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Copycat Rumchata

April 27, 2014 By Holly 28 Comments

So my friend Heather is a rumchata drinker, but complained that it was so expensive. I came up with my own recipe for her and she loved it. Super easy too, you should have most things on hand already. As for the milk I think that 2 percent or whole would taste better or you could add a little half and half to some skim milk.

So basically your making the non alcoholic base for the drink then adding in vanilla rum and ice to taste. This makes a small pitcher of rumchata then add 1/2 cup rum and some ice. If you want to make just the base and pour singe drinks, then add a shot (or a half shot) of rum and half a glass of ice to a glass, the pour base over that until full.

Copycat Rumchata

Author: Holly

Recipe type: Drinks

Ingredients

Base:
3 cups milk
1 cup simple syrup ( ½ cup sugar, ½ cup water)
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
a pinch of nutmag (a little goes a long way)
Add to your liking:
ice
vanilla rum

Instructions

first make the simple syrup in a small pan on the stove top with sugar and water a heat on medium heat until sugar is dissolved
let simple syrup cool
in pitcher add milk, syrup, cinnamon, vanilla and nutmeg.
mix well
add ice and rum to taste (I started with about ½ cup of rum)
serve immediately

Sour Cream Coffee Cake

April 23, 2014 By Katie

A sour cream coffee cake recipe that is super moist with a layer of cinnamon & sugar in the middle & topped with cinnamon & sugar.

Sour cream is quickly becoming one of my favorite ingredients to add to baked goods. So many of my favorite recipes have sour cream in them. For example: this coffee cake recipe, banana bread, pancakes, cupcakes, biscuits, sugar cookies, & I’m sure there are more but I can’t think of them at the moment. This is the recipe that started my love for sour cream in baked goods. I’ve been making this coffee cake now for over 10 years & it is still one of my favorite coffee cake recipes.

The recipe listed below makes a 9×13 inch pan so I usually only make half a recipe & use an 8×8 inch pan since I am not baking for very many people. This recipe can be made the night before & stored in the refrigerator over night so you can just pop it in the oven in the morning. Another nice thing about this recipe is that you can make it in a bundt pan instead of a 9×13 pan if you want to.

Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Author: Katie

Recipe type: Breakfast

Serves: 12-16

Ingredients

1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 8-oz. (1 cup) carton sour cream
½ teaspoon vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon baking soda
Topping:
6 Tablespoons brown sugar
4 Tablespoons white sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
½ cup chopped nuts (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan & set aside.
Using an electric mixer cream together the butter & sugar in a large bowl. Add the eggs, sour cream, & vanilla, beat for 30 seconds.
In a medium bowl, stir the flour, baking powder, salt, & baking soda together. Add flour mixture to the large bowl with the liquid ingredients. Beat with mixer for 2 minutes or until well combined.
Topping: In a small bowl stir the brown sugar, white sugar, cinnamon, & nuts (optional) together.
Pour half the batter into the greased baking pan (I use the back of a spoon to spread it out so it's all laying evenly). Using a spoon sprinkle half the topping over the batter in the pan. Pour the remaining batter into the pan, using a spoon to spread it out gently over the topping. Sprinkle remaining topping over it.
Bake at 350 for about 35 minutes or until a wooden toothpick comes out clean after being inserted into the center. Cool a few minutes before serving.

Easy Baby Back Ribs

April 23, 2014 By Holly 2 Comments

Before I found this recipe, I tried so many times to make baby back ribs and they always turned out terrible. I tried grilling and broiling and they were always tough. Then I found this recipe and I thought no way, this is too easy. Then I made them and they turned out perfect. My husband, my best friend and her husband all loved them. Now when they are on sale at the grocery store my friend calls me and tells me to stock up since we make them all the time.

Easy Baby Back Ribs

Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

2 hours 30 mins

Total time

2 hours 45 mins

Author: Holly

Recipe type: Main

Serves: 3

Ingredients

1 rack baby back ribs
2 cups barbecue sauce

Instructions

cut ribs into 3 pieces
tear 3 pieces of foil large enough to cover each section
put ¼ cup bbq sauce in middle of foil
set one section of ribs on top of sauce
put another ¼ cup of bbq sauce on top of ribs
wrap foil so it's covered completely
do this with the other 2 pieces
set on rimmed baking sheet
refrigerate 5 to 24 hours
preheat oven to 300
leave wrapped in foil on cookie sheet and bake for 2½ hours
take out of oven and unwrap
take ribs out of foil and place back on baking sheet
brush with bbq sauce and broil for 5 min.

