Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Last month when I shared my Mini Red Velvet Donuts over at Lil' Luna, I mentioned that I had never tried anything red velvet before! After making (and eating) those delicious baked donuts I decided that the next thing I needed to make was cupcakes! Red velvet cupcakes just seem like a classic Valentine's Day treat to me. I wanted to stick with traditional cream cheese frosting but didn't want it to be runny or soupy. So I did a little research and created a recipe that isn't loaded with sugar and can be easily piped. Too good to be true? It's not! I've got a few tips and tricks that will help keep this frosting tasting as good as it looks!

Berry Patch Smoothie

One thing that I miss about living California (and Florida) is the fresh fruit. It seems like no matter what time of year it is, there's always something delicious in season! Here in Utah we grow lots of vegetables, especially during the summer and early fall, which is wonderful, but it's often difficult to find fresh berries! So when I'm scooting past the fruit in the grocery store and I see decent looking strawberries, raspberries or blueberries, I always grab them! I love eating them straight out of the container, using them in muffins or tossing them into smoothies. Yesterday morning I chose the later.

Classic Chocolate Cake

Layered cakes aren't my forte. If you've peeked at my recipe index you'll notice that it's seriously lacking in the cake department. I've always struggled with issues like rise, sticking or texture. I'm sure many of you have faced similar problems. It's downright frustrating to go through all of that work (and ingredients) only to end up with a cake catastrophe. That's why I usually prefer making cupcakes. They're easy, you can scale down the recipe and they're just more fun! So when you do see a cake recipe pop up on here, you know it's gotta be a good one!

Gooey Rice Krispie Treats

No matter what I did to prepare during the week, last Friday was chaotic. I planned on having a small group of girls over from church to work on a few little projects. I cleaned the house, kept baby happy and had everything set out for them. But for some reason that afternoon everything fell apart. Baby decided to cry every 10 minutes and didn't want to be set down, I hadn't showered or gotten dressed, and 20 minutes before the girls were to arrive, I realized that I had completely forgotten to make the treat. 

Cinnamon Sugar Topped Banana Bread

This week is going to be a busy one for us! It seems like that's how life has been lately. So much to do and never enough time. Now that we're parents we savor every last minute of sleep in the morning. I know it sounds terrible, but mornings are sort of a blur. I hope we're not the only ones ;) Our breakfasts are often rushed or non-existent, so when I have an hour or two to spare on Sundays, I love to bake bread or muffins for the upcoming week. Something that makes a nice little snack for me while I take care of the baby or that Stephen can take with him on his drive to school in the morning. This banana bread was perfect for us. I used up some frozen ripe bananas that I had and was able to use a cinnamon sugar mixture from a few months back. The bread itself was moist, tender and had a lovely little swirl in it. The topping was heavenly. The sugar got all crunchy when it baked which created a nice contrast in texture. If you're a pecan lover like me, they'd be a great addition... and cinnamon chips would be too! I hope you'll give this recipe a try- I know you're going to love it!

Cinnamon Sugar Topped Banana Bread
Ingredients 
1¼ c. all-purpose flour
½ c + 2 tbsp. granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 c. very ripe bananas
¼ c. buttermilk
¼ c. (½ stick) butter, at room temperature
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. vanilla

Topping & Swirl:
⅓ c. sugar
1 tbsp. cinnamon

DIRECTIONS: 
1. Move oven rack to position where pans will be in the center of the oven. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter & flour (spray or line with parchment) the bottom of 1 loaf pan, set aside.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg, beating until incorporated.
3. Mash bananas on a plate using a fork. With mixing speed on low, add bananas and vanilla, beat until smooth.
4. In a small mixing bowl whisk together flour, baking soda and salt. With mixing speed on low, alternate dry ingredients and buttermilk (this will help prevent the batter from clumping up). Mix until just combined. Pour half of the batter into the prepared pan. Then sprinkle half of the cinnamon-sugar mixture over top. Pour the remaining batter over, then sprinkle the remaining mixture on top.
5. Place in oven and bake for approximately one hour, or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, and the top is golden brown in color (if the top is getting too dark, place a sheet of foil over the loaf and continue baking until the bread is fully baked). Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes, then loosen the sides of the loaf and remove from pan onto wire rack. Let cool completely (about 1 hour
) before serving or storing.
Life Made Simple Family Recipe | Makes one standard size loaf

Chocolate Peppermint S'mores Bars

Now that Christmas is over it's a great time to use up all of that peppermint bark you've got sitting around... and I've got a perfect recipe for it! These are a spin on one of my favorite treats, Hershey's Chocolate S'mores Bars. You start off with chocolate graham crackers as the base, then scoop mounds of chocolate cookie dough on top, then cover the cookies with chocolate chips, crushed graham crackers, peppermint marshmallows and a whole lot of peppermint bark. They're best served straight out of the oven when they're all gooey and warm, because that's just how s'mores should be eaten! I prefer piling up a plate full and eating mine with a mug full of cocoa, but a glass of milk would do too! I can't tell you just how good these are- even the hubby who doesn't care for peppermint was seriously digging 'em! I made us a standard batch, but next year I'll be doubling this for sure! Enjoy!!!

