Cinnamon Roll Cake

Last week I celebrated my 34th birthday. I really can't believe I'm 34. I mean, I don't feel a day younger than 38. (Just kidding.)  Age doesn't matter to me at this point. I know, I know, ask me when I'm 40 and I might sing a different tune. So many of my friends had major issues when we all hit 30. But me? It wasn't a big deal. The only thing I miss about my 20s is my metabolism. As I turned 34 I realized that, if it follows the same pattern it's been over the past few years, I only have a short time left before it's gone completely.

Speaking of metabolism, I managed to run two miles on my birthday (a lot for me). Which proves that I am in way better shape than I was when I was 24. I had never even heard of exercise at that age. So I'm proud of myself for that.

Back over the summer I told my husband that I would be making my own birthday cake this year. My daughter was upset because she wanted to make it (which would have entailed my husband doing it, making him break into a sweat at the thought) so we compromised. I would make the cake and Jordan would decorate it.

I think she did a pretty good job. She was pretty proud of herself.

I really, really love cinnamon rolls. It used to be that I couldn't pass a Cinnabon without buying one. I've been wanting to turn one into a cake for awhile and this is my attempt at that. The cake is a yellow base with a cinnamon-sugar cinnamon swirl. I filled it with brown sugar frosting (that, by the way, tastes exactly like the center of a cinnamon roll) and covered the outside with cream cheese icing.

You swirl the cinnamon sugar into the cake batter. Yum!

Since it's like a cinnamon roll, that means I can eat it for breakfast right?

This cake is not really metabolism friendly, but it was my birthday. So calories be damned! (And it was totally husband approved. He ate it more than once, which if you know about his Skinny Cow addiction, is a big deal for me.)

Cinnamon Roll Cake

Yellow Cake base from Smitten Kitchen

Printed from www.CrazyforCrust.com

Ingredients:

For the cake:

2 cups plus 1 tablespoon cake flour (not self-rising)

1 teaspoon baking powder

¾ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large eggs, room temperature

1 cup buttermilk*

3 tablespoons packed brown sugar

1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon

For the Brown Sugar Frosting:

¼ cup butter, melted

2 tablespoons brown sugar

½ teaspoon vanilla

½ teaspoon cinnamon

2 cups powdered sugar

1 tablespoon milk

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla

4 cups powdered sugar

1-2 tablespoons milk

Directions:

To make the cake:

1.       Preheat oven to 350°. Butter and flour two 6x3” round cake pans. (This cake will alternatively make one 8” square cake or one 9x2” round.)

2.       In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter until fluffy, and then beat in vanilla. Add eggs one at a time, beating well in between each addition. Scrape down the bowl after each egg is added. Beat in buttermilk on low speed and stir until just combined. (At this point the mixture will look curdled.) Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients in three batches, mixing until just combined. Spread equally in cake pans. Bang the pans on the counter a few times to remove air bubbles.

3.       Mix brown sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl. Pour half on the top of each cake round and swirl with a knife. Bake for 35-38 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the side comes out clean. (I waited until the middle was firm and the cake was overbaked.) Cool completely before frosting.

To make the Brown Sugar Frosting:

Blend melted butter, brown sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon with a hand mixer.  Add powdered sugar and mix until combined. The mixture will be very crumbly at this point. Add milk and beat until smooth, about one minute. Spread on bottom cake layer, adding more around the edges to level out the cake. Place top layer on top of filling.

To make the Cream Cheese Frosting:

1.       Beat butter and cream cheese with a hand mixer. Add vanilla. Beat in powdered sugar slowly, one cup at a time. Add milk, starting with one tablespoon and adding more if needed. If frosting is too sticky, chill for 30 minutes before frosting cake.

2.       Frost sides and top of cake. I like to do two coats; one for a “crumb” coat and one to make it look pretty. If you don’t want to do pink and purple 6-year-old decorations, large white roses might look nice. :)

Store cake in refrigerator.

