Ari's Menu

Little changes making a big difference.


Caramelized Onion Rosemary Biscuits

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Soft and fluffy whole grain biscuits stuffed with caramelized onions and fresh rosemary.

I remember when I was living with Heather in Moscow, and she made roasted garlic and rosemary bread. It was pretty amazing. So amazing that when I was deciding what type of bread to make for Mother’s Day to go along side my Skinnified Fettucine Alfredo, it was the first thing that came to mind.

Let’s talk about these biscuits, because I really cannot get enough of them. You would expect a 100% whole wheat biscuit to be dense and heavy, right? Well these babies were fluffy while still full of hearty wheat flavor.

Aren’t they pretty with butter? Honestly though, they don’t need any.

I would eat them in a boat. I would eat them with a goat.

I will eat them here or there. I will eat them anywhere! Yes, I just quoted Dr. Seuss. Don’t judge. Okay, but seriously, carmelized onions, sauteed garlic, and fresh rosemary? You can’t go wrong. These biscuits are full of flavor, and taste like the bread basket from a fancy Italian restaurant. My mom was super impressed. She kept calling them professional. Thanks mom! 😉

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Caramelized Onion Rosemary Biscuits

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 4 hours

Yield: 1 dozen

Serving Size: 1 biscuit

Caramelized Onion Rosemary Biscuits

Soft and fluffy whole grain biscuits stuffed with caramelized onions and fresh rosemary.

Ingredients

  • 1 large sweet onion, chopped
  • 2 large cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tbs light whipped butter
  • 1 1/2 cup warm water
  • 3 tsp active dry yeast
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for coating bowl
  • 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
  • 2 cup white whole wheat flour
  • 2 teaspoons sea salt
  • leaves from 2 sprigs rosemary, finely chopped
  • 1 egg white, lightly beaten

Instructions

  1. Sauté onions and minced garlic in the butter over medium heat. Cook until brown and caramelized, about 15 to 20 minutes. Allow to cool for a few minutes.
  2. Pour warm water into a bowl. Sprinkle yeast on top. Add the honey and olive oil. Stir gently with a fork until combined. Set aside.
  3. In a medium bowl, combine flours and salt. Add cooked and cooled onions, rosemary, and water mixture, stirring gently until dough is combined.
  4. Knead in stand mixer using hook attachment (or by hand 15-20 times on a floured surface) until bread sticks together on the hook when lifted.
  5. Spray a separate bowl generously with nonstick spray, then add your ball of dough, turning to coat. Cover with a towel and place in a warm spot for 1 1/2 to 2 hours (I put it outside--it's 105 in Phoenix).
  6. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Divide dough into twelve round biscuits. Place on a baking mat or parchment paper, then cover with a towel and allow to rise for 15 to 20 minutes. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until brown. Brush with beaten egg white halfway through.
https://arismenu.com/caramelized-onion-rosemary-biscuits/

 

Skinnified Sunday: Chicken & Waffles

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Oh, yes I did.

So, I had never even heard of eating chicken and waffles together, until my friend Ryan mentioned it a couple of years ago. I told him that was gross and that I would never ever eat that.

I’m a big fat liar. So as punishment, I washed my mouth out with huge forkfulls of chicken and waffles. Fair enough.

You know what? It really is freaking delicious. Somewhere along the lines of all my hating on the concept, I got intrigued. Kind of like how I developed my love for Justin Beiber. Yes, I love the Beibs. I understand if that makes you want to never come back, but I just can’t deny it! I’m not too worried though, I will keep you here with waffles. Chicken & Waffle.

Have I mentioned how much I lllooooovvvveeee sweet and savory combos? Almost as much as my love for sweet and salty. Sweet and spicy is good too. Basically I have the world’s biggest sweet tooth, and if I could make all my meals taste like dessert, I absolutely would.

And that, my friends, is why I give you these delicious, sweet, crispy on the outside, soft and cake-like on the inside waffles, topped with crispy faux fried chicken, and sweet maple syrup. AZ peeps, you don’t even have to go to LoLo’s!

Waffle recipe adapted from Bon Appetit. The chicken is just my version of “fried” chicken.

