Fourth of July Piñata Cake Recipe
Fun and festive red (and blue) velvet layers of cake complete with cream cheese frosting and a fun surprise candy filling! I am so…
A Better No Churn Ice Cream (and Frozen Yogurt) Recipe
This is THE PERFECT no churn ice cream recipe thanks to a secret ingredient. It’s just two ingredients (like the other famous no churn recipe), but this one has a way better texture, and it’s not overly sweet! It seriously tastes and feels JUST LIKE real ice cream.
YOU GUYS!!
I am so so so so sososososoooooooooooooooooo crazy excited to share this recipe with you today.
Did I mention I’m pretty pumped?? I’m SO pumped.
Why? Because I FINALLY have a two-ingredient, no-churn (read no machine required!) homemade ice cream that really, truly, 1000% tastes like ice cream. Really!
Have you ever made 2-ingredient, no churn ice cream like this? It’s fine. I mean, I liked it well enough when I thought that was all there was. That you couldn’t make anything better with just two ingredients and no ice cream machine. Back when I thought you had to settle for an overly-sweet-sort-of-weird-texture kind of ice cream. Back when that was all there was, it was good enough. It was maybe even kind of great.
But ohhhhhhhhhh, how wrong I was, my friends.
It turns out there is so much more to no-churn ice cream life than we thought there was!!
Okay, so what were the problems with the old recipe? Primarily two things: 1) it was WAY too sweet. Especially if you used the Cool Whip shortcut (guilty). And 2) it had sort of a weird texture as it melted. Because it never really melted down to a liquid… it was more of a semi-solid. Which was weird.
How do we fix that?
Well, for starters, we need an ingredient that balances out the sweet from the sweetened condensed milk. And secondly, we probably don’t need to add another thick ingredient like whipped cream!
Enter the magical secret ingredient: SOUR CREAM.
The answer was there the whole time! So unassuming and subtle, just sitting there in the refrigerator waiting for us to notice. Waiting for us to realize that when sour cream mixes with sweetened condense milk and freezes…. BAM. Ice cream! And not just any ice cream– good ice cream.
Way good ice cream, you guys.
Want to know what else is cool about this recipe?? You can actually substitute nonfat Greek yogurt in place of the sour cream. YES!!!! Isn’t that amazing?
Be forewarned, it does get ever-so-slightly (and I do mean only slightly) icier than the version with sour cream. But still– I think that’s totally worth it for an easy homemade frozen yogurt that does actually have some nutritionally redeeming qualities, amiright?!
So, what do you think? Is anyone else as excited about this revolutionary recipe as I am?? Because I’m literally still flipping out over this. I want to go make eleventy bajillion flavors of no churn right now. Imagine the possibilities now that easy homemade ice cream doesn’t suck! WOOT!
Strawberry Jell-O Poke Cake Recipe
This is the ultimate summer cake! White sheet cake soaked through with strawberry Jell-O, and smothered in Cool Whip. No bake perfection 🙂 **Originally…
Red, White, and Blue Poke Cake Recipe
Cool and creamy and SUPER EASY Red, White, and Blue Poke Cake is perfect for your 4th of July dessert! It’s been way too…
Salted Caramel Apple Pie Bars Recipe
All the goodness of Salted Caramel Apple Pie in much easier bar form! My two favorite holidays of the year are Thanksgiving and the…
Easy Ice Cream Cookie Cake Recipe
Here’s how to make a super simple and delicious cookie dough ice cream birthday 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.
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!
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.
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!
4th of July Berry Pie Recipe
Super simple filling bursting with juicy berries, buttery pie crust, and the 4th of July. What else could you possibly need? I am actually not much of…
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.
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.
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!
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!
Grain Free (Whole 30) “Oatmeal” Recipe
Seriously delicious grain free (Whole 30) “oatmeal.” You’ll want to try this healthy bowl whether you’re avoiding grains or not! **Originally posted in December…
S’mores Cookie Bars Recipe
Soft, chewy, and slightly crunchy graham cracker cookie bars with a marshmallow swirl and semi-sweet chocolate chips. If I could only eat one dessert…
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
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.
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.
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!
Red Velvet, White, and Blueberry Cheesecake Trifle Recipe
Layers of sweet red velvet cake, cheesecake filling, and juicy blueberries make an easy and patriotic summertime trifle. I made this Red, White, and…
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
100 Birthday Cake Recipes
100 Birthday Cake Recipes 100 Birthday Cake Recipes and tutorials that will truly amaze you including: Chocolate Crepe Cake, Puppy Chow Cake, and a…
Fruit Pizza for the 4th of July Recipe
A patriotic fruit pizza on a soft sugar cookie crust topped with a sweet cream cheese whipped topping. One of the (many) things I…
Ina’s Lemon Cake Recipe
Rich lemon cake that tastes incredible with my favorite cream cheese frosting and raspberries! – Ashton It’s that time of year! And no. I’m…
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.
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!
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!
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.
What are you waiting for?! It’s practically the weekend– dig in!
Peanut Butter and Chocolate Pretzel Bites Recipe
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.
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!
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!
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.
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 ????????.
Enjoy!
Whole Wheat Crepes Recipe
You may not be able to tell from these pictures, but this recipe really is part of my attempt to eat a little cleaner…
45+ Jams and Jellies
More than 45 recipes for jam and jelly, including my mom’s famous strawberry peach jam! An InLinkz Link-up
Super Skinny Peanut Butter Cup Smoothie Recipe
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.
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.
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!
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!
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!
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.
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.
Enjoy! And don’t forget to enter to win my KitchenAid giveaway!!