Baked Oatmeal

I recently went on a Daniel Fast. For anyone who doesn't know what that is I will describe it briefly for you. Basically you eat fruits, veggies, whole grains (like brown rice and oats), and beans. So for someone who enjoys food as much as I do, this can be incredibly difficult. The plus side is that I feel awesome! I feel spiritually, mentally, and physically very clean and focused. I am however, looking forward to enjoying foods that I wasn't able to eat, but I thought I would share a few recipes that I tried while on the fast with you.

This baked oatmeal is divine. It is seriously so delicious, nutritious and makes a whole 9x13 pan (which my roommate and I ate in 2 days).

Baked Oatmeal

3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

3 cups unsweetened almond milk

1 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 cup dried fruit*

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

*You can use apricots, raisins, dates, cherries. Whatever suits your fancy. Just make sure to get dried fruit that does not have sugar added to it. You might have to go to a health foods store to find it.

Mix all the ingredients together and pour into a 9x13 that has been lightly greased with olive oil. Bake at 350*F for 40-50 minutes or until slightly browned on top. Serve warm with some peanut or almond butter on top. You could also serve this with some baked apple slices or fresh fruit like pineapple.

One-Bowl Brownies

These brownies are possibly the first thing that I remember making on my own. They are called One-Bowl brownies because you make them all in one bowl.  And they are the prefect brownie to take to any event because they are super easy and fast to make, and they will be devoured because they are delicious!

One-Bowl Brownies

4 square unsweetened chocolate

3/4 cup unsalted butter

2 cups brown sugar

3 eggs*

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

*I used applesauce to replace the eggs, but if you are making these for people who aren't used to applesauce replacement for eggs you will probably want to stick with the eggs as the applesauce does slightly change the consistency and flavor.

Start by putting the butter and chocolate in a microwave safe bowl and microwaving it for 2 minutes, checking it at 1 minute to stir. Be careful with how long you microwave it for because the chocolate can burn easily.

Stir until the chocolate is all melted. Add in the sugar and vanilla. I might have added a dusting of cinnamon here as well.

 Add in the eggs (or applesauce) and stir to combine.

 Add in the flour.

 Pour into a 9x13 pan or a 9x9 pan for thicker brownies. I also don't have a 9x9 pan so I use a 9x13.

Bake at 350*F for 30ish minutes. Here is where it helps to know your oven because you definitely don't want to cook these too long. You want them to be a little gooey in the center.

You can eat these with ice cream and Bailey's or some salted caramel sauce or just straight out of the pan when they are warm.

pumpkin pancakes

The other morning something happened that has never happened before. My roommate and I ate breakfast together. We aren't really breakfast people. We like breakfast foods. We just tend not to like breakfast hours. We have frequently had brunch together, but never breakfast, until the other day that is. And what a breakfast to have. . .I seriously think I could dream about these pancakes. Absolutely delicious!! I adapted my recipe from Alice's Tea Cup's recipe.

Pumpkin Pancakes
1 cup unbleached all purpose flour
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 cup buttermilk
3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
3-6 Tbsp. unsweetened applesauce
1 cup pumpkin puree

Mix together the dry ingredients. Then one at a time add the buttermilk, butter, applesauce and pumpkin, mixing well with a spatula after each addition. Allow to sit for 15 minutes, then stir again. Then allow to sit for another 15 minutes. Cook on a griddle or in a skillet until bubbles form, flip and cook for another couple of minutes. Serve with butter and maple syrup. Yum!

P.S. I'm headed off to Mexico for 10 days starting tomorrow, but I'll be back after that, and I have some yummy recipes to share with you! Stay tuned!

Salted Brownies (sans eggs)

I love sea salt in chocolate. It's just something about that salty-sweet flavor that appeals to my taste buds. I was looking for a brownie recipe without eggs one day, and I stumbled across this recipe for salted fudge brownies. It called for eggs, but it sounded so good I couldn't pass it up and decided just to substitute for the eggs. Here is my adapted version.

