baking and breads

Grandma’s Peach and Blackberry Cobbler

Fresh fruit flavors are the star in this decadent but oh so easy peach and blackberry cobbler recipe that calls for a spoonful straight from the pan.

You can have your cake, you can keep your candies. Because my #1 choice for dessert will always fall in the crumble or cobbler category, and when fall rolls around there’s not much I crave more than my grandma’s peach and blackberry cobbler. Unless it’s my go to crumble, that is.

While I’m attributing this decadent but oh-so-easy dessert to the archives of my dear old Grandma Mary Jane, the recipe card my mom took a photo of with her iPad and sent to me when I couldn’t remember the exact proportions (oh my, what would Grandma have thought of that!) is actually named Essie’s Peach and Blackberry Cobbler.

But who’s Essie?

With grandma no longer here, and my mom out of the country as I write this post, I’m guessing Essie is a dearly departed aunt/cousin/really good baker.

Doesn’t the name Essie conjure up images of the sweetest, white haired, comfortable-shoe-wearing great aunt pulling wonderful smelling delights from the oven? Can one of my smartie pants aunts please weigh in here please?

Since I can’t be sure, and since Grandma always made this anyway, the kudos are going to go to her. And to my mom. Because she’s a grandma now, and she makes it too, thereby I declare it shall now be called Grandma’s Peach Cobbler.

While my grandma always made this with Brigham City peaches picked just a half hour from home (or when I was really little straight from the backyard orchard my grandpa obsessed over every harvest), I couldn’t leave it straight up simple so I added to the bevy of baking with the addition of blackberries as big as my thumb.

I’m serious. These things could have passed for beehives! Now wouldn’t that become a succulent honey? Blackberry honey. Something to ponder.

While this easy blackberry cobbler recipe is always good as a dessert later in the day, my favorite way to eat it is straight up from the oven, just cool enough not to turn the top of my mouth into tar paper but still piping warm for maximum flavor melds.

Mind you, I’m not talking about dessert here either. Let’s talk about eating this for breakfast as any good cobbler or crumble should be assigned to.continue to the recipe… about Grandma’s Peach and Blackberry Cobbler

Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread

This double chocolate zucchini bread is the best of both worlds: healthy thanks to zucchini and a true chocolate craving cure with a double dose of cocoa and chocolate chips.

Ah September, the most bountiful month of the year, you are my favorite one of all.

I literally can’t even think of going into my neighborhood grocery or taking a stroll though the local farmers market without being stopped in my tracks by the fruits of summer’s labor. And I mean literally stopped because there’s no way I’m going to pass up samples of fresh local peaches and perfectly ripe, juicy watermelon. It makes enduring August’s inevitable round of late summer heat waves totally bearable.

Of course you know fruit isn’t the only seasonal bounty out there come harvest time. How dare we even think of leaving out the veggies in our seasonal haul. And if you’re a home gardener, you’re very likely up to your earlobes in everyone’s favorite grow at home varietal: the mighty zucchini.

One of the most obvious recipes that puts zucchini to work is everyone’s favorite: zucchini bread. And as will happen with classics like this, everyone has their favorite. I did too. Until I tried this one, and now I am not ashamed to say, I’ve totally jumped ship. Sorry mom, your recipe is no longer the favorite child. (Even though I know I still am.)

I can’t take credit for this double chocolate zucchini bread recipe because a far more talented baker created it well before blogs were even a twinkle in the world wide web’s eye. Before blogging (thank you www.com) Letty of Letty’s Kitchen was the Executive Pastry Chef at Deer Valley Resort for more than 30 years.

If you’ve yet to visit Deer Valley, you are missing out on some of the most amazing desserts you’ll ever taste. And most of those are desserts Letty created or had a hand in (and a spoon, and a whisk and probably a whole lot of finger that she licked) and were published in the cookbook The Chocolate Snowball: and Other Fabulous Pastries from Deer Valley Bakery featuring some of Letty’s and Deer Valley’s signature sweet eats.

I’ve been a huge fan of Letty’s skills for years and so of course I had to buy her cookbook, and I haven’t stopped baking from it since the day Amazon dropped it on my doorstep. Because these recipes were created for a ski resort, each one has high altitude adaptations for home cooks like me.

continue to the recipe… about Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread

Blueberry Buckle Recipe With Lemon Glaze

This award-winning blueberry buckle recipe is studded with sweet, juicy blueberries and topped with a crumbly streusel and lemon glaze for a sweet breakfast or dessert.

You could say I never got my thrill on blueberry hill. Unless it was baked in a decadent blueberry muffin or my favorite blueberry quick bread.

I’m okay with admitting that fresh blueberries have never been a favorite of mine. They were always the loose marbles of the fruit salad that I would pick around in favor of fresh strawberries, chunks of cantaloupe, and definitely give me all of the pineapple.

Times have changed.

The nutritional values that blueberries possess were drilled into my head back when my job was designing health food magazines. Every issue had an article or blurb about their merits as a driving force in lowering blood cancer, fighting off the elements due to their antioxidant powers and strengthening bones to keep osteoporosis at bay.

