Brown Sugar Sweet Potato Fries with Marshmallows

Posted on November 26, 2014 by HintofNutmegg

That title doesn’t do these bad boys justice.

I mean, seriously. I can’t even right now.

Homemade Sweet Potato Fries.

Bathed in a brown sugar mixture.

Baked to perfection.

Smothered and covered with toasted marshmallows.

Ooey, gooey, crunchy, sugary.

Swoooon.

Guys, I may have just fallen in love.

Just look at this gooeyness. Doesn’t it just make you happy?

This is how I spend the day before Thanksgiving. Prepping. Baking pies (deep dish pecan pie, anyone?). Making muffins (breakfast on Thanksgiving is important too, you know). And, eating way too many (not enough) of these fries.

Gosh, these fries.

Really, a pre-Thanksgiving snack to get you into the mood to eat. And boy, does it get you into the mood fast.

The moment they go into the oven prepare yourself because the smell is to die for. TO. DIE. FOR. It’s almost like bottling Thanksgiving into a spray can and releasing the whole bottle all at once.

Swooooon, again.

Can you tell I like Thanksgiving? And, that I’m slightly in love ~~obsessed~~ with marshmallow smothered sweet potato fries?

Cause I am. I totally am.

Hope that’s cool with you.

Brown Sugar Sweet Potato Fries with Marshmallows
Yields: 1 large serving

Ingredients:
1 large sweet potato
1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 teaspoons of melted coconut oil
7 tablespoons of brown sugar
2 teaspoons of sugar
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup (be generous) mini marshmallows

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. I ended up using two baking sheets for one large sweet potato…you want the fries to have enough space on the tray. Set aside.
Wash and peel the potato. Using a sharp knife, cut off the ends. Cut the rest of the potato into strips that are about 1/4 inch wide. Place in a large bowl and toss with the cornstarch, it will leave a very thin coating. Pour the potatoes into a strainer to get rid of any extra cornstarch and clean out the bowl. Place potatoes back into the cleaned bowl.
In a separate small bowl combine 5 tablespoons brown sugar, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside.
Add the melted coconut oil to the bowl with the potatoes. Using your hands, toss to coat.
Pour brown sugar mixture over the potatoes and again, toss to coat with your hands.
Arrange the coated sweet potatoes onto the baking sheet, being careful not to overcrowd them. Bake for 15-17 minutes, and then remove from the oven and flip the tray around. Bake for another 10-12 minutes. About five minutes before the fries were done, I once again removed the tray from the oven and flipped over each fry to ensure equal caramelization on each side and then put it back in.
Once done, let the fries sit, still on the tray, on top of the oven as it cools.
When the fries are a bit crispier and not too hot to handle place them in a large bowl. Pour the remaining 2 tablespoons brown sugar over the fries. Toss gently to coat.
Turn the oven broiler on high.
Place the fries in a small dish and cover with marshmallows, add more if needed to ensure the fries are covered completely.
Broil for about 3-5 minutes or until the marshmallows are toasted.
Enjoy immediately!

Caramel Pecan Croissants

Posted on November 16, 2014 by HintofNutmegg

Let me tell you about the time I tried to make monkey bread.

I’ve always wanted to make monkey bread. Always. I mean, come on, ooey gooey pull-apart bread smothered and covered in cinnamon and caramel. Umm, yes please, sign me up for that. Am I right? Yeah, I totally am.

I should mention one itty bitty detail that may not be so obvious. In addition to never having made monkey bread, I’ve never actually eaten it. I know, the horror. It’s actually kind of embarrassing. Please don’t judge me too hard. It’s not like I’ve never had pull-apart bread, because I have…but, it was the savory kind, a cheddar bacon ranch loaf, and, I bought the bread at the market. So, no homemade dough. No caramel. No cinnamon. And really, no way to mess it up.

I decided enough was enough. It was time. I needed to cross off baking and ~~devouring~~ eating monkey bread from the bucket list.

I had an idea for a pecan pie monkey bread. So, I went with it. I started playing with ingredients and came up with a solid recipe.

Or, so I thought.

There’s one more minor detail I forgot to mention. You see, Matt, my brother, is a huge pecan pie fan. Why does that matter, you ask? Because, this pecan pie monkey bread was intended to be his birthday cake. He was turning 25, and I wanted to make him something less traditional. I’ve done cheesecakes, regular cakes, cookie cakes, but this year I wanted something fun. Something a little different, but still something we could put a candle in.

Alright, back to the kitchen. I made the dough the night before, I had the pecans chopped up, the caramel filling ready to go, and the bundt pan eagerly waiting. The bread went into the oven and I not so patiently waited for it to bake and brown on top. It was a long 45 minutes for me. Finallllllyyyy, it was done. All I had to do was let it cool.

