Making life a little sweeter since 2012
One of my personal favorites for an extra special holiday breakfast is cinnamon buns. Soft and buttery yeast dough filled with whatever your heart desires. These here are filled with hazelnuts and apricot jam and are super easy to make, and you can even prep them a day ahead! Simply place the finished buns in the fridge overnight and let them rise in the morning. Bake, done, enjoy!
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The fall season has officially started and I am so excited about all the fall baking ahead. With warm spices like cinnamon, ginger, and cardamom, these one-bowl Spiced Pear Streusel Bars are the perfect recipe for this cozy season. And, best of all, they are so quick and easy to make! The secret to this super easy recipe: both the streusel and the bottom of the bars are made from the same dough. So all you need is a couple of simple and straight-forward ingredients such as oats, flour and Challenge Butter, one bowl, a whisk, 30 minutes of time, and you’re all set. Served warm with vanilla bean ice cream, they make a super delicious – and impressive – dessert, even for Thanksgiving! Because let’s be honest, with all the Thanksgiving cooking, who has time to bake a pie?…
I might or might not have totally binged on those until I got sick… but how could you not?! I mean look at these: A thick layer of buttery almond shortbread covered with soft maple caramel and topped with cinnamon chocolate ganache. This Holiday Millionaire’s Shortbread – a seasonal twist on a classic just in time for Christmas – is definitely one of the most divine treats I’ve made in a while, if not one of the best of all time. Seriously. SO GOOD. …
Holy pumpkin what a game changer: Golden Vanilla Pumpkin Bread. Actually, it is so incredibly moist and fluffy, I should call it a loaf cake rather than a bread (more on that below). You know when cake is so moist that when you squeeze it it makes that moist squishy sound? Yep, exactly that. Now, I am a huge fan of pumpkin spice, don’t get me wrong, and I love me some classic pumpkin bread. But I also love, LOVE vanilla – probably one of my absolute favorite flavors – and this pumpkin bread is made with a whole vanilla bean instead of pumpkin spice. That’s right. NO pumpkin spice here. The flavor of the vanilla bean (and don’t skip the whole bean, vanilla extract won’t do, sorry) is so intense and goes insanely well with the pumpkin….
I have been making these for a couple of months now, filled with either peanut butter, almond butter (my least favorite) or tahini, and I thought I just had to post this not so traditional yet super delish version – Sea Salted Chocolate Tahini Cups! Unlike chocolate cups filled with peanut butter, the tahini stays creamy and runny when stored in the fridge. So when you bite into the chilled, rich chocolate crust and the creamy tahini runs out and everything melts in your mouth, the chocolate and the sea salt flakes… it’s just heaven. …
This super quick and easy banana cake with pecans and walnuts is gluten-free (made with almond and oat flour) and a healthier version of a comfort cake – just what we all need now that fall is soooo close! This is one of my all time favorite cakes and I’ve been making it for years now. It’s everything you want in a cake: fluffy, moist and airy. And with warm spices like cinnamon, ginger, all-spice and nutmeg – paired with the pecans and walnuts – it is just perfect for this time of year. Which of course does not stop me from making it all year long… oh no, if you just leave out those spices, this cake will make a great addition to a summer picnic….
I started making smoothies in the morning a couple of months ago and been figuring out the best recipes that everyone in the family loves. It is just such a quick and easy breakfast snack in the morning, and even if we don’t have time for an actual breakfast at home before we go off to school/work, there’s always time to drink a delicious smoothie. That’s why I’m packing them with as many nutrients as possible and this Green Tahini Power Smoothie is one of my personal favorites, and everyone loves it. It’s made with bananas, spinach, tahini and matcha tea powder, and is therefore high in fiber, folate, antioxidants, B vitamins, and minerals such as potassium, magnesium and iron. The matcha tea powder adds just enough healthy caffeine for a powerful start in the day….
Summer vibes are still going strong here in Texas! I’ve been super into lemons and honey this year – for whatever reason – but I have been making honey lemonade on a regular basis and been cooking and baking with honey a ton lately. So after making this super yummy Honey Lemon Curd last week (refined sugar free), I needed to put it to good use… other than spreading it on toast, or, um, spooning it out of the jar. So since a coffee cake was way overdue here, I decided on this (gluten-free) Lemon Curd & Almond Coffee Cake. The recipe is easily turned paleo for anyone interested, simply replace all sugar with either coconut sugar or maple sugar.
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I know in some parts of the country, fall is within reach, but not here in Texas. We’re still way high up in the 90s and I don’t think that’s gonna change anytime soon. I’m embracing it with this summery Honey Lemon Curd. One of my very first posts was actually a Pink Grapefruit Curd (that wasn’t actually pink), go check it out, its really funny for me to look back on my early posts and how my photos and my style has changed. It’s been 6.5 years since then! …
It’s back to school! I can honestly say – finally! I’m glad to be back in our routine, be done with summer camps, and she is seriously excited. Back to school also means back to preparing lunches and healthy easy breakfasts. My favorites are nutritious pancakes or waffles, like these kid-friendly and yummy – yet healthy, gluten-free and dairy-free – coconut protein pancakes. They are easy to prepare ahead of time for busy weekday mornings and are low-sugar and protein and fiber packed – and keep in the freezer for up to 3 weeks….
my name is Melina, I’m a passionate cake baker/eater and food photographer born and raised in Germany... Read More…