Original waffle recipe:

  • 2 cups peeled, 1/2″ cubes red-skinned sweet potatoes
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • 1/4 cup (packed) light brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 teaspoon freshly grated peeled ginger
  • 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  • 6 large egg whites, room temperature
  • Nonstick vegetable oil spray
My Swaps:
  • 1/2 recipe
  • Reduced fat buttermilk and unsweetened vanilla almond milk for whole milk (-fat, -calories)
  • Egg substitute for egg yolks (-fat, -calories, -cholesterol)
  • Sugar free maple syrup for some of the brown sugar (-sugar, -calories)
  • Butter (-fat, -calories, -saturated fat) <–usually I would replace with applesauce or yogurt, but I accidentally just completely missed that part while cooking it, and didn’t realize it until it came time to write up the recipe! Obviously was not super vital to the dish 🙂
  • Whole wheat pastry flour for all purpose (+fiber, +protein)
  • Pumpkin pie spice for ginger, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg (+ease)
  • Added vanilla extract (+yum)
  • 1 (4 pound) chicken, cut into pieces
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour for coating
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 quarts vegetable oil for frying
My Swaps:
  • Chicken breast for whole chicken (-fat, -calories)
  • reduced fat buttermilk + egg whites for buttermilk (-fat, -calories)
  • Crushed cornflakes and panko for flour (+cruch, +yum)
  • vegetable oil (-fat, -calories, -saturated fat) <– 2 quarts?!?!?!

Skinnified Chicken & Waffles

yield 4-6 servings

For the waffles:

  • 1 medium sweet potato, roasted
  • 1/4 cup reduced fat buttermilk
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
  • 1/4 cup egg substitute
  • 1 tbs light brown sugar
  • 1 tbs sugar free maple syrup
  • 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • 3/4 cup + 2 tbs whole wheat pastry flour
  • 1/2 tbs baking powder
  • dash salt
  • 3 large egg whites, room temperature

For the chicken:

  • 3 chicken breasts, approx 8 oz each
  • 1 egg white, beaten
  • 1/4 cup reduced fat buttermilk
  • 1/2 cup crushed cornflake crumbs
  • 1/2 cup whole wheat panko bread crumbs

Directions:

  1. Pierce sweet potato several times with a fork, and roast at 400 degrees for 1 hour.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk egg white and buttermilk (for the chicken) together and set aside.
  3. In a medium bowl, combine cornflake crumbs and panko.
  4. Place a wire cooling rack inside of a large baking sheet. Spray thoroughly with nonstick spray.
  5. Take chicken breasts one at a time through egg white/buttermilk wash, then coat with cornflake/panko combo, then transfer to prepared wire rack.
  6. When sweet potato has finished cooking, reduce oven heat to 375, and bake chicken for 40-45 minutes, until juices run clean.
  7. Meanwhile, peel sweet potato and remove of skin (or eat the skin, because it’s delicious). Transfer skinned sweet potato to a large bowl and beat with a hand mixer for 1-2 minutes.
  8. Beat in milks, eggs substitutebrown sugar, syrup, and pumpkin pie spice. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt, then beat dry ingredients into wet.
  9. In a medium bowl (yes, I was using pretty much every single mixing bowl in my house for this one), beat room temperature egg whites until stiff peaks form. You will need your beater/mixer on the highest setting, and it takes longer than you think.
  10. Fold in half of beaten egg whites to waffle batter. Then slowly fold in remaining half in two batches until just combined.
  11. Let the batter sit until the chicken is almost ready to come out of the oven. Then transfer batter in increments (depending on the size of your waffle iron–I generally use 1/2-2/3 cup per waffle) onto sprayed waffle iron. Cooking time will depend on the iron. Mine has a little light that goes off when they’re cooked.
  12. Transfer waffle to serving plate, top with 1/2 cooked chicken breast, and add light butter and syrup if desired.

