Homemade Cinnamon Toast Crunch

We are cereal junkies in this house! Guaranteed we have about 6-8 boxes on the top of our fridge as we speak...

Granted, about 4 of them probably have less than a bowl in them... Cuz y'know, when it gets down to the bottom it's inedible (right?)

To be fair though, they're mostly healthy flavors. Cheerios (of all kinds, typically honey nut or multi-grain), Honey Smacks, and granola (yum). My boring old-people-cereal flavors pale in comparison to my childhood favorites, though.

Those were typically Fruity Pebbles, Cookie Crisp, Reese's Puffs, Lucky Charms, and always... ALWAYS... Cinnamon Toast Crunch.

On a side note though, does anyone realize how creepy the cereal mascots were? Trix are just for kids with a rabbit that was most likely on speed? Lucky Charms, magically delicious leprechaun? Creepsville. It isn't just me is it?

But who was the Cinnamon Toast Crunch mascot? No one. No creepy rabbit, or a howling wolf/dog, just delicious cinnamon-sugar cereal that spoke for itself and loved milk... I can get behind that!

However, since cereal is laden with sucro-godknowswhat, I thought I would attempt a homemade version (cuz I'm totally a health conscious mom...pfff just kidding!)

P.S: This recipe could totally be turned vegan with a simple replacement of soy or almond milk!

You will need:
1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/3 cup coconut oil (softened if necessary)
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/8 cup granulated sugar
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
2 Tablespoons honey
1/2 cup cold milk (plus 1-2 Tablespoons)

For the topping:
1 Tablespoon coconut oil, melted
1/8 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, baking soda, and cinnamon. With a pastry cutter, blend in the coconut oil, brown sugar, granulated sugar, vanilla, and honey until the dough is crumbly and about the size of peas. Add in the 1/2 cup of cold milk and stir until the dough starts to form a ball, this is when you may add 1-2 Tablespoons extra milk if the dough still seems too dry.
Divide the dough ball in half.
Working with one dough piece at a time, lightly flour a surface and roll out until 1/8-1/4 inch thick.

Brush the rolled out dough with half of the Tablespoon of melted coconut oil. Combine the 1/8 cup sugar and 2 teaspoons of cinnamon in a bowl and sprinkle the top of the dough with cinnamon-sugar mixture.
Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut dough into 1/2 inch squares and prick the tops once or twice with a fork.
*Make sure to flour your surface throughout the rolling out process to prevent sticking.*
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper and place the cereal squares on top, leaving some space in between each.

 

Bake in the preheated oven for 10-13 minutes or until lightly browned and crispy. Remove and let cool completely before serving. Store in an airtight container.

This cereal is amazing by itself but even better in a bowl with ice cold milk... The last sip of cinnamon-sugar laced milk is the BEST! Bomb.com, y'all!

Keep your eyes peeled for more homemade cereals in the future, that's for sure!

*recipe adapted from the amazing and so talented Half Baked Harvest

Warm S'mores Dip

OK, so I might be on a bit of a dip kick lately. How can you not like dips though? Typically convenient, packed with flavor, and can be sweet or savory, healthy or... Not so healthy.

This dip is true to dessert dip and is sweet and ya know, not so healthy.

But you will want to make this dip... No, you NEED to make this dip. Gooey chocolate, crispy soft (is that contradictory) marshmallows, and graham crackers for dunkin'. 

Summer in a dip. And while its still Winter, you can eat the whole pan and not feel guilty about having to show off your  notsobikini bodies.

You will need:

1 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

2 cups marshmallows

2 Tablespoons milk

Graham crackers and fingers for dippin'

Place a small saucepan  over medium heat. Place 1 cup of chocolate chips, 1 cup of the marshmallows, and 2 Tablespoons of milk in the sauce pan. Heat, stirring continuously, until the chocolate and marshmallows have melted completely. Remove from heat and pour into a small pan that is lightly greased with cooking spray. Sprinkle the top with remaining 1 cup marshmallows and place under the broiler in your oven for 1 minute or until the marshmallows are toasty and golden. 

Remove from the oven and serve with graham crackers.

Enjoy this gooey S'mores heaven!

