These baked blueberry doughnuts have blueberries inside and out, coated with a blueberry glaze but also contain a surprise ingredient!

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Happy National Doughnut Day! I almost waited until Sunday to share this recipe in memory of the Science Sundays posts I used to share but when I found out today was doughnut day I couldn’t resist spilling the beans/blueberries a bit early.

Two months ago I was discussing how to make blueberry doughnuts taste more blueberry-ish with the owner of a local doughnut shop, Rose Dough Donuts, and discovered that the answer is ground coriander! Evidently coriander enhances blueberries and I will try to briefly explain how and why I used it in my baked blueberry doughnuts today.

Terpenes are naturally occurring aromatic compounds produced by many plants for their smell, taste, and color. Linalool is one type of terpene found in both (you guessed it) blueberries and coriander so if you add just a little coriander, preferably freshly ground, it tricks our mind into thinking there is more blueberry flavor in there.

I did also add a bit of lemon zest because citrus is also helpful in boosting those bloobs. I wasn’t taking any chances even though I used very fresh ripe blueberries that I picked up from a Farmers Market the very same day I made these baked blueberry doughnuts. Stumbling upon that market might be the real reason these blueberry doughnuts were born.

While baked doughnuts are never going to hold a candle to fried doughnuts they certainly win points in the cleanup category as I hate dealing with frying food and already have doughnut pans in my arsenal. It is a special day that I willingly deal with a vat of hot oil. Since I bet I am not alone in this sentiment, I present to you my baked blueberry doughnuts! Glazed with even more blueberry puree just incase the coriander and lemon wasn’t already doing enough work. I am not messing around when it comes to my blueberry doughnuts as they are one of my absolute favorites.

You should also try my baked strawberry-ginger glazed doughnuts that I dream about as well.

BAKED BLUEBERRY DOUGHNUTS

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Yield: 18 servings Prep Time: 30 Minutes Cooking Time: 8 Minutes 8 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

DOUGHNUTS

• 3/4 cup blueberries, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup sugar, separated
• 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp lemon zest
• 1-1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 3/4 cup low-fat buttermilk, room temperature*
• 2 eggs, room temperature*
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted*
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

GLAZE

• 1/2 cup blueberries
• 2 cups powdered sugar

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Coat 3 doughnut pans with non-stick spray and set aside.
2. In a small bowl, toss the shopped blueberries with 2 tablespoons of the sugar and set aside to macerate for 10 minutes
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, remaining sugar, lemon zest, coriander, and baking powder. In another bowl, whisk together the remaining wet ingredients until incorporated.
4. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients stir until just combined. Fold in the macerated blueberries until distributed..
5. Spoon or pipe the batter into the prepared pans, filling each mold about 2/3 full.
6. Bake for 8 minutes, or until golden brown. Allow the doughnuts to cool in the pan for about 3 minutes before removing onto a cooling rack.
7. While the doughnuts cool, prepare the icing. Puree the blueberries in a small food processor and passage through a fine-mesh sieve placed over a small bowl**. 
8. In a medium bowl, whisk 1/4 cup of the blueberry puree and powdered sugar together. Dip doughnuts into the glaze, and allow to set for about 10 minutes. Serve immediately.

Notes

*It is very important that the ingredients are room temperature. If they are cold the melted butter will harden when added. **Should yield approximately 1/4 cup. Use a rubber spatula if needed to help dislodge particles to let the puree run through.

Source: Adapted from my Baked Strawberry-Ginger Glazed Doughnuts.

The adorable carrot cake crepes will be the star of your brunch spread this spring season, made easy with premade crepes.

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It’s the last day of Spring Sweets Week and I saved the cutest recipe for the end – carrot cake crepes that look like carrots! Seriously, how stinking cute are these? And they are so simple to put together using premade crepes.

The filling is a blend of cream cheese, whipped topping, pulverized carrot cake flavored Oreos (but you can substitute dry carrot cake mix), fresh shredded carrots, and pecans. Add a little orange for extra flavor and you’re ready to spread that creamy carrot cake filling over half a crepe to then be rolled up into a cone/carrot shape.

