Homemade Chai Latte
My daughter came downstairs tonight because she couldn’t sleep and she asked for some warm milk. I also know she loves chai lattes, because she steals mine alllll the time. I wanted to make her something warming, like a chai latte, but without any caffeine. Chai lattes are also one of my little guilty pleasures. Michael usually orders me one (Thanks, COVID!) from Starbucks after my run on Sundays. I may never need to order one again!! This is seriously YUMMY!! It hits all the craving, warming, comforting spots that you look for in a chai latte.
Seriously. Try this.
Enjoy!
Homemade Chai Latte
Ingredients
- 2 cups almond milk Or milk of choice
- 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
Instructions
- In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the almond milk, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and maple syrup. Whisk to combine, stirring regularly until the mixture is piping hot.
- Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the fridge. You can serve them chilled over ice, or reheat on the stove again.
Gluten, Dairy, and Egg Free (Vegan) Cookies!
Okay, that’s a big title. But, to just say these are ‘healthy cookies’ isn’t enough. I was definitely a bit skeptical when I was making these. First, the cookie batter was pretty wet, so I thought they were going to flatten like a pancake! I was a bit worried to use my 2 tablespoon scoop for this reason, but I took a chance. I’m glad I did, because the complete opposite happened! They didn’t flatten AT ALL. At first, I was going to call these a ‘smashed’ cookie, because that’s essentially what I did with the first batch, to help flatten them after they came out of the oven. But, smashing a warm cookie with melty chocolate in it also means that you’re going to smoosh the chocolate everywhere. See? Still tasty, but not so pretty.
The original recipe calls for 1/2 cup of EITHER raisins or chocolate chips. I decided to put 1/2 cup of BOTH raisins and chocolate chips. Also, I used my homemade apple sauce in this recipe which has a bit of sugar in it. I didn’t mind. 🙂 But, unsweetened apple sauce would be great, especially since there’s already sweetness from the ripe bananas and raisins….and chocolate chips.
I had 2 of these almost every night after dinner with a tea until they were gone! They really hit the spot. I am loving finding new recipes to use up all of my bananas and this one will be added to my growing rotation!!
Enjoy!
Gluten, Dairy, and Egg Free (Vegan) Cookies!
Ingredients
- 2 mashed ripe bananas
- 1/3 cup apple sauce sweetened or unsweetened will work
- 2 cups quick cooking oats
- 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips original recipe calls for either 1/2 cup of raisins or chocolate chips - use your own discretion
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Using a 2 tablespoon scoop, place cookies onto a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet.
- Bake for 15 - 20 minutes.
- Allow cookies to cool slightly before removing them from the pan.
Blueberry Breakfast Cake with Lemon-Mascarpone Cream
Who wants cake for breakfast?? ME! I confess….I actually made this for dessert the night before. It was tasty, but was meant for breakfast, or actually, brunch, in my opinion. This would be the perfect, beautiful addition to your brunch menu. Imagine how impressed your family and/or guests will be when they see that you baked a cake for brunch! It’s really just one large blueberry muffin. It’s genius, actually.
I’ve made blueberry cakes with frozen blueberries, when the original recipe calls for fresh blueberries, and the cook time increases by over triple the time, in some cases. The moisture from the frozen blueberries throws off the balance of ingredients. Even though this recipe calls for frozen blueberries, it’s really important to allow them to thaw and allow some of the water to escape from the berry itself.
This recipe is unique, in that you don’t ever fold the blueberries into the batter. Pretty smart, actually, because frozen and thawed blueberries become quite mushy and if you did mix them into your batter, it might just turn the cake purple. Which may not be a horrible thing.
Any liquid you see within the blueberries is actually lemon juice. I let these blueberries drain long enough that they didn’t have excess liquid to release. It’s an important step in this recipe to rinse the berries before you let them drain. This will help the thawing process and they won’t all clump together.
The batter for this cake is pretty thick. Once you pour it into your pan, you will need to help smooth it out. It almost has a cookie-like texture to it.
Even though the majority of the blueberries stayed on the top of the cake, enough sunk down to help even things out.
This cake is easy and pairs really well with a nice cup of coffee or tea. I hope that you make this and that you enjoy it as much as we did!
