Salted Brown Butter Biscoff Treats

Any time I see Biscoff or brown butter in a recipe, I perk up and my eyes get a little bigger. I love those two ingredients and they're even better when you you combine them to make these Salted Brown Butter Biscoff Treats. Rice Krispy treats are so easy to make and they're perfect to make any time of year and I've never met any one who didn't like them. I've made Brown Butter and Spice Rice Treats for years but decided to try something a little different this time. 

Biscoff, if you're not familiar with it, is a creamy spread very similar in consistency to peanut butter, but it's completely nut free because it's made from crushed up Biscoff (Lotus Brand) cookies. They are lightly spiced, caramelized cookies that are quite addicting. When you make it into a spread and can then shovel it into your mouth with a spoon, it becomes heavenly! Mixed with the earthy, nutty flavors of browned butter and accented with sea salt, these treats become irresistible. Hubby said these were amazing, and he rarely dishes out that compliment. 

Salted Brown Butter Biscoff Treats adapted from Bakerella

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• 10 ounces mini marshmallows
• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup creamy Biscoff spread
• 6 cup crisp rice cereal
• 1 cup coarsely broken Biscoff cookies
• fleur de sel salt

Butter a 9x9-inch pan. Place the marshmallows in a large bowl and set aside. 

In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Continue to cook, swirling the pot occasionally until the butter boils and becomes foamy. It will turn golden brown and start to smell nutty. Once the butter stops sizzling and the foam subsides, it is ready. Keep an eye on it because you don't want it to burn. This could take 5 to 8 minutes.

Once the butter has browned, remove from the heat and pour the butter and the browned bits over marshmallows. Stir until the marshmallows are fully coated. Place the bowl into the microwave and heat for one to two minutes, stirring occasionally until the marshmallows are completely melted. Stir in the Biscoff spread until fully incorporated. 

Carefully fold the cereal and the crushed Biscoff cookies into the marshmallow mixture until everything is well coated. Press cereal mixture into the buttered pan and sprinkle the top with sea salt, use as much or as little as you'd like. Allow treats to cool before cutting. 

Lick The Bowl Good Cookbook- Celebrating The First Year

It's been one year since I released my cookbook Lick The Bowl Good so I thought I'd celebrate by sharing one of my favorite recipes from the book- Pumpkin Bundt Cake with Brown Butter Glaze. 

This is an adaptation of the Cinderella Cake that I have been baking for years. I swapped out the cream cheese icing for a deliciously nutty brown butter icing. I have been craving this cake for weeks and now that it's Fall and cooler, today was the perfect day to whip this up. As this cake sits cooling on the counter and the aromas of pumpkin and spice are floating in the air, I'm wishing I could share a slice with you all. 

Thank you all for your continued support of this blog and my cookbook. I hope you enjoy this cake!

Pumpkin Bundt Cake with Brown Butter Glaze

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Pumpkin Cake: 

• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup canola oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1- 15 ounce can pure pumpkin 

Brown Butter Glaze: 

• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
• 2 Tablespoons milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

For The Cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Grease and flour a 9-inch Bundt pan and set aside.

In a large bowl, beat sugar and eggs until well blended and light in color. Add oil and vanilla and continue to beat.

Add the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt to the egg mixture and stir to combine.Add pumpkin puree and mix well. Pour into prepared pan.

Bake for 50 to 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

Let stand in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto baking rack to cool completely.

Once the cake has cooled, place it on a serving platter and make the glaze.

For The Glaze: In a medium bowl add the powdered sugar and set aside while you make the brown butter.

In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Continue to cook, swirling the pot occasionally until the butter boils and becomes foamy. It will turn golden brown and start to smell nutty. Once the butter stops sizzling and the foam subsides, it is ready. Keep an eye on it because you don't want it to burn. This could take 5 to 8 minutes.

Once the butter has browned, remove from the heat and pour the butter and the browned bits over the sugar. Add the vanilla to the butter and sugar and whisk until smooth.

Spoon the warm glaze over the cooled cake and allow the glaze to set before serving.

Store at room temperature.

Coffee, Donuts and an Awesome Pillsbury Giveaway! (CLOSED)

So...I made donuts! For the first time ever. I made these just the other day, and I still haven't gotten over how good they were. Just ask my mom and sister and Hayden how good they were. We ate one, then two and found ourselves reaching for a third, but stopped ourselves. Will power be darned. I've always wanted to make donuts but I'm not a fan of deep frying. Baked donuts are the perfect option and they're somewhat healthier, but I didn't have a donut pan. That's when my mom stepped in and saved the day. She surprised me with an electric Sunbeam donut maker on clearance from Target for $15. Yay! Thanks Momma!