But the real trick is saving some of that filling before adding the smashed Oreos, carrots, and pecans, adding food coloring to dye it orange, drizzling on top and then sticking in some fresh parsley, cilantro, or maybe you have some carrot greens leftover from the carrot you shredded.

If you did happen to snag some carrots with the greens still attached, chances are you have a ton left (and carrots), so you should just go ahead and make carrot gnocchi with carrot top pesto to use them up and then serve these carrot cake crepes for dessert. Although I guess crepes are for breakfast? Do whatever feels right. Just know these don’t store well and are best enjoyed immediately.

Check out even more Spring Sweets Weeks recipes to serve along with these carrot cake crepes:

• Orange Poppy Seed Muffins by Hezzi-D’s Recipe Box
• Pineapple Pistachio Cake by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Deviled Egg Sugar Cookies by Jolene’s Recipe Journal
• Carrot Cake Tamale by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
• Dubai Chocolate Easter Eggs by Magical Ingredients
• Kentucky Derby Pie by Art of Natural Living
• Fresh Strawberry Snacking Cake with White Chocolate Chips by Karen’s Kitchen Stories
• Lemon Raspberry Pound Cake by Rave About Food

EASY CARROT CAKE CREPES

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Yield: 20 Crepes Prep Time: 30 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

• 8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
• 8 oz. container frozen whipped topping, thawed
• 2 Tbsp orange juice (~1/2 orange)
• Red and yellow food coloring
• 3/4 cup chopped carrot cake Oreos* (~8 cookies)
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans**
• 1/2 cup shredded carrots
• 10 crepes, halved (I used Melissa's Produce brand)
• 2 tsp milk
• Fresh cilantro, parsley, or carrot top greens, for garnish
• Orange zest, for garnish

Directions

1. In a medium bowl with a hand mixer, blend together the cream cheese, whipped topping, and orange juice. Remove 1/2 cup of mixture and place in a small bowl; set aside. To the medium bowl of filling, fold in the carrot cake cookies, chopped walnuts and shredded carrots until evenly distributed.
2. Spread 2 Tbsp of filling over each crepe half, leaving 1/2-inch around the edges. Starting at one end, roll the crepe up to create a cone/carrot shape. Repeat with each crepe half***.
3. To the small bowl of reserved filling, add a couple drops of red (~2) and yellow (~4) food coloring and stir to create an orange color. Add 2 teaspoons of milk to thin it enough to drizzle over the crepes.
4. Insert the stems of the carrot greens, mint, or parsley into the top of each crepe with leaves sticking out to resemble a carrot. Sprinkle with orange zest, if using, and serve immediately.

Notes

*If you cannot find the carrot cake Oreos, swap for 2/3 cup carrot or spice cake mix, but make sure to heat treat by heating in microwave to 160 degrees F - about 1 minute stirring every 15 seconds. **You could also add/substitute nuts for toasted coconut or raisins if you prefer. ***If not serving immediately, keep components separate until ready.

Source: Adapted from my Carrot Cake Dip, Cake Batter Fruit Dip, Oreo Cheesecake Fruit Dip, and A Season to Smile.

You only need three ingredients and minimal tools to make these easy chocolate peanut butter cinnamon rolls any day of the week.

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National Cinnamon Roll Day landing on #PBchocSat means it’s time to wake up to the best combo – chocolate peanut butter cinnamon rolls. Our game against Minnesota may be at 7:30pm but that won’t stop me from rousing the Buckeye spirit early.

I have made homemade peanut butter cinnamon rolls with chocolate glaze before, six years ago in fact for The Game against *ichigan so it was time to make something new. However, I was in no mood to make cinnamon rolls from scratch so I am here to share the lazy girl’s version makin a can of cinnamon rolls seem like they are homemade. Another option could have been a cinnamon roll dump cake but maybe next time.

Similar to my baklava cinnamon rolls, you will buy a tube of jumbo cinnamon rolls, unroll the dough, smear peanut butter and Nutella (chocolate hazelnut spread) over them, roll back up, slice into 5 rolls, and bake! I considered only adding the peanut butter to the filling and the Nutella to the icing, but decided I didn’t want to dirty even one more dish to make this.

All you will need is a surface upon which to unroll the dough, a knife/spoon/offset spatula to spread the peanut butter and Nutella, a sharp knife to cut (unless you are able to split them apart as originally intended), and a pan in which to bake them. And last but not least, a mouth to enjoy them!

