Cheesecake Bars

These bars are so good and perfect for finger foods at a party. I love traditional cheesecake but enjoyed these bars for a fun handheld spin on cheesecake 🙂 

Ingredients: 

(Crust) 

– 3 cups graham cracker crumbs 

– 1/2 cup sugar 

– 1 stick (1/2 cup) melted butter

(Filling) 

– Three (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, softened 
– 1 1/2 cups sugar 

– 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla 

– 4 eggs 

– 1/2 cup sour cream 

(Strawberry Sauce) 

– 2 cups frozen strawberries 

– 1/2 cup sugar 

Directions: 

Begin by preheating your oven to 350F. 

Line a 9×13-inch baking dish with tinfoil and spray it with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside. 

Crust: Combine the graham cracker crumbs and sugar in a small bowl. Add in the melted butter and stir to incorporate. Press moist crumbs into the foil lined baking dish, it’s ok if some come up the sides. 

Filling: Add the cream cheese, vanilla, and sugar to the bowl of your stand mixer. Beat until smooth. Add eggs one at a time to the bowl and beat to combine. Add the sour cream and mix again. 

Pour the filling into the crust and smooth the top. Bake for 50 minutes in your preheated oven. After the 50 minutes, turn off the oven, and open the door. Let the cake stay in the oven for an additional 15 minutes. Once the time is up remove and set aside to cool. 

While the cake is cooling, make the filling. Place the frozen strawberries and sugar in a pan and turn the heat to medium. Let the berries cook down and release their juices. Once the berries are soft, mash with a potato masher, I like to leave a few of the berries not completely mashed for texture. Turn off the heat and remove the pan. Allow to cool, then place the mixture in a Tupperware and refrigerate until needed. 

 

 
   
    
    
    
 

Flourless Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

These cookies were very good. At first I was skeptical with them not having the traditional cookie ingredients, but I had a massive jar of peanut butter I needed to use up, so have them a shot. They came out very moist, packed full of chocolate, and the peanut butter came through nicely. Everyone could not believe they were flourless, butter free, and white sugar free! 

Ingredients: 

– 1 cup creamy peanut butter (the original recipe called for Skippy or Jif and not natural or homemade because the natural peanut butters tend to make the cookies flatter and thinner) 

– 1 cup brown sugar, packed 

– 1 egg 

– 1 tbsp. vanilla extract 

– 1 tsp. baking soda 

– 1 cup semi- sweet chocolate chips 

Directions: 

Begin by combining peanut butter, brown sugar, egg, and vanilla to the bowl of your stand mixer. Cream together until it is nice and incorporated and the texture is not grainy from the sugar. 

Add the baking soda and beat to combine. 

Add the chocolate chips and beat to combine. 

 Using a cookie scoop, scoop out dough and roll together in your palms, creating spheres. This helps the abundance of chocolate stay together in the cookie. 

Place balls on a large cookie sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Chill for at least two hours before removing the dough balls to bake. 

Preheat oven to 350F. Line another baking sheet with a silpat or wax paper and place the dough balls a couple inches apart. 

Bake the cookies for 8-9 minutes or until you notice the edges getting slightly crisp. Even if the cookies seem soft in the middle, they will firm up once removed from the oven. You do not want to over bake these cookies or it will really ruin the softness. 

Allow cookies to cool on the cookie tray for about 10 minutes before removing them to a wire rack to cool completely. 

Enjoy! 

   
    
    
    
 

Raspberry Buttercream Frosting

Ok guys…  This is. The. Frosting!! I made it for cupcakes for my youngest daughter’s first birthday 🙂 Oh my goodness, it was so good and the secret is freeze dried berries! I’ve never done a recipe like this before, but this took it to an entire different level and no artificial flavorings or colors 🙂 A must try! 

Ingredients: 

– 2 sticks softened (1 cup) unsalted butter

– 1 cup (10-12g) freeze dried raspberries (or strawberries) I think any berry would be good! 

– 4 cups powdered sugar 

– 2 Tbsp. Heavy cream 

– 1 tsp. vanilla extract 

Place the freeze dried berries into a food processor and blend into a powder. I don’t have a food processor, so I just used a gallon bag and hit the berries with the back of a metal measuring cup until they were powder. Set aside. 

In the bowl of your stand mixer, beat the softened butter on medium speed about two minutes until creamy. Add the powdered sugar, raspberry powder, heavy cream, and vanilla extract. Mix until well blended on low. Increase speed to medium high and beat for a full three minutes. Add 1/4 cup more powdered sugar if the frosting is too thin and add a couple more tbsp. heavy cream if it’s too thick. Add a pinch of salt if the frosting is too sweet. 

Frost as desired.