Now, I can call myself a lover of the fresh, sweet, juicy blueberry. But I’ll forever be a fan of a good dessert (or breakfast?) treat with blueberries baked right in.

continue to the recipe… about Blueberry Buckle Recipe With Lemon Glaze

The Berry Best Four Berry Pie Recipe

This mixed berry pie is made with four kinds of berries and a buttery homemade pie crust. It’s the ultimate summer pie recipe!

If you live in the great state of Utah, you know that today, the 24th of July, carries nearly the same celebratory weight as the king of patriot days, July 4th. It’s the day Utahns celebrate statehood with parades, fireworks and a nod to the pioneers who walked thousands of miles until they stopped in our little valley and declared, “This is the place!”

Happy Pioneer Day! Or as us heathens who prefer to center all holidays around food prefer to call it, Happy Pie & Beer Day!

I’ll take a slice and a swill of both, please.

After posting my round up of 20 Classic Summer Pies to Love, I got the pie bug. I had the homemade pie fever. I had the lust to bake. So I set myself to task. I armed myself with a summertime selection of fresh berries: strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and blueberries.

Then I turned to my favorite pie crust recipe, which I have come to realize is nearly as soft, sweet and supple as sugar cookie dough. Cookie as a crust? Not officially, but it strikes a resemblance.

There may have been a little inspiration for the cutaway crust thanks to the cover of this magazine. They used a cookie cutter. I used a big mouth straw, and ate the little roundie cutouts as I went.

A double crust pie loaded with fresh berries is nearly as patriotic as parades, firecrackers, and a side of beer with your pie.

continue to the recipe…

Confetti Cake With Buttercream Frosting

This homemade version of confetti cake has one of the tenderest crumbs I’ve ever tasted, but the buttercream frosting with colorful sprinkles takes it over the top.

Perusing through Shelly Jaronsky’s blog Cookies and Cups is like touring Willy Wonka’s magical Chocolate Factory. It’s full of tantalizing sweets and treats that are a feast for any sugar-lover’s eye—and palate.

It’s especially a goldmine for all of you self-proclaimed cookie monsters out there, with so many cookie recipes your sweet tooth won’t know what hit it.

Shelly knows her desserts and is a woman after our own hearts.

Shelly recently released her first book, The Cookies & Cups Cookbook: 125+ Sweet & Savory Recipes Reminding You to Always Eat Dessert First, and we’re elated to have a copy to pillage when our sugar bug strikes.

Today we’re sharing Shelly’s recipe for Confetti Cake, a recipe that has been made no less than four times by my 12-year-old daughter. It’s already become her signature baked good and once you make it, I’m betting it will become part of your go-to arsenal too.continue to the recipe… about Confetti Cake With Buttercream Frosting

Blueberry Oatmeal Quick Bread

This incredibly easy blueberry bread gets an added dose of healthy with the addition of Greek yogurt and oats, making it an even better option than banana bread or blueberry muffins.

This quick bread recipe is a favorite I originally shared back in 2013. Lately I’ve been making it over and over again—it’s that perfect food gift for welcoming the new baby (hello, baby Max!) or saying hello to new neighbors. So while I was at it, I took new photos to share again here.

This oatmeal blueberry bread recipe came about after standing at the kitchen counter one day with a half dozen super ripe bananas, swatting my husband’s headed-to-the-garbage-can-hands in an attempt to quell their discarded fate.

I knew by the super sweet smell and the mooshy touch—not to mention Smudge’s squinched up expression each time she passed them by thanks to their rather unattractive state—that I’d be lucky to squeeze even one more day in before my opportunity to make banana bread would be gone. And just like that, it was.

That’s when blueberries came to my quick bread rescue, for a quick bread worthy of any breakfast, brunch, or treat.continue to the recipe… about Blueberry Oatmeal Quick Bread

Milk Bar’s Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies

These soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies by Christina Tosi are the fastest homemade cookie recipe I’ve ever made, and they come together in just one bowl, no mixer required. The hit of flaky sea salt really sends them over the top.

Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies

Because it’s Monday. That’s why.

Mondays call for a stiff cup of coffee in the morning and possibly a martini with three olives to cap off the night. But homemade chocolate chip cookies — they’re in order no matter what time of the day.

Last Friday was the official chocolate chip day of the year. But since my sugar rolodex was on hiatus, I missed it. Ironically, I had this chocolate chip cookie recipe ready to rock and roll for today.

I may be a day or two late, but this cookie is FAR from a dollar short. Make that a chocolate chip short. Hardly. Because this baby is PACKED with chips. In fact, the amount of dough pretty much comes secondary to the number of chips, making for an extra rich, soft, chewy chocolate chip cookie with crispy edges.

All I did was add a sprinkle of flaky salt and I have a new favorite.continue to the recipe… about Milk Bar’s Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

This chocolate chip banana bread is made sans oil and instead uses Greek yogurt to add moisture. This is easily the best banana bread recipe I’ve ever made!

When she speaks, I listen. And when her friends speak, I listen louder.

Yes, I meant to say that. Louder. Because actions are louder than words and when they eat every morsel, every crumb, I know we have a winner.

Smudge is becoming a big help in the kitchen. I find myself stopping in my tracks to watch her flit from counter to cupboard, completely unaware of anything going on around her as she sings softly under her breath to the tune that never seems to end in her head. For good measure she’ll give a twirl, an elegant flick of her wrist then cock her elbow, throw her hand behind her head and rock a pumping sprinkler dance.