Chocolate Peppermint S'mores Bars

Ingredients
1 c. all-purpose flour
¼ c. natural unsweetened cocoa powder
½ c. sugar
¼ c. brown sugar
⅔ c. semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted
8 tbsp. (1 stick) butter, room temperature
1 egg + 1 egg yolk
½ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. vanilla extract
¼ tsp. peppermint extract

1 sleeve chocolate graham crackers, more if needed
1 c. miniature peppermint marshmallows
½ c. regular miniature marshmallows
½ c. semisweet chocolate chips
1 Ghirardelli peppermint bark baking bar, chopped

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9x13 or a quarter baking sheet with parchment paper. Use the chocolate graham crackers to cover the parchment, set aside.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together butter, sugars, vanilla and peppermint for 2-3 minutes. Add melted chocolate chips, mix until combined. Add egg, then egg yolk, mixing just until combined.
3. In a medium size mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. With mixing speed on low, add dry ingredients. When no flour pockets remain, turn off and remove bowl from stand. Spread cookie dough over the graham crackers, in an even layer.
4. Place in oven and bake for 6 minutes, remove and gently press in remaining graham crackers (broken into pieces), marshmallows, chocolate chips and baking bar pieces. Place in oven and bake for an additional 10-12 minutes or until the marshmallows become lighty golden in color. Remove and allow to cool in pan for 25-30 minutes before removing and cutting into bars.
Yield: Approximately 15 bars (but depends on how big or small you cut them)

Gluten-Free Monster Cookies

A few months ago when my parents came to visit my mom made us a big batch of monster cookies. I couldn't believe how delicious they were... especially because they were flourless! I asked her for the recipe and altered it a bit so that the cookies baked better here in Utah (the altitude is an issue with lots of recipes). For some reason hers came out a tad bit flat and fell apart, not that I minded... I gobbled them up in just a few days! I mean what's not to love about peanut butter, oats, chocolate chips and M&M's?! Some my adjustments included adding quick cooking oats to help "glue" the cookies together, an extra egg yolk to create a thicker/chewier cookie, slightly less butter to prevent them from spreading, and letting the dough chill to allow the oats to absorb some moisture. All of my little tricks worked- they came out looking beautiful and tasting just as good as the ones she made :) I seriously would make these cookies on a daily basis if I could, they're that amazing!!! Happy gluten-free baking!

Gluten-Free Monster Cookies

Ingredients

2¼c. old-fashioned oats*
¼ c. quick cooking oats
½ c. sugar

½ c. brown sugar

1 egg + 1 egg yolk

1/3 c. (¾ of a stick) butter, room temperature

¾ c. creamy peanut butter

1 tsp. baking soda

pinch of salt

¾ tsp. vanilla

½ c. chocolate M&Ms 

½ c. chocolate chips

½ c. peanut butter chips

DIRECTIONS:

1. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpat mats, set aside.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter, peanut butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add vanilla. With mixing speed on low, add one egg at a time, mixing until incorporated. 

3. In a medium size mixing bowl, combine oats, baking soda and salt. Whisk together. With mixing speed on low, add dry ingredients, mix until combined. Remove bowl from stand and fold in M&Ms, chocolate chips and peanut butter chips. Place dough in the refrigerator to chill for 1 hour.

4. Remove dough from refrigerator and allow to stand at room temperature for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Scoop cookies onto the prepared sheets using a standard size scoop, gently pat down to slightly flatten. Place in oven and bake for 10-12 minutes (they will look soft) before removing from oven. Allow to cool on sheets for 3 minutes before carefully transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
NOTE: DO NOT SKIP parchment or a mat... seriously, it really is a key part to making these cookies bake perfectly! Also be gentle with the cookies when you are transferring them to the rack to cool, they will probably break apart a little, but just push them back together and let them cool for a good hour or so and they'll be firm and sturdy!

*Please make sure that your oats are gluten-free. Bob's Red Mill Oats are gluten-free, Quaker Oats are not guaranteed to be gluten-free.

Life Made Simple family recipe adapted from The Amish Cook's Baking Book | Makes 24 standard size cookies

Chex Snack Mix

The first time I spent Christmas in Florida with Stephen's family his mom made a giant batch of Chex mix. We gobbled it down over the course of a few days and begged her to make more. If I remember correctly, she even gave us bags of it to take back to Utah with us! It's pretty addictive. So this year just before Christmas I stocked up on Chex cereal because I knew Stephen would want me to make some. Unfortunately he didn't get much. I scarfed it down and left crumbs for him to pick at. Embarrassing, I know, but it's such a great little snack! I like to add a few extra things to ours like cheese crackers and rye chips because I think they add great flavor and texture to the mix. And when I'm in the mood I'll toss in some cayenne pepper to spice things up, but don't worry it's really subtle. I hope you'll give our version a try- it won't disappoint!

