Say it with Sprinkles: A baking blog filled with recipes & photos of sweet treats & savory eats.

Is Christmas really just 12 days away?!  Holy holly berries…I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty excited!

Tree up and decorated?!  Probably not.

Halls decked & stockings hung by the chimney with care?  Ummm, not quite.

Presents wrapped & ready to go?  Uhhh….

Alright alright, despite having just about nothing done in preparation for Christmas,  I’d definitely say I’m in the spirit, though!

I’ve got a list and I’m in the process of checking it twice.

And seriously, the holiday baking?  Totally!  Plus, check out this cute red ramekin I received as a birthday gift from my momma! 😀

The eggnog craze continues.  I promise the next recipe I post will contain neither egg nor nog, for fear of losing all of you out there who expect festive holiday flavor variety.  I get it, I really do.  It’s just that once I get inspired by a flavor, the wheels start turning and basically end up bull-dozing every other flavor in site.  Bear with me for the time being, or if you are a die-hard eggnog lover like myself, enjoy the ride while it lasts!

These blondies are a perfect blend of cookie and cake…the melding of a brownie and, well, not a brownie. Obviously there’s frosting. Not just any frosting, though, this stuff has got a little kick to it, while still being alcohol-shy friendly. I recently read an article reviewing which particular type of alcohol makes for the best-tasting eggnog.  The contenders were Brandy, Rum, and Whiskey, and since Brandy came out on top, that’s what I decided to use, obviously!  To be fair, you really can’t detect the Brandy in it much, so if you feel compelled, maybe pour yourself a glass of spiked nog to go with them? It’s just a suggestion, I mean, there are a lot of holiday gatherings to get through!

Super simple to mix up and throw in a pan to bake without the hassle of sheet after sheet of cookie balling and baking…swipe on a little frosting once they’ve cooled, and voila!…And really, who couldn’t use a time-saving recipe during the holidays, am I right? Maybe if I’d had more of these cookie cake bar blondies in my life I’d have a tree by now, and maybe even gifts under it? Whoa, whoa, I’m not THAT on top of it!

Eggnog Blondies with Brandy Spiked Eggnog Buttercream

Ingredients:

For the Bars-
* 3 Cups All-purpose Flour
* 1 tsp Baking Soda
* 1 tsp salt
* 1 tsp nutmeg (I didn’t have it at the time, but would have added this!)
* 3/4 Cup Butter-flavored Shortening
* 3/4 Cup Brown Sugar, packed
* 1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar
* 1/2 Cup Eggnog, any type
* 2 Large Eggs
* 1 tsp Brandy or Rum (If you don’t want to use alcohol, or don’t have any on hand, Vanilla extract would work)

For the Buttercream-
* 3 Cups Confectioners Sugar
* Dash of Salt
* 7 Tbsp Margarine or Unsalted Butter
* 3 tsp Eggnog
* 2 tsp Brandy or Rum (Again, if you want to make this whole shebang non-alcoholic, just use Vanilla extract or more eggnog instead)
* 1 tsp Ground Nutmeg
* Clear crystal Sprinkles (Optional, (but not really!) for topping)
* Red & Green Holiday Sprinkles (Optional, (but not really!) for topping)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350*F. Line a 9 x 13″ pan with parchment paper, if you have it.

Cream together the shortening, brown sugar and white sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer (or by hand!). Beat in the eggnog, eggs one at a time, and the brandy or rum.

Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, mixing between additions.

Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 15 minutes. Check for browning on top after 15 minutes, and cover with foil if it’s getting too brown. Bake another 5-8 minutes, depending on your oven (Mine took 23 minutes). Pull out of oven and allow to cool in the pan.

For the frosting, cream the margarine or butter in the bowl of a stand mixer. Gradually add in about 2 cups of the confectioners sugar and the salt. You’ll get a pebbly grainy texture, which is fine. Add 2 tsp of eggnog and continue mixing. Add in the last 1 tsp of eggnog, and then add in the remaining 1 cup of confectioners sugar. Mix in the 2 tsp of Brandy or Rum. Depending on how thick or thin you like your buttercream, you can add a little more confectioners sugar if you think it’s too thin, or a little more Brandy and/or eggnog if you think it’s too thick. Mix in the ground nutmeg.

Allow blondies to fully cool before slicing into squares while in the pan, and then spreading on the frosting. Top with holiday sprinkles!

I’d love to hear what others have to say about alcohol choice in their eggnog!  Which do you prefer?  I feel like Rum is the most traditional, but I’m not exactly sure where that feeling is coming from, especially since at the drop of a hat I totally went with the reviewer’s suggestion and used Brandy in these bars instead!  To each their own?  Everyone’s different.

Serve. Eat. Repeat!

Happy Holidays!