And then we return to the never-ending song in her head.

Recently a friend of hers came over for a playdate. What did they want to do? Bake banana bread. Well alright then, let’s do it. And we did. And they ate. And I listened when her friend declared this recipe was, “the best banana bread I’ve ever eaten.”

Umm, yeah. Perhaps because it tastes like a giant slice of banana bread chocolate chip heaven?

Hey, I’m just here to listen.

I’ve experimented with plenty of banana bread recipes, including the recipe I used in 7th grade that called for vegetable oil as the main moistening ingredient, resulting in a greasy crumb that deflated quickly. Using Greek yogurt in this easy banana bread recipe gives ample moisture minus the greasy fingers. This is banana bread, not french fries people.

Of course adding in a few chocolate chips to any recipe can only make the world go ’round a little easier, a little sweeter.

But when I’m in a need for a basic proven recipe I’m often drawn to my go-to 1,028 recipe tomb: The New Best Recipe Cookbook by Cook’s Illustrated. I’ve slightly adapted the recipe by adding a touch more vanilla, subbing pecans for walnuts, and yes, the aforementioned chocolate chips.

What’s in Choc Chip Banana Bread?

The beauty of homemade banana bread is that it uses very few ingredients, but is so incredibly flavorful and moist (yes, I just said moist). This banana bread with yogurt uses the following key ingredients:

All-purpose flour
Granulated sugar
Baking soda
Salt
Chopped pecans
Bananas
Plain Greek yogurt
Eggs
Unsalted butter
Vanilla extract
Chocolate chips

Make sure to buy plain Greek yogurt, preferably whole fat or low-fat (non-fat yogurt is much tangier and the lack of fat will result in a drier loaf). The brand you buy doesn’t matter, just get whatever’s on sale.

How to Make Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

To make this homemade banana bread, you just have to stir together the dry ingredients in one bowl, and the wet in another. Slowly add the wet ingredients into the dry, then pour the batter into a greased loaf pan.

Bake the chocolate chip banana bread for a good 50 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. I like to eat this moist banana bread warm with butter, but it’s also delicious at room temp with a glass of milk.

How to Store Banana Bread

Choc chip banana bread will last for a few days on your counter. Make sure to wrap it in foil to prevent it from drying out, though. If desired, you can rewarm slices of banana bread in the microwave or oven.

Can You Freeze Banana Bread?

Homemade banana bread freezes really well and can be kept in the freezer for up to 3 months. To freeze the whole loaf, let it come to room temperature before wrapping it in a few layers of plastic wrap, followed by a layer of aluminum foil (this prevents the bread from developing freezer burn). When you’re ready to enjoy the frozen loaf, set it on your counter in its wrappings to thaw.

You can also slice and freeze the banana bread and keep it in a freezer bag, but I find that it dries out more quickly in the freezer if it’s pre-sliced. But if you think you’ll eat the chocolate chip banana bread quickly enough, it shouldn’t be an issue!

Do I Have to Add the Nuts?

If you have a pecan allergy or don’t have any on hand, feel free to omit them. You can also substitute them with another type of nut if preferred.

Tips for the Best Banana Bread

The bananas you use for this chocolate chip banana bread recipe should be overripe and almost black in color. If your bananas are far from being ripe enough to use in banana bread, poke them all over with a fork and then bake them at 350 degrees F for 15 to 20 minutes, or until browned. Let the bananas cool completely before adding them to the batter.

I’ll also say that although I love me some warm banana bread, you don’t want to slice into this loaf when it first comes out of the oven. Give the moist banana bread time to firm up and cool down a bit before slicing.

Lastly, I used semi-sweet chocolate chips in this recipe because I like how the slightly bitter chocolate contrasts with the super sweet bread. But you’re welcome to use any chocolate chips or chunks you have lying around in this banana bread!

More Quick Bread Recipes You’ll Love

If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment below or take a photo and tag me on Instagram or Twitter with #foodiecrusheats.

4.29 from 7 votes

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

This chocolate chip banana bread is made sans oil and instead uses Greek yogurt to add moisture. This is easily the best banana bread recipe I've ever made!

Course Snack

Cuisine American

Keyword Banana Bread, Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 50 minutes

Servings 9 people

Ingredients

2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 cup pecans toasted and coarsely chopped
3 bananas very ripe and mashed well (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/4 cup plain greek yogurt
2 large eggs beaten lightly
6 tablespoons unsalted butter melted and cooled
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour bottom and sides of a 9-by-5-by-3-inch loaf pan and set aside.
Whisk first five ingredients together in large bowl; set aside.
In a medium bowl mix mashed bananas, yogurt, eggs, butter, vanilla and chocolate chips. Gently fold banana mixture into dry ingredients until just combined. Scrape batter into prepared loaf pan.
Bake for about 50-60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean and top is golden brown. Cool in pan for 5 minutes then transfer to wire rack. Serve warm with a swath of sweet butter or at room temperature with a cold glass of milk.

