Mini Donut Pancakes

Back when we were still all crazy about National Donut Day, I had a strange idea. As I was browsing for dinner options in the supermarket, I noticed those sinful boxes of frozen eggo pancakes in the frozen breakfast aisle, and then I remembered they made them in MINI version! So I took the box home, let it defrost for a while, and took one out to see what I could do with it. I haven't really seen or eaten one of these guys in a long time but I used to loooove them as a kid. So I punched a hole out of the middle of one of them, covered it with frosting, poured on a handful of sprinkles, and voila! Mini donut pancakes! They also look like mini donut bagels, too! In fact, more so like the bagels. These were actually SO easy to make and aren't they just adorable? Not half bad tasting, either! Here are the ingredients:

 

Punching a hole out with my thumb. Or you could use something like a small cookie cutter instead. Just be aware that they fall apart preeeetty easily, so use a light hand on it!

 

Laying down the frosting

 

 

And finally, the final product. I'm drooling just looking at them now.

 

  

I also thought it could be fun to make these as a special treat for a friend who could be celebrating a birthday or other life achievement. Just stick a pretty candle in there and you're good to go!

 

Now hop to the store and try these at home! <3

 Pretty plates purchased at Urbanic

Plates designed by Meri Meri

Best Donuts in LA

LA has become somewhat of a mecca for good donuts. In every part of the city, there seem to be both old and new donut shops that have lines out the door. I've decided to compile a list of my absolute favorite donuts and where to find them. Of course, there are so many it was hard to choose! Where do you like to buy your favorite breakfast treats?

{ where to find them }

01. sidecar doughnuts    02. kettle glazed

03. dk's donuts         04. california donuts

05. fonuts                          06. donut snob

Taste Testing with Malvi Marshmallows

I'm a sucker for small companies that sell really interesting products, especially when it involves anything sweet! About six months back, I made a post about Edoughble cookie dough that you could eat right out of the package, and now I'm here to tell you about Malvi Marshmallow Confections, based out of Georgia! Malvi is a company that prides itself on making delicious, bite-sized marshmallow treats, sandwiched between two petit beurre cookies, and they are as delicious as they look! They come in a handful of flavors including: Red Velvet, Vanilla Salted Caramel, Mint Chocolate, Spiked Espresso, and Raspberry Hibiscus! They sell the cookies separately. I especially love the punch of salted caramel in the Vanilla ones, but the Red Velvet are good, too! I'm definitely going to order some of these as gifts during this holiday season.

You can order your perfect pack of yummy Malvi marshmallows here!

 

Brown Butter Bourbon Rice Krispies Treats

As a child, I loved rice krispies treats. Of course, the famous kind that come in a shiny blue package were always nice to break open on a lunch break at school, but I remember having play dates with friends where we would spend the entire hang out making homemade rice krispies treats. I recently came across a recipe for a more adult version, with Bourbon as a main ingredient, with brown butter to add some unexpected nuttiness, and I knew I just had to try my hand at them. They're pretty simple to make, and with the added sea salt flakes on top, they are pure heaven. Recipe can be found here.

 

Because I totally failed at molding them and then cutting them into perfect squares, I just took a big hunk and shaped a heart out of it instead, and I think it looks pretty good! And just so you're aware, I ate the whole thing in a matter of seconds :)

Peach + Raspberry Tart

Even though the summer is officially over, I felt the need to soak up the last of those fuzzy fruits I love so much: peaches. I learned this recipe from my boss, who is an incredible cook and I've been fortunate to learn so many recipes from her, with this being my favorite. It's simple and rustic, which I love because I'm definitely not good at fancy desserts, and it doesn't require too many ingredients or too much time! And, of course, you can substitute the fruit and jam for other ones, so it's easily adaptable. I love the peach & raspberry combo personally.

 Ingredients / /
- One package of frozen pastry puff dough (I like the DuFour brand, but I'm sure any other kind will do)
- Six peaches (depending), sliced thin, lengthwise
- Butter (to coat your baking dish with before you fill it)
- Raspberry Jam
- One egg, beaten, and brushed on the puff pastry around the edges before baking
- A couple pats of butter to place on the tart before it goes in the oven (I say a few tablespoons or one tablespoon divided into two pieces)

Optional / /
- Brown sugar to sprinkle on your peaches and a squeeze of lemon before the jam goes on top

 Step One:
- Before you do anything, you should preheat your oven to 375 degrees fahrenheit and take your puff pastry out of the freezer to thaw a little

Step Two:
- Slice up your peaches thin and place them in a bowl, put to the side

Step Three:
- Start prepping your puff pastry dough. This part is the most challenging! The puff pastry that I buy is very tricky to disassemble in one piece because it's folded into a square divided by thin pieces of wax paper. If yours is like mine and it breaks, you can always press it back together in your dish. Notice I have no photo of this step.. it was not a pretty sight!

Step Four:
- Butter your dish with the stick of butter that you took out of the fridge. Don't forget to rub the butter all along the sides as well as the bottom as you don't want anything to stick!

Step Five:
- Place the puff pastry down gently into your baking dish, pressing down so that it is in an even layer. If your edges are super long, just let them fold up and out of your baking dish (that always happens with mine)

Step Six:
- Place the peach slices next to each other and keep placing them down until there is no room left. I like to place them facing the same direction because it looks pretty that way, but you can do it however you want! Don't leave any space. The more slices, the better!

Step Seven:
- Spoon dollops of jam over your peaches. Before doing this, you can sprinkle some brown sugar all over and a squeeze of lemon to help them stay moist and get a little extra sugary in the baking process :)

Step Eight:
- Take the egg, scramble it up in a bowl, and using a pastry brush (or your fingers, that works too!), brush the outside of your puff pastry dough not missing an inch. This step helps your puff pastry to get golden brown while baking.

