Raise your hand if you love Easter! Yup, I see you, raising your hand. Mine’s up too. Easter is my second favorite holiday (shoutout to you, Thanksgiving!) and with it quickly approaching, why not make a super cute and fun dessert?! These sweet treats are not only perfect for big groups, they’re easy to transport, and you can even get the kiddos involved when making them! Only a few ingredients needed and you can put any egg-shaped candy on top! I used M&M’s peanut butter eggs; they are so yummy and spotted to look like real eggs. I also used Cadbury mini white eggs; they are white chocolate eggs since Jason hates chocolate, any chance I get to use white chocolate is a win-win! Let’s be honest, there are endless options for egg shaped candy this time of year so choose your favorite and try this recipe!

Download Printable Version Here!

EASTER EGG NESTS
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Bake Time: 22-25 minutes
Yield: 24
Ingredients:
4 large egg whites
2T sugar
1/2t salt
14oz sweetened flaked coconut

candy of your choice: any Cadbury product, M&M’s egg shaped candy, jelly beans, anything!

Steps:
-Preheat oven to 325 degrees
-Prep a mini muffin pan by coating with non stick spray
-Add first four ingredients to a bowl and mix together
-Scoop about 1 tablespoon of the mixture into each cup
-Use your thumb to press down the middle of each cup, forming a nest
-Bake for 22-25 minutes, until nests are golden brown
-Let cool for 10 minutes to let nests settle, using a small offset spatula or butter knife to release nests from pan
-Let cool completely on a wire rack
-When ready, add candy in and get ready for the ooh’s and ahh’s from your family!

So…third blog post and I think I’m starting to get the hang of being a blogger! Lots of research figuring out what to create next, trial and error in the kitchen where I pretend I’m a famous photographer while my dogs stare at me like I’m crazy, then snagging a seat at my local coffee shop or cafe to set aside some time to type the blog and the recipe! Easy peasy! Well, not so easy (quite the process actually) but I’m lovin’ it so far.

This week I made strawberry lemonade baked donuts and they were a big success in the Ornellas household. If you know my husband at all, you know that his weakness is donuts. Any and all kinds of donuts. Well not chocolate (what kind of human being hates chocolate?!) but you know what I mean 😉 So when I got the idea for a baked donut, I jumped at the chance. Donuts seem so hard to do, especially for the at-home baker, since most people don’t own a fryer. So I decided to try a baked version that is not only easier, but it’s healthier. If you’ve ever been curious about making donuts at home, do yourself a favor and try these! I used this donut pan from Target. It was the perfect addition to my kitchen and I can’t wait to try more recipes using it!

I can’t lie, I definitely took a few of these unfrosted donuts to work as a snack. They are amazing both frosted and unfrosted! And the huge chunks of fresh strawberries are just the….icing on the donut orrr….icing on the cake. Get it? God I love a good pun. More puns to come guys. And ps, don’t even get me started on the lemon flavor. I am beyond obsessed with lemons, so much so, that my best friend got me lemon salt and pepper shakers for my birthday this year and I had lemon centerpieces at my wedding instead of flowers. I understand it might be a slight problem. I promise there will be more lemon-obsessed posts to come!

Any other flavor combos of baked donuts you’d like to see? Comment below and let me know!

Download printable version here!

STRAWBERRY LEMONADE BAKED DONUTS
Prep time: 15 minutes
Bake time: 6-8 minutes
Yield: 14-16 donuts

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1 1/2t baking powder
1/2t salt
3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup buttermilk
2T melted butter
2 eggs
2T whole milk
1T vanilla
2T lemon juice
zest of 1 lemon

1 cup strawberries, diced

Icing:
1 cup strawberries, diced
2T sugar
1/2 cup powdered sugar

Steps:
-Preheat oven to 425 degrees
-Add only the first two icing ingredients to a small bowl and set aside to let juices form
-Combine flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar in a large bowl and mix together
-Add all wet ingredients to the dry and mix together
-Gently fold in diced strawberries, mixing until just combined
-Scoop or pipe mixture into prepared donut pan
-Bake for 6-8 minutes or until donuts spring back when touched
-While donuts are baking, you want to finish making the icing: add powdered sugar to a bowl and add the juices from the strawberry/sugar mixture. You’ll get a pretty pink icing for your donuts. You may need more juice or powdered sugar, depending on your desired thickness.
-Once donuts are cool enough to handle (but still warm), remove from pan and drizzle icing on top of each, then eat immediately!