Salted Fudge Brownies
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
2 oz. unsweetened chocolate
1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp. cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
9 Tbsp. unsweetened applesauce
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. large flake sea salt + more for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 350*F. Melt chocolate and butter in a saucepan over medium low heat, stirring often.

Remove from heat and add in cocoa powder and stir until smooth.


Add in brown sugar and stir until dissolved. You could also throw in a shake of cinnamon here.


Add in applesauce and vanilla and stir until combined.


Add in flour.


Pour batter into a greased 8x8 or 9x9 pan. I didn't have either of those, so I used what I did have. Then sprinkle with the sea salt and swirl in with a knife. Be careful to not get it too salty.


Bake for 30ish minutes or until the edges are set and the center is still a little soft. Don't over bake!


Enjoy! And they do crumble when you eat them right away when they are warm, in case you were wondering. They are best that way. ;)

just because. . .

. . .everyone deserves birthday cake (or pie or cookies or whatever their dessert of choice is). This is one of my personal beliefs. Life is meant to be celebrated, to be savored, to be enjoyed in every capacity to the fullest. Whenever possible, I like to make that happen for the people in my life. In a day and age of fast food and grocery store baked goods, I have an ability to cook and bake that is rare (especially among my age group), so I don't take it for granted, and I try to bless everyone in my life with my abilities whenever possible.

Chocolate cake is a staple, and I have a go to recipe that will please almost anyone, and it's vegan (shhhh, don't tell anyone I said that). I used to have a running competition with a friend that dessert could be delicious and healthy. I would make dessert and after a proclamation that it was indeed delicious, I would proclaim in return that it was also healthy. This cake is my ultimate achievement of delicious and healthy.

Chocolate Cake
1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar
1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. sea salt
about 1 tsp. cinnamon
6 Tbsp. unsweetened applesauce
1 cup dark chocolate almond milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup boiling water

Preheat oven to 350*F. Line the bottoms of two 9-inch round cake pans with a paper towel and then grease the pans.

Stir together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl. Add in the applesauce, almond milk, oil and vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer until mixed. Stir in the water. Pour evenly into the prepared pans.

I get paranoid about over baking, so I always start with a lesser amount of time and check and then add more time. My oven also cooks a little hot, so I start with 15 minutes and then add 5 minute increments. I think it takes about 20-25 minutes for this to bake. It is done when the middle of the cake springs back up when you lightly touch it.

Allow the cakes to cool completely and then remove from the pans and frost. This is where the cake stops being vegan, but just because of the frosting I choose to use. If you use a frosting without butter in it, then the cake will remain vegan.

Chocolate Frosting
1 stick butter
2/3 cup cocoa powder
3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup dark chocolate almond milk
1 tsp. vanilla

Melt the butter and stir in the cocoa powder. Add the powdered sugar and almond milk alternately, beating well between each addition. Add vanilla and beat until smooth. I find that this usually makes just a little more frosting than I need, so I like to lick out the bowl when I'm finished, but you do whatever you feel like. ;)

And make this cake the next time someone tells you it's their birthday. They will thank you, trust me!

My recipe is adapted from the recipe for Hershey's "Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Cake and Frosting.

Oatmeal Cookies

Oatmeal Cookies
1 1/2 sticks butter, softened
1 cup dark brown sugar
dash cinnamon
dash nutmeg
1 tsp. vanilla
3 ish Tbsp. unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup water
1 tsp. baking soda
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
3 cups old fashioned oats
raisins
chopped dark chocolate

Cream together sugar and butter. Add applesauce, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and water. Mix well. Add baking soda, flour and oats. Mix in raisins and chopped dark chocolate. Bake at 350 degrees for 6 to 8 minutes. And enjoy. I also added some peanut butter to this latest batch. Enjoy!!

cupcakes. . .yum!