*If you don’t want to buy buttermilk you can make your own! Add 1 tablespoon of white vinegar to a measuring cup and then add enough whole milk to make 1 total cup of liquid. Let sit 5 minutes and stir before using.

Yield: Two 6x3” layers, one 8” square, or one 9” round. If you do a one layer cake and still want to use the filling you can torte the cake or skip the cream cheese frosting.

Enjoy!

This recipe may be linked with:

Monday: Mingle Monday (Add a Pinch), Joy of Desserts. Tuesday: 2 Maids a Baking (2 Maids a Milking), Tea Party Tuesdays (Sweetology), Mushki Loves My Stuff (Mushki Loves), Totally Tasty Tuesdays (Mandy's Recipe Box), Talent Show Tuesdays (Chef-in-Training). Wednesday: Cast Party Wednesday, Made It On Monday (Lark's Country Heart), This Chick Cooks.  Thursday: Sweet Treats Thursday (Something Swanky), Chic-and-Crafty (Frugal Girls), Turning the Table Thursdays (Around My Family Table), Tasty Thursday (The How-To Mommy). Friday: Sweet Tooth Friday (Alli-n-son), I'm Lovin' it Fridays (TidyMom), Friday Favorites (Simply Sweet Home). Saturday: Sweets for a Saturday (Sweet as Sugar Cookies), Seasonal Inspiration (Crumbs and Chaos). Sunday: A Well-Seasoned Life,Sharing Sundays (Everyday Sisters)

Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies (12 weeks of Christmas Cookies)

One of these days I'm going to get t-shirts made. I'm going to wear them all superman-style under my clothes so that when I meet new people, I can rip open my shirt to reveal sayings like:

Yes, I only have one kid.

or

No, I'm not having any more kids.

or

My baby was full price and we couldn't afford another.

Starting a new school year means meeting new moms. 99% of the new moms I meet are great. They are nice, non-judgemental, caring, and are already or will become friends (and it doesn't matter to them how many kids I have).

Then there is that other 1%. The ones that totally judge everything about you and you know it. Because they let you know it, in not so subtle ways. It can be for several reasons; maybe you work and the judger is a SAHM who thinks you're unfit. Or maybe vice versa; you stay home and she works and thinks she's better than you.

In my case, often the judgers judge me because I have an only child. And she will always be an only child; we're not having any more kids.  My experience with this 1% happened just last week. Her first question to me was if I had other kids. Here is a summary of our conversation:

Me: "No, Jordan is our only one."

Judger: "Oh, my little Reggie (not his real name) always begs me to be the only child. He wishes he didn't have brothers and sisters."

{Note: her words are dripping with the tone of now I know your life is easier than mine. We all know that tone, don't we?}

Me: "Oh, Jordan is always begging for a sibling. That whole the grass is greener thing, you know."

Her (totally serious, because she knows better than me, of course): "Oh, she should come spend some time at my house. Her mind would change for sure!"

I "mmmhmmmed" when I wanted to say "Yes, well, we spent $20,000 to get our kid. Maybe if I could pop them out like a Pez dispenser, I'd have the same problems as you," but I didn't.  Maybe I should put that on a t-shirt.

You know what I should put on a t-shirt? Beware: Pumpkin & White Chocolate May Cause the Need for Rehab.

Because the combination of pumpkin and white chocolate is seriously addictive. Like, dangerous for your waistline. And when you add them to an oatmeal cookie? Watch out. If you put a plate of these in front of me I might go all Charlie Sheen on you.

So you need to make these cookies. Like, now. I've got some extra pumpkin if you need it.

And, did you know it's just over 12 weeks until Christmas? How do I know? Because this is the first week of the 12 weeks of cookies!

Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies

Recipe from My Baking Addiction

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour (you can also use wheat flour)

1 ½ cups old-fashioned oats

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

1 cup pure pumpkin puree

2 cups white chocolate chips

Directions

1.       Preheat oven to 350°. Line your baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

2.       Whisk together flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Set aside.

3.       Beat butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add pumpkin and egg and mix well. Mix in flour mixture and beat until well combined. Stir in white chocolate chips.

4.       Drop by equal scoopfuls onto prepared baking sheets. (I used a two tablespoon cookie scoop.) Bake for 12-14 minutes or until cookies are lightly browned, rotating pans halfway through baking. Cool on baking sheet at least 2 minutes before removing to a cooling rack.

Note: The original recipe called for dried cherries. If you’re into that, go ahead and add some (or raisins or whatever suits your fancy). 

Yield: about 4 dozen cookies

This recipe may be linked with:

Monday: Mingle Monday (Add a Pinch), Joy of Desserts. Tuesday: 2 Maids a Baking (2 Maids a Milking), Tea Party Tuesdays (Sweetology), Mushki Loves My Stuff (Mushki Loves), Totally Tasty Tuesdays (Mandy's Recipe Box), Talent Show Tuesday (Chef in Training). Wednesday: Cast Party Wednesday, Made It On Monday (Lark's Country Heart), This Chick Cooks.  Thursday: Sweet Treats Thursday (Something Swanky), Chic-and-Crafty (Frugal Girls), Turning the Table Thursdays (Around My Family Table), Tasty Thursday (The How-To Mommy). Friday: Sweet Tooth Friday (Alli-n-son), I'm Lovin' it Fridays (TidyMom), Friday Favorites (Simply Sweet Home). Saturday: Sweets for a Saturday (Sweet as Sugar Cookies), Seasonal Inspiration (Crumbs and Chaos). Sunday: A Well-Seasoned Life,Sharing Sundays (Everyday Sisters), Strut your Stuff Saturday (Six Sisters' Stuff), Pumpkin blog hop (Deelicious Sweets)

Crazy Sweet Tuesday

Thank you all for linking up last week! I'm really enjoying hosting this party and visiting so many new blogs each week. I love reading all your recipes and looking at your hunger-inducing photos.

Wow, I'm not all chatty this week. *Speechless*  Here are some of my favorites from last week:

Peanut Butter Popcorn from The Farm Girl Recipes. I really am a sucker for peanut butter. So is my husband. I think I could pry the Skinny Cow away from him if I served this!

Double Delish from Lucy Jane's Best. Um, it's a brownie and a cookie and it looks like a pie. Genius? I think so.

Apple Fritters by Carolynn's Recipe Box. I love the idea of a deep fried apple. It's fruit, so it's healthy.

S'more Ghost Marshmallows by Blondie and Brownies. This is SO cute. My daughter (and I) would love to eat these by the dozen.

Thanks again for sharing all your wonderful recipes. I can't wait to see what gets linked up this week.

Each of these pictures have been pinned. The photos here belong to their respective blogs, I just borrowed them to showcase here.


If you've been featured, be sure to grab the "Featured" button from the Crazy Sweet Tuesday page!

Let's get on with the party!

Crazy Sweet Tuesdays is a day for all you great bloggers out there to share your yummy sweet treats. Link up as many as you want and let's have a party!

I only have a few rules:

1. Sweet treats only please! Please link to the URL of your post, not to your main page.
2. Please either subscribe to Crazy for Crust or follow through GFC, Facebook, Twitter, or Networked Blogs.
3. Link back to Crazy for Crust or grab my button (code is below). Anywhere is fine!
4. Visit some of the links and comment. Drool along with me at the sweet goodness of it all.

Link will be open through Friday. Be sure to check back next week to see if you've been featured!

