Lovin' From the Oven

Day 1: Rainbow M&M Cookies

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It’s officially December! YESSSSSSS! Guess what that means… I get to kick off my 12 days of cookies! Follow along the rest of the month for the remaining 11 cookies. Hint: All the ones I made for Thanksgiving will be featured. Hooray for my favorite time of the year! We’re starting the countdown with a colorful and chewy cookie: Rainbow M&M Cookies.

They’re simple, easy to make, and will please the majority of the crowd. There’s no crazy ingredients that people won’t like. It’s just dough and M&M’s.

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Sometimes, chocolate chip cookies need a little sprucing up. That’s where M&M’s come in. Children always pick the most colorful cookie when you ask them which one they want (same goes for cupcakes). They also make Christmas M&M’s this time of year, so you can easily substitute these for the red and green ones if you’re planning to make them for the holidays.

The refrigeration of the dough is absolutely necessary in this recipe. It has a ton of Rodelle vanilla extract, which really meshes into the dough while it’s chilling. Let the dough sit! It’s even better if it’s overnight.

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These cookies are soft as can be, chewy, and have just the right amount of sweetness. The chocolate to cookie ratio is also spot on, which I can certainly appreciate. If you ask me, mini M&M’s are much better for baking in cookies. I like biting into little chunks of chocolate, not humongous bites of it. That’s just me, though. Some people like a 50/50 ratio of chocolate to dough. Add more M&M’s if you wish! Heck, you can even mix in some regular chocolate chips or chocolate chunks. I won’t tell.

Recipe from Sally’s Baking Addiction.

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Rainbow M&M Cookies

Ingredients

  • 2 cups + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon cornstarch
  • 3/4 cup (1.5 sticks) salted butter, softened
  • 1 cup light brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 egg, at room temperature
  • 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons Rodelle vanilla extract
  • 1 cup mini M&Ms

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 325F degrees.
  2. Cream together the butter and both sugars. Mix in the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla.
  3. Gradually stir in the flour, baking soda, and cornstarch until just combined.
  4. Fold in the mini M&Ms. Cover and refrigerate dough for at least an hour.
  5. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto baking sheet and press a few more M&Ms onto the tops for decoration.
  6. Bake for 8-10 minutes.
https://lovintheoven.com/rainbow-mm-cookies/

Biscoff Cookie Pumpkin Bread

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You guyyyyyyssssss… This bread is good. Real good. Are you still looking for something pumpkin to make for Thanksgiving? It’s not too late because you’ve come to the right place.

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Have you ever had Biscoff cookies? They always remind me of flying on an airplane. Some airlines give these cookies out as a complimentary snack with your beverage. I’m pretty sure that’s the first and last time I ate a Biscoff cookie.

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I have no idea how to even describe their taste if you’ve never had one, but I’ll try. They’re like a graham cracker mixed with a molasses cookie. They’re crunchy, crumbly, and resemble a dog biscuit? Hahah.

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Man, I wish I could eat one right now. I’m currently fasting from carbs for my glucose test tomorrow and it’s KILLING me. Who knew that it was so hard to not eat any carbs for a day? I had no idea how much I ate on a daily basis!

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Having an all protein diet just doesn’t cut it. I mean, what do you eat when you want to snack? No chips, yogurt parfaits, cookies, or fruit. That’s a hard life.

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This pumpkin bread is just the thing to go with Biscoff cookies. They go along so well! This bread is also extremely moist as is. I’m pretty sure out of all the pumpkin breads that I’ve had, this one is my favorite. Bottom line: Make it ASAP!

Recipe from Will Cook for Smiles

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Biscoff Cookie Pumpkin Bread

Ingredients

    Pumpkin Bread:
  • 1½ cups of flour
  • ¼ cup of Biscoff cookie crumbs (made in a food processor)
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • ¾ cup brown sugar
  • 1 cup pumpkin puree
  • ½ cup veggie oil
  • 2 large eggs
  • ¼ cup buttermilk
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • ¼ tsp nutmeg
  • ½ tsp cinnamon
  • ½ tsp allspice
    • Streusel Topping:
  • ½ cup Biscoff Cookie Crumbs
  • ½ stick of unsalted butter, cold
  • ¼ tsp cinnamon
  • _____
  • 2 more tbs Biscoff cookie crumbs for dusting the baking pan

