You will love these chocolate raspberry crumb/pie bars. If you are someone who loves the chocolate/raspberry combination these are magical! They are also a perfect recipe to use up some fresh raspberries that might be on their last leg.
Sweets
THE BEST EASY CREPES
The batter for these crepes comes out perfectly smooth every time using your Blendtec blender. (The batter can also be mixed by hand, if you don’t have a blender!) You won’t find a more delicious crepe recipe!
EASY PEANUT BUTTER FUDGE BARS
These peanut butter fudge bars are decadent and delightful. Use peanut butter cookie dough mix with the homemade fudge to make them easy to put together.
THE BEST ZUCCHINI BREAD
This zucchini bread is a great way to use up some extra summer zucchinis. This bread is moist, cinnamon-y and delicious.
PINEAPPLE SLUSH DRINK
This is one of my favorite drinks! Make the pineapple slush mixture ahead of time and freeze. Serve with lemon lime soda. Great for summer parties.
KNEADERS PATE A CHOUX
Funfetti cream puffs made from pate du choux. 
EASY STRAWBERRIES AND CREAM CUPCAKES
These easy and delicious strawberries and cream cupcakes start with a cake mix. The whipped cream frosting is not overly sweet and tastes amazing. A perfect treat for Valentine’s Day or any day!
EASY PISTACHIO PUDDING CAKE
I love anything pistachio flavored! This moist and delicious pistachio cake has always been one of my favorite cakes that my mom made growing up. It’s layered in the middle and top with a cinnamon sugar mixture that makes it even better. This is one of the cakes that you will want to make again and again once you try it! And although I love making cakes from scratch, I also love having cake mixes on hand to whip up a cake at the last minute. You don’t have to be a great baker to make this amazing cake, but you will feel like one! Continue reading
EASY CHOCOLATE CHERRY CAKE
This chocolate cherry cake is perfect for the holidays. Easy to make and only 4 ingredients.
EASY PUMPKIN NO BAKE CHEESECAKE
This is a pumpkin recipe definitely worth trying! It’s super easy to whip together and it might be one of my new favorite pumpkin desserts. It’s great for parties served in individual little cups.
PUMPKIN ROLL
I have been making this pumpkin roll recipe for over 10 years now! I got the recipe when I was a sophomore in college and sometimes it’s strange to think that it has already been over a decade since I was a student! I love this dessert; soft pumpkin cake filled with a smooth and luscious cream cheese filling. My family loves it too, and always requests it this time of year.
ORANGE SODA CREAMSICLE CUPCAKES
I have been making these easy orange creamsicle cupcakes for a number of years and they are one of my favorite easy cupcakes!
They are always a hit when I bring them to parties. I think it’s because there is usually chocolate or vanilla cupcakes so it’s a nice change in flavors. 
EASY CHOCOLATE POTS DE CREME
If you are looking for the ultimate, easy, chocolate dessert, then look no further! This recipe only takes 5 minutes to whip up in your blender, and it is perfect for a decadent Valentine’s day dessert. These are silky, rich chocolatey and just so delicious! They are similar to a chocolate pudding but more dense and rich. They are perfect for chocolate lovers and look fancy-schmancy in their little dishes garnished with some powdered sugar and berries. Your guests will think you slaved in the kitchen over these but you don’t have to share your secret 😉
Easy Chocolate Pots de Creme
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
1 large egg
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Put the chocolate chips, salt, and sugar in your blender and pulse until ground. Add the egg and pulse until smooth. In a small saucepan, heat the heavy cream until just simmering (small bubbles will start to form along edge). Carefully and slowly add the hot cream to the blender and pulse until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Add the vanilla extract and pulse to combine. Pour into 4 small ramekins. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours. Garnish with berries of choice and powdered sugar.
Recipe Source- King Arthur’s Flour
SCHOOL LUNCH PEANUT BUTTER BARS
If you are trying to avoid sweets as part of your New Year’s resolutions, then you should probably avert your eyes. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. These peanut bars will for sure not be fitting into your diet anytime soon. But, you really should make them anyways. Because they are that good! I got the recipe from my mother-in-law and these are tried and true delicious. It’s one of those recipes you will make over and over again. The recipe makes a whole half sheet pan’s worth, so when you make them you have plenty to share (and sharing keeps you from taking small pieces of them here and there until you realize that half of the pan is gone-oops). These peanut butter and oatmeal bars are perfect for a large gathering and are quick to put together. We had them most recently at a baby blessing at the beginning of the month and they were a hit.
