Cupcake in Party Hat? Yes please! ♥

Doesn’t get much cuter than Cupcakes in Party Hats! 🙂 Welcome to my new site & design! If y’all previously subscribed by email, please resubscribe on the sidebar to keep up to date with future posts. Happy Baking! ♥

Cupcake || Spiced Eggnog Cupcakes

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“Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.”
Revelations 4:11

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Autumn Spice Caramel Latte!

Autumn is here! Happy HAPPY day!! 🙂 Crisp mornings, glorious fall leaves crunching under foot, and wonderfully hot Lattes. During a delightful week in Colorado, I found a fantastic little coffee shop with an unusual latte. They ventured away from the typical “Pumpkin Spice” that tends to be the craze during this time of year and created a cup of “Autumn Spice” goodness! So, being me, when I returned home I recreated the cup of goodness. 🙂 Give it a try and let me know how you like it!! <3

serving size: 1 delightfully delicious latte!
Latte ingredients:

  • 2 shots espresso or 1/2 cup strong brewed coffee
  • 1 TBS brown sugar
  • 1TBS Caramel sauce
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp Vanilla Extract
  • 1/2 cup whole milk

Whipped Cream:

  • 1/2 cup Heavy Cream
  • 2 TBS Pure Maple syrup or Powder Sugar
  • Cinnamon & Nutmeg for dusting (optional)

Directions:

  1. In electric mixer on medium speed, whisk heavy cream & maple syrup until whipped cream consistency. Set aside!
  2. Combine hot espresso(or coffee), brown sugar, caramel, & vanilla extract in your favorite mug. Stir thoroughly to dissolve sugar and caramel!
  3. Steam milk and pour over coffee. Top with whipped cream, sprinkle with extra  cinnamon and nutmeg if desired. Sit back and ENJOY!

SP || AUTUMN SPICE LATTE SP || AUTUMN SPICE LATTE 2

“Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.”
Psalm 23:5

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Chewy PeanutButter Chocolate Chip No-Bake Granola Bars

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Yes, the title sounds way too good to be true but these bars are just as delicious as they sound! For YEARS I searched for a chewy granola bar recipe that I would love!  And I know, my cooking blog is called “GRANOLA GIRL BAKES” so I really should have had this recipe figured out years ago. 😉 I am just a little really fond of Chewy Granola Bars but the only problem is almost all recipes call for corn-syrup and, whenever possible, I try to avoid  using/eating it. After many failed recipes and quite a bit of searching, I finally came up with the perfect combination of salty-sweet-chewiness that my entire family loves! AND to make the deal sweeter, these Chewy Granola Bars are NATURALLY GLUTEN FREE!! 🙂 Okay, so I know there are a few crazy people out there that don’t like peanut butter ;). If you are one of these people, the peanut butter is completely optional! Put your own twist to the bars by adding cranberries, raisins, nuts, white chocolate chips, or whatever may come to mind and let me know how you like them! 🙂

Yields 1 9×13 (about 16 bars!)

  • 4 cups quick cooking oats (or pulse whole oats in a food processor a bit)
  • 2 C rice crispy cereal
  • 1/2 C shredded coconut
  • 1/2 C butter
  • 1/2 C honey
  • 1 C brown sugar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
  • 1/2 C creamy peanut butter
  • 3/4 C chocolate chips(Use frozen chocolate chips to prevent excessive melting! 😉

Directions

  1. In a large mixing bowl, mix together the oats, cereal and coconut. Add peanut butter(optional) to the top and set aside!  Set a small saucepan over medium high heat and melt the butter.  Add the honey, brown sugar and salt.  Stir together then leave it alone as it comes to a boil.  Once the boil has reached all the way around the edges of the pan, begin timing(this is where your iphone will come in handy ;)!  Allow this mixture to boil for 2 minutes and 20 seconds.  During this time, you may need to turn the heat down a bit so it doesn’t overflow, but be sure it keeps boiling.
  2. Add the vanilla and then pour the mixture over the oats, using a rubber spatula to get all the sugar mixture out of the pan.  Mix the ingredients together until the oats are completely coated.  Add in chocolate chips(and any other mix-ins you would like) then press very firmly into parchment lined 9×13″ pan! Place them in the freezer for 20 minutes then cut to size.
  3. ENJOY!!

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“And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.”
John 6:35

14 Comments

Lavender Lemon Cupcakes

 

Granola Girl Bakes Lavender Lemon cupcakes 8This baking spree was somewhat of a work assignment for me…. does it get much better than being able to bake cupcakes for work?! 🙂  Moist Lemon Pound Cake, Lemon Cream cheese-buttercream frosting, and a touch of edible Lavender on top of this cupcake for a beautiful presentation and burst of flavor! I chose to naturally color the icing as I wanted more of an organic “lavender” color. I simply heated 1/2 cup frozen blueberries and then pressed firmly to release juices. The blueberry juice added the loveliest color purple to the frosting! These cupcakes are sure to be a favorite. Give them a try! 🙂

Yields approximately 24 delightfully delicious cupcakes!

