Vanilla Mug Cake

I just can't get enough of mug cakes. I love how I can easily make whatever cake I'm craving without turning the kitchen upside down and wasting my whole afternoon. I love this vanilla one because it is so versatile. You could easily add peanut butter, chocolate chips, sprinkles, or even Nutella. I just made the simple vanilla version, but there are certainly a ton of ways you could spice this up.

I got this recipe from a blog called Table for Two:

http://www.tablefortwoblog.com/the-moistest-very-vanilla-mug-cake/

Here is the recipe:

The Moistest Very Vanilla Mug Cake

Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

2 mins

Total time

7 mins

 

Author: Julie Wampler

Recipe type: Dessert, Cake

Serves: 1

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup + 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
• 2 tbsp. granulated sugar
• ¼ tsp. baking powder
• ⅛ tsp. salt
• ¼ cup + 2 tbsp. milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla bean paste
• ½ tbsp. vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp. butter, melted

Instructions:

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together dry ingredients.
2. In a measuring cup, whisk together milk, vanilla bean paste, and vanilla extract.
3. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients then pour the milk mixture into the center, followed by the melted butter.
4. Whisk until no lumps remain and batter is smooth and well combined.
5. Pour into a 16-ounce microwave-safe mug.
6. Microwave on high for 130 seconds or 2 minutes and 10 seconds.
7. Carefully remove and enjoy!

Recipe by Table for Two at http://www.tablefortwoblog.com/the-moistest-very-vanilla-mug-cake/

If you're an average baker like me, you won't have vanilla bean paste on hand. I simply just omitted the ingredient and added a splash of almond extract-not too much as it is a strong flavor- and kept the amount of vanilla extract the same.If you want your mug cake to have a stronger vanilla taste you could add more, but in my case I didn't feel it was necessary.

I loved making this mug cake. I especially liked how I could turn over my mug and it would come right out onto my plate. It was a delicious treat. Here are some picture of how my mug cake turned out:

I hope you enjoy making this recipe!! Happy Baking!!

Peanut Butter Granola Bars

Today I am making these cool peanut butter granola bars. They're a great alternative for one you can get from the grocery store. These are so yummy and they are more heathy for you than granola bars you can get from the grocery store. I love taking these for snack a school. They're also super easy to make.

I got this recipe from a blog called A Few Shortcuts that I found on Pinterest: http://afewshortcuts.com/2011/08/tide-you-over-tuesday-baked-peanut-butter-oatmeal/

These were a huge hit in my household and I hope they are in yours too!

Here is the recipe:

Baked Peanut Butter Oatmeal

Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

25 mins

This great baked oatmeal will soon become a breakfast favorite.

Author: Amanda@AFewShortCuts.com

Serves: 9

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 cups quick cooking oats (or gluten free oats)
• ¼ cup packed brown sugar
• ¼ cup white sugar
• ¾ cup milk (or milk alternative)
• ¼ cup melted butter (or margarine)
• 1 egg
• ½ cup Peanut Butter or almond butter, etc.
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ¾ tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°
2. Grease a 8x8 pan.
3. Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl and stir well.
4. Spread evenly in to pan and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until edges are golden brown.
5. Serve warm out of the oven or allow it to completely cool and cut into bars for a grab and go snack.

Notes

Recipe by A Few Short Cuts at http://afewshortcuts.com/2011/08/tide-you-over-tuesday-baked-peanut-butter-oatmeal/

Here are some pictures of them:

As you can see, I added chocolate chips as an extra treat. You could also add in M&M's or peanut butter chips. The chocolate chips just added a really good flavor to the bars. This would also be a good energizer before sports. I think it would give you just the kick you need to kill it on the field or court.

I hope you find these as enjoyable to make as I did. Happy Baking!

Cinnamon Waffles

I love making waffles. This came about when I found a Belgian waffle maker at a garage sale. I bought it for five dollars and have been using it ever since. I started making them cinnamon waffles by accident. My mom and I were making waffles and she wanted to add a little cinnamon. She accidently added a lot of cinnamon. But when we made them they were delicious! They especially taste good with maple syrup. I've made them this way ever since!

I got this recipe from the Williams Sonoma blog.

Here I the recipe:

Old-Fashioned Buttermilk Waffles

2 cups (10 oz./315 g.) all-purpose flour
2 Tbs. malted milk powder or granulated sugar
1 Tbs. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. fine sea salt
2 1/4 cups (18 fl. oz./560 ml.) buttermilk
3 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted, plus room temperature butter for serving
3 large eggs, separated, at room temperature
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
Canola oil for cooking, if needed
Pure maple syrup for serving

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F (95 degrees C) and have ready a rimmed baking sheet. Preheat a regular (not Belgian) waffle iron.

In a bowl, sift together the flour, malted milk powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In another bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, melted butter, egg yolks and vanilla. Add to the flour mixture and stir just until combined. The batter will be quite lumpy. In a small bowl, using a clean whisk or a handheld mixer on high speed, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Scoop the whites onto the batter an, using the whisk, gently fold them in evenly. The finished batter may have a few small lumps.

