Sugared Nuts

Just before Thanksgiving, we were over at my in-laws, and my mother-in-law had just been to Frankenmuth with her girlfriends. She had bought some cinnamon-sugared almonds that were amazing like all sugared nuts are. I decided to see if I could make them myself and was excited to discover how easy they were. I put out a bowl of them at Thanksgiving dinner and let's just say they were a favorite. (However, my baked apple chips seemed to be the most popular appetizer).

Recipe adapted from here.

Ingredients:
1 large egg white
1 tablespoon water
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1 tablespoon cinnamon
3 cups nuts (I used peanuts)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a small bowl, whisk together the egg white and the water until frothy.

In a second bowl, mix together the white sugar, brown sugar, and cinnamon.

In a large third bowl (or a large Ziplock bag), toss the nuts with the egg white until the nuts are well coated. Add the sugar-cinnamon mixture and toss until all the nuts are evenly coated.

Spread out the nuts on the baking sheet in a single layer. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring halfway through baking time.

Allow to cool before serving.

I also made some buffalo spiced nuts, but there weren't anything to write home about.

Enjoy!

~Krissy

More Appetizer Recipes:
Bacon and Cheese Deviled Eggs 
Cheese Puffs for Cheese Lovers!
Buffalo Chicken Dip 
Hot Spinach and Artichoke Dip
Parmesan Veggie Crisps 
Snowflake Tortilla Chips
Roasted Peas 

Cranberry Bliss Bars

Apparently Cranberry Bliss Bars are an amazing dessert you can buy at Starbucks. I've never eaten one so I can't say if this copycat recipe taste anything like the real thing. However, I can tell you that these Cranberry Bliss Bars are out of this world! Blondies, cream cheese frosting, white chocolate chips, dried cranberries . . . Eric can't stay away from them. They just might be new annual dessert we make.

Recipe adapted from here.

Ingredients:
Blondies
1 1/2 sticks butter, melted
1 1/2 cups brown sugar, packed
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
pinch of ground cinnamon
3/4 cup dried cranberries (homemade or store-bought)
3/4 cup white chocolate chips

Frosting
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup white chocolate chips, melted
1/2 cup dried cranberries

Directions:
Blondies
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray or line with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, combine brown sugar and melted butter and allow to cool to room temperature (so it doesn't cook the eggs). Add eggs and vanilla and beat with electric mixer.

In a medium bowl, combine together flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ones and combine. Fold in cranberries and white chocolate chips.

Pour batter evenly into baking dish. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until the center of the blondies have set. Place on a wire rack and allow to cool completely.

Frosting
In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and powdered sugar until well-combined. Pour in half of the melted white chocolate and beat until well combined. Frost the cooled blondies then sprinkle with cranberries. Drizzle the top of the blondies with the melted white chocoalte. Place the cookie bars in the fridge to allow the set then cut into bars.

Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

Enjoy!

~Krissy

More Dessert Recipes:
Michigan Cranberry Brownies
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Brownies
Caramelitas
Chocolate Caramel Shortbread Bars (Twix Bars) 
Congo Bars, Blondies, or Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars?
Blueberry Chocolate Chip Brunetties 

Apple Pancakes

These pancakes are perfect for a crisp fall morning. There is no better way to describe them.

Recipe adapted from here.

Ingredients:
1 cup flour
2 tablespoon brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
dash of salt
1 cup milk
1 egg
1 tablespoon butter, melted and cooled
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup sweet apple, finely chopped

Directions:
In a medium bow, combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. In a small bowl combine milk, egg, melted butter, and vanilla. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. It's okay if mix has some lumps; you don't want to overmix. Fold in apple.

Grease a skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Pour 1/4 cup batter on the skillet. Cook until small bubbles form on the edges of the pancakes, about 1 or 2 minutes, then flip. Cook other side until golden brown, about 1 minute. Repeat with remaining batter.

Serve with maple syrup.

Enjoy!

~Krissy

More Apple Recipes:
Baked Apple Chips
Savory Apples Stuffed with Sage and Sausage
An Apple Cider Birthday Cake
Apple Cider Cookies with Spiced Rum Glaze
Applesauce Cookies with Caramel Frosting
Delicious Apple Pie 
Apple Rings!
Peanut Butter Baked Apples

Pumpkin Cream Cheese French Toast Bake

Pumpkin and French toast, a match made in heaven! Not to mention perfect for a crisp, fall morning. This bake doesn't require maple syrup, but I will admit, a small drizzling of syrup does add a nice finishing touch to this dish. Besides, can you really have French toast without syrup?

