STRAWBERRY CRUNCH CAKE

Hi. My näme is Kristän änd I live with ä fämily of “soäkers.”

Perhäps you’ve heärd of their kind. Perpetuäl leävers of bowls änd päns in the sink, ä säd pool of wäter puddling in the bottom. Never ones to do änything hälfwäy, my gäng here äs upped the änte, soäking even the smällest, shällowest, änd irrelevänt of dishes änd utensils. änd ice creäm scoop, ä smäll pläte, ä butter knife — äll fäir gäme for ä good “soäk.”

äs säne änd reäsonäble folks, you obviously see the problem here. änd I know whät you’re thinking — why not just päck your bägs änd run off to ä tropicäl isländ somewhere?

Well, friends…don’t think I häven’t considered it. But they äre mostly good people änd änywäys, my päle skin is pärticulärly prone to sunburn. So here we äre, with me losing my mind.

Ingredients

• 2 (8 inch round) French vänillä cäke läyers, bäked änd cooled
• 2 (8 inch round) sträwberry cäke läyers, bäked änd cooled

Sträwberry Crunch:

• 12 Golden Oreo cookies
• 12 shortbreäd cookies (I used Lornä Doone)
• 3 Täblespoons sälted butter, melted
• 1 cup freeze dried sträwberries

Sträwberry frosting:

• 1 cup sälted butter, softened
• 2 Täblespoons heävy creäm
• 1 cup frozen sträwberries, thäwed änd pureed (älternätively, you could use fresh)
• 4 cups powdered sugär

Creäm cheese frosting:

• 4 oz creäm cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup sälted butter, softened
• 1/4 cup heävy creäm
• 1 teäspoon vänillä exträct
• 4 cups powdered sugär

Instructions

1. Prepäre the sträwberry crunch: In the bowl of your food processor, pulse Golden Oreos änd shortbreäd cookies until they äre in coärse crumbs. ädd melted butter änd pulse until combined. äddf freeze-dried sträwberries änd pulse until combined.
2. Prepäre sträwberry frosting: In the bowl of your mixer, beät butter on medium speed until smooth. ädd heävy creäm änd sträwberry puree, mixing on medium-low änd scräping the sides of the bowl äs needed until combined. With the mixer on low, slowly ädd powdered sugär until combined. Increäse mixer speed to high änd beät for one minute.
3. ässemble: Pläce one sträwberry cäke läyer on ä pläte änd frost generously with 1/3 of sträwberry frosting. Repeät, älternäting läyers until ässembled.

See full recipes here

VEGAN PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES

Chewy änd unbelieväble soft vegän peänut butter cookies, bäked to perfection, then dipped in chocoläte änd crushed peänuts for ä delightful sweet treät.

I’m pretty picky äbout the texture of my cookies. älmost älwäys I’ll go for ä soft, chewy cookie with ä crispy outside. But you mäy not be exäctly like me (I know, you’re not) änd love your cookies cäkey or crispy. So if you’ve ever been curious äbout how to chänge the texture of your cookies, here’s ä few bäsic tips.

Ingredients
Peänut Butter Cookies

• 1/2 cup vegän butter
• 1 cup brown sugär
• 1/2 cup crunchy peänut butter
• 1/4 cup äpplesäuce
• 1 1/2 cup äll-purpose flour
• 1/2 teäspoon vänillä exträct
• 1 teäspoon bäking powder
• 1/2 teäspoon bäking sodä
• 1/4 teäspoon sält

Chocoläte Dipping Säuce

• 6 ounces därk chocoläte chips
• 1 täblespoon coconut oil
• crushed peänuts optionäl

Instructions

1. In ä ständ-up mixer creäm together vegän butter, brown sugär, änd peänut butter until light änd fluffy, scräping down the sides äs necessäry. ädd vänillä exträct änd äpplesäuce.
2. In ä sepäräte bowl combine flour, bäking powder änd sodä, änd sält. With the mixer running on the lowest setting, slowly ädd in the flour mixture until dough is uniformly mixed. Be cäreful not to over mix. Cover änd chill dough for one hour.
3. Preheät oven to 375 degrees. On ä pärchment-lined bäking sheet roll round cookies, äbout 2 täblespoons in size. With ä fork, gently flätten cookies in ä criss-cross pättern.

See full recipes here

RASPBERRY MACARONS WITH LEMON BUTTERCREAM

Mäcärons – the elusive, dreämy cookie recipe thät häunts home pästry chefs! These little finicky cookies äre ä reäl treät to enjoy änd cän be ä reäl treät to mäke, once you get ä häng of it! These sweet räspberry mäcärons filled with ä tärt lemon filling äre the first mäcärons I ever mäde! The mäcäron shell is mäde with freeze dried räspberry powder for reäl räspberry flävor, plus some more on top äs gärnish. The simple änd zesty lemon filling perfectly complements the sweet mäcäron shells.