Chex Snack Mix

Ingredients

10 c. Corn Chex cereal

2 c. Cheez-It crackers

1 c. pretzels
1 c. Gardetto's roasted garlic rye chips

1 c. mixed nuts
9 tbsp. butter
3 tbsp. worcestershire sauce
2¼ tsp. Lawry's seasoned salt

1¹⁄₈ tsp. garlic powder
¾ tsp. onion powder

¹⁄₈ tsp. cayenne pepper (optional)

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees. 

2. In a large roasting pan (one with nice deep sides), mix cereal, crackers, pretzels, rye chips and nuts, set aside. Melt butter a small microwaveable bowl. Whisk in worcestershire sauce, seasoned salt, garlic powder, onion powder and cayenne pepper. Pour over cereal mixture and toss with a large spatula until evenly coated.

3. Place in oven and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. Remove from oven and spread onto parchment paper (or paper towels) to cool for about 20 minutes before serving.
Adapted from Original Chex® Party Mix | Makes approximately 12 servings

Nut Lovers Rocky Road

Rocky road is one of my go-to recipes! We make it for ourselves and to take to parties & activities. The thing I love the most about it is how easy and delicious it is! It comes together in just 5 minutes and then gets tossed into the refrigerator to chill until you're ready to serve it. Sometimes I like to substitute some of the semi-sweet chocolate for bittersweet, making these intensely rich and dark! You can definitely play around with what goes inside- today we did a nut lover's version. They're crammed full of peanuts, almonds, walnuts, and of course marshmallows. If you're feeling extra adventurous, I think chocolate chunks or even some kind of chopped up cookie would be tasty too! Our batch is going quickly- if they last over the weekend these effortless treats will be perfect for the holidays!

Nut Lovers Rocky Road

Ingredients

1 (14-oz) can Eagle Brand® sweetened condensed milk
2 tbsp. butter
2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 c. dry roasted peanuts
½ c. roasted almonds
½ c. walnuts
1 (10-oz) bag miniature marshmallows

DIRECTIONS:
1. In a large glass bowl (big enough to fit in your microwave), combine chocolate chips, condensed milk and butter. Microwave on medium heat for 3 minutes. Remove from microwave and allow to cool enough that the marshmallows won't melt (a couple of minutes or so).
2. Fold in nuts and marshmallows, making sure to coat evenly with chocolate.
3. Pour mixture into a 9x13 pan, lined with wax paper. Press mixture firmly down into the pan.
4. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to cool for 2-3 hours before serving.
Life Made Simple Family Recipe | Gluten Free | Makes approximately 24 bars

Peppermint Frosted Brownie Sugar Cookies

On Tuesday I had the opportunity to go to Tatertots & Jello's cookie exchange with my good friend Mandy from Baking with Blondie. I always love getting together with her, especially when it involves food- because we're bound to have lots of fun! Anyway, we had a week or so to come up with a cookie to bring and it took me up until the day before to finally decide on one! I think it had something to do with the ease involved. I desperately needed a dough that I could make, refrigerate and bake once our little one went to bed for the night. These cookies were the perfect solution! The dough came together in a matter of minutes especially since there's no chocolate melting involved (which is always a big time hog). Instead the dough gets all of its rich fudgy goodness from cocoa powder and chopped semi-sweet chocolate. After a few hours of refrigeration I rolled it out, cut the snowflakes and placed them onto a Silpat-lined sheet and then in to the oven to bake. They puffed up beautifully, nice and thick! With only a few minutes of baking time required, they came out smelling incredible and had perfectly crisp edges with a soft chewy inside- just like brownies. I whipped up some peppermint frosting to spread over top and then added peppermint candy cane sprinkles as a finishing touch. They were absolutely delicious... and such a fun little twist on a Christmas classic!

Peppermint Frosted Brownie Sugar Cookies
Ingredients

3 c. all-purpose flour
⅓ c. unsweetened cocoa powder
⅓ c. dutch-process cocoa powder
1½ c. sugar
1 c. (2 sticks) butter, room temperature
2 large eggs
2 tbsp. heavy cream
½ tsp. baking power
½ tsp. salt
1½ tsp. vanilla extract
½ tsp. peppermint extract
⅓ c. finely chopped semi-sweet chocolate (I used half of a Ghirardelli baking bar)

Peppermint Frosting:
2 ½ c. powdered sugar
½ c. (1 stick) butter, room temperature
2 tbsp. heavy cream
pinch salt
¼ tsp. vanilla extract
½ tsp. peppermint extract
1-2 drops red food coloring

Peppermint candies, baking chips or sprinkles for garnish

DIRECTIONS:

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add heavy cream, vanilla and peppermint. With mixing speed on low, add one egg, mix then add the other. 