Oh, and this pumpkin bake is amazing (dare I say, even a little better) as leftovers!

Recipe adapted from here.

Ingredients:
Pumpkin French Toast
6 slices of sandwich bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup pumpkin puree
1 egg
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cream Cheese Filling
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 1/2 tablespoon powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Crumb Topping
2 tablespoon flour
2 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoon butter, cut into cubes

Directions:
With an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese filling ingredients on medium speed until the mixture is light and fluffy--about 3 minutes. Set aside.

In a seperate bowl, whisk together milk, pumpkin puree, egg, pumpkin pie spice and vanilla.

Lightly grease an 8x8 glass baking dish with cooking spray. Arrange a layer of bread cubes in the dish. Pour half of the pumpkin mixure evenly over the bread. Then spread cream cheese mixture on top of that. Create another layer of bread cubes and pour the remaining pumpkin mixture of the bread.

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerator for a least 2 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Make the crumb topping by combining the flour, sugar, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Add cold butter and toss together. Use your finger to work the butter until it resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle evenly ontop of the French toast bake.

Bake for 35  to 45 minutes or until the top is golden brown.

Enjoy!

~Krissy

More Pumpkin Recipes:
Cheese Tortellini in a Pumpkin Sauce
Cinnamon-Sugar Pastry with Pumpkin Dip
Mini Pumpkin Cupcakes
Pumpkin-Black Bean Stew with Spicy Sausage 
Pumpkin Bread!
Pumpkin Butter
Pumpkin Caramels!
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Brownies
Pumpkin Fudge
Pumpkin Gnocchi with a Parmesan Sauce
Pumpkin Hot Cocoa 
Pumpkin Lasagna Rolls
Pumpkin Oatmeal
Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies with White Chocolate Chips and Dried Cranberries
Pumpkin Penne Casserole
Pumpkin Pie Rice Krispie Treats  
Pumpkin Swirl Brownies
Roasted Pumpkin Chickpeas
Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Apple Pie Salsa with Cinnamon-Sugar Chips

Have a hankering for homemade apple pie, but don't feel like going through the work of making one? Then this apple pie salsa is for you. The salsa is just apple pie filling made on the stovetop. And instead of making pie crust by hand, transform tortillas into cinnamon-sugar chips in just 10 minutes.

Recipe adapted from here.

Ingredients:
Apple Pie Salsa
2 cups finely diced apple, peeled and cored (I used 1 very large Mutsu apple)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon cornstarch disolved in 1 teaspoon water

Cinnamon-Sugar Chips
5 6-inch tortillas (store bought or homemade)
cooking spray (or 2 tablespoon butter, melted)
1/4 cup cinnamon-sugar

Directions:
Cinnamon-Sugar Chips
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease a baking sheet.

Cut tortillas into wedges. Spray both sides of the chips with cooking spray (or brush with butter. I used cooking spray to make them slightly healthier). Coat both sides of the chips with cinnamon-sugar. Arrange of the baking sheet in a single layer.

Bake for 7 to 10 minutes, flipping the chips halfway through the baking.

Place on a wire rack and allow to cool. Store in an airtight container.

Apple Pie Salsa
Combine the diced apple, lemon juice, brown sugar, and cinnamon together in a saucepan. Heat over medium-high heat until the extracted juice from the apples begins to boil. Add cornstarch water and stir. Continue to boil until liquid has thickened.

Serve with cinnamon-sugar chips.

Enjoy!

~Krissy

More Apple Recipes:
Baked Apple Chips
Savory Apples Stuffed with Sage and Sausage
Apple Cider Cookies with Spiced Rum Glaze
Apple Cider Cupcakes with Caramel Filling and Spiced Rum Frosting
Applesauce Cookies with Caramel Frosting
Delicious Apple Pie 
Cheese Tortellini in a Pumpkin Sauce
Cinnamon-Sugar Pastry with Pumpkin Dip
Mini Pumpkin Cupcakes
Pumpkin-Black Bean Stew with Spicy Sausage  

Snickerdoodles for Cinnamon Lovers

I don't know if there is a bigger cinnamon lover out there than me. I drink cinnamon tea. I heap a ton of cinnamon into my oatmeal every morning. I even put it in my hot chocolate. You would think that snickerdoodles would be my favorite cookies. While I like them, I never really think about them and hadn't made them before. Well, a couple of weeks ago my husband and I had some snickerdoodles from a bakery and were highly disappointed. They were dry and bland. Eric commented that snickerdoodles are always rather bland. I was about to argue with him, but then I realized he was right. Right then and there I decided I would make a snickerdoodle that was amped up and couldn't ever be considered bland.

