These luscious treats have all been tried in my kitchen — and all have come out so delectably delicious.
Up first we have Annie’s Eats caramel apple cinnamon rolls. These babies are so decadent and so perfect for crisp autumn weather. Why have plain old cinnamon rolls when you can fill them with sweet apples and smother them in caramel cream cheese icing? So good with a cup of coffee or tea.
Next we have a rich black bean chocolate cake. Now I can already see some of you squinting and raising eyebrows — let me put those qualms to rest right now. I found this cake recipe when I was first started to remove gluten from my diet, merely experimenting to see how my body would react and to find good gluten free treats. Once you’ve pulverized the beans in a food processor, you really don’t notice them. In fact, it’s very similar to a flourless chocolate cake because you need more eggs to get the cake to rise. I found the cake to be a bit sticky, so my second go-round I made cupcakes with paper linings. Topped with your favorite frosting? You’ll never notice you’re actually eating something (kind of) good for you!
I’m sure by now we’ve all seen those “Slutty Brownies.” I don’t know if these quite count, but they’re such a guilty pleasure. Chocolate chip cookie dough, Reese’s peanut butter cups, and brownie batter. Whip up a batch of these — but don’t blame me for the additional weight or increased blood sugar levels. 😉
Chocolate Covered Katie made these basic cookie dough balls using dates and cashews as a base for all sorts of delicious varieties. I’ve tried these with dates, cashews, peanut butter, craisins, and almonds. They were so good, I had a hard time leaving them alone! You can form them into dough balls, cookie rounds, or snack bars.
I was craving a good lemon loaf one day, so I came across this Starbucks iced lemon loaf copycat recipe. It’s so dense and lemony with a tender crumb. I’ve substituted the cake mix with a gluten free version, and I’ve never looked back.
Want to know a secret? I can’t bake from scratch brownies to save my life. Enter the Kahlua brownies — I love a good boozy dessert! So I got to thinking: What if I use Kahlua in my favorite gluten free boxed mix brownies? The results have been addictive. No one can eat just one of my brownies. And no one, not even me, can taste the alcohol.
Over the summer we picked bowls and bowls of fresh, wild blackberries growing like weeds all over the neighborhood. A friend of mine showed me this recipe for blackberry skillet cake. I quickly gathered the supplies to make this cake, and oh my goodness did we ever enjoy turning some of our blackberry haul into a tasty dessert! I’ve also adapted this recipe for peaches with the same rave reviews.
I remember when Carvel reigned supreme for birthdays. A classic ice cream cake made any celebration a hit. I recounted the flavor of the cookie dough ice cream and chocolate ice cream cake to my son before his birthday, and he decided he had to have one for his 12th birthday this year. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find anything other than the plain vanilla and chocolate cakes — so I took matters into my own capable hands. I found these instructions to make an ice cream cake, and my son got the cake of his dreams.
And finally, here’s this beautiful, creamy, scrumptious tiramisu cheesecake. I can’t remember the story behind this culinary adventure in my kitchen, but I can tell you that The Tough Cookie created an exquisite dessert. I substituted a tub of mascarpone for a bar of cream cheese, though, but still! It’s no wonder this recipe is in the finals as a layer of my 31st birthday cake.
Happy Baking!