I went shopping yesterday and found the coolest cupcake carrier. It has two layers, so it can hold up to 24 cupcakes, and it basically just wonderful. I just had to get it. Well, in honor of the new cupcake carrier, I just had to make cupcakes. So I went back to ming makes cupcakes and decided to try a new recipe out.

Espresso Fudge Cupcakes
1 cup unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar (I used coconut sugar)
1 tsp. vanilla
3 Tbsp. unsweetened applesauce
3/4 cup milk (which I didn't have on hand so I used half and half)
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

Cream together butter and sugar. Add applesauce and vanilla.

The recipe called for espresso powder which I didn't have, so I dissolved 2 heaping Tbsp. of instant coffee in about 2 Tbsp. of hot water and added it to the half and half.


Alternately add the flour mixture and the coffee, half and half mixture to the butter mixture until it is all combined.


Stir in the chocolate chips. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.


The recipe off of ming makes cupcakes calls for chocolate cream cheese frosting. I happened to have some already made up in my fridge from making a cake a while ago, so I just iced them with that instead of making the frosting listed with the recipe. I honestly can't remember what I put in my chocolate cream cheese frosting.

scottish whisky cake

My sweet baker friend (who is coming home at the end of this month. . .eeeeee!!!) posted this recipe a while ago, and I was looking for the perfect opportunity to try it out. I had a group of friends over for dinner on Sunday and decided that I wanted to give it a try. Here's my take on her recipe.

Scottish Whisky Cake
2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups strongly brewed coffee
1/4 cup plus 3 tbsp. whiskey
1 cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups dark brown sugar
6Tbsp. unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl and set aside. In a medium saucepan combine coffee, whiskey butter, cinnamon and cocoa powder. Heat over medium heat until butter is melted. Remove from heat and stir in sugar until dissolved. Pour into a large, heat resistant bowl. In a small bowl combine applesauce and vanilla. Stir into chocolate mixture. Then stir in flour mixture until just combined. Pour into a greased 9x13 pan and bake for 35-45 minutes. My oven runs hot so I baked it for about 30 minutes.

When the cake is almost done baking make the following whisky butter sauce.

Combine 1/4 cup whisky, 1/4 cup water, 1/4 cup butter, and 3/4 cup dark brown sugar in a saucepan and heat gently until sugar is dissolved.

When cake is done remove it from the oven and allow it to cool for 10 minute. Poke holes in the cake using a toothpick and pour the whisky butter sauce over the cake slowly until it is all absorbed. Allow to cool and serve to happy people. This can be topped with whipped cream.

coconut cupcakes

You may remember that I made a coconut cake for my sister's bridal shower back in April. I realized that this recipe would also make great coconut cupcakes. So that's what I did. It helped a lot with the dryness of the cake to make them in cupcake form instead. I also didn't bake them as long. I was also making these so that my roommate could enjoy them as well, so I adjusted the recipe somewhat from my coconut cake recipe. I also cut the recipe in half as I didn't need as much batter for the cupcakes as I needed for a three layer cake.

Coconut Cupcakes
1/2 cup butter
1 cup coconut sugar
1 2/3 cups flour (I used unbleached all-purpose, and this was approximate)
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup almond milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla
6 Tbsp. applesauce
2 Tbsp. tapioca flour
dash cinnamon
sprinkle nutmeg
toasted coconut

Cream together the butter and sugar. Add the vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg.


Add the tapioca flour and applesauce.


Combine the remaining ingredients and mix well. Fill cupcake wrappers and bake at 350* for about 15 minutes. I iced these cupcakes with the remaining frosting that I had from the coconut cake and sprinkled them with toasted coconut. Delicious.

peanut butter + dark chocolate = heaven

I discovered heaven yesterday on my sweet friend's blog. Please, please, please, if you try no other recipes on here, please, try this one. You will not regret it, I promise. Unless you don't like peanut butter or dark chocolate, in which case I don't promise. But you should try it anyway because you might change your mind. Deliciousness has a way of making that happen.