Recipe Notes

If you need to ripen your bananas quickly, poke them all over with a fork and then bake them at 350 degrees F for 15 to 20 minutes, or until browned. Let the bananas cool completely before adding them to the batter.
Recipe slightly adapted from The New Best Recipe Cookbook from Cook's Illustrated

More Banana Desserts to Try

Obviously as I was creating this post I was on the hunt for more lovely banana-inspired recipes and I must say, the banana is severely neglected out there unless its in a muffin, pancake or bread variety.

I say, “Raise the banana flag!” Let’s give the banana it’s sweetened day in the sun. Here’s a selection of food bloggers doing just that, and doing it well.

Modesty must be Glory’s thing because according to her Glorious Treats’s Banana Caramel Cream Dessert isn’t groundbreaking. I beg to differ.

Gluten- and dairy-free but full of flavor with a history in family lore and subject that leaves Shauna in stitches, Gluten-Free Girl’s Coconut-Banana Cream Pie is sure to make us smile too.

Cassie makes sure the health nuts aren’t left out with a chia see and whole wheat flour recipe for Bake Your Day’s Vegan Banana Nut Breakfast Cake that’s enough to convert even the non-vegans in some of us

Diana layers her nana-nanas with an extra banana-flavored icing thanks to banana extract in Created by Diane‘s Banana Icing on Banana Walnut Muffins.

Craving more life balance, less stress, and better health? Check out my Nourished Planner, the daily planner to help create simplicity and under-schedule your life.

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As always, thank you for reading and supporting companies I partner with, which allows me to create more unique content and recipes for you. There may be affiliate links in this post of which I receive a small commission. All opinions are always my own.

No-Fail Butter Pie Crust

These are the secrets to making a no-fail, all-butter pie crust that won’t slump or shrink, and turns out tender and flaky every time.

It feels like there are two big pie seasons that hit every year: Spring’s berry pie season and Fall’s Thanksgiving pie season, with all other slices o’ pie falling somewhere in between.

We are smack dab in the middle of prime time pie making and eating and everyone knows that a foolproof pie crust recipe is the make-or-break point of baking an amazing homemade pie. More important than whatever fruity, nutty, or creamy fillings you whip up—the true test is it’s crust. It should be flaky, light, flavorful, and easy to slice through with a fork.

I’m a bit obsessed with baking pies thanks to the over the top pie crusts I’m incessantly inspired by because of the Instagram account of my favorite local pie company.

Now, after much trial and error, I’ve decided this is the only pie crust recipe I’m willing to bet my pie on. And now, everything that I know, you will too.continue to the recipe… about No-Fail Butter Pie Crust

How to Serve a DIY Bagels and Lox Brunch Bar

Wondering what to serve a crowd at your next party? Make it easy on the hostess with this breakfast and brunch buffet idea: Serve a DIY bagels and lox brunch bar.

Last year when my niece Chandler announced she was engaged, I knew I wanted to host a bridal shower for her. With her wedding date set for early May, coming up with spring shower ideas would be perfect timing.

So this past weekend with 20 to 30 guests arriving for her bridal shower party (why doesn’t anyone RSVP anymore???) something totally unexpected happened, and it pretty much blew my mind.

For probably the first time in my hostessing career, I didn’t freak the freak out while prepping for the party.

Why didn’t I have my usual pre-party hostessing melt down? Because you guys convinced me to make it easy on myself and create a build your own bagel and lox brunch bar as the centerpiece of our day.continue to the recipe… about How to Serve a DIY Bagels and Lox Brunch Bar

The Best Cinnamon Rolls Recipe

I’ve searched for the best homemade cinnamon roll recipe forever. Perfectly fluffy and slathered with a buttery cream cheese frosting, this is it.

The BEST Cinnamon Rolls Ever

Finding the best homemade cinnamon roll recipe has been my mission for more years than I can count on two hands.

Strike that.

Finding the best homemade cinnamon roll recipe and actually making it, now THAT is what has been my mission for that number of years.

I’ve Pinned hundreds of recipes on Pinterest, and liked all of them on Facebook. I’ve torn out every recipe from every magazine that’s shared cinnamon rolls deemed fit to bake. And it seems that just about every week of Friday Faves has one more recipe for the perfect cinnamon roll included in it.

Not that I’ve ever made any of them.

For some reason, the notion of baking homemade cinnamon rolls has always intimidated me. I blame it on my childhood. That’s when my early cinnamon roll baking adventures relied on using the pre-made dough from the can that came out of the oven tasting like they’d been baked 3 days before and then quickly turned into 5-day-old rolls as soon as they cooled.

It ruined the notion of cinnamon rolls for me until I had a REAL cinnamon roll from a true blue bakery and realized just how many light and fluffy pillows from cinnamon and brown sugar slathered with glaze bundles of heaven I’d been missing out on all those years.

Now THOSE rolls are the ones I want to bake. The homemade cinnamon rolls I want to be known for. The rolls that when family and friends take one bite they blissfully roll their eyes in satisfaction as they slowly absorb each sweet, flaky bite, and then look to one another in agreement and say, “Heidi makes THE BEST cinnamon rolls.”

And now, I have that recipe.

continue to the recipe… about The Best Cinnamon Rolls Recipe

30+ Lucky St. Patrick’s Day Recipes

Sometimes hearty, sometimes boozy, whipping up St. Patrick’s Day recipes is the perfect excuse to gather friends for a potluck, brunch, and yes, even if you’re in the mood for easy green food ideas.

