Mini Pecan Pies Recipe
Adorable little Pecan Pies made easy with Pillsbury Pie Crust. People love having their own individual pecan pie for those holiday dinners! The ultimate…
Pumpkin Pie Bites Recipe
This is one of the very first blog recipes I ever tried! These cute Pumpkin Pie Bites are originally from Bakerella, and they have…
Pumpkin Pie Cinnamon Rolls Recipe
Wake up to these soft and fluffy cinnamon rolls filled with pumpkin pie. The perfect cozy breakfast for those chilly Fall mornings! My daughter…
Double Dark Chocolate Oreo Pudding Cookies Recipe
These double dark chocolate Oreo pudding cookies are insanely fudgy and dangerously delicious! This post was originally published in 2013. 10. Make cream puffs…
Homemade Butterfingers Recipe
The solution to all that leftover candy corn… Hi! Butterfingers anyone? I’ve got more than enough leftover candy corn to make homemade Butterfingers for…
Candy Corn Peanut Butter Pretzel Munch Recipe
This is one of my favorite Halloween recipes from last year. I’m so pumped to share it again with you guys this year! So,…
Caramel Swirled Pumpkin Snack Cake Recipe
This is an exceptionally delicious version of pumpkin cake, swirled with caramel and toffee bits. Ashton Let me present you with the dessert that…
Candy Corn Fudge Recipe
This candy corn fudge is a super easy, delicious, and very, very cute Halloween treat! Here’s another reader favorite from the archives! This was…
Hairy Monster Cookies Recipe
These spooky haystacks are all dressed up for Halloween! 2 simple ingredients and candy eyeballs are all you’ll need to make these easy Hair…
Pumpkin Cheesecake Dip Recipe
Dreamy, creamy Pumpkin Cheesecake Dip is an easy no-bake recipe to make and always a crowd pleaser. Bursting with Fall time flavors! When it…
Strawberry Jalapeño Baked Brie Recipe
Buttery, flaky crescent roll dough stuffed with gooey brie cheese, strawberry jalapeño jam, with a drizzle of honey. A crowd winning baked brie! I recently…
Cute & Easy Frankenstein Cookie Bars Recipe
These spooky Frankenstein bars are cute and easy Halloween treat! Historically, I’ve never been great at Halloween. I don’t know why. Maybe it’s because…
Flourless Chocolate Cake Recipe
Deep, dark, and insanely rich. This chocolate cake is simple to make and, since it contains no flour, is incredibly dense. Each bite melts…
Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe
Soft and moist pumpkin cupcakes topped with my favorite cream cheese frosting and pecans.
I have to admit, when I look at these cupcakes, all I can see is that cream cheese frosting.
It is just so very ???????? ???????? ????????.
Back when I thought I wanted to own a cupcake bakery (have I told you about that short lived dream?? Have to say I’m sooooooo glad that didn’t work out!), I would cart cupcakes around to just about everywhere I went, including my full time retail/sales-y/corporate-ish job.
And I remember someone there once saying, “you know, it’s really all about the cake. Anyone can make good frosting, but the cake… you have to really know what you’re doing to make a good cake.”
7-ish years into the business of making A LOT of cakes, cupcakes, frostings, and other desserts nearly every day… I have to respectfully and adamantly disagree.
Because here’s the thing. A doctored up cake mix makes about as good a cake as I’ve ever had. I’m a cake fiend, and I’m not ashamed to admit I prefer cake mix to from-scratch cakes a good 90% of the time.
This cake mix pumpkin cake recipe has been my go-to for years. It’s simple and easy to remember: cake mix + a can of pumpkin. You could really stop there, but I usually add a little milk, vanilla, and pumpkin pie spice just to give it that “homemade” taste.
Now don’t get me wrong. From scratch cakes have their place. Like I don’t think that good banana cake can be outdone by a cake mix. And I do actually like Red Velvet from scratch marginally better than a cake mix Red Velvet. But other than that… I hardly see a reason to deviate from my favorite mixes. And that’s the truth.
But frosting? I do like the store-bought stuff, and it has it’s place in my recipes for sure. But there are some from-scratch frostings that just cannot be beat by something from the store. Like my mom’s brownie frosting, Grandma’s 6-Layer Cake Frosting, and this soft sugar cookie frosting.