<a href="http://www.crazyforcrust.com/p/crazy-sweet-tuesdays.html"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7hw5yfo8jS3Hf8Olxw4vqNs3Vmpu_K8zriPoTugGD690smb-gZLbmuFyAdGPyxSOsQzu0AMeLrZ7iTiaDeji7GehGuiY3vJaRnaPlrcs2eslhm-vRJfttZywnCM2VjV4RxfmnJG8r8a_3/" /></a>

S'more Caramel Apples

I snapped this picture the other day while in my daughters bathroom:

It got me to thinking. Who would win in a Princess fight? (I know, totally inappropriate. But funny and entertaining!)

I mean, Belle has obviously got a leg up on Ariel. Poor Ariel didn't really have a chance with that whole tail thing.

I see Jasmine as a good fighter, if she needed to be. I mean, she has a pet tiger and all. And she dated a self-proclaimed "street rat."

I wouldn't count out Cinderella either. After all those years of domestic work, she's probably got some good muscles going on under that drab house dress.

Rapunzel has the magical braid. She can do anything with that thing. I think it would hurt if it hit you upside the head.

Aurora...she's the wild card. All those years in the princess protection program, singing to the birds in the forest may have softened her. But it's always the meek ones that end up taking out the whole fight club, right?

Don't even get me started on Barbie and Bratz. I don't think the Princesses would stand a chance against them.

Anyway, this is where I would segue into the recipe for these S'more Caramel Apples...but I've got nothing. I'm not quite sure how to get from Princess Smackdown to this yummy "Summer, meet Fall" recipe. Because that's really what it is. The last few bites of Summer, all wrapped up into a nice Fall package.

I think caramel apples are the easiest treat to make. All you do is melt some caramels and roll an apple in it. Easy but absolutely delicious. And now for the fun stuff...

The winner of the Mini Pie Maker is...

Something Swanky said...

Tweeted this giveaway

September 22, 2011 1:12 PM 

Ashton at Something Swanky, you won! :) Email me your contact info and I'll send you your new mini pie maker.

S’more Apples

Recipe by Crazy for Crust

Ingredients:

5 medium Granny Smith apples, washed and well dried

5 wooden sticks or popsicle sticks

1 bag (11-oz) caramel bits (or squares, unwrapped)

2 Tablespoons water

4 graham cracker sheets

2 cups mini marshmallows

1 cup mini chocolate chips

Directions:

1.       Finely grind graham crackers in a food processor until only a fine crumb remains. Place in a shallow bowl and set aside. Put marshmallows and chocolate chips on two separate plates and set aside. Put your sticks in the center of your apples. Line a cookie sheet with waxed paper.

2.       Heat caramel bits and water over medium heat. Stir until melted (about 3-5 minutes). Once melted, turn the heat very low (you want to keep the caramel warm).

3.       Working quickly, one apple at a time, dip in caramel. You may need to tip the pan and/or use a spoon to help you cover the entire thing. Dip the bottom half of the caramel apple in the graham cracker crumbs. Roll the top half in the chocolate chips and then the marshmallows. Place it on the cookie sheet. Add more marshmallows or chocolate chips where there are gaps. Repeat with remaining apples.

4.       Chill until hardened, at least 30 minutes. Store in refrigerator. These look really cute as gifts, wrapped in a cellophane bag. You will probably have some caramel left over. Use it to dip apple slices in (or eat with a spoon).

Yield: 5 apples

Enjoy!

This recipe may be linked with:

Monday: Mingle Monday (Add a Pinch), Joy of Desserts. Tuesday: 2 Maids a Baking (2 Maids a Milking), Tea Party Tuesdays (Sweetology), Mushki Loves My Stuff (Mushki Loves), Totally Tasty Tuesdays (Mandy's Recipe Box). Wednesday: Cast Party Wednesday, Made It On Monday (Lark's Country Heart), This Chick Cooks.  Thursday: Sweet Treats Thursday (Something Swanky), Chic-and-Crafty (Frugal Girls), Turning the Table Thursdays (Around My Family Table), Tasty Thursday (The How-To Mommy). Friday: Sweet Tooth Friday (Alli-n-son), I'm Lovin' it Fridays (TidyMom), Friday Favorites (Simply Sweet Home), Party Mindy Style (Bacon Time...). Saturday: Sweets for a Saturday (Sweet as Sugar Cookies), Seasonal Inspiration (Crumbs and Chaos). Sunday: A Well-Seasoned Life,Sharing Sundays (Everyday Sisters)