Step Nine:
- Place your tart in the oven. You should keep it at 375 and time it for 30-35 minutes depending on your oven. It can vary!

Step Ten:
- The tart is usually done when the peaches are bubbling and the crust is a golden brown. Take it out and let it cool.

And then enjoy! You can take a scoop of your favorite ice cream (I like vanilla), and eat it with that, or maybe even with some whipped cream, or just eat it by itself. It's one of my favorite desserts and I hope you all like it!

I Scream For Popsicles

 

Summer is just around the corner, and what better way to celebrate than with popsicles? I've also been seeing so many yummy popsicle recipes on various blogs, and felt so inspired! I'm gonna have to go out and buy a popsicle mold asap, and snatch up some of these cute clothes and accessories before they sell out. Psst.. the Forever21 socks are less than $2!

 01. Popsicle Sticks / 02. Pouch / 03. Bathing Suit / 04. Necklace

05. Dress / 06. Temporary Tattoos / 07. Ankle socks / 08. Patriotic Popsicle Dress

I can't not mention the yummy recipes that have inspired this post ...

01. Cake shaped like popsicles? Kelly, you've done it again. Genius! c/o StudioDIY

02. Popsicles with gummies hidden inside? So cute! c/o BestFriendsForFrosting/Horses & Heels

03. Tart rhubarb and creamy yogurt mixed into one delightful popsicle? Yum. c/o Apt 2B Baking Co

The Best Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies

I've always considered myself to be a pretty skilled baker. It comes naturally to me (unlike cooking, which can be hit or miss). But the one thing that I always felt that I could just not get down was cookies, plain old simple cookies. And now I can say proudly that I've finally made the most perfect batch of soft, chewy, chocolate-y doughy cookies that are delicious! It took a bit of tweaking as I went along, as the original recipe found here didn't seem to be consistent. I added one extra egg and water to the batter to make the dough more wet (it was incredibly dry, almost like the consistency of making your own cookie crumble pie crust) and added course sea salt on top at the end for an extra punch. I also didn't use nuts, but feel free! The cookies should come out of the oven soft, pillow-y and on the thicker side. I like my cookies to have a cake-like feel which is why I use heaping tablespoons for each scoop :)

I hope you enjoy these with a big, cold glass of milk or tea! I also highly recommend letting the cookies cool and then sandwiching your favorite ice cream or gelato between two of them to make the yummiest ice cream sandwich.  I used Talenti "Caramel Cookie Crunch" gelato flavor, but any would be good!

 (I've decided to not write out the recipe as you can find it in the link above, but please do like I did and use TWO eggs, not one like the recipe says, and add water if the dough is too dry. I also used a tiny bit of canola oil as well.)

Taste Testing

 

I recently ordered a box of cookie dough that is egg-less, meaning you can eat it straight out of the jar! Edoughble is a fun company out of LA that sells this cookie dough in many flavors, too. Once I got these in the mail, I knew I would have to make a post about it. I ordered Chocolate Chip Off The Ol' Block, Birthday Bash and S'more Please. As the info card suggests, they say you can eat it as-is, scoop it on top of your favorite ice cream, or mix it in with your favorite brownie mix, cake mix, etc. I plan to do all three, but for now, I'm a straight-out-of-the-box kinda girl. Everyone, go order some Edoughble! It makes a great gift, too (even for Mother's Day which is just around the corner)!

Cake In A Jar

I've always loved the idea of eating cake straight out of a jar, so I knew I had to try to make it. This recipe is the same that I used in my recent Strawberry Milk Cake post, only this time I added blackberries instead of blueberries. I must say, for my first time I didn't do such a bad job! There is something pretty spectacular about being able to eat cake right out of a jar, being that it's an on-the-go snack or dessert. I definitely plan on making these again, in different flavors/fruit combos, and in smaller jars (such as the small one pictured on the bottom of this post). And the process is so simple! You bake a cake, punch out a circle with a circle cutter, lay it in the bottom of the jar, then spoon in a layer of frosting, then a small layer of fruit, then go back to the cake and repeat the process until you reach the top! Have you ever had cake in a jar? What is your favorite way to eat cake?

 

  

Strawberry Milk Cake

 I'm always looking for fun new ways to spiff up basic vanilla cake. I came across this recipe the other day for Strawberry Milk Cake, which sounded heavenly, and knew I had to try it. What makes it a strawberry cake is the use of strawberry milk instead of regular milk for the cake batter. The original recipe is pretty much spot-on, but for me personally, I had to adjust the temperature and baking time. I baked the cakes at 325 degrees, and let them bake for 22 minutes in a convection oven. If you are baking in a regular oven, I would say to stick to the 350 degrees/35 minute rule, but check on the cake five minutes early. I also added red holiday sprinkles to give it a festive touch, and fresh strawberries and blackberries on top for added freshness. The frosting was more of a whipped cream, as it didn't need powdered sugar. The result was lighter and not as sweet, in fact it was a bit tangy from the cream cheese. This is easily the best cake I have ever made, and next weekend I'm going to play around with the recipe so you may just see a similar cake post soon :)

 

[my boyfriend's nonna is amazing! just look at how much fun she was having while we were baking!]

 

Funfetti Cake

Nothing makes me happier than a cake with sprinkles baked into it. SusieCakes makes a pretty spectacular one, so I thought I'd try to make one, too (with ooey gooey frosting that looks like melted ice cream). I found this recipe and added green food coloring to make my frosting more of a mint color (like Susiecakes). If I did it all over again, I would have taken the cake out from the oven five minutes sooner, and I would have added less almond extract (I happen to not like the flavor so much). But all in all, it was yummy and the best part about it was all made from scratch. :)