The CUTEST treat ever! These Rice Krispie Treat Ice Cream Cones will be the hit of the summer and you can make them in 10 minutes!

Rice Krispies that look like Ice Cream

I taught my Sunday school class last week and had it themed to the idea of an Ice Cream Sunday Sundae. I wanted to bring in a treat but I knew ice cream was off the table. So, I needed the treat to look like ice cream. Well, Rice Krispie Treats came to the rescue! I didn’t really know how I would make it happy but they came together SO easily and I was shocked by how cute they were. My little 6 & 7 year old Sunday School class gasped when they saw them!

Krispie Cones

I really love coming up with adorable treats that anyone can make. No fancy tools or fancy ingredients or high skill level. This would be a perfect activity to even make with your kids!

Rice Krispie Treat Ice Cream Cones

These are so easy to make! Make your favorite batch of rice krispies (everyone likes a different marshmallow to Krispies ratio) and then while the batch is still warm use a ice cream scoop (this is my favorite one I’ve used it for 12 years and it’s never broken) to scoop out your “scoops” of ice cream. Use some melted chocolate to “glue” on the scoop, add a drizzle of chocolate and some sprinkles to make it even more darling. And then add a cherry on top if you really want to make it a show-stopper treat! Now, I didn’t fill my cones with anything but you could stuff it full of more krispies, fill it with just marshmallows, M&M’s, a secret message from Mom, anything! I will say these treats are top heavy so filling the cones with a candy isn’t the worst idea. You could even add sprinkles or a cup chocolate chips to the rice krispie batter to look like a particular ice cream flavor!

Dip tops of the cones into the melted chocolate and don’t be stingy because this is the “glue” to keep the cone and rice krispie treat mixture together!

You can use any cone shape to make these! I just liked these ones because they had flat bottoms and could stand up on their own. But if you have other ice cream cone shapes in your pantry already, use those! even the big waffle cones would be fun! You can also use mini M&M candy to substitute sprinkles on top!

Tips for making these cute treats

First of all, the cherries. They are totally optional, I didn’t even use them the first time I made these and they were still adorable. If you do use the cherries, remember they have pits inside so remind kids of this too. Also, they are the one thing that can fall off more easily. So maybe half dip the cherry in melted chocolate and then add it on top to better “glue” it to the top. I HIGHLY suggest using candy melts and not just chocolate chips and coconut oil because the melts will dry harder and faster. You can buy them at Michaels, Hobby Lobby, WinCo (bulk bins) and even more grocery stores sell the Ghirardelli brand!

Rice Krispies made in the Microwave

I have always made my rice krispie treats in the microwave. It wasn’t until college that I realized most people make them on the stove on low heat in a large saucepan. I just put my regular marshmallows (miniature marshmallows) and butter (and vanilla and salt) in a microwaveable bowl and zap it for a 50 seconds to melt. Stir the mixture, add crisp rice cereal, stir again and then I’m done! It’s so fast! Plus, I hate the idea of having to wash such a huge pot when you do it on the stove! The plastic Microwave safe bowl is a cinch to clean. Another big debate is how many tablespoon butter do you add? My husband is always trying to convince me to double the amount I normally put in haha!

Let’s mention one more this or that debate… what do you call the cereal? Krispie Cereal? Crisp Rice Cereal? Cups Rice krispies cereal?

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Rice Krispie Treat Ice Cream Cones

These Krispie Cones are the cutest thing you'll make all summer! And you csn make them in 10 minutes!

Course Dessert

Keyword rice krispie treats, summer

Total Time 10 minutes minutes

Ingredients

• 1 batch Rice Kripies Treats
• 15-25 ice cream cones
• 1 cup candy melts melted
• 1/2 cup sprinkles
• 15-25 cherries optional

Instructions

• Mix up your favorite batch of rice krispie treats! While they are still warm, use a greased ice cream scoop to scoop out portions. You don't want the scoops to be perfect around the edges, this will help it look more realistic. Pop out the "scoops" onto parchment paper or wax paper to cool.
• After the scoops have cooled, melt your candy melts in a bowl or pyrex measuring cup and dip the tops of the cones into it. Place a "scoop" of krispies on top and gently press down to attach it. Let cool for a minute or two.
• Spoon over extra melted chocolate, add sprinkles and a cherry on top! Let cool before transporting. The melts will dry in a couple minutes and then they will be solid and won't fall apart!

Notes

See my notes written in the blog post for further information.

The cherries are truly optional and are the most fragile part of the treat.  Think about half dipping them in chocolate before adding them to the cone to provide extra “glue” to get them to stay on.  Also, if feeding to children remember the cherries have pits! 

Store in an airtight container until ready to serve

 

The search for the best Carrot Cake recipe EVER is over. This is it! I’ve been making this cake for 10+ years and it’s perfection. Countless friends and family have been converted to this Must Make Carrot Cake.

The BEST Carrot Cake recipe…EVER

I have been making and loving this homemade carrot cake recipe for more than 10 years! I have always wanted to get it up here to share but nothing pains me more than not having photos to do the recipe justice! These photos still aren’t my favorite but it was time to pull the trigger and post this incredible recipe. Whenever I make this carrot cake for friends or family they immediately ask for the recipe because it’s just THAT amazing. The closest thing I’ve ever tasted to a carrot cake this good is from The Cheesecake Factory. But I’ll be honest, I like mine more. I am a huge carrot cake fan so I try slices at every bakery and restaurant I can find. But each time, I keep coming back to this recipe.

Lizzy’s Must Make Carrot Cake

Want to hear something funny? These photos make me laugh because I made this cake for my birthday and the day after I looked at the half eaten cake and thought “well, maybe I’ll try to snap s few photos.” So the frosting isn’t quite as soft as it should be and the cake looks a little disheveled in the back. But something great about this cake is that you don’t need any fancy cake equipment to make it look beautiful! No spinning cake plate, or piping bags or tiny carrot decorations. This is a cake anyone can make and have it look beautiful. And don’t worry, it’s going to taste amazing too!

The only Carrot Cake Recipe you will ever need.

What makes a great carrot cake for me? I want it dense and packed with flavor, texture and for the moisture (yes I said the dreaded word) level to be perfect. There are lots of recipes out there that make a light and fluffy carrot cake. That is not this cake. This cake is hearty in the best way possible. It has walnuts (which are totally optional), pineapple and grated carrots. Some (insane) recipes call for cooking and pureeing the carrots but who has time for that?! Not me. There’s a reason everyone who tastes this recipe falls in love with it. So trust me when I say you need to try it! Now, if you aren’t a fan of walnuts you could use pecans or raisins OR use nothing at all! I totally understand nut allergies or when you’re baking for a crowd you want to play it safe.

Have you seen all the recipes that call for coconut? Whaaaat? Why? To me, that would turn it into more of a morning glory cake.