EASY CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER CINNAMON ROLLS

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Yield: 5 Servings Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cooking Time: 25 Minutes 25 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

• 1 (17.5 oz.) tube Grands Pillsbury cinnamon rolls
• 1/4 cup peanut butter
• 1/4 cup chocolate hazelnut spread

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9x13 inch pan; set aside.
2. On a clean, lightly floured surface, unroll the cinnamon rolls without separating them. Spread peanut butter and chocolate hazelnut spread evenly over the dough.
3. Tightly roll dough back up, slice into 5 rolls and arrange in prepared pan.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes or until golden brown on top.
5. When cinnamon rolls are done, immediately drizzle icing from the package over the top. Serve immediately.

Source: Adapted from my Baklava Cinnamon Rolls and slightly from my Peanut Butter Cinnamon Rolls with Chocolate Glaze.

Cranberry cinnamon roll casserole is an easy festive fall breakfast or brunch dish that’s ready in just 30 minutes thanks to a can of refrigerated cinnamon rolls.

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Like many recipes, this cranberry cinnamon roll casserole is not 100% my creation. I am often inspired by various recipes from cookbooks, other recipe bloggers, social media, or trying to recreate something I had at a restaurant. This one falls into the social media category.

I had two versions of a similar recipe saved, one using peach pie filling and another with fresh blueberries, and I thought to myself why not fresh cranberries for the fall? I modified the filling and topping a little bit based on my own experience making similar things but obviously kept the can of refrigerated cinnamon rolls on the ingredient list.

Could you make cranberry cinnamon roll casserole with homemade cinnamon rolls? Sure, homemade will almost always taste best. But the point I was going for with this recipe was the speed at which it comes together. No planning ahead of time necessary beyond ensuring you have the ingredients on hand. Another great halfway homemade option to feed a crowd during the holidays would be to make Sheet Pan Pancakes From Mix.

Technically you could use any fruit you desire. Heck maybe you don’t want any fruit in it. Add some chocolate or nuts instead. All you technically need to make this cranberry cinnamon roll casserole is a refrigerated can of cinnamon rolls, fresh cranberries, and heavy cream. Skip the crumbly topping if you don’t want to be bothered and just stick to the icing. It’s an easily adaptable recipe which is one of my favorite types of recipe.

• Pumpkin Cookies with Brown Butter Frosting by Hezzi-D’s Recipe Box
• Apple Chai Scones by Blogghetti
• Ginger Spiced Pear Compote with Cranberriesl by Jolene’s Recipe Journal
• Sicilian Eggplant Parmigiana by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Spiced Maple Toffee Apple Smoothie Bowl by A Little Fish in the Kitchen
• Pumpkin Bagels by Art of Natural Living
• Crispy Molasses Cookies by Karen’s Kitchen Stories
• Easy Peach Ginger Skillet Crisp by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
• Apple Gorgonzola Salad by Easy Recipes For One
• Kale and Kabocha Paratha by Magical Ingredients

CRANBERRY CINNAMON ROLL CASSEROLE

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Yield: 6 Servings Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cooking Time: 20 Minutes 20 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

TOPPING

• 6 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1-1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt

FILLING

• 1 can (12.4 oz.*) cinnamon rolls, quartered (icing reserved for topping)
• 1/4 cup heavy cream or milk
• 1 cup fresh cranberries

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9-inch pie pan; set aside.
2. To make the topping, in a medium bowl blend together the butter, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
3. In the prepared pie pan, evenly spread the quartered cinnamon rolls. Drizzle with heavy cream and evenly distribute cranberries over the top. Crumble the topping over the top.
4. Place is preheated oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown on top and bubbling. Immediately top with icing from the can of cinnamon rolls and serve.

Notes

*Not the grands, the one with 8 rolls.

Source: Adapted from Taste with Nikki.

Turn store bought dough into these stunning baklava cinnamon rolls. If you don’t tell anyone they aren’t completely made from scratch, neither will I.

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Originally when I dreamed up the recipe for these baklava cinnamon rolls they were to be made from scratch. But then I decided to take a shortcut, like my ghost cinnamon rolls, and use premade refrigerated ones instead. With the addition of the baklava filling, it makes this recipe much more approachable.