Orange Creamsicle Cupcakes

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Perhaps you are lucky to live somewhere that it has not yet reached 100 degree temperatures. If so, talk to me in December 😉

Because it is already nearing oppressively hot here in Phoenix, I figured it’s only a matter of time before I stock up on sugar free creamsicles and start eating about 10 a day. That’s not a joke. Lisa, how much do we love sugar free popsicles? Well, these may have more than the 20 calories that sugar free creamsicles contain (wouldn’t it be awesome if the didn’t!!), but they are ridiculously delicious, and that’s more important, right? 😉

I love when cupcakes get that perfect dome top. It makes me so happy! Ahhh, the little things.

I was surprised at how perfectly the orange and cream flavors of one of my favorite frozen treats translated into a cupcake. I am a total ice cream person, but I might even dare to say I like the cupcake version better!

To view the recipe head on over to the AZ Bloggers Network!! If you haven’t checked it out yet, we are so lucky to have an incredible group of female bloggers here in Arizona, and my lovely friends Nicole and Emily, have put a ton of work into creating a network where we can all communicate and collaborate together!

Spaghetti & Spinach Avocado “Pesto”

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I used to be a really picky eater. Okay, who am I kidding…I am a really picky eater, but now I’m picky differently. I actually do like almost everything, but there was a time where anything green was immediately vetoed.

These days, I see green things and I think GET IN MY BELLY!! Seriously. I freaking love vegetables. It’s kind of ridiculous. Sometimes Steve calls me a rabbit because I eat so many veggies. There are worse things to love, right?

I actually didn’t intend for this to be a pesto. The original recipe didn’t call it a pesto, but I was surprised that, at least in my weird-o taste buds, it tasted just like delicious, oily, cheesy pesto sauce!

You guys, I freaking love pesto sauce. I also used to think it was healthy. Because it was green and not alfredo sauce. But let’s be real friends, the main ingredient is olive oil. And yes, olive oil is good in moderation, but when you like your noodles like me–sauce with a side of pasta, it adds up real quick.

So I was happy and surprised when this dish tasted just like a creamy pesto sauce! I made it for Steve, my mom, Hank and Charlie, and everyone was a huge fun!

Spaghetti & Spinach Avocado “Pesto”

yield 5 servings

adapted from Perry’s Plate’s Creamy Spinach Avocado Pasta

  • 10 oz box whole grain spaghetti (whole wheat, brown rice, quinoa, etc.)
  • 1/2 tbs light whipped butter
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 6-8 oz baby spinach
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/3 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
  • 1 avocado, peeled, pitted, and cubed
  • 1 tbs dried rosemary
  • 1 oz bleu cheese
  • 2 tbs freshly grated parmesan cheese

Directions:

  1. Cook pasta according to package instructions. When it’s finished, drain, setting aside 1 cup starchy cooking liquid. Set pasta and reserved liquid aside.
  2. In a large, high rimmed saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add garlic and cook for about 1-2 minutes.
  3. Add salt, pepper, and spinach to the saucepan. Cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook 4-5 minutes or until the spinach is completely wilted.
  4. Transfer spinach and garlic to a medium mixing bowl. Add yogurt, avocado, dried rosemary, and 1/2 cup reserved pasta water. Stir lightly, then blend using an immersion blender (or transfer to full blender or food processor).
  5. Transfer sauce back to pan, and stir in cheeses. If sauce is too thick, add extra pasta water until is reaches your desired consistency.
  6. Add cooked pasta and toss thoroughly to combine. Serve and top with extra parmesan if desired.

Skinnified Sunday: Birthday Cake Donuts

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Okay, first of all I’m not sure if I’m supposed to spell it ‘doughnut’ or ‘donut’.

Donut has less letters, but doughnut sounds kind of fancy.

And I ask you this: How can there be two correct spellings of the same word???? My type A brain can’t handle it.

Anyway, I made do(ugh)nuts! Fancy, sprinkly, festive, birthday cake do(ugh)nuts!

Yes, sprinkly is a word. It’s a synonym for fancy.

I found a super easy, and already light-ish recipe for cake doughnuts from All Recipes that I only had to slightly modify to get a pretty darn healthy, delicious, and festive looking do(ugh)nut.

