Friday Faves Vol. 30

This list of the best brownie recipes on the internet!

This new Crayola makeup collection!

This adorable peter pan collar sweater from Modcloth!

Friday Faves Vol. 25

This gorgeous makeup work!

This flower photo from Things Organized Neatly!

These adorable pastel plush bats!

Pumpkin Walnut Chocolate Chip Cookies

This time of year, I feel like I’m chained to my oven because all I want to do is bake autumnal sweets and stir great big pots of simmering soup all day. Can you blame me? Pumpkin may be considered basic these days, but whats wrong with basic? You know what else is basic? Worn jeans, bright sunlight and warm bread. Oh, and baking soda. (JK, just a lil’ junior high science joke for you!)

Those things are awesome! So is pumpkin. So are these cookies.

Ingredients

• 1/2 C butter, melted

• 3/4 C brown sugar

• 1/4 C white sugar

• 1 egg

• 1/3 C canned pumpkin

• 1 t vanilla extract

• 1/4 t salt

• 1 t cinnamon 

• 1/8 t nutmeg

• 1/8 t cloves

• 1/4 t ginger

• 3/4 t baking soda

• 1.5 C flour

• 1 C chocolate chips

• 2/3 C chopped walnuts

Instructions

1. Mix melted butter with the brown sugar, white sugar and egg in a large bowl.

2. Stir in pumpkin and vanilla extract and mix together well.

3. Stir in salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger and baking soda.

4. Pour in the flour in half cup increments, and stir to combine until all flour is added.

5. Stir in chocolate chips and walnuts.

6. Cover the dough and refrigerate for at least one hour.

7. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

8. Line a cookie sheet and place 1” dough balls about 2” apart.

9. Cook for 9-12 minutes until edges are golden brown.

10. Remove cookies from the oven and allow them to cool on the cookie sheet for a few minutes (they’ll firm up a bit) before moving them to a wire rack to cool.

What are you baking this fall?
Any great cookie recipes to share?

Apple Cider Donut Whoopie Pies with Apple Cider Whipped Cream Filling • (NO, I'M NOT MESSING AROUND)

Okay, yes, I'm obsessed with fall. Yeah, yeah, yeah, so is everyone else. But as a New Englander, it feels like autumn is in my blood and I live for those precious few months of cool, perfect weather, crunchy leaves under my boots and bright blue skies against orangey-yellow trees. 

But the best part of autumn? The smells, baby!

There is literally NO better scent than that of freshly frying apple cider donuts wafting right up into these nostrils as I walk into my local farm stand, with hanging mums and painted pumpkins as far as the eye can see. It’s like sensory overload; my nose is excited, my tummy is rumbling’ for donuts and I wanna buy every orange thing I see.

Sure, you can replicate the idea through, like, a Bath & Body Works candle or whatever (no shade - Yankee Candle Hot Apple Cider is life-changing), but making your own festive fall treat is so worth the time and effort. I wanted to try my hand at homemade apple cider donuts, but then I thought, “why stop there?” and decided to create this recipe for apple cider donut whoopie pies with apple cider whipped cream filling because I go for it. Won’t you come with me?

Ingredients:

• 6 T butter

• 2 C apple cider (reduced from 4 C)

• 2 T honey

• 1/2 C brown sugar

• 2 eggs

• 2 C flour

• 2 t baking powder

• 1/2 t cinnamon

• 1/4 t nutmeg

• 1/2 t salt

Topping
• 2 T melted butter
• 2 T apple cider
• cinnamon sugar {1/2 C sugar & 2 T cinnamon}

Apple Cider Whipped Cream
• 2 C whipping cream
• 1 t vanilla extract
• 4 T apple cider
• sugar to taste {optional} 

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
  

2. Reduce apple cider by bringing to a boil in a saucepan and simmering over medium heat until the cider is reduced by about half. (I started with about 4 cups and ended with about 2 cups. This step is optional, but it helps concentrate the apple flavor to make it stand out more in the finished product.)
  

3. In a small saucepan, melt butter, then stir in apple cider, brown sugar and honey. Set aside to cool. When cooled, stir in eggs.
  

4. In a large bowl, mix flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.
  

5. Combine wet ingredients with dry ingredients. The batter may be slightly thin, so you can add up to 1/2 C of flour more if needed.

  

6. Pour batter into a pastry bag or a large ziploc bag and cut off the corner tip. Pipe the batter into a greased whoopie pie pan or, if you don't have one, pipe the batter straight onto parchment paper in shallow circles about 2 inches apart.

