Gingerbread Stix

Yummy homemade gingerbread is the essence of Christmas baking.  In fact when I told most people that I was making Gingerbread, they said, "Gingerbread... what?"  GingerBREAD.  The actual thing!  Not gingerbread cookies, mousse, lattes.... the bread.  This recipe is from the Gramercy Tavern.  It is dark, sticky, spicy and perfect for dessert or breakfast. Enjoy!

Gingerbread Stix

• 1 cup Guinness Stout
• 1 cup dark molasses
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 2 tbsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp cardamom
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup canola oil

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously butter bundt pan and dust with flour, knocking out excess.
2. Bring stout and molasses to a boil in a large saucepan and remove from heat. Whisk in baking soda, then cool to room temperature.
3. Sift together flour, baking powder, and spices in a large bowl. Whisk together eggs and sugars. Whisk in oil, then molasses mixture. 
4. Add to flour mixture and whisk until just combined.
5. Pour batter into bundt pan and rap pan sharply on counter to eliminate air bubbles. Bake in middle of oven until a tester comes out with just a few moist crumbs adhering, about 50 minutes. Cool cake in pan on a rack 5 minutes. Turn out onto rack and cool completely.
6. Cut into stix for easy eating 

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Gramercy-Tavern-Gingerbread-103087#ixzz1hHhYX7zG

Chubby Hubby Truffles

For Christmas I have decided to go baking/candy-making insane... and to kick things off, these chubby hubby truffles are idyllic.  They are peanut-buttery, pretzely, chocolatey, holidayey... well, they're just really good.  

Chubby Hubby Truffles

• 1.5 cups crushed pretzel pieces
• 2/3 cup peanut butter
• 2 tbs brown sugar
• 1 tbs butter softened
• 3 tbs powdered sugar
• 1 cup chocolate-peanut butter swirl chips
• 1 tbs shortening

1. Mix the pretzel pieces, peanut butter, brown sugar, and butter
2. Add the powdered sugar and mix until fully combined
3. Roll mixture into quarter-sized balls and refrigerate for at least half an hour
4. Melt the chocolate chips and mix in the shortening
5. Dip the cooled truffles to cover in chocolate and place back in refrigerator to cool

Snickers Cupcakes (Chocolate Cake with Salted Caramel Frosting and a Snickers Center)

While you're busy studying for finals, why not take a break and bake some cupcakes... haha, even I can't do that.  And I make time in my life to bake for pretty much everything, but with Microeconomics and Computer Science for Business finals coming up, this is a flashback recipe.  My friend, Rachel (the photographer of this photo!) and I actually developed this recipe while we were living in France.  We were craving some good American pastries, not frilly and pretentious, but some messy, gooey treats... and what is more American than Snickers? Plus, the French notoriously hate peanut butter, so we had no competition to eat them :)

Snickers Cupcakes

• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1 cup flour
• 1 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup whole milk
• 1/3 cup espresso
• 1/2 cup (or 1 stick) unsalted butter
• 2 oz dark chocolate, melted
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 3 Snickers bars roughly chopped

1.  Preheat oven to 350 and line a muffin tin with cupcake wrappers
2. Sift together cocoa, flour, baking soda, and salt
3. Whisk together the two sugars and the egg, then add the milk, espresso, butter, and chocolate, and whisk until uniform
4. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until a smooth batter forms
5. Fold in the sour cream
6. Fill the cupcake liners 2/3 of the way up, place a snickers chunk into the middle
7. Bake for 15 minutes, pull out and let cool
8. Top with Salted Caramel Frosting, recipe below, and then add more Snickers on top!

Salted Caramel Frosting

1.25 sticks unsalted butter

3/4 package confectioners' sugar

1/2 cup heavy cream, plus more if needed

1 tablespoon vanilla bean pase

1/2 tsp fleur de sel

1. Brown butter over medium high heat until fragrant and nutty
2. Let it cool
3. Beat all of the ingredients except the cream
4. Once smooth add the cream in a slow stream until frosting becomes light and fluffy

Triple Fudge Cocoa Puff Brownies

College students are not known to have the best of tastes or the deepest of pockets; however, I see know shame in embracing typically "trashy" college foods and enhancing them.  Be honest, you like the original ones anyways.  And if you do enjoy ramen, easy-mac, and cereal at 12 pm, then you will love when these dorm room dishes are taken to the next level.  

