M&M Cookie Pie

This quick and easy dessert took me no time at all to prepare and bake. Next time I’m going to make this when I’m baby sitting. Perhaps served warm and a la mode. yummm. Excuse me while I drool. Original recipe found here: Bam!

1cup + 1 tbs  All Purpose Flour

1/4 tsp baking soda

3/4 cup butter softened 

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

1-ish cup of m&m’s. (about two king size bags)

Preheat oven to 325*

Cream butter and sugar. Add in egg and extract and blend. The combine flour and baking soda- mix until completely incorporated. Fold in the M&M’s (not all of them, I saved a few for the top). Dump into a greased 9.5” pie pan and Throw the extra m&m’s on top. Bake for 25-30 mins. Pick with a toothpick to make sure its done.

Cool, cut into cookie pie slices and enjoy!

Pucker up!

• Lemons are packed with numerous health benefiting nutrients. The fruit is low in calories, 29 calories per 100 g, one of the lowest among citrus group.
• It contains no saturated fats, but is rich in dietary fiber.
• Studies found that citric acid help dissolve kidney stones.
• Lemons like oranges contain a variety of phytochemicals. Hesperetin and naringenin are flavonoid glycosides commonly found in citrus fruits. Naringenin is found to have a bio-active effect on human health as antioxidant, free radical scavenger, anti-inflammatory, and immune system modulator. This substance has also been shown to reduce oxidant injury to DNA in the cells in-vitro studies.
• They also contain small level of vitamin A, and other flavonoid anti-oxidants such as α and ß-carotenes, beta-cryptoxanthin, zea-xanthin and lutein. These compounds are known to have antioxidant properties. Vitamin A also required for maintaining healthy mucus membranes and skin and is also essential for vision. 
• Total ORAC value, which measures the anti-oxidant strength of 100 g of fresh lemon juice is 1225 µmol TE (Trolex equivalents).
• They also a good source of B-complex vitamins such as pantothenic acid, pyridoxine, and folates. 
• They contain healthy amount of minerals like iron, copper, potassium, and calcium. 

Blueberry Lemon Yogurt Loaf

Last tuesday my tiny little niece, Emma, was born, In celebration I made this blueberry lemon loaf. Although this was my first time making a loaf with yogurt, I have to say it was pretty easy. Even though I took it out of the pan a teeny bit too early and it was a teeny bit too warm so the loaf seemed to ‘fall’ a bit. It may not look the prettiest, I thought it was a prefect little treat for my brother and his growing family.

Original recipe found here: Bam!

For the Loaf:

• 1 1/2 cups + 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, divided
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (approximately 2 lemons)
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen, thawed and rinsed

For the Lemon Syrup:

• 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/3 cup sugar

For the Lemon Glaze:

• 1 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
• 2 to 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease bottom and sides of one 9 x 5-inch loaf pans; dust with flour, tapping out excess.
2. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the yogurt, sugar, eggs, lemon zest, vanilla and oil. Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, mix the blueberries with the remaining tablespoon of flour, and fold them very gently into the batter.
4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake 50 to 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. Let cool in the pans for 10 minutes before removing loaf to a wire rack on top of a baking sheet.
5. While the loaf is cooling, make the lemon syrup in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir together the lemon juice and sugar until the sugar is completely dissolved. Once dissolved, continue to cook for 3 more minutes. Remove from the heat; set aside.
6. Use a toothpick to poke holes in the tops and sides of the warm loaf. Brush the top and sides of the loaf with the lemon syrup. Let the syrup soak into the cake and brush again. Let the cake cool completely.
7. To make the lemon glaze, in a small bowl, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar and 2-3 tablespoons of the lemon juice. The mixture should be thick but pourable. Add up to another tablespoon of lemon juice if the mixture is too stiff. Pour the lemon glaze over the top of each loaf and let it drip down the sides. Let the lemon glaze harden, about 15 minutes, before serving.

Almond Joy Bars

Sometimes you feel like a nut! Sometimes you don’t! Almond joys are one of my moms favorite candy bars. And since it was just Mothers Day, I found it appropriate to attempt this dish. I made them half Almond Joys and half Mound bars. Mainly because I ran out of almonds. Here is a link to the original recipe: Bam!