  

7. Bake the cider donut whoopie pies for 6 minutes or until golden.

8. Remove from the pan and cool on a wire rack.

9. To make the topping, combine the melted butter and apple cider, then either paint it on the tops of the whoopie pies or dip them into the mix. Next, roll the moistened whoopie pies into the cinnamon sugar to coat.

10. To make the whipped cream, add cold whipping cream to a large bowl, stir in apple cider, vanilla and sugar to taste (you can take a little taste to check the sweetness/flavor before whipping). Using a hand mixer, stand mixer or just a good old fashioned whisk, whip the cream until it thickens. You'll see it transform in stages - from liquid to goopy to soft billows to ultimately soft-yet-firm whipped cream.

11. When the whoopie pies have cooled, scoop apple cider whipped cream onto one pie and top with another, toppings sides out.

What's your favorite fall baked treat? 
What kinds of flavored whipped creams have you ever made or tried?

ETC: My Christmas Wish List

1. Eau De Perfume Bag

2. 'Michelle' Name Plate Necklace

3. Smashbox 'For 25 Years Our Lips Have Been Sealed: Be Legendary Lipstick Palette'

4. Winking Eye Set of Embroidered Patches

5. Urban Decay Gwen Stefani Eyeshadow Palette

6. Ronnie Spector Scoop Neck Tee

7. Kat Von D Saint Perfume (Limited Re-Release!)

8. Set of Silicone Baking Mats

9. Mint Green & White Geometric Earrings

10. Seinfeld Puffy Shirt Enamel Pin

11. Adidas Monochrome Yellow Superstar Sneakers

12. Murder She Wrote T-Shirt

13. Library Card Socks

14. Morphe 35S Eyeshadow Palette

15. 90210 Peach Pit After Dark Keychain

16. ColourPop Ultra Matte Lips in Succulent, Ultra Matte Lips in Dr. M, Blush in Never Been Kissed, Highlighter in Spoon & Pressed Pigment in Fantasy

What's on your wish list this year? Are you feeling the week-before-Christmas rush yet? What cool DIY gifts are you giving this year?

Banana Bread Recipe

I'm a little bit allergic to bananas, but I love them so much I still eat them all the time. I say "a little bit" because it hurts every time I eat them, but I've been doing it my whole life and I'm still here, so I can't be that allergic, right? Not many people agree with me on that point, but I just can't resist the allure of this bright yellow dynamo. Thankfully, cooked bananas don't bother me at all, so I can indulge in banana bread pain-free. What a life!

I mean, I love trying new recipes and concocting food combos I've never tasted before, but sometimes you just need something classic. I think everyone should have a go-to banana bread recipe in their back pocket (along with chocolate chip cookies, duh) that you can throw together when the craving strikes. Here's a classic one that lives in my brain (and probably all over the internet) that you can use too:

WHAT YOU NEED

3 Very Ripe Bananas  //  2 Eggs  //  1 Stick of Butter  //  1 C Sugar  //  2 C Flour  //  1 TBS Milk

1 tsp Salt  //  1 tsp Baking Soda  //  1 tsp Baking Powder  //  1 tsp Cinnamon

HOW TO MAKE IT

Add the butter and sugar to a large mixing bowl. Cream together until mixed and fluffy.

Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing after each.

In a separate bowl, mash the bananas and then add the milk and cinnamon.

In yet another bowl, combine flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder.

Add the banana/milk/cinnamon mixture to the sugar/butter/eggs mixture and stir to combine.

Add the mixed dry ingredients to the bowl and stir again to combine.

Pour the batter into a greased loaf pan and bake for 1 hour - 1 hour and 15 minutes at 325 degrees (F). You'll know the banana bread is done when a knife that's inserted into the center comes out clean.

My bakeware is well loved (and therefore looks kind of gross).

Here's what you'll get for all your hard work:

Pretty good reward right?

You can get all crazy with this and add chocolate chips or serve it with a cream cheese icing, but there is something to be said about a simple, classic dessert...and that 'something' is "OH MY GOD, IT'S SO GOOD," which is how banana bread should make you feel.

What's your favorite dessert recipe? Are you allergic to anything that you love? 