Spiced Carrot Cake Recipe

Someone told me once they hate carrot cake because they hate carrots. Carrot cake does not taste like a carrot. Or I guess I need to say carrot cake should not taste like a carrot. It’s really just a spice cake with more texture. And the cream cheese frosting is a must to pair it with. Once I decided to get a little crazy and make a whipped cream cheese topping…mistake. It just wasn’t the same and totally changed the dessert. Stick with the tried and true cream cheese frosting. The little bit of tang is is perfect so pair with this sweet cake.

Mmm… look at those nuts on top

The Perfect Easter Dessert

I make this Must Make Carrot Cake recipe at least two times a year. (I eat way too much of it each time so I have to force myself to only make it 2 times a year so I don’t overindulge.) Once for my birthday every year because it truly is my most favorite cake and recipe, and I make it for Easter as well! You can decorate it with little buttercream or chocolate carrots but I tend to leave it plain or add a few extra chopped walnuts on top. I don’t care for it to be too fussy. Sometimes I’ll make this cake with 3 layers too! It just depends on how tall I want it to be.

Final Tips:

Let me say a few things for those of you who actually read this part of a blog post. First, like I said in the recipe notes I do like to bake this cake the day before I serve it. I think the flavors take a little time to develop (like banana bread and pumpkin pie). Also, you can grate your carrots in a food processor if you really think doing it by hand is a pain. If you have a teenager, just hand them a box grater and tell them they have to grate the carrots to get a slice After you add the flour mixture and you fold in the final ingredients to the cake batter, don’t over mix. It can be tempting because of all the “things” in the batter but don’t do it! This recipe can be made in 2 or 3 rounds or even in a casserole dish but the baking time will depend on how thick the cake is! (I always try to place my rounds on the same oven rack for even baking.) If you use cake rounds, just think about how many cake layers you really want. The more layers, the more frosting you’ll need and it’s trickier to cut and have pretty slices. I find myself preferring the two layer cake.

Like I said, this is not a fussy cake. There are crumbs in the frosting in the picture and the slive from the very center of the cake isn’t straight. But I think that’s what I like about this cake. It isn’t meant to be perfect, it’s meant to be homey and cozy. It took be a decade to even post this recipe because I was so concerned about the pictures, how silly is that? So here’s to me not taking 10 years to post other recipes because of of that ridiculous reason!

My favorite cake recipe of all-time.

Yes, you read that right. This blogger has proudly named her favorite cake recipe ever. This is it. Of all my cake recipes this Must Make Carrot Cake takes the…cake. The fact that this is my birthday cake year after year should tip you off to the fact that this is my favorite. Every year I make it and then don’t photograph it because I force myself not to work on my birthday. I switch up how I decorate it each year too. Oftentimes I’ll pat walnuts onto the sides of the frosted cake as well. So when you make your cake, just think about what look you’re going for and how much you love walnuts haha! I’m not a huge sprinkle fan on this cake but a sanding sugar or another crystal sugar sprinkle is always nice. It looks pretty but also tastes good to eat.

I hope you make this cake and love it as much as I do. Happy Easter to you all!

You can find all my Easter dessert recipes here!

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Must Make Carrot Cake

THE best carrot cake recipe ever. Decadent, dense and full of flavor! After one bite, you'll be obsessed too!

Course Dessert

Keyword cake, carrot cake, easter

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Ingredients

Carrot Cake

• 4 large eggs room temperature (see note)
• 3/4 cups vegetable oil
• ½ cup apple sauce
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar packed
• 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
• 3 cups grated carrots about 4-5 medium carrots
• 3/4 cup crushed pineapple measure and then drain out most of the juice
• 1 cup chopped walnuts optional

Cream Cheese Frosting

• 12 ounces cream cheese
• 3/4 cup butter room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 4-6 cups powdered sugar

Instructions

Carrot Cake

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease/parchment paper cake pans or a casserole dish. I will use either 2 9-inch pans or 3 8-inch pans. This recipe works well with different sizes.
• In a large bowl whisk together eggs, vegetable oil, apple sauce, sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract.
• In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.
• Add dry ingredients to the wet and stir only a little. Before everything is fully combined, add grated carrots, crushed pineapple and chopped walnuts. Continue to stir only until combined.
• Bake in your preheated oven for about 35 minutes. This depends greatly on what size pans you pick! If the cake still jiggles when you nudge it, it's not done! You should be able to insert a knife or toothpick into the center without any batter coming out on it. (My 2 8-inch cake pans are done at 35 minutes)

Cream Cheese Frosting

• In a stand mixer, beat cream cheese and butter until blended. Add in vanilla extract and then add 3 cups of powdered sugar. Continue to add in powdered sugar until you reach your desired consistency. Add a tablespoon of milk if it gets too thick. If you're frosting your cake, you want the frosting spreadable but if you're piping it you make want it a little stiffer. The amount of powdered sugar will also vary on how warm your home is.
• Wait until your cake is fully cooled and frost! Decorate with extra walnuts if you would like!

Notes

I always make this carrot cake the day before I serve it.  I like the way the flavors blend after they bake.

 

To get room temperature eggs FAST, fill a mug with hot tap water and place your eggs into the water while you measure other ingredients.  They’ll be the right temperature in 2 minutes!

I’m hoping to make this recipe into carrot cake cupcakes soon! And I’m even going to attempt to make a version a little healthier for those of you who would like that option.

If you have any remaining frosting, spoon it into a tupperware or bag and you can store it in the fridge for a week!

Something you won’t find in this recipe…. ginger. I’ll be honest, I don’t like when people use too much ginger in their carrot recipes. But sometimes I will add 1/4 tsp you could even add 1/2 and I think it would be delightful and good for the cake taste.

Chocolate wafers dipped in chocolate and sprinkled with crushed candy canes. These 4 ingredient No-Bake Peppermint Bark Christmas Cookies are Santa’s dream come true! Easy and quick to make and DELICIOUS!

I’m taking a classic holiday treat and turning it into an easy to make cookie!

No-Bake Peppermint Bark Christmas Cookies

My mother in called me one day and said I HAD to try these cookies. She explained to me about these chocolate wafers I could buy from the grocery store and all I had to do was dip them in chocolate and add crushed candy canes. She said they were amazing! My mother in law is quite picky when it comes to desserts so I knew she must be right, and of course… she was! This is the easiest Christmas cookie recipe ever.

4 Ingredient Christmas Cookies

I am a big fan of easy Christmas recipes. Sometimes I get overwhelmed with how much baking I do so it’s nice to have some amazing yet simple recipes in my back pocket. Some of my favorites are my original 4 Ingredient Christmas Cookies, White Chocolate Cinnamon Pretzels and Peppermint Bark Muddy Buddies! I make all of these every year and toss them all together in my little neighbor gift bags we take around. The variety is always fun because there is something for everyone. I have already taken these 4 Ingredient No-Bake Peppermint Bark Christmas cookies to neighbors this year and they have been asking for the recipe! I’m embarrassed to tell them how easy they are to make! This recipe takes 3-5 ingredients depending on how fancy you want to get.