Once you unroll those perfectly rolled refrigerated cinnamon rolls, you layer thin sheets of phyllo, brush with melted butter, sprinkle finely chopped cinnamon-walnuts on top and repeat three more times. Then you just have to roll them tightly back up, slice into 5 cinnamon rolls, and bake!

After about 25 minutes in the oven, you will have golden flaky beauties. They also will be much larger than the original packaged cinnamon rolls as you essentially doubled their filling, but they are worth the glow up.

While the baklava cinnamon rolls are baking, you take that little cup of icing from the package and add a little honey and lemon zest before drizzling evenly over the top of the hot rolls. Baklava cinnamon roll transformation complete!

It might seem like a shame to go through all that for just five baklava cinnamon rolls, but it was perfect for our house of two. If you have a lager party to entertain, thankfully it’s easy enough to buy a second can of cinnamon rolls and use more of that package of phyllo dough you already have for the first half.

Looking for more brunch ideas? Check on the roundup listed right before the recipe to se what my other foodie friends made today.

More Brunch Recipes:

• Easy Banana Snack Cake from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
• Lemon Basil Chicken Salad from Jolene’s Recipe Journal
• BLT Eggs Benny from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Muffin Tin Omelets from Blogghetti
• Rhubarb Crumble Muffins from Hezzi-D’s Recipe Box
• Bloody Mary Shrimp Cocktail from A Little Fish in the Kitchen
• Crown Royal Blackberry Sangria from Our Crafty Mom
• Easy Mini Cakes from Easy Recipes for One
• Chicken Limone from Art of Natural Living
• Cheese Danish Cups from Karen’s Kitchen Stories

BAKLAVA CINNAMON ROLLS

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Yield: 5 Servings Prep Time: 15 MInutes Cooking Time: 25 Minutes 25 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

• 4 oz. walnuts, finely chopped
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 (17.5 oz.) tube Grands Pillsbury cinnamon rolls*
• 6 thawed phyllo dough sheets (about 4 oz.), cut in half lengthwise*
• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
• 1 Tbsp honey
• 1 tsp fresh lemon zest (about 1/2 lemon)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9x13 inch pan; set aside.
2. In a small bowl, combine the walnuts and cinnamon.
3. On a clean, lightly floured surface, unroll the cinnamon rolls without separating them. Place two sheets of phyllo over the unrolled dough, brush lightly with butter, and sprinkle top with 1/4 of the walnut mixture. Repeat 3 more times with remaining phyllo, butter, and walnuts.
4. Tightly roll dough back up, slice into 5 rolls and arrange in prepared pan.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes or until golden brown on top.
6. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir together the icing from the package with honey and lemon zest. 
7. When cinnamon rolls are done, immediately drizzle icing evenly over the top. Serve immediately. 

Notes

*You will have 12 long and thin sheets that should be about the same size as the unrolled cinnamon roll dough. If you don't use refrigerated dough and make them from scratch, you will need to double the filling and not cut the phyllo sheets in half.

In my opinion carrot cake scones aren’t complete without cream cheese frosting on top, but take them to the next level by adding browned butter!

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If muffins are cupcakes without frosting for breakfast, what are scones with frosting? Delicious is all I know.

Frosting might not be the first thing that comes to mind in the morning but I have difficulty accepting something labeled as carrot cake without cream cheese being involved. I’ve made exceptions over the years (carrot cake biscotti, carrot cake breakfast cookies, carrot cake oatmeal) but to be honest I almost always think they would have been even better with cream cheese frosting, especially my carrot cake banana bread. Yes I added a cream cheese spread when serving it but I legit have considered revamping that recipe to bake a cream cheese center right into it.

While brings me to the question I had when making these carrot cake scones – top with cream cheese frosting or stuff with cream cheese filling? While I feel like the carrot cake banana bread would be best stuffed inside, I decided the cream cheese needed to be on top of these scones so as to not overwork the dough. Added bonus of the frosting on top is feeling like you are eating a slice of cake for breakfast!

