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.

Baby Boy Cupcakes

Posted on July 30, 2014 by HintofNutmegg

Anytime there is a social gathering I have a role. And, even if I get to choose my role, I always always pick the same one.

Dessert Maker.

Yeah, I know, my title needs a little sprucing up. How do we feel about Baker Extraordinaire? Okay, okay, you’re right, a little too over the top. I’m open to ideas if you have any.

With my family and friends, it’s simply assumed that I will be making some sort of sweet. The question has become “what are you making for dessert?” rather than “are you making anything for dessert?” And, don’t get me wrong I’m totally fine with this, except for the few rare times when I don’t make dessert for some reason or another. Those are the times that I strongly dislike my title. Why you ask? Let me paint you a picture.

“What did you make for dessert?”

“Oh, I didn’t make anything.”

“Haahah. Good one. Seriously, I’m craving chocolate. I hope what you made has chocolate.”

“No, seriously, I didn’t make anything. I didn’t have any time.”

Smile instantly disappears. Serious face ensues. Eyes are looking watery (okay, this one may be a figment of my imagination).

“So, there’s no dessert?”

Have you ever had a child ask you if Santa or the Tooth Fairy is real? Because the face they make, the one that says I-heard-the-other-kids-say-they-weren’t-real-but-I-don’t-want-to-believe-them-tell-me-they-were-lying-please is the same exact face I see when I don’t make any dessert. How do I deal with it? I just promise to make something the next time that is a) extremely delicious and b) has large amounts of chocolate in it.

Now, back to me volunteering for this role. This past weekend at my work we put together a little baby shower for one of my coworkers. Her name is Mari and she is expecting her second child and her first baby boy.

Let me tell you a little bit about Mari. From the moment I started volunteering at the hospital she was beyond nice to me—always including me in conversations, inviting me to eat lunch with her, and overall helping me feel extremely welcome. Once I was hired, she was one of the people in charge of training me. I couldn’t have asked for a better teacher. She was extremely helpful, thorough in her explanations, and not only supportive, but also patient with me during the learning process. She is honestly one of the sweetest people I have ever met and this baby boy, along with her other children, are lucky to have her as their mother.

So, naturally, when I was asked what I wanted to be in charge of for the baby shower, I said dessert. I knew I wanted to do something special for her, and after looking around on Pinterest (don’t you just love Pinterest?), I settled on making baby boy cupcakes. And, I’m so so glad I did. Because, look at them, they are so freaking cute. Plus, she loved them, which really is the only thing that matters.

If I were to make these again, I would try to make them even cuter. Add some hair using black licorice vines. Possibly give him some blushing cheeks—mix a little pink food coloring with some of the frosting. Or, even, give him some freckles. These were super easy to make, a huge hit at the baby shower, and would be pretty easy to turn into a baby girl if necessary.

I mean, come on, look at these cuties. Don’t you want these at the next baby shower you go to?

Baby Boy Cupcakes

Ingredients:
24 cupcakes (flavor of your preference, I used chocolate)
1 batch of vanilla frosting
Ivory food coloring gel
48 Candy eyeballs
24 Blue pacifiers

Directions:
Bake cupcakes according to the recipe instructions and let cool completely. Once cupcakes have cooled, make frosting according to the recipe instructions as well. I baked the cupcakes in dark blue chevron liners to keep with the baby boy theme, so feel free to do that too or use a completely different colored liner if you want! Add ivory food coloring gel to the frosting until it reaches the desired shade of tan.

Using an icing spatula spread frosting on top of each cupcake, dividing it evenly between the 24 cupcakes. Once each cupcake has been frosted, place two candy eyeballs in the upper center part of each cupcake. Using the tip of a sharp knife, gently cut a small horizontal line in the cupcake—this will make it easier for the pacifier to go in—and push the pacifier into the cupcake.

If you want to doll up your baby a little more, you could add hair (cut 3 small pieces of black licorice vines and place on the top center of the cupcake) or, you could mix a little pink food coloring with some of the frosting to give the baby pinky colored cheeks. You could also give the baby freckles (dip a toothpick in brown or orange or red food coloring and make three little dots in a triangle pattern on each side of the face) or, if you are making the baby a girl, add a little bow at the top of her head. I thought of these ideas after the fact, but let me know if they turn out for you!