School Lunch Peanut Butter Bars
Bars-
1 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup peanut butter
1 1/4 cups flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups old fashioned oats
Frosting-
1/2 cup butter
4 tablespoons milk
4 tablespoons cocoa powder
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugars. Add eggs, peanut butter and vanilla and mix until smooth. Add the flour, baking soda, salt and oats. Spread into a half sheet pan lined with parchment paper (or greased). Bake for 12-14 minutes till top is lightly brown.
For the frosting- Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Turn the heat to low and add the cocoa powder and milk; stir to combine. Gradually add the powdered sugar a cup at a time and stir to incorporate. Pour the frosting over the warm peanut butter bars and spread.
Allow the bars to set up for about an hour for slicing. They will seem very soft when you get them out of the oven, but you do not want to over bake them. They are supposed to be nice and soft.
EASY APPLE DIP
This is my go-to apple dip. It’s surprising how addicting this actually is given it only has three ingredients. But I love that it is so easy! I brought it to a Halloween party last weekend and it was gobbled up. It would be great for upcoming Thanksgiving gatherings (or really just store it in your fridge and it’s great for anytime snacking-apples make it kind of healthy right?) Whip up a batch, layer it in a nice bowl and serve it with sliced apples. Or this makes a great little gift when layered in small mason jars and wrapped with an apple. 
Apple Dip
1 tub (16 oz) caramel dip (such as Litehouse brand Old Fashioned Caramel)
1 pkg (8 ounces) cream cheese softened (I use light)
1 package Heath bits (found in the baking aisle by the chocolate chips)
In a mixing bowl, stir together the softened cream cheese and the tub of caramel, reserving about 1/4 cup of the caramel to spread over the dip. Place in a serving bowl and spread the reserved caramel over the top. Sprinkle with the Heath bits (about 1/2 cup or more to your liking). Serve with sliced apples. Store leftovers in the refridgerator.
To keep apples from browning, slice and soak in a bowl with enough water to cover apples and with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. Let apples soak for a few minutes then drain water, drying any excess water with a few paper towels.
For a cute gift, make dip as directed and then put in quarter pint (4 oz) jars. Put an apple on top, place in a cellophane bag, and tie with ribbon. Makes 4-5 jars.
PERFECT PEACH PIE
I love peach season in Utah! I think that those juicy, plump peaches have got to be one of my favorite fruits. One of our neighbors left for a short trip and asked us to check on their house while they were gone. They also said we could pick any peaches off their tree that were ripe-score! We got a whole bag of the yummiest, juiciest peaches. After we had eaten fresh peaches to our hearts content we still had quite a few left so I started looking up peach recipes. I didn’t want any of those perfect peaches to go to waste. I love peach cobbler, but I kept seeing recipea for peach pie and needed to make one. This peach pie is the perfect combination of a flaky, tasty crust, and sweet, peachy filling. I have been trying a few different crust recipes for pies lately and I really love this crust. First of all, it is really easy. I’m usually not the best crust maker, but I thought this came together really nicely and it had a great flakiness and texture. I think it’s a keeper! This peach pie turned out so delicious. It’s perfect topped with some vanilla ice cream and served warm. Our neighbors actually returned from their trip the night I baked it so they got to enjoy a piece. They said it was some of the best peach pie and the crust was one of their favorites. The one thing I noticed was that because my peaches were so ripe and juicy my filling was a little runny so the next time I will drain the peach juice out after slicing them.
Perfect Peach Pie
1 recipe pie crust (below)
1 beaten egg
5 cups sliced peaches
1/2 cup flour
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/3 teaspoon salt
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
- Place one of the crusts into the bottom of a 9 inch pie pan. Brush the crust with some of the beaten egg to keep the dough from becoming soggy.
- Put the sliced peaches in a large bowl and gently mix them together with the lemon juice, flour, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Pour into the pie crust. Cover with the other pie crust (cut out shapes before covering if desired), and fold the edges under. Flute the edges to seal or press the edges with the tines of a fork dipped in egg. Brush the remaining egg over the top crust*. Cut several slits in the top. Bake for 10 minutes in the preheated oven, then reduce the heat to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 30 to 35 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown. If the edges brown to fast, cover them with strips of aluminum foil about halfway through baking. Cool before serving. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream!
* I don’t like a very brown crust so I actually don’t brush it with the egg. But it you prefer a darker crust then do use the egg
Recipe Source- Slightly adapted from All Recipes
Pie Crust Recipe
2 cups flour
1 cup shortening*
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup cold milk (whole is best)
1 tablespoon vinegar
- In a large mixing bowl add the flour, sugar and salt and lightly whisk together.
- Use a pastry cutter to mix the shortening into the flour until the shortening is in small pea size pieces.
- Add vinegar to the cold milk, then add to the flour mixture all at once. Stir until just combined (don’t overmix).