The cream cheese frosting on top isn’t the only thing special about these carrot cake scones – they are made with browned butter in the scone and frosting. You will brown 3/4 cups of butter, 1/2 cup of which goes into the scones and the remaining 1/4 (slightly less due to the browning process) into the frosting. Is it an extra step that could be made optional? Yes but the flavor payoff is just too good to truly be optional. Those flecks of browned butter in the frosting are like vanilla bean flecks but possibly better.

• Baked Key Lime Pie Donuts from Jolene’s Recipe Journal
• Keto Waffles from Art of Natural Living
• Lemon Blueberry Quick Bread from Hezzi-D’s Recipe Box
• Mimosa Muffins from Cheese Curd In Paradise
• Mixed Berry Lemon Bread from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Tea Party Charcuterie Letters from For the Love of Food
• Vegan Strawberry Cream Cheese from Cindy’s Recipes and Writings

BROWNED BUTTER CARRTO CAKE SCONES

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Yield: 8 Servings Prep Time: 1 Hour 45 Minutes Cooking Time: 20 Minutes 20 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

SCONES

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter*
• 2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp ground allspice
• Pinch salt
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup plain or vanilla Greek yogurt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup finely grated carrots**
• 1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut***
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts***
• 1/2 cup mini cinnamon chips***
• Heavy cream or milk
• Coarse sugar

FROSTING

• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter*
• 4 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/2-3/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1-2 Tbsp heavy cream or milk

Directions

1. Melt 3/4 cup of butter (for both scones and glaze) in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Simmer until it turns brown and nutty. Remove pan from the heat and pour 1/2 cup in a small covered heatproof bowl and place in refrigerator to solidify for at least 20 minutes. Transfer remaining browned butter**** to a medium heatproof bowl to stop the cooking. Set aside to cool at room temperature.
2. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper; set aside.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, allspice, and salt; set aside.
4. Remove the chilled 1/2 cup browned butter from the refrigerator and cut into 1/2-inch cubes. Add to flour mixture, cutting in with a pastry cutter or two knives until it looks like like semi-wet, clumpy sand. Some pea-sized butter clumps are okay; set bowl aside.
5. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, Greek yogurt, and vanilla until smooth. Pour wet mixture over dry, and fold until just combined. Don’t overmix, dough will be shaggy; set aside.
6. Reusing the same small bowl from the wet ingredients, combine the shredded carrots, coconut, walnuts, and cinnamon chips***. Add to dough and fold in just until evenly distributed.
7. Sprinkle flour over a clean work surface. Knead dough into an 8-inch round and slice round into 8 equal-sized wedges. Transfer to prepared baking sheet and freeze for 30 minutes.
8. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
9. Brush the tops with heavy cream (or milk), sprinkle with coarse sugar, and bake for about 15-20 minutes, or until very lightly golden and cooked through. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs, but no batter. Allow to cool on baking tray for about 5 minutes before removing and transferring to a rack to finish cooling.
10. While the scones cool, make the frosting. In the medium bowl with the remaining room temperature browned butter, add cream cheese and blend until creamy. Add vanilla extract and powdered sugar, whisking until the mixture comes together then add in 1 tablespoon of heavy cream (or milk), continuing to mix. Add a bit of powdered sugar or more heavy cream until you get the desired consistency.
11. Spread frosting over cooled scones and serve. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Notes

*3/4 cup total butter used in recipe, but 1/2 cup in the scones and 1/4 cup in the frosting. **Grated on the small side of a box grater. ***Coconut, walnuts, and cinnamon chips are optional but delicious. Could also use raisins, pecans, and/or white chocolate chips. ****Will be slightly less than 1/4 cup due to losing some liquid during the browning process, but that's fine.

Source: Adapted from my Brown Butter Glazed Peach Scones.

It’s hard to beat homemade herbed biscuits and breakfast sausage gravy, especially when it’s all together as a biscuits and gravy casserole.

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What are your favorite breakfasts? I grew up with a fun variety of pancakes that I enjoy to this day, like applesauce, but I am also a huge fan of eggs benedict. However, I most often order those things when dining out these day rather than make them at home. It’s hard when you are only cooking for one or two people (Bob doesn’t always eat breakfast – for shame).