How to Make Easy Christmas Cookies

Let’s start with the ingredients! Like I said, this recipe takes 3-5 ingredients just depending on what you want. You need the Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafers (or OREO Thins make for a great substitution) from the grocery store (just call ahead to make sure they have some in stock), candy canes and chocolate! You can use only white OR dark/milk or use both if you want more variety. The other optional ingredient is peppermint extract. You can add that to the chocolate if you want to boost the peppermint flavor. Let’s talk about the chocolate though, I always prefer to use “melting wafers” or “melts” which are meant for candy decorating. They melt down super smooth and are perfect for dipping. Chocolate chips need coconut oil added to them to get them thin enough and then they take much longer to set. Most grocery stores carry this Ghirardelli brand in their baking aisle! I also get the Guittard brand from my bulk bins at WinCo but Hobby Lobby and Michaels always carry melts of all different colors! Also, white chocolate chips tend to look yellowish when you melt them, another reason to not use them for this recipe.

How to crush candy canes

You may laugh at this, but this is a tip! When I put candy canes in a ziplock bag and crush them with a rolling pin the candy canes put little holes in the bag and it can become a big mess! So do yourself a favor and use a blender or a food processor to crush your candy canes!

The best chocolate for peppermint bark

You’ll want to use a microwave safe bowl to melt your melts! I always prefer to use a pyrex measuring cup because it makes it so easy to dip them in too! You want a tall container rather than a shallow bowl to get the best dip on your chocolate wafer cookies. You can always just melt your chocolate in a bowl and then pour it into a mug or a container that isn’t microwave safe.

Part of what makes this recipe so fun is all the different ways you can decorate them! If you have kids this will be a huge hit! You can use only white chocolate, only dark chocolate, swirl them together, make layers of both, smother them in crushed peppermint candies or just do a little sprinkle on top. It’s fun to do a variety because it makes for the prettiest tin of cookies!

Make sure you use parchment paper to lay them out on! This will give them perfectly smooth bottoms and clean up will be a cinch! You can also put the parchment on a baking sheet or a pan and transfer them to the fridge to chill if you want to speed up the setting process. However, if you use melting chocolates they only take about 10 minutes to fully harden.

Who needs a peppermint bark recipe when you can have peppermint bark cookies?

Easy Recipe for Christmas Cookie Exchange Party

How pretty are these all packaged up? They would look gorgeous arranged on a cookie tray for a party too! You simply can’t go wrong decorating these 4 Ingredient No-Bake Peppermint Bark Cookies!

Store in an airtight container to keep them fresh longer! We packaged ours in Christmas tins with a few other sweets and holiday treats!

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4 Ingredient No-Bake Peppermint Bark Cookies

It only takes 4 ingredients and 10 minutes to make these delicious and gorgeous Christmas cookies! Just melt, dip and sprinkle on crushed candy canes!

Total Time 10 minutes minutes

Author Lizzy Early Cox – Your Cup of Cake

Ingredients

• 1 package Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafers OREO Thins work as a substitution
• 1 cup white melting chocolates see notes
• 1 cup dark or milk melting chocolates
• 1 package candy canes crushed

Instructions

• Place chocolates is separate microwave safe bowls (or pyrex measuring cups) and melt in the microwave. Remove, stir and microwave again until smooth.
• Dip chocolate wafers into melted chocolate and then place on parchment paper to cool. Immediately sprinkle on crushed candy canes.
• Once the chocolate is set, package them up and deliver!

Notes

I like to use “melts” which are meant for candy decorating so they melt very smooth and thin.  You can buy these from Michaels, Hobby Lobby and even Ghirardelli sells them in most grocery baking aisles! 

If you want to add more peppermint flavor, add 1 teaspoon of peppermint extract to your chocolate! 

Make this perfectly flaky and easy butter pie crust for all your pies! It’s an all butter recipe and can be frozen weeks ahead of time. No more store-bought crust, homemade pie crust is the way to go!

Easy Butter Pie Crust Recipe

There has been a lot going on about pies lately. When I asked on my instagram about what pie flavors people want recipes for, many people said they wanted a solid, foolproof easy pie recipe! So here I am. Pie crust can seem daunting but I promise it’s not. It’s very simple if you have a food processor. I only bought a food processor for pies and grating tons of carrots when I make carrot cake. Other than that, I really don’t like dragging it up from the basement and then having to clean a bunch of parts on it. Also, this pecan pie is to die for, so make sure you try it this Thanksgiving!

Foolproof Pie Dough Recipe

I don’t ever recall making cake from scratch or even making chocolate chip cookies with my mother growing up. But we would make PIES! And we would always make pie dough from scratch. So I’ll try to zip through some of the basic tips but always give you some sneaky tips to making the best pie dough and crust. This recipe is all butter, but can you make a pie crust with shortening? Of course! Shortening has it’s own baking benefits but this recipe is for people who prefer only butter. It’s the recipe I always use myself.

See that little pie crust leaf on top of the whipped cream in the picture above? I cut that leaf and THIS is what was inside. Layers and layers of flakiness heaven. This pie crust is amazingly flaky and buttery.

Can you make pie crust without a food processor?

Yes, yes you can. But it’s a huge pain to try and get the cold butter dispersed evenly and it will take you 10 times the time and you will probably break your pastry cutter like I have. So using a food processor to make pie dough it always recommended. Don’t have one? I bet a friendly neighbor or friend does! This recipe can be made weeks before you use it and stored in the freezer so find a time to borrow it and use it!

Here we are step one: Mixing some of the flour with the other dry ingredients.

Secrets for Flaky Pie Crust

Want that flaky crust? Cold. Keep your butter cold and keep your pie crust cold. when those bits of butter melt in the oven they will create pockets of air making the dough flaky. So start with cold butter and don’t over work it or sit and let your kids play with it with their warm hands! Only add as much liquid as you need, no more!

Here we are step 2: Adding in that COLD butter!

Step three: You can see the blended ingredients in coarse crumbs and then the rest of the flour being added.

Step four: The ice water has gone in! How do I make “ice water?” I just put a bunch of ice and water in a pyrex and let it sit while I do everything else for the pie and by the time I need it the water is cold and I can just use a tablespoon to scoop out the water I need!

This is how you know you have added enough water, the pie crust mixture sticks together when you pinch it!

More Pie Secrets

Don’t you hate when you roll out your pie dough and then it gets stuck to your counter or work surface? Say goodbye to that problem! Okay, this photo is terribly because of my horrible kitchen lighting but you can see two amazing pie secrets… I roll my pie dough out on parchment paper (with a little flour) AND to keep it from moving all around I actually use packing tape to tape the parchment to the counter! My pie dough never sticks and when I’m done, I just just roll up the parchment with all the flour and throw it away! No big mess to clean up.

