Little Mikey's {yum}

Do you have any favorite fall treats? I have been making "Little Mikey's" every year for the past five years, and they have become a tradition. 

Before I share the recipe, a quick story on how these pumpkin chocolate chip muffins got their name: 

When I was in college, my roommate had a boyfriend (now husband) named John, and she would make "Little Johnny's" for him, which were banana chocolate chip muffins. I decided my Michael (then boyfriend, now husband) needed a treat named after him. And the rest is history!

{ingredients}

2 c. whole wheat flour

1 c. all-purpose flour 

2 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. baking powder

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. salt

4 eggs, slightly beaten

2 c. sugar

1 15 oz. can pumpkin 

1 c. applesauce

2 c. chocolate chips

{how to}

Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit. Grease or line 36 muffin cups. 

Combine both flours, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon in medium bowl.

In large bowl, combine eggs and sugar. Add pumpkin and applesauce; mix well.

Stir in flour mixture until moistened. Stir in chocolate chips.

Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.

Bake for 15 minutes, or until top springs back when lightly touched.

Cool in pans on wire racks for five minutes, then remove muffins from pan to continue cooling.

I usually get around 30 muffins from this recipe, give or take - depending on how much batter you put into each muffin cup. 

Enjoy! Yum!

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baked pumpkin spice donuts {yum}

Last night I posted this picture on instagram. Several people asked for the recipe. Well, ask and you shall receive, my friends! And what better day than the first day of fall? Without further ado...

variation on this recipe I found on pinterest

{ingredients}
for the DONUTS:
1 3/4 c. flour
1 1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. nutmeg
1/2 t. allspice
1/8 t. ground cloves
1/3 c. applesauce
1/2 c. light brown sugar, packed
1 egg
1 1/2 t. vanilla
3/4 c. canned pumpkin
1/2 c. milk

for the COATING:
melted butter (amount dependent upon number of donuts)
1/2 c. sugar
2 T. cinnamon

{how to}
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees (F). Butter your donut pan(s). {note: The donut pan I used makes mini donuts.}

In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, salt and spices. Set aside.

In a large bowl (I used my electric mixer bowl), whisk oil, brown sugar, egg, vanilla, pumpkin and milk until combined. Slowly add the dry mixture and stir until just combined (don't overmix!). The batter will be thick. Use a gallon sized ziploc bag and clip the corner (or a pastry bag if you're fancy) to squeeze the batter into each donut cup. The cups should be full; not overflowing, but full.

Bake 9-10 minutes until donuts spring back with a gentle touch. (For full-sized donuts increase the cooking time...maybe about 15 minutes?) Turn donuts out onto a wire rack to cool a few minutes.

While the donuts are cooling, melt the butter in a shallow dish. Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a separate bowl. The sugar and cinnamon amounts listed above are flexible - honestly, I just did some of each until it looked like a delicious blend to me. :) When the donuts are still hot (but not too hot to touch), quickly dip each one in butter and then coat in the cinnamon sugar mixture. Serve immediately.**

**This recipe made 48 mini donuts for us. It was just the two of us, and we were not going to immediately eat 48 mini donuts (delicious though they were - but hello, bellyache!). Whatever donuts you are not going to eat, do not coat in advance, but rather right before serving. I highly recommend melting your butter in a dish where the butter will be as shallow as possible, so as not to drench your donuts before coating in cinnamon sugar. Because nobody likes a soggy donut, am I right?!

Yum.

Enjoy with your favorite warm beverage - maybe a cup of coffee, chai, or apple cider? Or a cold glass of milk if that's your thing.

Happy autumn! 

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Lemon Bars {yum}

I just love lemon bars. Especially in the spring and summer, there's something so lovely, light and refreshing about this dessert. This recipe is easy to make and would be perfect for your next family gathering, graduation party, bridal shower...or just for fun!

Lemon Bars

{recipe slightly modified from this one}

{ingredients}
1 c. butter, softened
1/2 c. sugar + 1 1/2 c. sugar
2 c. all-purpose flour + 1/4 c. flour
4 eggs
2 lemons, juiced (~1/2 c. juice)
zest of 1 lemon




{how to}
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

With a mixer, blend together the softened butter, 1/2 cup sugar and 2 cups flour. Dough will be crumbly, as pictured.

Press into the bottom of a 9x13 inch pan (ungreased). Bake for 15-20 minutes, until golden brown. It should smell delicious, as this is essentially a shortbread crust. Yum.

While the crust is baking, whisk together 1 1/2 cups sugar and 1/4 cup flour in a separate bowl. Then whisk in the eggs and lemon juice. When the crust is finished baking, remove from oven and pour lemon mixture over the crust.

Return the pan to the oven and bake for an additional 20 minutes. After baking, allow to cool. Cut into squares and serve.