   
    
    
   
     
   

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Bars

These bars are really tasty and so easy to make. I love that I didn’t even have to dirty my mixer! 🙂

Ingredients:

– 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

– 1/3 heaping cup of Jif Peanut butter

– 1 egg

– 1 cup packed brown sugar

– 1 tbsp. vanilla extract

– 1 cup all- purpose flour

– 1 cup chocolate chips and 2 tbsp. for sprinkling on top

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350F. Line an 8×8 pan with tin foil, spray with cooking spray, and set aside.

Melt the butter in the microwave

After the butter is cooked for a couple minutes, add the peanut butter, brown sugar, vanilla, and finally the egg. Whisk until fully incorporated and smooth.

Add in the flour and stir until just combined, don’t overmix.

Stir in the chocolate chips.

Pour batter into prepared pan and lightly smooth the top. Sprinkle with the remaining chocolate chips. Press down slightly.

Bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Allow the bars to cool for about 30 minutes in the pan before removing and slicing. Enjoy!

  
  
  
  
  
  

Banana Bread Muffins

My friend Kathlene shared this recipe and it is amazing! The edges and bottoms turn crispy and buttery and are just the best! 

Ingredients: 

– 1 cup sugar 

– 1/2 cup softened butter (1 stick) 

– 2 eggs 

– 1 1/2 cups all- purpose flour 

– 2 tsp. vanilla extract 

– 1 tsp. Baking soda 

– 1 tsp. salt 

– 1 cup mashed, ripe banana 

– 1/2 cup sour cream 

– 1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional) 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a muffin tin with non stick cooking spray and set aside. Beat butter and sugar until creamy. Add the eggs and beat until incorporated. Soft the dry ingredients and add to the wet ingredients, mix well. 

Add in the bananas, sour cream, and vanilla. Beat until combined. Add nuts if you choose. Fill muffin tin 3/4 of the way full and bake for 30 min. Check after 30 min for doneness. Remove the muffins from the tin and cool on a cooling rack. Enjoy with a large part of butter.   

    
    
    
   

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

These are so good and a perfect kickoff for Fall! The frosting has maple extract in it and that just elevates it to a whole other level! Delish! 

Ingredients

Cupcakes: 

– 1 cup flour 

– 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice 

– 1 tsp. baking powder

– 1/2 tsp. baking soda

– 1/2 tsp. salt 

– 1 tsp. cinnamon 

– 1 cup pumpkin purée 

– 1/2 cup packed brown sugar

– 1/2 cup granulated sugar 

– 1/2 cup canola oil (next time I’ll try coconut oil) 

– 2 eggs 

Maple Cream Cheese Frosting: 

– 2 sticks butter, softened 

– 1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened 

– 3-4 cups powdered sugar ( I usually start with a little bit and taste and adjust) 

– 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract 

– 2 tsp. maple extract 

Cupcake Directions: 

Line a cupcake tin with cupcake liners and set aside. Preheat oven to 350F. 

In a small bowl, whisk together flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. 

In a larger bowl, whisk together the eggs, pumpkin purée, both sugars, and oil. Whisk until well blended. 

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until combined. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full and bake for 18-20 minutes or until they pass the toothpick test. Remove from tin and allow to cool on a wire rack. 

Frosting Directions: 

Add the cream cheese and butter to your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat until light and fluffy. Add in the powdered sugar a little at a time until it reaches your desired sweetness, beat until combined. Beat in the vanilla and maple extracts. Add more powdered sugar until frosting is firm, if needed. Frost the cupcakes when they are completely cooled and decorate as desired.  

   
    
    
    
    
 

Amazing Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

This is THE recipe! It is absolutely perfect and makes the most moist and delicious pumpkin bread, plus there’s chocolate so that’s an automatic win in my book! 😉 

Ingredients: 

– 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour 

– 1 tsp. baking soda 

– 2 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon 

– 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg 

– 1/4 tsp. ground cloves 

– 3/4 tsp. salt 

– 2 large eggs 

– 3/4 cup granulated sugar 

– 1/2 cup packed brown sugar 

– 1 1/2 cups pumpkin purée 

– 1/2 cup melted coconut oil 

– 1/4 cup orange juice 

– 1/2- 3/4 cup chocolate chips 

Adjust the oven rack to the lowest third position and preheat to 350F. Spray a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside. 

In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt together until well combined. In a separate medium sized bowl, whisk the eggs, and both sugars together until combined. Add in the pumpkin, oil, and orange juice and whisk until incorporated. Pour the wet ingredients into the large bowl of dry ingredients and mix gently with a spatula. Do not overmix and don’t worry if there are some lumps. Gently fold in the chocolate chips. 