How thin should you roll your pie dough? Well that depends on what end result you want. Thin pie crusts are delicate, tender and taste amazing but can be very difficult to serve because they can be fragile. So I always tend to use a rolling pin to roll out the dough to a little thicker than 1/8 of an inch which usually is what recipes suggest. And I like my crimp or flute to be thicker too!

When it comes time to flute or crimp your edge (unless you’re doing something more fancy around the rim) I like to fold my excess dough inward toward where the filling will be. The filling will hide the seam! If you fold it under and tuck it into the pie pan, that seam will be seen when you serve the pie.

The Best Type of Pie Pan to Use

I make this mistake all the time and made it again because I couldn’t find my “right” pie plate. Use a ceramic or tin pie dish! Glass can make your crust shrink a ton, especially if you blind bake it! If you only have a glass dish, then plan accordingly and give yourself plenty crust on the sides! Make sure you always use a fork to poke holes in your pie crust before blind baking it and you can use dried beans or pie weights to keep it from shrinking in the oven too.

The Perfect Pie Crust Recipe

I LOVE this recipe for a few reasons. It’s delicious and flaky, which is a must. But it always makes plenty of dough! I hate when I’m having to roll my pie crust wafer thin get it to cover my pan and I can barely flute the edges. This makes plenty. You will even have enough to make little decorative leaves or braid a crust. When I was a kid we would use the extra dough to make a tiny pie with some filling or wrap an apple slice in it or just spread on melted butter and cinnamon sugar. After we baked it we could eat that while the pie cooled.

How to Egg Wash your Pie Crust

I have been telling everyone to egg wash their pie crust for the last 10 years! It gives the crust a gorgeous color and if you add a sprinkle of granulated or coarse sugar it also gives it a great crunch! Just take an egg or just the egg white and whisk. Then brush it over the rim of your pie crust (I did this BEFORE adding the filling). I add sugar on top of my egg wash to apple pies when I do a lattice top and other berry pies. But for pecan pie and pumpkin pie I just do the egg wash.

Remember, you can make this Foolproof and Flaky Butter Pie Crust ahead of time. The dough can stay in the refrigerator for 2 days or you can freeze the dough for about 3 months before you use it! I already made my pie crusts for Thanksgiving because it’s nice to spread out the work over time. So make your pie crusts this weekend! Then set a reminder on your phone to let them thaw in the refrigerator 24 hours before you need to roll them out! This recipe makes a double-crust pie so that’s enough for 2 pumpkin pies or 1 apple pie (which uses a top and bottom crust).

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Foolproof and Flaky Butter Pie Crust

Ingredients

• 3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoon salt I use Kosher
• 1 1/2 tablespoon sugar optional
• 1 1/2 cup very cold unsalted butter cut into 1/2-inch cubes (3 sticks)
• 6 to 10 tablespoons ice water

Instructions

• Add ONLY 2 3/4 cups flour to your food processor with the salt and sugar. Pulse to mix.
• Add your cold butter and pulse again until incorporated. This will take 10-20 seconds.
• Scrape down the sides if needed and then add remaining 1 cup flour. Pulse just a few times.
• Add 6 tablespoons of ice water and then pulse. Continue to add ice water until you can pinch the pie dough together and it sticks together.
• Remove from food processor. Dump into a bowl or onto your countertop and split dough evenly in two. Make two thick disks and wrap tightly in plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour or up to 2 days. If you want to freeze your dough I suggest double wrapping it! It will stay good in the freezer for about 3 months, Thaw over night in the fridge before using.

Thick, creamy chocolate pudding with an Oreo crust and piled high with whipped cream. This is the Best Ever Chocolate Cream Pie! Sure to wow every guest this Thanksgiving and every holiday season!

The Best Thanksgiving Pies

It feels like pie week since I just barely posted my Brown Butter Pecan Pie recipe too! The truth is, pie really is one of my all-time favorite desserts but it can be tricky to get photos because of the cooling process before cutting so that’s why it takes me a while to post them. Plus, by the time it’s baked and cooled I just want to eat it! I have been making this pie non-stop for about 2 1/2 years. My husband is obsessed with pecan pie and chocolate pie. When we got married I didn’t have incredible recipes for either so I knew I needed to do some major recipe testing! This is the Best Ever Chocolate Cream Pie! One of the best parts about it is you can tweak the chocolate intensity based on what chocolate bars you put into it. But more on that later. Let’s take a closer look at this dreamy pie.

I have tried way too many chocolate pies in (the nearly) 5 years I’ve been married. I’ve been on a quest to making the perfect chocolate pudding pie! I’ve had pies with weird gelatinous textures, pies that lack enough chocolate to make it taste decadent, and some that are too loose to cut a pretty slice and never quite have the right texture. But this recipe is perfection.

Best Ever Chocolate Cream Pie Recipe

Okay, back to the chocolate! Too many recipes out there call for chocolate chips in chocolate pie filling. Don’t do it. I know it’s easier because you usually have those on hand but chocolate chips aren’t pure chocolate and are lower quality than baking bars. Ghirardelli is really my go-to for this recipe and they are at every grocery store I’ve ever been to, so they should’t be difficult to find! I made my recipe with all semi-sweet chocolate but if you’re a big fan of dark chocolate you can substitute some of it for bittersweet or unsweetened. Use good chocolate and you’ll get incredible chocolate flavor in this pie! I know some recipes call for cocoa powder and I have tried many of those recipes but they just cant compete with using chocolate bars. This is the way to go.

How to keep your pudding from forming a skin

After you cook your pudding and pour it into the crust, immediately place plastic wrap on top of it. It seems silly and very wrong, but trust me it’s a magical trick. You’ll see mine is not done very smooth, I blame my 2-year-old tugging on my leg for that haha!

How to cut the perfect slice of chocolate pudding pie

Great pie recipes shouldn’t be too tricky to cut pretty slices. You’ll want to make sure you’ve refrigerated the pie long enough for it to really be cool. I like to make this pie either the night before or the morning of my party. After that all you’ll need is a sharp knife and a pie server to pull out the slice and you’ll be set! As will all pies, the first slice is usually the most difficult to get out, and then it’s smooth sailing after that!

The key to perfect pudding texture

The key to making the pudding with the best texture is what you use to thicken your pudding AND the temperature you cook it at. Some recipes call for way too much cornstarch which leaves you with more of a chocolate jello than a pudding. Egg yolks are also used to give pudding a silky texture and provide it with body. The key is to have the right balance between the two. You also don’t want to crank up the heat on the stove! Be patient, the pudding will thicken quickly but it does take a few minutes to make it happen. Keep stirring and wait.

The Perfect Oreo Cookie Crust

Yes, you can make an Oreo pie crust without baking it! I have done it many times. You can use this recipe but just omit the sugar. But I always prefer baking mine because it makes the crust crispy and not just crumbly. When you bake this crust the sugar melts and helps bond the cookie pieces together. When you do a no-bake version of the crust, it’s just sort of makes a cookie layer. BUT a fun twist on this recipe would be to use a graham cracker crust and top it which marshmallow cream for a s’mores pie!