Holy drippy glaze.....drool!

In my last post about Caramel Apple Fritter Cake, I mentioned that Pillsbury® sent me a few of their new Fall cake and cookie mixes. I couldn't wait to use the pumpkin mix but wasn't sure what to make, then it hit me- Pumpkin Donuts with Brown Butter Spice Glaze. I absolutely adore that combination of flavors, so much so that I shared a recipe for Pumpkin Bundt Cake with Brown Butter Glaze in my cookbook. Have you ordered your copy of Lick The Bowl Good yet? If you've never tried it before, make this glaze and pour it on something...anything, it is that good! Brown butter makes the world go round. mmm!

Stinky boy couldn't keep his fingers out of that glaze!

My sister is learning to bake and cook so she helped me whip these up. They were so simple and she did a great job. She also served as my hand model and helped me dip some of these bad boys in glaze. Thanks Sammy :-) As a thank you, I sent her and my mom home with some donuts and a few of the cake and cookie mixes that Pillsbury® sent me. My hope is that my sister will create something equally fantastic all on her own. How would you like to win all of these new Pillsbury® mixes for yourself? Scroll down to see how. 

Perfectly Pumpkin Donuts from Lick The Bowl Good

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Pumpkin Donuts: 

• 1- 15.25 oz. box Pillsbury Perfectly Pumpkin cake mix
• 1- 15 oz. can pumpkin puree
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Brown Butter Glaze: 

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 Tablespoons milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

NOTE: I used an electric donut maker to make these. If you have one, preheat iron til hot. If baking them in an oven, follow the manufacturers instructions for baking. 

In a medium bowl, combine cake mix, pumpkin puree, vanilla and pumpkin pie spice. Mix until fully incorporated. Spray your donut pan with non-stick spray. Spoon batter into mold or transfer the batter into a pastry bag and pipe the batter into the mold, being careful not to let the plastic piping bag touch the hot iron. Bake until cooked throughout. 

Allow donuts to cool on a wire rack. Once all the donuts are baked and cooled, make the glaze. 

In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Continue to cook the butter, swirling the pan until the butter becomes golden and fragrant. The butter solids will get dark, continue swirling being careful not to let it burn, about 5 minutes. 

Immediately pour the brown butter and all the brown bits into a small bowl. Add the cinnamon, and powdered sugar and whisk until it's smooth and lump free. Add the milk and vanilla and whisk until well incorporated.

Work quickly because this glaze sets up fast. Dip one half of the donut into the glaze, place on a rack and allow to set. 

Makes 24 donuts. 

Visit Pillsbury on Facebook, PillsburyBaking.com and Pillsbury on Pinterest to learn more ideas about how you can "Celebrate More" with Pillsbury and their new Fall line. 

• Caramel Apple Premium Cake Mix
• Caramel Apple Premium Cookie Mix
• Creamy Supreme Caramel Apple Frosting
• Perfectly Pumpkin Premium Cake Mix
• Perfectly Pumpkin Premium Cookie Mix
• Pumpkin Creme Cake Mix with Vanilla Filling

To win this "Celebrate More" Fall Celebration Starter Kit (a.k.a. All of these fabulous mixes!) and a $100 Visa or American Express gift card courtesy of Pillsbury®, simply leave me a comment on this post telling me what you love most about Fall. 

One entry per person. Open to U.S. residents only. 

*I was provided with product samples and compensation by Pillsbury®, though the opinions I express here are my own. ©/® The J.M. Smucker Company. Pillsbury is a trademark of The Pillsbury Company, LLC, used under license. 

Why I Love Fall

I used to think that Summer was my favorite season. And maybe for a while, it was. After all, my birthday is in the Summer, and there was no school, and then there were trips to the beach! Yes, Summer is pretty great. But as I got older, I began to appreciate the beauty that is Autumn. The cooler nights, the changing of the leaves, warm colors and cozy sweaters, and of course the pumpkins! Pumpkins, in all their orange glory, make me smile. They make the season for me. And baking with it marks the start of the holidays. 

Let's be real, I live in Central Texas and I have yet to break out any kind of sweater, but it's my fantasy and I can dream, right? It's still in the 80's here and while I may still be wearing t-shirts and flip flops, I am drinking pumpkin spice lattes, wishing for the crunch of brittle leaves underfoot, and visiting the pumpkin patch. We took Hayden to the pumpkin patch last year, when he was just weeks old and he wasn't too thrilled, but this year he had a great time touching and patting all the gourds around him. We made it home with three mini pumpkins, one for each of my boys, and took a few family photos while we were there. Can you tell I was excited to be there?! 