My Swaps:

  • ½ recipe (-temptation, the last thing I need is a dozen donuts sitting around)
  • white whole wheat flour for all-purpose (+protein, +fiber)
  • turbinado sugar/Splenda combo for white sugar (-sugar, -calories, and using all natural turbinado sugar makes me feel a little better about the Splenda—it’s all about balance, right?)
  • all cinnamon for cinnamon and nutmeg (personal preference)
  • unsweetened vanilla almond milk for regular (-fat, -calories, -sugar)
  • egg substitute for whole egg (-fat, -saturated fat, -calories, -cholesterol)
  • extra vanilla (I just really like it)
  • light whipped butter for shortening (-fat, -saturated fat, -trans fat, -calories)

Birthday Cake Donuts

Yield 6 donuts

Yes, I like it spelled donuts. 😉

  • 1 cup white whole wheat flour
  • ¼ cup + 2 tbsp turbinado sugar
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • pinch cinnamon
  • dash salt
  • ¼ cup + 2 tbs unsweetened vanilla almond milk
  • ¼ cup egg substitute
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • ½ tbs light whipped butter, softened

For the glaze:

  • ½ cup powdered sugar
  • dash almond extract
  • 1-2 tbs hot water
  • sprinkles for topping (optional)

**Note: If you are in the anti Splenda club, just user all turbinado sugar. We don’t need to get hateful about it 😉

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 325. Spray a donut pan with nonstick spray, and set aside.
  2. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, sugar, Splenda and cinnamon.
  3. Using a hand mixer, beat in all remaining ngredients (excluding those for the glaze) until just combined.
  4. Transfer batter to a plastic freezer bag, and cut a small hole in the corner.
  5. Evenly divide batter between 6 donut forms.
  6. Bake for 8-10 minutes, then let stand for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
  7. Meanwhile, in a small-medium mixing bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, almond extract and 1 tbs hot water. Slowly continue to add more water (and I mean very slowly. A little bit of liquid goes a long way with powdered sugar) until desired drippy consistency.
  8. Dip tops of donuts into the glaze, then let stand on a flat surface. Top with sprinkles if desired.

Cinnamon Chip Granola Cookies

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I love chips. Chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, kale chips, you name it. It’s kind of like my love affair with all things named ______ butter (peanut, cookie, fig, apple…). Cinnamon chips are hard to find, so if you happen to catch them, I suggest stocking up, because they are ridiculously delicious. Way back around Christmastime, Nicole made some pretty awesome cinnamon chip cookies, and ever since I’ve been thinking about my own cinnamon chips burning a hole in my pantry.

Cinnamon chips and granola. Does that make you as excited as it makes me???

It kind of made me skip around the kitchen, patting myself on the back, declaring myself a genius, and certain I need to start getting patents for all my great ideas. Don’t burst my bubble, okay? It’s my blog, so let’s just all agree to pretend I’m brilliant. I don’t take rejection well. It’s bad for my self esteem.

Thanks for sticking with me through that. You guys are awesome.

That’s why I made you this present.

From me to you.

Except I may have eaten them all.

At least I wrapped them up first, right?

I couldn’t help it. They outsides were crunchy, and so was the granola, and the insides were gooey with melty cinnamon chips. Can you blame me for eating an entire batch of cookies??? Okay, this guy helped. You have to feed your photographer right? Anyway, you should make some. You don’t have to tie your own cookies in a bow, and you can eat them all yourself and refuse to feel guilty about it, just like me.

Cinnamon Chip Granola Cookies

yield 15 cookies

  • 1/4 cup apple butter
  • 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1 egg white
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp almond extract
  • dash salt
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • pinch cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup white whole wheat flour
  • 1/4 cup rolled oats
  • 1/2 cup granola of choice (I used this one, and it is ridiculously good)
  • 1/4 cup cinnamon chips

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 375. Lightly spray a large cookie sheet with nonstick spray, and set aside.
  2. In a medium bowl, beat apple butter, brown sugar and Splenda together until combined. Beat in egg substitute, vanilla and almond.
  3. Add cinnamon, baking soda and salt, and beat until combined. Beat in flour.
  4. Fold in oats, followed by cinnamon chips and granola.
  5. Use a cookie scoop or spoon to portion out tablespoon sized cookie dough balls on prepared baking sheet. Flatten slightly with greased parchment paper.
  6. Bake for 9-11 minutes, turning half way through to ensure even cooking.
  7. Let stand for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