I have a dear friend in Scotland right now who is a kindred baking spirit, and she posted a recipe for giant peanut butter chocolate chip cookies, and I just knew I had to try them. You should just go look at her blog anyway because she's funny and sweet and lives in Scotland and she's my friend. . .'nough said. I tweaked her recipe just a bit to accommodate for my roommate because I wanted her to try them too because everyone should try these cookies. The End. Okay, so here's my altered recipe.

Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies
2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
sprinkle freshly grated nutmeg
sprinkle cinnamon
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup coconut sugar
6ish Tbsp. applesauce
1 pkg. dark chocolate chips

Using a stand mixer, cream the butter until smooth. Then add the peanut butter and beat again. Then add the sugars and beat again.

Add the applesauce and beat again.


In a separate bowl combine the dry ingredients and whisk together. Then add to the butter and sugar mixture and beat until just combined.


By hand stir in the dark chocolate chips. Then take a good handful of dough and roll it between your palms and place about 2 inches apart on a baking sheet.


Bake at 350* for 12 minutes turning the pans halfway through.


Then enjoy the deliciousness that awaits you. May I just say you know the mark of a good cookie when it falls apart when you are taking them off the baking sheet, these definitely did. Yum! Thanks Anna for making my day with these delightful cookies!!

Oatmeal Cake

As soon as I saw this recipe for Old-Fashioned Oatmeal Cake I just knew I had to give it a try. I'm not sure what exactly it was that appealed to me about it. Maybe because the word Old-Fashioned is in the name? I do have a love of all things old-fashioned. At any rate, I decided to give it a try. Here is my adjusted recipe. And I apologize about the absence of pictures.

Oatmeal Cake
1 1/2 c. old fashioned oats
1 3/4 c. boiling water
3/4 c. honey
3/4 c. coconut sugar
1/2 c. butter, softened
1 tsp. vanilla
9 Tbsp. unsweetened applesauce (give or take a little)
2 Tbsp. tapioca flour
1 1/2 c. flour (I used unbleached all-purpose)
1 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

Topping
2/3 c. sugar (I used dark brown and raw sugar)
1/4 c. butter, melted
1/4 c. heavy whipping cream
1 c. coconut
1 c. chopped pecans

Combine the oats and the boiling water and allow to sit while you combine the rest.

In a separate bowl cream together the butter, coconut sugar and honey. Add the vanilla and applesauce and mix well. Then add the remaining ingredients including the oatmeal. Mix until well combined. Spread in a greased 9x13 pan and bake in a 350* oven for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

While the cake is baking combine the ingredients for the topping. When the cake is done baking, spread the topping over it and place under a broiler for 1-2 minutes until the topping is golden brown and bubbly. Enjoy!

banana bread

I used to make banana bread all the time. My favorite coffeeshop would give me all of their old or unusable bananas to make into banana bread. At one point, I actually had about 30 bananas in my freezer. I was a little overwhelmed. They all eventually found their way into banana bread which found it's way in the the stomachs of many happy people.

However, one of the foods that my roommate is allergic to is bananas. . .sad day in happy town. I had just enough bananas left in my freezer to make one more batch, so I decided to make it up and send it with the muffins to my friend who was entertaining house guests last weekend. And here's the thing about my banana bread. I almost never make it the same way twice. Yes, I have a recipe that I gauge off of, but every time I make it I decide I want to try something a little different. And honestly, I don't even really remember what all I put in this batch as I didn't really write it down as I was making it, but I will try my best to remember.

Banana Bread
1 cup sugar (I used 1/2 coconut sugar and 1/2 dark brown sugar)
1/2 cup shortening
1 egg
3 Tbsp. applesauce
1 tsp. vanilla
3 cups flour (I used a combination of almond flour, whole wheat and unbleached all purpose)
1 Tbsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. (approx) cinnamon
dash nutmeg (or some fresh ground)
2/3 cup sour milk
(I didn't have any milk on hand, so I used almond milk with a bit of vinegar in it)
3 very ripe bananas
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Mix together shortening and sugars.