Hayden likes to roll his pumpkin around the house and every now and again I'll catch him putting it in the back of his dump truck and pushing it through the kitchen. So cute, that boy! He loved these cookies too. I gave him a few without the icing and he just devoured them. In fact, while I was taking pictures of them, he kept grabbing them. Those hands get him in trouble sometimes! On their own, they are very much like pumpkin muffins, but with the brown butter icing, they are something special. They're spicy and sweet and have a nuttiness to them thanks to the browned butter. They're also soft and cake-like, unlike most cookies which makes them the perfect accompaniment to tea or coffee. I almost placed some of the icing in between two cookies and sandwiched them together like a whoopie pie. Oh that would have been a treat!

I received a package of butter in the mail a couple weeks ago. I love when that happens! The folks from Twisted Butter sent me an array of their new jazzed up butters. The blends include premium grade AA salted butter, canola oil, honey, fresh fruits, vegetables, herbs and bacon. Yes, bacon! The Bacon, Dijon Mustard & Chive butter was one of my favorites while my mom couldn't get enough of the Blueberry, Honey & Lemon Zest. I decided to use the Cinnamon, Honey & Brown Sugar butter in these cookies to make them extra special and it was a success. Visit the Twisted Butter website for more "infused" flavors and to print a coupon to use on your next purchase. Thank you Twisted Butter for allowing me to sample your product!

Pumpkin Cookies with Brown Butter Icing

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For the Cookies: 

• 6 Tablespoons Twisted Butter Cinnamon, Honey & Brown Sugar, at room temperature (unsalted butter may be used in place of the Twisted Butter)
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 3/4 cup (7 oz) canned pumpkin puree
• 6 Tablespoons evaporated milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

For the Icing: 

• 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 5 Tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 Tablespoons evaporated milk, plus more if needed
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

For the cookies:  In a large bowl, combine the butter and brown sugar. With an electric mixer on medium speed, beat until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in the egg, then reduce the speed to low and add the pumpkin, milk and vanilla. Mix until well blended, about 2 minutes. 

Slowly add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. Mix until combined. 

Transfer half the batter to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain round tip. Pipe 1 1/2-inch rounds onto parchment paper-lined baking sheets, spacing the cookies 1 inch apart. (A small ice cream scoop may be used if you don't have a pastry bag). 

Bake cookies for 12 minutes or until the tops spring back when touched, rotating the sheets halfway through the baking process. 

Cool the cookies on the sheets on the parchment for 5 minutes before transferring them to wire racks. Allow them to cool completely for icing them. 

For the icing: Put the sifted powdered sugar in a medium bowl. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, cooking and swirling the pot occasionally until the butter turns a golden brown, about 3 minutes. Be careful not to let the butter burn. 

Immediately, add the butter to the sugar, scraping any brown bits from the sides and bottom of the pot. Add the milk and vanilla and stir until smooth. Add a teaspoon more of the evaporated milk at a time, as needed if the icing gets too stiff to spread.

Spread about 1 teaspoon of icing onto the tops of each cookie using the back of a spoon or an offset spatula. Allow icing to set before serving. 

Store cookies in single layers, in an airtight container. 

Makes about 3 dozen

NOTE: I was not compensated by Twisted Butter in any way. The opinion I express here, is mine alone. I was simply sent a sampling of product and I chose to blog about it.

Hayden's 1st Birthday Party!

As I mentioned in the last post, we celebrated Hayden's birthday last Saturday with a party at our home. We had friends and family over for food, cake and fun. I'm not big into character themed birthday parties and cakes and since Hayden doesn't have much of an opinion yet regarding these kinds of things, I did what I wanted- and that was simple and classic party food, made pretty. 

As part of the decoration, Mr. H and I made a photo banner of Hayden, starting with a photo from when he was just hours old all the way up until 12 months. I love it!

I went for a buffet style setup so everyone could take and eat what they wanted, and used the cake as the centerpiece of the table. Here's what I made: 

• Brown Sugar Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Bean Cream Cheese Frosting
• Browned Butter and Cinnamon Spice Rice Krispie Treats
• Veggie Tray with Ranch Dressing
• Deviled Eggs
• Pork Tenderloin Mini Sandwiches
• Cheese Tray
• White Cheddar Cheese Puffs (Hayden's favorite snack!)
• Slow Cooker Lil Smokies

Last November I made a chocolate layer cake for a family friend (Hi Marnie!) and loved that cake so much. It really was one of the best chocolate cakes I've ever had and what sets it apart from others is that it's made with copious amounts of brown sugar. I knew I wanted that cake for Hayden's birthday so, I increased the recipe 1.5x and baked it in two 12-inch pans. I used a double recipe of my favorite cream cheese buttercream for the frosting because I wanted to be able to tint it a soft robin's egg blue. 

