Category: Dessert

Posted on by Hailey Matesic Posted in Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert, Recipes
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Hot Chocolate Sweet Rolls with Marshmallow Frosting

If you follow on Instagram, you know that I have a ton of hot chocolate-related recipe ideas swirling through my head. But this one is the one I just couldn’t let go of – I knew I had to make these! I love cinnamon rolls for Christmas morning, but I wanted to try something new. So, here we are with these hot chocolate sweet rolls with marshmallow frosting!

You all know lately I’ve been into shortcuts and making things easier as we quickly approach baby #2. These are a most excellent short cut for sweet rolls! I used Pillsbury canned pizza crust and packets of hot chocolate. The most from-scratch part of this is the icing, which is only a few ingredients and a stand or hand mixer.

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Posted on by Hailey Matesic Posted in Dessert, Holiday, Quick Bites, Recipes
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DIY No-Bake Cookie Boxes

What better day to talk about cookie boxes than on National Cookie Day?! I had high hopes for my Christmas baking this year, but the reality of the third trimester and a now-ten-month-old (!!!!) is that I just can’t bring myself to bake several different types of cookies.

I grabbed most of everything for these cookie boxes from Trader Joe’s. It’s always my favorite place for charcuterie boards, and basically that’s what we’re making here!

I added some customization by melting my favorite Dolci Frutta and dipping two of the cookies in them and then topping them with crushed candy canes and sprinkles.

Here’s what’s in these cookie boxes:

  • Triple Ginger Cookies and Christmas Tree cookies (Trader Joe’s – left them naked and tied the trees with ribbon)
  • Nutella stuffed chocolate chip cookies, for which I used Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies (from the regular grocery store)
  • Chocolate Batons from Trader Joe’s
  • Hershey Kisses, Trader Joe’s Almond Butter Cups, Trader Joe’s Peppermint Covered Almonds
  • Peppermint Joe Joe’s dipped in chocolate and crushed candy canes
  • Trader Joe’s shortbread dipped in chocolate and sprinkles (sprinkles from Target!).

Love these boxes for an easy way to DIY something for the holiday but also maintain your sanity. God bless all of you who have the patience to DIY actual cookie boxes from scratch!

Posted on by Hailey Matesic Posted in Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert, Recipes
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Buttermilk Pumpkin Muffins with Pumpkin Spice Coffee Crumb Topping

Guys. This is the pumpkin muffin dreams are made of! I cannot tell you how good they are with coffee – you just need to try it for yourself!

The pumpkin spice is so warm and comforting, especially as the temps are getting cooler. The coffee crumb has the best crunch and reinforces that pumpkin spice in the base. And the base is moist and delicious and I’ve made them so many times in the past week – we can’t stop eating them!

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Posted on by Hailey Matesic Posted in Dessert, Holiday, Quick Bites, Recipes
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Pecan Pie Short Bread Bars with Drizzled Chocolate

Don’t you just love making a treat that is like, just a little less effort? Guys, I love a good pie (and I really love a great pecan pie). Forget “easy as pie” – this is “easier than pie!”

Especially at this point in my pregnancy (hey, 29 weeks!), I’m getting tired on my feet, and my belly is getting in the way. Like, to be honest, the idea of rolling out a pie crust right now is not my idea of fun!

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Posted on by Hailey Matesic Posted in Dessert, Holiday, Quick Bites, Recipes
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Pumpkin Spice Ice Cream with Candied Pecans Recipe

There are two things that are totally essential – and worth it – about this recipe: making the custard base and purchasing the KitchenAid ice cream maker attachment. Because if you like pumpkin spice, and you like ice cream, this recipe is a must. have.

So, I’m sure you’ve seen those no churn recipes that you don’t need an ice cream maker for – the ones that just use condensed milk and heavy cream. I’ve made them before, too, and they’re great. But this ice cream maker is a game changer. And my favorite thing? It has to store in the freezer, so it’s not even in the kitchen taking up space.

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Posted on by Hailey Matesic Posted in Dessert, Recipes, Snack
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Pumpkin Spice Chex Mix for a Halloween Treat

I have to say, I’ve never been much into Halloween. Fall – yes. But specifically the “holiday” of Halloween – no. But now that Harper is here, I’m a little more interested in it. Today, I made a batch of pumpkin spice chex mix (complete with candy corn) to drop off to a few of our friends.

There’s nothing much to this – a few kinds of chex, some pretzels, pepitas and pecans all combine with butter, brown sugar, vanilla, pumpkin spice and a dash of salt. Bake it up for about 28 minutes and let them cool – drop in some candy corn and you’re done!