Pumpkin Cake with Browned Butter Frosting

If you follow me on Facebook you may have read about my frustrating search for pumpkin puree last week. I had been waiting for the perfect moment to make something pumpkin and that moment was last weekend. I was baking up a storm for a dessert buffet for the teachers at my daughters' school and wanted to include this pumpkin cake.

But I couldn't find any canned pumpkin. (I know I could make my own, but I'm really not into adding hours of work to an already busy baking day.)

I looked at Walmart. There was a huge space for it next to the pumpkin pie filling, but it was empty.

I looked at Savemart (a local grocery store). Same thing as Walmart, space on the shelf with no pumpkin in sight. The checker mentioned that the shipment may have gotten delayed.

After seeing my Facebook post, a friend of mine offered to look at Trader Joe's while she was shopping. No luck.

At this point I was getting nervous. Did the long winter we had mean there was a pumpkin shortage? Would I have to go without muffins and bread and pie and cheesecake? What was I to do?

I started calling other stores in the area. I was in luck! The Safeway near me had five cans of pumpkin in stock. My husband was headed that way and said he'd pick some up for me. I gave him strict instructions (real pumpkin not pie filling, check the expiration dates...) When I saw the bag sitting on the table later that day I was very excited. Pumpkin! Yippee! Then I looked inside and saw four cans of pumpkin puree, just like I'd asked for. But instead being 15 ounce cans, like I'd expected, he'd gotten me four 29 ounce cans. Four. 29 ounce cans. Um, wow. That's a lot of pumpkin. Now you know what to expect from me for the next few months.

This cake is delightful. It's pumpkin goodness all mixed up together. And it starts with a cake mix, so it's easy to make too. Oh, and it's glazed with browned butter frosting.

{Um, can we talk about browned butter frosting for a minute? So. Freakin'. Good. Have you ever had it? I hadn't until I made this batch. It's caramely, nutty, buttery sweet goodness. Go make some. Just serve it with a spoon, no cake needed.}

And if you still can't find pumpkin? Give me a holler...I think I have some to spare. (Wink, wink.)

Pumpkin Bundt Cake with Browned Butter Frosting

Recipe adapted from Betty Crocker

Printed from www.CrazyforCrust.com

Ingredients:

For the cake:

1 box of yellow cake mix (I used Betty Crocker Supermoist Yellow Cake)

1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree

4 eggs

1/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon

1 ½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

For the glaze:

1/3 cup butter

2 cups powdered sugar

4 tablespoons milk

¼ teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

1.       Preheat oven to 350°. Grease and flour a 12-cup bundt pan.

2.       Using a hand mixer, blend all of the ingredients in a large bowl on medium speed.

3.       Pour into prepared bundt pan and bake 40-45 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool completely before glazing.

4.       To make the glaze: Heat butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir constantly until butter has browned. Remove from heat and add powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla. Stir until no lumps remain. Pour immediately over top of cooled cake, allowing it to drip down the sides.

