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Easy Ice Cream Cookie Cake Recipe

Here’s how to make a super simple and delicious cookie dough ice cream birthday cake!

Here's how to make a super simple and delicious cookie dough ice cream cake!

Summer is in full force around here! Swim lessons, air conditioning, hot leather seats sticking to your legs in the van, and daily ice cream runs.

Plus, in our house, summer = all.the.birthdays!!!

So I figure this easy ice cream cake is super appropriate.

Here's how to make a super simple and delicious cookie dough ice cream cake!

Let me break down these layers for you:

????Sara Lee pound cake (it’s in the frozen section)

???? Vanilla ice cream

????Homemade eggless cookie dough recipe for one 🙂

???? Rainbow Chips (Wilton)

???? Hot fudge or chocolate syrup or chocolate ganache or whatever else you want on top!

That’s it!! How easy is that??

And really, you could use any flavor of ice cream you wanted to. I’m a vanilla girl, but I can think of plenty of other flavors that would be delicious in this cake. Cookies & Cream, chocolate peanut butter, or chocolate chip just to name a few!

Here's how to make a super simple and delicious cookie dough ice cream cake!

Can you see those huge chunks of cookie dough in the ice cream? That’s my favorite part. I’m such a cookie dough snob when it comes to ice cream. I like knowing that I made the cookie dough in this dessert. And I like that I can make the dough a little softer if I want (I don’t like really hard chunks of dough in my ice cream) by simply adding a little more milk to the recipe.

Here's how to make a super simple and delicious cookie dough ice cream cake!

This cake is so easy and SO good. I love that it doesn’t take a ton of effort. Outside of making the cookie dough (which is easily done with just a small bowl and a fork– no mixer required!), there’s hardly any hands on effort required here.

So what are you waiting for? You’re just a few minutes away from the yummiest ice cream cake you’ve ever made! Happy Summer!

Strawberry Shortcake Donuts | www.somethingswanky.com @driscollsstrawberries #strawshortcake

Strawberry Shortcake Donuts Recipe

 Dricoll’s has been the strawberry in everyone’s shortcake for more than 100 years, which makes them the perfect inspiration for this recipe! I worked in collaboration with Driscoll’s Strawberries to develop a unique strawberry shortcake recipe and have received compensation accordingly. Opinions expressed are always my own.

Strawberry Shortcake Donuts | somethingswanky.com @driscollsstrawberries #strawshortcake

Summertime is practically here! Can’t you just feel it?? This time of year is just so intoxicating, so full of sunlight and flower buds. It’s like walking into a big hug after a long and dreary winter, followed by a very wet spring.

In between packing what must be thousands of boxes (okay… it’s closer to, like, 12) and move prep, we’ve been trying to soak up every moment of this new found sunshine! We’re taking nature walks, catching butterflies, running in the sprinklers, and eating lots and lots of strawberries.

Like…. gazillions of strawberries.

Strawberry Shortcake Donuts | somethingswanky.com @driscollsstrawberries #strawshortcake

I think strawberries may be the real reason I fight to get through the winter at all. And when strawberry season comes, I’m eating them with every meal and every snack in between.

Like every other strawberry lover on the planet, I’m pretty crazy about strawberry shortcake. Besides being utterly delicious and a versatile flavor combo, strawberry shortcake is also classic and timeless. It’s an iconic American dessert, and I find the sheer patriotism of it as appealing as anything else. Did you know that Americans have been feverishly eating strawberry shortcake for over 100 years? And Driscoll’s has been growing beautifully plump, ruby red strawberries for just as long!

Strawberry shortcake has taken on many forms throughout the decades. Sometimes the variations are as simple as switching up the cake part and using a spongecake (like the ones you see in the grocery stores by the strawberries) or pound cake instead of a traditional sweet biscuit. Others are more creative and incorporate the flavors into desserts like ice cream or crepes!

Strawberry Shortcake Donuts | somethingswanky.com @driscollsstrawberries #strawshortcake

I wanted to get a little creative with this recipe but also incorporate some tradition at the same time. Classic, old-school, southern-style strawberry shortcake is made with a biscuit (sort of like this blueberry shortcake I posted). Using biscuits happen to be my favorite way to eat this dessert, so I knew I didn’t want to deviate from that route.