The moment of truth came. I went to invert the monkey bread onto the cake plate and it came out super easily. I lifted the bundt pan up and half of the dough balls started rolling off the cake plate in a caramel pecan slide. Only half of my monkey bread had stuck together. The other half looked like cinnamon caramel donut holes sitting in a sticky pool on the counter. Ughh. The crushing disappointment.

Yeah, I’m not going to lie, I cried a little bit. I don’t know what went wrong. Did I add too much caramel? Was the homemade caramel too runny? Did I not let it bake enough? Did I not let it cool enough? Was the yeast bad? Did I just mess up my brother’s birthday? As you can see, it wasn’t a great day for me in the kitchen. But, I had to shake it off (yes, that is a T-Swift reference). It was Matt’s birthday, there ~~had to be~~ needed to be some dessert.

And, that’s exactly what I did. I found a can of the Pillsbury crescent rolls in the fridge and came up with the idea of making Caramel Pecan Croissants. I quickly made the caramel, chopped some more pecans, stuffed the rolls, and popped in the oven. In less than an hour, I had a dessert. And you know what, it was actually a pretty darn good tasting dessert too. These croissants are soft, flaky, buttery, and oozing with a caramel pecan filling that is equal amounts sweet and crunchy. The tops are drizzled with caramel, because who doesn’t want extra caramel, and sprinkled lightly with pecan crumbs. Sure, it wasn’t the exact dessert I had envisioned, but it definitely fulfilled the ooey gooey, doughy, caramely, pecan-y dreams I had for Matt’s birthday treat.

Oh, and don’t worry, I’m not giving up on this whole monkey bread thing. It’ll happen soon. And when it does, you’ll be the first to know.

Caramel Pecan Croissants
Yields: 8 croissants

Ingredients:
1 (8 oz.) can Pillsbury refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 cup dark brown sugar
3 Tablespoons heavy cream
1/2-1 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup chopped pecans, plus extra for topping
1 large egg, beaten

Directions:
To make the caramel, melt the butter in a small saucepan. Once melted add the brown sugar and heavy cream. Stir constantly, over medium heat, until the sugar has dissolved and no lumps remain. Allow the mixture to bubble for 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla to taste.
In a small bowl combine about 1/2 of the caramel with the chopped pecans, add more caramel as needed–you’ll want it to be thick, but spreadable. Set aside.
Heat oven to 375 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Separate crescent roll dough into 8 triangles. Spoon about a teaspoon of caramel pecan filling on the wide end of the crescent triangle–use your judgment on how much you think the triangle can hold–and spread filling upwards. I wanted a lot of filling in my croissants so I spread the filling almost to the top of the dough triangle.
Roll up the croissants, starting from the wide end and ending at the opposite point. Place onto baking sheet and curve slightly into the croissant shape.Try to pinch the ends of the croissant together to keep as much of the filling inside as possible. Brush each croissant lightly with beaten egg–this will give them that nice golden brown color.
Bake for 9-11 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from cookie sheet and let cool for about 5 minutes. Heat the remaining caramel for 30 seconds or until of drizzling consistency in the microwave. Drizzle over croissants and lightly sprinkle with pecan crumbs, if desired.

*Caramel sauce slightly adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction

Pumpkin Spice Oreo Cupcakes with Pumpkin Cream Cheese Frosting

Posted on October 26, 2014 by HintofNutmegg

I know what you’re thinking.

Believe me, I do.

“Of course she posted another Oreo recipe, they just came out with a new flavor.”

Pretty spot on, huh?

I’d like to think I’m unpredictable, but I’m beginning to realize, I’m not. Not even close. And, you know what, that’s really not a bad thing. At least you know what you’re getting from me. Right? It’s not like I’m giving you the same recipe though. I’ve done lemon bars, cookies, and cupcakes. All with Oreos. Now, that’s variety. Some may even go as far as saying I’m unpredictable with my Oreo baking. Ah ha, unpredictability.

Yeah, I don’t know why all of a sudden it’s important for me to be unpredictable. Maybe I’ve gone crazy? Or, maybe, just maybe, I’m slightly tired, under caffeinated, and really like typing the word unpredictable for some reason. Seriously, it has so many letters.

But, enough of my nonsense.

Lets talk about the other main ingredient in this recipe. Drumroll please.

The pumpkin.

Guys, this is my first pumpkin recipe of the year. Aren’t you proud that I waited until the end of October to share it with you? For those of you that are new to Hint of Nutmegg, let me briefly share the story of the pumpkin craze of 2013.