Yield: 12-15 slices (or less if you’re like me)

This recipe may be linked with:

Monday: Mingle Monday (Add a Pinch), Joy of Desserts. Tuesday: 2 Maids a Baking (2 Maids a Milking), Tea Party Tuesdays (Sweetology), Mushki Loves My Stuff (Mushki Loves), Totally Tasty Tuesdays (Mandy's Recipe Box). Wednesday: Cast Party Wednesday, Made It On Monday (Lark's Country Heart), This Chick Cooks.  Thursday: Sweet Treats Thursday (Something Swanky), Chic-and-Crafty (Frugal Girls), Turning the Table Thursdays (Around My Family Table), Tasty Thursday (The How-To Mommy). Friday: Sweet Tooth Friday (Alli-n-son), I'm Lovin' it Fridays (TidyMom), Friday Favorites (Simply Sweet Home). Saturday: Sweets for a Saturday (Sweet as Sugar Cookies), Seasonal Inspiration (Crumbs and Chaos). Sunday: A Well-Seasoned Life,Sharing Sundays (Everyday Sisters)

Caramel Apple Hand Pies (and a giveaway!)

Yesterday was my one year blogiversary! I really can't believe it's been a whole year of baking and posting.  It's been so amazing (virtually) meeting so many other bloggers and finding a place in such a great community.

A year ago I was in a strange place. My daughter had just started Kindergarten and I kept getting asked about what I was going to do now that she was in school. I knew I didn't want to go back to teaching. I wanted to continue staying home, but also I wanted to find something for me. Everything I'd been doing for the previous five years had been about my daughter. I knew I wanted to be doing something creative, but had no idea what.

Now, one year later, I know what my passion is. I know what I want to do when I grow up. Baking and blogging make me happy. Sure, spending time with my daughter does too, but there is something about spending time creating food and writing about it that is magical for me. I don't know what sort of a job I'll be in five years from now but I do know that it will, in some way, include my baking and this blog. Thank you all for continuing on this journey with me.

Now I may not admit this openly, (oops, I'm about to) but I love presents on birthdays and anniversaries.  (Come on, you know you all think that way too...right?) So because it's my blogiversary...I'm giving you a present!

I saw this cute petite pie maker at Sur la Table last month. I had to have one. I mean, it makes personal pies. How could I not have one? And, I grabbed two because I knew I'd want to share one with you all, my readers.

It's super simple to use - just roll out your pie dough and press to cut cute little scalloped circles. Fill with any filling and press again to seal. Bake and eat. It's a perfect individual dessert maker.

I made caramel apple pies with mine. Apple is one of my favorite pies and it's that time of year - caramel apple time. (And yes, I did use a fork to eat mine. Makes it last longer.)

Want to win this cute petite pie maker? (I mean, why wouldn't you? It presses a heart into the dough!)

****The giveaway is now closed****

You have four ways to enter this giveaway:

1. Leave a comment here. Any comment at all.
2. Do you follow me somehow? On Google Friend Connect, RSS, Facebook, or Twitter? Leave a separate comment and let me know. (Just once for any/all of the listed methods.)
3. Tweet this giveaway (include @crazyforcrust in your tweet) and then come back here and leave another comment saying you did.
4. Blog or post to Facebook about this giveaway, linking to this page. Then come back here and leave a comment to let me know you did.

Giveaway is open until the end of the day on Sunday, September 25th. I will pick a winner using random.org and announce it on Monday, September 26th.

Caramel Apple Hand Pies

Crust recipe by AllRecipes, filling recipe by Crazy for Crust

Ingredients:
1 refrigerated pie crust (from a box of two) OR use the following recipe for crust
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup butter, diced and chilled
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup ice water
2 Granny Smith apples
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon water
1 tablespoon tapioca (for thickening), optional
2 tablespoons caramel sauce

Directions:

1. Add the flour and salt to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse once to combine. Add the cold butter and pulse until the mixture becomes coarse. Add the water slowly, one tablespoon at a time, while running the machine until dough comes together in a ball. Wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
2. Peel and slice the apples thin. Place them, with 1 teaspoon of water, in a skillet over medium-low heat. Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon. Cook for 3 minutes until the apples just begin to lose their very white color. Drain off excess liquid. Stir in tapioca if you are using it. Set aside.
3. Roll out your crust on a floured surface. Open the petite pie press completely and place it, scalloped side down, on the crust. Punch out two circles. Place one circle in the bottom half of the press. Add half the apple filling. Top with 1 tablespoon of caramel sauce. Place the second crust round on top and press the lid down. You may need to use a little water to help seal the edges. Repeat with rest of crust.  Bake at 350 degrees about 25 minutes. Serve warm (with ice cream, if desired).