NOTES:
*I used this cupcake recipe minus the peanut butter.
*I doubled this vanilla frosting recipe, but only used 4 cups of powdered sugar and added a little extra vanilla.
*I purchased the candy eyeballs at Target.

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

Raspberry Buttermilk Cake

Posted on June 17, 2014 by HintofNutmegg

There is less than a week before summer. Well, more specifically, in five days it’s the first ‘official’ day of summer.

Emphasis on the official part. I’ve always been one to mark the first day of summer by the last day of school or the first day in June, which means I’m about seventeen days into my summer. But, hey, that could just be me. I have a tendency to go off book when it comes to holidays or events labeled on calendars.

Little known fact about myself: I like to celebrate (if I remember that is) the random, obscure, and definitely-not-listed-on-any-calendar national holidays. National Yogurtland Day? Best believe I’m waiting in line to eat my weight in free frozen yogurt. National Donut Day? Why, hello, Krispy Kreme drive thru, where have you been all my life? National Siblings Day? Instagram will be blown up with pictures of my brother and I, mainly because we were adorable kids, but also because the holiday demands it. Who am I to ignore these wonderful national holidays? But, better question, who are you to ignore them?

Maybe it’s just me, but I find these kinds of days to be fun. I believe it’s the little things in life that make you happy, and these national holidays are the epitome of the little things. But, before I get more philosophical on you, let’s get back to the first official day of summer. A day that is listed on calendars, but not given very much attention on the celebration scale.

I vote we change that. I think it should be celebrated. And, what better way to do that than a Raspberry Buttermilk Cake? Yeahh, I’ll answer that question, there is no better way to celebrate it. So, if I were you, I’d join me. Like now, before the entire cake is eaten.

Raspberry Buttermilk Cake. Funny story. I don’t ever have buttermilk or raspberries, for that matter, in my fridge. It’s just not something I buy with frequency. Actually, if we are being completely open, this was my first time buying raspberries. I know, how weird, right? Raspberries just aren’t my thing. In fact, the only berry that is my thing is a strawberry. Again, I know, how weird.

But, Costco had a sale. And raspberries scream summer. And, okay, fine, there wasn’t a good-looking box of strawberries left. So, the raspberries found themselves in my fridge, sitting next to a half-opened carton of buttermilk, which I had used to make a healthy potato salad (substitute buttermilk for mayo…surprisingly quite tasty) a few days before.

And then I saw a recipe for a Strawberry Summer Cake on Smitten Kitchen. I think it was the world’s way of telling me to grab the raspberries and buttermilk and make a cake in honor of the first day of summer. And, when the world speaks to you like that, you don’t even think about it, you just do.

So I did. And, can I just say, I’m glad I did. The buttermilk cake is super moist, flavorful, and pairs rather nicely with the tartness of the raspberries. As the cake bakes, the raspberries turn into puddles of jam that soak into the cake, making your house smell amazing and your stomach grumble in anticipation. This dessert isn’t overly sweet, but I found a hefty spoonful of homemade whipped cream definitely makes up for that. It’s a light, summery, easy-to-put-together kind of dessert—so, basically, the ideal way to celebrate the first official day of summer if you ask me!

Raspberry Buttermilk Cake
Recipe adapted from Smitten Kitchen
Yields: 1 9-inch cake

Ingredients:
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter + extra for springform pan, softened to room temperature
1 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar
1 egg
½ cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
16 oz fresh raspberries, washed and dried

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and butter a 9-inch springform pan (or cake pan or deep dish pie pan).
In a small bowl whisk flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl beat butter and 1 cup of sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
Mix in egg, buttermilk, and vanilla until well combined.
Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing until just smooth.
Pour batter into prepared pan, smoothing the top with a spatula. Arrange raspberries, bottoms up, on top of the batter in a single layer. Sprinkle, as evenly as possible, remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar over the berries.
Bake cake for ten minutes then reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees and continue baking for 50-55 minutes until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean (gooey raspberries on the toothpick are a given). Let cake cool in pan on a wire rack. Cut into slices and serve with whipped cream.

Toasted Coconut Almond Chocolate (aka Almond Joy) Blondies

Posted on June 6, 2014 by HintofNutmegg

Lets talk candy bars.

