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Strawberry Cheesecake Cupcakes!

Granola Girl bakes :: Strawberry Cheesecake cupcakes 11

So, who wants to join me for a Strawberry Cheesecake Cupcake?! 🙂 It had been literally weeks since I baked anything new and I had this recipe going through my mind. So the weekend found its way to me and I found myself in the kitchen! From my posts y’all probably know I have a weakness for a couple few things; coffee, cupcakes, and cream cheese icing. 😉 Strawberries are in season and it had been quite some time since I baked cupcakes so it only seemed natural to combine the two and add a few of my favorite things to the mix. 😀 For the frosting I made a slightly cream cheesier icing with a bit of salt and topped it off with lightly toasted graham cracker crumbs. The result, simply delicious! Y’all will have to give it a try for yourself and see! 🙂

Strawberry Cupcakes 6

Yields 24 cupcakes

Cake Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 sticks butter{softened}
  • 4 oz cream cheese{softened}
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp almond extract{optional}
  • 1 1/2 cups white flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 pint fresh strawberries diced

Icing

  • 1 stick butter{softened}
  • 6 oz cream cheese{softened}
  • 3 cups powder sugar
  • 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp almond extract{optional}
  • 1/2 tsp salt

Topping

  • 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit. Line muffin tins with paper!
  2. Cream butter, 4 oz cream cheese, and sugar in an electric mixer on high-speed for 3 minutes.
  3. Add eggs one at a time mixing well after each egg. Stir in Vanilla & almond extract and scrape sides.
  4. Turn mixer on low and slowly add flour 1/2 cup at a time and salt until completely combined!
  5. With a rubber spatula, gentle fold in strawberries. Place 1/4 cup batter in each muffin cup. Bake for 14-17 minutes or until golden and an inserted toothpick comes out clean!
  6. Allow to completely cool while you make the icing!

For the icing:

  1. Place all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and beat on high for 3 minutes. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl and mix for another minute!
  2. Pipe onto cooled cupcakes and top with graham cracker crumbs!
  3. Enjoy!!

 

Granola Girl bakes :: Strawberry Cheesecake cupcakes

Granola Girl bakes :: Strawberry Cheesecake cupcakes 3

Granola Girl bakes :: Strawberry Cheesecake cupcakes 7

 

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Granola Girl bakes :: Strawberry Cheesecake cupcakes 8

  How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!-Ps 119:103

7 Comments

Raspberry Trifles!

Raspberry Trifles {Granola Girl Bakes}

Summer has almost come to an end! Can you believe it?! But it’s not gone yet and seeing I still have 2 weeks left until I have to officially say “goodbye” to summer I decided to make a summer favorite! Raspberry Trifles. 🙂 Well, these are a summer/fall/winter/spring favorite, really!  Freshly baked pound cake, super tart raspberries, a hint of lemon, sweet cream-cheese filling, and freshly whipped cream{sweetened with maple ’cause it doesn’t get much better than pure maple!} makes for a rather delightful combination that will definitely satisfy your sweet tooth! 🙂

Note: I used pure maple to sweeten the cream but you can definitely use regular powder sugar! Both will work. (:

Yields 8 mugs or 1 larger trifle dish!

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
  • 1/4 cup pure maple{or powdered sugar!}
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 2 8oz packages creamcheese{softened!}
  • 2 tsp lemon juice
  • 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 1  pound cake
  • 10 oz frozen raspberries{thawed and drained BUT reserve juice!}
  • cocoa powder for dusting!

Directions

  1. In a medium bowl, beat cream with 1/4 cup maple or sugar until stiff peaks form. In another bowl, cream together cream cheese, lemon juice, vanilla and 1/2 cup sugar. Fold 2 cups of whipped cream into cream cheese mixture. Reserve remaining whipped cream.
  2. Cube pound cake into 18 – 1/2 inch slices. Drain raspberries, reserving juice. Line the bottom of a 3 quart glass bowl or trifle bowl with one-third of the cake slices. If using mugs do the same but on a smaller scale. 🙂  Drizzle with some raspberry juice, then spread one-fourth of the cream cheese mixture over cake. Sift one-fourth of the cocoa over that. Sprinkle with one-third of the raspberries. Repeat layers twice. Top with remaining cream cheese mixture, whipped cream and sifted cocoa. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour but best when you let the set overnight!
  3. Grab a cup of coffee and about 7 or so good friends. ENJOY!! 🙂