And maybe most especially– CREAM CHEESE FROSTING.
As much as I like store-bought frosting, I have to say that canned cream cheese frosting isn’t even in the same ball-park as homemade cream cheese frosting. It doesn’t even taste like cream cheese! WHAT?!
So when it comes to cream cheese frosting in my recipes, homemade is the only way to go. And it’s really pretty easy as far as frostings go– as long as your expectations are realistic. And what I mean by that is that you can’t treat it like a buttercream. This recipe won’t be as stiff or as sturdy as a decorating buttercream. So don’t plan to do any sharp piping work or anything with it.
But you CAN plan on falling in love with it. It spreads on nice and smooth and creamy. And the flavor is light and dreamy with just a little tang from the cream cheese and a whole lot of vanilla flavor. I love using vanilla paste or crushed vanilla in place of the extract. Can you see those little delicious flecks??
This recipe is such a keeper, ya’ll. It’s one of those no-fail, timeless classics that’s worth hanging on to and pulling out at least once every Fall.
Enjoy!!
How to Make Football Field Fudge
Easy to make delicious vanilla fudge that looks like a football field, with cute little chocolate covered almond footballs. Football Field Fudge: the perfect…
Chocolate Glazed Banana Bundt Cake Recipe
Incredibly moist banana bundt cake recipe with a sneakily easy chocolate glaze.
You know what I’d rather do than watch my husband try to do homework with my first grader? (because o.m.g. it’s like having TWO first graders who won’t stop arguing with each other)
So, yeah. Pretty much anything else would be good.
But this banana bundt cake recipe — and licking that big puddle of chocolate glaze off the plate — would be pretty high up on my list.
Two things really surprised me about this recipe. And not because one or the other, but because both things are going on here.
One. This cake is supremely soft and moist. Like, crumbs-that-stick-to-your-fork moist. Which I’d typically expect from a banana cake. Except for–
Two. It baked into a fabulously sturdy bundt cake. In my experience, bundt cakes that hold up really well aren’t always high up on the soft, fluffy, and moist scale. Maybe they’re moist. But never quite as tender and fluffy as this cake is on the inside.
🍌🍌🍌 CELEBRATE BANANAS with us: our favorite Banana Bread Recipes 🍌🍌🍌
Basically, this is the superhero of bundt cakes. And banana cakes. It’s the superhero of all cakes.
And that Banana Bundt Cake recipe glaze…
Also, that chocolate glaze. ????????
And want to hear my dirty little secret about that? It’s store bought frosting. YES. IT. IS.
Listen. I have really solid, fool proof, fantabulous chocolate ganache recipe right here that would work perfectly for this cake. And if you want to go the all homemade route, please! Be my guest!
But if you’re running short on time (who isn’t?), melting down about half of a can of Pillsbury Milk Chocolate frosting to pour over this cake is an excellent option. It tastes delicious, and it pours beautifully. Plus, it takes about 30 seconds and is virtually mess-free. You won’t be sad if that’s the way you go, I promise.
No matter how you slice it, it’s always better than watching my husband attempt homework with a first grader. ????
Pumpkin Nutella Cupcakes Recipe
Soft and moist, spiced pumpkin cupcakes perfectly paired with whipped and fluffy Nutella buttercream.
Alright you guys– where are my pumpkin freaks???
And I use the term “freaks” ever so lovingly. Because, don’t I know it, I’m one of them. And now that September is FINALLY here, and we have officially passed the Labor Day benchmark… you know what that means! Yes, my friends. It’s time to pumpkinallthethings. As all the hashtags have been no-so-subtly reminding us for the past 6 days ????.
This year, I’m especially anxious for Fall to get underway because…. I want to move into my house already!!!! I’m like a kid doing the potty dance waiting for this house to get built. Seriously. I love ya September and October– but this year, we’ve got to get a move on!
In the meantime, we might as well talk cupcakes in order to distract me from my toe-tapping.
And what better distraction than pumpkin cupcakes?? Pumpkin cupcakes with Nutella buttercream to boot!
Not only are these cupcakes (obviously) the culmination of a perfect flavor pairing and utterly, sinfully delicious. But they are also SUPER easy. I used my favorite 2-ingredient pumpkin + cake mix recipe for the base. It’s ridiculously easy peasy.