Oreo Easter Dirt Cake

April 16, 2014 By Holly 21 Comments

We love dirt cake at our house, so we made this one for Easter. You can’t go wrong with oreo cookies, pudding, and cool whip. You can add whatever you want to the top, Peeps, jelly beans, edible grass, etc.

For the carrots I just whipped up some vanilla frosting, then added food coloring to get it orange. Then I put it in a plastic bag and clipped the corner off. I squeezed little orange blobs on some wax paper and put them in the freezer for 10 min. until they were set. Next I used a tooth pick and poked a hole in the top and added a few pieces of the edible grass (amazon affiliate). You should be able to find edible grass at places like Target & Walmart. I’ve seen it for sale at both places, it’s located with the Easter candy & usually costs $2 or less.

My daughter came in after I put the carrots on the cake and asked for a carrot. I gave her one and she looked at me and said, “I want a whole carrot”. Then I had to tell her that the carrots didn’t go all the way to the bottom of the pan, they were just carrot tops. She was a little disappointed.

Easter Dirt Cake

Prep time

30 mins

Total time

30 mins

Author: Holly

Recipe type: Dessert

Serves: 12

Ingredients

1 pack of Oreo cookies
1 package 8oz of cream cheese, softened
½ cup soft butter
1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 ups milk
2 Instant chocolate pudding 3.4 oz (you can use vanilla if you want)
1 container 12 oz cool whip, thawed
peeps, edible Easter grass, 1 container of vanilla frosting (or homemade)
food coloring

Instructions

crush the cookies, I used a food processor
in large bowl mix cream cheese, butter, sugar and vanilla until fluffy
in another bowl, whisk milk and pudding until thick
add pudding mixture into cream cheese mixture and mix until combined
fold in cool whip until well blended
add filling into 9x13 dish
top with crushed oreos
decorate

This post contains amazon affiliate links.

White Chocolate Covered Peeps

April 16, 2014 By Holly Leave a Comment

My daughter has been asking for days if we can make our bunny cake yet. I keep telling her that we can’t make it until the day before Easter, so today I decided we would dip peeps to keep her happy. It was pretty easy and not too messy. Don’t make my mistake of using blue peeps, they showed through the vanilla. I should have used yellow.

White Chocolate Covered Peeps

Author: Holly

Recipe type: Dessert

Ingredients

12 Bunny Peeps
6 Squared of Vanilla Almond Bark
12 paper straws or wooden skewers
6 colored mini marshmallows cut in half
food coloring

Instructions

put your peeps on the sticks
melt vanilla bark according to package
mix in a drop or 2 of food coloring
dip peep and use a spoon to smooth around the bark
set on wax paper and add the halved marshmallow for the tail
let dry then serve

Frosted Shortbread Cookies

April 14, 2014 By Katie Leave a Comment

These cookies have that amazing melt in your mouth texture.

Shortbread cookies are one of my all time favorite types of cookies. I’ve seriously never had a shortbread cookie I didn’t like whether it was homemade or store bought (and I don’t like store bought cookies normally). I’m crazy about sugar cookies too but the thing about shortbread cookies compared to sugar cookies is that they usually have less ingredients, these only have 5 ingredients! They are really simple & yet they are buttery deliciousness. I have never made a cookie that had more of a melt in your mouth texture as this recipe.

Since this cookie recipe doesn’t contain any leavening like baking soda or baking powder they won’t rise or really change there shape at all during baking so make sure you flatten them out to the thickness you want them to be before you place them in the oven. I like to use the bottom of a glass cup to flatten the cookies. This recipe made about 34 cookies but you can easily make half a recipe if you want to make less.