Triple Fudge Cocoa Puff Brownies are chocolate overload.  Death by chocolate is an understatement.  They are gooey and dense, and then the cocoa puffs add an airy and light texture, but throughout all of these textures the only flavor is chocolate.  

I was inspired by two dishes:

The brownies from Baked in Brooklyn
picture from http://www.browneyedbaker.com/2010/10/08/the-baked-brownie/

Voodoo Doughnuts in Portland, Oregon
picture from http://10thirty.wordpress.com/2008/07/03/breakfast-at-voodoo-doughnut/

Triple Fudge Cocoa Puff Brownies

Yields: 2 dozen

• 1¼ cups flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp cocoa powder
• 11 ounces dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 1 cup unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 tsp instant espresso powder
• 1½ cups sugar
• ½ cup light brown sugar
• 5 eggs, room temp
• 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
• Fudge Frosting (recipe below)
• 3 cups Cocoa Puff cereal

1. Preheat the oven to 350. Line brownie pan with parchment paper.

2. In a medium bowl, mix the salt, flour, and cocoa powder.

3. Melt chocolate, butter and instant espresso powder in a double broiler, stirring occasionally, until  smooth. Turn off the heat and add the two sugars. Mix until uniform and let cool to room temperature.

4. Add 3 eggs to the chocolate mixture and whisk right away. Repeat with the remaining eggs. Add the vanilla and stir until just uniform. 

5. Fold the flour mixture into the chocolate until just uniform. 

6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for 25 minutes. Let cool and add Fudge Frosting and sprinkle with Cocoa Puffs!


Fudge Frosting

• 4 oz dark chocolate chopped
• 1.5 sticks cold butter
• 2.5 cups sifted powdered sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste

1. Melt the chocolate and let it cool
2. Beat the butter until it is fluffy
3. Incrementally add the powdered sugar, beat until fluffy and incorporated
4. Add the vanilla bean paste and melted, cooled chocolate
5. Spread onto cooled brownies

Carrot Cake Truffles with Cream Cheese Icing Center

On Friday, my dorm hosted a benefit and as a result, there was a TON of cake leftover.  Within these next couple holiday weeks, you may also find that you have a lot of leftover desserts.  A fun way to not waste leftover cake is to make truffles or cake balls.  These truffles were made only out of leftover cake and white chocolate!  So if you are at a holiday party and the hosts force you to take home leftovers, take home the cake and make truffles!! This way you avoid stale or dry cake.  The icing centers are also a wonderful surprise! Plus, they are automatically portion controlling :)

Carrot Cake Truffles

• Leftover carrot cake
• 1 cup white chocolate baking chips

1. Separate the icing from the cake of the leftover cake, (save the icing carrots separately as well)
2. Freeze the icing for 10 minutes
3. Refrigerate the cake for 20 minutes
4. After icing hardens and is cold, roll the cold icing into penny size balls
5. Take the cold refrigerated cake and form about a golf ball sized truffled around the icing centers (work quickly so the cake and icing do not melt)
6. Place the truffles back into the freezer
7. Melt the white chocolate chips in the microwave
8. Dip the cold truffles into the white chocolate until completely coated
9. Put the dipped truffles back in the freezer for 5 minutes
10. Add mini icing carrots by cutting up the large icing carrots, or use colored icing tubes to create new carrots
11. Store in the refrigerator

Walnut Caramel Pie with Dried Cherry Compote

Looking for a break from the same old Thanksgiving desserts?  Well pie isn't exactly groundbreaking, but it is rare to find a pie that has a crunchy crust, overflows with a smooth filling, and is not cloyingly, tooth-aching inducing-ly sweet.  This pie from Bon Appetit hits all of the marks, and when paired with vanilla bean gelato... forget about it, call off the hounds, the  search is over. This is the new pumpkin pie, or at least another option you can offer next to it :)

Walnut Caramel Pie with Dried Cherry Compote

http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2003/03/caramel_walnut_pie_with_dried_cherries#ixzz1dbTnhIw0

Crust

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 5 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 4 tablespoons (or more) ice water

Filling

• 1 1/4 cups dried tart cherries, chopped
• 1/2 cup ruby Port
•  
• 2/3 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
• 2/3 cup light corn syrup
• 3 large eggs
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted, room temperature
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup walnuts, toasted, chopped
•  

Preparation

Crust

• Blend flour, salt, and baking powder in processor. Using on/off turns, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add 4 tablespoons ice water. Process just until moist clumps form, adding more water by teaspoonfuls if dough is dry. Form dough into disk. Wrap in plastic; chill until dough is firm enough to roll out, about 30 minutes.