After that, all you have to do is whip up a simple Nutella buttercream– which is at least 10 times easier than it sounds.
Happy pumpkin season babes! If you need me, I’ll be creepin’ the construction crew at my future house. ????
Kidding. I bring them donuts. They totally know I’m not weird.
???? ???? ???? ????
Maple Crescent Sticky Buns Recipe
A recipe for quick and easy sticky buns using maple syrup, brown sugar, pecans, and store bought crescent roll dough.
Happy Friday everyone!
Who else is so in the mood for Fall baking??
Ok, so that double question mark at the end was a little deceptively enthusiastic ????. The truth is that I’m “Fall baking” like a maniac over here, prepping for our move in a couple of months. Basically, I’ve got to get all posts for September, October, and November completely made and photographed in the next couple of weeks so I can focus on packing!
So, the truth is that I’m already a teensy, tiny, little bit burnt out. Oops!
But let’s be real here. What I’m actually sick of is DISHES. And spending alllllllllllllll day in the kitchen. Whilst keeping my 1-year old from opening the oven and grabbing the knives out of the dishwasher.
However, I am NOT sick of eating pumpkin bread, Halloween cake, snickerdoodles, and so. much. pie. The eating part I could do all day, no sweat. ????
If you’re anything like me, you’re always on the hunt for delicious recipes with minimal clean up involved.
Da-da-da-da! Allow me to introduce you to these ridiculous sticky buns. You’ll need…
✓Crescent roll dough (easy!).
✓Maple syrup (or a maple syrup substitute).
✓ONE pan, ONE bowl, and a whisk (reasonable).
✓10-15ish minutes (BAM).
That’s it! Enjoy fresh-from-the-oven, melt-in-your-mouth, maple sticky buns any morning (noon or night) that you need a break and some good eats.
It’s my gift to you. ❤️
Pumpkin Pudding Muffins Recipe
Yes, yes. I’ve put pudding mix in more baked goods.
I know some of you aren’t wild about pudding mix. Or you live in Australia where the stuff is totally unavailable (you guys should seriously put together some sort of national demand letter to Jell-O by the way, because not having instant pudding mix is crazy-talk!). But I looooooove adding pudding mix to my desserts. I totally throw it in anytime I can (obviously).
In case you’re a little late to the pudding mix scene, here are couple of reasons I love using it in my baked goods and one untested suggestion for a substitution if it’s not available to you…
So here’s the deal with pudding mix going into cookies, breads, muffins, and more: it makes the end result super moist… in the best possible way. “Moist” is such a risky word to use, isn’t it? But sometimes it’s the word for the job! And no way around it– moist baked goods = yummy baked goods.
The second thing I love about adding pudding mix is that it enhances the flavor of the treat. It either adds an extra layer of flavor (like chocolate pudding in a chocolate cookie = double the chocolate! Yum!), or it actually adds a NEW flavor (like cheesecake pudding in peanut butter cookies = peanut butter cheesecake!!). I love both functions.
And in regards to a substitute for pudding mix in baked goods? Well… I don’t think there’s much you can do to replace it for it’s flavor properties. But Averie once mentioned to me that she found using cornstarch worked in cookies in a way that might be similar to how pudding mix does! I haven’t tested that myself, and I’m not sure if she’s done it in more than the one cookie recipe. But it might be something worth trying if instant pudding mix is totally unavailable to you!
Thanks to pudding mix, these muffins are extra soft and fluffy, perfectly moist, and a little extra pumpkin-y. Give them a quick dunk in butter and cinnamon sugar for a perfectly cozy and sweet Fall breakfast!
Yellow Birthday Cake with Creamy Chocolate Frosting Recipe
This is the perfect birthday cake recipe! Buttery golden yellow cake with creamy, fudgy chocolate frosting. And lots of sprinkles, of course!
I’ve mentioned before that I don’t do birthday cakes.
I don’t make my husband’s birthday cakes. I don’t make my kids’ birthday cakes. And I don’t make my own birthday cakes. It’s a very firm personal policy that I established a few years back.
Why? It’s just too much unnecessary stress. And I can’t emphasize the unnecessary part enough. I mean, between planning a party, buy and wrapping gifts, and setting up the whole DAY in general, whyyyyyyyyyyy go through the ordeal of making a cake too? After enough birthdays of ending up grouchy and tired in a sticky, messy kitchen, I decided to abandon the practice of birthday cake-making altogether. I’d rather spend the day in celebration and eat a delicious cake from one of my favorite bakeries.