As I started thinking about the different ways you can use biscuits in dessert-making, strawberry shortcake donuts became this blaring, neon sign in my mind as the perfect way to combine both tradition and creativity! By simply frying the biscuit dough, instead of baking, a classic strawberry shortcake goes rogue and becomes a donut. You can fry made-from-scratch biscuit dough or use refrigerated biscuit dough like I did for a delicious shortcut!

One more thing before you head to the kitchen… it’s a little obvious, but it’s worth saying anyway: be sure to buy the very best strawberries for the very best tasting donuts. Driscoll’s has been the strawberry in everyone’s shortcake for over 100 years, and there’s a reason– they’re the best!

Baskin Robbins Mint Chocolate Chip Copycat Recipe | www.somethingswanky.com

Baskin Robbins Mint Chocolate Chip Copycat Recipe

It’s Ice Cream Week on Something Swanky and Crazy for Crust!*

Click the links above to see all of our fun ice cream recipes from this week.

***Originally posted in July 2014

 

Baskin Robbins Mint Chocolate Chip Copycat Recipe | somethingswanky.com

I’ve mentioned before that my husband isn’t a big fan of mix-in type ice cream places (like Coldstone). He’ll eat there if I make him go (I mean, it is ice cream, after all). But then, as we’re driving past the Baskin Robbins on our way home, he’ll heave a not-so-subtle sigh and gaze longingly at the rear-view mirror.

I determined that our difference in opinion over ice cream shops is really the difference between liking hard or soft ice cream. He prefers hard scooped, I’d rather have something more along the lines of ice cream soup. I dunno… he’s probably in the majority there. But I can’t help it– I love soft, mushy ice cream full of big candy chunks and hot fudge.

Baskin Robbins Mint Chocolate Chip Copycat Recipe | somethingswanky.com

However, he has totally turned me on to Baskin Robbins’ Chocolate Chip and Mint Chocolate Chip ice creams.

Because….. ohemgee.

I am so in love with the way their “chocolate chips” aren’t really chocolate chips at all. Instead, it’s full of a thin pieces of brittle chocolate that ribbon throughout the ice cream. And it takes chocolate chip ice cream to an amazing new level.

Just like the Stracciatella I mentioned last week, Baskin Robbins-style chocolate chip ice cream is achieved in the same way– by pouring chocolate (or in this case, Homemade Magic Shell) into the ice cream during the last 5 minutes of churning.

Baskin Robbins Mint Chocolate Chip Copycat Recipe | somethingswanky.com

This Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream is SO easy and so yummy. Mint is one of my husband’s favorite ice cream flavors, but you could easily make this regular old chocolate chip ice cream by simply omitting the peppermint extract!

I use this Cuisinart ICE-21 Ice Cream Maker to make churned ice cream, and far I’ve loved it. It’s pretty inexpensive (only $49!), easy to use, and makes delicious ice cream in about 20-30 minutes. I would highly recommend it if you’re looking for a simple, day-to-day use ice cream machine.

Enjoy!

Horchata is THE drink to make this summer! It combines rice, almonds, cinnamon, and a little natural stevia for a refreshing, family-friendly summer drink.

Horchata Recipe

Horchata is THE drink to make this summer! It combines rice, almonds, cinnamon, and a little natural stevia for a refreshing, family-friendly summer drink.

This post is brought to you by Wholesome Organic® Stevia.

Horchata is THE drink to make this summer! It combines rice, almonds, cinnamon, and a little natural stevia for a refreshing, family-friendly summer drink.

Hands up if you’re ready for summer vacation?! We SO are.

More than anything, I can’t wait for lazy summer afternoons that don’t involve waking up my napping toddler to rush out the door and drive 25 minutes to get to carpool. It may not sound very glamorous, but it’s what I’m looking forward to the most. Hands down.

Horchata is THE drink to make this summer! It combines rice, almonds, cinnamon, and a little natural stevia for a refreshing, family-friendly summer drink.

Speaking of lazy summer afternoons.. I can’t think of a better way to spend one than poolside with an ice cold glass of homemade horchata in hand.

And by poolside, I obviously mean the little round, plastic, blue monstrosity in my backyard that currently holds as many popsicle wrappers and dirt piles as it does actual “pool water.” But whatever.

Horchata is THE drink to make this summer! It combines rice, almonds, cinnamon, and a little natural stevia for a refreshing, family-friendly summer drink.