[vimeo http://www.vimeo.com/73992460 w=560&h=315]
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Caramel Pecan Crumb Peaches à la mode

Caramel Crumb Pecan Peaches :: Granola Giril Bakes 5

I have been dreaming up this recipe for about 10.5 months now! 😉 Just waiting for peach season to start in Texas and then free time to concoct the recipe! So it happened today that I had an early morning photo shoot and then I took the rest of the afternoon off to “kid-sit” while my parents went to an appointment. 5 kiddos under 12, Lunch on and off, cleaned up, then a diaper change, get cups of water, and it’s NAP TIME or what we call “quiet time”! 🙂 I set their timer for 1 hour and then thought, “why not see if I can’t create the recipe in this 1 hour?” Challenging? For me, yes! 🙂 If I take pictures of my baking, it takes about twice as long to bake whatever I am baking but I was up for the challenge!

The recipe I had been dreaming up? A fresh peach halved, drizzled with a delicious caramel, topped with a pecan maple-sweetened crumb topping, baked until soft and golden, and then topped off{while still warm} with a dollop of ice cream and {generous}caramel drizzle! And it just so happened that I have what seems to be{thankfully :)} a “never-ending jar” of slickepott and our extremely generous neighbor blessed us with pecans from her pecan tree. So I was set! 🙂 Yep, it was just as good as I hoped it would be! The great thing about so many siblings is that you only get a taste of whatever you make…. so you unknowingly  go on a diet unless you make a dozen and a half of something! This recipe made 2 and once I was finished the kiddos quickly devoured them! 😉

Caramel Crumb Pecan Peaches :: Granola Giril Bakes 15

Yields 2 delightfully decadent servings!

Ingredients

  • 1 fresh and perfectly ripened peach
  • Caramel Sauce {Used slickepott but if you can’t get a jar home-made is second best. 😉 I have a recipe ::here::}
  • 2 1/2 tbsp butter
  • 1 tbsp pure maple syrup
  • 1/4 cup pecans {chopped}
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • dash salt
  • vanilla ice cream
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees!
  2. Place  flour, maple, cinnamon, and salt in bowl. Cut in 2 TBS butter and then stir in nuts! Place in freezer for 10 minutes.
  3. Generously butter a glass baking dish. Half and pit the peach! Drizzle with around 1 tbsp caramel sauce per half. Top both halves with crumb topping and bake for 25 minutes or until crumb is golden and peach soft! You will be able to tell by the smell!! 😉
  4. Allow to cool for 5 minutes then plate! Top with vanilla ice cream and a generous amount of Caramel!
  5. Enjoy!! 🙂

[vimeo http://www.vimeo.com/72950875 w=560&h=315]

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‘Tis Peach Season!

Peaches are fresh here in the Texas Hill country! Take a drive down the old country road and you will see peach orchard after peach orchard and peach stands full of fresh fruit ripened to perfection, icecream, and even cobbler. 🙂 Needless to say, I am enjoying the peach season immensely! Keep your eyes open for a  peach recipe on my blog {very soon} but until then, whats your favorite peach dessert? 🙂

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peaches“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven”
Ecclesiastes 3:1

6 Comments

Glazed Orange Scones

Orange Scones ::Granola Girl Bakes 8

Scones? I had never been a fan of them…. until I found myself out-of-town a couple of weeks ago and having to{okay, so it wasn’t a hard thing to do!} eat breakfast atPanera every morning!! To make a long story short, 5 breakfasts at Panera and each consisted of a delicious orange scone! 🙂 So, when I returned home I was determined to make orange scones and here I am! The recipe is really simple and super fast{I had the scones done in under 40 minutes!} Nothing like a large americano and a freshly glazed orange scone still slightly warm from the oven. 🙂

Original Recipe Yield 16 scones

For the scone:

  • 1/3 cup sugar
    the zest of two large oranges
    2 cups all-purpose flour
    1 tsp baking powder
    1/4 tsp baking soda
    1/2 tsp salt
    8 tbs  butter {frozen!}
    1/2 cup sour cream
    1  egg