If you ask me, there’s absolutely no shame in that (especially when I’m baking cakes nearly every other day of the year!).
But, back when I used to make birthday cakes for myself, this is what I would make. A perfect, simple yellow cake with glorious fudgy frosting and a ridiculous amount of sprinkles! It’s everything that a birthday cake should be!
When I was in college, we’d make this cake on each roommate’s birthday. But we used a box cake and store-bought frosting and pink crystal sprinkles.
This is my grown up version of that.
Moist and tender, butter yellow cake made extra soft by using whole milk and incorporating sour cream into the batter (is there anything not made better by sour cream??). It’s thick and puffy, and crazy delicious.
The coup de gras of this cake, however, is the chocolate frosting on top. I took my favorite chocolate fudge frosting and made one teensy-weensy, but oh-so-significant alteration… I omitted 3/4 cups of the powdered sugar from the recipe.
What does that mean?
It means that we’re taking out just enough powdered sugar to make this frosting extra creamy by increasing the ratio of fat to dry ingredients. You wouldn’t want to frost a free-standing cake with this frosting, because it wouldn’t firm up well enough to stay where you put it. But if you’re frosting a sheet cake? That’s a different story! It’s the perfect vessel for all that creamy, indulgent goodness.
This rich, indulgent, fudgy frosting is the perfect compliment to that buttery yellow cake underneath. The only thing that could make it any better?
SPRINKLES. And lots of them. So don’t forget to add plenty of those!
And hey– Happy Birthday 🙂
Easy Nutella Cookie Dough Ice Cream Cake Recipe
Layers of butter pound cake, vanilla ice cream, chocolate chip cookie dough and Nutella. This dessert comes together in a cinch! So. This cake….
Ice Cream in a Bag Recipe
Ice Cream in a Bag?!?!? No ice cream maker required! All you need is ice, rock salt, and a few simple ingredients to shake up inside a bag. A perfect recipe for kids!
Oh man, you guys! I can’t believe I haven’t posted this recipe yet!!
It’s practically pumpkin season (which I’m late posting for every year as it is), and here I am with two summer-y ice cream recipes left to post. Sometimes I just get so obsessed with making more and more and more recipes, that I forget what I’ve already got on hand. ???? *palm to the head*
Anyway. I don’t want to delay sharing this recipe any longer with you guys, so I’m going to jump on in!
Making homemade ice cream was on our bucket list for this summer, but I kept forgetting to put the ice cream canister in the freezer. And I knew the overnight recipe wouldn’t fly with this kid, because… you know. We’d have to wait. ????
But I’m glad we didn’t go that route, because we had so much fun making this ice cream in a bag recipe! Plus, it is absolutely DELICIOUS. I was really pleasantly surprised at how good this ice cream is. I mean… it’s cream and sugar, so how bad can it be, right? But still, I had kind of assumed it might be a little runny or a little icy or a little…. something or other.
But it actually turned out just right. Like, perfect-o.
So how does this magic work? Well, let me tell you all about it!
First, you need some basic ingredients:
✓ Half & half
✓ Sugar
✓ Vanilla extract
✓ Ice
✓ Rock salt (not much)
✓ Gallon sized zip top bags
✓ Toppings
✓ Little helping hands to shake the bag!
You’ll mix together the cream (half & half), sugar, and vanilla and pour it all into a bag– zip that up tight! Then you’ll put that bag into another bag filled with the ice and rock salt (and I’d suggest double bagging here).
And then…. shake, shake, shake, shake!
For 10 whole minutes. You can even play a game of hot potato and toss the bag to each other, which is what we ended up doing, to keep your hands from freezing!
Voila! Open the bag, scrape down the sides, and like magic… perfect homemade ice cream in less than 10 minutes without an ice cream machine! (unless you count child labor as a machine… which I don’t ????).
Add toppings and dig in!
Hopefully it’s still warm enough and summer enough wherever you are that you can enjoy a little more homemade ice cream.
I’ve got one more summer-y ice cream recipe coming your way this week, and then hello! all-things-pumpkin and velvety rich cakes and Thanksgiving pies!
Caramel & Coconut Blondies Recipe
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