As you can see, my slice had a dollop of whipped cream but the pie is piled high with whipped cream! When I serve it to my family I always just cover the whole pie with whipped cream. It’s easy to do and easy to serve this way. You can make chocolate shavings to top the whipped cream or sprinkle Oreo cookie crumbs over it like I did. In the summer when I make this Best Ever Chocolate Cream Pie I like to top it with strawberries or raspberries.

I hope you all are getting ready to have your best Thanksgiving yet! We are doing Thanksgiving small this year. Just me, my husband and two kiddos. Because my husbands is in school it’s just too tricky to try to get away for short weekends. But we will still be cooking for 15 so we can have LOTS of leftovers! If you make this Best Ever Chocolate Cream pie, let me know!

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Best Ever Chocolate Cream Pie

Rich, homemade chocolate pudding with a crispy Oreo crust and whipped cream topping. This pie is perfect for every holiday and every day in between.

Ingredients

Oreo Crust

• 30 Oreo cookies
• 5 Tablespoons unsalted butter melted
• 1/3 cup sugar

Homemade Chocolate Pudding

• 5 egg yolks large
• 3 cups whole milk
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 7 ounces semisweet* chocolate, chopped I prefer Ghirardelli, see note
• 2 Tablespoons butter room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Whipped Cream

• 1/2 pint heavy whipping cream cold
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar less if you like your topping less sweet
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon unflavored gelatin or vanilla pudding mix optional BUT magical ingredient to keep your whipped cream from "melting" or weeping

Instructions

Oreo Crust

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Split Oreo cookies, remove and discard cream filling.
• Place Oreos in a food processor or high powered blender and finely crush.
• Melt butter in a medium bowl in the microwave, then add crushed Oreo cookies and sugar and mix until combined.
• Dump into pie pan and firmly press flat and up all the sides.
• Bake for 10-15 minutes or until crisp. Let cool while you make the pudding.

Homemade Chocolate Pudding

• Add egg yolks and milk to a small bowl and whisk together.
• In a medium-large saucepan add sugar, cornstarch and salt, stir together and then whisk in egg-milk mixture.
• Place over medium heat and stir constantly until the mixture starts to bubble and thicken (about 8 minutes). Then decrease heat and let cook for one more minute.
• Remove from heat and add chocolate, butter and vanilla extract. Whisk until smooth and then pour into Oreo pie crust.
• Immediately cover pudding with plastic wrap. Let the plastic fall directly on the pudding, this will keep the pudding from forming a "skin" on top. Chill pie overnight or at least 8 hours.

Whipped Cream Topping

• Combine all ingredients in a stand mixer and use the whisk attachment to beat until stiff peaks form.
• Generously top your chilled pie!

Notes

You can substitute all or some for bittersweet or unsweetened chocolate if you are a dark chocolate lover!

The most decadent, flavorful and delicious pecan pie you have ever had! This Brown Butter Pecan Pie is going to WOW every guest this Thanksgiving and have everyone begging you for the recipe!

Brown Butter Pecan Pie Recipe

It’s been a while. I haven’t posted anything in a long time because… I had a baby! Head to my instagram post about our new baby boy for a little more about that and my endless struggles with pregnancy. But he is finally starting to sleep more at night so that means I have time to post again! There are about 10 recipes floating around my home that I make again and again and I am going to do my best to get them up here soon! I started this little site 10 years ago because I wanted a place to save my recipes and I’m trying to get back to that sentiment. No more trying to guess what’s popular or going to be the next big trend. More of just what I bake and make over and over again because I love it. Now on to this Brown Butter Pecan Pie…

Look at those delicious layers… Perfectly gooey and crunchy from the toasted pecans. The texture of this pie is perfect!

The Best Pecan Pie recipe for Thanksgiving

Pecan pie. My husband loves pecan pie. When we got married I didn’t quite understand how deep his love for it went but it only took me one Thanksgiving to find out! But me? Well I never grew up eating it and it was never on our Thanksgiving table. My family was all about apple and pumpkin pie. But I knew I needed to hunt down and tinker with recipes until I made the best one my husband has ever had. And I did it! We have been making this classic recipe for about 2 years now and he can’t get enough. Honestly, I’m in love with it too. I think I never liked pecan pie before because I was trying terrible store-bought ones. Homemade pecan pie is a sweet, gooey, crunchy dream. Top it off with some whipped cream or vanilla ice cream and you’ll float off to food heaven.

Looking for more Thanksgiving recipes? Check out my Thanksgiving page and find my all time favorite roll recipe!

Easy Pecan Pie Recipe

This Brown Butter Pecan Pie recipe is easy to make. But it does take some time. The two extra things I do to make this pie over the top amazing are very simple, just take and extra step. But believe me, it is worth it! I have had family members bugging me all week to post this recipe because they want to make it for their Thanksgiving. So trust me, the extra steps are worth it!

How to make the BEST Pecan Pie this Thanksgiving

Even if you don’t want to use my Brown Butter Pecan Pie recipe for your Thanksgiving this year, you can still implement the two big things I do to make this recipe amazing. You can toast your pecans to before you add them to the filling and you can brown the melted butter you use. I totally understand when people have family recipes they want to keep using, but you can make them better with little changes to the baking methods.

Here’s what my brown butter looks like! I can’t even tell you how amazing it smells…

Flakey Pie Crust Secrets

The pie crust dilemma. We all hate having to pull out that food processor and make pie dough but it is worth it and after you go through all the effort of making pie you shouldn’t skimp on the crust! I have made box mix crust but it just doesn’t do pie any justice. You’ll notice I only have the filling recipe listed here and that’s because I have a separate post for my Flakey Butter Pie Crust! I wanted to include several pie crust tips so it deserved its own space with lots of photos. It comes together super fast but does take some time in the fridge. The best part? (Besides how incredibly flakey it is…) You can make it long before Thanksgiving and then pull it out when you’ll ready to bake your pie! So grab a friend and make your pie crusts NOW and then you’ll have one less thing to do for your big meal!

My FAVORITE and insanely flaky pie crust recipe

How do I know when my Pecan Pie is done baking?

I love when baked goods have easy way to tell they’re done and ready to come out of the oven! When your pecan pie filling makes a dome shape all the way through the center of the pie, it’s done! It will start to puff up around the edges and slowly move towards the middle so wait until it looks like a puffy pie all the way through before taking it out! Resist the urge to open up the oven door because SO much heat gets out when you do that. Use the oven light to help you keep an eye on it.

How to Cut Pecan Pie

I ask myself this question all the time. Many videos online show you how you can flip the pie over and cut it but that’s using bakery pies that don’t have flakey crusts. AND their filling and pie crust is pretty much exactly level. So I would not recommend this method for homemade pies. Use a serrated knife to gently “saw” through the pecan filling. If your pie is cold from the refrigerator it will be easier to cut than a warm or room temp pie. Pecan pie is tasty but it doesn’t always make for the prettiest slices because of the gooey filling. Just top it with whipped cream and don’t worry about it too much!