Frosted Shortbread Cookies

Recipe type: Cookies

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup salted butter, softened
½ cup confectioners sugar (powdered sugar)
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla
Frosting:
3 cups confectioners sugar (powdered sugar)
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 tablespoons milk
4 tablespoons butter, softened

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.
In a medium sized mixing bowl add sugar & butter & beat with electric mixer on medium speed until light & fluffy (about 30 seconds).
Add egg yolk & vanilla & mix on medium speed until combined.
Gradually add flour to mixture & beat on medium speed until just combined.
Roll dough into 1 inch balls & place on cookie sheets about 2 inches apart. Using the bottom of a cup or fork flatten the balls to about ¼ inch thick. (Use powdered sugar to coat the bottom of the cup to prevent the dough from sticking).
Place in oven for 8-10 minutes & rotate cookie sheet halfway through baking.
Remove from oven, after 2 minutes transfer baking mat/paper to wire rack to cool completely. Frost when cooled if desired.
Frosting: Combine the confectioners sugar, vanilla, milk, & butter in a medium sized mixing bowl, beat with electric mixer on medium speed until frosting is smooth & creamy. If you want it thinner just add a little more milk or if you need it thicker add more milk until the desired consistency is achieved.

This recipe was adapted from Grace’s Sweet Life.

Peeps Sunflower Brownies

April 13, 2014 By Holly 13 Comments

My best friend Heather loves her Peeps, so I made this for her on her birthday yesterday. I made two because she is gluten free, so for one I used King Arthur’s gluten free brownie mix and for the other I used the Ghirardelli mix. The King Arthur’s did not come with icing, so I made a chocolate ganache. Then the peeps are gluten free. These are so easy to make and super cute. I will be making them again for our Easter Brunch. I can’t decide if I like the peeps facing up or down.

Peeps Sunflower Brownies

Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

39 mins

Total time

54 mins

Author: Holly

Recipe type: Dessert

Ingredients

1 small box of brownies with frosting (should fit 9x9 pan)
20 peeps
½ cup chocolate chips
¼ cup mini chocolate chips
parchment paper

Instructions

follow directions on brownie box (except you will use round pan)
line a round cake pan with parchment paper
bake as directed on box
let cool
flip upside down onto a plate, peel off parchment paper
put frosting/icing on the top of the brownies
place peeps around the outside of the brownies
put mini chips in center of brownies
put regular chocolate chips around the outside of the mini ones

This post contains amazon affiliate links.

French Toast Casserole

April 13, 2014 By Holly Leave a Comment

This recipe came from my friend Jody. We were in a mom’s group called MOPS (mothers of preschoolers) together and we would meet twice a month and everyone took turns bringing in brunch food to share. Jody brought this and EVERYONE asked her for the recipe, including myself. It’s great to make the night before and then just pop in the oven in the morning. I am also not a nut person, except of an occasional piece of pecan pie but I love this recipe even with the nuts.

You can serve with maple syrup, but it’s not really needed.

French Toast Casserole

Prep time

40 mins

Cook time

60 mins

Total time

1 hour 40 mins

Author: Holly

Recipe type: Brunch

Ingredients

1 loaf of French or Italian bread torn/cut into 1 in pieces
1 tablespoon soft butter
8 eggs
2½ cups whole milk
1½ cups heavy cream
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
Topping:
8 tablespoons butter
1⅓ cups packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons light corn syrup
2 cups chopped pecans

Instructions

Heat oven to 325
spread bread out over 2 baking sheets and bake until dry and light golden brown, about 20 min.
coat 9x13 baking dish with butter and pack the bread into the dish.
whisk eggs in a large bowl
then whisk in milk, cream, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg
pour the egg mixture evenly over the bread
press bread to submerge
Topping:
stir the butter, brown sugar, and corn syrup together until smooth
stir in pecans
Stored:
put the topping in an air tight container
cover bread and egg mixture with plastic wrap
refrigerate both for 7 or more hours. No more than 24.
Cook:
Preheat oven to 350
unwrap casserole and sprinkle the topping over the top evenly
place casserole on a rimmed baking sheet and place on middle rack of oven
bake until puffed and golden about 60 min.
serve immediately

Cheesy Potato Casserole

April 13, 2014 By Holly 4 Comments

Cheesy Potato Casserole made with hashbrowns

This is another recipe that I got from my moms group MOPS (mothers of preschoolers). We always took turns bringing brunch food in for our meeting and this was a staple food at every meeting. Then I started hosting Thanksgiving for 50 people and the first year that I made a double batch of this the pans were scrapped empty, but there were so many mashed potatoes left. Now I don’t even bother with mashed potatoes during the holidays because everyone likes this better. It’s better for me too because I hate peeling potatoes!