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COOKING: Pinterest Recipe Roundup

Pinterest  is an amazing tool for bookmarking and curating future project ideas, but I know a lot of people tend to spend a lot of time pinning and a not quite enough time actually trying out projects and recipes. I like to give my pinned projects a go as often as is feasible and I try to avoid pinning things that I know I'll never get around to actually doing. Like that recipe with 25 ingredients, half of which are not yet in my kitchen...probably not going to happen. 

I plan my dinner menu out every week and when I'm seeking recipe inspiration I take a gander at my recipe board on Pinterest and pick something that seems fun and new. Here I've collected a few recipes that I've tried and loved in case you want to try them too. The photos are my versions, but you'll find additional pictures and full instructions by clicking through the links in the titles. 

Mozzarella, Tomato & Avocado Salad from Ashley's Cooking Adventures

Super simple and delicious and so easy to throw together for a quick weeknight dinner. Serve with a nice crusty bread. Tip: I used Trader Joe's Garlic Infused Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil instead of plain EVOO for some added flavor. 

Homemade Cheez-Its from A Chow Life

I am OBSESSED with Cheez-Its. They are my all time favorite cracker (almost typed crack...also seems appropriate). I'd never tried homemade crackers before and it was a little time consuming and repetitive, but ultimately delicious and fun to try. These taste pretty close to the real thing and you know exactly what's in them. Perfection.

Chocolate Chip Mini Cheesecakes from Baking Bites

I'd never tried making cheesecake before, so I figured starting small made sense. These were easy peasy and are a great alternative to cupcakes. Plus, the size makes them easier to serve and eat. Plus, chocolate chips, so...

Roasted Potatoes from Iowa Girl Eats

New ways to try potatoes are always welcome and this simple cut-and-season method was delightful. These are topped with seasoning salt, parmesan cheese and butter so there was really no room for error there, in my opinion.

Mini Breakfast Quiche from A Beautiful Mess

Again, a first time for me. I'd never used puff pastry before because it seemed high maintenance, but getting sheets of the Pepperidge Farm brand made this super easy and created a finished product that looks much more complex than it really is. Impress your friends and family with puffy eggs and flaky crust!

You can see more of my pinned recipes (and clothes and DIY projects and hair and...you get the idea) here. 

What's the best thing you've tried from Pinterest?

xoxo,
Michelle

Almond Biscotti & Pistachio-Cranberry Biscotti Recipes

Nothin’ says lovin’ like something from the oven, so what better way to show your love during Christmas time (or anytime) than a batch of freshly baked treats? My indulgence of choice is Biscotti and I bake a batch or two every Christmas to give as gifts. They’re fairly simple to make and you get a lot of recipients thinking you're some kind of kitchen genius because they never even knew that it was possible to make biscotti yourself (because they obviously come from the elusive biscotti tree). In other words, pretty minimal effort with a big ‘I’d-say-thank-you-but-my-mouth-is-full-of-Italian-cookie-goodness’ factor.

I like to make an almond batch and a pistachio-cranberry batch, which is both delicious and Christmas-colored, so win-win. Here’s the basic recipe for the almond biscotti but you can replace the almond with any other nut and/or add dried fruits, various extracts (anise is also popular) or other goodies.

What You Need

2 Cups Flour

1 1/4 Cups Sugar

1/2 Cup Butter

1 Cup Slivered Almonds

3 Eggs

2 Tsp Almond Extract

2 Tsp Baking Powder

2 Tsp Milk

Dash of Salt

How to Make It

1. Mix butter and 1 cup of sugar in a mixing bowl until fully incorporated. Add eggs and beat well. Stir in almond extract.

2. In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking powder and salt. Add to butter-sugar mixture and fold in slivered almonds.

3. Divide dough in half and spread each half into a rectangle (about 3" - 4" wide) onto a cookie sheet lined with greased foil. Brush each with milk and sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup of sugar.

4. Bake at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and lower temperature to 300 degrees.

5. Cool both rectangles for 15-20 minutes on a wire rack or wood cutting board. On cutting board, slice rectangles into 1" thick pieces (the ends will need to be cut off and discarded - into your belly). I use a bread knife for this.

6. Lay down cut pieces on ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes to toast. Flip over and toast the other side for 10-15 minutes.

Wrap in festive tissue paper, place in a nice gift bag or box and attach a handmade gift tag to make to perfect heartfelt gift.

Optional: Melt dark chocolate and dip one end of each biscotti into it, allowing it to cool and harden on wax paper.

To make the pistachio-cranberry biscotti, replace almonds with pistachios and add 1 cup dried cranberries (Craisins).

xoxo,

Michelle