Guys. When I say this next dessert is one of the best things I’ve ever tasted, I am not joking around! If you know me well, you know that although I am a baker and love it, I do NOT have a sweet tooth. I never crave chocolate, I don’t go crazy over birthday cake, and you’ll hardly ever see me order dessert after dinner. That being said, it is a rare occasion to hear me say that a dessert is one of the best things I’ve ever tasted. Like, really rare. But these muffins are SO delish. I don’t know if it’s the brown sugar topping, the nuttiness from the pecans, or the sweetness from the icing on top, but do yourself a solid and go make them immediately! Well, do me a solid and finish reading this post and THEN go make them immediately! Haha.

When I was coming up with this recipe, I wanted something reminiscent of cinnamon rolls, but easier. Side note: my mom (I call her Debs) doesn’t bake. Not from scratch, not from a box; she has other qualities. 🙂 But every Christmas morning, she makes cinnamon rolls and every year I groan about having to eat one. (Rewind to me not liking sweets) However, the older I’ve gotten, the more I look forward to those cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning and it’s now something that has become a tradition for our family. I can honestly say that her cinnamon rolls are the only ones I eat all year.

I think, like most people, a lot of my stories about food and desserts have to do with my family. I am very close with them and they mean the world to me. I grew up with a group of very strong women cooks and this won’t be the first time they are mentioned in a post, stay tuned 🙂 What are some of your family traditions involving food? I’d love to hear your answers!

Download printable version here!

October just began and it is officially my favorite time of year: Fall! The days are windy and overcast, leaves are falling, and believe it or not, it even rained today! The smell of rain is one of my favorite things, but nothing compares to the smell in the kitchen when I made this beautiful cobbler. Oh em gee guys, it was one for the books! It was buttery, nutty, and cinnamon-y, that’s a word right?! It turned out extra delish and super easy to make! It’s perfect for a Friendsgiving dessert, holiday work potluck, or just a Sunday dessert for your family!

I think I should let you all in on a little secret and it’s a doozy so please prep yourselves. I’m not the biggest fan of pumpkin. Ahhh! I know it’s super weird and all of my friends laugh at me. I don’t hate it, but it’s not my favorite. That being said, I like to sometimes create recipes with ingredients I wouldn’t normally choose to challenge myself a little. And with this recipe in particular, I’m so happy I did! It is husband approved, which (let’s be honest) is all the approval I really need 🙂

I let the cobbler cool a little (easier said than done!) before putting a big scoop of vanilla ice cream on top and enjoying! And don’t forget to spoon some of the yummy sauce from the bottom of the pan on top! Ps: how cute is my ruffled pie dish from Crate and Barrel?! Full disclosure: we got these for our wedding THREE YEARS AGO and this is my first time using them. I’m just going to stick with the saying “there’s no time like the present” to make me feel better about myself. Haha.

Download printable version here!

PUMPKIN PECAN COBBLER
Prep time: 10 minutes
Bake time: 40 minutes
Serves: 6-8

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cup flour
2t baking powder
1/2t salt
3/4 cup sugar
1t cinnamon
1/2t nutmeg
1/4t clove
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup + 2T whole milk
1/4 cup melted butter
2t vanilla extract

Topping:
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 1/2 cup hot water

Steps:
-Preheat oven to 350 degrees
-Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl
-Combine wet ingredients in a different bowl
-Add wet ingredients to dry, mix together, and add to baking dish
-Mix first three topping ingredients together and add to baking dish; distribute evenly
-Pour hot water over the top; don’t mix!
-Bake for 40 minutes or until center is completely set
-Serve, add vanilla ice cream, and enjoy!