If your waffle iron is not nonstick, lightly oil the grid. Ladle some of the batter over the grid, close the lid and cook until the waffle is golden brown, about 4 minutes. Transfer to the baking sheet and keep warm in the oven. Repeat with the remaining batter. Serve the waffles piping hot with plenty of butter and maple syrup. Serves 4.
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I loved making these! They are great for breakfast, especially on weekends when you have a bit more time to make them. You could even make  lot of batter and store it  in your refrigerator for weekday mornings.

Here are some pictures:

Happy Baking!!

No-Bake Oreo Truffles

Today I am making No-Bake Oreo Truffles! I know my blog is called Bella's Bakery, but I figured I would bend the rules for this delicious treat. They only take three ingredients: Oreos, cream cheese, and white chocolate! I love recipes with few ingredients because they're so simple, and in this case taste great too!

These truffles would  be great for birthday parties, sleepovers, and even class parties! The uses for the truffles are endless.

I got this recipe from Omg Chocolate Desserts:

 http://omgchocolatedesserts.com/oreo-truffles-valentines-hearts/

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients

24 Oreo cookies-crushed into fine crumbs

5 oz. softened cream cheese

12-14 oz. high quality white chocolate (you can use white chocolate candy coating or vanilla almond bark)

Heart shaped sprinkles-optional

Instructions

1. Line a tray with baking paper.
2. Crush whole Oreos with the filling in a really fine crumbs and combine it with softened cream cheese.
3. You can do this by hands, press it with a back of the spoon, or use a mixer with paddle attachment(the mixture is really thick and I prefer to knead it by hand).
4. When it’s all evenly combined transfer the mixture onto baking paper and spread it in an even layer about 1/2 inch thick (or more, depending how large is your cookie cuter).
5. Place the tray in the freezer for 45 mins (or more) until it’s harden enough for cutting.
6. Cut out the truffles with heart shaped cookie cutter and place them back in the freezer for 20-30 mins(truffles must be frozen before dipping into chocolate).
7. Line another tray with baking paper and set aside.
8. Take a few hearts from the freezer ( so the rest won’t soften while you are working) and dip one frozen hearts at the time into melted chocolate with a fork. Tap off the excess chocolate and transfer the hearts onto baking paper and top with sprinkles (if you don’t want to dip them twice in the chocolate). If you want to cover the truffles with second layer of chocolate( like I did), then after first dipping into chocolate, place chocolate covered hearts in the freezer to harden the chocolate faster and repeat the dipping process, and then top with sprinkles.
9. Work in small batches because the heart must be frozen when place them into melted chocolate.
10. Store in an airtight container in the fridge(or freezer for longer storage).
11. This recipe makes 16-20 small (about1.5 inch) hearts.

I didn't follow the exact recipe as it was aimed for Valentine's Day. Instead of heart shaped truffles, I made them spherical. I also substituted the "high-quality white chocolate" for white chocolate chips from the grocery store which worked just as well. I also added sprinkles which was a really cute touch. You could also leave them plain, or add any other topping you would like.

Here are some pictures:

Happy Baking!

Coffee Cake Mug Cake

Today I am showing you a Coffee Cake Mug Cake! This delicious treat is so simple to make but still really delicious. It's nice if you want a quick sugar fix without whipping up a whole cake or having to heat up your oven. Nope, no oven needed just a microwave. It's amazing how I can just pop a mug with a few ingredients into the microwave and have a delicious piece of coffee cake only a minute later.

Another really good thing about this recipe is that there are few ingredients, and the few ingredients you use only calls for small amounts of them. I like how I don't have to use up my whole flour and sugar supply to make this dish.

I got this recipe from a blog called Heather Likes Food:

 http://heatherlikesfood.com/2-minute-coffee-cake-in-a-mug/?doing_wp_cron=1463410806.1696629524230957031250

Here is the recipe:

{2 minute} Coffee Cake in a Mug

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 2 tbsp applesauce
• vanilla extract, few drops
• ¼ C All Purpose flour
• ⅛ tsp baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 1 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp flour
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• ¼ tsp cinnamon

Instructions

1. In a mug soften 1 tbsp of butter in microwave, about 5 seconds. You don’t want it melted, just soft. Stir in 2 tbsp of sugar and mix until well incorporated. Stir in applesauce, vanilla (just a tiny bit, we’re talking drops), flour, baking powder, and pinch of salt; stirring until just combined. Use the back of your spoon to smooth it out in the bottom of the mug.
2. Want streusel? Of course you do! In a separate, small bowl, combine 1 tbsp of butter, 2 tbsp of flour, 1 tbsp of brown sugar, and ¼ tsp cinnamon. Use your fingers to to pinch the butter and mix it in with the other ingredients. When it starts to look like lumpy sand (appetizing, eh?) and all ingredients are combined, pour on top of cake batter in mug.
3. Cook in the microwave for 50-80 seconds depending on your microwave. At 1 minute, my microwave cooks it perfectly. It will look just barely set on top. You don’t want to overcook it and things tend to get ugly fast in the microwave. I suggest cooking it 50 seconds, and then in 10 second intervals checking after each interval until done. Eat white it’s still warm. Once it cools off, it tends to loose some of it’s magic!