I hope you enjoy this delicious treat!

What's your favorite spring or summer dessert? Do tell!

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carrot cake {yum}

My husband requested a carrot cake for his birthday.

I promised to share the recipe, so without further ado, I give you...

Carrot Cake

{ingredients}

3 eggs

3/4 c. buttermilk

3/4 c. applesauce

1 1/2 c. sugar

2 t. vanilla extract

2 t. ground cinnamon

1/4 t. salt

2 c. all-purpose flour

2 t. baking soda

2 c. shredded carrots

1 c. flaked coconut

1/2 c. chopped walnuts

1 8 oz. can crushed pineapple with juice

1 c. raisins

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round pans. (Optional: Line with parchment paper before greasing/flouring.) Set aside.

In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine eggs, buttermilk, applesauce, sugar and vanilla. Mix well, then add flour mixture. Mix well.

In the (now empty) medium-sized bowl, combine shredded carrots*, coconut, walnuts, pineapple and raisins. [*Note: If you shredding your carrots from scratch, like I did, you may need to let them dry on paper towels for a bit - carrots have a lot of water in them!]

Add carrot mixture to batter and fold in well. Pour into prepared pans and bake for 40-50 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

{ingredients}

1 8 oz. package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 cups confectioner's sugar
1/2 T. vanilla extract

Cream together the cream cheese and butter. Mix in the vanilla, then gradually add in the confectioners' sugar. Take a taste to see if you want to add a little more confectioners' sugar for additional sweetness! :)

Makes enough to frost one 9-inch cake with 2 layers (as pictured).

Sound yummy? Pin this post!

Hover your mouse on either of the above pictures and click the "pin me" button that appears. :)

The above recipes are my variations of this one and this one {gotta love allrecipes!}. Hope you enjoy!

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speculoos cookies - a tradition

Last Christmas was Michael's and my first married Christmas. It was such a special time for us as a couple, as we had not yet been together on Christmas (we had always been with our respective families). We wanted to start a tradition or two together, and decided that making Belgian speculoos cookies could be a fun one(as I mentioned here). Neither of us are Belgian, but we did honeymoon in Belgium - visiting Bruges, Brussels & Bouillon. At our bed & breakfast in Brussels, our hosts introduced us to Biscoff cookie spread. Have you tried it? Oh my yum. It is soooo delicious. I prefer to eat it on a delicious bread or on apples...or occasionally, I confess, by the spoonful. :) (Trader Joe's sells this, which I hear is similar, though I haven't tasted it.) The cookie spread is made from the Belgian speculoos cookies. Here is a recipe for the ones we make:

Speculoos Cookies

{The recipe we use is a slight variation on this one.}

We purchased our cookie molds at a local specialty cooking shop, but you can also purchase them online. Ours are made by House on the Hill. They are very well made.

{ingredients}

3 1/2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/4 teaspoon ground mace

1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

1 cup light brown sugar

1/3 cup water

confectioner's sugar

{how to}
[Note: Make sure you set aside a good amount of time for this recipe - there are two periods of refrigeration needed and the cookies take a while to bake as well!]

Combine flour, baking soda, salt and spices in a large bowl.

Cream together the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes). Beat in half the flour/spice mixture. Beat in water, then beat in the remaining flour/spice mixture. Shape the dough into three discs, around one inch thick. Wrap each disc in plastic and refrigerate for one hour.

Lightly dust your work surface and your cookie molds with confectioner's sugar. {And don't forget to re-dust your cookie molds each time you go to press a cookie!}

Roll out the dough to about 1/4" thickness. If you have deep molds, your dough may need to be a little thicker, as ours did. Press the cookie mold into the dough - and be sure to press it firmly!

Using a knife or spatula, cut around the mold. At this point we carefully and gently lifted the mold off the dough to reveal the design. Another option is to flip the mold over, and roll over the dough with a rolling pin before removing the cookie mold to make sure the pattern is well set.

Carefully move the cookie onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing about one inch apart.

Place the baking sheets in the refrigerator for one hour.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Place cookie sheet(s) in oven and immediately reduce the temperature to 250 degrees. Bake until cookies are set and beginning to turn golden brown around the edges, about 50-60 minutes, rotating the baking sheets 180 degrees halfway through the baking time. Let the cookies cool on wire racks.

Enjoy these cookies alone, or with a warm cup of coffee or tea. They really do come out beautifully, and they make great gifts, too.

Hope you have a blessed fourth Sunday of Advent!

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5 favorites {no. 2} christmas cookie edition

I don't know about you, but I love Christmas cookies. I wanted to choose my top five for this week's five favorites, but it is really hard for me to pick just five! I love baking. For many years I have enjoyed the tradition of baking cookies with my family each Christmas season. 

