassware. They definitely jazzed up milk and cookies. Such pretty details in the Italian pizzelle cookies. If you want to try making these pretty cookies you can find recipes here.

Recipe: Giant S'mores Cookies

Pretty much the most delicious cookie I've made! These will rock your world. I had been craving s'mores for a while when I decide to make these cookies after stumbling across this fantastic cookie recipe at My Baking Addiction. I think these are my new favorite cookie! And they smell....ah-mazing. I've made these 3 times already... 

Recipe: Cake Mix Whoopie Pies

This super easy recipe is from GroupRecipe. Requires little time to throw together and totally fool proof since you make it from a box. Whoopie pies are becoming the new cupcake and I kind of like it! Maybe because they look like jumbo macarons. There are so many different flavors and combinations to try. I made mine with double fudge cake, it had bits of fudge in the mix, it was pretty good. I liked this filling but I think there's room for improvement. Overall this specific combination tasted exactly like an ice cream sandwich. I'll have to try a whoopie pie/cookie recipe from scratch, I'm thinking gingerbread or red velvet...

Recipe: Vanilla Bean Salted Caramels

Okay I know I post more recipes than anything else but lately I've had all the time in the world to bake and make all sorts of yummy confections. Today it's candy! This was my first attempt at candy-making so luckily this was an easy recipe. It takes ingredients you most likely already have in your fridge and a candy thermometer.  I substituted the fleur de sel for fine grain sea salt and it was fine. Also, when it comes to combining the mixtures be extra careful, it does bubble up a lot and the steam from it is very strong! Have someone help you out to be safe. I wrapped mine individually in wax paper for easy eating:)  Enjoy!

{Recipe via Annie's Eats}
Yield: 64 caramels
Ingredients:
1 cup heavy cream
5 tbsp. unsalted butter
½ tsp. vanilla extract
1 vanilla bean pod, split lengthwise and scraped
1¼ tsp. fleur de sel, plus more for sprinkling
1½ cups sugar
¼ cup light corn syrup
¼ cup water
Directions:
Line the bottom and sides of an 8-inch square baking dish with parchment paper.  Lightly butter the parchment.
In a small saucepan, combine the cream, butter, vanilla extract, vanilla bean seeds, pods, and fleur de sel.  Heat over medium-high heat and bring to a boil.  Remove from the heat and set aside.
In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, corn syrup, and water.  Heat over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar is dissolved.  Boil, without stirring but gently swirling the pan occasionally, until the mixture is a light golden caramel color.
Remove the vanilla bean pods from the cream mixture and carefully stir the cream mixture into the caramel – the mixture will bubble up, so pour slowly and stir constantly.  Continue simmering the mixture until it registers 248˚ F on a candy thermometer.  Immediately remove from the heat and pour into the prepared pan.  Let cool for 30 minutes, then sprinkle lightly with additional fleur de sel.  Continue to let sit until completely set and cooled.  Cut into 1-inch pieces (a buttered pizza cutter works well).  Wrap the individual caramels in small pieces of wax paper, about 4-inch squares.

Recipe: Gingerbread Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Wow, searched the internet wide for a good gingerbread cupcake recipe and didn't find very many. So I'm glad I went with the McCormick recipe I decided on. This gingerbread is just the right amount of spice combination {I also added a dash of ground nutmeg and cloves}

{Moist, delicious, aromatic, and melt in your mouth}

And that's just the cake, the frosting is a whole other sweet story! This cream cheese frosting is light and just the right amount of sweet {I added a teaspoon of light brown sugar and only 3/4 of the powdered sugar box}. My brother-in-law described it as biting into a sweet cloud :)

Fill your home with the comforting smell of holiday gingerbread and have fun decorating!

Recipe: Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

I'm so glad the weather is staring to feel more like the start of Fall. I see leaves on the ground and we've gotten a little rain so far. So, my mind immediately turns to the wonderful use of pumpkin. In everything really, chai latte's, pie, and in this case, muffins. Really this recipe is more like cupcakes because they're just so delicious you can't really categorize these as muffins. With they're delicious cream cheese filled center, it's like the frosting is on the inside.  I loved every part of this cupcake the batter was perfection, the cream cheese was just the right amount of sweet, and the topping had great texture. These lovelies filled the house with the most delicious aroma, I wish I could capture it and keep it year round. My family loved these. It makes me happy:)

Recipe from Annie's Eats.