Back to ice cold homemade horchata.

Have you ever had horchata? And have you ever made horchata? I was shocked at how easy the entire process is. Really, the most important part is just remembering that you’ll need to start about 12 hours ahead of when you actually want to serve it.

Which isn’t as crazy as it sounds. Just start soaking the rice and almonds before you go to bed. By the time you wake up, here’s what you’ll have left to do:

Blend everything up.

And strain out the pulp. All you really need is a sieve and a cheesecloth. I actually didn’t even use a cheesecloth– I used a flour sack towel that I always have on hand. It does the job just as well.

This is what my setup looked like:

As you can see, I simply placed the cloth over the my pitcher and placed the sieve over it.

As I went through the straining process, things moved around a little bit, but nothing major changed. I eventually liked holding the sieve in my hand better than fitting into the top of the pitcher. And I actually switched to a slightly bigger sieve as well.

Overall, it was SUPER easy. Much more doable than I ever knew horchata could be!

One of the best things about making your own horchata is that you can control the sweetener. Instead of using regular sugar (you’d need about 1/2 a cup in this recipe!), I used 3/4 tsp of Wholesome Organic® Stevia.

Stevia has always been kind of a hit or miss thing for me. I really can’t tolerate most brands, quite honestly. But Wholesome Organic® Stevia doesn’t have that bitter aftertaste that a lot of other stevia sweeteners do. It has no calories and no glycemic impact, which makes it great for people who are watching their calorie intake or controlling blood sugars.

Horchata is THE drink to make this summer! It combines rice, almonds, cinnamon, and a little natural stevia for a refreshing, family-friendly summer drink.

It’s important to remember that stevia does not equal sugar cup for cup. You can use a LOT less stevia when subbing for sugar. I like about a teaspoon of Wholesome Organic® Stevia for every half cup of sugar. I think you have to play around with it a little, just to find out what YOU like best.

Enjoy this recipe (be poolside or otherwise ;)!

And be sure to visit Wholesome Organic® Stevia to say hi and grab a coupon.

Fudgy chocolate cake layered with rich peanut butter frosting and peanut butter cups make this an excellent cake to share with a crowd.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cake Recipe

Fudgy chocolate cake layered with rich peanut butter frosting, peanut butter cups, and a rich peanut butter chocolate ganache make this an excellent cake to share with a crowd.

Fudgy chocolate cake layered with rich peanut butter frosting and peanut butter cups make this an excellent cake to share with a crowd.

Happy Thursday!

I’ve been saving a good one for my peanut butter and chocolate trifecta finale. Things may have started out a little more conservatively with this Super Skinny Peanut Butter Cup Smoothie, but we are definitely finishing on a wild note! Because there is nothing mild or tame about this two-layer chocolate fudge peanut butter cup beauty!

Fudgy chocolate cake layered with rich peanut butter frosting and peanut butter cups make this an excellent cake to share with a crowd.

This may look like a simple 2-layer cake at first glance. But what you’re really seeing here are actually nine layers of peanut butter chocolate-y goodness. Count them with me:

???????? my all-time favorite chocolate cake.

???????? homemade peanut butter frosting.

???????? Reese’s peanut butter cups.

???????? more chocolate cake.

???????? more peanut butter frosting.

???????? peanut butter chocolate ganache.

???????? more peanut butter frosting.

???????? more peanut butter chocolate ganache.

???????? MORE Reese’s cups!

Fudgy chocolate cake layered with rich peanut butter frosting and peanut butter cups make this an excellent cake to share with a crowd.

See those Reese’s cups in the middle?

That’s my favorite part. You know I’m all about the texture, and those little bits of Reese’s give the middle of this cake a perfect little something extra to bite into.

Fudgy chocolate cake layered with rich peanut butter frosting and peanut butter cups make this an excellent cake to share with a crowd.

Fudgy chocolate cake layered with rich peanut butter frosting and peanut butter cups make this an excellent cake to share with a crowd.

What are you waiting for?! It’s practically the weekend– dig in!

Easy no-bake chocolate peanut butter pretzel bars made with only 5 simple ingredients!

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Pretzel Bites Recipe

Easy no-bake chocolate peanut butter pretzel bars made with only 5 simple ingredients!