- Put the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Split dough in half and set one aside. Roll out one half with a rolling pin, making sure to flip over after each roll. Roll into about 1/8-inch thick round. Roll onto the rolling pin and carefully place in pan.
- If you’re doing a one crust pie, trim edges with a knife and flute edges with hands. For a two crust pie- fill the pie, then roll out the other half of the pie dough. Slice or shape it then lay it on top the pie filling. Bake according to directions pertaining to pie filling.
Recipe Source- Slightly adapted from Baking with Blondie (sugar added to crust, I like it a little sweet)
*Line your measuring cup with some plastic wrap so you don’t have to wash out all that sticky shortening later.
COPYCAT SWIG SUGAR COOKIE (AKA THE BEST SUGAR COOKIES)
It seems like the big thing in Utah now is drive-thru soda places that serve all sorts of flavors of sodas with tons of mix ins paired with a sugar cookie. When my parents were visiting Provo last summer I started frequenting one of the soda drive-thru windows just to get one of their cookies. I knew I had to create a copycat recipe to make them myself. I think this recipe is it. These sugar cookies are the bomb. Seriously, super yummy. I first made them for my son’s birthday party back in November to give out in treat bags. I also made them for a bake sale this past weekend and everyone was requesting the recipe and lots of people came back to buy more after they ate one.
Some notes about the recipe. If you’ve never had a Swig sugar cookie, I think they are less sweet and have a thicker less fluffy texture (more shortbready) than regular sugar cookies. I mix my sugar cookies by hand, and the frosting in a stand mixer. It helps the dough not to get over mixed. I refrigerate my cookies after they have cooled, but I like to eat them at room temperature. The cookies are so moist that if you stack them in the refrigerator put parchment paper in between to keep them from sticking together. Also, these don’t work to roll out and cut shapes because the dough is so soft. One time I lessened the vegetable oil to 1/2 cup and I was able to roll out the dough between two pieces of parchment paper and cut out shapes.
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Sugar Cookies
1 cup butter softened
3/4 cup vegetable oil
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup light sour cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
5 1/2 cups flour
Preheat oven to 350. Cream together the softened butter, oil, and sugar. Add the eggs, sour cream, extracts and mix until well combined. Add the dry ingredients last and mix until a nice soft dough forms. (I like to knead the dough by hand to incorporate the last bit of flour.) Roll dough into golfball size balls and placed on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Using the back of a drinking glass sprayed with cooking spray, smash the balls into round circles about 1/2 inch thick. Bake for 8-10 minutes- cookies should not brown at all. Allow to cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes and transfer to a cooling rack if desired. Allowing them to cool on the cookie sheet is very important because they continue to cook. Don’t take them off too soon! I rotate two pans when I cook these so my first pan of cookies has the time to cool.
Frosting
1/2 cup butter softened
3/4 cup reduced fat sour cream*
2 pounds powder sugar
red food coloring (if desired)
Whip the butter in the bowl of the stand mixer on medium speed for a few minutes until light and fluffy. Add the sour cream and a few drops of red food coloring and mix for another minute, then gradually add the powdered sugar a cup at at time. You want the frosting to be nice and stiff, not runny. I usually add a few cups of sugar, check the consistency and taste and then add more if needed. You might not use the whole 2 pounds of powdered sugar. Frost the cooled cookies. I like using the Wilton 1M tip for rosettes.
*I use the reduced fat because it’s not as thick as regular sour cream
PARTY SHERBET
This is one of my absolute favorite treats! It’s only 3 ingredients, it’s super easy to make and it’s always a crowd pleaser (seriously!).
WHIPPED CREAM FROSTING
One of my favorite things to bake is cake. This is my favorite recipe for a light, whipped cream frosting which is a nice change up every so often from sugary, rich buttercream.
This recipe is super easy to make, and the best part is you can change up the flavor depending on the type of Jell-O you choose. I love making a strawberry cake and making the cheesecake version of the whipped frosting. It’s so good! I always get rave reviews whenever someone tries this frosting!
I also love that I can easily pipe designs with it. Buttercream can sometimes be hard to squeeze out of the icing bag, but not only is this easy to decorate with, it holds up beautifully. Rosettes are one my favorite easy designs to use for a cake.
I used the Wilton 1M Tip
This post contains affiliate links. This means, if you make a purchase through my links, I’ll receive a small portion of your purchase at no extra cost to you.
One batch of this frosting is perfect to fill and frost a 6 inch cake.
See other cakes I frosted with this whipped cream frosting—> HERE and HERE
CREAMY CRUNCHY GRAPE SALAD
This grape salad is delicious and a great side for a picnic or barbecue. Sweet, crunchy grapes topped with a sugary, creamy topping!
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