Pomegranate and White Chocolate Scones

I can’t even begin to explain how much I love a good pastry in the morning with my coffee. My brain sometimes tells me that it’s a bad idea, but look how delicious these scones look. How bad could they be? Thankfully I figured out a way to make them taste fantastic but not be a huge calorie bomb like many of the purchased baked goods (for example a blueberry scone from Starbucks is almost 500 calories per serving; gasp! but they’re so good!). Now you can have your cake (scone) and eat it too. This recipe only has a few tablespoons of sugar and absolutely no butter. Seems too good to be true doesn’t it? Seriously though, you won’t believe how good they taste until you give them a try.

Feeling less guilty about drooling over them yet?

The flavor combination may seem a little weird to some, but it’s actually pretty amazing. I found myself with about 4 cups of pomegranate seeds after buying two gigantic softball sized pomegranates and needed to find a creative way to use them. I started reminiscing about some chocolate covered pomegranate candies I’ve had in the past and voila a new recipe was created. If you’re not sold on the flavor paring feel free to add blueberries, strawberries, diced apples etc. instead. Hope you enjoy them! They are a fantastic treat and ridiculously easy to make.

The Ingredients:

• 2 cups of flour
• 3 tbs of sugar
• 3 tsp of baking powder
• 1/2 tsp of salt
• zest of one small orange
• 1 cup pomegranate seeds
• 3/4 cup white chocolate chips
• 1 1/4 cup  half and half (or substitute half regular milk if heavy cream now makes this recipe horrifying to you)

Easy Peanut Butter Cookies

Yay! It’s almost Christmas! It’s starting to really feel like the holidays as Matt and I geared up yesterday for the 10 hour jaunt across country from Philly to Indiana. I was a very spoiled passenger and was able to take a few naps and watch a few movies along the way. I used to hate car trips but thanks to technology it isn’t nearly as bad. We broke up our trip with some of our favorite high school jams and I impressed my husband with my endless knowledge of lyrics. It was a great trip and it feels great to be home for a few days between the madness of constant studying.

Anyhow, we were invited to our neighbors for dinner and I was asked to bring some dessert. Since preparing for finals was consuming all of my life and braincells, it had been a while since we had a proper grocery trip. Our fridge was pretty bare, but fortunately I had all of the common staples in my fridge and pantry. These peanut butter cookies are probably the easiest cookie recipe I have ever made. All you need is 5 ingredients and NO flour and you have a perfect, delicious cookie in less than 20 minutes from start to finish. I highly recommend that you add it to your cookie repertoire. No worries if you feel you are baking challenged, these are so simple that I know you’ll have great results. It’s a very easy starter dough and you can feel free to add chocolate chips or press Hershey kisses into the cookies.

I made regular peanut butter cookies with the classic fork hashmarks and also some with Hershey hugs pressed in to the top. Both are equally delicious!

The Ingredients:

Makes 26-30 cookies 

• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1 cup of sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp of salt

Better than Starbucks Chocolate Frappuccinos

With finals week approaching, I thought it would only be appropriate to share my new favorite way to consume copious amounts of caffeine. I’ve come up with a spectacular, easy way to get a drink that tastes as good as Starbucks without breaking a grad student’s budget (plus I bet my recipe is even lower in calories then the purchased kind!). If you are a coffee drinker, I bet you’ll have almost everything you need right in your kitchen. The one thing you may have to add to your grocery list is chocolate syrup or powder. The addition of the chocolate completely transforms the every day ordinary (sometimes boring) cup of coffee. To say that I am totally obsessed with this recipe is an understatement–I have literally been addicted and have made one every day! Give it a try! I bet you’ll love it as much as I do.

The Ingredients:

Necessary equipment: blender or large food processor 

• 1 cup brewed coffee–I usually let mine chill in the fridge for about 15 minutes but if you don’t have the time to let it chill, just add more ice
• 1/2-1 cup milk–depending on how strong you like the coffee flavor
• 2 tbs chocolate syrup or chocolate powder
• 1 tsp or 1 packet of sweetener of your choice
• 1 cup ice

How to:

• Add ice, coffee, and milk to blender
• Pulse until smooth
• Add chocolate syrup and sweeter and pulse until well incorporated
• Top with whipped cream if desired and enjoy:)

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

Ah. So sorry for the hiatus! It’s not that I haven’t been cooking but I have been so busy that today is the first day I’ve had a chance to upload any photos to our computer. This past week with the holiday and celebrating Matt’s birthday hasn’t left me with much free time at all. The good news though is that for the holiday and Matt’s birthday I came up with some delicious treats and meals that I can’t wait to share. Tonight we are packing up to spend the weekend in Maine with my family–so hopefully I’ll have a little time to update you all on all things delicious from Maine that we eat.

Anyway, enough with the catchup and onto one of my favorite cookie recipes. Matt isn’t a big fan of birthday cake so I spoiled him with two non-cake desserts for his birthday. One being white chocolate macadamia nut cookies–also known as crack cookies in our house because they are so addictive and another treat that you’ll have to wait and see. I will tell you though that the other dessert is a fall favorite and is as equally as addictive as these cookies. Beware!

