Things I'm Lovin' Tuesday: Carbolite FroYo

This is a non-sponsored review and I purchased my own froyo.

Last year I started a monthly blog series called

THINGS I'M LOVIN' TUESDAY!!!

Past post can be found:

here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here!

And make sure to check back every last Tuesday of the month!

Now onto what I'm lovin' this month...

I've always been a fan of frozen yogurt.
I mean really, what's not to love?
My boyfriend introduced me to carbolite this summer
and I was in heaven from the very first bite!
It tastes like regular froyo, but with a fraction of the calories!!!

Below is a sampling of some of the carblolite we've enjoyed recently.

They have many flavors and I've tried a bunch over the last few months.
If you can find some near you, you should give it a try.
I haven't been disappointed yet!

Mom's Snickerdoodle Cookies

During the holidays I always spend at least one day in the kitchen baking.

The list of baked goods changes every year depending on my mood,

but Snickerdoodles has made the list the last few years and is always a hit!

I guess you could say that they're even a family recipe.

I got the recipe from my aunt, who initially got it from my mom.

Thanks Mom and Aunt Vickie!!!

The employees in my office devoured the Snickerdoodles I made last December,

so I decided to make them again for a coworkers birthday in February.

It was then that I realized I'd never blogged about these yummy cookies.

So today I'm going to remedy that by sharing this super easy recipe.

Not only are they simple to make, but they're dairy free too.

Keep reading to see how these yummy cookies are made!

The Goods:

Shortening

Sugar

Eggs

Flour

Cream of Tartar

Salt

Baking Soda

Cinnamon

Add your sugar, shortening and eggs to a large mixing bowl.

Then mix thoroughly using a hand or stand mixer.

Sift the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt together

and then add it to your large mixing bowl. 

Using your hand or stand mixer, 

keep mixing until the dry ingredients are fully incorporated.

Your dough should stay together and not be sticky at all.

Set aside for a moment.

Combine 2 tablespoons sugar and 2 teaspoons cinnamon on a plate.

Roll your dough into balls the size of walnuts (not the shelled ones!)

Then roll the each ball into the cinnamon sugar mixture.

You'll want the dough completely covered!

Place on a baking sheet with enough room for them to expand.

And bake at 400 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes.

My oven runs pretty hot and mine were done in 8 minutes!

Let cool on baking sheet for a minute or two,

then remove and place on a cooling rack.

Lastly - try not to eat too many while they're cooling down!!!

Mom's Snickerdoodles
1 Cup Shortening
1 1/2 Cups Sugar
2 Eggs
2 3/4 Cups Flour
2 Teaspoons Cream of Tartar
1 Teaspoon Salt
1/4 Teaspoon Baking Soda
2 Tablespoons Sugar
2 Teaspoons Cinnamon

1. Add your sugar, shortening and eggs to a large mixing bowl and mix thoroughly.
2. Sift the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt together, then add to large mixing bowl.
3. Using your mixer, incorporate the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until fully combined.
4. On a plate, mix together 2 Tablespoons sugar with 2 Teaspoons cinnamon.
5. Roll your dough into balls the size of walnuts then roll the each into the cinnamon sugar mixture to cover completely.
6. Place the covered dough balls on a baking sheet with enough room for them to expand.
7. Bake at 400 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes.
8. Let cool on baking sheet for a minute or two, then remove and place on a cooling rack.

GG's Christmas Fudge

Growing up, I remember my mom making multiple recipes that came from my Great Grandma,
who we called G.G.
They were all so tasty and I'm honored to be the one making them now!

I've shared with you her amazing Banana Bread recipe.

And now I want to tell you about her delicious Fudge!!!

I don't remember a Christmas during my childhood that my mom didn't make this fudge.
In fact, I also recall both my brother and I requesting it for our birthdays once or twice.
It was a big hit in our house growing up, that's for sure!

It's pretty easy to make too.
It's really about timing everything that's key.

Take a look below at the fudge making process!

GG's Fudge

• 10 Big Marshmallows
• 1 Tablespoon Water
• 1 1/2 Cup Chocolate Chips
• 1 Stick Unsalted Butter
• 1 Teaspoon vanilla
• 2 Cups Sugar
• 3/4 Cup Evaporated Milk

1. Put Chocolate Chips, Butter and Vanilla in large mixing bowl and set aside.
2. Slow boil the Sugar and Evaporated Milk. Bring to a rolling boil and stir for about 5 minutes.
3. While Sugar and Evaporated Milk are boiling, melt the Marshmallows with the water.
4. Pour both the Sugar and Evaporated Milk mixture AND the melted Marshmallows over the Chocolate Chips, Butter and Vanilla. 
5. Mix until everything is incorported and creamy.
6. Add chopped nuts if desired (OPTIONAL but I usually use Chopped Walnuts)
7. Spread out mixture in a 9x9 baking dish that's lined with wax/parchment paper.
8. Chill in fridge AT LEAST 24 hours before cutting.
9. Cut into squares and place in mini muffin liners for serving. 