A fun little treat for your neighbors or the kiddos friends! We’re going to drop these off to a few friends for a socially-distanced porch visits over the next few days. Something to look forward to!

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Posted on by Hailey Matesic Posted in Dessert, Recipes
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Gluten Free Mini Caramel Apple Pies with Cinnamon Streusel Topping

Apple pie is hands down my favorite fall dessert. It’s also one of those things I always make without a recipe and it’s always good. (Can’t tell you how hard it is to get something like that out of your head, on to paper, and get it to taste the same!).

This fall, I’ve been gravitating towards these mini apple pies. They come together so quickly, I can get them in the oven while we are having dinner and then have a warm apple pie to finish off a weeknight meal. I mean, that’s some quarantine weeknight perfection, no?

All of quarantine, I’ve been reaching for things that feel warm and homey, comforting. And I’ve definitely been trying to make weeknight meals more fun – I wouldn’t typically make a dessert if we weren’t having company but it’s been a nice way to make these groundhog days feel a little more special.

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Posted on by Hailey Matesic Posted in Cocktails, Dessert, Recipes
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How to Make Caramel Apple Cider

We made it to Friday! I’m ready to celebrate the end of a crazy week, and 100% ready to whip up a batch of these cozy caramel apple ciders and curl up next to the fire. It’s a gloomy day here today – gray skies, misty and foggy out, and the leaves in our backyard are bursting with fall colors. I’m loving it.

These caramel apple ciders were such a hit last weekend, and when hubby said they were amazing (after pouring a shot of bourbon into his), I knew I had to share.

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Posted on by Hailey Matesic Posted in Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert, Recipes, Snack
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Healthy(ish) Pumpkin Bread with Apple Cider Glaze

Remember that Healthy(ish) Banana Bread we did at the height of all of that quarantine banana bread baking? Well, let’s do it again, but this time make it pumpkin for fall!

This bread is SO easy and so much lighter than a traditional bread because – wait for it – we’re using pancake mix. So basically it’s like a pancake loaf? But it’s good, and satisfying, especially if you have to count calories, carbs, sugar, etc. I’m using the Birch Benders Keto pancake mix here, you could do their Paleo blend or even a protein blend.

Skip the icing if you want to really keep it in check, but it’s so hard to imagine skipping the icing! The warm pumpkin spice flavors are so nicely balanced with the maple apple cider glaze. It’s like legit all the flavors of fall I love so much in one recipe!

Healthy(ish) Pumpkin Bread with Maple Cider Glaze

A delicious combination of fall flavors, all in a lightened up, healthy(ish) twist on pumpkin bread.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 5 mins
Cook Time 40 mins
Course Breakfast, Dessert, Snack
Cuisine American
Servings 8 slices

Ingredients
  

Pumpkin Bread

  • 1 c pure pumpkin puree
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 1/4 c pancake mix
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp brown sugar or brown sugar substitute
  • 3/4 tsp pumpkin spice
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • pecans (or pepitas), for topping

Maple Cider Glaze

  • 1 c powdered sugar or powdered sugar substitute
  • 1 tbsp melted butter
  • 2 tbsp apple cider
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Instructions
 

Pumpkin Bread

  • Preheat oven to 350. Prepare loaf pan with cooking spray, set aside.
  • Combine all ingredients in a bowl, mix until batter comes together and is mostly smooth.
  • Pour into prepared loaf pan and top with a few pecans (or pepitas!). 
  • Bake for 40-45 minutes, until center is baked and a toothpick comes out clean. If the edges brown too quickly, top with a piece of foil.
  • Allow to cool until the pan can be touched with your bare hand before removing it from the pan. 

Apple Cider Glaze

  • To make optional icing, combine all the ingredients until a thick but drizzly icing forms. 
  • Once the banana bread is cooled, drizzle the icing over the top and enjoy!
  • Skip the icing to keep it healthier!
Keyword healthy, pumpkin bread
Posted on by Hailey Matesic Posted in Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert, Recipes
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Canned Sticky Pecan Cinnamon Rolls

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Okay. This is probably going to be one of those recipes that you make and then you’re like, crap I better give half of these to the neighbors. When I made these, we had one bite, and I texted a pic to our neighbors across the street and asked them if they wanted some. I brought them across (mask on, yes), and thank god. We would have eaten all of these and god help us, we are really trying to avoid the quarantine 15!

These sticky pecan cinnamon rolls are so easy. There ain’t nothin’ wrong with canned cinnamon rolls, especially when it’s so hard to find yeast. And, let’s be real – we’re all cooking and baking a lot more than usual. It’s nice to have a shortcut for something out of this world delicious in your back pocket.

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