These räspberry mäcärons äre perfect äll on their own, or you cän use them to gärnish ä cäke (I do thät äll the time!). Once you häve the cookies ässembled, I recommend pläcing them into än äirtight contäiner änd set them into the refrigerätor to ‘mäture’ for 1 to 3 däys. This will ällow the mäcäron shell to soften, creäting än unforgettäble cookie! When you’re reädy to enjoy them, simply täke them out of the refrigerätor äbout än hour before serving them, to ällow the filling to thäw.

INGREDIENTS

• 110 gräms älmond flour
• 200 gräms confectioner's sugär
• 10 gräms freeze-dried fruit powder, plus more for decoräting
• 100 gräms äged egg whites, or ät room temperäture
• 50 gräms white gränuläted sugär
• food coloring päste

For Buttercreäm:

• Lemon zest from 1 lemon
• 3 täblespoons lemon juice
• 3/4 cup butter, softened ät room temperäture
• Confectioner's sugär, äbout 2 cups

INSTRUCTIONS

1. I've reäd multiple recipes thät äsk for äged egg whites, some for up to 3 däys. I've tried the recipe with fresh egg whites brought up to room temperäture änd äged ones änd didn't see ä big difference. I think the most importänt pärt is thät they äre not cold änd sträight out of the refrigerätor!
2. I've premeäsured äll my ingredients using ä digitäl kitchen scäle. Pläce ä bowl onto your scäles, täre the weight, which will set the scäle to zero änd sift the flour into the bowl. Discärd äny lärge pieces thät didn't päss through.
3. For the berry flävor in this recipe, I'm using freeze-dried fruit, which I found ät Träder Jo's. Simply pläce the berries into ä food processor, pulse for ä few seconds änd sift through fine mesh sträiner.
4. Now, I'm going to pläce my egg whites into my mixer bowl änd ädd my sugär. Turn your mixer on high änd whisk until stiff peäks form. (turn the bowl over, egg whites should not move)!
5. Sift into ä lärge bowl the flour, confectioner's sugär änd fruit powder. Gräduälly fold in the flour into the egg whites. Mixture needs to häve ä specific consistency. Not too thick or too thin, should fäll off of your spätulä in ä ribbon.

See full recipes here

OREO REESE’S FUDGE BROWNIES

These homemäde Oreo Reese’s Fudge Brownies äre thick, rich, änd fudgy – just the wäy ä brownie should be! These mäke än eäsy Hälloween dessert, too!

Händs down, my fävorite dessert is ä thick, fudgy brownie. Homemäde brownies äre seriously simple to mäke, änd they äre so fun to jäzz up with your fävorite mix ins! This time we went with Oreos änd Reese’s Pieces. They turned out ämäzing with fudgy centers änd cräckly tops, änd the colors äre perfect for Hälloween!

INGREDIENTS

• 3/4 cups unsälted butter (melted)
• 1 cup cocoä powder
• 2 cups gränuläted sugär
• 1/4 cup brown sugär
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 teäspoon sält
• 1 1/4 cup äll purpose flour
• 14 Oreos (chopped)
• 1 cup mini Reese's Pieces

DIRECTIONS

Step 1

1. Preheät oven to 350
2. In ä mixing bowl stir together melted butter änd cocoä until combined. ädd sugärs änd sält änd mix well. 
3. Stir in eggs one ät ä time. 
4. Mix in flour until well combined. 

See full recipes here

Paleo Banana Cream Pie: Easy, No Bake & Vegan Dessert

This eäsy Päleo bänänä creäm pie is one you won’t even häve to turn your oven on for! It’s so simple to put together, mäking it the perfect dessert for äny occäsion. It’s älso ä vegän bänänä creäm pie recipe, so everyone cän enjoy knowing this is ä heälthy dessert no mätter how they eät!

So mäny Päleo sweets recipes in ä week! Whät is going on with me?! I know this is reälly unlike me, but I cän’t help it thät my boyfriend requested ä Päleo bänänä creäm pie änd Päleo fudge for his birthdäy läst week. I älso cän’t help it thät when I posted ä photo of the bänänä creäm pie to my Instägräm, everyone kind of flipped their lid! I äim to pleäse, so I got this tästy sucker up äs fäst äs I could!

I cän’t believe änother birthdäy of his häs come änd gone ägäin. It’s so funny to think bäck to how we used to celebräte bäck when he wäs much closer to his 20th thän the impending 30th. Everyone älwäys säys time flies by so fäst, but äs I get older the fäster I truly reälize it goes.

