I really can’t believe we survived a year of homeschooling – and not just survived but thrived. This year has been demanding and exhausting, but so, so incredibly worth it. With all the chaos happening in the world, I’m so glad our family could take a pause and have our own consistent routine in our own little bubble.
And, I’m so glad it’s done.
Instead of school, we’ve been spending our days playing legos and swimming and working on the garden and playing board games on the deck and eating as many meals outside as possible. It’s been so good for the soul.
Also good for the soul? Homemade popsicles. And these chocolate covered peanut butter ones are the things dreams are made of.
Do you call these muddy buddies? Puppy chow? Something else?
Around here, we just call them delicious! But, for real, everyone in the family loves them. And I love that this small batch version is the perfect size to whip up for movie night or family game night .
This is also a recipe that’s great for the kids to tackle! Bigger kids will be able to do nearly all of this solo – but there are things that even the littlest kids can help with!
Celebrations these days are looking a bit different, aren’t they? Facetime play dates and Zoom birthday parties are the new, temporary norm as we all do our part and stay home.
But one of the things that makes celebrations so fun – the treats! – can be a challenge while social distancing. Making a cake for each virtual celebration can be a drag if you don’t have enough people to share it with – but so can skipping the cake completely.
In this case, small-batch desserts are an awesome answer.
I’ve rounded up eighteen awesome small batch dessert recipes for you today – perfect options for making for your next celebration during social distancing special without burying you in leftovers!
This post is sponsored in conjunction with #SpringSweetsWeek. I received product samples from sponsor companies to help in the creation of the #SpringSweetsWeek recipes. All opinions are mine alone.
I’m so excited #SpringSweetsWeek kicks off today because I feel like we all need a little happy right now. And what’s more happy than a week choc full of bright, springy desserts?
I’m starting off with some couldn’t-be-easier cookies that taste nothing short of amazing! These lemonade crinkle cookies have a nice, tart bite but are also soft and creamy, thanks to the addition of cream cheese.
I really love seeing the blog series my friends do – and one of my favorites every year is The Spiffy Cookie‘s #PBChocSat. It’s a nod to her favorite college football team – the Buckeyes – and while I have no real interest in college football, I love anything that involves peanut butter and chocolate.
When she said she was getting a group together to kick off this year’s series, I just had to jump in on the fun.
Peach cobbler is one of my favorite summer desserts. Fresh Jersey peaches are plentiful right now, so this easy dessert always seems to find it’s way to our table around this time of year.
This cobbler has just a few simple ingredients, but the batter helps the fruit shine beautifully – I especially love the extra boost from the almond extract.
One of my food blogger groups has been doing a fun round-robin game of #FoodBloggerLove. It’s a fun way to get to know a new blogger or introduce your followers to someone you’ve been admiring.
This post is sponsored in conjunction with ChristmasSweetsWeek. I received product samples from sponsor companies to aid in the creation of the ChristmasSweetsWeek recipes. All opinions are mine alone.
There are two things my four-year-old is loving this season: hot chocolate and the Grinch. I combined the two for him in this fun, festive treat.
Welcome to #ChristmasSweetsWeek 2018 hosted by Terri from Love and Confections and Christie from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures! What better way to celebrate the holidays than with food and a fun giveaway? 44 bloggers from around the country have come together to share over 180 sweet Christmas recipes!! Deck the halls and get ready for very merry sweet treats, like fudge, cookies, Christmas morning breakfasts, layer cakes, martinis, cocoa, and more! Our #ChristmasSweetsWeek sponsors are helping us give away some great prizes. Thank you so much, Sponsors, for your generosity. We have an incredible giveaway below and would love if you would take a moment to read about it and what you can win!
This post is sponsored in conjunction with AppleWeek . I received product samples from sponsor companies to aid in the creation of the AppleWeek recipes. All opinions are mine alone.
I’m wrapping up #appleweek today with the simplest dish of the week – and my personal favorite.
One of the things I’ve learned over the years is that while the over-the-top, super involved recipes can be really fun, simple recipes with great ingredients are often just as good – if not better.
This cake falls into the super simple category. The whole thing takes just about 10 minutes to prep, and instead of something super polished, it’s got the rustic beauty thing going for it.
And honestly, it’s delicious. This is the perfect cake to pair with a hot cup or tea or coffee, a book, and some of this crisp fall air. Who wants a slice?
Also, now that you’ve seen all the apple goodness, be sure to pop over and enter to win some amazing prizes from #appleweek sponsors! You can enter here: a Rafflecopter giveaway
3 eggs
1 cup flour
1 cup + 2 Tbsp. sugar, divided
1 large apple
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract (I used Rodelle)
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
Powdered sugar
Preheat the oven 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9″ baking pan and set aside.
Peel, core, and slice the apple. In a bowl, toss the apple slices with 2 Tbsp. sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg, until evenly coated.
Using an electric mixer, beat together the eggs, flour, sugar, and vanilla until fluffy.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Arrange the cinnamon-sugar coated apple slices on top, pushing them down just slightly.
Bake for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool for several minutes, then remove from the pan and dust with powdered sugar.
Out with a bang! Check out these Saturday Recipes:
Disclaimer: Thank you AppleWeek Sponsors: Swiss Diamond, Nordic Ware, Envy Apples, Imperial Sugar, The Spice House, Rodelle Vanilla, Flahavan’s Irish Oats and Nairn’s for providing the prizes free of charge. These companies also provided the bloggers with samples and product to use for AppleWeek recipes. All opinions are my own. The AppleWeek giveaway is open to U.S. residents, age 18 & up. All entries for the winner will be checked and verified. By entering you give the right to use your name and likeness. The number of entries received determines the odds of winning. Seven (7) winners will be selected. The prize packages will be sent directly from the giveaway sponsors. The AppleWeek Bloggers are not responsible for the fulfillment or delivery of the prize packages. Bloggers hosting this giveaway and their immediate family members in their household cannot enter or win the giveaway. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited by law. This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter or any other social channel mentioned in the AppleWeek posts or entry.
This month’s What’s Baking theme, hosted by Sandra from She Cooks and Bakes, is favorite childhood treats with a modern twist. My favorite childhood treat, hands down, was chocolate chip cookies. I loved coming home from school to find fresh baked chocolate chip cookies for snack. Sometimes, Mom would even make them before school and we’d get them in our lunches. Cookie days were always awesome days.
Making pumpkin chocolate chip cookies seemed like the perfect twist, considering the season and how popular everything pumpkin is now. It also seemed appropriate since I wouldn’t touch pumpkin as a kid, but as an adult I’m loving the flavor. These are a perfect, more grown-up version of one of my childhood favorites.
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies (from Cooks.com) Makes about 2 dozen
1 cup pumpkin puree
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup dark chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 375F degrees. Line two cookie sheets.
Dissolve the baking soda in milk. Set aside.
In a large bowl, stir together the pumpkin, sugar, oil and egg until well combined. Add in flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt, baking soda mixture and mix well. Stir in vanilla until combined. Fold in chocolate chips.
Drop by tablespoon-full onto the cookie sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until beginning to brown around the edges. Remove from oven and let cook for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Store in an airtight container. These are best enjoyed the next day.