I went a little overboard on the pumpkin. How overboard? Let’s just say I posted 5 pumpkin recipes in a row. I know it doesn’t sound like a lot, but it totally was. I over-killed the pumpkin. And, even I, the biggest pumpkin fan in the world, was tired of it. It was pretty bad.

Don’t worry though. There won’t be a pumpkin craze of 2014. I’ll be better. But, I hope you know, by being better, I don’t mean this will be my only pumpkin post. I’m planning on at least two more. I think that’s reasonable. Don’t you?

So, lets talk about these Pumpkin Spice Oreo Cupcakes with Pumpkin Cream Cheese Frosting.

In three words, to die for.

The cupcakes are super moist and have a subtle pumpkin taste, thanks to the Pumpkin Spice Oreo crumbles that are baked into the cupcake. Each cupcake is then topped with a creamy, pumpkin packed frosting that is out of this world. I repeat, out of this world. I’ll admit I was eating it out of the bowl. It’s the perfect balance between cream cheese and pumpkin spice, and really brings this cupcake to a whole new level of pumpkin yumminess. For a topper, I crumbled some of the Oreos on top of the cupcake to add a little crunch—keep in mind, when putting the cupcakes in the refrigerator though, the Oreo crumbles on top will get soggy.

Pumpkin Spice Oreo Cupcakes With Pumpkin Cream Cheese Frosting
Yields: 12 cupcakes

Ingredients:
Pumpkin Spice Oreo Cupcakes
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
2 egg whites
1/4 cup sour cream
3/4 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
16 Pumpkin Spice Latte Oreos, roughly chopped

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Frosting
1 (8 oz.) block of cream cheese, softened
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup pumpkin puree (I used the Organic Pumpkin Puree from Trader Joe’s)
1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
2 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Directions:
Pumpkin Spice Oreo Cupcakes
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a muffin tin with 12 cupcake liners. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and pumpkin pie spice. Set aside.
In a medium microwave safe bowl, melt the butter. Whisk in the sugar–the mixture will be very thick…use those muscles!
Add the egg whites, whisking until incorporated, and then add the sour cream, milk, and vanilla. Whisk until mixture is smooth and uniform in texture.
Slowly whisk the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until combined and no lumps remain.
Using a spatula, gently fold in the chopped Oreo pieces.
Divide the batter between the 12 cupcake liners–about 3 tablespoons per each tin–and bake for 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Let cupcakes cool completely on a wire rack.

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Frosting
While the cupcakes are cooling, start making the pumpkin cream cheese frosting. Using a handheld electric mixer or a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese, butter, pumpkin puree, brown sugar, and spices on medium speed until creamy and combined.
Add the powdered sugar, one cup at a time, and then mix in the flour.
Frost the cupcakes as desired and top with crumbled up Pumpkin Spice Oreos.

*Cupcake batter adapted from this recipe, which was adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction

Baked Banana Donuts Dipped in Peanut Butter Ganache & Drizzled with Chocolate

Posted on August 29, 2014 by HintofNutmegg

Let me tell you about yesterday morning.

5am wake up time. Yes, it’s the worst. And no, that’s normally not when I wake up. Typically I’m up at 5:29am, that is, if I work morning shift at the hospital. I prefer setting my alarm to odd-numbered times. Psshh, don’t you?

My brother brought the puppies (remember Archer & Meeka?) over to stay the night. On a good day they’ll sleep in until a little after 6 before scratching the door to be let out to go to the bathroom. Yesterday, the scratching and adorable howling (even at 5 in the morning I think they’re cute) started at 5:15am. There was no going back to sleep for me.

I was ready to leave the house by 5:50. Played with the puppies for 5 more minutes, put my sweater on, grabbed my keys, and headed outside to start the car. Wait, I forgot something important. I was carrying a green sparkly—if we are being specific here—rectangular Tupperware container filled with these mini Baked Banana Donuts Dipped in Peanut Butter Ganache and Drizzled with Chocolate. I wanted to share them with my coworkers, who, by the way, are pretty awesome.

Can we just talk about that title for a second though? Could I have made it any longer? Probably. What can I say, I’m complicated like that.

And, so, with the donut filled container buckled into the front seat and Taylor Swift blasting on the radio, I left for work. At this point, you may be asking yourself, when is she going to drink her morning coffee? Or, more likely, why is she telling us this story? Don’t worry, I’m getting there. You’ll have all the answers very soon.