If you love baking pies! Get some cute pie crust cookie cutters to really put your pies over the top! You can add them to dollops of whipped cream or around the rim of the pie. If you’re in charge of making pies this Thanksgiving it’s a super simple way to make them look professional and extra fancy.

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Brown Butter Pecan Pie

The most flavorful and delicious pecan pie you have ever had! Perfectly gooey, sweet and crunchy. Even if you don't like pecan pie, you'll love my pecan pie!

Course Dessert

Keyword pie, thanksiving

Ingredients

• 1 unbaked 9-inch pie crust see note for favorite recipe
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup dark corn syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon heaping
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 large eggs preferably room temperature
• 2 cups toasted pecan halves (see note) plus more if decorating the top of the pie

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Make sure you start with a chilled pie crust. Line the pie crust with foil or parchment and place pie weights or dried beans on top to help the crust to not shrink too much while baking. Bake for 15 minutes, remove foil/parchment and pie weights and set aside. Decrease the oven temperature to 350 degrees. (This step helps the pie crust to stay firm and well-baked and not get the dreaded "soggy bottom.")
• Brown the Butter. Place your butter in a sauce pan over low-medium heat and stir for 8-10 minutes. The butter will melt, bubble, foam, bubble and then start to turn an amber color and become very fragrant. Once that happens remove from heat so you don't burn the butter. Set aside.
• In a large bowl add sugar, brown sugar, corn syrup, cinnamon, salt, vanilla and eggs. Whisk together until smooth. Add browned butter and stir again.
• Chop pecans and add to sugar/butter mixture.
• (Egg wash the rim of your pie crust now if desired.) Pour the filling into the pie crust. Decorate with additional pecans if you would like.
• Bake for 45-55 minutes or until the pie filling domes. Check your pie around 25 minutes because you may want to cover the crust in foil to keep it form browning too much. As the pie cools the dome will settle and you're filling will be flat.

Notes

My favorite pie crust recipe linked

To toast your pecans, spread out pecans on a cookie sheet and bake for 5-7 minutes at 300 degrees.  Stir the pan halfway through.  Every oven is different so bake them until they’re fragrant.  

 

Once your pie is fully cooled, wrap in plastic wrap and store in the fridge!  

Fun tip! Have you noticed this little line on the Karo Syrup bottle? I never use a measuring cup thanks to this little packaging help!

Light Karo syrup or dark Karo for Pecan Pie?

Dark all the way! The darker syrup gives it a fuller, richer taste. Pecan pie is known for being rich and this helps accomplish that. However, light corn syrup can be used if that’s all you have on hand. It’s a great pie to bring to a party because since it’s so rich, people only want a little slice. Top it off with some whipped cream or ice cream and one pie will serve a crowd! Now, a lot of people ask what they can substitute for Karo syrup in pecan pie and there are recipes out there that offer other ingredients but they just aren’t as good. Sorry. But you know what, we don’t eat pecan pie every day so I don’t mind using it in holiday recipes! Plus, I’m not eating the entire pie by myself. At least, I never plan on that!

We tasted 7 of the most popular sour Valentine’s Day gummy candies to find out which are the best and which to never buy again! Here are the best sour Valentine gummy candy…

Best Sour Valentine Gummy Candy to Buy in 2021

So why did I embark on this taste test adventure to find the Best Sour Valentine Gummy Candy? Well, I love sour candy and last Valentine’s Day I bought some from the grocery store from a brand I love but was so disappointed to go home, try it and hate it! So this year, I wanted to go crazy and buy all the options and find out which is the best by tasting side by side.

By the way, if you’re looking for Valentine’s Day recipes be sure to check out my Valentine’s section!

Valentine’s Day Gummy Candy

Some of the brands we taste tested are easily found at the grocery store while some are from nation wide candy shops or can be found online. We took suggestions from people via instagram on their favorites and went from there!

The Taste Testers

Who did this taste test? Me, my husband and four other lovely friends of mine. Our rankings varied a little bit but we all agreed on the absolute best and the absolute worst. I will try to give details in each of my explanations because obviously, everyone prefers their candy a little different! Some rankings were very close and there are a couple on this list I will happily buy again next year! For the record, none of my taste testers (besides me) knew the brands of the gummies before they tasted them. They didn’t know what was a grocery store candy and which were from fancy boutiques.

The BEST and the WORST Valentine’s Day Candy

We decided just to rank the Sour Valentines Heart shaped candy here, after these rankings I will share a little more about some additional Valentine’s Day Candy.

1 – See’s Candy Sour Hearts

Topping our list is See’s Candy’s Sour Hearts (about $8). These are definitely the most sour of all the candies we tried and the texture is soft and just tastes more expensive than something you would find at the grocery store. Each of the three colors has a very different flavor, white was my favorite flavor. The size is perfect and they are very cute for a candy jar! PLOT TWIST…. Williams Sonoma sells these exact same candies packaged with their logo for about $13 for nearly the same quantity. Plus, my local Williams Sonoma’s did not carry them in store so I had to pay an additional $5 for shipping! So SKIP Williams Sonoma and head to See’s Candy!

On to our second pick…

2 – Sour Patch Kids Hearts

Sour Patch Kids Hearts take the second place slot and for about $3 this is a huge win! Okay, so they aren’t quite as cute to look at as the See’s version but they are still sour and have the same texture as you would expect from Sour Patch candy which is a little more firm than the See’s. I kept going back for these ones the next day and really liked the flavor.

3 – Albanese Sour Gummi Hearts

Albanese Sour Gummi Hearts were liked by all the women taste testers but not as much by the men… go figure! They are larger than any of the other candies and pillowy soft, which I loved but my husband thought it was too “fluffy.” Their two flavors for the hearts are Wild Cherry and Strawberry-Banana. So if you hate strawberry-banana, don’t get them! (One of our taste testers hated the strawberry-banana.) Albanese is famous for their sour gummi bears so it’s still a beloved sour heart by many people. I had to order mine online and they were about $3.50 for the package.

4 – Trolli Sour Brite Hearts

Trolli Sour Brite Hearts are exactly what you would expect them to be. If you like their sour gummi worms you’ll like these. The colors, flavors and textures are all the exact same. Not super cute for a candy dish unless you have all boys and are avoiding a pink and red color scheme. The price ranges from $1-$3 depending on which size package you get.

5 – Jelly Belly Petite Sour Hearts

Petite Sour Hearts by Jelly Belly ($8). I had such high hopes for these because a popular instagram account RAVED about them but me and all of my taste testers didn’t like them. They are tiny and very firm, too firm to comfortably chew and enjoy. They are grape flavored so they definitely have their own taste but overall no one liked these. But Jelly Belly did make a good sour gummi I’ll talk about a little later in the post! (These Petite Hearts are available at local candy shops and online.)

