Bakerella's Blog, page 3

Yippee for 10 years!

It’s a great day! I’m so happy to be celebrating the anniversary of my second kidney transplant today. If you’ve been a long-time follower, you might remember me sharing about it here on the blog.

I found out I was sick shortly after graduating high school. I went on the waiting list and received my first kidney transplant when I was in college. It helped keep me going for almost 20 years before I started getting sick again. Unfortunately, I ended up needing dialysis … again. But fortunately, I didn’t need it for very long because my mom was  able to donate one of her kidneys to me. And, I’m so forever grateful. Mom, I know you’re reading and I love you so much!

Now, 10 years later (that’s hard to believe) we are both doing good. I get check ups often, take immunosuppressants and continue to do my best to take care of her gift. Mom’s doing good with her kidney, too  – in fact, her levels are better than mine. Yip-pee!!! 

A decade is a huge milestone, so I wanted to commemorate it with something sweet that we could share. I already made kidney cake pops back in 2011, so I went with decorated sugar cookies this time.

Hope you like them and really hope you never have a reason to make them. But if you do… here’s a how-to for some super cute and tasty kidney sugar cookies. Let’s get to it.

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S’more cookies, please

Campfire in a cookie sums up these summer fun treats with chocolate ganache, buttecream, graham cracker crumbs and toasted meringue.

You’ll be saying gimme s’more with every bite.

Bonus: you don’t need a fire pit to make them. Just a handy little kitchen torch and you’ll be ready to go. Let me show you.

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Secret Ingredient Chocolate Chip Cookies

I’ve made chocolate chip cookies a million times and a bunch of different ways, but I’ve never made them with this secret ingredient addition. The recipe for these satisfying, soft and chewy cookies comes from my blogging friend, Kelly Senyei, creator of Just a Taste and new author of The Secret Ingredient Cookbook. Her book is full of familiar recipes with a twist. And if these cookies are any indication, you’ll want to try them all.

Want to know the secret? Let’s find out.

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Cookies & Cream Cheesecake Squares

Cheesecake Squares! These are the perfect size decadent dessert. They are so dense and rich that anything bigger might be too much for one sitting. I’ve made them before with peanut butter cups, Snickers and Kit Kats, too … but these are a little bit taller and made with more filling.

Not to mention, each one is topped off with chocolate ganache, whipped cream and a full-size Oreo cookie. It’s a lot … but also just right in a roughly 2-inch square treat.

Let’s get into it…

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16 Sweet Easter Treats

I have some pretty spring treats to share with you today. From cupcakes to cake pops to meringues and more … I hope these adorable sweets inspire you to make something fun this Easter. And if nothing else I hope they make you smile from all the cuteness.

Let’s hop to it.

1. Little Lamb Cupcakes

Puffy little balls of buttercream, dusted with confectioners’ sugar make these little lamb cupcakes wooly cute.

2. Bunny Bark

This is such a fun project… and super customizable. Use your favorite Easter candy along with pastel candy coating and sprinkles for a charming treat. Then break the bunny bark apart and enjoy!

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Meringue Bunnies

Have you ever tried making meringues at home? They are made by adding sugar to whipped egg whites and often piped in traditional kiss shapes and baked. Pretty easy, but you guys know I can’t resist a twist on sweet treats. So … Here come some bunnies in perfectly pastel colors for spring.

The recipe I use calls for superfine sugar or caster sugar and heating it in the oven for a few minutes to make it easier to dissolve when incorporating into the egg whites. This brand is from India Tree and I have found it at Fresh Market in the past.

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Mini Shamrock Shake Cakes

Let’s shake things up for St. Patrick’s Day with festive little cakes all dressed up for the occasion. These little shamrock shakes are full of cake, ganache and frosting layered in a little glass jar to simulate a very mini melt-free milkshake.

Look at these glass jars. So cute. I saved a few of these from a brand of yogurt I bought recently called Oui Yogurt and I just had to keep them knowing they would come in handy someday. And today’s that day. 

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Peanut Butter Banana Bread

It’s time to use up some bananas again because I always end up buying more than I get around to actually eating. Always. This time … instead of the my chocolate marbled banana bread that I love so much … I’m going a little simpler with peanut butter mixed in the batter.

This recipe uses basic ingredients which is always a plus when I have a last minute urge to bake something and hope that I already have everything I will need in the pantry.

Especially when it looks like this. Yummm!

The steps are easy, too. And you don’t even need a mixer. This is a hand mixing mashup. Make the banana bread batter and then combine some of the batter with melted peanut butter.

Then you just gently swirl the two together for a perfect peanut buttery combo and bake away.

Print Peanut Butter Banana Bread Prep Time 20 minutes Cook Time 52 minutes Total Time 1 hour 12 minutes Ingredients 2 cups all purpose flour 3/4 cup granulated sugar 1/4 cup light brown sugar 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1-1/2 cups ripe bananas, mashed 1/2 cup unsalted butter, mostly melted and cooled 2 eggs 1/3 cup whole milk 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla 2/3 cup peanut butter Instructions Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.Grease a 9 X 5 inch loaf pan. Lay a piece of parchment paper cut to fit the length of the pan and allow enough to extend over the edges sides of the pan to allow lifting. Then grease the top of the parchment paper. Lightly dust with flour.Whisk 2 cups flour, the sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.In another bowl, combine mashed bananas, mostly melted butter, milk, eggs and vanilla. Add flour mixture to the wet mixture and whisk together until combined.In a small bowl, melt peanut butter with about 3-4 scoops of the banana bread batter and stir together until blended.Pour remaining batter in the prepared loaf pan and then place spoonfuls of the peanut butter mixture on top. Gently swirl peanut butter mixture into the banana bread batter with a knife several times without over mixing. Bake for 50-52 minutes until done. Cool and remove from the loaf pan by holding the ends of the parchment paper and lifting out. Cut bread into thick slices and enjoy.

Hope you enjoy!

Wood you be mine? Beaver Cake Pops.

I’ve been busy as a beaver making these cute little cake pops for Valentine’s Day complete with downloadable treat tags. They’d also be adorable for a woodland themed shower or birthday party – minus the tags, of course.

Let’s see how these decorative add-ons transform a shaped cake ball into the sweetest edible valentine. (more…)

Cocoa Cupcakes

It’s cold outside and these cocoa cupcakes are a fun way to stay cozy and cute inside. They are  reminiscent of hot chocolate but presented as a sweet little cake with cocoa frosting and the tiniest marshmallow bits to top them off and tie the whole look together.

The best part is these cupcakes are super easy to pull together and you can mix all the ingredients for the cupcakes in one bowl. I always love that.

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