This mug cake was amazing!! I would recommend this to anyone with a sweet tooth, the cinnamon taste is just so good. 

Here are some pictures I took of mine:

I hope you love making this as much as I did! Happy Baking!

Easy Three-Ingredient Biscuits

Today I am showing you how to make some biscuits/scones. These biscuits are so delicious and so easy! Plus they only have three ingredients: self rising flour, heavy cream, and SPRITE. I know it sounds so weird to use Sprite in biscuits. I was hesitant too but a soon as I tasted them, I knew I would continue to make this recipe for a long time.

I made these biscuits this past weekend with my Mom. We enjoyed these for Mother's Day breakfast. I spread apple butter on mine which was absolutely delicious, but you can put whatever you like on these: Jam, peanut butter, butter. This biscuit tates so good, and is really easy to make too.

I got this recipe from a website called The Links Site:  http://thelinkssite.com/2015/05/04/quick-and-easy-scone-recipe-only-3-ingredients/#_a5y_p=3935135

Here is the recipe:

Quick and Easy Scone Recipe

This easy scone recipe only requires 3 ingredients; self raising flour, cream and lemonade – that’s it! Better still, these scones are so good that you will never make scones the hard way again

Serves: 20

Ingredients

• 3 cups of self raising flour
• 1 cup of thickened cream / heavy cream*
• 1 cup of lemonade (like Sprite)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 200 °C (400 °F).
2. Place flour in a large mixing bowl.
3. Add cream and lemonade and mix to combine.
4. Turn the mixture out onto a well-floured board and knead with extra flour until smooth (mixture is very sticky initially).
5. Use your hand to flatten the scone dough out to about 2 -3 cm (1 inch) thick and then cut into rounds with floured scone cutter.
6. Place scones onto a lined baking tray so that they are just touching and then bake for 15 to 20 minutes.
7. Scones are cooked when they are golden brown and can be easily pulled apart where they are joined.

Notes

I have made these scones several times now and have found that they keep very well in the freezer. Once thawed you can pop one in the microwave for a few seconds and it is just like it has been freshly baked!

I also use sugar free lemonade and find that it works just fine.

*Heavy cream or whipping cream is called thickened cream in Australia.

Recipe by The Links Site at http://thelinkssite.com/2015/05/04/quick-and-easy-scone-recipe-only-3-ingredients/

I loved enjoying these with my family on Mother's Day. They were such a great treat. Here are some pictures:

I really hope you guys try these out! Happy Baking!

Pumpkin Bread

Today I am baking pumpkin bread! I love different types of bread, especially for breakfast. This bread is so yummy. I've already showed a lemon loaf, but now I'm showing you this delicious pumpkin one. My whole family ate this up.

I got this recipe from Pinterest from a blog called The Domestic Rebel. This recipe is so good, so I think you should check their blog out.

Here is the recipe:

The BEST Pumpkin Bread with Brown Butter Maple Icing

Author: Hayley Parker, The Domestic Rebel

Recipe type: Breakfast

Prep time:  20 mins

Cook time:  50 mins

Total time:  1 hour 10 mins

Serves: 8

Perfectly spiced, moist and tender, this Pumpkin Bread will soon become a family favorite! Leave it naked if you wish, or stud it with nuts - however, I prefer mine with this simple brown butter maple glaze. I'm sure you will, too!

Pumpkin Bread

Ingredients

• ½ cup butter, softened (I used Land O Lakes)
• 1 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 cup canned pumpkin puree (the puree, NOT pumpkin pie filling!)
• 2 eggs
• 1 & ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground ginger
• ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
• ¼ tsp ground cloves
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 & ½ cups all-purpose flour
• FOR GLAZE:
• ½ cup (1 stick) butter
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 Tbsp maple syrup
• 2-3 Tbsp milk, optional if glaze is too thick

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Liberally grease a 9" loaf pan with cooking spray and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, in a bowl combine all of the above bread ingredients and beat at medium speed with a handheld mixer, scraping down the sides of the bowl, until well-mixed.
3. Pour the bread mixture into the prepared pan. Bake for approx. 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out mostly clean or with a couple moist crumbs (not wet). Cool for about 15 minutes, then very gently remove from pan and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
4. While bread cools, make your glaze: in a small saucepan, heat butter over medium-low heat until melted. Continue cooking, watching butter carefully, until it sizzles and begins to turn amber in color, about 4-5 minutes. Do not overcook because it can quickly burn! When butter looks caramel-colored and smells kind of nutty, it's done. Remove butter from heat and stir in the powdered sugar and maple syrup until a soft glaze has formed.
5. Pour the glaze generously over top of the pumpkin loaf and let it set, about 30 minutes. Cut into slices and serve!

Recipe by The Domestic Rebel at http://thedomesticrebel.com/2014/10/09/the-best-pumpkin-bread-with-brown-butter-maple-icing/

Here are some pictures:

This bread would be perfect for breakfast or a snack. Go make this!!

Happy Baking!