Enjoy!
Blueberry Breakfast Cake with Lemon-Mascarpone Cream
Equipment
- 9 inch Sprinform pan
Ingredients
- 1 cup plus 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup butter Salted or unsalted will work,
- 1 cup granulated (white) sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 cups frozen blueberries, rinsed and drained
- 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- icing (or powdered) sugar for dusting (optional)
Lemon-Mascarpone Cream
- 1 cup 1 cup mascarpone, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream, at room temperature
- 3 teaspoons honey I will add more honey the next time I make this.
- 1 teaspoon vanilla Original recipe calls for 1 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise and scraped. Use this if you have any on hand.
- Zest of 1 lemon
Instructions
Blueberry Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter your pan and dust with flour.
- Whisk 1 cup of the flour with the baking powder and salt in a medium bowl; set aside.
- Combine the butter and sugar in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Add the eggs one at a time, beating until well combined. Beat in the vanilla.
- Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly add the flour mixture, beating until smooth.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and smooth with a spatula.
- In a bowl, combine the berries with the remaining 1 teaspoon flour and the lemon juice, lemon zest and cinnamon; spoon over the batter.
- Bake until golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 50 minutes.
- Remove from oven and let cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Carefully slide a thin knife around the edges of the cake to release it from the pan.
- Transfer the cake to a platter, berry-side up, and dust lightly with confectioners' sugar.
Lemon-Mascarpone Cream
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the mascarpone and whipping cream until just combined. Fold in the honey, vanilla, and lemon zest.
- To serve, spoon a dollop of the lemon-mascarpone cream on top of a slice of blueberry cake.
Marshmallow Cinnamon ‘Buns’
I found this recipe as I was searching what to make for our first Easter dinner in Toronto. This was a bittersweet Easter, not only because of COVID-19 and not being able to be with family, but this was the first holiday without my mom. It was really important to me that this first holiday of ours as a little family be as special as it could be under the circumstances.
The original recipe is called ‘Empty Tomb Rolls’, which felt like a pretty weird title for these. Apparently, the symbolism of a large marshmallow represents the body of Jesus. The crescent roll represents the wrapping of Jesus’ body. The melted butter represents the oils of embalming. The cinnamon/sugar mix represents the spices used to anoint Christ’s body. The oven represents the tomb, and the cavity in the bun (once baked) represents the empty tomb.
Whoa. That’s heavy. That’s a lot of symbolism to put on a glorified cinnamon roll. Symbolism aside, I knew I needed to make this recipe because they are so easy to make!! Plus, my kids are crazy about marshmallows, so I figured they’d be a hit. Being a ‘glorified cinnamon roll’ is not a stretch. The marshmallow in these completely melts away (which is why there is a cavity left inside the bun after it bakes), so it creates an ooey gooey cinnamon sugar mixture. It’s yummy.
The original recipe suggests using large pillsbury crescent rolls. Unless you’re going to use those jumbo marshmallows that I’ve seen in the stores, the regular crescent rolls are fine, if in fact, better. When I used the large sized crescent rolls, I had to cut each triangle of dough in two. It was just an unnecessary step when the regular sized rolls already came in triangles of 8 crescent rolls.
This is what it should look like before you place these in the oven. Don’t forget to spray your muffin tin before placing these rolls inside! The most important step at this point is to make sure you’ve sealed the marshmallow inside the dough as well as possible, or it will leak out all over the place.
Some marshmallow leaked out of a couple of mine, but not terribly. These really puff up, but because there is a hollow cavity on the inside, they may fall as they cool. That’s normal.
Look at all that gooey goodness! The shadow in the second photo makes me sad, but shows the ooey gooeyness so well that I had to include it!
Allow these to cool slightly before eating so that you don’t burn your mouth. I do recommend that if you don’t finish these after the first bake, reheat them before eating them again.
Enjoy!!
Marshmallow Cinnamon 'Buns'
Equipment
- Muffin Tin
Ingredients
- 1 package refrigerated crescent rolls (regular size)
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 8 large marshmallows
- 1/4 cup salted butter, melted
- cooking spray for muffin tin
Instructions
- Separate the crescent rolls into eight triangles.