Easy no-bake chocolate peanut butter pretzel bars made with only 5 simple ingredients!

I’ve been on a real chocolate and peanut butter kick lately, with three back-to-back Chocolate PB recipes coming your way! Be excited ????.

I like chocolate and peanut butter in all sorts of ways. From the super indulgent recipes like Tagalong Pound Cake, No Bake Peanut Butter Cup Bars, and Peanut Butter Brownie Trifles to healthier recipes like this Super Skinny PB Cup Smoothie or my favorite Peanut Butter Granola.

My favorite way to eat PB will always be in the form of a cookie. Preferably my  Grandma’s Monster Cookies or my mom’s Chocolate Dipped Peanut Butter Cookies!

Or in any of these 75+ Ways to Eat a Reese’s. Obviously.

Easy no-bake chocolate peanut butter pretzel bars made with only 5 simple ingredients!

Today’s recipe combines three of my great loves: PB + chocolate, pretzels, and no bake.

Side note: the way to my heart is to make something EASY. And these no-bake bars have do that in spades! 

Easy no-bake chocolate peanut butter pretzel bars made with only 5 simple ingredients!

We’re basically mashing these Peanut Butter Cup No Bake Bars (have you made them yet??) with two cups of pretzel crumbs.

Speaking of mashing…

You could put your pretzels in a food processor for a rough chop if you want when you’re making this recipe. But I just dumped mine in a gallon-sized zipper bag and beat them with a rolling pin. It worked out just fine (and one less thing I have to clean).

You can see in the photo above that you don’t need to aim for super fine crumbs. The PB mixture will hold the pretzels together perfectly even if there are some bigger chunks. In fact, you may find that you like having big chunks of pretzel bites in there!

Easy no-bake chocolate peanut butter pretzel bars made with only 5 simple ingredients!

You only need 5 simple ingredients for this recipe, and you probably have them all on hand already!

  • creamy peanut butter
  • pretzels (2 cups of CRUSHED pretzels)
  • chocolate chips
  • powdered sugar
  • butter

See? Easy peasy.

Easy no-bake chocolate peanut butter pretzel bars made with only 5 simple ingredients!

I added some honey roasted peanuts to the top of mine for some additional crunch (and I like the look of it), but that’s totally up to you.

I also think M&MS would be pretty on point if you’re considering additional toppings ????????.

Easy no-bake chocolate peanut butter pretzel bars made with only 5 simple ingredients!

Easy no-bake chocolate peanut butter pretzel bars made with only 5 simple ingredients!

Easy no-bake chocolate peanut butter pretzel bars made with only 5 simple ingredients!

Enjoy!

35 whopping grams of protein in this smoothie (with no powders), and it tastes like a milkshake!

Super Skinny Peanut Butter Cup Smoothie Recipe

35 whopping grams of protein in this smoothie (with no powders), and it tastes like a milkshake!

35 whopping grams of protein in this smoothie (with no powders), and it tastes like a milkshake!

I’m going to be really honest with you… the weight loss thing isn’t really my strong suit in life. I haven’t quite cracked the code on that one.

Do I love Weight Watchers? You betcha.

I love to exercise too, believe it or not.

And I can whip up healthier versions of dessert recipes all day long (like Skinny Chocolate Donuts, Skinny Brownie Batter Dip, and Banana Pancakes).

But when it comes to actually dropping the pounds… not so much.

35 whopping grams of protein in this smoothie (with no powders), and it tastes like a milkshake!

However, I fully anticipate that I will one day eat my way through enough Halo Top Ice Cream to discover that it’s finally made me skinny.

At least that’s what I tell my husband every time I spend 5.99 on a pint ????.

Good man that he is, I never actually see him roll his eyes.

35 whopping grams of protein in this smoothie (with no powders), and it tastes like a milkshake!

Anyway. The point that I’m trying to make here is… I may not be very good at the actual losing of the weight. But I’m very, very good at breakfast on day one of a new diet. Ahem, er, “lifestyle change.” ????

Side note: how irritating is it that no one is allowed to “diet” anymore. The PC way to say diet these days is, “lifestyle change.” But… what if I just want to lose 30 pounds? Do I really have to change my mindset and my pantry for the rest of forever. Is that really totally necessary?? Is it???? *hysterics*

But back to breakfast on day one…

How about a ridiculously decadent smoothie WITH 35 FREAKING GRAMS OF PROTEIN that tastes like peanut butter cups? Works for me.