Filling

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Boil cherries and Port in heavy small saucepan until Port is absorbed, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Cool completely.
• Using electric mixer, beat brown sugar, corn syrup, eggs, and melted butter in large bowl until foamy. Beat in vanilla. Stir in walnuts and Port-infused cherries.
• Roll out dough on floured work surface to 11-inch round; transfer to 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish. Fold overhang under; crimp edges. Pour filling into crust.
• Bake pie until crust is golden and filling is brown and just set in center, about 50 minutes. Cool pie completely in dish on rack. Serve with whipped cream. VANILLA BEAN GELATO!

Heath Bar Crunch Shortbread Cookies

My friend Mike, who is British, asked me to develop a product that represented him to give away during his student office campaign.  What is easy to make, delicious, and oh so-save-the-queen-william-and-kate British?

Shortbread, my lady!

To find the most delicious and buttery shortbread recipe, I looked no further than my personal, culinary bible: Thomas Keller's Ad Hoc at Home.

From www.amazon.com





I love cookie dough, but preferably in chocolate-chip or peanut butter form... but this cookie dough is to die for.  A good sign that your future cookie will be delectable: the dough is delectable.  These cookies melt in your mouth and will make you feel like you are at a tea party with the queen... even if you are simply in your dorm room on a Monday night.

Heath Bar Crunch Shortbread Cookies

adapted from Thomas Keller's Ad Hoc at Home

•   1.75 sticks unsalted butter
•   0.5 cup granulated sugar + extra to sprinkle over cookies
•   1 tsp vanilla paste or extract
•   2 cups AP flour
•   1 Heath Bar crumbled into little pieces

1.  Mix butter and sugar for 3 minutes until creamy and fluffy with an electric mixer or dough paddle
2. Add vanilla paste and add flour in 1/2 cup increments, beating in between until a uniform dough has formed
3. Add the Heath Bar bits and fold into the dough with a spatula
4. Place the dough between parchment paper, rolling up the ends, and flatten four sides so you form a long rectangular brick of dough
5. Wrap the dough brick and refrigerate for 3-12 hours
6. After the dough has chilled slice the brick horizontally, forming about 20 rectangular cookies (ala slice'n'bake cookies before they sliced them for you)
7. Preheat oven to 350 and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper
8. Bake cookies for 11-14 minutes

  



Baklava with Pistachios and Honey

Whenever anyone asks me what my favorite dessert is I say "anything Greek."  The butter and honey that ooze into every paper thin sheet of phyllo dough is all I can think about.  It's funny that Greek desserts are not typically thought to be patisserie wonders, but the combinations of sweet and salty that are commonplace in all Greek dessert recipes are genious.  This baklava is to die for and is totally worth all of the effort!

Best Baklava:

from www.orgasmicchef.com

http://www.orgasmicchef.com/best-baklava-recipe/

• Syrup:
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/8 tsp ground cloves
• 1/8 tsp ground cardamom
• 1 cup honey
• 3/4 cup water
• 1 tbs lemon juice – fresh squeezed
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1 (1-inch) strip lemon zest – use a peeler to get this
• Filling and Phyllo Dough:
• 3/4 lb walnuts
• 1/4 lb pistachios
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 sticks unsalted butter (8 oz)
• 1 pound phyllo dough, thawed

Instructions

The Syrup:

1. Combine sugar, water, honey, lemon juice, cinnamon sticks, lemon zest, cloves and cardamom in a heavy bottomedmedium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stir with a wooden spoon until the sugar has dissolved and begins to boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low or low and cook until the syrup is slightly thickened, about 10 minutes or so. Remove the cinnamon sticks and lemon zest and pour syrup into a large glass measuring cup to cool.

The Baklava:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and place an oven rack in the center of your oven.
2. Place walnuts and pistachios into a food processor and pulse until finely chopped.
3. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the nuts, cinnamon, and salt and stir well to combine.
4. In a small saucepan over low heat melt the butter.

