Grain Free (Whole 30) “Oatmeal” Recipe
Seriously delicious grain free (Whole 30) “oatmeal.” You’ll want to try this healthy bowl whether you’re avoiding grains or not! **Originally posted in December…
S’mores Cookie Bars Recipe
Soft, chewy, and slightly crunchy graham cracker cookie bars with a marshmallow swirl and semi-sweet chocolate chips.S’mores Cookie Bars. Yes. If I could only…
Baskin Robbins Mint Chocolate Chip Copycat Recipe
It’s Ice Cream Week on Something Swanky and Crazy for Crust!*
Click the links above to see all of our fun ice cream recipes from this week.
***Originally posted in July 2014
I’ve mentioned before that my husband isn’t a big fan of mix-in type ice cream places (like Coldstone). He’ll eat there if I make him go (I mean, it is ice cream, after all). But then, as we’re driving past the Baskin Robbins on our way home, he’ll heave a not-so-subtle sigh and gaze longingly at the rear-view mirror.
I determined that our difference in opinion over ice cream shops is really the difference between liking hard or soft ice cream. He prefers hard scooped, I’d rather have something more along the lines of ice cream soup. I dunno… he’s probably in the majority there. But I can’t help it– I love soft, mushy ice cream full of big candy chunks and hot fudge.
However, he has totally turned me on to Baskin Robbins’ Chocolate Chip and Mint Chocolate Chip ice creams.
Because….. ohemgee.
I am so in love with the way their “chocolate chips” aren’t really chocolate chips at all. Instead, it’s full of a thin pieces of brittle chocolate that ribbon throughout the ice cream. And it takes chocolate chip ice cream to an amazing new level.
Just like the Stracciatella I mentioned last week, Baskin Robbins-style chocolate chip ice cream is achieved in the same way– by pouring chocolate (or in this case, Homemade Magic Shell) into the ice cream during the last 5 minutes of churning.
This Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream is SO easy and so yummy. Mint is one of my husband’s favorite ice cream flavors, but you could easily make this regular old chocolate chip ice cream by simply omitting the peppermint extract!
I use a Cuisinart ICE-21 Ice Cream Maker to make churned ice cream, and far I’ve loved it. It’s pretty inexpensive (only $49!), easy to use, and makes delicious ice cream in about 20-30 minutes. I would highly recommend it if you’re looking for a simple, day-to-day use ice cream machine.
Enjoy!
Red Velvet, White, and Blueberry Cheesecake Trifle Recipe
Layers of sweet red velvet cake, cheesecake filling, and juicy blueberries make an easy and patriotic summertime trifle. I made this Red, White, and…
Homemade Horchata Recipe
Horchata is THE drink to make this summer! It combines rice, almonds, cinnamon, and a little natural stevia for a refreshing, family-friendly summer drink….
Fruit Pizza for the 4th of July Recipe
A patriotic fruit pizza for the 4th of July on a soft sugar cookie crust topped with a sweet cream cheese whipped topping. One…
Lemon Cake Recipe: Ina Garten at Her Best
This rich lemon cake recipe tastes incredible with my favorite cream cheese frosting and raspberries! – Ashton It’s that time of year! And no….
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cake Recipe
Fudgy chocolate cake layered with rich peanut butter frosting, peanut butter cups, and a rich peanut butter chocolate ganache make this an excellent cake to share with a crowd.
Happy Thursday!
I’ve been saving a good one for my peanut butter and chocolate trifecta finale. Things may have started out a little more conservatively with this Super Skinny Peanut Butter Cup Smoothie, but we are definitely finishing on a wild note! Because there is nothing mild or tame about this two-layer chocolate fudge peanut butter cup beauty!
This may look like a simple 2-layer cake at first glance. But what you’re really seeing here are actually nine layers of peanut butter chocolate-y goodness. Count them with me:
???????? my all-time favorite chocolate cake.
???????? homemade peanut butter frosting.
???????? Reese’s peanut butter cups.
???????? more chocolate cake.
???????? more peanut butter frosting.
???????? peanut butter chocolate ganache.
???????? more peanut butter frosting.