The Ingredients: 

Recipe adapted from: Joy of Cooking

• *2 1/2 cups all purpose flour—I substituted in 1 cup of whole wheat flour
• *1 tsp. baking soda
• * 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 cup–2 sticks–room temperature unsalted butter
• 1 1/3 cups sugar
• 2/3 cup dark brown sugar, packed
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 1 cup coarsely chopped macadamia nuts
• 1 1/2 cup coarsely chopped white chocolate–if you’re going to use white chocolate chips I’d recommend Ghirardelli

*Mix 3 bolded dry ingredients into a bowl and whisk together before starting the recipe

Light As Air Raspberry Meringue Cookies (with a hint of chocolate)

I usually only bake Meringues around the Holidays, but for whatever reason I was having a severe craving for the sweet yet crispy combination. I know a lot of people find meringues daunting and are afraid to give them a shot–but don’t be! They really are easy to make and not to mention much fewer in calories compared to other cookies. This particular recipe precooks the egg whites and sugar (something I had never heard of!) for fool proof cookies. So if you were afraid in the past, fear no more! These will turn out great. These cookies only take a few ingredients and need a couple of hours to  bake in the oven. I tried a new recipe because I wanted to incorporate raspberry extract into the cookie creation and found these to be my favorite meringue recipe yet. A piping bag makes these cookies super easy to make but if you don’t have a piping bag you can always cut a corner off a freezer bag (I’ve done this in the past & it works just as great!).

If you’ve never tried meringue cookies you are in for a treat! They are super light and crunchy. My husband can’t get enough of them today because he thinks they taste like cotton candy! Plus they have a sweet chocolate surprise in them. Enjoy!

The Ingredients:

Recipe adapted from Bakingdom

• 4 egg whites
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 teaspoon raspberry extract (or another flavor, if preferred)
• Food coloring, optional
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup chocolate chips

Molten Chocolate Lava Cake

The first time I ever tried Molten Chocolate Lava Cake was when Matt and I were celebrating our engagement at Fleming’s restaurant in 2010. I was determined to figure out how to make it because it was so freaking good. I have found a delicious recipe that is sure to please everyone (plus it’s super easy to make! Most of the work is done in the microwave!). If you’ve never had Molten Chocolate Lava Cake you are definitely in for a treat. It’s like a warm, chocolately, gooey doughnut like cake. It’s pure amazingness.

I’ve made a few minor additions to the recipe that I feel make something fantastic even more delicious. I usually serve my Lava Cakes with a small scoop of ice cream, fresh fruit, and a little whipped cream. Cooking time varies a little bit depending on what sized ramekins you decide to use. I’ve made 6 smaller ones and 4 larger ones–just keep an eye on the cakes the last few minutes of the cooking time to make sure you don’t over cook them. They should be soft in the center but set on the outside (slightly pulling away from the ramekin). To invert them on a plate–let them cool slightly put plate on top of ramekin and invert both together. Lightly tap on the bottom of the ramekin and the cake will fall right out (of course make sure to liberally spray each ramekin with cooking spray!). Enjoy!

Light and airy. They are sooo good.

mmmmm. look at all the delicious gooeyness.
These are perfect for any special occasion:)

The Ingredients:

Recipe adapted from brandielle

• 4 pieces (squares) Semi-sweet Baking Chocolate
• ½ cups Butter
• 1 cup Powdered Sugar
• 2 whole Eggs
• 2 whole Egg Yolks
• 6 Tablespoons Flour
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
• A sprinkle of Cinnamon
• A pinch of Salt

Never Fail No Bake Cookies

No bake cookies may be one of my favorite easy treats to whip up in the summer. My husband, Matt, also adores them. He fondly reflects on them because they were also a go to treat his Mom made throughout his childhood. Something about no bake cookies must be nostalgic because I remember the first time I ever made and tasted them. I was about 11 years old and was spending the night at my friend Katie’s house. Ours definitely didn’t turn out all the same shapes and sizes but I do remember them tasting really, really good. I used to sleep over her house all of the time and between jumping on the trampoline or swimming in the pool we somehow found ourselves in her Mother’s kitchen. It is fun to reminisce on learning my way around the kitchen. I know a lot of people stay away from no bake cookies because they have had experiences with the cookies not setting up properly. Have no fear with this recipe! I’ve been using the same recipe for about 5 years and I have worked out all the kinks. So I encourage you to give them another try. Your satisfied stomaches will thank you!

The Ingredients:

• Butter
• Granulated sugar
• Milk
• Cocoa powder
• Peanut butter
• Vanilla
• Quick cooking oats
• Cinnamon

Heavenly Baked Pumpkin Donut Holes

One of my favorite things about fall is when Starbucks brings back the Pumpkin Spice Latte! Though I’m not ready for fall yet, I was craving pumpkin so I decided I would try to find a recipe to fulfill my craving. Boy did I succeed! These pumpkin doughnut holes are quite possibly my favorite thing I’ve ever made for breakfast. I can’t even tell you the last time I’ve had a doughnut–I can never bring myself to eat one even if I have the most severe cravings because I know they are fried and filled with fat. Besides the butter & sugar in this recipe, these are a pretty solid option to fulfill your craving without going overboard. I honestly didn’t adjust the doughnuts to look like they are glowing either–I swear they glow on their own they are that heavenly. Matt had a request for a cream cheese glaze that put these doughnuts even more over the top! They are so delicious–you won’t be disappointed!

 

The Ingredients:

Recipe adapted from Two Peas & Their Pod 

Yield: 24-30 donut holes

Cook Time: 10-12 minutes

For the Donuts:

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup wheat flour (don’t have whole wheat flour? Substitute with another 1/2 cup of all purpose)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoons nutmeg
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice 
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup canned plain pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
• 1/2 cup milk

For the Cinnamon Sugar Coating:

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons cinnamon