To this day, I can’t be sure how old my mom actually is. Moms like it that way. A long-time proponent of the “29 Forever Club,” and notoriously ambiguous about her exact birth year, she continues to tout a seemingly timeless outward appearance that also provides no hints.

Against better judgment, namely the fact that she’d now be only a few years older than myself if her 29 year old claims held true, I would think she might in fact have magically stopped aging altogether. I don’t know how she does it.

I guess only time will tell. Or, NOT tell, as the case may be.

See, yesterday was my mom’s birthday, and I’m still no closer to figuring out her real age than I am to figuring out why I wasted an hour and 44 minutes of my life watching Tokyo Drift when it had absolutely nothing to do with Paul Walker.

All I can say is Fast Five is already infinitely better for including him, and I haven’t even seen it yet. Anyway, all tangents aside, I may never know my mom’s real age, but that won’t stop me from baking things for her every year!

Birthdays always call for things with sprinkles. But, since my mom decided to embark on a day trip yesterday where carrying a giant cake around would potentially be entirely inappropriate, I decided on something a little more portable.

Cupcakes were a possibility, but still not as resilient as is necessary to hold up on a road trip. Not to mention the idea of buttercream melting all over the car interior left a little to be desired.

So, I got it in my head that I could make something cute, cake flavored AND sturdy.

Cake batter biscotti! Imagine my surprise when I searched and there were no recipes to be found.  Well, there’s a recipe to be found now!

One of the many awesome things about moms is that they will smile happily and tell you they like your experimental recipes even if they don’t.

Unfortunately, that also means that you will have to ask my mom personally if these are good or not if you want a truthful response!

Happy Birthday, mom!

Cake Batter Biscotti
These definitely aren’t a typical break-your-tooth-off biscotti…they’re a little softer, which means they’re perfect even if you don’t have coffee on-hand for dunking!

Ingredients:

* 1 1/2 Cups Flour
* 1 Cup Yellow Cake Mix
* 3/4 tsp Baking Powder
* 1/4 tsp Salt
* 1/4 Cup Sugar
* 3 Tbsp Butter, melted
* 1 Egg
* 1 Tbsp Butter Flavored Extract
* 1 Tbsp + 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
* 1/8 Cup Sprinkles + extra for sprinkling

Glaze:

* 2 Tbsp Yellow Cake Mix
* 1/2 Cup Powdered Sugar
* 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
* Enough milk to make a frosting or drizzle,
whichever you prefer (I used about a Tbsp of non-dairy milk)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350* F. Line or grease a cookie sheet.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the melted butter and sugar. Add in the egg, butter extract, and vanilla extract, and mix until smooth.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add in the cake mix.

Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture with the mixer on low. Scrape down the sides in between additions. The dough should be fairly thick.

Stir in the sprinkles with a spoon.

With your hands, form the dough into a log shape along the length of the cookie sheet, and about 3 inches wide.

Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for 15 minutes on the cookie sheet. Once cool to the touch, use a serrated knife to slice the log of dough into slightly diagonal, 1/2 inch pieces.

Turn each slice on its side and lay back on the cookie sheet. Bake for 5 minutes. Flip the slices and bake 5 minutes more.

To make the glaze, add the cake mix and powdered sugar to a bowl. Add the vanilla and milk, and stir until you reach the desired consistency.

Once the biscotti cools, drizzle with the glaze, and sprinkle extra sprinkles over the top before it sets.

If you don’t eat them all first, you can wrap them up, add a pretty bow or twisty tie and give them as a gift 🙂 Or figure out a way to put candles on them that doesn’t involve power tools or drill bits. Your choice!

My spring break is quickly wrapping up, and in just a few short days I’ll be knee-deep in textbooks once again, anxiously counting down the days until summer break. 

You really don’t know me all that well yet, so I’ll just go ahead and let you know that I’m a stress baker.  Some people turn to the drink.  Others cocoon themselves up in the fetal position and wait for the storm to pass.  Uhh, I sorta do that second one, but that’s not the point. 

Most often when I start to have a panic attack about reading deadlines, midterms, and the like, I hit the kitchen and do some hard-core, flour in your face, therapeutic mixing and stirring.  I’m just pointing this out in case you start to notice a back-up of new posts in about 3 weeks.  Give or take.  Oh spring break, sweet, sweet spring break.  Though you’ve been cloudy and rainy, and stressful in your own way, I will miss you. 

So let’s live it up ’til then!

Speaking of living it up, the very day I lose my freedom return to classes is the day my older bro turns the big 3-0.  I’m pretty sure he’s wanting to ride out his late 20s as long as possible. 

You can still wear Spongebob underpants when you’re 29.  From what I gather, you can even still proudly display your “Brewmaster” certificate and eat cheez-its for dinner when you’re 29.  You obviously aren’t allowed to do those things anymore when you’re 30.