Buffalo Chicken Crock Pot Dip

Oh, this dip is good, this dip is so good...

I'm kind of a dip connoisseur (not really, I've always just wanted to say that word.)

But I love shoving most dips in my face... if that counts.

Be it spinach-artichoke, queso, 7-layer, salsa... I could easily make dip a 4th meal (screw you, Taco Bell).

I made this dip for a work Birthday pot luck and it was gone in 15 minutes, no joke...

I used my cute like 1 quart crock pot for it but a 1.5 quart would be a little better fit.

You will  need:
1 lb chicken breast, cooked and chopped
3/4 cup buffalo wing sauce (I used Frank's)
1/2 cup ranch
8 ounces softened cream cheese
1 cup shredded fiesta blend cheese (pepperjack and cheddar combo)

Place all of your ingredients in the crock pot and stir to combine. Place on low and allow it to cook for 2 hours, stirring often to make sure everything is well mixed and melted.
Serve dip hot with crackers or celery sticks.

This spicy dip has the familiar taste of buffalo wings but is so creamy and cheesy. It would be the perfect addition to your Super Bowl Sunday!

Brown Butter Funfetti Sugar Cookies

Ever since I made these Brown Butter Snickerdoodles I was hooked. I mean, how amaze is brown butter? Its nutty and rich and jazzes up plain old boring butter... Not that I have anything against regular butter but it's just there. All smug acting like, "pf, your cookies would be nothing without me". Cocky little bugger...

But I think it might be jealous of its snazzier French cousin... And don't judge my thoughts of brown butter being French. I just think it is... Seriously, don't judge.

Anyways, let's make some cookies! These cookies are great... Nutty from the brown butter, crunchy and sugary from the dough and sprinkles! YUM.

You will need:
1/3 cup vegetable shortening
1/3 cup unsalted brown butter
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 Tablespoons sprinkles

In a medium sauce pan, slice your 1/3 cup of butter and place over medium heat. Stir with a spoon until it melts completely. Watch the butter carefully, stirring continuously, until the butter starts to foam and turns dark yellow in color. Remove from heat, pour into a separate bowl and allow it to cool completely.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper.
When butter is cool add it to your stand mixer along with the shortening and sugar. Mix on medium speed until blended and fluffy. Add in the egg and vanilla and mix. Add in all of the dry ingredients (flour, powder, and salt) and mix just until combined.
Stir in the 3 Tablespoons of sprinkles.
Scoop about 2 Tablespoons worth of dough into a ball and drop onto your prepared cookie sheet, flatten slightly.
Bake for 10-12 minutes or until puffed and the slightly golden. Remove from heat and transfer to a cookie sheet to cool completely.

Enjoy this fun take on sugar cookies!

*recipe adapted from Baking with Blondie

Nutella Swirled Banana Bread

Oh man, this bread is good! Honestly you could probably put Nutella on cardboard and it would taste amazing. Not that I would KNOW this... my house isn't filled with piles of half eaten cardboard, promise.

I'm always looking for something new to do with bananas though. Because when you're a food blogger making boring ol' banana bread just doesn't cut it.

The best thing about making banana anything is its usually ridiculously easy and ridiculously moist. This bread was no exception and the Nutella adds a melted chocolate swirl... Amazing!

You will need:
2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 large bananas, mashed
1/4 cup sour cream
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
5 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup Chocolate Hazelnut Spread

In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt) and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9x5" loaf pan, set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the bananas, sour cream, eggs, and melted butter until combined. Slowly add in the dry ingredients and stir until incorporated.

Pour half of the banana bread batter into your prepared loaf pan.

Place chocolate hazelnut spread into a microwave safe bowl and microwave on high for 20-25 seconds or until the spread is smooth and slightly runny.
Drizzle half of the spread onto the top of half of your banana batter in the pan and swirl.

Cover with remaining banana bread batter and drizzle the remaining chocolate spread over the top. Swirl for effect.

Bake in your preheated oven for 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean (melted Nutella aside).
Let cool completely in the pan before inverting onto a cooling rack or serving platter.