???????? more peanut butter chocolate ganache.
???????? MORE Reese’s cups!
See those Reese’s cups in the middle?
That’s my favorite part. You know I’m all about the texture, and those little bits of Reese’s give the middle of this cake a perfect little something extra to bite into.
What are you waiting for?! It’s practically the weekend– dig in!
Peanut Butter and Chocolate Pretzel Bites Recipe
Easy no-bake chocolate peanut butter pretzel bars made with only 5 simple ingredients!
I’ve been on a real chocolate and peanut butter kick lately, with three back-to-back Chocolate PB recipes coming your way! Be excited ????.
I like chocolate and peanut butter in all sorts of ways. From the super indulgent recipes like Tagalong Pound Cake, No Bake Peanut Butter Cup Bars, and Peanut Butter Brownie Trifles to healthier recipes like this Super Skinny PB Cup Smoothie or my favorite Peanut Butter Granola.
My favorite way to eat PB will always be in the form of a cookie. Preferably my Grandma’s Monster Cookies or my mom’s Chocolate Dipped Peanut Butter Cookies!
Or in any of these 75+ Ways to Eat a Reese’s. Obviously.
Today’s recipe combines three of my great loves: PB + chocolate, pretzels, and no bake.
Side note: the way to my heart is to make something EASY. And these no-bake bars have do that in spades!
We’re basically mashing these Peanut Butter Cup No Bake Bars (have you made them yet??) with two cups of pretzel crumbs.
Speaking of mashing…
You could put your pretzels in a food processor for a rough chop if you want when you’re making this recipe. But I just dumped mine in a gallon-sized zipper bag and beat them with a rolling pin. It worked out just fine (and one less thing I have to clean).
You can see in the photo above that you don’t need to aim for super fine crumbs. The PB mixture will hold the pretzels together perfectly even if there are some bigger chunks. In fact, you may find that you like having big chunks of pretzel bites in there!
You only need 5 simple ingredients for this recipe, and you probably have them all on hand already!
- creamy peanut butter
- pretzels (2 cups of CRUSHED pretzels)
- chocolate chips
- powdered sugar
- butter
See? Easy peasy.
I added some honey roasted peanuts to the top of mine for some additional crunch (and I like the look of it), but that’s totally up to you.
I also think M&MS would be pretty on point if you’re considering additional toppings ????????.
Enjoy!
Whole Wheat Crepes Recipe
You may not be able to tell from these pictures, but this recipe really is part of my attempt to eat a little cleaner…
Super Skinny Peanut Butter Cup Smoothie Recipe
35 whopping grams of protein in this skinny peanut butter cup smoothie (with no powders), and it tastes like a milkshake!
I’m going to be really honest with you… the weight loss thing isn’t really my strong suit in life. I haven’t quite cracked the code on that one.
Do I love Weight Watchers? You betcha.
I love to exercise too, believe it or not.
And I can whip up healthier versions of dessert recipes all day long (like Skinny Chocolate Donuts, Skinny Brownie Batter Dip, and Banana Pancakes). Or Cottage Cheese Breakfast Ideas.
But when it comes to actually dropping the pounds… not so much.
However, I fully anticipate that I will one day eat my way through enough Halo Top Ice Cream to discover that it’s finally made me skinny.
At least that’s what I tell my husband every time I spend 5.99 on a pint ????.
Good man that he is, I never actually see him roll his eyes.
Anyway. The point that I’m trying to make here is… I may not be very good at the actual losing of the weight. But I’m very, very good at breakfast on day one of a new diet. Ahem, er, “lifestyle change.” ????
Side note: how irritating is it that no one is allowed to “diet” anymore. The PC way to say diet these days is, “lifestyle change.” But… what if I just want to lose 30 pounds? Do I really have to change my mindset and my pantry for the rest of forever. Is that really totally necessary?? Is it???? *hysterics*
But back to breakfast on day one…
How about a ridiculously decadent skinny peanut butter cup smoothie WITH 35 FREAKING GRAMS OF PROTEIN that tastes like peanut butter cups? Works for me.
Enjoy!
Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe
Classic, creamy, EASY Cream Cheese Frosting recipe. This frosting is SO good on banana bread, pumpkin cupcakes, red velvet cake, and so much more!
My favorite topping on just about anything is cream cheese frosting. I use it on banana bread, cinnamon rolls, cookie bars, and cupcakes just to name a few things.
This particular recipe is my very favorite, and with only 4 simple ingredients!! Fewer ingredients = always better in my book.
But don’t be fooled into thinking that such a simple recipe produces a subpar frosting. This is pure cream cheese deliciousness. It’s smooth and creamy, sweet and tart, everything that you ever want your cream cheese frosting to be.
Lemon {Marshmallow} Meringue Pie Recipe
Homemade lemon filling, buttery crust, dreamy marshmallow meringue topping– this is the lemon meringue pie recipe of your dreams! Today, we’re talking about pie…
Cinnamon Roll Stuffed Baked French Toast Recipe
Soft French bread stuffed with a cinnamon roll filling, baked to perfection, and topped with cinnamon roll icing. Make ahead so all you have to do in the morning is pop it in the oven!
This recipe combines two of my favorite breakfasts: french toast and cinnamon rolls!
I’ve literally stuffed the inside of french bread with cinnamon roll filling, soaked it in an eggy custard overnight, baked it to golden perfection, and smothered it with cinnamon roll icing.
Comfort food at it’s finest ????.
I used about half of a french bread loaf in a 9×9 baking dish. But you could use the entire loaf and fit it into a 9×13 baking dish just fine. Just be sure to double the milk and egg portion of the recipe as well.
The best way to make stuffed french toast is to simply cut a large slit in a thick piece of the bread– not cut it all the way through. This way you can literally stuff the inside of the piece of bread instead of sandwiching it together. It’s a lot easier to prep, cook, and serve if you do it like this. That way you don’t have the filling falling out all over the place!
Speaking of filling…
This filling is pretty simple, but extremely delicious. Brown sugar, cinnamon, and butter– the makings of a perfect cinnamon roll filling. I also added pecans, because I love pecans in my cinnamon rolls. But that’s totally up to you.
As it bakes and the butter melts into the sugar, it becomes ooey and gooey and perfect.
Drizzle my favorite cinnamon roll icing over top, and you are in for a real treat! You could also totally add maple syrup to this… I wouldn’t judge.
If you’re looking for the perfect Mother’s Day breakfast… this is it. I promise.
10 Memorial Day Desserts
Memorial day means it’s SUMMER TIME!! Which means going to the pool, eating popsicles for dinner, and ALL THE BIRTHDAYS (in our house anyway)….
Old Fashioned Buttermilk Donuts Recipe
How to make old fashioned buttermilk donuts at home!
Donuts are my eternal weakness. There is absolutely nothing in this world that I love better than a donut. No, not even my beloved chocolate chip cookies. Donuts always win with me.
My family and I make this recipe for old fashioned pioneer donuts twice a year on General Conference weekend, and it’s a tradition we all look forward to. They are super soft and fluffy on the inside, golden crisp on the outside (we’re frying today, people!), and coated in sugar. Sometimes with cinnamon, sometimes without.
Just like biscuit-making, the key to making these donuts is NOT OVERMIXING! See how lumpy and clumpy that is? It’s exactly how you want your dough to look. Don’t aim for smooth, elastic, yeast-y perfection here. This dough doesn’t work that way. And if you try to knead it into submission, you’ll end up with donuts that work better as hockey pucks than as actual food.
But there’s no need to stress! These are EASY, I promise. Lumpy dough = less work for you.
Same rules apply here. We don’t need to roll the dough out into a long, thin strip of dough. Since there’s no yeast in these donuts, it’s all about keeping the dough THICK even before they go into the frying oil. The best way to do this is to simply press out the dough to about 1/4-inch thick with your hands.
Again, easy. Simple. No problem!
I feel like there is always so much trepidation when it comes to frying food at home. It’s really no big deal! You don’t need a deep fryer or any other fancy equipment. And it doesn’t have to be messy. All you need are a few simple tools you probably already have on hand.