And this is where I stopped taking pictures. Add in the egg, applesauce and vanilla. Mix well. In a separate bowl mix the dry ingredients. Then alternately add the milk, bananas, and dry ingredients to the sugar mixture. I add a banana, 1/3 of the milk, 1/3 of the flour mixture, and repeat until it's all in. Mix well. Then stir in the chopped pecans. Pour batter into two greased regular loaf pans. Bake at 325* for 40 to 60 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. My oven takes about 40 to 45 minutes.

muffins for a friend

Okay, first I just have to tell you. . .this lovely guy and I are celebrating 1 year of being in each others lives. He was my birthday present from mis padres last year, and I decided he was a he because he does the heavy lifting in our relationship. I have this thing about personifying inanimate objects, so yes, I am acting like my mixer is a person. I do have to confess, though, that while it has been a year, I have yet to name him. So if anyone has some good name suggestions, I would love to hear them. Alright, moving on. . .


A dear friend of mine had a houseful of guests last weekend, and as she is always busy and stretched out over so many things and also because she does not enjoy baking, she asked if I would make her some muffins to share with her guests. I was delighted to be able to help her out, especially since she had a new muffin recipe that she wanted me to try. I adapted the recipe that she gave me which was torn out of a magazine.

Monster Muffins
2 cups whole grain flour (I believe I used a combination of whole wheat and oat flour)
1 cup oat bran
1 cup pecans, chopped
1 cup raisins (approximately)
1 cup raw sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. sea salt
1 1/2 Tbsp. cinnamon (I used up all of my cinnamon on this)
a dash cloves
some fresh ground nutmeg
1 cup almond milk
2 eggs
3 Tbsp. applesauce
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup canned pumpkin
2 cups shredded carrots
3 Granny Smith apples, peeled and shredded
some shredded coconut

In a large mixing bowl, mix the flour, oat bran, pecans, raisins, raw sugar, baking powder, baking soda, sea salt, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, almond milk, applesauce, eggs and vanilla. Mix until just blended. Stir in the pumpkin, shredded carrots, apples and coconut. Mix thoroughly. Bake at 350* for 20-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool and enjoy.



A muffin fresh from the oven with a bit of butter. . .so wonderfully delightful!! My batch easily made 24 muffins.

peanut butter cupcakes

I really love peanut butter. Yep. It's so delicious. There are times that I crave a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. . .yes, it is my inner five year old self crying out. I saw these on this site, and wanted to try them, but decided to go in a little different direction with the topping. I was wanting it to be a little more like a Reese's. Here's my version:

Peanut Butter Cupcakes
1 cup flour (I used 3/4 oat and 1/4 coconut)
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
sprinkle cinnamon
about 2 Tbsp. tapioca flour
3/4 stick butter, softened
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup coconut sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
3 Tbsp. applesauce (unsweetened)
1/2 cup milk (I used almond milk)

Combine dry ingredients.

In a separate bowl cream together butter, peanut butter, and coconut sugar.


Then add applesauce and vanilla. Then add almond milk and dry ingredients and mix well.


Bake at 350* for 20 minutes.


And ready to be topped. I decided to do a chocolate buttercream frosting for these instead of a peanut butter frosting and chocolate ganache.

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
1 stick butter, softened
2 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/4 - 1/3 cup cocoa powder
dash cinnamon
about 1/2 cup milk

Confession: I did not have 2 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar, so what I did was wait and add the milk last to get the consistency that I wanted. It turned out delightful.

Top with chopped Reese's. So delicious!!

*Note: I have to tell you, I have been a little frustrated at how non-fluffy my baked goods have been when I don't use wheat flour. I think I finally figured out a nice remedy. Using a little bit of tapioca flour in addition to the oat and coconut flour made these cupcakes much fluffier than the others I have made without it. Yay!!