2. In a medium size mixing bow, whisk together flour, cocoa powders, baking powder, and salt. With mixing speed on low, gradually add the dry ingredients mixing until no flour/cocoa "pockets" remain. Add the chopped chocolate and mix until incorporated. Wrap the dough in plastic and place in the refrigerator to chill for 1 hour.*

3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove dough from refrigerator and roll out on a lightly floured surface to approximately ¼" thick. Cut into desired shapes, place onto a parchment-lined baking sheet for 8 to 10 minutes or until the edges are firm and the centers are soft and puffy. Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool.

4. While the cookies are cooling, prepare the frosting by beating all of ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment for 2-3 minutes or until light and fluffy. Spread onto cooled cookies and top with desired peppermint garnishes.

*Dough can be made in advance and refrigerated overnight.

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen, Brownie Roll-Out Cookies | Makes 2-4 dozen, depending on cookie cutter size

Apple Harvest Muffins

I woke up the other day feeling like baking a batch of muffins for breakfast. Instead of the usual blueberry or banana muffins, I wanted something spiced and packed full of fruit. This was the perfect choice, especially since apples are one of my favorite fruits. I literally eat one every day. These muffins started out with a thick batter, so thick that I thought I must have made a mistake when measuring the flour. I was worried that they would be dense and wouldn't rise. I wrong! Turning the heat of the oven to a much higher temperature for the first few minutes of the baking process really gave these a beautiful rise, domed and crusty on top! Inside the apples moistened the muffins creating a tender buttery crumb. They were absolutely delicious- I couldn't stop at one!!!

Apple Harvest Muffins
Ingredients
2 c. all-purpose flour
½ c. sugar
¼ c. brown sugar, packed
½ c. (1 stick) butter, room temperature
¾ c. buttermilk
¼ c. plain applesauce
1 egg
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. apple pie spice
½ tsp. vanilla
2 small apples, peeled and diced in ¼" cubes

Topping:
¼ c. brown sugar, packed
¼ c. rolled oats
¼ tsp. cinnamon
½ tbsp. butter, melted

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a 12 cup muffin tin with papers or spray the wells generously with baking spray, set aside.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter and sugars for about 2-3 minutes on medium-high. Add egg, applesauce, and vanilla, mix on low until just combined.
3. In a medium size mixing bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and apple pie spice. With mixing speed on low, alternate buttermilk and dry ingredients, adding about ⅓ of each mixture at a time, until remaining ingredients are gone. Remove bowl from stand and gently fold in apples. Scoop mixture in to prepared muffin tin (note: the batter will be to the rim, so make sure you fill them generously).
4. To prepare the topping, in a small mixing bowl, combine all ingredients. Sprinkle over each individual muffin. Place in oven and bake for 10 minutes, then turn down the heat to 375 degrees and bake for an additional 6-10 minutes. The muffins should have a little spring to them and the topping should be golden brown and crunchy. Remove from oven and let cool in pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Adapted from King Arthur Flour, Apple Muffins | Makes 12 standard size muffins

Salted Caramel Hot Cocoa Cookies

Each year when the snow starts falling we hurry to the store to stock up on hot cocoa. Stephen and I usually pick out a few new flavors along with the classics. One of our new favorites is salted caramel. We've tried both the Ghirardelli brand and the Starbucks, they're both really good! I'm kind of addicted to the combo now! I wanted to bake a batch of cookies the other day and just happened to have everything I needed to make these salted caramel hot cocoa cookies. I started off by mixing up a bowl of chocolate hot cocoa dough in my stand mixer. While the cookies baked I made a saucepan full of the most beautiful amber color caramel I've ever seen! As soon as the cookies came out of the oven I covered them in marshmallows, miniature chocolate chips, caramel and sea salt. They were warm, rich and gooey- my kind of cookie! Definitely perfect for dunking in a hot glass of cocoa! Enjoy!

Salted Caramel Hot Cocoa Cookies
Ingredients:
1¼ c. all-purpose flour
2 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
¼ c. hot cocoa mix*
½ c. brown sugar
8 tbsp. (1 stick) butter, room temperature
1 egg
1 tbsp. milk
¼ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
¾ tsp. vanilla extract

½ c. miniature marshmallows
½ c. miniature semisweet chocolate chips
¼ c. salted caramel sauce (recipe below)

Salted Caramel Sauce:
½ c. sugar
3 tbsp. butter
½ c. heavy whipping cream, room temperature
¾ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line one baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat mat, set aside.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together brown sugar and butter until fluffy (2-3 minutes). Add vanilla extract, milk and egg, mixing until just combined.
3. In a medium size mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, hot cocoa mix, baking powder, baking soda and salt. With mixing speed on low, gradually add dry ingredients. Mix until no flour pockets remain.
4. Remove bowl from stand and scoop onto prepared baking sheet. Place in oven and bake for 10-12 minutes or until cookies are set on the edges and barely firm in the centers.
5. Meanwhile, to make the caramel sauce, in a small saucepan over medium heat, add sugar. Heat until the sugar turns a golden brown color (the deeper the color the deeper the flavor) making sure to stir constantly so that the sugar does not burn or form a hard crust on the sides of the pan. Add butter once desired color is reached, whisking to incorporated. Remove from heat and add cream, salt and vanilla extract (note: when you add the cream it will "splatter"). Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes.
6. Remove cookies from oven. Immediately sprinkle with marshmallows and chocolate chips. Allow to cool on the sheet for 3 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. While cookies are cooling, drizzle caramel over top and sprinkle with sea salt.
Life Made Simple Original Recipe | Makes 12 standard size cookies

