Happy Monday!! Why am I so excited about a Monday you may ask? Well, that’s because today is one of the best days of the year! It’s the Virtual Pumpkin Party! An annual event where almost 100 bloggers post everything PUMPKIN all day long. Even …
It’s once again time for the #VirtualPumpkinParty put on by Sara at Cake Over Steak and Aimee from Twigg Studio. If you remember from last year, a huge group of bloggers all posted pumpkin recipes on the same day and we had so much fun, …
Sure, fall means pumpkin spice everything, but fall also means FOOTBALL!
We’re pretty big football fans here at LDB. Kelly is a USC alum (fight on!) and Steph went to Boise State (go broncos!) so football games are a fall tradition for us. The tailgating and viewing parties may be more fun than the actual games though! And you definitely can’t show up to those empty-handed.
While these are a little more time-consuming than a regular peanut butter cookie, they are totally worth it. Not only because they’re adorable, but because of the addition of chocolate! Chocolate and peanut butter go together like USC and Song Girls, or Boise State and the blue field. They just fit.
It’s been a long time since I’ve made peanut butter cookies and I kind of forgot how good they are. The centers are chewy with just a slight crunch of the edges, and the chocolate makes them even softer. They’re rich though! You’ll definitely need a glass of milk.
Or a cold beer. This is tailgating season after all, we won’t judge.
~Stephanie
Peanut Butter Chocolate Football Cookies (adapted from Crazy for Crust)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup peanut butter
1/2 butter, softened
1 egg
1 tbsp vanilla
1 1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup chocolate chips + 1 tbsp vegetable oil
1/4 cup white chocolate chips + 1 tsp vegetable oil
Cream together both sugars, peanut butter and butter for 2 minutes.
Add in egg and vanilla, mixing until combined.
In separate bowl, mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
Pour dry ingredients into peanut butter mixture and stir until incorporated.
Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour.
Roll tablespoon size balls of dough between hands, then flatten to 1/2″. Pinch ends into a point to form a football shape.
Bake for 8-10 minutes at 350 degrees, until edges turn golden brown.
Let cool completely before frosting.
For Chocolate Glaze: melt the chocolate chips and oil together. Frost or pipe an oval football shape over cookies. Let dry completely before adding laces
For White Chocolate Laces: melt the white chocolate chips and oil together. Pour into piping bag (or ziplock bag with corner tip cut off) and pipe on laces.
This is probably the happiest graveyard ever. I hate when the gaslight comes on. This chart tells you how far you really have to go. While we’re obsessing over fall, we realize not everyone is ready to let go of summer. Here are 8 easy …
I consider it a win that I did not eat Halloween candy for breakfast today. Unfortunately, I’m sure my continual snacking on it throughout the day is just as worse. Those mini kit-kats are just so addicting!! Tomorrow I will try to be better… You see, …
A couple of years ago for Christmas I received an adorable Cupcake Calendar. It was one of those daily desk calendars, and each day had a new cupcake recipe. The whole year I saved each recipe that caught my interest, with every intention of making them throughout the year. As you can probably guess, I now have an envelope full of recipes that have never been made. I decided it was time to change that.
Now, we’re all about pumpkin over here, but let’s not forget about the other big fall flavor: apple! Apple picking and making fresh pressed cider is one of my favorite fall traditions and I was so sad to have missed it this year. Luckily there’s been a pretty good selection of apples in the grocery store lately and I had to get my apple fix that way.
These were originally called cupcakes, but to me cupcakes require frosting. And since I was devouring these daily for breakfast, I’m renaming them muffins. They’re made with applesauce (which eliminates the need for oil), have diced apples within, and are topped with more apple slices. See…totally healthy! Add in the cinnamon, nutmeg and pecans and you’ve got a perfect fall muffin that will make you say “pumpkin spice what??”.
Jk. I’ll never get over my PSL addiction. But lucky for you, you don’t have to choose between just one favorite fall flavor! If you’re like me and can’t (or shouldn’t…) eat an entire dozen muffins quickly, these also freeze great. Because sooner than we know it, fall will be over and the dark days of winter will be here. I can tell you right now, these apple cinnamon muffins will transport you back to those perfect fall days of crunchy leaves and crisp mornings every time you take a bite of one.
~Stephanie
Cinnamon Applesauce Muffins (adapted from 500 Cupcakes)
1 c flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 c butter, softened
1/2 c sugar
2 eggs
3/4 c unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 c chopped pecans
2 small sweet apples, peeled, one diced and one thinly sliced
coarse sugar (optional)
In small mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Set aside.
Cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Add in eggs, applesauce and vanilla. Beat another minute.
Slowly add dry ingredients into wet, stirring until combined.
By hand, mix in pecans and diced apples.
Spoon batter into a lined muffin pan. Lay apple slices over the top of each muffin. Sprinkle lightly with more cinnamon and coarse sugar (optional).
Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.
Let cool completely before eating. Store in an airtight container.
Can be frozen in airtight container or bag up to 3 months.
Happy Halloween! For as much as I love fall, I never seem to get that into Halloween. I’m such a baby when it comes to scary things…it’s just not a day meant for me! On the other hand, it is the one time of year …
I hope you’re ready for pumpkin overload, because today is the Virtual Pumpkin Party! Us and a bunch of other bloggers are all posting pumpkin recipes today, just in time for your Halloween and fall festivities. A new Dairy Queen just opened near us, which is …
How is October halfway over?! I know technically pumpkin is still in season until the holidays are over, but to me…October is the month of pumpkin.
Not only am I obsessed with pumpkin flavored everything, each year I have to go to a pumpkin patch and get pumpkins. It’s non negotiable. I don’t care if I’m the only one over the age of 7. I need my pumpkins!
Those who have been following me on instagram for a while know my love/hate relationship with squirrels. The squirrels looovee my pumpkins, and I hate the squirrels. See proof here. So far so good here in Louisiana though, so fingers crossed my precious pumpkins will be safe this year!
Even if the evil squirrels eat my precious pumpkins, they will not get these pumpkin cream cheese muffins! Full of pumpkin flavor and fall spices, this is one of my favorite treats this time of year. Starbucks sells a version of them, but I personally think these homemade ones are even better!
Cream cheese is always a good addition to anything in my book. In order to keep the cream cheese in its proper place, make sure it is sitting right in the middle of the cup. That way the muffin will rise up around it, giving you a delicious cream cheesy pillow of goodness on top.
If you’re not in the fall mood yet, you will be after these muffins!
Thanksgiving is in 2 weeks! That means 2 weeks of healthy, good eating so you can enjoy all the yumminess of Thanksgiving, especially these Mini Apple Crisps! Last week we posted a vanilla ice cream recipe, especially for this apple crisp because nothing goes with …