Pour the batter into your prepared loaf pan and bake for about 30 minutes. After the 30 minutes is up, take the loaf out of the oven and cover loosely with aluminum foil. Place the loaf back into the oven and bake for another 20-30 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. 

Once the bread is done, remove to a wire rack to cool. Once the bread is cooled, remove the loaf from the pan. I baked it and sliced it the next day and it was amazing! 

Serve warmed with a big pat of butter. Enjoy! 

   
    
    
    
    
    
   

Blueberry Crumble Bars

Ingredients: 

– 2 1/4 cup rolled oats 

– 2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 

– 1 1/2 cup brown sugar 

– 1 cup (2 sticks) butter 

– 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

– 1/2 tsp. salt 

– 3 cups frozen blueberries (can also use fresh) 

– 1 Tbsp. cornstarch 

Directions: 

Preheat your oven to 350F. 

In a large bowl, combine the oats, flour, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt. Melt the butter, and pour over the oat mixture. Mix until thoroughly incorporated. Press 2/3 of the oat/butter mixture into a 9×13-inch pan. Reserve the leftover 1/3 for the topping. 

In a separate bowl, combine the blueberries, sugar, and cornstarch. Mix well, making sure all the berries are well coated. Pour the berry mixture over the bottom crust, evenly distributing. Sprinkle the remaining oat/butter mixture over the top of the blueberry layer. Bake 25 minutes, but you may need to increase your time. I added on another 20 minutes to my cooking time, since the top was not turning golden brown. So bake 25-45 minutes, or until the top is golden brown. 

Remove and allow to cool completely before slicing into bars. 

   
    
    
    
    
    
 

Blueberry Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake

I made this recipe for a breakfast play date I have weekly with some ladies in the area. It was very tasty and went over quite well 🙂 

Ingredients: 

– 2 cups brown sugar 

– 3 tbsp. all purpose flour 

– 2 tsp. cinnamon 

– 6 tbsp. cold butter, cubed 

– 3/4 cup cold butter 

– 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar 

– 4 eggs 

– 2 tsp. vanilla extract 

– 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda 

– 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

– 1/4 tsp. salt

– 3 cups all- purpose flour

– 1 1/2 cups sour cream 

– 2 1/2 cups fresh blueberries 

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 350F. 

Spray a 9×13 inch pan with nonstick cooking spray. 

For the crumb mixture: combine brown sugar, 3 tbsp flour, and cinnamon. Cut in the 6 tbsp of butter until coarse crumbs are formed. Set aside. 

Beat 3/4 cup of cold butter in your mixer until light and fluffy. Slowly add the granulated sugar. 

Add the eggs one at a time beating well after each addition. Add vanilla extract and mix well. 

Add baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Beat until well combined, scraping the sides of the bowl. 

Alternate by adding 1 cup of flour and 1/2 cup sour cream to the bowl, mix until just combined. Continue until all flour and sour cream is mixed in. Stir in blueberries by hand. 

Pour half of the batter into the prepared pan. Top with half the crumb topping, then distribute the other half of the batter on top of the crumb layer. Sprinkle the remaining crumb mixture on top. 

Bake in your preheated oven for 50-60 minutes or the cake passes the toothpick test. 

Allow cake to cool before serving.
   
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
   

Healthier Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins

This was a new take for me, I don’t normally bake without my tried and true butter, oil, sugar, etc but I decided to try one of these “healthy” muffin recipes and I do have to say I was pleasantly surprised! The muffins came out delicious and really moist! Not as sweet as usual, but it was a nice change and a lot healthier! 🙂 

Ingredients: 

– 1/2 cup cocoa powder 

– 4 tbsp. all purpose flour 

– 1 tsp. baking soda 

– 1/2 tsp. baking powder 

– 1/2 tsp. salt 

– 4 tbsp. brown sugar, lightly packed 

– 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter 

– 1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter 

– 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce 

– 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt 

– 2 tsp. vanilla extract 

– 4 tbsp. honey 

– 2 large eggs 

– 3/4 cup chocolate chips 

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 425F. Spray a muffin tin with non stick cooking spray and set aside. Do not use muffin liners, they won’t come out well. 

In a large bowl, combine the cocoa powder, flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and brown sugar. 

In your mixer, blend the peanut butters, applesauce, Greek yogurt, vanilla, and honey. Beat until completely combined. 

Add in the dry ingredients a little at a time to the wet ingredients. Add in the eggs. Do not over mix. 

Stir in the chocolate chips and fill the muffin cups completely full. 

Bake at 425F for 5 minutes. Then bump down the oven to 350F and cook for 13-15 minutes or until the toothpick comes out clean. 

Remove the muffins from the oven, run a knife around the edges and remove the muffins to a cooling tray after a few minutes. 

Enjoy!