I don’t make the rules.  Needless to say, it seems we could both use some live-it-up time this weekend.  If you have to bid farewell to your sanity spring breaky-break, or you have to turn 30, there’s probably no better way to soften the blow than with cream puffs.

I give you birthday cream puffs.

Cream Puffs

Adapted from Betty Crocker’s All-Time Favorites
Makes about 12 puffs

* 1 cup water
* 1/2 cup butter
* 2 cups all purpose flour
* 4 eggs
* 1 box vanilla pudding
* chocolate frosting of your choice
* Sprinkles

Directions:

Heat your water and butter in a saucepan until boiling. Reduce heat and quickly stir in the flour using a wooden spoon. For some reason, this making stirring easier! Continue stirring over low heat until the mixture forms a ball that pulls away from the side of the pan (This should take about 1 minute). Take your pan off the heat and beat eggs into your mixture all at once, and continue stirring until super smooth. Now, you can either drop the dough by 1/4 cupfuls onto an ungreased baking sheet, or you can do what I did and pipe them out onto your pan to make cute shapes. Just remember they puff! So they need at least an inch or two of room between them, depending on size.
Bake 35-40 min at 400 degrees.
While your puffs are baking, make vanilla pudding according to pie filling directions on the box. Whip up some of your favorite chocolate frosting (or make life a little easier and use the stuff from the can. I won’t tell!)
Just make sure you let the puffs cool completely on a wire rack before slicing them, laying the pudding in the middle, and topping with chocolate frosting. Sprinkles aren’t optional, so lay ’em on! 😀

Exhibit A: Fluffy, yummy, cloud-in-your-mouth pastry.  I just forgot about 9am neuro.
Exhibit B: Frosting is key.  30 is probably looking like the new 23

It’s still totally acceptable to eat these for breakfast when you’re 30, though.  That’s what I’ve heard.

Happy birthday, bro!

Animals are great. Cookies are supergreat. Frosting is…well, need I even say it?

So, since my cat oddly has something against frosting on his fur, I had to come up with a plan B. Enter the cutest frosted animal cookies you will ever see outside of a Mother’s bag.

In fact, I’d say they’re even cuter, and you want to know why?

1.) They’re not circus animals, but rather Noah’s Ark animals.  That makes them kinda amazing.
2.) For the most part, I know what’s in them (I’m a little iffy on the candy-coating part, but come on)  Let me just say, I’ve never actually read the ingredient list on the back of those store bought bags, but I kinda cringe at the thought of additives I can’t even pronounce as a science major.
3.) Sprinkles!! (Yes, I realize getting excited about sprinkles negates number 2. Pick your battles!)  These little guys are perfect for a first post on a blog that mentions sprinkles specifically, don’t you think?

Frosted Noah’s Ark Animal Cookies

* 3 1/4 cups all purpose flour
* 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
* 2/3 cups shortening
* 2 eggs
* 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
* 2 Tbsp milk (any kind will work)
*1 tsp vanilla extract
* 1/2 tsp salt
* 1 bag each white and pink candy melts
* Colorful, round sprinkles

Directions:

Cream together the shortening and sugar in a stand mixer until fluffy. Add in your milk, vanilla and eggs, mixing to incorporate after each addition.
In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.
Slowly add the flour mixture by spoonfuls into the wet ingredients with the mixer on low (or you’ll end up with a flour shower!). Once the dough comes together, wrap it up and refrigerate it for a couple of hours to make it easier to roll out later. I stuck mine in the freezer for about an hour, because I’m impatient like that.
Once the dough is sufficiently chilled, roll it out into an even, thin layer, about 1/4″ or so. You want it thinner than a regular sugar cookie since these are tiny guys and you’ll be coating them. Bake on a parchment or silpat lined cookie sheet for about 6 minutes at 400 degrees until golden brown around the edges. My oven tends to cook pretty hot, though, so make sure you keep an eye on them around the 5 minute mark. Let cool on a wire rack.
To frost, place candy melts in microwave safe bowl and melt according to the directions on the bag, as they vary between brands. Dip each cookie in, both sides, and pull out with a fork, letting excess coating come off. Place on a sheet of parchment paper and sprinkle with sprinkles quickly before the candy cools and sets. I put them in the fridge for an hour or so once I was done, just to help them set a little more. Enjoy!

Spotted!

When the Mother’s version vanished off store shelves (a few years back, was it?) everyone thought it was the end. Panic. Hysteria. I get it.

Now if they are ever in danger of disappearing yet again (maybe because your cat takes a fancy to hunting them), I trust you know what to do. It involves that really big boat. 

Or just make these.  Or just makes these anyway. Mmmm…. Just like mother’s used to make makes? 😀