*If you don't have a petite pie maker you can do the same thing by pressing out two circles of crust, adding your filling to the center and then use a fork to press the edges together.

Yield: 2 hand pies

Fine Print: I was not compensated in any way for this giveaway. I just wanted to give you all something I like. But hey, Sur la Table, if you're listening I'm always open to a sponsored giveaway! ;)

This recipe may be linked with:

Monday: Mingle Monday (Add a Pinch), Joy of Desserts. Tuesday: 2 Maids a Baking (2 Maids a Milking), Tea Party Tuesdays (Sweetology). Wednesday: Cast Party Wednesday, Made It On Monday (Lark's Country Heart), This Chick Cooks.  Thursday: Sweet Treats Thursday (Something Swanky), Chic-and-Crafty (Frugal Girls), Turning the Table Thursdays (Around My Family Table), Tasty Thursday (The How-To Mommy). Friday: Sweet Tooth Friday (Alli-n-son), I'm Lovin' it Fridays (TidyMom), Friday Favorites (Simply Sweet Home), Fusion Fridays (Jane Deere). Saturday: Sweets for a Saturday (Sweet as Sugar Cookies), Seasonal Inspiration (Crumbs and Chaos). Sunday: A Well-Seasoned Life,Sharing Sundays (Everyday Sisters)

***The giveaway is now closed.****

Crazy Sweet Tuesday

Happy Tuesday everyone! If I've learned one thing since starting this party it is to not look at all your links while I'm hungry. Frantic baking and eating (may) occur.

I have a quick request/question before we get to the party. This site is a Blogger site. I love the ease of it, but there are a few things lately I've been unhappy with on Blogger and am thinking about if I want to switch to Wordpress. I've never used Wordpress, but I like the look of the sites that use it. I also know there are two Wordpress sites: hosted (free, with add-on costs) and self-hosted. I don't make money from this blog now, but hope too in the future (at least to cover the costs of all the sugar). I don't know anything about self-hosting. I'd love to hear any advice you have about Blogger vs. Wordpress or switching to Wordpress or even about self-hosting vs. not. I don't want to switch only to find out the grass is not greener, you know what I mean?

Okay, so here are the features this week:

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip-Peanut Butter Chip Muffins from Lemon Drop. This picture is so beautiful I want to eat my screen.

No-Bake Cookie Balls from Aunt Nubby's Kitchen. I love how my daughter can help me make these, almost from beginning to end.These will look great in my Christmas boxes this year.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Stuffed Crescent Rolls from Sweet Treats and More. Oh my gosh what a genius idea. Two of my favorite things (cookies and bread) all in one bite.

Mardi Gras Polka Dot Bundt Cake from Unique Party Food to Go. I love this idea, especially because I have a Babycakes Cake Pop Maker and am always trying to think of other uses for it.

There were so many good recipes this week. Thank you all for sharing them!

Each of these pictures have been pinned. The photos here belong to their respective blogs, I just borrowed them to showcase here.


If you've been featured, be sure to grab the "Featured" button from the Crazy Sweet Tuesday page!

Let's get on with the party!

Crazy Sweet Tuesdays is a day for all you great bloggers out there to share your yummy sweet treats. Link up as many as you want and let's have a party!

I only have a few rules:

1. Sweet treats only please! Please link to the URL of your post, not to your main page.
2. Please either subscribe to Crazy for Crust or follow through GFC, Facebook, Twitter, or Networked Blogs.
3. Link back to Crazy for Crust or grab my button (code is below). Anywhere is fine!
4. Visit some of the links and comment. Drool along with me at the sweet goodness of it all.