There are many reasons traditional St. Patrick’s Day recipes are so beloved. If you’re wondering what to serve or how the Irish actually celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, this list of recipes has you clovered. (See what I did there?)

There’s always my classic slow cooker corned beef and cabbage for the main meal or 20 different stout recipes for dessert, but don’t leave out these fun Irish brunch ideas below like potato pancakes to whiskey ice cream for dessert, and find the lucky dish to make your day complete.

continue to the recipe… about 30+ Lucky St. Patrick’s Day Recipes

Gwyneth’s Blueberry Muffins Recipe

These homemade blueberry muffins are moist, loaded with berries, and so easy to make from scratch that I’ll never make the boxed kind again.

There are several recipes for my favorite baked goods that I am perennially trying to find the PERFECT recipe for. My top three recipe-seeking baking obsessions are: the best chocolate chip cookies—CHECK! and with chocolate chip with oatmeal—CHECK!, the best brownies—CHECK!, and the best blueberry muffins—now it’s CHECK CHECK CHECK!

I made these easy blueberry muffins as I always do for Christmas morning, and then I made them again a week later, and then I made them again just a few days ago. After referring to this post that many times, I wanted to give it a refresh. So here we are, all shiny and new.

A few years ago when I purchased my copy of the multi-faceted-actress-singer-Goop-creator-now media mogul Gwyneth Paltrow’s My Father’s Daughter cookbook, and discovered her mother’s recipe for blueberry muffins, my heart skipped a beat.

The photography plus my girl crush on Gwyneth back then made me pick up the book. But it was that blueberry muffin recipe that sold it. And why I’m sharing it again today.continue to the recipe… about Gwyneth’s Blueberry Muffins Recipe

Easy Instant Pot Monkey Bread

This easy pull-apart bread starts with frozen dinner rolls that rise overnight and are then baked in the Instant Pot pressure cooker for a sweet and fast cinnamon sugared breakfast or brunch treat.

I’m not sure who made up the name for this sweet, sticky pull-apart bread, but whoever did nailed it on the head. Because just like monkeys who are known to pick, pick, pick at their favorite things, this cinnamon, brown sugar, and pecan-laced monkey bread is the perfect sweet breakfast or brunch finger food.

This overnight monkey bread is made with frozen yeast dinner rolls so be sure to plan ahead and allow time for the rolls to rise overnight.

The unique part of this recipe is that instead of being baked in the oven, this monkey bread is baked in the Instant Pot pressure cooker. Yes! You can bake in the Instant Pot, and successfully do so too.

The other part of this recipe I love so much is the “balls” of the monkey bread are cut in half before baking to make smaller bites, ensuring that every single nugget is lathered in that classic sticky, cinnamon and brown sugar goodness.

Half the size means you can enjoy them all year long, whether it’s Christmas breakfasst, or New Years brunch, or any time you’re craving that sweet treat any monkey would put his hat on and dance for.continue to the recipe… about Easy Instant Pot Monkey Bread

17 Friday Night Homemade Pizza Recipes to Make This Fall

Pizza is the ultimate gathering food, and these 17 homemade pizza recipes are the best reason to forget all about delivery and make yours at home instead.

Raise your hand if you love pizza. Anyone? Everyone? YES, indeed, everyone! Ok, good.

It seems like Fridays are a popular pizza-prep night, but then come the weekend there’s all the football games, and then Sunday turns into Monday and how easy is it to whip together a homemade pizza pie to cure those Monday night blues?

Pizza fits into every day.

Pizza is universally appealing, and not just because we’re all trying to capture the perfectly Instagrammable cheese pull. (BTW, have you seen the new Instagram-worthy pizza pop-up museum for us perfectly crusty diehards?)

It’s the ultimate delivery vehicle for innovative flavor combinations, complimentary textures, and beyond-infinite varieties suitable to any diet or taste preference—and season.

That’s why I’ve put together this list of pizza night faves for fall, plus a few FoodieCrush favorites that’ll make you forget all about dialing up to order your delivery-style pizza, and make it at home instead. continue to the recipe… about 17 Friday Night Homemade Pizza Recipes to Make This Fall

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

This easy lemon poppy seed muffin recipe gets a healthy boost with almonds and yogurt to make a moist muffin everyone will declare the very best.

Healthy Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

You know how there are some ingredients that you just can’t say no to when it comes to a particular food? Like, for me, the only cake that’s worth its weight in birthday candles is German Chocolate Cake. Or if I’m choosing an artisanal cheese it’s going to be a stinky, gooey, triple cream.

So when my Ali Smudge wanders through the bakery section of the grocery store, I don’t even have to wonder what request she’s about to pose. Because it’s always the same. And it’s always for a lemon poppy seed muffin.

This lemon muffin recipe originally comes from Cooks Illustrated and is one of the best, delivering a solid base for add-ins to make all of your muffin dreams come true.

These muffins bake up light and with a tasty crumb, far from the greasy, heavy versions you’ll find in the grocery store.

see more: 37 Easy Healthy Breakfast Recipes to Jumpstart Your Day

continue to the recipe… about Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

The Best No-Bake Cookies Recipe – with Coconut!