Enjoy!

Classic, creamy, EASY Cream Cheese Frosting recipe

Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

Classic, creamy, EASY Cream Cheese Frosting recipe. This frosting is SO good on banana bread, pumpkin cupcakes, red velvet cake, and so much more!

Classic, creamy, EASY Cream Cheese Frosting recipe

Before we get to today’s recipe, I have some exciting news…. I’m giving away a KITCHENAID!! A gorgeous, gorgeous KitchenAid. I’m going to be so jealous of the winner, seriously.

I haven’t done a giveaway in so long, and I’m really excited to be getting back together with some of my favorite bloggers to bring you something so cool to win!

Pin it to Win it! We're giving away this gorgeous KitchenAid and showing off some of our favorite bloggers!

 

Have you ever entered a Pin it to Win it giveaway? It really is so easy. Just click on the links in the box below and follow the prompts. Some of them will have you re-pinning our favorite pins from our sites. Some of them will have you follow our social media accounts.

All easy stuff to do and all great ways to meet and follow some of my favorite bloggers! And best of all–  you get an entry into this fabulous giveaway for each and every link you follow! So get to clickin’ and then come back and check out today’s recipe.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
 

My favorite topping on just about anything is cream cheese frosting. I use it on banana bread, cinnamon rolls, cookie bars, and cupcakes just to name a few things.

This particular recipe is my very favorite, and with only 4 simple ingredients!! Fewer ingredients = always better in my book.

But don’t be fooled into thinking that such a simple recipe produces a subpar frosting. This is pure cream cheese deliciousness. It’s smooth and creamy, sweet and tart, everything that you ever want your cream cheese frosting to be.

Classic, creamy, EASY Cream Cheese Frosting recipe

Enjoy! And don’t forget to enter to win my KitchenAid giveaway!!

Soft French bread stuffed with a cinnamon roll filling, baked to perfection, and topped with cinnamon roll icing. Make ahead so all you have to do in the morning is pop it in the oven!

Cinnamon Roll Stuffed Baked French Toast Recipe

Soft French bread stuffed with a cinnamon roll filling, baked to perfection, and topped with cinnamon roll icing. Make ahead so all you have to do in the morning is pop it in the oven!

Soft French bread stuffed with a cinnamon roll filling, baked to perfection, and topped with cinnamon roll icing. Make ahead so all you have to do in the morning is pop it in the oven!

This recipe combines two of my favorite breakfasts: french toast and cinnamon rolls!

I’ve literally stuffed the inside of french bread with cinnamon roll filling, soaked it in an eggy custard overnight, baked it to golden perfection, and smothered it with cinnamon roll icing.

Comfort food at it’s finest ????.

Soft French bread stuffed with a cinnamon roll filling, baked to perfection, and topped with cinnamon roll icing. Make ahead so all you have to do in the morning is pop it in the oven!

I used about half of a french bread loaf in a 9×9 baking dish. But you could use the entire loaf and fit it into a 9×13 baking dish just fine. Just be sure to double the milk and egg portion of the recipe as well.

The best way to make stuffed french toast is to simply cut a large slit in a thick piece of the bread– not cut it all the way through. This way you can literally stuff the inside of the piece of bread instead of sandwiching it together. It’s a lot easier to prep, cook, and serve if you do it like this. That way you don’t have the filling falling out all over the place!

Speaking of filling…

This filling is pretty simple, but extremely delicious. Brown sugar, cinnamon, and butter– the makings of a perfect cinnamon roll filling. I also added pecans, because I love pecans in my cinnamon rolls. But that’s totally up to you.

As it bakes and the butter melts into the sugar, it becomes ooey and gooey and perfect.

Soft French bread stuffed with a cinnamon roll filling, baked to perfection, and topped with cinnamon roll icing. Make ahead so all you have to do in the morning is pop it in the oven!

Soft French bread stuffed with a cinnamon roll filling, baked to perfection, and topped with cinnamon roll icing. Make ahead so all you have to do in the morning is pop it in the oven!

Drizzle my favorite cinnamon roll icing over top, and you are in for a real treat! You could also totally add maple syrup to this… I wouldn’t judge.

