Banana Date Oat Breakfast Cookies

A chewy, dense, naturally sweetened, oaty cookie that qualifies as a breakfast food? Yes, that's right! Cookies are one of my favourite things to make, and obviously eat. If you didn't already know, I am obsessed with Angela Liddon's (Oh She Glows) recipes. I may creep her majorly on Snapchat and just know we could be instant besties, cooking and baking up a storm in the kitchen! When she posted a link to her Banana Bread Muffin Tops I got excited because I had never come across that recipe on her site (and I have made a lot of her recipes)! It's probably because the recipe is from 2014, but when something is good, it's good and deserved to be pulled up from the archives. These cookies are vegan, gluten free (as long as you use certified gluten free oats), and have no added sugar! I love the hints of cinnamon, and the blended date/banana batter is probably one of the most amazing concoctions I have ever tasted! Tasted like smooth, creamy, caramel sauce-- I was eating that shiz by the spoonful!

When I was skimming the recipe I  decided I could alter these cookies by adding nuts and seeds to really make them a breakfast power cookie, and boy am I happy I did so! They are sooo good, and perfect for a breaky on the go (slathered with a spoonful of almond butter, of course). I decided to sub out the chocolate chips for this batch, but you can add them in here, along with any other nuts or seeds you fancy. If you have any leftovers (doubtful), you can pop them in the freezer and take them out as needed.

Let me know if you try out my adapted version of Angela's Banana Bread Muffin Top! I promise you'll be hooked on this healthy, simply sweet breakfast cookie!

Recipe adapted from Oh She Glows Banana Bread Muffin Tops 

Banana Date Oat Breakfast Cookie
A chewy, dense, "throw into blender" cookie that is naturally sweetened, vegan, gluten free. Takes all of 10 minutes to throw together and acts as the perfect breakfast on the go!

Base Cookie Ingredients:
2 ripe bananas (peeled)
1/2 cup pitted Medjool dates *soak dates in water for 30 minutes if too firm
1/4 cup coconut oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups rolled oats

Additions:
Feel free to add as you wish, a few tablespoons of pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, chopped nuts, dried goji berries, raisins, chocolate chips, etc.

Directions:
1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Place peeled bananas, pitted dates, coconut oil, vanilla into food processor and blend until smooth
3. Add cinnamon, baking powder & salt to date mixture in blender and blend for another few seconds
4. Add oats to blender and pulse for 5 seconds
5. Stir in nuts and seeds (I added 1 tablespoons each of pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, chopped walnuts and dried goji berries)
6. Spoon a heaping spoonful of dough onto parchment lined baking sheet (leave as mound, do not flatten)
7. Bake for 10 minutes, rotate pan and bake for another 7-11 minutes (just until lightly golden on bottom)

Enjoy!

Mini Egg Sugar Cookie Cake

I think the addiction to Mini Eggs is real for most of us. There is something so intoxicating about just the smell of those delicious Easter treats. Crunchy, crispy and chocolatey, and the scent of vanilla magnifying as soon as you open the bag. My mouth is watering just thinking about them… I love making a classic Bunny Bark for Easter, but this year I wanted to try something a bit different. This weekend I went off on limb to adapt Sally's Funfetti Sugar Cookie Cake to resemble something similar to my favourite cookies by Toronto bake shop Desmond and Beatrice. The result? An utterly sweet, chewy, soft baked, pastel dream of a cookie cake. So perfect for any Easter/spring gathering! Take stock of Mini Eggs while you can and get in the kitchen to re-create this easy, massive and delicious cookie cake.

Mini Egg Sugar Cookie Cake 

Adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction

Ingredients

1/2 cup softened butter

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 egg + 1 egg yolk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 and 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch

2/3 cup chopped mini eggs (plus a few extra to leave whole to place on top)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, and spray a 9-inch pie dish with nonstick spray. Set dish aside.
2. Cream the softened butter for 1 minute with a mixer. Once smooth add the sugar until fluffy.
3. Beat in egg, egg yolk, and vanilla until combined.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cornstarch. 
5. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in three equal segments until combined. Dough will be thick.
6. Lay mini eggs on wax paper and cut into chunks. If you can do this in a large tray it will be easiest as the mini eggs tend to fly all over the place! Add mini egg pieces to dough and fold in using spatula. 
7. Press the dough evenly into the sprayed pie dish (I added some whole mini eggs to the top of the dough for more colour). Bake for 23-25 minutes or until lightly brown on top. Cool on wire rack before taking cookie out of the dish. 
8. Optional: Use your favourite frosting recipe (this one) to create little flowers/swirls on the top of the cake. Top the larger ones with whole mini eggs.

Enjoy!

My Ferrero Moment

I don't think there is any better way to bring your loved ones together this Holiday season than over chocolate. And not just any chocolate…. we're talking about the crunchy, the smooth, the hazelnut-y, the fine, Ferrero Rocher. Last weekend I curated a whole spread revolving around the golden Ferrero Rocher. It was complete with the chocolates, some of my favourite Christmas cookies (taken to a whole new level) and some DIY Holiday decorations. It was the perfect way to kick off the Holiday season and spend time creating magical memories. Here's how I created my #FerreroMoment.

