Lemon, Poppy seed and Almond Muffins

Yesterday was a holiday in my neck of the woods so I spent the day relaxing, cleaning my house and practicing yoga. I also whipped up a batch of lemon, poppy seed and almond muffins. The recipe I used comes from the Bon Appetit cookbook, as seen below. The store I went to this weekend didn't have almond extract so I substituted lemon extract and the muffins turned out to be amazing! I love how the almonds add a little more 'crunch' to the traditional lemon-poppy seed recipe.

Rocky Road Wedges

I was craving something chocolately this week and decided to make these rocky road wedges. They were simple to make, delicious, and combined three of my favourite things: chocolate, almonds, and marshmallows. I didn't have any white marshmallows on hand and didn't feel like running to the store in -45 degree weather for one ingredient, so I decided just to make due with the coloured marshmallows I had at home. I definitely recommend making these, especially if you are looking for a dessert you can whip up in a jiffy with minimal cleanup. I think these would be delicious served with ice cream- I might have to give it a try tonight!

Banana and Walnut Bread

I was craving some banana bread this weekend so I decided to turn to my go-to recipe in the Bon Appetit cookbook and whip up a couple of loaves. I pulled out a bunch of ripe bananas that I had in the freezer and went to town. It's funny how disgusting frozen, ripe bananas can look but they sure do make the best banana bread. One of the loaves is almost gone already; needless to say my craving was satisfied!

Classic Chocolate Fudge

One of my favourite holiday treats has always been fudge. I know it's not the healthiest choice, but I love to indulge in fudge over the holiday season. In the past, my own attempts at making fudge have largely been unsuccessful; it just never seems to turn out for some unknown reason. This year I was determined to be successful so I tried a new recipe in my Bon Appetit cookbook. The recipe can be found online here. I made a few modifications including using marshmallows instead of marshmallow creme (I've never seen it in stores here in Canada), using semisweet chocolate, and omitting the walnuts. This time my fudge turned out, and it was deliciously rich and sweet.

Skor Toffee Bits Cookies

My absolute favourite chocolate bar is Skor. The mix of crunchy toffee and chocolate is heavenly. I had a craving for Skor this weekend and decided to make Skor cookies with Hershey's chipits. The recipe can be found online here. The result was a delicious and chewy treat!

Banana, Chocolate Chip and Skor Muffins

One of my favourite dessert combinations would have to be banana and chocolate, which is interesting since I don't actually like bananas themselves. Something about the texture of bananas turns me off, but I love anything flavoured with banana. I decided to try a new recipe for banana chocolate chip muffins and settled on this one. I was short on chocolate chips so I substituted skor chipits for half of the required chocolate chips, and the muffins turned out to be delicious. Now I have a tasty snack for the rest of the week!

Apple Crisp with Toffee Sauce

My absolute favourite dessert is apple crisp. To me, it is the perfect treat to enjoy while sitting by the fireplace with a cup of hot chocolate on a cold fall or winter day. Fall has officially arrived here and I turned on the heat in my house for the first time yesterday. In honour of the declining temperature I decided it was time to whip up a batch of apple crisp. The recipe I used can be found here. This recipe also includes a delicious toffee sauce for the apple crisp, which I didn't make on this occasion because I felt I didn't need the extra calories after a weekend of unhealthy eating; but trust me, it is amazing with the crisp!

Pumpkin Slice

One of my favourite parts of fall is anything and everything pumpkin flavoured. I will never turn down a slice of pumpkin pie no matter how much turkey I've had and Starbucks' pumpkin spice latte is one of my guilty pleasures. My mom has a killer pumpkin slice recipe, and I couldn't resist making two trays of it this weekend while I was out visiting my family. Here is the recipe:

Pumpkin Slice

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 14 oz. can of pumpkin (or fresh pumpkin if you have it on hand)
• 1 cup flour
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. ginger
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt

Mix all ingredients. Pour into 9 x 13 inch pan and bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees. Cool.

Icing

• 4 oz. cream cheese
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2 cups icing sugar

Beat ingredients together then spread over cooled pumpkin slice.

Enjoy!

Super Easy Peanut Butter Cookies

For the entire week I had been craving a peanut butter dessert. I picked up a large jar of peanut butter at the store the other day and coincidentally there was a recipe for Super Easy Peanut Butter Cookies right on the jar. I whipped up a batch in no time at all because they really were super easy to make with only 3 ingredients! I now have some delicious melt-in-your-mouth cookies to satisfy my craving for the week.

Super Easy Peanut Butter Cookies

• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 egg

Mix well, roll into balls and place on ungreased baking sheet. Press down with a fork. Bake for 15 minutes or until light brown. Makes 24 cookies.

Butter Tart Bars

When I was younger, I had an aversion to butter tarts. I think I used to assume they were plain, boring, and reserved for my grandma at tea time. Or maybe I just didn't like raisins. But my tastes have evolved and butter tarts are now one of favourite treats. I came across this recipe that puts a spin on the classic Canadian butter tart. The bars tasted just as good as the traditional tarts that are baked in muffin tins but took me a fraction of the time to make!

Chocolate Coconut Melts

This week I had a craving for a coconut dessert so I went to my Company's Coming: 150 Delicious Squares cookbook in search of the perfect recipe to satisfy my craving. I settled upon Chocolate Coconut Melts, which were not only chewy and melt in your mouth delicious, they were also simple to make (5 ingredients) and required minimal mess and cleanup.

Chocolate Coconut Melts

Ingredients

• 11 oz. or 300mL sweetened condensed milk 11oz or 300mL
• 2x1 oz. unsweetened chocolate baking squares
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 2 2/3 cup flake coconut
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Method
Combine condensed milk, chocolate and salt in heavy pot or top of double boiler over hot water. Stir every once in awhile as the chocolate melts. Remove from heat when melted and thickened.

Add coconut and vanilla. Stir to blend. Scrape into greased 8x8 inch pan. Bake in 350 degree oven for 20 minutes until set. Cool. Cuts into 25 squares.