If  you’re looking for the perfect Mother’s Day breakfast… this is it. I promise.

Soft French bread stuffed with a cinnamon roll filling, baked to perfection, and topped with cinnamon roll icing. Make ahead so all you have to do in the morning is pop it in the oven!

How to make old fashioned buttermilk donuts at home!

Old Fashioned Buttermilk Donuts Recipe

How to make old fashioned buttermilk donuts at home!

How to make old fashioned buttermilk donuts at home!

Donuts are my eternal weakness. There is absolutely nothing in this world that I love better than a donut. No, not even my beloved chocolate chip cookies. Donuts always win with me.

My family and I make this recipe for old fashioned pioneer donuts twice a year on General Conference weekend, and it’s a tradition we all look forward to. They are super soft and fluffy on the inside, golden crisp on the outside (we’re frying today, people!), and coated in sugar. Sometimes with cinnamon, sometimes without.

 

Just like biscuit-making, the key to making these donuts is NOT OVERMIXING! See how lumpy and clumpy that is? It’s exactly how you want your dough to look. Don’t aim for smooth, elastic, yeast-y perfection here. This dough doesn’t work that way. And if you try to knead it into submission, you’ll end up with donuts that work better as hockey pucks than as actual food.

But there’s no need to stress! These are EASY, I promise. Lumpy dough = less work for you.

https://staging.somethingswanky.com/mile-high-perfect-biscuits/How to make old fashioned buttermilk donuts at home!

Same rules apply here. We don’t need to roll the dough out into a long, thin strip of dough. Since there’s no yeast in these donuts, it’s all about keeping the dough THICK even before they go into the frying oil. The best way to do this is to simply press out the dough to about 1/4-inch thick with your hands.

Again, easy. Simple. No problem!

How to make old fashioned buttermilk donuts at home!

I feel like there is always so much trepidation when it comes to frying food at home. It’s really no big deal! You don’t need a deep fryer or any other fancy equipment. And it doesn’t have to be messy. All you need are a few simple tools you probably already have on hand.

  • a deep soup pot (although I’ve even fried food in a small saucepan using just a cup of oil! It doesn’t have to be big, just work with what you’ve got)
  • tongs
  • a cooling rack
  • paper towels

The key to deep frying at home over the stove is to WATCH THE HEAT. You should never take the temp above medium. Let it heat up at medium, stay at medium, and never leave medium!!!

Got it? Good! You’ll be fine. Frying donuts is fun ????, I promise.

How to make old fashioned buttermilk donuts at home!

Once the donuts are fried and beautiful, dunk ’em in some sugar. Cinnamon sugar is really good too.

This is one of our favorite family recipes, and now I hope it will be one of yours too. Enjoy!!

Triple the peanut butter in this sweet banana bread with a decadent cookies & cream packed ganache on top!

Peanut Butter Oreo Banana Bread Recipe

Super moist banana bread with triple the peanut butter and an Oreo ganache on top.

Triple the peanut butter in this sweet banana bread with a decadent cookies & cream packed ganache on top!

I don’t really feel like I need to pitch you the merits of peanut butter, chocolate, and banana bread. Because if you’re not already a fanatical lover of all three… you’ve possibly lost your way and landed here on Something Swanky.

Triple the peanut butter in this sweet banana bread with a decadent cookies & cream packed ganache on top!

When I first made this recipe back in 2013, I wasn’t totally sure how to incorporate the Oreos. All I knew was that I wanted to make a peanut butter banana bread with lots and lots of Oreos. So I just tried cramming them all into the batter. And it was…. fine. A little chaotic, not quite perfect, but still pretty okay.

And then about a year later, I made this Scotcheroo Banana Bread with the dreamiest peanut butter-butterscotch ganache on top. And that’s when I realized exactly what I wanted to do with the Oreos in this banana bread recipe.

It’s taken me another 3 long years to finally get around to doing it, but here we are– making a deep, dark chocolate and peanut butter ganache packed to the brim with Oreo crumbles! ????

https://staging.somethingswanky.com/scotcheroo-banana-bread/

https://staging.somethingswanky.com/scotcheroo-banana-bread/

The ganache! People! The ganache was the answer all along. They were never quite right in the batter. Somehow they blended in. That signature cookies & cream taste was lost in the flavor of bananas and the texture was way too soft. You just could find the cookies in the bread!