Yield: 24 muffins
Ingredients:
For the filling:
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 cup confectioners’ sugar

For the muffins:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 tsp. ground cloves
1 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
4 large eggs
2 cups sugar
2 cups pumpkin puree
1¼ cups vegetable oil

For the topping:
½ cup sugar
5 tbsp. flour
1½ tsp. ground cinnamon
4 tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Recipe: Double Chocolate Birthday Cake

I made a delicious double chocolate cake for my husband's birthday. I had read great reviews for this recipe and decided to find out if it was all it was talked up to be. And let me tell you, it was! Really chocolatey, dense, super moist...delicious. The blurry picture of the slice does it no justice at all. I topped the cake with fresh berries as well as white chocolate dipped strawberries. Get the cake recipe here. In case you get to the recipe and are wondering about using two 9 inch pans instead of 10 inch, it's ok to do so because I used 9 inch pans and the cake didn't over flow. I also made boston cream pie cupcakes from this recipe. The recipe for the cupcake filling made a lot more than I actually needed so I used the leftover to serve with the cake and everyone loved it. Hope you make this cake next time there's a birthday or just in the mood for a great chocolate cake.

{Recipe: Brazilian Limeade}

The Summer has been pretty intense here in Sacramento and we're trying to get used to it. One little drink came to our rescue, the Brazilian limeade! My husband and I first had this drink at a Brazilian restaurant and he just fell in love with it. So one day while sweating it out, he asked me to look up the recipe and see what gave this drink its special flavor.  I found a simple recipe for it and made it our own. We can't stop making it! It's perfect to keep in the fridge or make for BBQ's or picnics. Hope this drink helps you cool off and enjoy the Summer!

1. Fill your blender with 4-5 cups of cold water.

2. Add 2-3 Tbl of sweetened condensed milk and 1 cup sugar. Blend together for 1 minute.

3. Add 4 medium limes cut into 8ths (with smooth, thin skin) or 6-7 small key limes (these make it especially tart) cut into 4ths. Blend by pulsing 6-7 times, enough to turn it slightly green.

4. Strain the limes, use a spoon to press all of the juice out of the limes.

5. Pour into a pitcher. Add ice and serve.

{Recipe: Arroz con Leche}

For Father's day my father-in-law requested my arroz con leche. So Arroz con Leche I made. It's a Mexican rice pudding, although I don't really know where it originated from. I know a lot of Latin countries make their own version of it. It'll fill your home with the lovely scent of cinnamon and vanilla. If you've never had this before, you're going to love it especially because it's easy to make too. You can have it hot or cold, either way is delicious. Here's my easy recipe for it. 

Enjoy!

You'll need:

7 c. water (5 c. for thicker consistency)

2 c. long-grain rice

2 c. whole or low-fat milk

1- 14oz. can of sweetened condensed milk

1- 12 oz. can evaporated milk
1 Tblsp pure vanilla extract

1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise -scraped

2 canela sticks (cinnamon sticks) or 1 tbl. ground cinnamon (or both if you love cinnamon like me)

3 cloves or a small pinch of ground cloves

1/2 c. raisins (optional) 
Cinnamon and sugar and/or nutmeg for dusting

-Put water and rice in a heavy saucepan (if using whole cloves and cinnamon sticks, add now) bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium. Cook for about 10-12 minutes, stirring constantly, or until most of the water has evaporated and it's slightly thickened. 

-Add all of the milks, stirring constantly. Add the rest of the ingredients, including raisins (if using). 
*When using ground cinnamon add it slowly while stirring to avoid clumps.

-Keep at medium heat and cook for another 20 minutes or until rice is tender and desired consistency is achieved. Remove from heat to cool at room temperature, then if desired, put in fridge to cool the rest of the way. 
*The most important step is to stir constantly to avoid scorching!

*The rice pudding will set as it cools, it will get thicker. Remove cinnamon sticks and cloves before serving. I like to serve with a light dusting of cinnamon and sugar and/or nutmeg.

{Oh, so sweet: Peach Cupcakes}

It's crazy how much I love a deliciously ripe, fragrant summer peach...or 5. I seriously could eat them all day long, all Summer long. So I was thrilled when I stumbled upon this delicious peach cupcake recipe at Smitten Kitchen. You just have to make these! They're like mini peach cobblers topped with an amazing brown sugar cream cheese frosting {that I and the rest of my family fell in love with} I'll spare you and won't even tell you how many I ate. The recipe makes 2 dozen plump cupcakes, enough to share with friends and neighbors.

P.S: In case you don't have cake flour for this recipe you can substitute all-purpose flour by using the following equivalent. For every 1 cup cake flour you need use 1 cup minus 2 Tbl sifted all-purpose flour.