Glazed Doughnut Muffins

I woke up Sunday morning and thought, I NEED muffins today! Have you ever had one of those mornings? So I looked around my Pinterest Board  and low and behold I found THESE! Glazed Doughnut Muffins! Yahoooo! Luckily for me, the recipe is only for 12! They were THAT good!  

NOTE: you can easily double this recipe with equal ingredients to get 24!

My camera phone did NOT do these justice!

Glazed Doughnut Muffins

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
• 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. Beat together butter, vegetable oil, and sugars until smooth. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Add in baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and vanilla until just combined. Stir the flour into the butter mixture alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour until 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, 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.  

Yields: 12 muffins 

Baking with Melissa hosts Baking Parties and Cooking Parties in Los Angeles and the surrounding areas! Find Baking with Melissa on Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, and Facebook!

 

I found the recipe here!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge Bars

Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge Bars

Whew! I am on a Chocolate and Peanut Butter kick these days! If you want to make a REALLY great treat for your next social event, BRING THESE BARS! Not only are they AMAZING to eat (people go NUTS over them), but they are super easy and inexpensive to make!

Ingredients:

1 (18.25) white cake mix
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup creamy peanut butter
2 eggs
1 (12 oz) package semi sweet chocolate chips
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
2 Tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons vanilla

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2) Combine cake mix, melted butter, peanut butter, and eggs in a large bowl using a mixer or spoon a. Press this into a 9X13 pan (sprayed with non-stick spray) reserving 1 and 1/2 cup of the mixture to crumble on top.
3) In a small pot, melt chocolate chips, sweetened condensed milk, and butter. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla.
4) Spread chocolate mixture over the mixture pressed in the pan and then crumble the 1 1/2 cups of reserved cake mixture on top evenly.
5) Bake for 20-25 minutes. Cool COMPLETELY before cutting into bars.

Tip: Make the day before you want to serve them so the fudge center really sets! Or you can refrigerate them for a couple of hours! They taste good either way, but when the fudge was thick and completely set it made a WORLD of difference!

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE:

A chocolate version of these bars!
 or
Fudgy Oatmeal Bars  

Baking with Melissa hosts Baking Parties and Cooking Parties in Los Angeles and the surrounding areas! Find Baking with Melissa on Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, and Facebook!

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Best Basic Chocolate Chip Cookies

Behold!
Today I bring you a wonderful Chocolate Chip Cookie!
Who doesn't like a warm cookie straight from the oven?
These chocolate chip cookies are nice change from the recipes you find
on the back of chocolate chips packages!
Thanks to my Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook (thanks mom)
I have found my new favorite recipe!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter

1/2  cup shortening

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 tsp baking soda 

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 12 ounce bag or 2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips
Chopped up Dark/Milk Chocolate Bars (optional)

1 1/2 chopped nuts (optional)

Directions:

In a large mixing bowl beat the shortening and butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add the brown sugar, granulated sugar, and baking soda. Beat mixture until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in the eggs and vanilla until combined. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in remaining flour. Stir in chocolate pieces and, if desired, nuts.

Drop dough by rounded teaspoons 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake in a 375 degree F oven 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Transfer cookies to a wire rack and let cool. Makes about 60 cookies.  ***I made them into giant cookies using 1/4 cup of dough for each one and baked for 10-12 minutes (making about 18 cookies).

NOTE: When I baked these with Spelt Flour the cookies were nice and flat, but chewy and crunchy all at the same time. When I baked these with all purpose flour they were much fluffier.  In the taste test...the Spelt Flour cookies won!

All Purpose Flour Cookies 

Spelt Flour Cookies w/ added dark chocolate chunks and a hand measure to show the size

 mmmmmm....cookies

*** Recipe Adapted from the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook***

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Amazing that these turn into

THESE :)

RECIPE TO FOLLOW SOON

QUICK AND EASY VEGAN CHILI

 This is a super easy and healthy meatless meal that you can make in less than 30 minutes

 Use and make however much you need and just throw everything in the skillet

What you need:

1/2 Soy Chorizo (take out of casing) *Trader Joe's

1 Can Black Beans

1 Can Kidney Beans

1 package already made lentils *Trader Joe's

Veggies: 

(amounts are approximate)

1/4 Red Onion

1 Jalapeno (without seeds)

1/2 Red Bell Pepper

1/2 Tomato or sliced cherry tomatos about 1/2 cup

1 1/2 Cups of frozen Corn

2 cloves of garlic

Spices:

Use according to taste I usually start with 1/2 teaspoon and go from there

Ground Cumin

Chili Powder

Course Black Pepper

Tony's (the best Cajun spice EVER)

Serve on 

Quinoa (prepare while chili is heating up)

 First put all of your veggies and spices in the skillet and cook for a few minutes then add the chorizo

Continue to cook for a few minutes and then add beans and lentils 

cook until beans and lentils are warm and veggies are tender

Then serve over Quinoa

and add a dollop of sour cream (vegan or dairy)

The end result? AMAZING chili that does not take all day to make!