Here are the cookies at the top of my list this year:

{1}

These Belgian speculaas cookies are delicious, and they are a tradition my husband and I started 

last year. Check back for another post (coming soon!) for more of my thoughts about this one.

{2}

I just love these candy cane thumbprint cookies, too. Not only are they delicious, but they're pretty! 

{3}

I have had spritz cookies every Christmas, for as long as I can remember! My grandmother made them, and then my mom did, and now my sister and I make them with cookie presses our grandmother gave us. The recipe we use is in an old cookbook, but is somewhat similar to this one. For my taste, the key is to use all almond extract (as opposed to vanilla).

{4}

Classic sugar cookies with frosting are a tradition in my husband's family, so we've made it a tradition for us as well. As Michael says, there's something nice about the simple cookie with simple frosting.

{5}

{via}

These chocolate-peppermint thumbprint cookies are very rich, but such a delight, and easy to make. 

I like having a chocolate cookie to add some variety, too!

What are your favorite cookie recipes? I'd love to hear from you!

Click on over to Moxie Wife for more favorites! Thanks for hosting, Hallie!

hot cocoa thoughts

Hi there! I hope this finds you doing well on this December Tuesday (did December sneak up on you like it did for me?). My husband & I have been busy settling back into NYC and getting into the swing of things after our Thanksgiving trip to Ohio. Hopefully in a couple days I'll be able to post about our Advent wreath when I get that put together...I'm a little behind at the moment!

I am not sure what the weather is like where you are, but we've had some cold days here in NYC. For us, 'tis the season to get cozy! Whether I am cuddling up in a warm blanket knit by my husband's granny, or drinking a hot cup of vanilla tea, it always feels so nice after a cold day.

The other evening my husband and I made hot cocoa for a little treat. We put some milk on the stove to warm and waited patiently to fill our cups. For an extra bit of warmth we spiked it a bit with peppermint Schnapps. :) And don't forget the marshmallows!

"I know your works; you are neither cold nor hot. I wish that you were either cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I am about to spit you out of my mouth."

{Revelation 3:15-16}

Yikes! What an image that verse gives! As I reflect on it, I know that I have seasons of being lukewarm in my spiritual life. Just as I long to get warm after being outside in the harsh cold of winter, the Lord longs for us to be hot, and not cold in our faith. This is one reason I am so thankful for this Advent season we have entered. It is an invitation - an opportunity - a gift - to have this special time to refocus my priorities and strengthen my relationship with the Lord...and to prepare my heart for the celebration of Jesus's coming into this world at Christmas. 

Praying that this Advent we all may be not lukewarm, but hot in our faith...that the warmth of Christ's love may fill our hearts...that we may be a brightly burning light in the world...

pie love

'Tis the season for baking a pumpkin pie! Only in recent years have I made this an annual tradition, but it's such a fun (and yummy) one. I love to bake, and sweet treats are a big part of my husband's love language, so it works out well for both of us. The recipe below is essentially the classic Libby's Pumpkin Pie recipe with a teeny tiny variation. For my taste, this recipe has just the right amount of sugar & spice!

**Update: Linking up with Cari & more at Clan Donaldson for the Thanksgiving Recipe Linkup!

Pumpkin Pie

{ingredients}
3/4 c. granulated sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
2 large eggs
1 can (15 oz.) pumpkin
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 can (12 fl. oz.) evaporated milk
1 unbaked 9-inch deep-dish pie shell


{how to}
Preheat your oven to 425° F. Press your unbaked pie crust into 9-inch pie dish. You can make your own, or use a pre-made crust (like I did). Set aside.

This next step is just for fun: Take a couple scraps of the excess pie dough (you don't need much!), create a little ball, and then roll it out, as you would pie dough, about 1/4 inch thick. Using a knife or cookie cutter, cut out a shape or a letter. This can be a fun way to add a little pretty to your pie. Set aside.

In a small bowl, mix the sugar, cinnamon, salt, ginger and cloves.

Next, beat the eggs in a large bowl. Add the pumpkin, sugar & spice mixture, and vanilla (I always let my vanilla spill over the sides of the measuring spoon for a little extra flavor!). Stir. Then gradually stir in the evaporated milk.

Pour the pumpkin mixture into the unbaked pie crust.

Cover the edges of your pie crust with aluminum foil so your crust doesn't get overdone. Bake in preheated 425° oven for 15 minutes.

Reduce the temperature of your oven to 350° F . Bake for an additional 40 to 50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. About 15 minutes before your pie is finished, remove the aluminum foil and place your (optional) cutout on the pie, once it has started to set in the middle.

Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack. Allow to cool for two hours.

After cooling, serve immediately or refrigerate.

Enjoy with gratitude and an optional topping of whipped cream.

What's your favorite holiday pie?

xo...