For the Glaze

2 cup confectioners’ sugar; sifted
1 tbs pure vanilla extract
3-4 tbs freshly squeezed orange juice

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 400 and line a baking sheet with parchment.
  2. In a medium bowl, combine sugar and orange zest; mix with your fingers until the sugar is moistened and zest coated. Add in the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and mix until combined.
  3. Grate butter into flour mixture on the large holes of a cheese grater; use your fingers to work in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
  4. In a small bowl, whisk the sour cream and egg until smooth.
  5. Using a fork, stir sour cream mixture into flour mixture until large dough clumps form. Use your hands to press the dough against the bowl into a ball. The dough will be sticky first, but as you press, the dough will come together.
  6. Place on a lightly floured surface and pat into a 7-inch circle about 1-inch thick. Use a sharp knife to cut into 8 triangles; place on prepared baking sheet, about 1 inch apart. Bake until golden, about 15 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes while you make the glaze!
  7. In a medium bowl, prepare the glaze by mixing together the powder sugar, vanilla and orange juice. Whisk until smooth. Drizzle over scones and allow the glaze to harden!
  8. Fix a rather large pot of coffee or a delicious americano & Enjoy!! 🙂

[vimeo 67908444 w=569 h=320]
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“O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusts in Him.”
Psalm 34:8

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Fresh Fruit Cheesecake!

Granola Girl bakes:: Fresh Fruit Cheesecake 5

‘Tis the season for cheesecake!! 🙂 Okay, it is really always the season for cheesecake in my opinion but with spring & summer comes fresh fruit. So, for our Sunday dessert I made a fresh fruit cheesecake!

Original Recipe Yield 12-16 servings

Ingredients

  • 2 cups  Graham Cracker Crumbs
  • 6 tbsp butter, melted
  • 6 tbsp sugar
  • 5 packages cream cheese, softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 3 tablespoons flour
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 4 eggs
  • The zest of 2 lemon
Topping
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
  • 1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries
  • 1 1/2 cups fresh strawberries

Directions

  1. Heat oven to 325 degrees F if using a silver 9 inch springform pan. Mix crumbs, 6 tbsp sugar, and butter; press firmly onto bottom of pan. Bake 10 minutes.
  2. Beat cream cheese, sugar, flour and vanilla in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add sour cream; mix well. Add eggs, one at a time. Then add the zest, mixing on low-speed after each addition just until blended. Pour over crust.
  3. Bake 1 hour 10 minutes or until center is almost set. Run knife or metal spatula around rim of pan to loosen cake; cool before removing rim of pan. Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight.
  4. Mix sour cream, sugar, and vanilla until well blended. Spread evenly over cheesecake and top with fresh fruit!
  5. Enjoy!!
Granola Girl bakes:: Fresh Fruit Cheesecake 6
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Smoothies | Summertime

It’s summer!! 🙂 Nothing goes better with summer than smoothies…. well actually icecream goes better but smoothies are the next best thing! 😉
If they are made right, smoothies are not only tasty but also an extremely good way to get a couple servings of fruit in. This morning I came up with the perfect mix!! A pretty simple combination of strawberries, peaches, and bananas but I added a punch of flavor with pineapple concentrate. 🙂 Add a bit of organic cream top yogurt and a splash of vanilla for a deliciously creamy texture… almost taste like a milkshake! OK, so this recipe isn’t rocket science BUT it’s good! What’s your favorite smoothie combination?

Yields: 1 smoothie

Ingredients

  • 2/3 cup frozen sliced strawberries
  • 1/3 cup frozen chopped peaches
  • 1/2 ripened banana
  • 1/4 cup cream top yogurt(or regular plain yogurt)
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 2 tbsp frozen pineapple concentrate (100% fruit juice)
  • 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
Directions
  1. Place all ingredients in blender, starting with fruit and finishing with yogurt and milk. Blend until completely smooth!
  2. Pour into favorite cup, add a colorful straw and enjoy! 🙂

HAPPY SUMMER!