For the Cupcake
  1. 3/4 cup butter, room temperature
  2. 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
  3. 1 1/2 cups sugar
  4. 3 large eggs
  5. 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  6. 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  7. 1 teaspoon salt
  8. The zest and juice 1 lemon
For the Frosting
  1. 1 stick butter, room temperature
  2. 4 oz cream cheese, room temperature
  3. 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
  4. 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
  5. Juice of 1 lemon
  6. 3-4 cups powder sugar
  7. Edible Lavender (OPTIONAL)
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin trays with liners!
  2. 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 and lemon juice and zest. With mixer on low, add flour and salt in two additions, beating until just combined.
  3. Scoop 1/4 cup batter into each muffin cup. Bake until golden and a toothpick inserted in the centers comes out almost clean, 13-17 minutes.
  4. Cool completely.
  5. Meanwhile prepare the frosting!
  6. Cream together butter, cream, vanilla, and almond extract. Add powder sugar 1 cup at a time until icing reaches the right consistency.
  7. Pipe onto cooled cupcakes and enjoy!

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Granola Girls Bakes Lavender Lemon cupcakes

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Some days just call for cinnamon rolls! ♥

 

Granola Girl Bakes Blog Cinnamon Rolls.jpg-1It’s true! Some days just call for Cinnamon Rolls. 🙂 My traditional recipe is generally a 4 hour process and not one to be taken lightly with an outcome of the most delightfully buttery concoction imaginable but when it comes to the everyday, quick 1 hour cinnamon rolls will do just fine! Micah made a batch this Saturday and I must admit, they were beyond delicious. So, if you find you have a free hour try these quick 1-hour Cinnamon Rolls! ♥

In between the hustle and bustle of a busy work week, Micah found time to make us a quick (yet delicious) batch of cinnamon rolls! ♥ This recipe is a little simpler than our traditional cinnamon roll recipe and about 1/4 of the time to prepare but just as delightful.

Ingredients:

Dough Ingredients:

  • 2 cups warm water
  • 1/3 cup butter (melted)
  • 5 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 tsp. salt
  • 2 TBS instant or ‘rapid rise’ yeast

Cinnamon Sugar Filling

  • 1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 4 TBS ground cinnamon
  • 2/3 cup butter completely softened

Icing

  • 1/4 cup water
  • 2 cups powder Sugar
  • 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
  1. Activate yeast in warm water & sugar. Add butter, salt, and enough flour to make a firm dough.
  2. Place dough on lightly floured surface and kneed for 3 minutes adding additional flour if necessary! Place dough in lightly oiled boil and allow to rise for 20 minutes!
  3. Turn it out onto a floured work surface. Divide dough in half then use a floured rolling pin to roll 1/2 the dough out into a large rectangle, about 14 x 9 inches in size. Use a knife or pastry spatula to spread the softened 1/4 cup of butter out evenly over the entire surface of the dough. Then sprinkle evenly with HALF the cinnamon and sugar mixture.
  4. Beginning at the 14-inch edge, tightly roll up the dough. Use a bread knife to cut the  dough into 11 or 12 equal pieces.
  5. Repeat step 3 &4  with remaining dough! Place each of the cut cinnamon rolls into well buttered pie plates or 2 9 x 13-inch baking dish. You can also use parchment lined cookie sheets! Then cover again with a  towel, and leave the dish in a warm place to rise for 15 minutes. Meanwhile preheat oven to 400 degrees(f).
  6. When the rolls have risen, uncover the dish. Then place on the center rack of the oven and bake for 15 minutes, or until the rolls are golden and cooked through. Remove and let cool on a wire rack for at least 5 minutes. Drizzle with your desired icing and serve!
  7. For glaze: whisk together water, powder sugar, and vanilla. Add additional powder sugar or water depending on the desired thickness!

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Confetti Cookies!

