Easy Recipes for Busy Parents
Fudge Brownie Ice Cream - homemade ice cream with swirls of fudge sauce and chunks of brownies. Absolutely delicious summer dessert!
Fudge and brownies swirled into ice cream.
You.are.welcome. 🙂
Remember these Fudgy Raspberry Brownies? I saved some, refrigerated them, chopped them up and mixed them into my ice cream. And it was crazy good!
Ice Cream toppings that are so easy and quick to make - you should make them at home!
Summer days are here and they are here to stay for a while. And we all know what that means! Lots and lots of ice cream! And hopefully homemade! There are so many easy recipes for ice cream out there, that I am not sure if it would be possible to try them all in one season! 🙂
So how do you make enjoying ice cream even more fun? You top it with out-of-this-world, finger-licking, lip-smacking toppings!!!
[Read more...] about 5 Ice Cream Toppings You Should Make at HomeFudgy Raspberry Brownies - homemade chocolate brownies with pie filling swirl. Fudgy and sweet and irresistible!
Raspberries and chocolate make a fabulous combo, I hope you agree. You get the slight tang of the berries followed but decadent sweetness of chocolate. I love it! It's so so good! These brownies are like superheros! They will hit just the right spot when craving for chocolate that just melts in your mouth hits all of a sudden. You need this recipe in your recipe box!
Coconut Cream Mini Frozen Desserts with White Chocolate Magic Shell - super easy treat for coconut fans!
Hot summer days are upon us so it's time to give our ovens a little break. Frozen and no-bake desserts will be in the spot light for a while. But who complains? Just look at these beauties!
And when it comes to frozen desserts, only creamy will do. Creamy, sweet and perfectly chilled.
[Read more...] about Coconut Cream Mini Frozen Desserts with White Chocolate Magic Shell
Brioche Buns - soft and fluffy homemade buns that are perfect as dinner rolls or buns for burgers.
Rich and fluffy rolls that are perfect as dinner rolls or used as hamburger buns or buns for pulled chicken or pork. This recipe may look complicated but the final result is well worth the work. These rolls are golden, fluffy and delicious. For an easier recipe, you need to see my Best Easy Dinner Rolls recipe. It's perfect for holidays!
Fluffy Whole Wheat Pancakes - healthy and delicious breakfast that everyone will love! The best recipe for homemade pancakes ever!
Fluffy pancakes made with whole wheat flour? Yes, please! This is my go-to recipe for healthy pancakes and it is fool-proof. These are the fluffiest whole wheat pancakes we have ever had! I think I discovered a little secret to making perfectly fluffy pancakes. You know, the kind that rises tall and proud as soon as you flip the pancake on the other side while frying? The one that has that puffy middle layer and each bite has pretty air pockets throughout? Yep, this kind. The secret is lemon juice. And the order you add it into the batter. It's pretty much the last ingredient and right after that you give the batter a few stirs and let it sit until your pan preheats. I couldn't believe how much the pancakes were rising! You may also like my Fluffy Chocolate Chip Pancakes and for a dairy and egg-free version, I recommend my Fluffy Vegan Pancakes.
Eclairs - an easy homemade version of the classic bakery-style pastry, filled with creamy custard and topped with melted chocolate.
You will be surprised how easy these are to make! The magic happens when the steam raises the dough and creates empty pockets in your eclairs. For a reason of course. Vanilla pastry cream is the traditional filling used in eclairs. I tried whipped cream but it just doesn't have the same body to fill the pastry. There is quite a bit of steps when making eclairs but boy, are these worth it!!
We are talking delicate light pastry filled with vanilla pastry cream and topped with melted chocolate.
Pate a choux is a basic pastry dough, cooked before baked. It's used to make cream puffs, profiteroles, croquembouche, cygnes (pastry swans), gougeres and eclairs. I hope you do give it a try and make some delicious pastry treats yourself. It's fun and highly self-esteem boosting. 🙂
Diamon Pastry with Cranberry Jam
Chocolate Ganache Mini Tarts - mini treats with a chocolate crust, ganache filling and topped with fresh whipped cream and strawberry hearts. Sweet and delicious!
Mini treats that are small in size yet truly decadent are perfect for celebrations or those days when you want to treat yourself just because. These mini tarts are super easy to make and so adorable! To finish them off, I added whipped cream and a sprinkle of edible glitter hearts. My daughters loved the sugar hearts so much and were looking for ways to use the tiny heart cookie cutter. Slices of strawberries were a perfect base for the tiny decorations. And you can add them to your morning breakfast any day for a cheerful start! 🙂
The year comes to an end and it's time for a recap.