These easy no-bake cookies are loaded with goodness and even a little bit of healthy. Old-fashioned oats, chocolate and the surprise addition of coconut make these classic no-bake cookies (without the peanut butter!) the very best.

No-bake cookies are a starter-cook-in-the-kitchen classic recipe that’s oh so easy to make.

That’s the good part.

So what’s the bad part?

It’s just that they’re so dang easy to make you can whip up a batch whenever the craving strikes. And then eat the whole bowl. By yourself. In one sitting.

Just ask my husband. That was his M.O. when back in the day after high school football practice he would make no-bake cookies at least once a week. As all big brothers do (or more aptly don’t) he refused to share any of the batch with his siblings. Brotherly love. It’s real.

But here’s the best part…

Once you make these no-bake beauties yourself, you’ll see why he was so selfish. And you won’t blame him one bit for keeping them all to himself.continue to the recipe… about The Best No-Bake Cookies Recipe – with Coconut!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

These pumpkin chocolate chip cookies are super soft and pillowy and packed with pumpkin pie flavor! Bonus: this recipe makes a BIG batch of cookies.

My mom has a saying about cooking / eating / observing an overly ambitious amount of dinner table food. “This could feed an army!” is the exclamation I’ve heard from her more than once in my life. It’s her way of noting how lucky we are, to live and enjoy such bounty with our family and friends.

It happens most every year when we cook to excess at Thanksgiving, or when I get a wild hair and decide I need to add just a bit more to the BBQ with a few more side dishes, plus another dessert, and oh heck, why not have hot dogs PLUS hamburgers. Just so nobody goes hungry.

These pillowy, cakey, pumpkin chocolate chip cookies fit that bill. This recipe is perfect. Especially if you’re baking for a crowd. Like for my mom’s invisible army. Or better yet, for a party! Now, that’s an idea I can get behind. Or better yet, I’ll lead the charge.

So hop to it soldier (I’m looking at you, Mom), and let’s get this cookie baking party started.continue to the recipe… about Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

37 Easy Healthy Breakfast Recipes to Jumpstart Your Day

What’s the best thing to eat for breakfast? All the good things! This roundup of 37 quick and easy, healthy and delicious breakfast ideas will give you all the sustenance and energy you’ll need to keep you going all day long.

When the alarm goes off in the morning, rudely interrupting your peaceful slumber to alert you it’s time to get going, breakfast is likely the last thing on your mind.

But it should be.

Food is fuel, and after being asleep all night, we need a major refill come AM. It’s time to get the energy we need to be alert and power through our day (with a little nudge from our friend caffeine, of course).

Whether we eat breakfast or not, and what that meal might be determines how we’ll feel for the next several hours — dazed and confused, or energized and ready to slay the day. We think we’ll take the latter.

But let’s be real for a minute. We admit, we’re not always on top of our breakfast game, especially on hectic mornings as we wait out traffic. On other frenzied mornings, it becomes something we sacrifice all together for five more minutes of sleep. And as delicious as those few extra z’s may be, they’re nowhere near as delicious as a hearty breakfast burrito or a piping hot bowl of oatmeal with all the fixins.

We know we can do better, we just need a little inspiration and a game plan.

Even if you’re not a morning person, with a bit of planning, it is possible to hit the snooze and have your breakfast, too. And if you’re not a breakfast person, we bet you will be after browsing through these easy, healthy, and totally tempting recipes.

So let’s rise and shine with this list of yummy brekkies!

How to Make an Easy Breakfast On the Go

We all have mornings where we’re lucky if we can get out the door on time, and with matching socks no less. On mornings like those, breakfast tends to get demoted to the bottom of the priority list, or something that escaped our attention entirely.

That’s where these dishes come in.

You can whip them up on the fly, and some can even be prepped the night before, so no matter how early your AM wake up call, you can just grab and go!

Microwave Egg Caprese Breakfast Cups from FoodieCrush

5-Minute Pesto Arugula Breakfast Sandwich from A Couple Cookscontinue to the recipe… about 37 Easy Healthy Breakfast Recipes to Jumpstart Your Day

Melted Mozzarella Caprese Crostini Toasts

Whether you take the fancier route and name them crostini, or keep it real and call them toasts, these Italian crostini caprese appetizer bites with roasted tomatoes, prosciutto, and melted mozzarella cheese on sliced baguette are so easy to whip up everyone will be calling for more.

This recipe is brought to you by Cache Valley Cheese

Today I’m taking two favorite recipes (caprese and grilled cheese) and combining them for a simple finger food twist for the old appetizer plate.

This bite-sized appetizer is one of those that you’re going to come back to making time and time again. And here’s why:continue to the recipe… about Melted Mozzarella Caprese Crostini Toasts

Coconut and Lime Frosted Soft Sugar Cookies

Soft and pillowy, these incredibly easy to make sugar cookies are flavored with fresh squeezed lime juice and grated lime zest then topped with a coconut flavored cream cheese frosting and even more sweet coconut for a sweetened citrus flavor in every bite.

I usually save the phrase “little pillows of heaven” for when I’m bellied up to the bar of my favorite Italian restaurant gushing over my bowl of Gnocchi alla Norma, that when cooked just right, is indeed heaven sent. But today, I’m extending my catchphrase to these soft and easy-to-make sugar cookies because they totally deserve it.