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Have y’all had confetti cookies before? Okay, so that’s just a fancy name for iced butter cookies with SPRINKLES! 😉 Sprinkles tend to make everything better, don’t they?! These cookies are our family’s favorite and I usually only make them at Christmas time but due to a friend’s birthday I made an exception to the rules. 🙂 After boxing up half a dozen for the friend and consuming a few myself I couldn’t help snapping a few pictures of the left-overs and sharing the recipe tonight! Supremely delicious soft & sweet butter cookie baked to a perfectly golden state, iced with a cream cheese butter cream, and made perfect with sprinkles! Hope you enjoy these as much as we do. ♥

Yields approximately 2 dozen cookies

Cookies:

  • 1 cup butter, softened

  • 3/4 cup white sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

Icing:

  • 1 stick butter (softened!)
  • 4 oz cream cheese (softened)
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/2 teaspoon almond
  • 4-5 cups powder sugar

Directions:

  • In a medium bowl, cream together the butter, sugar and egg until smooth. Stir in the vanilla and almond extracts. Blend in the flour to form a dough.
  • Place on parchment form into long thin tube(about 2 inches in diameter). Refrigerate for 3 hours!
  • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line cookie sheet with parchment!
  • Remove dough from freezer and slice into 1/2 inch disks. Place on cookie sheet about 1/2 inch apart and bake for 10 minutes or until slightly golden! Allow to cool completely!
  • Meanwhile prepare the frosting! Beat butter and cream cheese in electric mixer until blended. Add almond, vanilla, and powder sugar and beat on medium speed until fluffy(about 3 minutes!)
  • Ice cookies and don’t forget to add the confetti with sprinkles! 😉
  • Enjoy

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“For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.”
Psalm 107:9

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Raspberry Nutella Valentine’s Day Cookies

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Valentine’s Day is just around the corner! Sweet treats are a must for Valentine’s here. For me, I chose to make my Valentine’s treats a bit early this year! Raspberry & Nutella sandwiched between a delightfully buttery shortbread… because who doesn’t love Nutella?! 😉 There are so many varieties you could do with this cookie. Strawberry, blueberry, or even apricot jam would be supremely delicious! I have a brother who isn’t a huge fan of raspberries so I just made his with Nutella. They were a hit! 🙂 Hope you all enjoy this recipe as much as I do!

Raspberry Nutella Cookies Granola Girl Bakes

Yields approximately 20 cookie scrumptious sandwiches!

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup Butter (softened)
  • 3/4 cup White Sugar
  • 1 Egg
  • 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
  • 1/2 tsp Almond Extract
  • dash Salt
  • Raspberry Jam
  • Nutella

Directions

  1. In a medium bowl. cream together the butter, sugar and egg until smooth. Stir in the vanilla, salt, and  almond extracts. Blend in the flour to form a dough.
  2. Form into disk like circles wrap parchment or wax paper and refrigerate for 2-3 hours.
  3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
  4. Gently roll out dough on a lightly floured surface. Dough should be 1/4 inch thick! Cut cookies with cookie cutter and place on parchment lined cookie sheet.  If you are doing the heart cut-out on top, cut hearts out of 1/2 the cookies before baking!
  5. Bake for 10 minutes or until slightly golden. Allow to cool completely
  6. Take bottom cookie generously spread nutella and raspberry then place another cookie on top(if you have done the heart design than this will be the top cookie). Repeat with remaining cookies!
  7. Enjoy!

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Pumpkin Dinner Rolls!

Pumpkin Rolls

Well, it is official! I made my first batch of Pumpkin Rolls this season last night and it’s starting to really feel like fall. 🙂 *Happy Sigh inserted here* So, to keep in the fall pumpkin theme here on Granola Girl Bakes, I thought I would share my very own Pumpkin Roll recipe with you! Slightly sweet, pumpkiny, and delightfully vibrant, I guarantee these dinners rolls would be a fall favorite for you. Happy Fall!!

Yields 24 large rolls!

Ingredients

  • 2 TBS active dry yeast
  • 1/2 tsp white sugar
  • 1 cup warm water
  • 6 TBS butter [melted]
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 1 TBS salt
  • 4 eggs [beaten]
  • 1 15 oz can pumpkin
  • 5 or more cups flour (I did a 50/50 wheat to white ratio)

Directions

  1. Activate yeast in warm water with 1/2 tsp white sugar. Once activated add butter, honey, salt, eggs, and pumpkin. Mix well! Slowly begin incorporating flour until dough is slightly sticky but workable.
  2. Place dough on a well-floured surface and knead for 6 minutes, adding flour when necessary. Place in lightly oiled bowl and allow to rise until double(about 1 hour.) Meanwhile generously butter 2 9×13 pans (or a larger cookie sheet!)
  3. Punch down, divide dough into 24 pieces, and form into round balls. Place dough in buttered 9×13 Pyrex and allow to rise until double again(30 or so minutes!) Preheat oven to 375°(f).
  4. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown!
  5. Serve with homemade apple butter, honey, or just by themselves and enjoy!! 🙂
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Pumpkin Spice Latte Cookies with Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting

Pumpkin spice Latte cookies Granola Girl Bakes Y’all! Fall is almost officially here[1 day away :] and I can’t wait! The excitement is OVERWHELMING! 🙂 With fall comes all things pumpkin. Pumpkin Spice Lattes, Pumpkin muffins, Pumpkin Soup, Pumpkin Pound Cake… well you get the point. So, I figured it was about time to start concocting pumpkin recipes! I allowed myself 2 cans of delicious organic Pumpkin in my grocery budget this week and instantly knew what I wanted to make. Pumpkin Cookies! But not just Pumpkin Cookies, Pumpkin Spice Latte Cookies with Caramel Cream Cheese Icing! If you try any recipe on my cooking blog, this is the recipe to try!!!!! I added instant coffee to a festively spicy pumpkin cookie not too sure how they would taste. The end result? An extraordinarily moist pumpkin cookies with a hint of espresso topped off with a decadently rich espressonated caramel cream cheese icing!  😀 They were a hit at my house. Super quick recipe and a delightfully delicious fall treat! Happy Fall! Yields 25-30 cookies

  • 1 cup butter {softened}
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 heaping tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1 eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 1 TBS instant espresso or coffee
  • 1 8-ounce can pumpkin
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour

Frosting

  • 1 stick butter {softened}
  • 4 oz cream cheese {softened}
  • 1/2 cup caramel
  • 2 tsps instant espresso or coffee
  • 1 TBS vanilla extract
  • 4-5 cups powder sugar

Directions:

  1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl beat the 1 cup of butter with an electric mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds. Add granulated sugar, baking powder,baking soda,salt, cinnamon,and the nutmeg. Beat until combined. Beat in the egg, dissolve espresso in 2 teaspoons of vanilla, and add to batter until combined. Beat in pumpkin. Slowly add flour until combined and scrape sides of bowl to incorporate all ingredients!
  2. Using a small ice cream scoop or cookie scoop, drop dough by heaping teaspoons 2 inches apart on ungreased parchment-lined cookie sheets. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until tops are set. Transfer to wire racks to cool.
  3. For frosting, dissolve instant coffee in the vanilla. Beat butter and cream cheese until combined. Add Caramel and powder sugar along with instant coffee & vanilla. Whip until fluffy, adding more powder sugar to achieve desired consistency!
  4. Once cookies are cooled, generously ice and sprinkle with cinnamon.
  5. Enjoy!!!

Pumpkin spice Latte cookies Granola Girl Bakes 1 Pumpkin spice Latte cookies Granola Girl Bakes 2

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Blueberry Custard Pie with Pecan Crumb!

Granola Girl bakes || Blueberry Custard Pie-07

All right y’all, before one of my favorite seasons comes to an end I must post a recipe! It’s BLUEBERRY season. 🙂 Blueberries happen to be my favorite! Slightly tart sweet little things packed full of flavor and a huge punch of color… delicious!  🙂 So, as I looked into the refrigerator yesterday, I was inspired by the fresh blueberries that miraculously hadn’t been completely consumed. Instantly felt like a Blueberry Custard Pie and then the Pecan Crumb just happened to make its way on top! 😉 It was a hit! Everybody loved it so much that I didn’t have a piece left to picture by itself! Super simple to make and simply sweet, this recipe is sure to be a favorite for any blueberry fan out there!

Yields 1 deep dish pie

Ingredients:

  • 1 deep dish pie shell(home-made is the best!)
  • 2 1/2-3 cups fresh blueberries(the more the merrier! 😉
  • 1 1/2 TBS flour
  • 1 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 1 1/2 cup evaporated milk
  • 5 eggs (lightly beaten)
  • 1 TBS vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • dash cinnamon & nutmeg

For the Crumb

  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 2/3 cup flour
  • 1 stick butter(softened)
  • 1 cup finely chopped pecans
  • dash salt

Directions:

 

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place blueberries in pie crust; set aside!
  2. In a medium bowl, mix flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg; gradually add evaporated milk, stirring until smooth.
  3. Whisk in eggs and vanilla until blended; pour mixture over blueberries(may not use all the custard filling depending on the size of your pie plate. Fill to about 1/2 inch from the top of your crust!)
  4. Place pie on a baking sheet(very important as pie may spill over) and bake 15 minutes!
  5. Meanwhile, prepare the crumb topping: In a medium bowl combine the brown sugar and flour. Mix the butter in (I always use my hands) until the mixture resembles coarse sand. Fold in the chopped pecans.
  6. Remove pie from oven and cover with crumb topping. Return to oven and reduce heat to 350 degrees.
  7. Bake 35 minutes longer or until crust & crumb topping is lightly golden and pie is set.
  8. Cool completely then enjoy!

 

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“O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.”
Psalms 34:8

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