Mini Peppermint Cheesecakes

It's been a while since I've used my mini cheesecake pan. I meant to use it for Thanksgiving but never got around to it. That tends to happen a lot around here lately. I wonder why ;) Ok, I do know why- it's because we have an adorable almost 3 month old that loves attention and being held! Most days when I try to make something he'll sit happily in his bouncer or sleep in the Bjorn while I scurry around like a mad woman. He's so sweet and patient... and very observant. Other days he demands my full attention and wants to play elsewhere, which I am perfectly ok with! This past Tuesday he was content just hanging out in the kitchen so I got to work. I started by making an Oreo crust for the base, then a standard sour cream cheesecake for the filling. Then I added peppermint extract and a heaping scoop of peppermint baking chips and mini semisweet chocolate chips to give these their flavor. For the finishing touch I piped on homemade whipped cream and topped them with Candy Cane Kisses. They were perfect- a triple threat of sorts! Creamy, chocolatey and pepperminty. So very good!!!

Mini Peppermint Cheesecakes

Ingredients

Oreo Crust:

14 Oreo cookie halves (or 7 cookies with the filling removed)

1½ tbsp. melted butter

1½ tsp. sugar

Pinch of salt

Peppermint Cheesecake:

2 tbsp. all-purpose flour

¼ c. sugar

1 (8 oz) package original cream cheese, room temperature

¼ c. sour cream, room temperature

¼ c. heavy whipping cream, room temperature

1 egg

½ tsp. vanilla extract

½ tsp. peppermint extract

pinch of salt

⅓ c. Andes peppermint baking chips

⅓ c. mini semisweet chocolate chips

Whipped Cream:

2 tbsp. powdered sugar

½ c. heavy whipping cream, chilled

¹⁄₈ tsp. vanilla extract

pinch of salt

12 Candy Cane Kisses for garnish (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350℉. Spray mini cheesecake pan* generously with baking spray.

2. In the bowl of a food processor, grind all ingredients for crust, except for the melted butter. The mixture should resemble slightly coarse crumbs. Remove mixture and pour melted butter over. Mix until crumbs are wet. Press evenly into the bottom of each hole. Place in oven and bake for 8 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together sugar, cream cheese, sour cream, salt, vanilla, and peppermint extract until smooth (about 2 minutes). Add vanilla, heavy cream, mix, then add the egg and mix until incorporated. Add flour and mix until just combined. Remove bowl from stand and fold in peppermint & chocolate chips. Pour mixture into cooled crusts, dividing evenly.

4. Place cheesecakes in oven and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 30 minutes before covering and placing in the refrigerator to chill for at least 2 hours (note: the cheesecakes will sink a little, this is normal).

5. To make the whipped cream, in the bowl of a stand mixer (preferably chilled) fitted with the whisk attachment, beat together all ingredients for approximately 2 minutes- cover and chill until needed.

6. To assemble, remove cheesecakes from pan and remove bottom plates. Pipe with whipped cream and top with kisses. Serve immediately!

NOTE: Although I've never tried making these in a cupcake tin, my recommendation would be to line the pan, double the crust and filling, and increase the bake time to 25-30 minutes (just wiggle the pan to be sure they are set before removing them from the oven).

Life Made Simple Original Recipe | Makes 12 mini cheesecakes *using the Chicago Metallic Pan

Chocolate Peppermint M&M Cookies

One of my favorite flavor combinations around the holidays is mint chocolate. I think it might have something to do with growing up in a family that's obsessed with it! So when I saw that Target had white chocolate peppermint M&Ms I pretty much had to buy a bag. Boy am I glad I did- they're so good! I devoured about half of the bag in just a few days and the rest I tossed into cookies. Yes, these cookies. I decided to combine the M&Ms with Andes peppermint crunch baking chips to really amp up the mint flavor. Did I mention that the dough has peppermint extract in it too? You may think I'm going completely overboard but I promise that the amount of mint is spot on and far from overwhelming. I tossed the cookies onto a baking sheet, popped them into the oven for 10 minutes and they baked perfectly. Nice and crisp around the edges and soft in the centers. The chocolate melded perfectly with the mint and made for one delicious cookie! 