I stop at a Starbucks near my work. Normally, I make my coffee at home and take it with me, but Starbucks FINALLY has Pumpkin Spice Lattes again. I can’t even begin to tell you how excited I am about that. And, I think I may hold off on telling you just so that I can write an entire post on my love for PSL’s. Seriously, please go to Starbucks and try it. And, if you already have and LOVE it like I do, this is me, standing next to you, as we both do a little happy dance. Back in the car, sipping on my PSL, singing to ‘22’ by T-Swift I think, “best idea ever to stop at Starbucks”.

I’ll regret this thought in a few minutes.

I find a parking spot right in front of the hospital and get out of the car. Standing outside, I lean over to get my purse from the front seat, secure it on my shoulder, and then lean over to get the Tupperware container. I throw my keys into my purse. Mistake one. Always keep them out until you lock the car. I grab my PSL from the cup holder, keep it in hand, and realize my phone is still on the driver’s seat. I place the PSL on the top of the car and balance the container under my left arm, using my side for support and my left hand to hold the bottom of it, as I reach for the phone with my right. I grab my coffee cup again. Mistake Two. Should have left it on the top of the car.

I now have my coffee and phone in my one hand and am still balancing the container with my other. I go to lock the car. Mistake Three. Not using the lock on the door to lock the car. I manage to fish out my keys pretty easily with my left hand while using my arm and side to keep the container from falling. But, of course, my keys are all jumbled up, so I have to untangle them. Stupid. Fussy. Key Chain. I decide to balance my coffee on top of the container, while I use my right hand to untangle the keys and hold my phone. My fourth, and final, mistake. Should have put something down.

Just as I’m about to hit the lock bottom, my coffee spills all over the container and down my shirt. Keep in mind, Pumpkin Spice Lattes are orangey in color, and I’m wearing a light pink blouse. Needless to say, some ugly words were yelled as I placed the cup on the ground and tried to clean myself off.

Bright side. I managed to still clock in on time. I was able to remove most of the stain on my shirt—I even got complimented on how cute it was. And, most importantly, the donuts weren’t ruined. In fact, my coworkers couldn’t stop telling my how good they were.
Cause, guys, these mini donuts are pretty bomb. It’s banana, peanut butter, and chocolate. The ultimate trifecta if you ask me. The donut itself is super moist (thanks to the sour cream) and has the perfect amount of banana flavoring. It’s then topped off with a creamy peanut butter ganache and a light drizzle of chocolate to complete the perfect bite-size morning (really, any time of day) treat. Honestly, there wasn’t a single negative review about these donuts. Trust me. Make these. They can turn even the worst of mornings, cough cough, much better.

Baked Banana Donuts Dipped in Peanut Butter Ganache & Drizzled with Chocolate
Yields: 36 mini donuts

Ingredients:
Baked Banana Donuts
¾ cup (12 tablespoons) of unsalted butter, melted, browned, and cooled
2 cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup dark brown sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon cinnamon
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
¼ cup sour cream
1 ½ cup mashed banana (about 3 large bananas)

Peanut Butter Ganache
½ cup peanut butter chips
6 tablespoons heavy whipping cream

Chocolate Drizzle
½ cup light cocoa candy melts, melted

Directions:
Baked Banana Donuts
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease mini donut pan. Set aside.
Melt butter in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat. As it melts, the butter will foam and crackle. Stir (or swirl the pan) as the butter cooks. When the butter begins to brown (mine was a very light brown color) and you smell a nutty aroma, take the saucepan off the heat. Pour the butter in bowl, whisk for about 30 seconds, and set aside to cool.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, brown sugar, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon. Whisk until lumps are gone.
In another bowl, whisk together eggs, vanilla, and sour cream until well combined. Mix in the mashed bananas.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and using a spatula, mix thoroughly until just combined.
Transfer batter to a piping bag with a large round tip or a Ziploc baggie with the tip cut off. Pipe into prepared donut pan, about 1/2 way full.
Bake for 6-8 minutes or until the top of the donut springs back when touched. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely, about 5 minutes.

Peanut Butter Ganache & Chocolate Drizzle
Once the donuts are cooled, begin making the ganache. In a small saucepan combine peanut butter chips and heavy cream over medium heat, stirring frequently until smooth. Once the mixture is of drizzling consistency, remove from heat and let it cool to room temperature (about 10 minutes).
Dip the top of each donut in the peanut butter ganache–make sure to hold it upside down for a bit to allow extra ganache to drip off. Let ganache set before drizzling the tops with chocolate.

Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Oreo Cupcakes

Posted on July 13, 2014 by HintofNutmegg

Guys. I have BIG news to share. And, I mean BIG in the really exciting sense. Really, really, exciting.

Are you ready for this? Okay, here goes.