8 Comments

Strawberry Honey Icecream with Roasted Coconut

Summer is almost here which the perfect season for Icecream (actually all seasons are perfect when it comes to icecream)! 🙂  Seeing that Strawberries are fresh this time of year and I hadn’t made a batch of icecream since last August, I decided to experiment! I knew I wanted honey for the sweetness in this batch of icecream (we attempt to stay away from white sugar plus there is something about the flavor of honey that makes everything taste so much better) and  I also wanted to add a little more depth  to the flavor of the icecream, so I made a custard base and  decided to add toasted coconut to the mix.

My ingredient picture is missing the eggs and Salt… I completely forgot! 😉

Yields: 12 Delightfully delicious AND healthy Peanut Butter Cups

Ingredients

  • 2 pints fresh strawberries hulled and halved
  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 4 egg yolks lightly beaten
  • 2/3 cup honey
  • 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 cup toasted coconut
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 350°.  Place hulled and halved strawberries on parchment lined pan, sprinkle with a pink of salt and roast for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
  2. Meanwhile prepare the custard. Place eggs, honey, and salt in a medium sized bowl. In a large sauce pan bring heavy cream and milk to a simmer, remove from heat and slowly add 1 cup of cream to the egg mixture whisking constantly until combine. Add remaining cream to egg mixture and pour mixture back into the saucepan. Over low heat, stirring constantly, heat until the mixture (custard) thickens and will coat the back of a metal spoon with a thin film, approximately 7 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let custard cool. Add vanilla. Cover and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, at least 2 hour.
  3. Once cooled, transfer the mixture into your icecream maker and churn according to your icecream maker instructions. When the mixture is 2/3 of the way complete add in cooled strawberries and coconut. Once icecream is completely set(churned/frozen 🙂 place in an air tight container and allow to freeze until firm!
  4. ENJOY!

4 Comments

Lemon Cream Cheese Pound Cake

Sunday dinners are always followed by a Sunday dessert at my house. This Sunday happened to be very warm in my part of the country and nothing sounded better than Lemon Pound Cake with fresh Strawberries and freshly whipped cream! I spent an entire hour looking for a Lemon Pound Cake recipe that DIDN’T take pudding mix or lemon extract but couldn’t find one that looked like it would be a success. So I  finally decided to add lemon zest and juice to my favorite Pound Cake recipe. The cakes turned out moist and very delicious!

Yields 2 loaves

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 bar (8 ounces) cream cheese, room temperature
  • 3 cups sugar
  • 6 large eggs
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  •  The zest and juice of 3 lemons

Glaze

  • 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • The juice of 1 lemon
  • 1/3 cup confectioners’ sugar
  • 2 tablespoons milk

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. With an electric mixer, beat butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add sugar; beat until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in vanilla, lemon juice, and zest. With mixer on low, add flour and salt in two additions, beating until just combined.
  2. Generously coat two 8 1/2-by-4 1/2- by-2 1/2-inch loaf pans (1 1/2 quarts each) with butter and dust with flour; immediately pour in batter (pan will seem full). Tap pans on work surface to eliminate any large air bubbles.
  3. Bake until golden and a toothpick inserted in the centers comes out almost clean, 50 to 75 minutes (if the tops begin to brown too quickly, tent with aluminum foil).
  4. Cool 10 minutes in the pan. Turn out the cakes; cool completely, with top sides up, on a wire rack.
  5. Enjoy!
18 Comments

Fresh Fruit Cheese Cake

Original Recipe Yield 12 servings

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 cups  Graham Cracker Crumbs
  • 1/2 cup butter, melted
  • 5 (250 g) packages PHILADELPHIA Brick Cream Cheese, softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 3 tablespoons flour
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 4 eggs
  • The zest of 1 lemon and 1 lime
  • 1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries
  • 1 1/2 cups fresh strawberries

Directions

  1. Heat oven to 325 degrees F if using a silver 9 inch springform pan (or to 300 degrees F if using a dark nonstick 9-inch springform pan). Mix crumbs and butter; press firmly onto bottom of pan. Bake 10 minutes.
  2. Beat cream cheese, sugar, flour and vanilla in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add sour cream; mix well. Add eggs, one at a time then zest of lemon and lime, mixing on low speed after each addition just until blended. Pour over crust.
  3. Bake 1 hour 10 minutes or until centre is almost set. Run knife or metal spatula around rim of pan to loosen cake; cool before removing rim of pan. Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight. Top with fresh fruit before serving. Store leftover cheesecake in refrigerator.
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