Elina and Robyn Make...BLONDIES!

We'reeeeeeeeeeeeee back!

And back with some AMAZING Blondies! These are crazy delicious and SO easy to make. I made them one weekend for co-workers, and after discovering how great they were - Elina and I made them the following weekend. I decided to blog about them so no one missed out on these tasty treats!

Check out how to make them and then do so - you WON'T be upset!

The Goods:

1 cup Self Rising Flour

OR

1 cup All Purpose Flour AND 2 tsp Baking Powder

3 1/2 ounces Unsalte Butter

1/2 cup Sugar

2 Eggs

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

1/2 to 3/4 cup Macadamia Nuts - roughly chopped

3 1/2 ounces White Chocolate

Parchment Paper

Preheat Oven to 350.

Lightly grease 8" square pan and line with parchment paper.

Set aside until batter is ready.

Bring water to boil in large sauce pan.

Remove from heat and place heat proof bowl on top.

Add butter and white chocolate to heat proof bowl, 

stirring occasionally until melted completely. 

Add the sugar.

And then the eggs and vanilla too!

Fold in the flour and nuts until fully incorporated.

Pour batter into pan and smooth with spatula.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes.

If top starts browning before fully set,

cover lightly with foil.

Anddddd they're done!

Cool in the pan a few minutes.

Remove and then cool completely before baking.

Now...go make some and enjoy!!!

Dairy-Free Baked Goodies!

It's no secret that I love to bake. 

Since I love to bake, I do it fairly often and I simply cannot eat it all myself (even though I may WANT to...), so my wonderful co-workers get the pleasure of eating the goodies I make! Well most of them that is... 

My friend Matt has a dairy allergy and sadly cannot eat many of the treats I bring in. I felt so bad tempting him all the time, so I promised I'd research dairy-free baked goods and try to make some for him!

Finding dairy-free recipes wasn't hard at all, but finding ones that sounded pretty good and didn't require me to buy too many new things WAS hard. I wanted whatever I made to taste good and most importantly, I didn't want people to be able to tell they were dairy-free!

So after a little time searching, I found the following recipes that sounded AMAZING. 

1. Dairy-Free Snickerdoodle Blondies
2. Snappy Molasses Cookies - These are not only Dairy-Free, but Vegan, Nut-Free AND Soy-Free!

Now that I've gone on and on about the goodies, let me show you how to make them! They're really simple actually. No more difficult than your normal blondie/brownie or cookie recipe.

Dairy-Free Snickerdoodle Blondies

The Goods

Dairy-Free Butter Substitute - I used Earth Balance

Flour

Brown Sugar

Salt

Vanilla

Baking Powder

Sugar

Ground Nutmeg

Ground Cinnamon

Eggs

Cream the Butter Substitute with the Brown Sugar

Add the eggs

And the Vanilla

And mix it all up.

Add the dry ingredients and mix.

Transfer mixture to lightly greased 9x13 baking dish.

Cover with a mixture of sugar and cinnamon.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.

Halfway through baking!

And done! Time to cool.

I know it's hard...

but it's best to wait until completely cool before cutting. 

Remove the blondies from the baking dish...

And cut into smallish pieces to be enjoyed!

Snappy Molasses Cookies

The Goods:

Baking Soda

Vanilla

Vegetable Oil

Sugar

Brown Sugar

Flour

Egg

Molasses

Ground Cinnamon

Ground Ginger

Ground Cloves

Ground Nutmeg

Combine the dry ingredients - spices included.

Set aside.

Put the Vegetable Oil in the mixing bowl.

Add the sugars.

And mix the sugars in.

Now add the egg.

And the molasses.

Oh and the vanilla too!

Now mix it allllllll up.

Until everything is combined. 

Now add the dry ingredients you set aside.

And give it a mix until everything is incorporated.

If the dough is a little sticky - add a bit more flour.

And mix that one final time.

Shape the dough into balls...

And roll in sugar.

Place on a baking sheet.

 Bake at 350 degrees for about 7 minutes.

Take them out them out when they just begin to "crack" on top.

YUM!

You don't have to wait until these are cooled,

so dig right in!!!