I also adore biscuits and gravy but I rarely make or order it because I try to make healthier decisions to start my day (usually herbed scrambled eggs or fruit and yogurt). But I found an excuse to make this biscuits and gravy casserole recipe for a friend’s’ birthday brunch potluck.

I first found the base of this recipe from Southern Living, but in reviews the main pitfall was that it was under-seasoned. So I decided to utilize some extra seasoning in both the gravy and the biscuits, pulling inspiration from my herbed biscuit-topped pot pie.

If you think a little bit of herbs won’t make a huge difference, talk to the people who literally exclaimed how much they loved the fresh herbs. Maybe you could get away with dried here, but if you are able it is worth the splurge. Same goes with the biscuits, you could use store bought, but when they are the main component it’s worth making yourself.

Two years ago: Blue Poop Challenge Muffins

Three years ago: Rye Bourbon Dark Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Seven years ago: Red Velvet Gooey Butter Cookies

Eight year ago: Weekly Meal Plan: 7

Nine years ago: Nutella Stuffed Biscotti

Ten years ago: Homemade Lip Balms Revisit

Eleven years ago: Quinoa Turkey Meatballs

Twelve years ago: Red Velvet Molten Lava Cakes

HERBED BISCUITS AND GRAVY CASSEROLE

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Yield: 8 Servings Prep Time: 25 Minutes Cooking Time: 50 Minutes 50 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

SAUSAGE GRAVY

• 1 (1-lb.) pkg. ground pork sausage
• 1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
• 1/4 cup + 1 Tbsp unsalted butter, divided
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 cups whole milk, room temperature
• 1 Tbsp fresh minced sage
• 1 tsp fresh minced thyme
• 3/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 2 Tbsp minced green onion

BISCUITS

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp Italian Seasoning
• 6 Tables unsalted butter, cold and cubed
• 3/4 cup milk

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 13x9-inch baking dish; set aside.
2. Place a large skillet over medium heat and add sausage and onion. Cook, stirring and breaking up the sausage into crumbles, until sausage is no longer pink and onion is translucent, 6-8 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Wipe skillet clean.
3. Return pan to low heat, and add 1/4 cup of the butter to skillet, whisking until melted. Add flour and whisk until smooth. Continue cooking and whisking constantly, 1 minute. Gradually pour in the milk while whisking. Once incorporated, increase heat to medium, and cook while whisking constantly, until thickened and bubbly, 5-6 minutes. Stir in sausage mixture, sage, thyme, salt, and pepper. Transfer mixture to prepared baking dish.
4. In a large mixing bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and Italian Seasoning. Cut in the butter until resembles course crumbs. Add the milk, mixing just until moist.
5. Turn out onto a floured surface and pat into 1/2-inch thick circle. With a 2-inch cutter, cut out the biscuits. Repeat with scraps of dough, working as little as possible, to make about 8 biscuits. Arrange biscuits on top of sausage mixture.
6. Bake in preheated oven until biscuits are golden brown and gravy is bubbly, 30-35 minutes. When done, in a small microwave-safe bowl, microwave the remaining 1 tablespoon butter for 20 seconds or until melted. Brush biscuits with melted butter, and sprinkle with green onions. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Source: Adapted from Southern Living and my Beef Pot Pie with Herbed Biscuits.

Being cute and spooky has never been so easy. To make these Ghost Halloween Cinnamon Rolls, all you need is a jumbo can of cinnamon rolls and candy eyes.

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This recipe for ghost Halloween cinnamon rolls could not be any easier. All you need is a can of jumbo cinnamon tolls and some candy eyeballs. Just unroll 2/3 of the dough, form it into the ruffles of a ghost, pin with a toothpick, bake, top with icing, and add the eyes!

I had considered making cinnamon rolls from scratch, and you’re welcome to do so still, but I wanted something simple and fun. Something you can bake up quick on a weekend. I am always a fan of jazzing up store bought products.

I have to admit they kind of look like jellyfish or squid more than ghosts, especially the ones I gave smaller eyes but whatever -they are still spooky cute Halloween cinnamon rolls.

Obviously if you need more than 5 just buy another can of cinnamon rolls. Just please be aware that you MUST use the jumbo ones. I made the mistake of first buying the regular sized cinnamon rolls and those do not unroll. In other words, I ate a lot of cinnamon rolls in the past week.