- Combine the sugar and the cinnamon together in a bowl. Dip each marshmallow into the melted butter, roll into the cinnamon-sugar mixture and place on a crescent roll triangle.
- Pinch dough together around the marshmallow, sealing the edges.
- Dip the tops of each marshmallow wrapped bundle into the remaining butter and then cinnamon-sugar.
- Place sugar side up in greased muffin cups.
- Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 - 15 minutes or until rolls are golden brown.
- Allow to cool slightly.
Instructions:
The Most AMAZING S’mores Popcorn!
This. Popcorn. Is. AMAZING!!! I’m not even sure I need to write anymore. You gotta try this! It’s just soooo good.
I’ve always loved eating marshmallows in their original yummy state and I’ve always loved roasting marshmallows, but not eating them! They just become too rich. So, as much as I’ve always loved making s’mores at the cottage, I usually make them for others. This is different!! The saltiness of the popcorn helps to break up all that heavy sweetness that comes with a traditional s’more. I think my nieces and nephews will go crazy for this popcorn. I can’t wait to make it for them (unless they make it for themselves first!)!
My kids have the same marshmallow gene as me. My son would eat marshmallows all day if I let him. I knew this recipe would be a hit! I bought a bag of Smartfood buttered popcorn to help save me some time. Initially, I was worried that with all the ingredients and the 1/2 cup of butter that is in the mix, that it would be too much, but it was perfect.
You start out by putting all of the dry ingredients into a big bowl like this:
The original recipe calls for semi-sweet chocolate chips. But, milk chocolate and marshmallows are a match made in candy heaven. So, I bought a big Cadbury Dairy Milk chocolate bar and cut it up into chunks. There’s a full bag of popcorn under all that goodness, by the way. 🙂
Enjoy!!
The Most AMAZING S'mores Popcorn!
Equipment
- Candy Thermometer
Ingredients
- 10 cups store-bought popcorn This equals an entire bag of popcorn
- 2 cups mini marshmallows
- 1 cup milk chocolate chunks The original recipe calls for semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 1/2 cups lightly crushed graham crackers
- 1 stick or 1/2 cup salted butter The original recipe calls for unsalted butter, but I didn't have any. I cut back on the salt by half a teaspoon.
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup corn syrup light or golden will work
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt If using unsalted butter, increase salt to 1 teaspoon
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- Cooking oil spray to coat a spatula for stirring mixture
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or silpat mat.
- Place the popcorn, marshmallows, chocolate chunks and crushed graham crackers in a large bowl; do not combine yet.
- Combine the butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and corn syrup in a medium saucepan fitted with a candy thermometer. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring until the butter is melted and the ingredients are completely combined, about 5 minutes.
- Continue to boil the sugar, no longer stirring, until it reaches the firm-ball* stage, 245 degrees F. Remove the sugar from the heat and add the salt and baking soda**.
- Spray a rubber spatula with cooking spray. Immediately pour the sugar over the popcorn mixture and, using the greased spatula, carefully fold all the ingredients together.
- Spread the mixture evenly over the prepared baking sheet and bake until lightly browned and crispy and the chocolate and marshmallows are fully melted, about 20 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and let cool at least 20 minutes before eating. Allow the popcorn to sit for about an hour, so that it can set up completely before covering it to store.
Notes
Skor and Chocolate Chip Cookies
I made these cookies on a whim for Christmas this year and they were so popular, I made another batch for New Year’s Day! I had picked up skor bits and milk chocolate chips when I was buying ingredients for Christmas cookie baking, but had no real plan for them. Thought I would throw the two ingredients together and make a new cookie! How bad can milk chocolate and skor bits be together, right?
The first time I made these, I thought I should’ve added some pecans to help break up all the sweet that is going on in these cookies. but they were so well received, I decided to leave well enough alone. That and two of my nieces are allergic to pecans. But, I still may add those to half the recipe next time to see how they taste.
Enjoy!
Skor and Milk Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup salted butter
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 package milk chocolate chips
- 1 package skor bits
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream together butter, sugars, eggs and vanilla. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and add to the butter mixture. Fold in chocolate chips and skor bits.