DECOR

Receiving a box of  Ferrero Rocher can really make anyone feel special. I wanted the table to evoke those same warm feelings so I stuck with the golden colour theme. Personalized name cards were set for each individual and to add in that special touch of Ferrero gold, I glued some glitter sticks to each of them. The names were written in my golden attempt at faux calligraphy.

What I also love about the collection of Ferrero chocolates, is that they are packaged so pretty! The gold wrapping, the pretty bows; I basically didn't even need any added decor elements since they act as decor elements on their own! I must admit, I am obsessed with the Grand Ferrero Rocher. It's actually a huge milk chocolate shell, with the infamous hazelnuts pieces, and two Ferreros are found in the middle! Amazing, right?! Add some of the packaged Ferrero Holiday products to the tablescape for a touch of mystery and sparkle.

I love adding outdoor elements like pinecones (dressed in glitter), and pine tree sprigs to create a more cozy and homey feel. I also made up a DIY snow globe in a matter of 2 minutes. I stuck some of the pine sprigs into a wine cork and then taped the bottom of the sprigs together using washi tape. I added more of those golden and glittery sticks to the cork and glue gunned the cork to the inside of a mason jar lid. I threw in some fake snow and glitter and sealed the jar up. Ta-da! So easy-peasy.

Golden accessories such as champagne flutes, vases and candles all make sweet additions to the tablescape. Can't forget the Christmas crackers and party straws for fun!

BAKE

I love that the Ferrero Golden Gallery has a chocolate for everyone. The classic Ferrero, the Tenderely White (white chocolate), the Rondnoir (dark chocolate), and the Manderly (crispy wafer with a whole almond). But since baking is pretty mandatory for me during the Holidays, I wanted to take the Ferrero and combine it with a classic Christmas cookie; the shortbread. And to really elevate the scene I did them two ways. Don't worry, it's the same dough, so totally a time saver! The first way is to bake the cookie and place the Ferrero on top as soon as you take it out of the oven. The second way is to wrap a Ferrero into the shortbread. You're guests will think it is just a shortbread and will be blown away when they taste that oh so familiar Ferrero chocolatey centre. And I know what you're thinking… "doesn't it melt?!".  Check out the pictures and you will see just how beautiful these little creations are!

Here is the cookie recipe I used for both variations:

INGREDIENTS

1 cup butter softened

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1 3/4 cups flour

3/4 cup finely chopped nuts (hazelnuts add a nice touch)

powdered sugar for rolling, crystallized sugar for springing

1 box of Ferrero Rocher chocolates

DIRECTIONS

In a large bowl beat butter, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy.

Add flour and nuts, beat on low speed until blended.

Heat oven to 375 degrees.

Here is where the instructions change depending on the cookie variation.

For the Ferrero topped cookies: 

Place 1 tbsp of flattened dough on cookie sheet. 

Bake 10 minutes until only lightly brown on bottom.

Immediately add 1 Ferrero Rocher to cookie, and sprinkle with crystallized sugar.

For the secret Ferrero cookies:

Shape 1 tbsp of dough around each Ferrero.

Bake 10-12 minutes until set, again only lightly golden on bottom.

Roll cookie in powered sugar while warm, but not hot.

The Holidays are the perfect time to celebrate the special, little moments. Why not get together "just because" this season? What do you think of my Ferrero Moment? Let me know if you have any questions on how to bake the cookies.  And make sure to tag pictures of your #FerreroMoment, too!

This post was created in collaboration with Ferrero Rocher Canada. 

Funfetti Cake

This cake just screams #thepastellife, and it makes me happy just thinking about it! So summery, so sprinkley, so lemoney and  SO marshmallowey (YUM!/Are any of those words?). I've never made a funfetti cake primary for the reason that I would always opt for chocolate over vanilla, but for our Fancy Pufs photo shoot I challenged myself to make a funfetti cake with marshmallow buttercream frosting. It was amazing, and brought me right back to the good old summer days as a kid hopping from one birthday party to the next! The cake itself is so moist and light, and the icing is insanely good. I was contemplating using vanilla extract over lemon like the recipe called for, but I am so happy I didn't make the change! The lemon extract is so refreshing to taste in the cake and in the icing really revives the pallet and makes your taste-buds burst with flavour. I know you can buy a boxed Funfetti Cake Mix, but the little extra effort will blow your mind. For the Fancy Pufs shoot we topped the cake with a gigantic pink cotton candy puf, and it was seriously adorable. Although it matched the pretty-in-pink theme, this cake is perfect for any spring/summer gathering. I followed this recipe for the cake, and this recipe for the frosting, but also have a few tips of my own.

Tips & Tricks

• I recommend buying the bake even strips as they really do work! I have been trying to get my cakes flatter without having to buy the strips, but when I found a Michael's coupon I decided it would be worth it. I couldn't believe how flat and even my cakes came out! They really do not cost that much, and make a big impact.
• If you are layering the cakes I recommend doubling the icing recipe. I barely had enough to cover the sides! Since marshmallow fluff is not something I keep in my pantry I couldn't just whip up another batch before the shoot! 
• Do not use nonpareils (the type of round sprinkles) in the batter.  They will bleed into the cake. Ty-dye cake is also great so I'm not complaining, but if you're looking for a more neater look, go with regular sprinkles or jimmies. The round pastel sprinkles were also great for the top (they didn't bleed one bit!).

 Did you catch P&P's collaboration with Fancy Pufs? This cake was the show stopper! #FancyPufsXPastels&Pastries