10 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature

3/4 c light brown sugar, packed

2 1/2 c flour

1/2 tsp fine sea salt

28 oz sweetened condensed milk

28 oz shredded coconut

1 tsp vanilla extract

5 c bittersweet chocolate baking chunks (loosely placed in cup)

Preheat oven to 350° F . Line a sheet pan with aluminum foil and coat with canola or vegetable spray.

 I use a 11x9 inch pan because I prefer them thicker and it was only pan that was clean. I should really invest in a dish washer. 

In a small bowl, cream butter and brown sugar until combined. Add the flour and salt. Carefully mix to combine until it resembles chunky bread crumbs. Transfer into the prepared pan and evenly press the batter into an even layer. Bake for 8 minutes. Cool on a wire baking rack while preparing the coconut topping.

In a large bowl, combine the condensed milk, coconut, and vanilla. Spread over the crust and bake for another 20-25 minutes, until it begins to brown.

Melt the chocolate over a double boiler. Stir until melted and smooth. Pour over cooked coconut bars and spread into an even layer. Allow to cool then refrigerate until hardened, about 1 hour. Cut into squares.

 Note:Use chunks not chips (70% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Baking Chunks)

Tried to make a butterfly apple. Sister was unimpressed

Glazed Donut Muffins.

Yes you read right and these are delightful! I’m thinking of adding some apple in the mix next time so it gives it an apple fritter feel but we’ll see! Here is a link to the original recipe: Bam!

Restrain on licking the bowl. Like a fat kid, I tried it, and regretted it immediately. 

For the Muffins:

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup milk

For the Glaze:

• 3 tablespoons butter; melted
• 1 cup confectioners’ sugar; sifted
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 tablespoons hot water

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line 12 muffin cups with muffin liners or spray with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together butter, vegetable oil, and sugars till smooth. Beat in eggs, one at a time. With the mixer on low speed, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt and vanilla until just combined. Stir the flour into the butter mixture alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour and making sure everything is thoroughly combined.
3. Spoon batter into cups, filling the cups, and smooth tops. Divide batter equally among prepared muffin cups. Bake until muffin tops are a pale golden and springy to the touch, 15 to 17 minutes, rotating halfway through baking time. Cool muffins in muffin tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack and cool 10 minutes before glazing.
4. To make the glaze, In a medium bowl mix together the melted butter, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla and water. Whisk until smooth.
5. When muffins have cooled slightly, dip the muffin crown into the glaze and allow the glaze to harden. Once hardened, dip a second time  and allow to harden then serve.

Chocolate Avocado Smoothie 

Easy, tasty and guilt free. I’m a wee bit lactose intolerant and will suffer through a milk shake if I crave it badly enough. I think this will be good replacement and perfect for the summer. Now if only it would stop raining…

Original recipe found here: Bam!

serves 1

1/2 ripe avocado

1 1/2 cup almond milk 

1/2 cup ice (I did add a bit more through out the blending process) 

2 tbl maple syrup

2 tbl cocoa powder

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Combine all of the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

I’m slowly getting my This Sad Baker Pinterest board set up. 

This is what I call “Am I still drunk’ mini quiches. Friday night my sister and I went out with some good family friends. These girls are definitely like our other sisters. Our plan was not to say out too late, but when we found a 20 dollar bill on the floor, it was the Party Gods telling us that we need to go take some shots. Needless to say, we were feeling it the next day. Intentionally I wanted to add red pepper and broccoli to this recipe. But that seem like a lot of work. Here is a link to the original recipe: Bam!

4 Morning star veggie sausage patties

8 large eggs 

1/4 cup whole milk 

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese 

1/2 Tbsp. olive oil 

1/2 tsp. baking powder 

salt & pepper to taste 

Cayenne peper to taste

some shredded cheddar cheese to sprinkle on the tops 

bacon grease or lard to grease the muffin pan 

In a large saute pan, cook the sausages until browned. Break them apart in small pieces.

In a large bowl whisk together the eggs and milk. Add in the olive oil, baking powder, and seasons; mix well. Add in the sausage and 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese. 

Pour into well greased muffin pan. Sprinkle a bit of shredded cheddar cheese on top of each “muffin”. Bake in a preheated 375F oven for about 20 minutes. Serve warm

Oh honey, you baked.