Recipe adapted from here.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening
2 eggs
1 tablespoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup brown sugar
 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease a cookie sheet with cooking spray or line with parchment paper.

Cream butter, shortening, and white sugar in a large bowl. Mix in eggs.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, 1 tablespoon cinnamon, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt. Gradually add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Mix until combined.

Shape dough into balls, approximately  with a 1 1/4-inch diameter. Mix brown sugar, 2 tablespoons of cinnamon, and cayenne in small bowl. Roll balls in the cinnamon-sugar mixtures and place on the cookie sheet, about 2 inches apart.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until the cookies set.

Place cookies on a wire rack to cool. 

Now, the cayenne pepper might seem a little weird or scary, but it really adds depth to these cookies. And it was Eric's favorite thing about them.

Enjoy!

~Krissy

More Cookie Recipes:
Chocolate Chip Cookie in a Mug!
Cinnamon Meringue Cookies
Easy Rum Balls
Edye's Molassess Krinkles
Hazelnut Chocolate Chip Cookies
Healthified Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies
Smores Cookies!

Soy Wax Beans with Sesame Seeds

I don't think I had a wax bean until my mother-in-law handed me a big bag of beans (we also walked away with garden fresh kale, cabbage, and cucumbers). I now had to figure out what to do with them. After looking through a dozen recipes, I finally just chose one, nearly at random. It must have been fate because Eric and I devoured our entire supply of wax beans and immediately wanted more so we can make these again.

Recipe adapted from here.

Ingredients:
1 pound wax beans, trimmed
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 pinch ground ginger
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon brown sugar, packed
1/2 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Toss the wax beans with olive oil on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes or until beans are tender and browned in spots. Toss beans halfway through.

Mix together soy sauce, ginger, lemon, and sugar in a medium bowl. Add roasted beans and toss. Garnish with sesame seeds.

Soy wax beans with Melt-your-mouth chicken

Enjoy!

~Krissy

More Veggie Recipes:
Parmesan Veggie Crisps
A Basic Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce
Baked Potato Soup
Creamy Butternut Squash Soup
Cheesy Tomato Zucchini Bake 
Baked Parmesan Tomatoes
Alfredo Green Bean Casserole  

Sweet Buns Three Ways: Cherry, Blueberry, and Cream Cheese

Every since I got my standing mixer, I've been making all kinds of yeast breads. The mixer does the kneading for me so making breads from scratch got so much easier. When I saw these delicious yeast buns on Pinterest, I couldn't wait to try them. Eric was madly in love with them. I think I only got to try one of each kind, he devoured the rest.

Recipe adapted from here.

Ingredients:
Buns
1 cup warm milk, (about 100 degrees F)
1/2 tablespoon active dry yeast
4 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided
3 1/4 cup flour
1 egg, room temperature
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon salt

Fillings (each filling would make enough for a 16 buns--a full batch)
Cherry
64 black cherries, pitted (about 1 pound)
1/4 cup granulated sugar (1/2 teaspoon per bun)

Blueberry
1 pound blueberries
1/4 cup granulated sugar (1/2 teaspoon per bun)

Cream Cheese
8 ounces cream cheese (1 tablespoon per bun) 

Crumb Topping
2 tablespoon butter, room temperature
2/3 cup brown sugar, packed
4 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon


Directions:
Buns
In the bowl of a standing mixer, add milk and sprinkle with yeast.  Let sit for 7 minutes. Stir in 1/2 cup flour and 2 tablespoons sugar. Using whisk attachment, whisk until combined. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel and let rest for 45 minutes.

Whisk in egg, the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, melted butter, and salt. Switch to the dough hook attachment. Add in 2 3/4 cups flour, one cup at a time. Make sure each cupful is fully incorporated before adding the next cup. Your dough should have pulled away from the sides of the bowl. Continue to mix with the dough hook on Low for 15 minutes.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp towel and let sit for 2 hours. Dough will triple in size.

Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface. Cut dough into 16 pieces and shape each piece into a ball.

Grease a baking dish (either 2 round cake pans or one 9x13 baking dish). Place the balls in your dish. Make a well in the center of each ball. Place 4 cherries (or a healthy tablespoon of blueberries, or a tablespoon of cream cheese) in the well. Sprinkle the cherries or blueberries with 1/2 teaspoon sugar. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel and let rise for 45 minutes.  

Preheat oven to 360 degrees.

Crumb Topping
In a small bowl, combine all the crumble topping ingredients until you have a texture of coarse crumbs.

Generously sprinkle the buns with the crumb topping. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the buns are golden.