- With a teaspoon scoop, place cookies on a parchment lined cookie sheet.
- Bake for 10 minutes.
- Cool before removing from cookie sheet.
Notes
Ree’s Fruit Salad with Orange-Vanilla Syrup
I made this the first time when we had friends over for brunch a couple of years ago and it’s been a go-to fruit salad for me ever since! The Pioneer Woman is one of those Food Network chefs that I love to watch. I could have her playing in the background all day on my TV. Her kitchen is a dream and her voice is so inviting. She does make many ‘meat and potato’ dishes, which aren’t always for me, but after all, she’s cooking for cowboys! Even still, I trust her cooking. I think there was one in all the many that I have tried that didn’t cook according to her recipe.
I have made this salad both with and without the mint. It’s good either way. Mint can be a tricky herb. Too much could ruin this salad. I think my preference is to omit the mint, but should you want to add some, use it more as a garnish than an ingredient in this salad.
The simple syrup for this recipe really transforms the fruit. I also like that it is largely a berry fruit salad, in addition to the grapes. I’ve not experimented with other fruit, but I imagine any fruit would work well with this syrup. My daughter is not a fan of orange, but she still enjoys this salad. The syrup also adds a nice sheen to the fruit. It’s really yummy and such a nice addition to your brunch menu.
Enjoy!
Ree's Fruit Salad with Orange-Vanilla Simple Syrup
Ingredients
Orange-Vanilla Syrup
- 1 cup sugar
- Zest and juice of 1 orange
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste*
Fruit
- 2 pints strawberries hulled and halved**
- 2 pints blueberries
- 2 cups green grapes halved
- 2 cups red grapes halved
Instructions
- Place the sugar, 1 cup water, orange zest, juice and vanilla bean paste in a small pan and stir to dissolve the sugar. Then bring to a boil. Turn the heat to low and simmer for about 15 minutes to thicken. Set aside to cool completely. Pour over fruit and stir often to toss the fruit in the simple syrup.
Notes
**Original recipe calls for 4 pints of strawberries. I find 2 is plenty. If you have a really large party to serve, go for 4. Adapted from Pioneer Woman
Make-Ahead Cinnamon Buns
Okay, so these are indulgent, but such a treat to wake up to on a special, lazy, morning with family. The BEST part about these buns is that most of the work happens the night before!
Important to note that this dough must rise for 1.5 to 2 hours before it can be rolled out, so don’t start preparing these too late the night before. I have made the mistake in the past of deciding to make something later at night and realizing the recipe needs to chill for so many hours in the fridge before moving on to the next step. Bah!
I like to add raisins to my cinnamon buns, but you can also add pecans if you like that kinda thing.
I first saw Valerie Bertinelli make these on her show for Christmas morning, and I thought it was such a nice idea! We’ve tried to do a big breakfast on Christmas morning, but it takes so long and with all the food we have to look forward to for dinner, it’s too much of a production to have a big breakfast and then a big dinner. Having something comforting and tasty like this that takes little effort in the morning is perfect!
I highly recommend you make these. Your family will love you all over again! 🙂
Make-Ahead Cinnamon Buns
Ingredients
For the dough
- I cup warm whole milk
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 .25 oz package active dry yeast
- 2 large eggs
- 4 cups all-purpose flour plus more for dusting
- vegetable oil for the bowl
For the filling
- 6 tablespoons salted butter softened, plus more for the baking dish*
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup raisins optional
For the icing
- 2 cups icing sugar
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 tablespoons of milk plus more as needed
Instructions
For the dough
- Combine the milk, sugar, melted butter, salt, and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the hook attachment and stir to combine well. Add the eggs and stir until well mixed. Add the flour and mix on medium-high speed until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 4 minutes. Transfer the dough to a large, lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel. Let stand in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Punch the dough down and lightly flour a work surface. Lay the dough out and roll the dough out into an 18-by-12-inch rectangle.