Now you’re ready to assemble everything.

1. Using a pastry brush, lightly coat a 13 by 9-inch or 15 by 10-inch baking dish with some of the melted butter.
2. Open the package of thawed phyllo dough and lay the thin sheets on a clean work surface. Using a sharp knife (or kitchen shears) cut the phyllo sheets approximately the same size as your baking dish. Discard any scraps because it will be a mess in the kitchen if you don’t.
3. Cover the sheets with a piece of plastic wrap and a lightly damp kitchen towel – not too wet or you’ll make your dough stick together but the sheets of phyllo dough dry out quickly if left in the air.
4. Place the first sheet of phyllo dough in the bottom of the buttered baking dish and lightly brush with some of the melted butter.
5. It’s okay if the dough has holes or breaks, nobody’s going to see it and you’ll have lots of other layers without holes.
6. Repeat this procedure with 5 more sheets of phyllo, for a total of 6 layers.
7. Measure about 3/4 cup of the nut mixture and spread the nut mixture evenly over the buttered phyllo dough.
8. Repeat with 6 more sheets of phyllo, buttering each layer as before, and then add another 3/4 cup of the nut mixture.
9. Continue this layering process, buttering 6 sheets of phyllo and topping each 6 sheets with 3/4 cup of the nuts, until you have used all of the nut mixture.
10. Layer the remaining sheets of phyllo on top, buttering each layer until all of the phyllo dough has been used.
11. That wasn’t so difficult, was it? I heard you say no. All the hard work is done – nearly.
12. Use a sharp knife to make 4 cuts lengthwise partially through the layered phyllo at 1 1/2 inch intervals. You want to cut a diamond pattern in your dough.
13. If you do it right you should end up with approximately 36 diamond-shaped pieces of baklava in the baking pan.
14. Bake the baklava until golden brown, about 40 minutes depending upon how your oven cooks. You want to take it out when the top layer is golden brown.
15. Remove the baklava from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes.
16. Now for the yummy honey syrup! Slowly drizzle the syrup over all the baklava which will still be warm.
17. Let the baklava stand in the pan for a few hours before cutting all the way through.
18. It will do a dance in your mouth from the first bite.

Cutest Halloween Treat Ideas

Mummy Cupcakes

http://www.ambrosiabaking.com/2011/10/how-to-make-mummy-cupcakes.html#more

Ghost Meringues

http://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/09/meringue-ghosts.html

Strawberry Ghosts

http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Strawberry-Ghosts

Candy Corn Cupcakes

http://oonefineday.blogspot.com/search/label/Halloween%20Party%20Food

Frankenstein Lollipops

http://eighteen25.blogspot.com/search/label/spooktacular?updated-max=2011-09-04T06%3A00%3A00-07%3A00&max-results=20

Mini Spiced Pumpkin Cakes

www.foodandwine.com

Chocolate Mice

www.foodandwine.com

Best Vanilla Cupcake (Tested by over 50 Bakers) with Cardamom Vanilla Bean Buttercream

I've been searching for the best vanilla cupcake recipe for a long time.  I'm not talking about white cake, nor yellow cake... but VANILLA!  How many cupcakes have you eaten that are sold as "vanilla" but just taste like cake... flavorless cake. And "vanilla" frosting that just tastes like white sugar. Well the search is over thanks to the Cupcake Project! These cupcakes are divine thanks to the actual vanilla beans in them.  I topped them with my own Cardamom Vanilla Bean Frosting and then with a bit of pink sugar crystals.  They would be perfect for a baby shower! 