If you were to ask me what my favorite candy is, I honestly don’t know what I would say. I almost think I would answer that question differently depending on my mood, the month, or whatever was closest to me… and by that last one I mean, whichever candy was stashed in my purse. Yes, I am that lady that carries candy in her purse. Just in case. You never know when you just won’t be yourself.

Please tell me you picked up that Snickers reference? If you did, ignore this sentence completely, but if you didn’t, go watch a Snickers commercial. It’s kind of funny. And, very true.

I’ve had affairs with Snickers, Twix, Reese’s, and Gummy Bears throughout my life. I seem to always come back to one of these four. I can count on them. They never let me down. Ever. Which is why I have never really been tempted to grab a different candy bar in the aisle.

Until one day an Almond Joy walked up. Well, really, my mom bought an Almond Joy and I tried a bite, and lets just say it was actually pretty darn good. I really liked the combination of coconut, almond, and chocolate. A lot. But, I’m far to loyal (or too in love with) my other four favorites, that there is simply no way Almond Joy’s could become part of my candy routine. But, that doesn’t mean they can’t become part of my baking routine. Or, at least that the ingredients can’t. I’m a problem solver people. I know how to make things work in our (fine, my) favor.

Oh hey there, Coconut Almond Chocolate Blondies or, more simply put, Almond Joy Blondies—I don’t know which name to pick, mainly because I don’t want you to think these bars have Almond Joy’s in them. They have all the ingredients of an Almond Joy, but no physical Almond Joy candy was present during the making process. So, I’m going to let you officially pick the name of these bars. Keep in mind, that this is kind of a big honor. I must really like you.

Can we take a brief minute to talk about blondies. Okay, so blondies. Yeah, I didn’t really get what all the fuss was about. I’m a brownie girl. I like my bars fudgy, gooey, and filled to the max with chocolate flavor. Blondies weren’t even a thought to me for the simple reason that they didn’t have fudge in them. They were acting like brownie imposters. And no one likes imposters. No one.

I now see the error in my ways. Blondies aren’t trying to be brownies. In fact, they have their own amazingly delicious thing going on, that they don’t even need to think about being someone else. Blondies are gooey and soft, taste buttery and rich, and are the perfect base for mixing in other ingredients. Why are they the perfect base you ask? Mainly because blondies allow all mixed in flavors, including its buttery self, to come through in each bite. They don’t overpower other ingredients and they definitely don’t let other ingredients overpower them. That’s why these bars are so good. Each bite is a combination of toasted coconut, some crunch from the almond pieces, rich chocolate creaminess, and a buttery gooeyness that keeps you coming back for more.

So, no, it’s not an Almond Joy candy, but I think I’ll dare to say, it’s better. Much better. As in, if this became a candy bar you could buy, I would gladly add it to my candy bar routine. In fact, it might work its way up to be my favorite candy affair.

Toasted Coconut Almond Chocolate (aka Almond Joy) Blondies
Recipe adapted from Averie Cooks
Yields: 12 bars

Ingredients:
1 cup unsalted butter, melted (2 sticks)
2 cups golden brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
½ teaspoon coconut extract
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 ½ cups sweetened shredded coconut flakes, toasted
¾ to 1 cup roasted almonds, roughly chopped
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and prepare a 9×13-inch pan by lining it with foil and spraying generously with cooking spray. Set aside.
In a medium-size bowl, whisk together melted butter and brown sugar, until no clumps of brown sugar remain.
Add eggs, one at a time, and then whisk in vanilla and coconut extract.
Whisk in flour and salt, until just combined—try not to over stir the batter or it will become tough to work with.
Using a spatula, fold in toasted coconut flakes and then the almonds. Fold in chocolate chips until just combined.
Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth top, if needed, lightly with a spatula. Bake for about 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick, stuck in the middle, comes out clean.
Let cool completely before slicing into bars.

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

Baby Boy Cupcakes

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

Raspberry Buttermilk Cake Recipe adapted from Smitten Kitchen Yields: 1 9-inch cake

Toasted Coconut Almond Chocolate (aka Almond Joy) Blondies Recipe adapted from Averie Cooks Yields: 12 bars

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

Raspberry Buttermilk Cake
Recipe adapted from Smitten Kitchen
Yields: 1 9-inch cake

Toasted Coconut Almond Chocolate (aka Almond Joy) Blondies
Recipe adapted from Averie Cooks
Yields: 12 bars