Well, there’s no getting lost in here. We’re smothering those babies in chocolate and spreading them front, top, and center of this recipe. You can’t take a bite without getting a mouthful of cookies and cream!

Triple the peanut butter in this sweet banana bread with a decadent cookies & cream packed ganache on top!

Peanut butter was another flavor that surprisingly got a little lost in the old recipe. It didn’t really have a place to stand out and shine back then. But today’s version of banana bread puts peanut butter right back out in the spotlight. It’s in the bread batter, in the ganache, and drizzled right on top where you can’t possibly miss it.

Chocolate, peanut butter, Oreo, and banana lovers– this bread is for you!

Triple the peanut butter in this sweet banana bread with a decadent cookies & cream packed ganache on top!

Enjoy!

These waffles are so easy to make and absolutely melt-in-your-mouth incredible. My favorite Belgian Waffles dipped in butter and coated in cinnamon sugar.

Churro Waffles for Cinco de Mayo Recipe

These waffles are so easy to make and absolutely melt-in-your-mouth incredible. My favorite Belgian Waffles dipped in butter and coated in cinnamon sugar.

These waffles are so easy to make and absolutely melt-in-your-mouth incredible. My favorite Belgian Waffles dipped in butter and coated in cinnamon sugar.

I’m not a real Cinco de Mayo-y kind of person.

But I do like Mexican food. And I realllllllllly love churros. Like to the Nth degree. Because what’s not to love about a fried dough stick coated in cinnamon sugar dipped in caramel and chocolate?! I can find absolutely no fault there.

Today, we’re combining two of my favorite foods: waffles and churros.

These waffles are so easy to make and absolutely melt-in-your-mouth incredible. My favorite Belgian Waffles dipped in butter and coated in cinnamon sugar.

If you’ve never tried them before, I absolutely insist that you stop what you’re doing and make a big batch right away. I’m not trying to be bossy.

This is for your own good.

You can make any kind of waffle you’d like– heck, use a toaster waffle! That’s totally fine(ish ???? ). I prefer my favorite homemade Easy & Fluffy Belgian Waffles; but if you already have a recipe that you love, feel free to deviate from the recipe below and use your own.

These waffles are so easy to make and absolutely melt-in-your-mouth incredible. My favorite Belgian Waffles dipped in butter and coated in cinnamon sugar.

When it comes to toppings, you can never go wrong with a good, classic maple syrup. But may I suggest giving salted caramel sundae sauce a try? And maybe a little Nutella? You won’t regret it, I promise.

Does anyone ever regret Nutella??

Go ahead and start warming up your waffle iron– you’re less than 10 minutes away from the best waffle you’ve ever had.

Cococnut Cake | www.somethingswanky.com

Coconut Cake Recipe

My favorite doctored up cake mix combined with my favorite from-scratch coconut buttercream. I love that this cake is both beautiful and simple.

Cococnut Cake | somethingswanky.com

Originally posted in May 2014.

I thought it would be fun to celebrate this Mother’s day by spending this whole week posting the favorite dessert recipes of all of the mothers in my life! Starting with my Grandma.

I’ve posted some of her recipes on here before. Check out this Red Velvet Cake and these Monster Cookies. Those are hers and two of my very favorite recipes.

Cococnut Cake | somethingswanky.com

My Grandma is one of my heroes– both in the kitchen and out. She is genuine and kind and has always been such a great support to me. I am so thankful to have her in my life, and to really have her. She’s always taken a real interest in the things that are important to me and has been so encouraging of my pursuits.

She has been such an important and permanent influence in my life…. as have her baked goods. So many of my memories of time with my Grandma revolve around holiday baking. I loved (and I still do) sitting at her counter, watching her work, and just talking.

Whilst eating Monster Cookies of course 😉

Cococnut Cake | somethingswanky.com

Grandma says she likes coconut cake best, so here we are today with a super easy and yummy coconut cake. Perfect for summer! It’s simply my favorite doctored up cake mix (seriously, you can’t beat this recipe), and my favorite coconut buttercream. I love the layers on this cake too– just like the rest of it, they’re both beautiful and simple.

Plus, my grandma is the queen of layered cakes. If she were making this, it would have at least 6 layers. Maybe I’ll get there one day, but for now I’m settling for a measly four layers ;).