The recipe isn’t mine, but it’s one I’m more than happy to share.

I recently asked you lovely readers to submit your favorite Christmas cookie so I could select one to share on today’s Facebook Live “All Things Cookies!” cooking show (at 11 am MST on Facebook/foodiecrush and on replay all day AND we’re giving away a KitchenAid stand mixer!) and I’m pleased as lime and coconut punch to say this.is.it., your new favorite, any-day-is-a-holiday cookie.continue to the recipe… about Coconut and Lime Frosted Soft Sugar Cookies

31 Pumpkin Recipes to Carve Into This Fall

This round up of 31 favorite sweet and savory pumpkin breakfast, pasta soup, and dessert recipes will get you in the fall spirit.

What ingredient is a better beacon of fall than the pumpkin? The seasonal return of this dimply, round squash is marked by PSL’s on coffee shop menus, and neat rows of Libby’s, prominently displayed on endcaps in groceries everywhere. It’s a sure sign that autumn is here, which means full-fledged pumpkin mania can now ensue.

Like stores racing to put out Valentine’s Day paraphernalia as soon as Christmas ends, hardcore pumpkin fanatics start tinkering with recipes in August, if not sooner. Pumpkin cinnamon rolls on a 90-degree day? That’s love. The general consensus seems to be that late September is when it’s socially acceptable to open up that can of pumpkin (in case you were asking for a friend).

While our Thanksgiving tables would be pretty lackluster without the appearance of that classic slice of whipped-cream dolloped pumpkin pie, there are so many more ways to enjoy pumpkin. We love roasting it for salads, puréeing it into soups, and baking it up into sweet morning treats.

Here are 31 sweet and savory ways to enjoy it this fall.

continue to the recipe… about 31 Pumpkin Recipes to Carve Into This Fall

Pesto Pizza with Balsamic Chicken and Peaches

This pizza gets its savory wings thanks to a fresh, green pesto and thinly sliced balsamic chicken that goes with summer’s best, sweet peaches and provolone to create a pizza that’s worth every bite.

With peaches at their peak, there’s plenty of ways to savor them besides smoothies (although this one is GRAND), my grandma’s peach and blackberry cobbler, and even as a balsamic-ed topping for grilled pork chops.

But one of my new favorite peach recipes comes from FoodieCrush contributor Hayley of the blog Seven Day Weekend. She sent me this recipe a year ago, and with seasonal peaches in their prime, it’s due time she shares it with you too. Take it away Hayley!

There are very few things I could eat every day without getting tired of them. Pizza is one of those foods, only I don’t eat it every day, because unfortunately I don’t have the resilient and forgiving metabolism of Chrissy Teigen (and her cookbook is great!).

For a long time now, my go-to pizza toppings have been pepperoni, mushrooms, and green peppers. But that’s comfy pizza—the kind you eat too many slices of, in your pajamas, on the couch, after a long day. Or even more likely, after a long night.

When I want fancy pizza though, I always welcome deviations. I try to embrace what’s in season. Sometimes it’s a white pie with bacon, potatoes, Swiss chard, and rosemary in the fall, or garlicky, lemony roasted broccoli with Italian sausage and goat cheese in the winter.

But one of my favorite slices is a summery one, inspired by a pizza I had several years ago at a cute little café in Raleigh, N.C., called Zest.

continue to the recipe… about Pesto Pizza with Balsamic Chicken and Peaches

Potato Chip Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches Recipe

Summer doesn’t get any cooler than ice cream sandwiches made of chocolate chip cookies with oatmeal, nuts, and potato chips (!) sandwiching cool colors of ice cream for an easy dessert that’ll chill everyone out.

This post is brought to you by Kettle Brand Potato Chips

Other than the words, “Wake up honey, it looks like Santa came!” and “Surprise! We got a puppy!”, there may be no better music to a child’s ears than the distant sing-song chimes of the ice cream truck rolling closer and closer to home on a hot summer day.

Oh my. The memories. Like Pavlov’s dog, those chimes would send us kids into a total frenzy, immediately dropping whatever we were doing to race for home screaming, “The ice cream truck is coming! The ice cream truck is coming!” and then hurriedly scavenge or beg for funds to before the ice cream man rolled on by.

I don’t know about you, but I bet our ice cream man got some sort of secret pleasure taunting us little kids with the possibility we just wouldn’t get.there.in.time.

But as it always does, times change. I don’t think I’ve heard the song of an ice cream truck come by any of our homes in years. But that’s no reason to stop me from getting my chill on, in fact, it’s simply motivation to share a new kind of ice cream memory with my daughter. And naturally, they start with chocolate chip cookies.

continue to the recipe… about Potato Chip Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches Recipe

German Chocolate Banana Bread

My favorite banana bread recipe gets a nutty chocolate chunk upgrade, making this quick bread a dessert lovers dream.

To say I have a fetish with German Chocolate anything and everything is a severe understatement. Proof in the chocolate pudding is right here.

I could try and blame it on my German heritage, but let’s just say it like it is: I am a load-it-up-with-all-the-nuts-chocolate lover and I have no willpower when this flavor-bomb combo is in sight. I mean, have you ever had Baskin Robbins German Chocolate Cake ice cream?

