Simple Yet Gourmet

Talk about a showstopper breakfast! This Nutella Star Bread is a Beauty! The Nutella and sweet bread layers make such a pretty pattern when the bread is twisted into points and the dusting of powdered sugar looks like a fresh dusting of snow.  Danny insisted it looked like a snowflake so that's what we call it :) Now of course this Star/Snowflake bread is not looks only.  I wouldn't be sharing it with you if it wasn't also delicious, and it is!  Picture this: Three thin layers of a sweet dough spread with Nutella and then topped with one last dough layer.  Yummy yummy.  Nutella is a star ingredient in this bread but it wasn't actually as sweet as I thought it would be.  Just sweet enough without being overpoweringly rich or decadent.   This Snowflake Bread was a hit with my family and even my kids ate an uncharacteristically large amount.  I'm a little embarrassed to admit that the four of us polished this off.  That being said, if you h...

 Guys, you NEED to try these bars! They are the perfect balance of sweet, salty, chewy, and crunchy. The Cinnamon Sugar sprinkled over the top adds a nice warm spiciness to the whole thing making for a very satisfying bite. So scrumptious without being overly sweet!  If that didn't quite convince you, how about the fact that they are SUPER easy to make.  Perfect for when you don't have an hour or two to spend in the kitchen. I love how these White Chocolate Caramel Churro Bars turned out!! One of my new favorite treats for Christmas or anytime!

Hot chocolate mixes are so convenient for a quick cup of hot chocolate, and we definitely go though our fair share at our house, but when I want to make an extra special treat I spend a few extra minutes and make this creamy, decadent hot chocolate using real chocolate chips.  You'll want to use a good quality chocolate here and whole milk for best results.  Customize to your likes! Milk, white, semi-sweet, or bittersweet chocolate chips would all work here.   Real chocolate chips, whole milk, cream, sweetened condensed milk, and vanilla all work together to make a rich and creamy cup of hot chocolate!  This warm and cozy treat can be made on the stovetop, but I'm also including an option for the Instant Pot.   To make it even more fun set up a tray with toppings such as marshmallows, Hershey Kisses, peppermint meringues, red hots, candy canes, etc! Perfect as a treat on Christmas Eve while watching a favorite movie or a snow day!

Up till recently, I hadn’t heard of Peppermint Meringues, and let me tell you, I have been missing out. I originally made these because I thought they were so pretty, but I actually love the flavor and texture of these as well!  While most treats at this time of year tend to be heavy and decadent, these are super light and literally melt in your mouth. The peppermint flavor is light, not nearly as strong as a candy cane but still delightful.  If you don't like peppermint, go ahead and omit the peppermint candies.  Chances are though, if you've clicked on the post you probably like peppermint, right?  I think these will add such a fun pop of color in the goodie boxes I'm putting together for our neighbors and if they've never had them before they will be in for a scrumptious surprise.  Fingers crossed that I actually have enough when the time comes- we can't stop eating them!  These are a wonderfully refreshing treat all or their own or as an add-in to hot c...

I LOVE Caramel Apples! Do you?? I feel like they're the perfect balance of sweet and tart and they seem so gourmet.  There are so many varieties of caramel apples and once you learn the basics you can play around with different combos, which of course is part of the fun of making your own. Today I'm sharing how to make Apple Pie Caramel Apples that taste similar to an apple pie, but even more delicious! It's one of my all-time favorite combos and looks so pretty with the contrasting green (or red) apples.  Tart apples with chewy, decadent caramel surrounded by smooth and creamy white chocolate, sprinkled with Cinnamon and Sugar! So, so good.  

Growing up my Mom made us breakfast 6 days of the week.  On Sundays we got cold cereal, which we loved!  Definitely didn't fully appreciate how lucky we were to have a nice, warm breakfast almost every day.  Now that I'm the Mom, I still love to make breakfast, but other than the occasional fried egg, pretty much the only day I do that is on Sunday! We've been spoiled to have church at 12pm this year so I have quite a bit of time to whip something up while certain family members are sleeping in.  Not that I'm bitter or anything, I actually love my quiet Sunday mornings in the kitchen.    Anyways....These Orange Rolls are so divine! We love having them for a late Sunday breakfast but they would make a fabulous dessert as well.  The roll is tender and fluffy with a creamy, dreamy orange cream cheese icing on the top.  My favorite part of the roll though? The filling! So, so good.  Especially the part that just melts out and sticks to the bottom...

Hot Cocoa bombs are so delicious and so much fun!  My kids always get excited when I make these, much more so than with just regular hot chocolate because they are so fun to watch as the "bomb" goes off.  Picture chocolate melting and the marshmallows and other fillings popping up to the top.   These are really simple to make, and totally customizable, but you will need a mold.  I used a silicone mold, but I have seen plastic ones that make the process look even easier!  Don't have a mold? Try using the little dixie cups instead! Make it the same way as the bombs but just pour in melted chocolate to seal off the top. I love the peppermint/chocolate combo so much!  To me, it's the must have flavor of the season.  The fantastic thing about Hot Chocolate Bombs though, is that you can make them any way you want to!  Use your choice of chocolate for the shell and fill with any type of hot chocolate.  From there use whatever fillings your hear...

The Holidays are here!  I love this time of year, with all the treats and traditions.  We always decorate Gingerbread houses, but this year Brynlee and I decided we wanted to make our houses from scratch.  The gingerbread really wasn't difficult to make but it did require a little bit of elbow grease to get it rolled out.  The pattern was easy to follow and make for some sweet little houses.  Larger than your average Graham Cracker houses, but not as big as some store bought versions.  We worked on these houses over a few nights and it tuned out to be a fun little project.  The best part of making your own house is being able to customize it.  We both cut out a few windows and a door and then filled them with crushed jolly ranchers before baking them.  Looks like a stained glass window!  For the frosting, I used a traditional royal icing recipe with raw egg whites because I didn't have any merengue powder.  I'm including two recipes...