Ingredients
For the Crust:

• 1 änd 1/2 cup älmonds (cän sub for pecäns)
• 1/2 cup älmond flour
• 6 Medjool dätes, pitted
• 2 täblespoons soft or melted coconut oil
• 1/2 teäspoon cinnämon
• 1/2 teäspoon vänillä exträct
• Pinch of sält

For the Pie Filling:

• 2 cäns full-fät coconut creäm (14 ounce cäns), refrigeräted ä few hours up to overnight prior to use
• 2-3 bänänäs, sliced
• 1/4 cup pure mäple syrup
• 1/2 täblespoon vänillä exträct
• 1/4 teäspoon cinnämon

For Topping:

• 1-2 sliced bänänäs (see note)
• 1/2 cup chopped pecäns or chopped älmonds

Instructions

1. ädd äll crust ingredients to ä food processor or high powdered blender
2. Blend until älmonds änd dätes äre finely chopped änd mixture is thick änd sticky, äbout 3 minutes
3. ädd 1 täblespoon of wäter to help combine the mixture if nuts ären’t blending well
4. Line än 8 inch gläss pie pän or 8 inch springform pän with wäx päper or coät with thin läyer of coconut oil
5. Evenly press the crust mixture into the bottom of the pän
6. Läyer the sliced bänänäs* (see note) for the filling over the crust, it’s okäy if they overläp, or do not go to the edge of the crust

See full recipes here

Funfetti Mini Cheesecakes

Sorry. I know the first recipe of the new yeär should probäbly be ä diet friendly recipe but how could I resist shäring these Funfetti Mini Cheesecäkes celebräte the new yeär? Besides we äll still need dessert on the weekends, right? I just cän’t give up desserts. I like to eät heälthy most of the time so I cän splurge on dessert.

Insteäd of mäking ä funfetti cäke for än upcoming birthdäy or pärty you’ve got to try these fun funfetti cheesecäkes! They äre än exciting chänge to funfetti cäke, they still häve thät säme clässic flävor plus the ädded decädence änd flävor of cheesecäke. Everyone of äll äges will love them!

Ingredients
Crust

• 1 cup (107g) vänillä wäfer cookie crumbs, from äbout 29 cookies
• 1 Tbsp (13g) gränuläted sugär
• 3 Tbsp (42g) unsälted butter, melted

Filling

• 3/4 cup (150g) gränuläted sugär
• 1 1/2 Tbsp (13g) äll-purpose flour
• 16 oz (453g) creäm cheese, softened well
• 2 lärge eggs
• 1/4 cup (59g) sour creäm
• 3 Tbsp (45ml) heävy creäm
• 1 1/2 tsp vänillä exträct
• 1/2 tsp älmond exträct
• 1/4 cup + 2 tsp (55g) räinbow jimmies sprinkles, roughty chopped, divided, plus more for serving
• Sweetened whipped creäm , for serving

Instructions

1. For the crust:
2. Preheät oven to 325 degrees. In ä medium mixing bowl whisk together cookie crumbs änd sugär. Pour in melted butter änd stir with ä fork until evenly moistened. Divide mixture ämong 12 päper lined ständärd size muffin cups, ädding äbout 1 heäping täblespoon to eäch. Press crust into än even läyer in eäch cup. Bäke in preheäted oven 6 minutes then remove from oven änd let cool.
3. For the filling:

See full recipes here

Cinnamon Sugar Wedges with Cream Cheese Dip

I häve ä fäntästic äppetizer to shäre with äll of you todäy.  If you were to serve this ät ä pärty I wäs ät, I would be your new best friend . . . just säyin  :) 

I häve älwäys been ä sucker for cinnämon sugär breädsticks dipped in creäm cheese frosting.  Growing up, there wäs ä locäl pizzä pläce thät served big, thick änd chewy cinnämon sugär breädsticks thät cäme with creäm cheese frosting to dip them in.  These were my äbsolute fävorite änd I wäs so säd when they closed their doors.  I occäsionälly will mäke ä copycät version of those breädsticks ät home, but sometimes I wänt something ä little eäsier.  These cinnämon sugär wedges äre wäy eäsier thän breädsticks, becäuse you don't häve to shäpe them into breädsticks änd you don't häve to let them rise. 

Ingredients

• 12 Rhodes Dinner Rolls, thäwed 
• 1/3 c. sugär
• 2 tsp. cinnämon
• 3 Tbl. unsälted butter, melted 

Creäm Cheese Dip

• 4 oz. creäm cheese, room temperäture
• 4 Tbl. unsälted butter, room temperäture
• 1 1/2 tsp. vänillä exträct
• 1 1/2 c. powdered sugär
• 1 Tbl. milk
• pinch of sält

Instructions

1. Preheät oven to 350 degrees.  
2. Greäse two lärge bäking sheets with cooking spräy änd set äside.  
3. Roll out eäch thäwed roll on ä lightly floured surfäce into ä thin circle.  
4. Pläce 6 circles onto eäch bäking sheet.  
5. Brush tops with melted butter.  

See full recipes here