Soft Cocoa Sugar Cookies

I'm on a soft cookie binge and these cocoa cookies definitely hit the spot. They are tender and soft, with a lovely sugar coating and have a perfect cocoa flavor that's not too chocolatey. Dave really liked these because the chocolate wasn't overpowering and they still had the best parts of a soft sugar cookie. And the sugar coating on the outside gives a nice crunch to house all the soft cookie goodness.

Peanut Butter Nougat Brownies

We are buried. For real we've gotten about 7 feet of snow in 3ish weeks and I keep finding myself stuck in the house. Even when I can go out, I'm kind of afraid because the snow banks are so tall it's a hazard to go to an intersection. Unless I'm in Dave's bright orange Jeep. But being stuck in the house means I have to occupy my time, so I might as well bake. Sigh. As a result I ended up with these delicious brownies with a layer of peanut butter marshmallow nougat through the center and I swooned. The brownies are a cross between fudgy and cakey, with a perfect chocolate flavor. And the peanut butter filling  shows up in every bite, so it's almost like the brownie equivalent of a Reese's cup. Which is to say these brownies are amazing.

Funfetti Waffles

I wanted waffles and I wanted sprinkles. When such spirit overtakes you, the only thing left to do is figure out how to make a funfetti waffle and enjoy breakfast. Part of me was sad I didn't have any whipped cream to top these waffles, but that was fleeting since these fluffy breakfast treats definitely came through with cake batter flavor and pretty rainbow sprinkles throughout. A few simple adjustments to a basic waffle recipe and you've got a perfect celebratory breakfast. Yay!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Bread

So it's the day before Valentine's Day and you'd think I'd be posting something red velvet like most everyone else. But the thing is, I know the way to Dave's heart isn't paved with red velvet. It's paved with peanut butter and chocolate. So the only thing I could think of was to make him something to show him I love him and give him the chocolate and peanut butter he deserves. And for some reason, I can make pretty decadent breads that are usually consumed for breakfast and he doesn't complain about me trying to sneak dessert into breakfast. I call it Dave Logic. But, Dave Logic aside, this break is delicious and you really can (and will want to) snack on it any time of day. Tender chocolatey bread with lots of peanut butter flavor, and I think it's rather pretty. I love that the bread isn't just chocolate or peanut butter, but really has both flavors in the batter. And then it's speckled with chocolate chips and peanut butter chips, not to mention a healthy dose of chopped peanuts on top. Yes, this is perfect of the chocolate peanut butter feign in your life.

Crock Pot Pork Tenderloin

We ate all the pretty pieces of this before I remembered to take a photo on the plate. But trust me when I say it was worth the sacrifice. We eat pork tenderloin fairly regularly and this is another super simple recipe for the versatile protein. This crock pot version combines just a few ingredients for a sauce that offers a lot of flavor. And you can probably pull this together in under 5 minutes before work on morning and come home to a delicious dinner that definitely taste like more than a 5 minute time investment. All of the ingredients are pantry staples, so you'll be able to make this a last minute addition to your meal plan without any issues and end up with a tender, juicy pork tenderloin begging to be paired with mashed potatoes and steamed veggies.

Soft Batch Cake Batter Cookies

Our friends Felise and Nick have a little boy, Theo, who celebrated his first birthday last month. And since every little kid deserves some birthday baking, I couldn't resist bringing these celebratory cookies along. I mean, seriously, they taste like cake and have sprinkles. They are a birthday cookie for sure. But on top of all that, they are soft and chewy. A particularly delicious cookie as far as I'm concerned. This was a fortuitous recipe since I found it from my blog assignment from Secret Recipe Club.

Crock Pot Coffee Cake

Having a baby means sometimes you wake up at 4 am. Since I used to wake up for the day at 5 am, after I've fed, changed and rocked Logan back to sleep, there's a good chance I'm up for the day (only to crash in a nap at 10 am, but that's neither here nor there). So if I'm going to be awake, I'd like to be productive and though making breakfast would be beneficial. It's been quite a while since I made banana bread in a crock pot and I've been toying with the idea of cake in the crock pot for a while. It's just so wild. So I got up one morning, quickly got a batter and struesel topping together and put this is the crock pot. By the time normal people wake up, it was ready and a nice treat for breakfast. The cake is tender, not soggy, sweet and perfectly adorned with struesel. The edges get a nice edge, but can easily get crusty so don't cook too long!

Marbled Brownies

Sometimes I have a dessert crisis. When faced with both, do I choose the blondie or the brownie? The chocoholic in me says the brownie, but the blondies usually have chocolate chips and a different type of sweetness. Fudgy or chewy? Sweet or decadent? So why not combine the two? A fudgy brownie with a swirl of blondies throughout. Not only are they beautiful with a pretty blondie design, they are delicious. I couldn't get over how well they turned out--rich and tasty and perfect just as is, but also fantastic with a scoop of ice cream.

Banana Cranberry Bread

My Dad came to visit Logan last month. He really enjoys my banana breads and is up for anything with cranberries in it. So I decided to make this Banana Cranberry Bread while he was here. It was perfect timing--he could enjoy the bread and give Logan the attention he inevitably decides he needs as soon as I pull out any ingredients. (That little boy doesn't yet understand that it's a good thing when Mommy is busy in the kitchen.) Besides the fact that this banana bread required only 2 bowls, a whisk and a spatula to make, I had all the ingredients in the pantry and thought the combination of banana and cranberry would be super tasty, even though I'd never paired the two flavors before. It's definitely a winner and I think I'll be making this again. The cranberries offer a tartness to the sweet banana and the baking spice offers just a touch of comfort to bring it all together in a tender bread.