Welcome to 2024’s #HalloweenTreatsWeek event!

If you’re new here, Welcome! If you’re a returning haunt, welcome back!

#HalloweenTreatsWeek is a yearly Halloween blogging event that is hosted by Angie from Big Bear’s Wife . This spooky event is an online, week-long event that is filled with some frightfully fun Halloween treats and recipes from some fantastic Halloween loving bloggers!

For this year’s 7th annual #HalloweenTreatsWeek event we have 12 hauntingly talented bloggers who are sharing their favorite Halloween recipes throughout the week! You can follow the hashtag #HalloweenTreatsWeek on social media to collect all of these frightful recipes to use at your own Halloween parties and events!

• White Chocolate Skull Red Velvet Brownies from BigBearsWife
• Monster Rice Krispie Treats from Semi-Homemade Recipes
• Franken Berry Breakfast Buns from Sweet ReciPEAs
• Jack O Lantern Ham and Cheese Hand Pies from Jen Around the World

GHOST HALLOWEEN CINNAMON ROLLS

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Yield: 5 Servings Prep Time: 5 Minutes Cooking Time: 25 Minutes 25 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

• 1 (17.5 oz.) can of jumbo cinnamon rolls*, with icing
• Toothpicks
• Candy eyeballs

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. Working one cinnamon roll at a time, unroll 2/3 of the dough, then fold it on itself three times to make ruffles at the bottom. Secure end with a toothpick. Place on prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining cinnamon rolls, placing 2-3 inches apart.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until golden. Remove and immediately top with icing and two candy eyes.

Notes

*You must use jumbo cinnamon rolls. Regular sized won't allow you to unroll them.

Source: How We Host

This peanut butter puff pastry ring topped with chocolate drizzle looks impressive but it’s surprisingly easy to make with just a few ingredients.

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Doesn’t this peanut butter puff pastry look beautiful? It shockingly only requires 6 ingredients, and 3 of them are just for the chocolate drizzle on top.

The only ingredients you need to make a peanut butter puff pastry ring:

• Puff pastry
• Crunchy peanut butter
• Powdered sugar
• Unsalted butter
• Heavy cream
• Semisweet chocolate

Seriously that’s it. And it’s almost just as simple to assemble as well.

Once your spread the peanut butter-powdered sugar mixture over the puff pastry, you roll the dough up as if you were making cinnamon rolls. But instead of cutting the dough into spirals you it cut lengthwise, exposing all those layers your just rolled up in long lines. Then you use a simple twisting technique (similar to making chocolate babka) to braid the two strands together and shape the dough-rope into a circle, connecting the ends.

While the peanut butter puff pastry ring bakes you prepare the chocolate glaze to be drizzled over the warm pastry ring when it’s done.

Is it breakfast? It is dessert? You decide! I would learn towards the dessert category, but I also tend to prefer savory breakfasts so that’s my preference. I did recently read that if you are going to eat dessert you should eat it earlier rather that at the end of the day but who knows what truth that holds.

I say eat your treats whenever your want, just practice a little moderation ;-). That seems to be a good motto for most things in life.

PEANUT BUTTER PUFF PASTRY RING WITH CHOCOLATE DRIZZLE

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Yield: 6-8 Servings Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cooking Time: 25 Minutes 25 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

• 1 refrigerated puff pastry sheet (8.65 oz)*
• 3/4 cup crunchy peanut butter
• 1 Tbsp powdered sugar
• 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 Tbsp heavy cream
• 2 Tbsp (1 oz.) semisweet chocolate

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a medium bowl blend together the crunchy peanut butter and powdered sugar; set aside.
3. Roll puff pastry out on a sheet of parchment paper. Thinly spread the peanut butter over the entire surface.
4. Starting with the long side, roll the dough up, pinching the seam to seal. Cut length-wise into two long logs then braid the two dough strand together, joining the ends into a circle.
5. Using the parchment paper, lift and place on a cookie sheet. Bake 20-25 minutes, or until browned on top.
6. Meanwhile, prepare the chocolate glaze. In a small bowl, microwave the butter and heavy cream for 1 minute. Add chocolate chips and let sit for 1 minute before whisking until smooth. Spread or drizzle glaze over warm pastry ring and serve immediately.