Make sure you buy the shredded frozen potatoes, not the cubes ones. They don’t turn out as well and take longer to cook.

Cheesy Potatoes

Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

45 mins

Total time

55 mins

Author: Holly

Recipe type: Brunch

Ingredients

1 package frozen hash brown/shredded potatoes (THAWED)
¼ cup melted butter
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 8oz container sour cream
1 tablespoon dried onion flakes OR ¼ cup chopped onion
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
pepper to taste
Optional Topping:
2 cups crushed cornflakes
¼ cup melted butter

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350
In large bowl mix hash browns, butter, can of soup, sour cream, onions, cheese, and pepper.
Put mixture in 9x13 baking dish
Optional Topping:
In medium saucepan over medium heat, saute cornflakes and ¼ cup butter.
Sprinkle over casserole.
Bake covered for 45 min.

The New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

April 12, 2014 By Katie

These cookies have a crispy edge, a chewy middle & a melt in your mouth soft center.

This recipe is nothing like the classic chocolate chip cookie recipe your probably used to making. I found this recipe to be very unique & extremely tasty! Now I can safely say I understand why it was printed in The New York Times. These cookies reminded me of when I was a kid & my Grandma would take me to a local restaurant that is sadly no longer around. At the end of the meal she would always let me get a really big chocolate chip cookie for dessert (which of course was my favorite part of the meal).

These cookies are really BIG! They ended up being about 5″ in size after baking! I don’t know about you but I’m used to cookies that are less than half that size. Since they are so BIG they offer something that small/regular sized cookies don’t…a crispy edge, a chewy middle, & a soft center (doesn’t that sound delicious?). The first time I made these I used my digital scale to weigh the dough because the directions say each ball of dough should weigh 3.5 ounces. I wanted to make them the exact size the first time I made them but now I just guesstimate. The recipe says to bake only 6 cookies on each cookie sheet because they take up so much room.

Katie’s Notes: I chose to omit the sea salt that goes on top of the cookies because I was worried the cookies would taste really salty but the sea salt does give them a nice gourmet look. The recipe calls for bittersweet chocolate disks or fèves (at least 60% cacao) but since those are hard to find & expensive I used Ghirardelli bittersweet chocolate chips instead. They worked out great because they have the correct amount of cacao in them, are readily available at most grocery stores, & they are much bigger than your average chocolate chips. Really the hardest part about this recipe is waiting until the next day to bake the cookies. I ended up baking mine after the dough had set for about 24 hours.

New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookies

Prep time

24 hours

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

24 hours 20 mins

Recipe type: Cookies

Ingredients

2 cups minus 2 tablespoons (8½ ounces) cake flour
1⅔ cups (8½ ounces) bread flour
1¼ teaspoons baking soda
1½ teaspoons baking powder
1½ teaspoons coarse salt
2½ sticks (1¼ cups) unsalted butter
1¼ cups (10 ounces) light brown sugar
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (8 ounces) granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons natural vanilla extract
1¼ pounds (20 ounces) bittersweet chocolate disks or fèves, at least 60 percent cacao content (I used Ghirardelli bittersweet chocolate chips)
Sea salt (optional)

Instructions

Mix flours, baking soda, baking powder & salt together in a bowl. Set aside.
Cream butter & sugars together until very light, about 5 minutes, using an electric mixer. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla.
Reduce speed to low, add dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
Stir in chocolate chips/disks.
Refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours in a sealed container. Dough may be used in batches, and can be refrigerated for up to 72 hours.
After waiting at least 24 hours, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or baking mat. Set aside.
Scoop 6, 3.5-ounce balls of dough (about 2.5" in size) onto baking sheet.
Sprinkle lightly with sea salt (optional) and bake for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown. Yields: 1½ dozen 5-inch cookies. Source: The New York Times

Source: New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe printed July 9, 2008 & Adapted from Jacques Torres

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