The Ultimate Vanilla Cupcake Recipe

http://www.cupcakeproject.com/2011/09/ultimate-vanilla-cupcake-test-baked-by.html

Yield: 16 cupcakes 

• 1 cup (granulated sugar
• 1 vanilla bean
• 1 3/4 cups cake flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1/3 cup full-fat sour cream (I used greek yogurt)
• 1/4 cup canola oil or vegetable oil 
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup whole milk

1. Preheat oven to 350 F (175 C).
2. In a small bowl, combine sugar and seeds from the vanilla bean
3. Using the back of a spoon, move around the bowl and apply pressure to break up any clumps of seeds and to better infuse the vanilla flavor into the sugar. Set aside.
4. In a medium-sized mixing bowl or bowl of a stand mixer, mix together cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
5. Add the vanilla bean sugar and mix until well combined.
6. Add butter and mix on medium-low speed for three minutes.  Because there is so little butter, you'll end up with a very fine crumb texture.
7. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, sour cream, oil, and vanilla extract until smooth.
8. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and beat on medium speed until just combined.
9. Slowly add milk and mix on low speed until just combined.  The batter will be liquidy
10. Fill cupcake liners just over 1/2 full.
11. Bake for 14 minutes and then test to see if they are done. They are done when a toothpick comes out without wet batter stuck to it.  The cupcakes should appear white with specks of vanilla bean. They should not turn a golden brown.  If they are not done, test again in two minutes.  If they are still not done, test again in another two minutes.
12. When the cupcakes are done, remove them immediately from the tins and leave them on a cooling rack (or just on your counter if you don't own a cooling rack) to cool.

Read more: http://www.cupcakeproject.com/2011/09/ultimate-vanilla-cupcake-test-baked-by.html#ixzz1aP3109nz

Cardamom Vanilla Bean Frosting

Yield: 12 cupcakes worth of frosting

• 2 sticks of unsalted butter (room temp)
• 1.5 cups powdered sugar
• 1/4 tsp cardamom
• 1 tbsp vanilla bean paste
• 1 tbsp milk

1. Beat butter and powdered sugar on high until creamed
2. Add vanilla bean paste and cardamom
3. Beat until uniform
4. Add milk
5. Beat until uniform
6. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before frosting

Pumpkin S'mores (Microwaved)

My friend Kennedy sent me all sorts of awesome Fall food ingredients like candy-corn, caramel corn, and these crazy pumpkin marshmallows!

www.amazon.com

So I decided to make pumpkin s'mores in the microwave with spicy pumpkin butter, nutella, and crunchy graham crackers.  The flavor combination was just as beautiful as this fall day in Ithaca. This recipe could be personalized by adding nuts, regular chocolate, or apple butter.  Customize it, make it your own!  The best part is it only takes about 15 seconds to make this awesome treat and I bet you can't make just one!

Pumpkin S'mores

• 2 pumpkin marshmallows
• 2 graham crackers
• 1 tbsp nutella
• 1 tbsp pumpkin butter (Great Recipe Here)

1. Spread one graham cracker with nutella and the other with pumpkin butter
2. Place marshmallows on top of one with nutella and microwave open-faced for 15 seconds
3. Smush together :) 

Halloween Candy Popcorn Pops

I know candy corn is gross.  It has all the food dyes and corn syrups I try to avoid during my everyday food choices.... but

I love it.

I can't help it.  There is something about the way it sticks to my teeth, the addicting second handfuls, the bright Halloween colors that gets me.  I also love Reese's Pieces for the same reasons.

My friend Sam asked me to develop a recipe using popcorn, because in college there is always an abundance of microwave popcorn.  So for Sam, here are some popcorn pops to put you in the mood for fall!  I used pretzel sticks as the base and then molded them inside of plastic cups.  Enjoy :)

Halloween Candy Popcorn Pops

• 1 bag of microwave popcorn (light butter or natural) 
• 1 bag of marshmallows
• 1 bag of Reese's Pieces
• 1 cup candy corn
• 1/2 cup peanuts
• 1/2 stick butter
• Pretzel sticks
• Plastic cups
• Baking spray

1. Pop popcorn in microwave and pick out kernels/burnt pieces
2. Place into a bowl with Reese's Pieces, candy corn, and peanuts
3. Melt butter on low heat, add marshmallows, and stir until it becomes a uniform marshmallow sauce
4. Add marshmallow sauce to popcorn mixture and stir until thoroughly mixed
5. Spray plastic cups with non-stick spray and fill 1/3 of the way up with popcorn mixture
6. Stick pretzel rod in the middle pressing popcorn around it so it stays
7. Place cups in refrigerator and take out 1 hour before serving

7 No-Bake Creative Birthday Cakes

It's sometimes hard to find the time to bake a cake in college, especially when roommate and classmate birthdays seem to happen everyday.  Here are some easy no-bake cakes to celebrate your friends birthdays.  (It's my birthday today by the way, so I expect all seven of these cakes delivered to my dorm by 11:59 pm :)))