**Note: I made the glaze for fun. The cookies are equally delicious without it, but if you’re sitting there thinking “I WANT THAT GLAZE ON MY COOKIES!!!” I took about 1/2 cup of powdered sugar, 2 tbs hot water and a dash of almond extract and just mixed it together 😉

 

 

Black & White Peanut Butter Chip Brownies

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In case you missed it, which would be super sad for you, Monday was my BBFF Nicole’s birthday! To celebrate, I made her brownies!

Now, I’ll be honest. I don’t usually make brownies from scratch. I usually let TJ’s Reduced Guilt Brownie Mix or No Pudge Brownie Mix do the work for me, because they are both delicious and easy. However, there was no way I was going to use a box mix for Nicole’s birthday. Have you read her blog??? She’s like a real chef. In fact every single time I cook for her, or she eats something I make, I get suuuuuuper nervous.

Luckily, these turned out much better than the gnocchi incident of 2012. In fact, they came out ridiculously good.

And now I have a huge problem on my hands…

All I can think about is brownies!!

Brownies, brownies, brownies, brownies, bbbrrrooowwwwnnniiieeesss!!!

Rich, sweet, gooey and chocolatey with peanut butter chips perfectly complementing the white and dark chocolate.

Or in other words YUM!

Black & White Peanut Butter Chip Brownies

yield 36 brownies

For the white layer:

  • 2/3 cups white whole wheat flour
  • 5.5 ounces Sunspire white chocolate chips
  • 2 tbs light whipped butter
  • 6 tbs nonfat vanilla yogurt
  • 1/3 cup turbinado sugar
  • 1/3 cup Splenda
  • 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup + 2 tbs egg substitute
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup Sunspire peanut butter chips

For the black layer:

  • 2/3 cups white whole wheat flour
  • 5.5 ounces Sunspire grain sweetened chocolate chips
  • 2 tbs light whipped butter
  • 6 tbs nonfat vanilla yogurt
  • 1/2 cup turbinado sugar
  • 1/3 cup Splenda
  • 1/2 cup + 2 tbs egg substitute
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup Sunspire peanut butter chips

For the White Chocolate Glaze:

  • 10 oz bag Sunspire white chocolate chips
  • 1/2 tbs light whipped butter
  • 3 tbs unsweetened almond milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • sprinkles for topping (optional)

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the sides and bottom of a 9×13 glass baking pan. Line the pan with parchment paper.
  2. Start with the white layer.
  3. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour and salt together.
  4. Put the white chocolate and butter in a large bowl and set it over a saucepan of simmering water (or a double broiler), stirring occasionally, until the chocolate and butter are completely melted and smooth. Turn off the heat, but keep the bowl over the water and add sugars, Splenda and yogurt. Whisk until completely combined, then remove the bowl from the pan.
  5. Add eggs substitute and vanilla to the white chocolate mixture and whisk until combined. Do not over mix.
  6. Gently fold in flour mixture followed by peanut butter chips. Batter will not be completely smooth. Tiny flour clumps will bake out.
  7. Pour into prepared baking pan.
  8. Repeat steps 3-6 with black layer.
  9. Pour black layer on top of white. Use a butter knife to gently swirl.
  10. Bake for 40-50 minutes, turning once in between to ensure even cooking.
  11. Let stand for 10 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely (this is where the parchment paper comes in handy!)
  12. Make glaze by microwaving white chocolate and butter together in a medium bowl on 20 second intervals, stirring after each, until melted.
  13. Add vanilla and milk and stir until combined.
  14. Spread over completely cooled brownies, top with sprinkles if desired and allow to cool for approx 1 hour.

Skinnified Sunday: Monster Cookies

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I have always been a sucker for monster cookies. There are so many ways to make them, but the basic concept includes peanut butter, chocolate chips, M&Ms, and oats. How could you go wrong with those ingredients?! Seriously. I had some at a friend’s birthday and have been dying to make my own ever since. When I noticed that Sunspire had their own version of M&M’s, I bought them immediately knowing monster cookies were on the horizon!