For the filling
- Butter a 13-by-9-inch glass baking dish. Spread the softened butter evenly all over the dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border, then sprinkle evenly with the brown sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle raisins, if using. Roll up the dough and press and crimp the edges to seal. Cut the dough into 12 slices and arrange them in the buttered baking dish. If you want to bake them the same day, cover with plastic wrap and let stand until doubled in size, about 1 hour. Otherwise, refrigerate overnight; take out of the refrigerator and let sit at room temperature for 1 hour before baking. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Bake the cinnamon buns until puffed and golden brown all over, about 25 minutes.
For the icing
- Put the icing sugar in a medium bowl. Whisk in the melted butter, vanilla and milk Whisk until smooth. Add additional milk, about 1 teaspoon at a time, if needed to achieve the right consistency. Drizzle the icing over the warm cinnamon rolls. Serve warm.
Notes
Ina’s Buttermilk Blueberry Muffins
It’s been a while since I’ve written, even though I think about this blog all of the time. I take pictures of almost everything I make and then I never seem to have the time to sit down and post about them.
Life has taken a turn recently, and so quickly. I’ve found myself on leave from work and back home to help take care of my mom, as she is very ill. So far, her appetite has been amazing, so I have been cooking up a storm, making sure she has whatever she wants on hand. All my cooking has brought me back here.
These muffins are easy, fresh and light.
Something I have never done with these muffins is gotten all the ingredients to room temperature. The buttermilk ALWAYS ends up being colder than the cooled melted butter, and that butter gets chunky once stirred in. Not to worry! I’ve had no issues with the batter.
This recipe makes 2 dozen muffins. As you can see, 2 muffins are already missing from this pic! 🙂
I really hope you make these. They are one of our go-tos.
Ina's Buttermilk Blueberry Muffins
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 4 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 1/4 cup butter, melted My preference, generally, is to bake with salted butter. But, use whichever works best for you.
- 1.5 teaspoons grated lemon zest When using the zest of a lemon, buy organic lemons, so that you aren't consuming any pesticides sprayed on the fruit
- 2 large eggs The original recipe calls for extra large eggs. It won't impact this recipe at all to use large eggs.
- 2 cups fresh blueberries 2 half-pints
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tins with muffin liners.
- Measure out and mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a large mixing bowl.
- In a separate bowl, mix together the buttermilk, cooled and melted butter, lemon zest, and eggs.
- Make a hole in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour the wet ingredients into the well of dry ingredients. Mix with a fork until just blended.
- Fold in the blueberries into the batter. Don't over mix!
- Scoop the batter evenly into the prepared muffin cups, filling them 3/4 full.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes
The BEST Granola!
It’s a SNOW DAY today! Snow days in Toronto NEVER happen! In my 14 years of teaching, this is my first! It’s an exciting day. To celebrate, I made more of this amazing granola!
My husband loves granola, even more than my kids. I’ve always had intentions of making it, so they could have a homemade variety, but I never found one that really motivated me to make it. That was until this recipe showed up in my email.
When I read how simple it was, and how natural the ingredients were, I knew I had to make it! I actually went out during my lunch break to get the ingredients, so that I could make it that very night!
My second batch turned out darker than my first, but that’s okay! Still tastes just as good. And I actually think it’s supposed to be this colour more than my first picture.
This granola is really good with some yogurt and fresh berries. I often eat it plain or with just berries and/or grapes. It’s sooooo good.
The original recipe calls for 1 cup of walnuts and 1 cup of sliced almonds, but I’m not a big fan of walnuts, so I just doubled the amount of almonds. You could do any nut in here. You could also add chia seeds, dried cherries/cranberries or anything you want. I like to keep it simple.
Enjoy!
The BEST Granola!
Ingredients
- 5 cups rolled oats
- 1 cup pure maple syrup
- 1 cup good olive oil
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 2 cups sliced almonds
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment or a silpat sheet.
- In a large bowl, combine the oats, syrup, olive oil and salt. Toss well to coat evenly. Spread the mixture on the baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes, stirring halfway through (at the 15 minute mark) to ensure the oats get evenly coated.
- Remove the tray and stir in the almonds.
- Bake for another 30 minutes, stirring halfway through again.
- Cool completely on tray.
- Can be stored in an air tight container for up to 2 weeks (but it won’t last that long! :))
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