The numbers have spoken and here is the list of the most popular recipes on Crunchy Creamy Sweet:
Soft and fluffy dinner rolls are simply the best!
In hopes that you are looking for ways to cut down on store-bought dishes for your Thanksgiving, I bring you my very favorite recipe for Dinner Rolls. I made them countless times and they always come out perfect! Fluffy, light, pillow-soft. That's how we like them!
They are already on my written menu for our Thanksgiving dinner. I know that even doubling the recipe doesn't guarantee that there will be enough of them. I am a bread lover and won't pass any opportunity to make AND eat it.
Nutty Nougat Caramel Bites - layers of candy make these caramel bites irresistible! Chocolate, caramel, nougat and nuts make for a rich treat!
Let me count the reasons why you should make these: butterscotch cookie base, peanut butter nougat, caramel, butterscotch and chocolate frosting. Yep, that covers it. If you are a fan of candy bars, you will love these! There are quite a bit of steps to make these bites, but they are worth it.
For all of you, pumpkin lovers and waste-haters, a solution for all of the leftovers of Fall's favorite fruit.
Frozen Pumpkin Cubes.
[Read more...] about Frozen Pumpkin Cubes & 10 Ways to Use Them
Toasted clusters of fall-flavored granola. Pumpkin, molasses, figs, dates, even dark chocolate! This granola is packed with deliciousness!
Granola is one of those easy snacks I practically lived on in college. Each spoonful is a surprise. Chocolate or date. Fig or oat cluster. All the way yum!
I love bread. Bread, rolls, baguettes, French bread, Italian bread, rustic bread, you name it. I feel almost incomplete if there are no bready carbs sitting on my counter. It's my security blanket if you wish.
The white store-bought bread is not only not attractive but tasteless to me so I try to bake my own whenever possible. I have tried many many recipes for many many different kinds of bread goodness. This Easy French Bread has a crunchy crust and it's fluffy and delicious inside. Perfection!
This Caramel Apple Coffee Cake is a must-try dessert for fall! It's tender cake with sauteed apples, crunchy crumb topping and homemade salted butter caramel sauce!
I am in the full swing mode of fall baking. And I love it! Despite the heat outdoors, I am enjoying fall soups, home-baked bread and cakes. Like this one. Caramel Apple Coffee Cake. Does this look yummy or what??
Remember my Salted Butter Caramel Sauce? It took the internet by storm!! I am not surprised. I had to use it in this cake. It's just perfect with apple coffee cake!
Spicy Tortilla Chips - jazz up plain flour tortillas with spice and bake to crispy perfection! Great for guacamole, dips and nachos!
The easiest way to make homemade tortilla chips at home! Simply cut into triangles, toss with seasoning and bake until crispy. These Spicy Tortilla Chips are fantastic with guacamole, dips and for nachos. You can use flour or corn tortillas to make these chips.
[Read more...] about Spicy Tortilla Chips {baked}
Weekend Wrap-Up is late as I am battling a nasty bug I caught few days ago. I hope you will forgive me.
Previously, on CCS:
Monday - Our Big Sweetie Pie turned 6 years-old.
Tuesday - My soap opera update, fall outfit and this month's theme for the Blue Ribbon Challenge.
Wednesday - We talked about laundry and peach galette.
Thursday - Bruised peaches turn into the best and easiest peach jam you will ever have.
Friday - Kitchen Know-How is about homemade powdered sugar and... yoga pants.
CCC Monday is coming up next!
xoxo,
Anna
I am officially pink.
It's the result of strawberry-mania that's taken over our house.
See, they've even taken over my blog design!!
Do you remember my Winter obsession with cranberries? I think the same happens during Summer but with strawberries. Don't get me wrong - I am not complaining. My daughters think it's cool that mommy is all pink now. 🙂 Girls love pink!
Did you know that one ounce of strawberries have more vitamin C than one ounce of oranges? That makes them a fabulous antioxidant source. And we all need that. The red color comes from anthocyanins, that help reduce inflammation. Vitamin C is good for your brain's functioning and helps rebuild blood vessels and bones. It also helps keep your blood pressure low, as does potassium - also found in strawberries.
So with all that in mind, I am happily indulging in these red gems. Aside of eating them straight from the bowl ( which is our favorite way ), I love to use them in my baking.