Has chocolate ever been considered a part of our DNA? Apparently so! Who-da thunk that someone (not me) was likely to investigate?

My favorite part of this banana bread is all the additional fixins, but the secret is what lies under the toppings, and proof that beauty is more than skin deep.

continue to the recipe… about German Chocolate Banana Bread

No-Bake Cookie Bars with Chocolate, Cherries and Chia Seeds

I’m shortening this recipe title to be known as Triple CH No-Bake Cookie Bars, making it easy to remember the main ingredient list thanks to it’s title: chocolate, cherries and chia that create a healthy cookie bar for breakfast, snacking, or even dessert.

If a photo could sway a viewer into diving into a style of eating they don’t necessarily need to follow, Alanna Taylor-Tobin of the food blog The Bojon Gourmet will likely be the one to create it. That’s exactly how I first became a fan of Alanna’s and the blog she started during a stint of what she calls “funemployment”, including the word bojon in her blog name—a term that’s backward for “no job”.

Through her sumptuously styled photography and original gluten-free recipes, Alanna’s talents as a classically trained pastry chef inspire thousands to live a gluten-free lifestyle and still cure their sweet tooth.continue to the recipe… about No-Bake Cookie Bars with Chocolate, Cherries and Chia Seeds

Classic Fat Witch Dark Chocolate Brownies Recipe

Classic dark chocolate brownies from Chelsea Market’s famed Fat Witch Bakery is a recipe every chocolate brownie lover should have in their “best of” archives.

Several years ago I was in a New York City photo studio above Chelsea Market, art directing a photo shoot with eighties supermodel and raw-food enthusiast Carol Alt. That day she shared how eating a raw diet improved her health and changed her life for the better. I mean, she was so devout she wrote a cookbook about it. She even had her personal chef prepare a gourmet raw food lunch for us. So healthy—and all raw food—but still, pretty good.

And then, as soon as the shoot was finished, I headed directly downstairs to the Chelsea Market food emporium and bought myself a big, chocolate, BAKED Fat Witch brownie.

Brownies vs. raw food. See? For me, it’s always been about balance. continue to the recipe… about Classic Fat Witch Dark Chocolate Brownies Recipe

Vanilla and Chocolate Marbled Bundt Cake

Flipping through the glossy pages of Irvin Lin’s baking book, Marbled, Swirled, and Layered: 150 Recipes and Variations for Artful Bars, Cookies, Pies, Cakes, and More, puts those famous images of Wonka’s spectacular chocolate factory to shame. And as the creator of the blog Eat the Love, Irvin has many reasons to be chuffed at the success of his baking book, including the fact The New York Times recently included it on their list of the Year’s Best Baking Cookbooks — excellent work, Irvin.

From whimsically imaginative treats like hazelnut cocoa linzer cookies with blackberry-mint jam, to vanilla and peach-bourbon ice cream pie with honey-cornflake crust, each page is a dessert lover’s delight.

Just make sure you’re armed with a sleeve of cookies or something when you settle down with a copy, because it’ll definitely cue the sugar cravings.

With my birthday coming up next week, I knew a cake should be in the making and this Classic Vanilla and Chocolate Marbled Bundt Cake immediately spoke to me. And there’s no reason to wait for someone else to bake one for me when I have a book like Irvin’s to guide me along the cake-baking way. continue to the recipe… about Vanilla and Chocolate Marbled Bundt Cake

Spinach Artichoke Stuffed Bread

Garlicky chunks of bread are mixed with cream cheese, spinach, and artichoke hearts, then stuffed back into the shell and baked for a show-stopping appetizer everyone will want seconds of!

This post is in partnership with Arla USA

Like so many of my favorite recipes, I keep the originals in my tattered, over stuffed, recipe book I bought when we were first married. It’s filled with the hand-written recipes I’ve discovered have been handed down to me by my mom and grandmothers or shared with me by friends.

This is a variation of one of those special recipes. Its title in my much-better-penmanship-then-than-now-because-all-I-do-is-type is Mark’s Yummy Bread. Mark was the post college boyfriend of one of my besties. He and Julie aka Flash (whose nickname came about because she is so smart and such a thinker she is the opposite of fast) made this stuffed cheese bread for us at a friend party we hosted at our house. Ironically, about a year later, Mark actually bought that house from us. Apparently, we really know how to throw a house party.

And now, even more years later, we still talk about this bread. You could say it became legendary.continue to the recipe… about Spinach Artichoke Stuffed Bread

Garlic Butter Pepperoni Pizza Rolls

These easy, from scratch garlic-slathered pizza dough bites are stuffed with cheese and mini pepperoni, then baked for an appetizer everyone at the party will love.

This post is in partnership with DeLallo Foods

One of the earliest recipes I shared here on le bloggity blog was for little nuggets of garlic joy called Killer Garlic Rolls, inspired by a popular restaurant in our old neighborhood of Marina del Rey in California.

Those rolls. Pure love right there.

Today they’ve provided a nod of inspiration to this recipe for stuffed pizza rolls that are bathed in a simlilar garlic and herb butter—and bursting with a cheesy pepperoni pop.

These rolls. Pure love right here X 10.continue to the recipe… about Garlic Butter Pepperoni Pizza Rolls

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