Slice, serve, and enjoy! This bread is amazing by itself or topped with a slight schmear of cream cheese! YUM!

Creamy Harvest Chicken Salad

I am an honest to goodness chicken salad FANATIC! I love how this salad mixes a creamy dressing in with savory chicken, crunchy pecans, sweet grapes, apples, and tart cranberries.

People sometimes call this "Waldorf" chicken salad, but I consider mine a harvest chicken salad because you can throw whatever you want into it. Sub the pecans for almonds, add in pears instead of apples, red onion instead of green... This salad is yours for the making!

Girl, clean out your pantry and fridge and make you some of this chicken salad...

For the salad:
1 1/2-2 lbs of Chicken Breasts, cooked, cooled, and chopped
1 cup chopped green grapes
3 green onions, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1/2 of a Gala apple, diced
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup chopped pecans

For the dressing:
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup low fat sour cream
juice of 1/2 a lemon
dash of salt
dash of seasoned pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Finely dice all of the salad ingredients so they are roughly the same size. Place in a large mixing bowl and set aside while you prepare your dressing.

In a medium bowl, combine the ingredients for your dressing. *You may sub Greek yogurt for the mayo as a low cal option! Also, add more or less seasonings based off of your desired taste... ANY thing can be substituted here.

Drizzle the dressing over the salad. Start with only half as you may not like as much as we do. Stir to fully incorporate the dressing into the salad!

Eat this creamy salad by itself, on a roll, over a nice bed of mixed greens, or as an appetizer with whole grain crackers... Delish!

Chocolate Eclairs

Happy 2014 everyone! I can't believe another year has flown by! Instead of being sad about the happenings of the past year, and being angry about a New Year dawning, I am going to take it... One day at a time. I will love each day, give each day, and bake... Often.

I started off with these delicious chocolate eclairs! They are a little time consuming but are made up of easy, every day ingredients.

Let's get to baking, shall we?

For the dough:
1 cup water
1/2 cup (or 1 stick) unsalted butter, cubed
1 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs

For the filling:
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

For the frosting:
1/3 cup dark chocolate chips
2 Tablespoons butter
2/3 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3-4 Tablespoons boiling water

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil, lightly grease with cooking spray, and set aside.

In a large saucepan, combine the water and cubed butter and heat over medium. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring continuously as to melt the butter. Once the mixture is boiling, turn heat to low, and stir in the flour and salt. Using a wooden spoon, stir the mixture until a thick dough ball forms. Remove pan from heat and stir in eggs, one at a time, being sure to work quickly so the eggs do not scramble.
Once the eggs are completely incorporated you should have a thick and sticky dough, like this:

Spoon dough into piping bag or plastic bag, fitted with a large tip and pipe onto prepared baking sheet in oblong 1 1/2" by 4" shapes.

Place on the middle rack in the preheated 450 degree oven and bake for 15 minutes. When the time is up, lower the heat to 325 degrees and bake for another 20 minutes or until the pastries are puffed and golden, and when the bottom is tapped sound hallow.

IMMEDIATELY when the pastries are removed from the oven, pierce with a sharp knife or chopstick almost completely through. This allows for steam to escape and for the interior to not be soggy. Let the pastries cool for 30 minutes while you make the frosting.

In a large microwave safe bowl, place the chocolate chips and butter for the frosting. Microwave on high for 30 seconds, stir, and microwave in 10 second increments until the butter and chocolate chips are completely melted and smooth. Stir in the powdered sugar and vanilla, the frosting will be very thick. Slowly add in the boiling water, one Tablespoon at a time, until the frosting is slightly runny and has a shiny appearance, almost like a ganache.
One at a time, dip the tops of the pastries into the chocolate, wiping away any excess and place on your baking sheet to cool completely.

While the chocolate is cooling, prepare your whipped cream filling.

Place all filling ingredients in a bowl and beat on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form. Place filling into a pastry bag fitting with a tip the size of the hole you created in your pastry. Slowly fill your pastries, moving the tip back and forth as you go to fill them completely.

And that's it! Time consuming yes, but delicious and sooo worth it. I might have had 4... but who's counting, right? New Years resolutions don't go into effect until the 2nd in my book.