1. Pancake Cake

http://potterandbutler.com/?p=1093

2. Kit-Kat Barrel Cake

http://cakecentral.com/gallery/1302915

3. Doughnut Cake

http://blog.weddingpaperdivas.com/wacky-wedding-cakes/

4. Ice Cream Sandwich Cake

http://icecream-cake.com/

5. Oreo Cake

http://homedesign.marthastewart.com/2010/08/oreo-cake-tulip-arranging-how-to.html

6. Snack Cake Tower

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ZZVSYqdkO_Y/Sv7rJzvdc5I/AAAAAAAAA4Y/PjwwFPTn1WM/s1600-h/twinkie+cake.JPG

7. Candy Bar Cake

http://www.cookiepots.com/candy-bar-cake.htm

Roasted Rosemary Grapes

When my dad tasted these grapes he said "they taste like apple pie!" What could be better than mini apple pie bites that have practically no caloric intake? Nothing. These grapes are so easy, fast, and delicious that I could honestly eat them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  They are the perfect snack.  Add to honey greek yogurt and you have a parfait parfait (perfect parfait).

Roasted Rosemary Grapes

• Two cups red grapes
• 1 tbsp rosemary
• Spray olive oil

1. On a sheet tray spray the grapes and rosemary with desired amount of olive oil, roast at 350 for 15 minutes until grapes are caramelized.

Apple Crumble Pancakes

Favorite fall dessert: apple crumble
Favorite breakfast: pancakes
Together?
Favorite favorite favorite apple crumble pancakes!

A perfect fall breakfast that is easy to make with cheap ingredients! The pancakes are buttery and fluffy, while the crumble topping adds crunch and cinnamon warmth.  Enjoy outside on a beautiful fall morning while the leaves fall to the ground :)

Apple Crumble Pancakes
Yield: 4 pancakes, 2 large pancakes
Cost: $$$$$


Pancakes:

• One cup Aunt Jemima Pancake mix
• 3/4 cup skim milk
• 2 tbsp melted butter
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 apple, peeled and thinly sliced

Topping:

• 2 tbsp melted butter
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 cup oats

1. Mix all of the wet ingredients for the pancakes together (milk, melted butter, vanilla extract, egg) then stir in the pancake mix and sugar
2. In a greased pan on high heat add the batter to form pancakes of your preferred size
3. Place apple slices on top of pancake rounds
4. Flip when the pancakes start to bubble and you can pick up the pancake easily with a spatula
5. Cook on the other side
6. Topping: Melt butter in the microwave, add brown sugar and vanilla, stir until smooth
7. Add oats, nutmeg, and cinnamon 
8. In the hot pan from the pancakes add the topping mixture and cook on high for about 1 minute, to cook the oats
9. Add to the top of the pancakes

P.S. Ice cream on top would probs be amazing!!!

Cake Batter Rice Krispie Treats

At 2 am it is not uncommon for the students in my building to be studying, wait I mean having a marshmallow war.  That's right.  These involve lots of thumping, yelling and hurling marshmallows at one another.  It is quite difficult to sleep sometimes, but it was all worth it when I inherited the extra bags of marshmallows they did not use.  And then it hit me ...
cake batter rice krispie treats.


Anything cake batter flavored is a guaranteed hit because it screams guilty pleasure.  It is the one thing your mother told you never to eat, so naturally you want to. These krispie squares are sweet, crunchy and satisfying!


Cake Batter Rice Krispie Treats
Recipe from http://gimmesomeoven.com/cake-batter-rice-crispy-treats/

Ingredients:

• 3 Tbsp. butter
• 1 (10 oz.) bag of mini-marshmallows
• 1/2 cup yellow cake mix
• 6 cups crispy rice cereal
• 1 (1.75 oz.) container of sprinkles

Method:

Melt butter in a large saucepan over low heat and add marshmallows. Stir until they begin to melt, adding in cake mix one spoonful at a time so its combined. Stir in cereal so it is completely coated with marshmallow mixture. Sprinkle in half of the sprinkles and mix. Press into a baking dish and top with remaining sprinkles. Let sit for about 30 minutes before cutting. I find spraying a knife with nonstick spray helps to cut them.