I found the original recipe from Taste of Home

My swaps:

  • ¼ cup Better’n Peanut Butter for half the peanut butter (-fat, -calories)
  • TJ’s Honey Apple Butter for butter (-fat, -calories, -saturated fat, -cholesterol)
  • Splenda* for some of the sugar (-sugar, -calories)
  • Egg substitute for whole eggs (-fat, -cholesterol, -calories)
  • Rolled oats for quick cooking (just what I buy)
  • Sunspire Sun Drops for M&M’s (-sugar, -calories)
  • Sunspire grain sweetened chocolate & peanut butter chips for butterscotch chips (-sugar, -calories)
  • No peanuts (-fat, -calories, and I don’t like nuts in cookies)
  • White whole wheat flour for all-purpose (+fiber, +protein)
  • Extra cinnamon & vanilla (+yum)

*Some people feel really strongly about Splenda. You can easily use all sugar real sugar, I just prefer to cut some of the calories.

I was a little nervous about swapping in the Better’n Peanut Butter, but I was amazed at how well it worked!! That stuff is okay on its own, but it doesn’t compare to the real stuff. In baking, however, I would have never even known there was anything different!

PS, what is the difference between Better’n Peanut Butter and PB2? Does anyone know? All the popular bloggers use PB2, but I couldn’t find it 🙁 And obviously, if all the cool kids are doing it, I don’t want to be the lame one using the wrong peanut butter substitute. Clearly, I have really grown up and no longer use junior high mentality 😉

Okay, but back to the cookies…ummmm…they were gone in one day. Actually like 6 hours.

Whoops.

I think Jason may have eaten 4 in one sitting. Don’t judge him. They were really that delicious. And they’re “healthy” so that means you can eat the whole batch, right?

Skinnified Monster Cookies

Yield 2 ½-3 dozen cookies

  • 1/4 cup PB & Co White Chocolate Wonderful (you can use regular PB, but this is just my favorite!)
  • ¼ cup Better N Peanut Butter
  • ¼ cup honey apple butter
  • ¼ cup packed brown sugar
  • ¼ cup turbinado sugar
  • ½ cup Splenda
  • ¼ cup + 2 tbs egg substitute
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 cups rolled oats
  • ½ cup Sunspire Sun Drops
  • ¼ cup grain sweetened chocolate chips
  • ¼ cup Sunspire peanut butter chips
  • ½ tsp cinnamon
  • 1 cup white whole wheat flour

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325. Spray a large cookie sheet with nonstick spray.
2. In a large bowl, cream peanut butter, Better N Peanut Butter, apple butter, and sugars. Add egg substitute, then baking soda and vanilla.
3.  Add oats, M&M’s, butterscotch chips and peanuts; let stand for 10 minutes.
4.  Stir in flour.
5. Use a medium cookie scoop  cookie dough onto the baking sheet, then use a sprayed piece of wax paper to flatten slightly.
6. Bake for 15-18 minutes until edges are golden. Let stand for 5 minutes on baking sheet, then transfer to wire rack to cook completely.

I love my cookie scoop. Just saying.

Vanilla Bean Cookie Butter Cup Cupcakes

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I have a serious problem.

How do you live with a fridge full of this and not eat every last one?? Seriously.

Well, I guess the fact that they were made for someone else is pretty good for the whole self control thing. I canNOT make cupcakes like this that are just for me. I will eat a dozen in about 2 days hours minutes.

Remember when I made these and said they part one of a special baking project?? Well, I made vanilla bean cupcake batter, swirled in some cookie butter, then pressed one into the center before baking.

I thought they would bake much faster than normal cupcakes, or that the cookie butter cup would just melt right into the cupcake, but they baked for a normal amount of time (18 minutes) and came out looking perfect!

Then I made a Cookie Butter Cream Cheese Frosting and things got REAL over here.

Because what good is a cupcake picture if you don’t cut it in half and show off all the gooey insides?!

Also can we check out all those vanilla bean specs?! In the cupcake and the frosting. Can’t. Get. Enough.