Directions

  1. In a bowl, whisk your wet ingredients and brown sugar for the bread until smooth.
  2. Gradually mix in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, spices, and cookie crumbs until just combined.
  3. Preheat the oven to 350 and grease a bread baking pan. Sprinkle the 2 tbsp Biscoff crumbs onto the bottom of the pan.
  4. Pour the batter into the baking pan, spread evenly.
  5. Make the streusel: Pulse the cold butter, cookie crumbs and cinnamon in a food processor a few times until you see coarse crumbs. Spread the crumbs over the batter.
  6. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes.
https://lovintheoven.com/biscoff-cookie-pumpkin-bread/

Mini Brownie Donuts

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This is a sponsored post, but the opinions expressed are my own.

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We all know that when the holidays start rolling, they really start rolling. In other words, you don’t want to get behind on your baking list! Pillsbury has made it simple for you to keep up, thanks to their Purely Simple line of mixes. With a little bit of creativity, no one will ever know they came from a box.

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These mini baked brownie donuts are perfect for sharing in the classroom. Not only that, but the kids would love to get involved making and decorating each treat. The directions and ingredients are minimal for this recipe. The hardest part is deciding what sprinkles to use on top!

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I made them mini so they’re easier to hold for smaller hands. It’s also great for packing individually or in bunches to hand out in class. This recipe yields 24 mini donuts with one box of mix, which is enough to share with a small classroom.

To get the kids involved in the kitchen, you can have them mix the batter together and count 50 strokes. It’s an easy task that even the younger kids can handle. For the older kids, you can have them pipe the batter into the pan cavities prior to baking. Once they’re done baking, everyone can help decorate with buttercream frosting and sprinkles. That way, everyone in the family can get involved in making these donuts. IMG_9244 IMG_9256 IMG_9265

The kiddos will feel extra special when they bring in these treats to share because they helped make it themselves. How many kids can say they made their own treats?

IMG_9279This was the first time I used Pillsbury’s buttercream frosting mix and I was very impressed! All you have to do is add softened butter and water. I adjusted half of the buttercream and made chocolate buttercream by adding some cocoa powder to the mix.

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I’ve got to warn you, though. These things are seriously addicting. I had three of them when they came out of the oven and thought to myself, “Oh, that’s alright.. it’s like eating one regular sized brownie.” I love how the middle of the donut cooks to the same consistency as the edge in a regular brownie pan. These Pillsbury mixes are pure gold, I tell ya.

IMG_9362They nailed it with their Purely Simple line. The difference with this line and others is that the mixes are made with simple ingredients. There are no colors, preservatives, or artificial flavors. 


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I can look at pictures of these donuts all day. I just might.. while snacking on them.

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IMG_9403Happy Thanksgiving, friends! Enjoy it making memories in the kitchen with your loved ones!

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Mini Brownie Donuts

Ingredients

    For the donuts
  • 1 box Pillsbury™ Purely Simple™ Chocolate Chunk Brownie Mix (15.5 oz)
  • 1/3 cup oil
  • 3 tablespoons water
  • 1 egg
    • For the top
  • 1 package Pillsbury™ Purely Simple™ Buttercream Frosting Mix (13.2 oz)
  • 1 stick (1/2 cup) softened butter
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 2 tablespoons cocoa powder, optional (if you want to make chocolate buttercream)
  • sprinkles, for decorating

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Generously spray a mini donut pan with baking spray and set aside.
  3. In a large bowl, mix together the ingredients for the donuts: brownie mix, oil, water, and egg. 50 strokes does the trick!
  4. Put batter into a ziploc bag and snip off the corner (make it big enough so the chocolate chunks can get through).
  5. Pipe the batter into the pan cavities, filling them 2/3 of the way full.
  6. Bake for 12 minutes.
  7. Let cool for a couple of minutes before inverting pan and tapping the donuts out.
  8. Once the donuts are completely cooled, make the frosting. Beat together the frosting mix and butter on low until creamy. Slowly add the water until incorporated.
  9. If you want to make chocolate buttercream, divide the current batter in half and mix in 2 tablespoons cocoa powder with a couple of drops of water until mixed.
  10. Decorate as desired.
https://lovintheoven.com/mini-brownie-donuts/

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