- a deep soup pot (although I’ve even fried food in a small saucepan using just a cup of oil! It doesn’t have to be big, just work with what you’ve got)
- tongs
- a cooling rack
- paper towels
The key to deep frying at home over the stove is to WATCH THE HEAT. You should never take the temp above medium. Let it heat up at medium, stay at medium, and never leave medium!!!
Got it? Good! You’ll be fine. Frying donuts is fun ????, I promise.
Once the donuts are fried and beautiful, dunk ’em in some sugar. Cinnamon sugar is really good too.
This is one of our favorite family recipes, and now I hope it will be one of yours too. Enjoy!!
Peanut Butter Oreo Banana Bread Recipe
Super moist banana bread with triple the peanut butter and an Oreo ganache on top.
I don’t really feel like I need to pitch you the merits of peanut butter, chocolate, and banana bread. Because if you’re not already a fanatical lover of all three… you’ve possibly lost your way and landed here on Something Swanky.
When I first made this recipe back in 2013, I wasn’t totally sure how to incorporate the Oreos. All I knew was that I wanted to make a peanut butter banana bread with lots and lots of Oreos. So I just tried cramming them all into the batter. And it was…. fine. A little chaotic, not quite perfect, but still pretty okay.
And then about a year later, I made this Scotcheroo Banana Bread with the dreamiest peanut butter-butterscotch ganache on top. And that’s when I realized exactly what I wanted to do with the Oreos in this banana bread recipe.
It’s taken me another 3 long years to finally get around to doing it, but here we are– making a deep, dark chocolate and peanut butter ganache packed to the brim with Oreo crumbles! ????
🍌🍌🍌 CHECK OUT more of our favorite Banana Bread Recipes 🍌🍌🍌
The ganache! People! The ganache was the answer all along. They were never quite right in the batter. Somehow they blended in. That signature cookies & cream taste was lost in the flavor of bananas and the texture was way too soft. You just could find the cookies in the bread!
Well, there’s no getting lost in here. We’re smothering those babies in chocolate and spreading them front, top, and center of this recipe. You can’t take a bite without getting a mouthful of cookies and cream!
Peanut butter was another flavor that surprisingly got a little lost in the old recipe. It didn’t really have a place to stand out and shine back then. But today’s version of banana bread puts peanut butter right back out in the spotlight. It’s in the bread batter, in the ganache, and drizzled right on top where you can’t possibly miss it.
Chocolate, peanut butter, Oreo, and banana lovers– this bread is for you!
Enjoy!
Cherry Cheesecake Fluff Salad Recipe
Cherry Cheesecake fluff is and easy and delicious side dish that is perfect for summer BBQ and potlucks. So light and fluffy, you won’t…
Churro Waffle Recipe for Cinco de Mayo
This Churro Waffle recipe is so easy to make and absolutely melt-in-your-mouth incredible. My favorite Belgian Waffles dipped in butter and coated in cinnamon sugar.
I’m not a real Cinco de Mayo-y kind of person.
But I do like Mexican food. And I realllllllllly love churros. Like to the Nth degree. Because what’s not to love about a fried dough stick coated in cinnamon sugar dipped in caramel and chocolate?! I can find absolutely no fault there.
Today, we’re combining two of my favorite foods: waffles and churros.
If you’ve never tried them before, I absolutely insist that you stop what you’re doing and make a big batch right away. I’m not trying to be bossy.
This is for your own good.
You can make any kind of waffle you’d like– heck, use a toaster waffle! That’s totally fine(ish ???? ). I prefer my favorite homemade Easy & Fluffy Belgian Waffles; but if you already have a recipe that you love, feel free to deviate from the recipe below and use your own — or check out our dairy-free waffle alternative.
When it comes to toppings, you can never go wrong with a good, classic maple syrup. But may I suggest giving salted caramel sundae sauce a try? And maybe a little Nutella? You won’t regret it, I promise.
Does anyone ever regret Nutella??
Go ahead and start warming up your waffle iron– you’re less than 10 minutes away from the best waffle you’ve ever had.
Coconut Cake Recipe
My favorite doctored up cake mix combined with my favorite from-scratch coconut buttercream. I love that this cake is both beautiful and simple.