The best part about this recipe is you can make as much or as little as you want

I  made plenty for left overs so I had something easy to prepare all week!

Other meal ideas:

Serve with tortilla chips

or make a burrito wrap and add cheese (vegan or dairy)

It appears that I did not take photos of the final product, but it was a HUGE hit!

Enjoy

"Better than Crack Brownies"

"Better than Crack Brownies"! Okay, okay...this my friends, is by far the MOST AMAZING brownie you will ever eat! If you have any sort of sweet tooth...One will never be enough!  Disclaimer: I do not condone drug use of any kind, this recipe is merely a play on words.

Imagine this:

 Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
Peanuts
Marshmallows

All melted on top of your favorite brownie recipe

AND THEN
 topped off with melted chocolate chips and peanut butter

mixed with Rice Krispies

I can't begin to tell you how in love I am with these!

Chocolate Peanut Butter HEAVEN

Look at the layers of goodness!

THE RECIPE: 

• Your favorite 9x13 Fudge Brownie Recipe (click on link for my favorite recipe) or to save time use a Brownie Box Mix
• 1/2 cup salted peanuts
• 1 cup chopped Reese's peanut butter cups (I added more than one cup and ate the rest lol)
• 2 cups mini marshmallows
• 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
• 1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter
• 2 cups Rice Krispies cereal

DIRECTIONS: 

1. Butter a 9x13 baking dish. 
2. Prepare your brownies according to directions and bake for 20-25 minutes (do not over bake)
3. Remove from oven and top with peanuts, chopped peanut butter cups and marshmallows
4. Return to oven for five minutes, or until marshmallows puff and chocolate starts to melt
5. Melt chocolate chips and peanut butter together on stove top or in microwave; stir in Rice Krispies
6. Pour mixture evenly on top of baked brownies
7. Refrigerate for two hours before serving

WARNING: THIS IS A DANGEROUS TREAT! IT CAN CAUSE AN INTENSE REACTION CAUSING YOU TO EAT WAY TOO MANY BROWNIES IN A SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME. YOU WILL THINK ABOUT THESE BROWNIES DAY AND NIGHT UNTIL THEY ARE OUT OF YOUR HOUSE. THEN ONCE YOU ARE FINALLY FREE AND CLEAR OF THEM...YOU WILL START TO COME UP WITH EXCUSES AS TO WHY YOU NEED TO MAKE THEM AGAIN! BEFORE YOU KNOW IT YOUR JEANS WILL NOT FIT ANYMORE AND YOU WILL START TO BINGE EAT ON MORE BROWNIES TO EASE THE PAIN. 

(or um...at least this is what I have heard)

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Check out my new baking blog here! 

 Original recipe found here 

Salads can be SO good!

If you know me, you know I have a HUGE sweet tooth! 

But did you know that my next favorite food is salad?

HUGE salads topped with all kinds of beautiful colorful veggies?

When most people think of salad they think BORING!

Who wants to eat iceberg lettuce and soggy tomatoes!?

All you have to do is add some color and lots of crunch and your boring old salads will be AMAZING!

Presentation helps too!

Here is what I was using today!

I like to use either Spinach or Romaine lettuce (sometimes a spring mix)

I usually add cucumbers, apples, tomatoes, celery, bell peppers, green onions, sunflower seeds (or other nuts), broccoli or broccoli slaw,  pea shoots, avocado, carrots (not often), low fat feta (if not using avocados), and whatever other crunchy veggies I have in my refrigerator, I will often add black beans or garbanzo beans to my salads as well.

They key is to make your salad colorful and large (to fill you up) 

and full of tasty veggies and fruits that you enjoy! 

I try to use Organic fruits and veggies as much as possible, but we all know how pricey that can be at times! So make sure, at the very least, you wash everything well! 

Then start adding your layers and pick out a "Light" dressing so you do not add hundreds of unwanted calories to your low calorie meal!

This is my current favorite dressing!

Sometimes for your birthday....

YOU GET THESE

AND THEN YOU BAKE AND EAT TOO MANY OF THESE 

 "Better Than Crack Brownies"!

Recipe to follow