And at the bottom of our list…

6 – Sour Punch Hearts

Sour Punch Hearts ($3). If you’re thinking to yourself “I love Sour Punch Straws so I’ll love these…” just stop right there. You won’t love these. The shape is very cute but they are very firm and just aren’t worth your time. My taste testers assumed they were organic by the looks of them because their colors were also very dull. We’re assuming that because Sour Punch Straws are hollow they seem softer and taste better but because these are just bricks… it just doesn’t go over well.

We taste tested 7 brands but as mentioned above, Williams Sonoma sells the See’s Candy just repackaged so we didn’t give them a second ranking.

More Valentine’s Day Candy Talk

We couldn’t stop there. We had one more “face-off” between two similar candies and then a few candies I’ve found along the way that I love!

Gimbal’s Cherry Lover’s vs. Jolly Rancher Jelly Hearts. Both of these are cute hardshell heart candies… but which is better? Well, that might depend on your age! The older generation tends to love the Gimbal’s where as all the millennials prefer the Jolly Rancher. Fun Fact: Williams Sonoma also repackages the Gimbal’s Cherry Lovers and sells them with their own brand name!

Jelly Belly may have failed us with the Petite Hearts but these Sour Pucker Lips are good! Plus they are much easier to find in stores! I picked these up at my local Target for $2 and they are so adorable!

Hidden Gem: My final review is on these Russell Stover Sweet Talkers. They are heart shaped marshmallows dipped in milk chocolate and WOW are they delicious! The marshmallow is so soft and it’s just the most perfect bite for Valentine’s Day! I bought these on a whim and I had to go back and buy another bag to share with friends. Can’t wait to include these in my neighborhood Valentine’s treat bags!

I hope you’ve enjoyed my post on the Best Sour Valentine Gummy Candy to buy! I know it’s different than my regular type of recipe post but I find myself loving these types of rankings so I thought I would share my findings! If you try any of the candy above or think we missed something, please comment and let me know!

The perfect Christmas Bundt cake! Easy to make, full of flavor and gorgeous. Pineapple Cranberry Bundt Cake will be a new family favorite!

Christmas Pineapple Cranberry Cake

I love the classic Christmas flavor combination or orange and cranberry but I thought I would mix it up a bit with this Pineapple Cranberry Bundt Cake. I LOVE pineapple cakes in the summer so why not bring it into the winter? The fresh cranberries are not only gorgeous in the cake but also taste amazing with the pineapple. A cake that tastes delicious and looks gorgeous is always THE BEST!

Christmas Bundt Cake

Look at those pretty sugared cranberries! You obviously don’t have to garnish with them but they are shockingly easy to make and really are just so beautiful on top of the cake. There are formal instructions in the recipe notes but really all you have to do is coat the fresh cranberries in sugar water to make them sticky and they after they dry, toss them in sugar! They are gorgeous on top of any dessert or even garnishing a charcuterie tray!

Bundt Cake Glaze Tricks

Bundt cakes are all about the glaze with their presentation. Sometimes I make a piping bag out of a plastic bag and pipe it on and sometimes (like for this cake) I poured it on. The trick is you have to make the glaze very thick. Only add as much moisture as needed to get the glaze smooth and then stop. You may think it won’t drip down the cake but it will. The last thing you want is for your glaze to be too thin, run off the cake and whatever was on the cake get absorbed into it. You’ll be left with a pretty sad bundt. So to keep this Pineapple Cranberry Bundt Cake looking gorgeous, keep that glaze thick!

I love a bundt cake that cuts like a dream! To make that happen it’s all about getting a tight crumb and enough moisture. Thanks to the sour cream and the pineapple in the ingredient list for this Christmas cake every slice will be picture perfect!

I know this year has been so hard for all of us but I hope you have the best Christmas possible. Make a few extra batches of cookies, turn up the Christmas tunes, drink some hot cocoa and do whatever you need to make this holiday season special. Happy Baking!

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Pineapple Cranberry Bundt Cake

A delicious twist on a classic Christmas cake! This sweet pineapple cake paired with tangy cranberries is the perfect combination!

Ingredients

• 1 box yellow cake mix
• 2/3 C. oil
• 4 eggs
• 1 small box vanilla instant pudding
• 1 C. sour cream
• 2/3 C. crushed pineapple canned and with juice
• 1 1/2 C. cranberries halved

Glaze

• 2 C. powdered sugar
• 2-4 Tbsp. milk or pineapple juice
• Sugared Cranberries for garnish optional, see directions in recipe notes

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a bundt pan.
• Combine all cake ingredients in a large bowl (except cranberries). Stir until combined and then add cranberries.
• Pour into prepared bundt pan, spread batter out evenly and bake for 45-60 minutes or until an inserted knife comes out clean. Let cool.
• Glaze: Whisk ingredients together until smooth, if you want a thick glaze add as little milk as possible and pour over cooled Bundt cake! Enjoy!

Notes

Sugared Cranberries:

Combine 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan over heat.  Don’t let boil, just heat until sugar is melted.

Add 1 cup fresh cranberries to sugar water and stir until coated and then take out and place on a cooling rack to let dry/cool for 1 hour.

Toss cranberries in 1/2 cup sugar! 

This quick bread smells just like Christmas! Easy Orange Cranberry Bread is perfectly zesty and sweet. Your family will beg you to make this every holiday season!

Make sure you check out all my Christmas recipes for your holiday baking this year!

Orange Cranberry Bread for Christmas

I love making quick breads for the holidays. They’re called “quick breads” because they don’t use any yeast so there isn’t any rise time which makes them… quicker to make! This Easy Orange Cranberry Bread comes together fast and looks gorgeous after it’s baked. Plus, it cuts like a dream which is always a wonderful plus when serving or giving away slices to family. Make this bread in the morning and people will love coming downstairs to the smell of the bright, happy bread. It’s basically a muffin in a bread pan!

Christmas Bread

I love cranberries. I know not everyone’s love of cranberries is as intense as mine so pairing cranberries with other flavors is always a great idea. The sweetness is a good partner for the tartness. After Thanksgiving and all those heavy flavors all I want is a slice of this cranberry orange bread! The bright, sweet and zesty orange flavor is a great match for the punch of a cranberry. You can always leave your cranberries in halves (like I did) instead of smaller pieces if you want more of a cranberry taste in the bread. Or even add some walnuts for my old sour friends out there! I make this recipe multiple times every December, it tastes and smells heavenly!

Cranberry Orange Quick Bread

Even the batter is just so pretty! I always prefer to use fresh cranberries because they are simple to slice up but you can use frozen cranberries! Just let them thaw and then chop them up! I always line my bread pans with parchment paper. Because when the loaf is baked I can just lift up on the parchment and the bread comes out perfectly! Sometimes I’ll make this in a bundt pan or in mini loaf pans. I just adjust the baking time depending on the thickness of the batter in the pan.