Originally posted in May 2014.
I thought it would be fun to celebrate this Mother’s day by spending this whole week posting the favorite dessert recipes of all of the mothers in my life! Starting with my Grandma.
I’ve posted some of her recipes on here before. Check out this Red Velvet Cake and these Monster Cookies. Those are hers and two of my very favorite recipes.
My Grandma is one of my heroes– both in the kitchen and out. She is genuine and kind and has always been such a great support to me. I am so thankful to have her in my life, and to really have her. She’s always taken a real interest in the things that are important to me and has been so encouraging of my pursuits.
She has been such an important and permanent influence in my life…. as have her baked goods. So many of my memories of time with my Grandma revolve around holiday baking. I loved (and I still do) sitting at her counter, watching her work, and just talking.
Whilst eating Monster Cookies of course 😉
Grandma says she likes coconut cake best, so here we are today with a super easy and yummy coconut cake. Perfect for summer! It’s simply my favorite doctored up cake mix (seriously, you can’t beat this recipe), and my favorite coconut buttercream. I love the layers on this cake too– just like the rest of it, they’re both beautiful and simple.
Plus, my grandma is the queen of layered cakes. If she were making this, it would have at least 6 layers. Maybe I’ll get there one day, but for now I’m settling for a measly four layers ;).
Crazy Cake Recipe
My new favorite chocolate cake! Super tender and moist and ultra chocolate-y. No milk, butter, or eggs! Yes, this is another chocolate cake recipe in…
Banana Crumble Cake (Hope Cake) Recipe
This Banana Crumble Cake recipe is one of those recipes that I know I can’t do justice to through writing. Probably not even through…
Old Fashioned Chocolate Cake Recipe
This old fashioned chocolate cake was one of the first from-scratch cakes I ever made. It’s super moist and has a rich chocolate flavor. Top it with chocolate ganache or this yummy 1-minute frosting!
You guys want to hear something CRAZY?
I first published this recipe 6 years ago to the day! As you know, I’ve been updating recipes and photos for quite some time (I’ve been moving like a turtle on this project). I actually baked and shot this cake last week, and when I sat down at the computer tonight to write the post, I totally geeked out when I saw “Published: April 21, 2011.”
I’m sure I’m the only one getting excited over this, but it felt serendipitous and I just had to share ????.
SIX YEARS! I still can’t believe it’s been that long since I posted this recipe– or since I started blogging, for that matter. I’m not really one of those bloggers that has an exact date for my first post and celebrates a blog birthday or anything. I mean, I totally would if I could! But I think I deleted and re-published my first post about 14 million times, so I had totally lost any concept of my “start date” by the time I realized celebrating your “blogiversary” was a thing.
So basically, I just have a vague recollection of some of my very first posts, and I know for sure this was one of them! Which makes it extra special to me.
This batter is THICK. And all kinds of amazing.
Thanks to two large eggs and 2/3 cup of sour cream, it’s an incredibly rich and moist cake as long as you don’t overbake it. What’s overbaking it look like? A totally clean toothpick is overbaked. That’s not to say you want a ton of batter sticking to the toothpick when you test it, but if a little bit of moist cake is still sticking to it– you know it’s perfect.
You could go a couple of different routes with the frosting. Chocolate ganache is a solid option, obviously. And my all-time favorite Chocolate Frosting is another great way to go. And this glaze is quick and easy and would look stunning!
The day that I made this cake for photographing, my brain was stuck on a one-minute fudge frosting I had seen on Pinterest. So that’s what I did and that’s the recipe I’m including for you today. But seriously, the sky is the limit with the frosting, so don’t feel limited to what I did here!
Not that I want to scare you away from this one-minute frosting. It was pretty awesome, and I’m glad I tried it! It turns into an almost fudge-like state when it cools and firms up quite a bit. Yum!
???? And trust me, you’ll definitely want a glass of milk to go with this recipe. Enjoy!
French Coconut Pie Recipe
This French Coconut Pie recipe is like the inside of a mounds bar piled into a homemade crust and topped with whipped cream. What’s…