Link will be open through Friday. Be sure to check back next week to see if you've been featured!

<a href="http://www.crazyforcrust.com/p/crazy-sweet-tuesdays.html"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7hw5yfo8jS3Hf8Olxw4vqNs3Vmpu_K8zriPoTugGD690smb-gZLbmuFyAdGPyxSOsQzu0AMeLrZ7iTiaDeji7GehGuiY3vJaRnaPlrcs2eslhm-vRJfttZywnCM2VjV4RxfmnJG8r8a_3/" /></a> (FYI, I think all my buttons actually work now...)

Nutter Butter {fake} Ice Cream

Okay, so I am so totally jealous of many of you.

I keep seeing all sorts of posts filled with delicious Fall foods: pumpkin, cinnamon, apple. There are daily mentions of Pumpkin Spice Lattes and cooler weather and rain.

Yes, where I live, Starbucks is selling their Fall lineup of drinks and I couldn't find a pair of sandals in the stores if my life depended on it. But, here outside Sacramento, this is the weather forecast for this week:

Needless to say, any Pumpkin Spice Latte I order will be iced.

It's September and Fall starts in a few days. I want to bake pumpkin bread and apple pie and make soup for dinner. But, after standing in the pick-up line at school or sitting at soccer practice in 90 degree heat, all I want to eat is ice cream.

So I made some for you. In case you live in a place like here or Arizona, where Fall doesn't follow a calendar.

All summer I kept seeing recipes for two-ingredient ice cream (the two ingredients being fresh whipped cream and sweetened condensed milk). I was trying to think how to make such an ice cream with lower-fat ingredients so wouldn't eat an entire container of full-fat ice cream all by myself. That's when I thought of Cool Whip, because it comes in a fat-free version.

{Yes, I eat (and like) Cool Whip. Sometimes. I mean, I prefer the real thing, but occasionally I want an easy alternative.}

So I made two-ingredient ice cream with fat-free Cool Whip and fat-free sweetened condensed milk. Then I added some Nutter Butters because all that fat-free cancels out any other fat and calories in any mix-ins. It's a scientific fact. I think I read it somewhere.

Nutter Butter {fake} Ice Cream

Recipe by Crazy for Crust

Ingredients:

1 8-ounce container Cool Whip whipped topping (I used fat-free)

1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk (I used fat-free)

1 teaspoon vanilla

8 Nutter Butter cookies, coarsely chopped (feel free to substitute your favorite cookie)

Directions:

Add Cool Whip, sweetened condensed milk, and vanilla to a Tupperware container. Stir until combined. Fold in chopped cookies. Cover and freeze until hardened, about 4 hours or overnight.

Yield: about 6 servings

Someday it will finally cool off. The leaves will drop and I will complain about raking. Then it will rain for 3 straight months and I'll long for summer. But right now, some consistent 80 degree days would be awesome. Until then, it's ice cream for me!

Enjoy!

This recipe may be linked with:

Monday: Mingle Monday (Add a Pinch), Joy of Desserts. Tuesday: 2 Maids a Baking (2 Maids a Milking), Tea Party Tuesdays (Sweetology), Totally Tasty Tuesdays (Mandy's Recipe Box). Wednesday: Cast Party Wednesday, Made It On Monday (Lark's Country Heart), This Chick Cooks.  Thursday: Sweet Treats Thursday (Something Swanky), Chic-and-Crafty (Frugal Girls), Turning the Table Thursdays (Around My Family Table), Tasty Thursday (The How-To Mommy). Friday: Sweet Tooth Friday (Alli-n-son), I'm Lovin' it Fridays (TidyMom), Friday Favorites (Simply Sweet Home). Saturday: Sweets for a Saturday (Sweet as Sugar Cookies), Seasonal Inspiration (Crumbs and Chaos). Sunday: A Well-Seasoned Life,Sharing Sundays (Everyday Sisters)