I now have a JOB. Insert pumping of fist and overly excited squeal. And, yes, I do expect you to join me in the pumping and squealing. Come on. No one likes to do that alone.

Remember awhile back I said I was volunteering at a psychiatric hospital? Well, they officially hired me on. You are now looking at (or, technically listening to) the newest addition to the Admitting department. Whattt? High fives all around. I’ve been training the past two weeks—hence the lack of new recipe postings—and am honestly, really happy about working at this facility. I officially feel like a big kid now.

Anyways, speaking of recipes, lets talk about these cupcakes.

Nabisco came out with a new Oreo flavor. For the record, I’d like to state that this is the BEST flavor in the history of Oreos so far.

I introduce you to Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Oreos.

There is now REESE’S PEANUT BUTTER CUP OREOS in the world.

REESE’S. PEANUT. BUTTER. CUP. OREOS.

I really don’t know why I’m capitalizing everything today or, repeating everything for that matter, so just bear with me please.

These Oreos are like a dream come true. Let’s rewind a bit here. So, for those that don’t know, I like Oreos. And, I love love love peanut butter. And, my favorite way to eat Oreos is to smother them with a heaping spoonful of peanut butter, and then, of course, drink some milk. Seriously, it’s the most delicious thing in the world. Go try it if you haven’t.

Okay, back to dreams coming true. These Oreos taste exactly like smothering a plain Oreo with peanut butter. That is in no way an exaggeration either. Scouts honor. You know what else tastes just like smothering a plain Oreo with peanut butter? Yup, you got it. I see it rolling off the tip of your tongue. The answer is these cupcakes.

These Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Oreo Cupcakes. Just look at these little beauts.

The cupcake itself is a vanilla cupcake that is super moist, super fluffy, and packed with crushed up Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Oreos. The cupcake is then topped with a creamy peanut butter frosting—I dare you not to eat it out of the bowl with a spoon…seriously, it’s impossible to stop—and decorated with half an Oreo and some crumbs. If you like peanut butter and Oreos then you ~~must~~ ~~need to~~ should definitely make these cupcakes right away. Make sure you have a cold glass of milk next to you too. Trust me, you’re going to want it.

Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Oreo Cupcakes
Yields: 12 cupcakes

Ingredients:
Reese’s Peanut Butter Oreo Cupcakes
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
2 egg whites
¼ cup plain greek yogurt
¾ cup vanilla soy milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
15 Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Oreos, roughly chopped

Peanut Butter Frosting
¾ cup peanut butter
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
½ powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 tablespoons heavy cream
6 Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Oreo Cookies, cut in half

Directions:
Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Oreo Cupcakes
Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and line a muffin tin with 12 cupcake liners. Set aside.
In a large bowl combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
In a medium microwave safe bowl, melt the butter. Whisk in the sugar—the mixture will be very thick.
Add the egg whites, whisking until incorporated, and then the greek yogurt until just combined. Add soy milk and vanilla. Whisk until mixture is uniform in texture.
Slowly whisk the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until combined and no lumps remain.
Using a spatula fold in the chopped Oreo pieces.
Divide batter between the 12 cupcake liners—about 3 tablespoons per each—and bake for 21-23 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Let cupcakes cool completely on wire rack.

Peanut Butter Frosting
While cupcakes are cooling, start making your frosting. In a medium bowl beat together peanut butter and butter on medium speed until creamy and smooth. Add powdered sugar and vanilla. Mix until combined. Add heavy cream. Beat until incorporated and frosting looks creamy.
Frost cooled cupcakes with a piping bag or smooth frosting on with a knife.
Decorate with Oreo halves and Oreo crumbs before serving.

*Cupcake Batter and Frosting recipe adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction

Brown Sugar Sweet Potato Fries with Marshmallows Yields: 1 large serving

Caramel Pecan Croissants Yields: 8 croissants

Pumpkin Spice Oreo Cupcakes With Pumpkin Cream Cheese Frosting Yields: 12 cupcakes

Baked Banana Donuts Dipped in Peanut Butter Ganache & Drizzled with Chocolate Yields: 36 mini donuts

Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Oreo Cupcakes Yields: 12 cupcakes

Brown Sugar Sweet Potato Fries with Marshmallows
Yields: 1 large serving

Caramel Pecan Croissants
Yields: 8 croissants

Pumpkin Spice Oreo Cupcakes With Pumpkin Cream Cheese Frosting
Yields: 12 cupcakes

Baked Banana Donuts Dipped in Peanut Butter Ganache & Drizzled with Chocolate
Yields: 36 mini donuts

Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Oreo Cupcakes
Yields: 12 cupcakes