Enjoy!

~Krissy

More Yeast Recipes:
Homemade Bread Sticks 
Sour Cream Dinner Rolls 
Soft and Chewy French Bread
Only the Best Homemade Cinnamon Rolls 

Hazelnut Chocolate Chip Cookies

Out of all the chocolate chip cookie recipes out there, I think Nestle Tollhouse chocolate chip cookies are my favorite. The recipe calls for nuts--usually walnuts--which I have always left out. Well, this time I decided to add in the nuts--hazelnuts. Let me tell you, they take the cookies to a whole other level. I handed Eric one fresh out of the oven; he took a bite and just starting nodding his head and said "Uh-huh," which in Eric-speak means: yep, you nailed.

Recipe adapted from here.

Ingredients:
2 1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 sticks butter, softened
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 cups hazelnuts, chopped

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

You can shell your own hazelnuts (as I did), buy whole shelled hazelnuts, or purchase prechopped hazelnuts. Spread the hazelnuts out on a cookie sheet in a single layer. Bake for 5 to 10 minutes or until the nuts slightly brown. If you're using whole hazelnuts that still have the skins on them, wrap the hazelnuts in a dish towel and allow them to sit for about 1 minute. Then rub the nuts in the towel to remove the skins. Chop. (I like larger nut chunks, Eric like them small).

In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. In a large bowl, beat butter, white sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract until mixture is creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each egg. Gradually, beat in the dry ingredients. Fold in chocolate chips and hazelnuts.

Drop of rounded tablespoons of dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart.

Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until the cookies are a golden brown. Allow the cookies to cool on the cookie sheet for about 2 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Enjoy!

~Krissy

More Cookie Recipes:
Soft Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Spiced Rum Brown Butter Cookies 
Creamsicle Chocolate Chip Cookies
Applesauce Cookies with Caramel Frosting
Brown Sugar Cookies
Baileys White Chocolate Chip Cookies

Spicy Bacon-Wrapped Chicken

I also call this dish Because I love my husband chicken simply because of the bacon and his mad love of bacon. I've actually never wrapped anything in bacon before. I don't know what I was waiting for because bacon just makes everything better.

Recipe adapted from here.

Ingredients:
10 chicken tenders (or about 3 chicken breasts cut into 10 strips), rinsed and patted dry
10 strips of bacon
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
1 tablespoon chili powder

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a small bowl, combine paprika, black pepper, onion powder, Italian seasoning, and garlic powder. Rub the spices evenly over the chicken strips so they are completely coated. Wrap each piece of chicken in a strip of bacon. Place the bacon-wrapped chicken in a baking dish.

In a small bowl, mix together the brown sugar and chili powder. Sprinkle this mixture over the top the chicken then press it down. Flip the chicken over and repeat.

Bake for 30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.

Optional: Transfer chicken to a cookie sheet and place under the broiler for 3 to 4 minutes to give the bacon extra crispiness.

Enjoy!

~Krissy

More Chicken Recipes:
Pizza Inspired Chicken 
Potless Chicken Pot Pies
Provincial Chicken
Zesty Shredded Chicken (Crockpot) 
Spinach and Cheese Stuffed Chicken
Tomato and Artichoke Chicken 

Strawberry Chocolate Chip Muffins

I had originally planned on making strawberry rhubarb muffins but the rhubarb at the grocery store was looking a little rough, so I decided on strawberry chocolate chip muffins. I sent these to work with Eric, and they were quite the hit. He said he caught one person practically licking the plate.

Recipe adapted from here.

Ingredients:
Muffin
1 1/2 cup flour
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1/3 cup milk
1 1/2 cup fresh strawberries, diced
1 cup dark chocolate chips

Crumble Topping
1 tablespoon butter, room temperature
1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
2 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.

In a small bowl, combine all the crumble topping ingredients until you have a texture of coarse crumbs. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder.

In a second bowl, combine egg, oil, and milk. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir (be careful not to over mix). Fold in blueberries.

Divide equally between the 12 cups. Generously sprinkle crumble on top of the muffins. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the center of the muffins set.

Strawberry chocolate chip muffins and blueberry muffins

Strawberry chocolate chip muffins and blueberry muffins

Strawberry chocolate chip muffins and blueberry muffins

Enjoy!

~Krissy

More Breakfast Recipes:
French Toast in a Mug  
Homemade Hash Browns  
Individual Bacon and Cheese Quiches
Monkey Bread Muffins  
Only the Best Homemade Cinnamon Rolls 
Pancakes with Raspberry Sauce 
  Pumpkin Oatmeal
Quiche in a Mug