Walnut Brownies

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With just enough nut crunch to keep the chocolate forever interesting, these chewy Walnut Brownies have been on heavy rotation in our house lately. Sometimes, they disappear faster than I can pull the next pan out of the oven.

A close up shot of a pyramid of stacked brownies on a white plate over a wooden tabletop.

After several rounds of our homemade cosmic brownies, I was craving a chewy, nutty brownie. Walnuts won out. They hold their crunch against the fudgy base in a way that makes the second bite just as interesting as the first.

Walnut Brownies

Brownies are easily the most-requested baked good in our house. A quick scroll through the recipe index will turn up at least a dozen variations we’ve made over the years, and we keep finding new ones to try. What can I say? Chocolate has staying power!

The walnuts soften ever so slightly, giving the chocolate wonderful texture. Whether I’m eating these warm from the oven or slicing slivers off each time I pass the pan on the counter, I am one happy camper. But, I must warn you, these brownies are very susceptible to sliver theft. Walking past the pan without cutting off a teensy piece? Not in my house.

A top down shot of the brownies on a plate.

Ingredients and Substitutions

Walnuts – I use walnuts in this recipe because I like the bold, slightly bitter flavor with the sweet chocolate. You can swap for pecans, if you want.

Chocolate Chips – Semi-sweet is the right fit for these brownies. I like dark and bittersweet chocolate too, but semi-sweet is my preference when pairing brownies with walnuts.

Vanilla – Ever wonder why we put vanilla in chocolate baked goods? It sounds odd,

Peanut Butter Frosting

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I am so beyond thrilled with how this ultra fluffy, creamy Peanut Butter Frosting turned out! With just six ingredients and about ten minutes of work you will find yourself piping this onto cakes, swiping it over brownies, and (let’s be honest) eating it straight off the spoon.

An action shot, removing a slice of a two layer round chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting.

Fluffy, creamy, not too sweet, and peanut buttery without being pushy about it. Every photo you see here, I piled it on my Hershey’s chocolate cake. Is there any better match for this frosting? I think not!

This is the peanut butter frosting I put on everything chocolate in my kitchen. It spreads easily, but it also pipes up into proper pillowy piles for a cake. And it all comes together in about ten minutes with a mixer and a bowl.

Peanut Butter Frosting

Good peanut butter frosting is a balancing act. Too sweet and it stops tasting like peanut butter. Too heavy and it overpowers the cake.

I’ve been making this Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Frosting for years now and I’ll admit that it’s pretty awesome. But what I have really been wanting lately is a fluffy, creamy, light peanut butter frosting and I’ve nailed that with this peanut butter frosting recipe. I’m giddy over this, my friends!

This recipe makes enough frosting for a two-layer cake. For a pan of brownies or a 9×13 cake, you will want to halve the recipe. Or, if you’re like my family, you’ll happily make the full recipe and then top graham crackers, cookies, and everything else with the leftover frosting.

A slice of two layer dark chocolate cake frosted with light brown frosting.Read more

Cinnamon Toast Cake

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With a flavor like buttery cinnamon rolls and a topping that has the perfect crunch of cinnamon toast, this Cinnamon Toast Cake is an awesome surprise. I’ve had this cake for breakfast, an afternoon snack, and a late night dessert. And, I can tell you, it’s a hit at any time of day.

A single serving of cinnamon toast cake on a blue and brown ceramic square plate.

With just a few ingredients that you likely already have in your pantry, this simple unassuming looking cake has been one of my favorite desserts for a very very long time. I love this cake so much that we also make it in as cinnamon toast bars for feeding a crowd. And, it was pretty much a done deal that I’d be making a Cinnamon Toast Crunch ice cream, too. Your girl has a type, ok?

Cinnamon Toast Cake

I made this cake for the first time when I was a little girl. The name just leapt right off of one of my mom’s yellowed 3×5 cards, and I knew I had to try it. It was love at first bite. The tender crumb, with a warm, crunchy cinnamon toast topping is positively divine.

I’ve been making this cake for more years now than I should probably even admit, since I started making it when I was about 10 years old.

So, when it came time to pick desserts for my first cookbook? It was a foregone conclusion that I just had to include it in The Weeknight Dinner Cookbook. I fell in love with it all over again.

This cinnamon toast cake never fails to impress our guests, whether I serve it with a scoop of ice cream after dinner, or a hot mug of coffee for breakfast. One bite is all it takes. Try it, and you’ll see why so many of my fellow bloggers have shared the recipe. It’s just that good.

Thanks, Mom!

The cake has been sliced in the pan and is ready to serve.Read more

White Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

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With the perfect mix of chewy and crisp textures, these White Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies are loaded with white chocolate chips and cranberries. I fell in love with this combination at the first bite. And, I think you will, too!

white chocolate chip and cranberry oatmeal cookies on plate on wooden table

Just one search will show you that I’ve got dozens of cookie recipes on this site. What can I say? I just love cookies! But, this take on oatmeal cookies is one of my husband Sean’s all-time favorites. It takes my classic cranberry chocolate chip cookies and gives them a twist that’s hard to beat, with sweet white chocolate and oats for that signature chewy texture.

White Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

I find the combination of white chocolate and cranberries totally irresistible, because the tangy cranberries balances out the ultra sweet white chocolate. But, add both of them to a soft, chewy oatmeal cookie? It’s a magical experience.

I owe my cousin, Hope, a big thank you for suggesting this flavor combination many years ago. This recipe was a hit from the first time I made it. If you find oatmeal cookies with raisins or chocolate chips boring, then this white chocolate cranberry oatmeal cookie recipe just might be the one for you.

hand holding oatmeal cranberry chocolate chip cookie

Ingredients & Substitutions

Dry Ingredients – I use flour and old

Chocolate Sea Salt Ice Cream

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This luscious Chocolate Sea Salt Ice Cream is the kind of indulgence you whisper about at the end of a long day. I don’t know what it is about sea salt ice cream that has me hooked, but I’m in deep now, and there’s no going back!

A horizontal photo of a freezer safe container on a wooden tabletop with a floral tea towel visible in the background.

Chocolate Sea Salt Ice Cream

Travel seems to inspire so many of my recipes. And this one was no different. My sisters and I visited Santa Fe, New Mexico recently, and while we were there we found a shop that served a chocolate sea salt ice cream just like this one. It was love at first bite, for me.

My older sister wasn’t a fan of the sea salt ice creams, but I would have happily increased the salt even more. I just knew that I had to recreate those ice creams when I got home. I’m happy to report that I’ve nailed them both now.

As it turns out, I like salted ice cream so much that I’ve started sprinkling salt over pretty much every scoop of ice cream I serve lately. If you think that sea salt and chocolate is a strange combination, then I can’t wait to introduce you!

Sea salt chocolate captures one of my absolute favorite combinations, salty and sweet. I always sprinkle Maldon sea salt flakes over desserts like these chocolate chip pudding cookies. It takes them from really good to downright glorious.

The most popular question I get is whether it’s possible to make ice cream without a machine. The answer is YES. You can make ice cream without a machine. Find the full directions here!

Chocolate sea salt ice cream has been scooped into a white serving dish over a wooden tabletop in this vertically aligned image.

Salted Chocolate Ice Cream

I’m really proud of the way that this salted chocolate ice cream turned out. I’ve worked on a lot of i

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