One of my favorite photos from Hayden's party- I love the grin on his face as he feeds Autumn a rice krispie treat!

I fell in love with the Bunting Banner that Christa from Mini Baker made for a wedding shower cake a few weeks ago. I contacted her and we emailed back and forth and she made a custom birthday banner that read "Happy 1st Hayden" complete with hand painted blue stars. It turned out better than I expected and complimented the cake and decor. If you want one of your own, head on over to Mini Baker's Etsy Shop, browse around at her handmade items and place your order! She's got some cute stuff over there. Thanks Christa for working with me on such short notice- it turned out perfectly!

Hayden dug into his cake like a pro. At first it was just fingers in the frosting, then before you knew it he was shoving handfuls of the stuff into his mouth. Then he got to the cake part and started sharing with his Daddy and Autumn and was starting to make a mess on the floor. I don't really know why he started crying, but it was funny. A naked baby covered in cake with teary eyes is enough to make a sucker out of anyone. Silly boy. 

And lastly here's a picture of the three of us, just after singing Happy Birthday. It was a great day and we're so blessed that we made it through Hayden's first year in tact and without any major injuries, growing better with each passing day. Happy Birthday Hayden, We love you!

And thank you to all of you who supported us, cheered  us on and offered words of encouragement  throughout the past year. We appreciate each and every one of you!

Browned Butter- Making Rice Krispie Treats Better!

I  used to think my mom made the best rice krispie treats. That is, until I made these. Now don't get me wrong, I still love my mom's version because she doesn't measure anything and keeps on adding more butter or marshmallows as she sees fit, which makes them extra buttery and gooey to the point where the marshmallows stretch apart well after they've cooled. They're so good. But these are different. I've made them 4 times already and have yet to blog them because they disappear so quickly and there's never any left. Today is your lucky day!

Golden Browned Butter- see the solids stuck to the pan?

These rice krispie treats are made with browned butter. Browned butter is exactly what is sounds like. It is butter that has been browned. You start off by melting the butter in a pot, as it boils, sputters and foams slightly, the milk solids cook, resulting in brown bits at the bottom of the pan and the butter turns a lovely hue of gold and it smells rich and nutty. You can use in in place of regular butter and can be used in both sweet and savory recipes. It just kicks up the regular rice treats to a whole new level-  makes them more than just an after school treat. 

This little stinker tried for weeks, unsuccessfully, to get to Autumn's water bowl. Well he finally got into it and loved every second of it until he turned the bowl upside down and was completely soaked. I love the look on his face!

The addition of the spices makes these special too. The spice is subtle and not overwhelming and compliments the browned butter so nicely. I don't know about you, but spices like cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger are welcome in my kitchen all year round, not just in the Fall. If you're looking for something just a little bit different, give these a try. I promise you will not be disappointed. In fact, now my mom requests I make these for her :-) 

Browned Butter and Cinnamon Spice Rice Krispies Treats adapted from Let's Dish

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• 7 cups Rice Krispies cereal
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 1- 10 ounce bag (about 5 cups) mini marshmallows 
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger

Coat a 9x13 inch pan with butter or non-stick cooking spray. Measure out the cereal and set aside. Pour the marshmallows into a large bowl and set aside.  

To make the browned butter: Melt the butter in a small pot over medium heat. Continue to cook, swirling the pan occasionally until the butter boils and turns golden brown and smells slightly nutty. Keep an eye on it because you don't want  it to burn. This could take 5-10 minutes. 

Once the butter is brown and nutty, immediately pour it into the large bowl over the marshmallows- some brown bits may go with it, and that's okay. Stir to combine then place the entire bowl in the microwave for 30 seconds. Stir and reheat for an additional 30 seconds until the marshmallows have completely melted. Be careful because the mixture will be hot. Repeat if necessary.

Stir the cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger into the marshmallow mixture and mix until combined. Quickly add the cereal to the marshmallow-spice mixture and stir until everything is well coated. Working quickly, scrape the mixture into your prepared dish. With buttered hands, press the cereal evenly into the corners and smooth the top. 

Let cool completely and cut into bars.