These weren’t completely cooled, so everything just came right out. I love that. If you don’t, just make sure you cool them in the fridge first. But seriously, if you don’t like warm, oozey chocolate, who are you and why are you even reading this blog?!

Just kidding, please keep reading. I can overlook your weird textural preferences. Maybe…

Drrrrooooool.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY STEVE!!!! I couldn’t have picked a better occasion to make probably the best cupcake I have ever created. Obviously, you inspire me 🙂

Vanilla Bean Cookie Butter Cup Cupcakes

yield 15

  • 1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour (or all purpose)
  • 1/2 tbs baking powder
  • dash salt
  • 1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce (or butter)
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 3/4 cup reduced fat buttermilk
  • 1/2 tbs vanilla extract
  • 2-3 tbs TJ’s Cookie Butter (or Biscoff spread), melted
  • 15 Salted Chocolate Cookie Butter Cups, frozen

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350. Line cupcake pans with paper liners. Spray lightly with nonstick spray, then set aside.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
  3. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or you can use a hand mixer if you don’t have a stand one), add applesauce and sugar. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean and beat on medium speed.
  4. Beat in eggs one at a time.
  5. In a glass measuring cup (or separate bowl) combine buttermilk and vanilla extract.
  6. With mixer on low speed, alternately add flour and buttermilk mixtures, starting and ending with dry ingredients.
  7. Beat until just incorporated, scraping down sides of the bowl when necessary.
  8. Fill 15 cupcake liners 2/3 of the way full. I used a medium sized cookie scoop and it took 1 1/2 scoops per cupcake.
  9. Drizzle in a small amount of cookie butter into each cupcake, and swirl lightly with a toothpick.
  10. Press one Salted Chocolate Cookie Butter Cup into each cupcake.
  11. Bake for 17-19 minutes. (I always turn mine around halfway through to keep even cooking)
  12. Let stand for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
  13. Top with Vanilla Bean Cookie Butter Cream Cheese Frosting.

Vanilla Bean Cookie Butter Cream Cheese Frosting

yield enough for 20 cupcakes

  • 16 oz reduced fat cream cheese, softened
  • 1 cup TJ’s Cookie Butter
  • 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
  • 3 cups powdered sugar

Directions:

  1. Place cream cheese and cookie butter in a large bowl. Scrape in vanilla bean seeds and beat together for 1 minute.
  2. Slowly beat in powdered sugar, scraping down sides of bowl when necessary.
  3. Frost immediately, or chill in refrigerator.

 

Peanut Butter & Jelly Cookies

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You guys. You don’t even understand. I think this might be my favorite thing I have ever made. Ever. I would rather eat 1 of these than 10 full fat Paradise Bakery cookies. I took one bite and between the perfectly crunchy outside, softy doughy inside, and warm sweet jelly, I was pretty much in cookie heaven. I think this honey apple butter is pretty much the best butter substitute I have ever used. Thanks Carolyn!

I also made these start to finish in about half an hour. They were so easy. It was one of those rare baking times where everything just turns out the way you want it. Happy birthday to me!

Adapted from Pip & Ebby

Peanut Butter & Jelly Cookies

yield approx 16 cookies

  • 1/4 cup apple butter
  • 1/2 cup peanut butter
  • 1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp turbinado sugar
  • 1 1/2 tbs unsweetened vanilla almond milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • dash salt
  • 3/4 cups white whole wheat flour
  • approx 8 tbsp jelly/jam of choice (I used reduced sugar grape, no sugar added blackberry, and fig butter and I loved all 3)
  • 2-3 tbs whole wheat graham cracker crumbs

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 375.
  2. In a medium bowl, beat apple butter, peanut butter, sugars, almond milk and vanilla.
  3. Beat in baking soda and salt. Beat in flour until combined.
  4. Use a cookie scoop or sprayed tablespoon to drop cookies onto a large baking sheet.
  5. Using your thumb, press down into the center of each cookie dough ball. Fill each center with jelly of choice. Sprinkle all cookies with graham cracker crumbs
  6. Bake for 10 minutes. Let stand for 2 minutes, then transfer to wire rack.

 

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