Chocolate Peppermint M&M Cookies
Ingredients
1 c. all-purpose flour
¼ c. Hershey's natural unsweetened cocoa powder
⅔ c. Hershey's semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted
½ c. sugar
¼ c. brown sugar
8 tbsp. (1 stick) butter, room temperature
1 egg + 1 egg yolk
½ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. vanilla
¼ tsp. peppermint extract
1½ c. White Chocolate Peppermint M&Ms
½ c. Andes Peppermint Crunch Baking Chips

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat mat, set aside.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together butter, sugars, vanilla and peppermint for 2-3 minutes. Add melted chocolate chips, mix until combined. Add egg, then egg yolk, mixing just until combined.
3. In a medium size mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. With mixing speed on low, add dry ingredients. When no flour pockets remain, turn off and remove bowl from stand. Fold in M&Ms and peppermint baking chips. Scoop onto the prepared baking sheet.
4. Place in oven and bake for 10-12 minutes, cookies should be firm around the edges but soft in the center. Remove and allow to cool on pan for 2-3 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Life Made Simple Original Recipe | Makes approximately18 cookies

Soft Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Just when you think I might be done adding more pumpkin recipes to the blog... I post a new one :) I promise the end is near! I have one more left and then I'll move on! Anyway, I felt like making cookies a while back and since I had never tried making pumpkin cookies, I thought I'd give them a try. Now I know there have been a lot of new recipes out there for crisp/chewy pumpkin cookies, however this is not one of them. These are puffy, soft and dare I say cake-like. They're your "traditional" pumpkin cookies. I know not everyone is a fan, but I promise these babies are good! If you're not too wild about the chocolate chip pumpkin combo, you can always ditch them and go the butterscotch route, or even do cinnamon chips instead! Enjoy and happy baking!

Soft Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
2 c. all-purpose flour
¾ c. sugar
¼ c. brown sugar
½ c. vegetable oil
1 egg
1 c. solid-pack pumpkin puree
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
2 tsp. vanilla
2 c. semisweet chocolate chips*

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a Silpat mat, set aside.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine sugars, vegetable oil, pumpkin puree and vanilla. Mix on medium for about 1 minute. Add egg, mixing until just combined.
3. In a medium size mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice. With mixing speed on low, gradually add the dry ingredients, mixing until no flour pockets remain. Remove bowl from stand and fold in the chocolate chips by hand.
4. Scoop onto prepared sheets and place in oven to bake for 10-12 minutes or until the tops are firm and light brown in color. Remove from oven and allow to cool on sheets for 3 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
*NOTE: I used 1½ c. regular size chocolate chips and ½ c. mini chocolate chips, however, I realize most people don't have minis on hand so the recipe calls for 2 c. of regular size chips.
Adapted from All Recipes, Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies III | Makes approximately 24 standard size cookies

Pumpkin Pie Cupcakes Topped with Maple Buttered Pecans

Almost a week had gone by with a container of pumpkin puree staring me down each time I opened the refrigerator. Yesterday I finally decided to do something about it. I had been trying to come up with some way to use it before it went bad, but the only thing I could think of that would be quick and relatively mess-free was pumpkin bread. I wasn't super excited about that especially since I've been baking a lot of muffins and breads lately. When my parents came over to babysit, that gave me a little more time to play around. So what did I do? I made cupcakes. I have to say, these just might be the best I've ever made! The cupcake itself is moist, tender, buttery and sweet, and the frosting is tangy and melts in your mouth. The maple buttered pecans give these added texture and flavor and really compliment the pumpkin flavor. I definitely ate my fair share of these, Stephen even joined in too- and he never eats pumpkin goodies! I'm thinking these would be a great treat to give to friends and family or even a new addition to a traditional Thanksgiving dessert spread!

Pumpkin Pie Cupcakes Topped with Maple Buttered Pecans

Ingredients

1 c. all-purpose flour

¾ c. sugar

¼ c. brown sugar

¼ c. vegetable oil

¼ c. (½ stick) butter, room temperature

2 eggs

1 c. solid-pack pumpkin puree

1 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. salt

1¼ tsp. pumpkin pie spice

¾ tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. vanilla

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Frosting:

3½ c. powdered sugar

4 oz. original cream cheese, room temperature

3 tbsp. butter, room temperature

¼ c. solid-pack pumpkin puree

½ tsp. pumpkin pie spice

¼ tsp. cinnamon

¼ tsp. vanilla

pinch of salt

Maple Buttered Pecans:

¾ c. whole, halves or chopped pecans

1 tbsp. brown sugar

1 tbsp. maple syrup

¼ tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. vanilla

pinch of salt

½ tbsp. butter

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line one regular size muffin tin with liners, set aside.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together butter, oil, and sugars for 2-3 minutes or until light and creamy. Add pumpkin puree and vanilla, then with mixing speed on low, add one egg at a time, mixing until incorporated. 

3. In a medium size mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon. With mixing speed on low, gradually add dry ingredients, mixing until just combined.