Notes

*You can also use a sheet of crescent dough, just don't separate the pieces.

Source: Inspired by Real SImple, drizzle adapted from my Peanut Butter Cinnamon Rolls with Chocolate Glaze.

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These carrot cake biscotti are dressed up for spring with a drizzle of lemon glaze and dried lemon peel on top. Perfect served with a cup of tea or enjoy alone!

This post is sponsored in conjunction with #SpringSweetsWeek. I received product samples from sponsor companies to help in the creation of the #SpringSweetsWeek recipes. All opinions are mine alone.

Jump to recipe

Somehow, in over 12 years these Carrot Cake Biscotti are only the third biscotti recipe to ever grace the pages of The Spiffy Cookie – the other two being Nutella Stuffed Biscotti and Peanut Butter Stuffed Chocolate Biscotti (I like stuffed things, evidently).

But they are the ninth carrot cake-inspired recipe, joining the ranks of: Carrot Cake Banana Bread, Carrot Cake Batter Dip, Carrot Cake Cookies and even Carrot Cake Breakfast Cookies, Carrot Cake Oatmeal, Carrot Cake Pecan Pie, Carrot Cake Waffles, and of course Carrot Cake.

I don’t know about you, but carrot cake is one of the first cake flavors I think during the season of spring.

To freshen up the flavor of carrot cake for spring even further, once they are double baked, these carrot cake biscotti are drizzled with lemon glaze and sprinkled with with dried lemon peel on top. You can thank the generous sponsors of #SpringSweetsWeek for that flavor inspiration.

Speaking of, make sure to check out the other delicious treats listed before the recipe card. Then after the recipe card you can learn more about these fabulous sponsors of ours and enter to win some sweet swag!

We share recipes from #SpringSweetsWeek on Pinterest! Make sure you follow the board to see all the delicious recipes shared this week.

CARROT CAKE BISCOTTI

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Yield: 14 Biscotti Prep Time: 30 Minutes Cooking Time: 45 Minutes 45 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

BISCOTTI

• 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1-1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground allspice
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 6 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp almond extract
• 1/2 cup finely shredded carrot (about 1 medium)
• 1/2 cup shopped walnuts or pecans

TOPPING

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• Juice from 1 lemon
• Dried lemon peel, optional for garnish

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. In a medium-sized bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, allspice, and salt. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugars until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Beat in the eggs one at a time and extracts until just blended. Add the flour mixture on low speed of your mixer, stirring until smooth. Fold in the carrots and walnuts until evenly distributed.
4. Scoop the dough onto a large sheet of parchment paper. Roll out into a 10×6-inch rectangle. Carefully lift and transfer to a cookie sheet.
5. Bake for 25 minutes, or until lightly golden. Remove from oven and allow it to cool on the pan for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, reduce the oven temperature to 300°F
6. Remove from the parchment and use a serrated knife to cut into 3/4-inch slices. Place back on the parchment-lined cookie sheet, cut-side-down, and bake 10 minutes. Flip and bake another 10 minutes or until golden.
7. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
8. While the cookies cool, in a small bowl whisk together the lemon juice and powdered sugar. Drizzle over cooled biscotti, sprinkles with dried lemon peel and allow to set before serving.

Source: Adapted from my Nutella Stuffed Biscotti and Lemon Olive Oil Sugar Cookies.

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Thank you #SpringSweetsWeek Sponsors: Selefina Spices, Anolon, Melissa’s Produce, and Taylor and Colledge for providing the prizes free of charge. These companies also provided the bloggers with samples and product to use for #SpringSweetsWeek recipes. All opinions are my own. The #SpringSweetsWeek giveaway is open to residents of the United States who are 18 years of age or older.   All entries for the winner will be checked and verified. By entering you give the right to use your name and likeness. The number of entries received determines the odds of winning. Four (4) winners will be selected. The prize packages will be sent directly from the giveaway sponsors. The #SpringSweetsWeek Bloggers are not responsible for the fulfillment or delivery of the prize packages. Bloggers hosting this giveaway and their immediate family members in their household cannot enter or win the giveaway. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited by law. This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter or any other social channel mentioned in the #SpringSweetsWeek posts or entry.