crispy peanut butter cups // toasted coconut

Peanut Butter Cups are one of Justin's most favorite candies. He can polish off a bag without thinking twice. Peanut Butter Cups are super easy to make, for an added twist I included some of his favorite chocolate crisp cereal and toasted coconut.

I was able to enjoy a total of one peanut butter cup - the rest were gone within 2 days of making this batch.

The perfect little sweet treat for New Years Eve.

coconut cranberry bread // coffee glaze

Every year for as long as I can remember my Aunt Nancy makes Cranberry Bread for Thanksgiving, Christmas + Easter, her cranberry bread is the anchor among the cream cheese filled celery sticks and olives that serve as our pre dinner snack  alongside bowls of "crack your own" nuts and cashews. For 20 years I thought her cranberry bread was homemade......people, I was deceived. Our entire family was deceived, our beloved cranberry bread was from a box. I was heartbroken.

When Paradise Meadow brand by Decas Cranberry Products, Inc reached out to see if I would like to bake with their new Julienne cooking + Baking Cranberries  I jumped at the chance. I thought, move over boxed cranberry bread, there's a new bread in town ready to take over the Holidays.

peanut butter cheesecake // chocolate drizzle

Can we just stop and take a moment to drool over this cheesecake- is it not gorgeous or what!

Dessert is suppose to be showstopping, that is part of the fun of making dessert- that and tasting delicious.

Peanut Butter + Chocolate // enough said.

a book review: a plantiful table // sweet potato pie + giveaway!

Does anyone else read their cookbooks like a novel or am I the only one?

The Plantiful Table has been one of the Cookbooks of 2015 that I have been waiting for - when the opportunity to review the book was presented I jumped at the opportunity. I have been following Drea's blog for a couple of years now and fell in love with her approach on feeding Marlowe and how her family treated meal time and food in general.

cashew ice cream blizzards // cookie dough

I love, love, LOVE ice cream. I'll take ice cream over cake any day of the week. Growing up I would always ask for the smallest slice of cake and double the ice cream. For my birthday, starting in 4th grade, I always had a non cake birthday "cake" - giant cookies, ice cream cake, cupcakes.

My love for cashew based ice creams started just recently, at my local winter farmers market I was introduced to a local ice creamery that produces only cashew based vegan ice creams - it was love at first bite. When So Delicious contacted me to try out their new cashew based ice creams I was like, ummmmmm YES PLEASE! And let me tell you, these ice creams are like heaven on a spoon- no lie, they are so, so incredible.

mini moringa cakes // matcha frosted

Who doesn't love cake? I love cake but in moderation- given a choice between cake and ice cream and I'll always choose ice cream, always, always, always. However these mini cakes are the perfect size for when I need to satisfy my sweet tooth in the form of cake. 

What makes these cakes extra special you ask? They are filled with super foods galore - moringa powder, cacao nibs + matcha green tea.

raw "cookie" dough balls

After dinner I am always in need of  a little something sweet. It can be anything - a square of sea salted almond chocolate, a cookie or spoonful of nut butter. 

For a while now I have been addicted to little raw cookie dough balls- they are dangerously easy to make, as in anytime I feel like something a little sweet I can throw these together in no time. The beauty of these little cookie dough balls, they give you that little sweet something while staying pretty good for you at the same time.

It's a win win!

cinnamon apple pecan pull apart bread

My inspiration and creativity comes and goes- ebbs + flows. I can pick out patterns throughout my years of blogging and see where my creativity was at its peak during certain months and at other times not. Not only was this Summer incredibly busy I just never felt fully inspired, it was to the point that Justin was wondering if I had given up on blogging all together.

My inspiration and creativity change with each passing season. 

This time of year is one of my favorites, it' just so happens to be the time of year I feel most creative.

maple peanut butter apple tarts

Apple Picking is forever a battle in our house- to simply put it Justin is not a fan of Apple Picking and I totally am, however he was totally into these tarts which is a rarity as he is not big on apples.

Lucky for me, my Girlfriend has a weird boyfriend that doesn't like apple pie or any cooked apples matter of fact, but likes apple picking so she had a ton of apples for the taking. I was totally all over her offer when she told me she had some to spare!

pumpkin cake + maple cream cheese frosting

YAY for all things pumpkin! 

Bring cake into the picture and you have a winner. 

The frosting, well the frosting is a total game changer. Just sweet enough and oh so creamy; if you are not a fan of overly sweet + sugary frosting's this one is for you!

A super simple cake that looks really impressive- no joke, 1 bowl for the cake + 1 bowl for the frosting. 