I shared my Strawberries and Cheesecake Chocolate Bars and Sweet Rolls with Roasted Strawberries and Cream Cheese Filling.
I have also made a strawberry version of my Chocolate and Berries Blondies , Berry Banana Bread and Homemade Berry Pop Tarts and strawberry muffins ( jumbo and mini size )! Yum!
I hope you are enjoying the abundance of strawberries also! If you are out of ideas of what to make with them, I hope that you can find some inspiration among my recipes.
Next weeks installment of Kitchen Know-How will be about strawberries and a way of preserving the season in these little gems.
Tomorrow, there is a major thing happening, here on CCS! So make sure to stop by! It's going to be fun!
Do you fancy strawberries? 🙂
xoxo,
It's the third Thursday of the month.
What does that mean?
It's the Improv Challenge time!!
As a participant, you have to make something that will include two assigned ingredients.
This month the two ingredients were: peanut butter and jelly.
A perfect pair for a baker, if you ask me.
As of recently I am on a bars roll, I went with cheesecake bars for the challenge.
They are delicious and will satisfy any pb&j lover. Yum!
Peanut Butter and Jelly Cheesecake Bars
makes 16
for the crust:
½ c butter, softened
⅓ c powdered sugar
½ c all-purpose flour
½ c oatmeal
¼ c Cheerios, crushed
Grease a 8" x 8" square baking dish. Set aside.
Beat the butter for 2 minutes.
The butter has to be really soft. It whips better.
Add the sugar and beat until fluffy.
Add the flour and mix it all with a spatula or a wooden spoon.
Add the cereal and oatmeal and mix it all until combined.
Press the dough into your prepared pan.
It will be sticky so be patient.
Note: I highly recommend using parchment paper or a aluminum foil to line the pan with. It will make it easier to get the baked bars out onto a platter. I will certainly do that next time. 🙂
Bake for 18 - 20 minutes, until the edges start to brown.
Leave the oven on the same temperature.
for the filling:
1 8oz. cream cheese, softened
1 egg, room temperature
⅓ c peanut butter
¼ c granulated sugar
2 tablespoon milk
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
3 tablespoon jelly ( I used my homemade cranberry jam )
Beat the cream cheese until creamy.
Reserve about a ½ c of soft, whipped cream cheese.
Mix it will 3 tablespoon of jelly. Set aside.
To the rest of the cream cheese, add the peanut butter and beat until combined.
Add the sugar and beat until fluffy.
Like this. 🙂 Yum!
Now go, give your Hubby a spoonful to taste.
He will love you for it.
Trust me. 🙂
Add the egg and mix well.
Add the vanilla and milk and mix again.
Add the flour and stir with a spatula or a wooden spoon.
Spread the cheesecake filling over the crust.
Spoon out the jelly cream cheese mixture and swirl with a spoon.
Bake 18 - 20 minutes. It will appear set and start to come off on the sides.
Cool for 30 minutes on the counter and then transfer to a fridge and cool about 2 hours.
Voila! PB and J cheesecake bars to enjoy. 🙂
You can warm up a little bit of jelly in a small bowl in a microwave and drizzle if over the bars before serving.
If you are interested in participating and joining the Improv Challenge group, contact Kristen from Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker.
I hope you do, because it's always lots of fun!
Enjoy!
The winner of the Dessert Decorator Pro was announced yesterday.
You know by now I love cranberries. ( Hence the jam and pop tarts. ) When I saw the recipe for a cranberry butter - I might have done my happy dance. 🙂 And that's how a homemade butter lead me to bake something I have never baked before. ( Is it weird? ).
I got to think, what would go well with the butter? It would have to be freshly baked so the butter can melt on top. Mmmm... And that's when I realized I have never made scones before. I have lots of experience making biscuits ( drop and cut out ), but not scones. Let me tell you, those fluffy goodies are so fast and easy to make, you will be enjoying them in no time. Or.... you can do what I did and prepare the dough the night before, shape it and cut into scones. Then place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and refrigerate overnight. Trust me, it will make you jump out of bed in the morning to bake them! Hmm, this would be a great Christmas morning addition to your breakfast, don't you think? You do the work the night before and in the morning you enjoy the gift-unwrapping while your scones are baking. 🙂
I added nutmeg, as a spice we are enjoying this time of year. But feel free to add any spice you are favoring.
[Read more...] about Nutmeg Scones with Cranberry Orange Butter