4. Remove bowl from stand and fill each liner ¾ of the way full. Place in oven and bake for 18-22 minutes or until the tops are lightly browned and spring back when touched. Remove from oven and allow to cool in pan for 3-4 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely (about 30 minutes).

5. Meanwhile, combine all ingredients for the frosting (except for the powdered sugar) in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted wit the whisk attachment. Beat until smooth, about 2 minutes on medium-high speed. With mixing speed on low, gradually add the powdered sugar. Once all of the sugar has been added, beat on high for 2 additional minutes. Set aside.

6. Combine all ingredients for the maple buttered pecans (except for the butter) in a small mixing bowl. toss to coat the nuts evenly. Spread onto a lined baking sheet (Silpat or parchment), place in the preheated oven for 12 minutes, stirring half way through the baking process. Remove from oven and toss in a clean bowl with the butter, let cool.

7. Frost cooled cupcakes with desired tip, top with cooled pecans.

Life Made Simple Original Recipe, frosting inspired by a recipe in the Holiday 2013 issue of Something Extra | Makes approximately 12 standard size cupcakes

Smashed Pumpkin Smoothie

When I was in college one of my favorite things to drink for breakfast was the Pumpkin Smash from Jamba Juice. During the fall I probably had at least 3-4 a week! Let's just call it a guilty pleasure. Ok, so maybe it's not so guilty- these babies are loaded with non-fat vanilla fro-yo, low-fat vanilla yogurt, low-fat milk, and of course pumpkin pie filling (which has fiber, potassium, protein, and vitamin A). See, that's not so bad, right? Anyway, after moving to Florida and not living anywhere near a Jamba, I figured it was time to try and make my own. Guess what? It was pretty easy. The list of ingredients is a short one and all you need for prep is a blender and a chilled glass. That's it! Gather, combine, blend, pour, and in minutes you've got a delicious fall treat! Happy blending!

Smashed Pumpkin Smoothie

Ingredients

½ c. non-fat frozen vanilla yogurt (I used Häagen-Dazs)

½ c. low-fat vanilla yogurt

½ c. low-fat milk (I used 1%)

1 c. ice

¼ c. pumpkin pie filling

¹⁄₈ tsp. pumpkin pie spice

¹⁄₈ tsp. cinnamon

DIRECTIONS:

1. Combine all ingredients in a blender, putting the heavier ones towards the top (ice, frozen yogurt etc.). Blend until smooth, about 1-2 minutes. Pour into a chilled glass and enjoy!

NOTE: I used pumpkin pie filling instead of puree because it's much sweeter. If you plan on using puree, make sure you add at least 1 tbsp. of sugar or honey to it! Also if you don't want to use low fat everything- don't! It's up to you how "healthy" you make it :)

Life Made Simple Original Recipe | Makes 1 (16 oz) smoothie

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

Aside from the Pumpkin Spice Snickerdoodle Blossoms, I haven't done much baking lately. Our little boy who is now 2 months old loves being held! That said, it's been pretty difficult to spend a decent amount of time in the kitchen. I finally decided to put him in the Bjorn and at least attempt to bake. He loved it! He observed everything I was doing and then about 20 minutes later he fell asleep. Anyway, back to the muffins... I wanted to use up the lemons we had on our counter, so I decided to make lemon poppy seed ones. They're sweet, moist and very flavorful. It's taken me quite a while to find a lemon muffin that I really love, but I think I've finally come up with one! The key to getting that good lemon flavor is using a lot of zest. I used two lemons and thought that these were perfect, but I also used fresh lemon juice to add to the flavor too. The crumb is moist, slightly dense and crammed full of poppy seeds. I topped them with a light vanilla glaze (feel free to omit) which gave them a more dessert-like taste. Hopefully you'll love these as much as we did- I think this recipe is a keeper and will definitely be making these in the future!

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

Ingredients

1 c. flour

½ c. cake flour

¾ c. sugar

¼ c. brown sugar

10 tbsp. (1 stick + 2 tbsp) butter, room temperature

2 eggs

¾ c. sour cream

¾ tsp. baking powder

¼ tsp. baking soda

¼ tsp. salt

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Juice of 1 lemon

Zest of 2 lemons

2 tbsp. poppy seeds

Vanilla glaze:

1 c. powdered sugar

2 tbsp. milk

¾ tsp. vanilla

pinch of salt

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 375˚ F. Line a muffin pan with 12 liners.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together butter, sugars and lemon zest until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition. Add the vanilla extract, lemon juice, and poppy seeds.

3. In a medium mixing bowl, combine flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk to combine. Set aside.

4. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add in the dry ingredients, alternating with the sour cream. Mix until incorporated.

5. Fill each muffin tin ⅔ of the way full. Place in oven and bake for 22-24 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Transfer muffins to a wire rack to cool completely. 

6. Whisk all ingredients for glaze together in a small mixing bowl. Dip tops of muffins in the glaze, swirl upside down to remove any excess. Let the glaze set for 15 minutes before eating.