Making just enough cake to share.

pineapple express popsicles

It is hella hot this week- like 90 degree, hot & humid. The type of hot where even if your thighs don't rub together they are going to regardless of thigh gap. Working out is a hard, breathing is slowed and all I want to do is lay down in the middle of the yard with an ice cold sprinkler chasing over me with a Popsicle in hand. These Popsicles are pretty amazing- super quick and easy, make them in the morning and you will have a cold treat without even breaking sweat.

almond sea salt chocolate chunk cookies

There are few things in life that I love more than chocolate chip cookies. These are by far my favorite, the added oats give you a boost of fiber and the dark chocolate sea salt almond chocolate is a game changer – these are a must make on a Sunday afternoon!

When Justin bought me my Kitchen Aide Mixer our deal was I would make him chocolate chip cookies once a week...needless to say I don't make chocolate chip cookies once a week, maybe once a month if he is lucky - making them a little less often makes us appreciate them a little more plus I am still able to fit into my jeans- that is a very good thing .

triple berry tart & perfection

Puff Pastry can be a lifesaver in the dessert making department- easy to use, readily available & bakes up fast in a totally impressive way. Normally I have a few sheets of pastry in my freezer, you do need to think ahead a bit in order to defrost the pastry prior to using. I like to pop it in the fridge overnight so it is ready the next day.  I was in need of a quick dessert over Memorial Day Weekend; who doesn't love pastry and fresh fruit? This tart would also fit the bill nicely for 4th of July. 

peanut butter donuts // chocolate pb frosted

 

I cannot begin to tell you the heartache associated with these donuts ; much like the brownie fiasco of 2013 this recipe took multiple times to get just right...like so many times that Justin sighed and grumbled every time he asked me "whatcha baking" and I replied "...donuts". Now don't get me wrong, he loved the first two times I whipped up a batch, however I probably have made at least 6 batches of donuts within the past 2 months. Let me share with you what I have learned on this doughnut making adventure.

maple vanilla cinnamon mixed nuts

Let me just tell you, these maple cinnamon mixed nuts are absolutely freakin' delicious and addicting. So dangerous that I give most of the nuts away any time I bake up a batch, if I didn't I'd be apt to inhale an entire jar within a day. Incredibly easy to make, they make an awesome hostess or I like you gift.

almond butter truffles

Oh my gosh, where did the time go? I thought I was ahead of the game, but alas Valentines Day is tomorrow and I am just getting around to sharing this amazing almond butter truffle with you. Lucky for you these are incredibly easy to make, so easy you could whip up a batch tonight or tomorrow afternoon just in time to share with your loved ones. 

blueberry turnovers // maple miso drizzle

This is one of the simplest dessert and/or breakfast treats you will ever make - like incredibly easy that the recipe is more of a method than an actual "recipe". The filling is interchangeable and the hardest part of making is waiting for the puff pastry to thaw out.  These little beauties would make an awesome Sunday morning treat or bake up a batch just before your bestie comes over for some girl talk.

coconut chocolate chip banana bread {gf}

OMG whoever said gluten free baked goods are dry, crumbly and lack the amazing taste and texture that their traditional counterparts have, was so wrong. This gluten free banana bread is incredible; moist, flavorful and so freakin' good! Chocolate, banana's, flaked coconut make a drool & lust worthy gluten free banana bread. Once you have eaten the entire loaf you will be so very sad it is gone and wonder why you were so nice and shared a piece or two with your friends. Next time, you will be certain to make a loaf for you and a loaf for your friend.

peanut butter + jelly birthday cake

For my sister's birthday I decided to bake her a birthday cake- a birthday cake to top all birthday cakes. You know when you have an amazing idea in your head and you think it will be as easy as 1,2,3? All four cakes turned out beautiful, the type of cake that bakes up beautifully and slides out of the pan effortlessly. Needless to say half the cake remained beautiful and well, the lower tiers look as if they survived the Texas chain saw massacre. I had this brilliant idea to square off the sides of the cake, instead it turned into a hack job - I should have left it alone, the attempt at squaring off was a total fail. 

blackberry peach parfaits

The garden and yard has been mulched- finally. It is only the end of summer, a project scheduled for the start of summer that was continuously pushed back to due busy summer weekends and obligations (fun obligations!). We were so blessed to have the opportunity to help out an outstanding young man named Martin, who was looking to earn extra money for an online theology course. I have never met someone quite like Martin, a Senior in High School he is wise beyond his years. Martin and I worked side by side on Saturday accomplishing a long list of to do's in the yard. You know how some people simply make you want to be a better person and you can't help but smile when you are in their company? Martin is this type of person, it fills my heart with happiness knowing that he is on a mission to brighten and be a positive influence in each persons life that he meets. I see big things for Martin in the future.