Cranberry Orange Bread for Christmas

I love to line my loaf pans with parchment. Let it hang over a little on the sides and then I spray my favorite baking spray on the sides without parchment. I can just lift the bread out of the pan when it is cooled! It comes out perfectly every time. Oh! Another Pro Tip! I drop a few extra cranberries on top of the batter so that when it bakes up you can still see them. This makes your Easy Orange Cranberry Bread picture perfect every time!

I am a HUGE banana bread fan but when the Christmas season rolls around this cranberry bread is my go-to.

Cranberry Orange Bread Recipe

The orange bread and the red cranberries just look gorgeous together. Can you see the flecks of orange peel in the slices? Dreamy… and tasty. If you want to make the bread sweeter, you can always mix a little fresh orange juice with powdered sugar and drizzle it over the top! Mmm…

In the recipe notes I’ve added an optional Orange Glaze to top the loaf. Add the glaze if you want to make the loaf sweeter and more dessert like. I like omitting a glaze when I plan to wrap up the loaf to give away because I find wrapping glazed breads to be a little messy. Either way, this Easy Orange Cranberry Bread it a HIT and your family will love waking up to the smell of this in the kitchen.

If you’re looking for more quick bread recipes, you’re in luck! I have so many delicious options!

As with all quick-rise breads and muffins you can use a toothpick or a sharp knife to help tell when it’s done baking! Just gently press it into the center of the loaf and if it comes out without any gooey batter on it, it’s done! Let the loaf cool in the pan for 15 or so minutes and then transfer to a wire rack.

A few variations if you want to play with the recipe: You can swap melted butter for oil, add pecans, add a cream cheese swirl, or do a chocolate glaze or chocolate chips in the batter. Personally, I like keeping this bread pretty simple. A slice of this bright and zingy bread is always a great way to start a December day full of wrapping Christmas presents and watching Hallmark movies.

Merry Christmas everyone! Don’t forget to share on facebook and pinterest if you love the recipe, you can also reach out to me on instagram with any recipe questions!

Now that fall and all things apple and pumpkin are over, its all about Christmas flavors!

Common questions

A few notes: The recipe is correct, some people email me worrying I didn’t put any baking soda in the recipe but I promise you it is correct as is! Can I make this into mini loafs? Yes! As with any smaller loaf, you have to be very sensitive to not over baking it. I made these into mini loafs this year (2024) to give out to friends and neighbors and they turned out perfectly! I notice a lot of similar recipes add cinnamon… yes this is true! Cinnamon pairs well with both orange and cranberry which is why cinnamon is sometimes also used in cranberry sauce. It’s simply up to you and your tastebuds!

I always tend to use fresh cranberries with the recipe but frozen will work as well. I tend to buy several bags on cranberries as soon as they hit my grocery store because they sell out before mid December where I am.

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Easy Orange Cranberry Bread

The perfect zesty and sweet quick bread for the holidays! This Orange Cranberry Bread will make your whole house smell like Christmas!

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup sugar
• zest of 3 large oranges
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 Tablespoon orange juice fresh
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup fresh cranberries chopped or halved

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a *loaf pan with parchment or grease it well.
• Combine flour, salt, baking powder and sugar in a bowl. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, whisk together orange zest, buttermilk, oil, eggs, orange juice and vanilla.
• Slowly add the dry ingredients (flour mixture) into the wet ingredients and gently fold together. Just before it's combined, add in cranberries and stir JUST until combined.
• Pour into prepared pan and bake for about an hour, or until an inserted knife comes out clean.

Notes

*loaf pan: I have used this recipe with many sizes from a 9 inch loaf pan to a 8 1/2 (standard) and even two 8 inch loaf pans.  Just adjust the baking time depending on the thickness of the batter in the pan. 

Optional Orange Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar

zest of 1 orange, optional

1-2 Tbsp. fresh orange juice

 

-Slowly add in orange juice to powdered sugar and whisk.  Only add as much juice as needed to get a thick but pourable consistency.  

If you’d like to freeze the bread, wrap it tightly in a few layers of plastic wrap and place in the freezer. It’s a perfect plan for baking ahead for holiday visitors.

How you can make dinner even more delicious and special? Homemade rolls! These delicious Copycat Texas Roadhouse Rolls are perfectly fluffy and amazing with any dinner!

Thanksgiving Dinner Rolls

Thanksgiving is coming! Do you have your menu all ready to go? I have a lot of great Thanksgiving recipes if you need a little inspiration. I know this year is so different celebrating without family or friends that we normally see, so make something fun and different for your Thanksgiving table! Make a fun sparkling drink, an herb butter or a fancy new roll recipe!

Easy Homemade Dinner Rolls

I know making yeast bread’s can be intimidating to novice bakers but all you need is a simple recipe and some yeast that hasn’t been sitting on your shelf for years! I knead a lot of my breads by hand but to keep this recipe really easy I only used my stand mixer with the bread hook attachment.

You can form these Copycat Texas Roadhouse Rolls into knots, spiral rolls, crescents, traditional buns or whatever you want! I did basic squares because I wanted them to look like Texas Roadhouse Rolls. Plus, it’s so easy to make squares if you roll the dough out into a square or rectangle. I like to use my handy-dandy pizza cutter when I cut rolls.

Copycat Texas Roadhouse Rolls

Growing up, we never made homemade rolls. But once I started baking a ton in college I made them for Thanksgiving and we never went back! I make homemade rolls for every holiday dinner and no matter how many I make it is never enough. They’re perfect with jam, butter, sandwiches… yum! Is it Thanksgiving yet?

Want a trick to delicious dinner rolls? Brush them with butter when they come out of the oven! You can even do this about 4 minutes before they’re ready to come out of the oven to help them get that perfect golden brown color.

If you’re looking for another roll recipe, these Potato Rolls are the rolls my own mother begs me to make every holiday!

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Copycat Texas Roadhouse Rolls

These dinner rolls are buttery, soft and perfect with any meal!

Servings 12

Ingredients

• 1 cup whole milk warm
• 2 ½ tsp. Yeast I use 1 packet (active dry yeast)
• ¼ cup honey
• 4 cups flour
• 1 egg room temperature
• 5 Tbsp. melted butter
• 1 tsp. salt

Instructions

• 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

  2. Combine warm milk, yeast and honey and set aside for 5 minutes.

  3. In a stand mixer using the bread hook add flour, egg and melted butter. 

  4. Add yeast mixture and stir.

  5. Add salt and continue to stir.

  6. Knead for 4 minutes in the mixer and then add to an oiled bowl. Cover and let rest for 1 hour. 

  7. Punch down dough and roll out on a floured surface to about 1 inch, then cut into squares.

  8. Cover and let rise for 20 minutes in a warm place.

  9. Place on a greased cookie sheet and bake for 14-16 minutes.