Stephen + Natalie | Makes approximately 12 standard size muffins

Pumpkin Spice Snickerdoodle Blossoms

A few years back I was on the hunt for Pumpkin Spice Kisses. Unfortunately every Target in the state of Utah was sold out! So the next year when they were back in stock, I picked up a hefty stash of them. One of my favorite ways to use them (aside from snacking on them) is in these snickerdoodle blossoms. The other day while the little one slept I broke out my KitchenAid and whipped up a batch. The dough is soft, buttery, tangy and full of cinnamon flavor with a hint of pumpkin. I like to roll the balls of dough in a cinnamon sugar mixture that has a teaspoon of pumpkin pie spiced mixed in. I think it really compliments the kiss! These blossoms make an excellent treat, perfect for gift giving or for sharing with your family!

Pumpkin Spice Snickerdoodle Blossoms
Ingredients
3 c. all-purpose flour
1½ c. granulated sugar
1 c. (2 sticks) butter, room temperature
1 egg
¼ c. pumpkin puree
2 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
1½ tsp. vanilla

Pumpkin Spice Coating:
3 tbsp. granulated sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

½ bag Hershey's Pumpkin Spice Kisses

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or a Silpat mat.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter and sugar on medium-high for 2-3 minutes, until light and fluffy. With mixing speed on low add pumpkin puree, egg then vanilla. Mix until just combined.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, soda, cinnamon, cream of tartar, and salt. With mixing speed on low, slowly add dry ingredients to butter mixture. Mix until combined.
4. Remove bowl from mixer and chill dough for 30 minutes. Once dough is sufficiently chilled, use a standard size cookie scoop to create balls. Roll dough in hands to form balls, then roll into pumpkin spice mixture. Place onto cookie sheet and flatten slightly with the palm of your hand or the bottom of a measuring cup.
5. Bake for 10-12 minutes, rotating the sheet half way through the baking process. Cookies should look soft and should have slightly firm edges before removing from the oven (don't over cook them or they will be dry and crumbly). Allow to cool for 2 minutes before pressing a kiss into the center of each cookie.
6. Let cookies cool on sheet for 3 additional minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Recipe adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction, Soft & Thick Snickerdoodles | Makes approximately 3 dozen cookies

Mini Pumpkin Loaves

Now that the weather has finally cooled off a bit, I'm in full fall baking mode (as much as I can be with a one month old strapped to me 24/7)! As you can probably tell, I'm a bit obsessed with pumpkin. Unfortunately for me Stephen isn't wild about it. So usually I make smaller portioned recipes or give away most of the pumpkin goodies I make. This time around I decided to make miniature pumpkin bread loaves and mix in my favorite toppings. With so much variety you really can't go wrong! I kept all of these beauties to myself, snacking on them throughout the day and eating them throughout the rest of the week. I think the flavor gets better and better as the days pass, the sweet spiciness of the bread becomes more vibrant. Now if you don't want to make so many different kinds, don't worry, you can do what you please, or if you don't have or want to use a mini loaf pan, you can aways bake the batter in a 9x5" pan which yields one standard size loaf. No matter what you decided to put in these or how you decided to bake them, I hope you'll enjoy them as much as I did!

Mini Pumpkin Loaves
Ingredients
1¾ c. all-purpose flour
¾ c. sugar
½ c. brown sugar, packed
⅓ c. water
¼ c. oil
¼ c. unsweetened applesauce
1 c. pumpkin puree
2 eggs
1 tsp. baking soda
¾ tsp. salt
½ tsp. cinnamon
1¼ tsp. pumpkin pie spice
½ tsp. vanilla extract

Optional toppings:
chocolate chips

butterscotch chips

cranberries

cinnamon & sugar

chopped pecans

chopped walnuts

pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray a miniature loaf pan* or one 9x5 inch loaf pan with baking spray. Lightly dust with flour, remove any excess by patting it upside down over the sink or a garbage can, set aside.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together applesauce, oil, and sugars. Mix until smooth. Add pumpkin puree, water, and vanilla, mix until smooth. Add in one egg at a time, mixing after each addition.
3. In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice. Whisk together. With mixing speed on low, gradually add dry ingredients. Mix until just incorporated. Now you can either mix in the "toppings" or actually put them on top, the choice is yours.
4. Pour batter into prepared pan, if desired, sprinkle additional toppings over the batter. Place in oven and bake for 22-25 minutes, or 50-60 minutes for one standard loaf. The tops should be slightly dark, but should not be burnt! They will spring back after touched. Remove from oven and let cool in pan for 20 minutes (or 45 for a standard loaf) before removing. Allow to cool on a wire rack for an additional 30 minutes before eating.

*NOTE: I used the Williams-Sonoma Goldtouch® Nonstick Mini Loaf Pan, if you are using larger mini loaf pans, please adjust the baking time as needed.
Adapted from allrecipes.com, Pumpkin Bread | Makes (8) 3"x4" miniature loaves or (1) 9"x5" loaf