Busy Brunette Bakerista

My homemade coffee cake recipes don't call for actual coffee but they are delicious. Well, I tired another recipe in the fabulous cookbook Back in the Day Bakery Cookbook and this coffee cake is moist, light and has the sweetest crumble in the middle (also has no coffee ). It does take a while so remember to follow the directions to every detail. Enjoy! BITDB Coffee Cake Streusel Ingredients ¼ cup packed light brown sugar ½ cup unbleached all-purpose flour 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt 3/4 cup chopped pecans (optional) 3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes Cake Ingredients 2 ½ cups cake flour (not self-rising) 2 teaspoons baking powder, preferably aluminum-free ½ teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon fine sea salt ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom (I used pumpkin pie spice to give it a little more texture) 12 tablespoons (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature 1 ½ cups granulated sugar 3 large eggs,...

Every day is Valentine's Day when you make these treats for someone special. Gooey, sweet, and salty popcorn balls are just the right size for party favors, a dessert buffet, or hostess gift for any time of year . I’ve made them with different colored candies for every holiday:  red and pink for Valentine’s Day,  green for St. Patrick’s Day,   black and orange for Halloween,  green and red for Christmas, and multi-colors for our summer birthdays. Sweet Sweetheart Treats 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter (plus more for your hands) 1 bag (10oz.) mini marshmallows ¼ cup packed light brown sugar 12 cups popped   popcorn (about 3 (3oz.) bags) 1 cup M&Ms, or Reece’s Pieces* parchment paper Cook popcorn to measure out to 12 cups and pour into a large bowl. Remove any kernels that may have not popped. Set bowl aside. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside. Melt butter in a large heavy-bottom large pot on low heat . Pour in marshmal...

Happy National S'mores Day!  S'mores on a stick? Why didn't I think of this earlier? No more long sticks, messy graham crackers, and marshmallow everywhere  over a bonfire. You can make these any time of year and enjoy them during a festive winter party, neighborhood potluck, or team dinner. HOBO* S'mores 36 large marshmallows  1 container (16 oz.) of dark chocolate frosting 2 cups of graham cracker crumbs  2 cups of semi-sweet mini chocolate chips 36 lollipop/cake pop sticks (find them at any craft store or baking supply store) First, line cookie sheets with wax paper. Insert one stick into one marshmallow at a time and place on cookie sheet.  If you can't find graham cracker crumbs, take whole graham crackers, break into quarter pieces, place into a food processor and blend until it turns into crumbs. Then, scoop out frosting from the container into a glass bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds or until frosting fe...

I've seen this type of recipe several times and finally tried it out for myself. You can make it with a cake mix too but I think a brownie mix is more moist with the ice cream cone. Very fun to make and great for parties! Brownie Cone Dessert Cups 1 box of brownie mix (18 oz.) 12 - 18 ice cream cones 1 can of prepared frosting - I used vanilla  sprinkles or cake decoration toppings Prepare brownie mix according the instructions on the back of the box using milk instead of water. For my easy brownie mix recipe click here . Set batter aside. Preheat oven to 325 or 350 degrees according to directions on brownie box. Take a 9" x 13" casserole dish, or rimmed baking dish, and lay a sheet of tin foil across the top securing at the ends. Using a small knife, cut an "X" at 12 spots across the foil. Place one ice cream cone in each "X" so it can stand up by itself. If you want to make another dish for more cones, you can do it with a smalle...

Californians are known for eating healthy, exercising, and always on the go. I found a simple recipe for homemade granola in an old magazine and adapted it to just the right ratio of spice, crunch, and dried fruit. My friend and neighbors love this and I often make it for teacher gifts. Enjoy! Crunchy California Granola 4 cups of rolled oats  1 cup of wheat germ or wheat bran 1 cup of slivered almonds 1/2 cup of sesame seeds  1/4 cup of brown sugar 1 teaspoon cinnamon  (or even pumpkin pie spice) 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/3 cup vegetable or canola oil 1/3 cup honey 1/6 cup maple syrup 1/6 cup water 8 oz. dried cranberries 8 oz. raisins Pre-eat oven to 300 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with tin foil and spray with cooking spray, then set aside. In a large mixing bowl, stir together oats, wheat germ, nuts, sesame seeds, brown sugar, cinnamon (or pumpkin pie spice), and salt. Make a well in the dry ingredients and ad...

It's amazing how a few ingredients can turn a regular sugar cookie into a new favorite dessert. Our family celebrates birthdays all summer long but these cookies are great throughout the entire year! Of course Ms. Paula Deen added her creative touch to this one which explains why it's so good. These didn't last long in the cookie jar. Enjoy! Friends & Family Birthday Cake Cookies** 1 cup butter (softened) 2 cups sugar (divided) 2 large eggs 1 1 / 2  teaspoons vanilla extract 1 teaspoon almond extract 3 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 2 teaspoons cream of tartar 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 2 Tablespoons heavy whipping cream 1 cup rainbow sprinkles 1. In a large bowl, beat butter and   1 1 / 3  cups sugar with a mixer at medium-high speed, until fluffy, about 4 minutes, stopping occasionally to scrape sides of bowl. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until combined. Beat in extracts. 2. In a medium bowl, whis...

I had so much fun planning the big, double 16th birthday party for my twins. After spending weeks going down the "Pinterest rabbit hole" where I'd pin photos after photos of party decoration ideas, themes, food, designs and other details, I narrowed it all down and made a party plan! Since the birthday party was for a boy and  a girl I didn't want it to be confused with a Sweet Sixteen with a lot of pink, so I chose neutral colors of seafoam green, royal blue, white and silver.  My first DIY craft idea was of using various size"16" numbers for decoration. I purchased flat, large wooden numbers at my local craft store. Then I pulled photographs from our albums, and photocopied them at a reduced size - (or, you can print out photos from your computer onto copy paper and reduce the size). I placed the photocopies on each large number and laid them down to cover the entire number. Using scissors, I trimmed off the edges and then used Mod Poge glue, foll...